We celebrated our first May Day today.  Being a cross-quarter day, marking the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, it signifies the peak of spring, and the forthcoming summer.  We joined together for flower crafting, singing, dancing, playing and feasting.  Enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, as many many before us have.  [...]

I love the springtime.  It’s my favorite season here in Florida, and it can be fleeting.  I love the whole spring holiday aesthetic: pastel colors, birdies, eggs.  What’s not to love about that?  I vowed to not let the holiday sneak up on me this year but it did anyway.  It seems that every year [...]

I know it’s a bit late to be posting photos of the gingerbread house, but since I shared the the last two here, it seemed only fitting that this one be recognized as well.
This year I had real help from The Girl.  The Boy did help a bit, then wandered off to build Lego.

I very [...]

There’s not alot of it, but there’s certainly enough to experience it.

Sadly, the snow did not taste like sugar, as the children were expecting.

Not enough for snow angels, but he sure did try.

The weather forecast says we may get some more snow early next week, and we are really hoping it happens!

Since our children have never seen snow (and The Daddy Monkey and I haven’t seen it in thirty years) we decided to take them to New York for Christmas.  Everyone said that we would probably not see snow this early in winter, but we were optimistic.
We saw our first snow in Virginia, and it was [...]

This year, we decided to put together a farm set for The Girl.  This is the second batch of wooden animals that The Daddy Monkey and I have made, and they are fun and easy to make. I’m very proud of these because the designs are entirely my own.  I’m especially fond of the dog, [...]

Many years ago, I’m not sure when, The Daddy Monkey’s Babci (“babci” is Polish for Grandmother) made for him a little stuffed red horse.  It became his lovey when he was a small child.  Over many years, Horsey (as he came to be called) was dragged everywhere and became quite dirty and worn.  His mother [...]

This was our first year celebrating Saint Nicholas Day, and while I was a bit concerned about both Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus visiting our house this year, the children were not bothered by it. Of course who needs another excuse to eat chocolate at breakfast!  We compared the two winterly figures and came to [...]

In Amanda’s words: This Moment – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Overall, The Day of the Dead party turned out to be quite the celebration.  The weather was quite cool, but a welcome change from the usual heat.

Friends and family from far and wide, old and new, came together to celebrate life.

We ate.

We played.

We celebrated while my handmade papel picado banners flapped overhead.

Ever present, the ofrenda [...]