Life has a way of lurching forward whether we stop to realize it or not.

Brooke and I had been planning this picnic for — oh, I don’t know, a million and one weeks. Amidst our crazy summer, that for some strange reason seemed to be filled with never ending days and weeks, was the hope of something fun and simple and perfect.

But coming up with something beautiful in the midst of chaos is a tall task, one I barely had the creative energy for.

Have you ever had a friend that doesn’t just reach out a hand when you’re struggling, but stops to carry you? In our life right now, we have several such friends, and Brooke is one of them.

She was the reason our picnic was wonderful.   She has a talent of making everything she sees or touches beautiful and full of life.

When we met at the mountains, Brooke’s sense of style and creativity overwhelmed me. Her children looked like they had stepped out of a modern Norman Rockwell painting, and the lunches she prepared were the epitome of old fashioned Americana.

Within each basket was nestled a sandwich to satisfy the most ravenous sweet tooth, a vintage book, confetti corn, and a root beer.

As Brooke and I ate our salads and chatted, the children wandered and played.  They were so content feeding corn on the cob to the lucky fish in the pond, we practically had to chase them down to feed them dessert.

As the afternoon rambled on, she and I shared our hopes and dreams for the future, and I was grateful we took the time to spend one last perfect moment together at the end of a very long summer.

To read more about the lovely and talented Brooke, be sure to click here and read her post of our picnic.

Her post made me cry.

I didn’t realize until tonight that I started my blog exactly one year ago Sunday! It may not be that significant a milestone for many people who keep blogs, but for me, it has been a huge milestone.

Bear with me a moment as I get a bit personal without spilling too much (I imagine I will be spilling a bit more in the coming months).

A year ago, I started this blog as a way to express some of my interests and talents, hoping I would one day be able to see it grow into something more. Any of my expectations for readership were far surpassed in my first few months of blogging, and I was thrilled to see my stats on Google Analytics sky rocket in such a short time. It was in those beginning weeks I gained some of my most loyal readers.

Then in early October, my personal life was turned upside down (sorry I can’t really elaborate at this point, I can be more open about it in a future post), and blogging became very difficult. I want to say to all my loyal readers, who bore with me through the fall and winter, THANK YOU. I know there were weeks when I didn’t have much to share, but you came anyway, and I really appreciate that.

In the spring, I guess I got my second wind, because I was able to post more. That was also when my brother and I started to come up with the new look and feel of the blog, and the rest, of course, you can see before you.

I have grown in so many ways in the last year. Amidst my darkest days, I have felt the true love of friends, which has helped me carry on. Though I don’t know most of you, my readers, personally, your comments have helped keep me afloat in the most challenging time of my life. And because of that, this year has also been one of the most rewarding.

So, thank you! To everyone. I hope we have many more wonderful years to come, as we share with each other ideas on how to make our families well-read, well-bred, and well-fed.

big smooches,
Jaime

My friend sent me an email of flower photographs for Mother’s Day. I thought I’d send you all one from me.

A new reader named Susan made a comment on the “manners don’t matter? excuse me” post.  She gave an example of how she taught her kids manners with a little toy pig at the table.  Go ahead and read her comment.
Then, since it’s been way too long, and since Thanksgiving is around the corner, I think we should start up a little dialogue about manners.  So, here’s the question:

How do you teach your kids manners for the dinner table?

and, another question for good measure:

What are your favorite family traditions for Thanksgiving?

This trip reminded me why I love New England.  The trees were magnificent; the weather was glorious.

I am sad to be back.

Read the rest of this entry »

It has been so hot lately (and I think you all know how I feel about that!), but now that the weather is actually pleasant, I’ll take the time to tell you about our little day at the pumpkin farm.  I say little because it lasted all of forty-five minutes.

I had had dreams of a breezy fall day in the crisp cool air.  We would wear thick hand-knit sweaters, pick bushels of apples, find the perfect pumpkins.  Then we’d come in from the cold and have cider and doughnuts.

It felt more like we were in a scene in Grapes of Wrath, complete with ninety degree heat, dead crops, and dust.

We had fun, but I will be glad to be in New England soon, where I can have a real fall!

“Last week, Japanese scientists explaced… placed explosive detonators at the bottom of Lake Loch Ness to blow Nessie out of the water. Sir Godfrey of the Nessie Alliance summoned the help of Scotland’s local wizards to cast a protective spell over the lake and its local residents and all those who seek for the peaceful existence of our underwater ally.” —- Napoleon Dynamite

I couldn’t resist. I finally found the whole thing written down (I’ve been searching for it since I read Breaking Dawn), and it’s one of my favorite movie lines of all time.

Ever since I had my first baby, I have envisioned taking my family to great heights–I’d love for my son to go to Oxford, or for my daughter to sing opera. I, however, do not have a degree from Oxford and can’t sing. But that won’t hinder me from helping my children achieve those things, or any of their other lofty pursuits. My plan is to read classic literature to them, travel with them, teach them good manners and foreign languages, and try — try – to get them to eat great food. This blog will document my attempts. Thanks for visiting.