In no particular order

Well, it's been a funny week. I'm kind of in a bit of a funk which is strange because the weather has been nice and usually that's enough for me. I guess I haven't quite
adjusted to the changes that a new school year brings. I am longing for my summertime routine, which was really not a routine at all. I can't quite get my act together in
many ways. Zig's schedule picked up almost right in sync with the beginning of the academic year. This week we didn't see him once in the evening. He's taken on a new role which presents lots of new challenges...apparently he likes that. He won't be gone as much for too long. It was just a busy week with a deadline looming.

Fortunately, Sela is just loving school. She has a wonderful teacher and a calm classroom environment from what I hear. We were lucky to find a piano teacher one street over and the best part about it is she teaches before school! Perfect for the child who balks at having to drive somewhere after school. Sela expressed some interest in playing piano again, and I didn't give her much time to change her mind. I quickly called and got her lessons arranged. She's enjoyed it so far and practicing is going fairly well.

I've been trying to make progress on the house and dying for my kitchen table and orange chairs to come. It's late, of course. I was super excited to find this fabric I have been loving for the last year or so, but had never seen in person. I went into a shop in Seattle and they had chairs covered in the fabric. I brought a swatch home and it is perfect. A total love. The fabric is around $300 a yard which is nuts, but the colorways are something that is impossible to find elsewhere. I just happened to check on Etsy for this particular fabric and for some crazy reason someone was selling two pillows in the Shumacher dragon fabric for $90! I was so excited. I know I can't top Erin's thrift store and Craig's lists finds, but this was a find in it's own right and I felt happy after all this furniture shopping, I got a myself a little deal! We don't even have the sofa for them yet, but we have a drawing. Slow progress. Patience I do not have.



















This weekend we had a double baptism for Sela's good friend Kate, and another friend Sydney. It was very sweet. Sela went over to her primary teacher's house before the baptism and they made treats together to serve. She has such a wonderful and dedicated teacher. Such a blessing for a very important year.










































Not too much else going on to speak of. A back to school party at sela's school with bouncy houses and big slides. Rollin was way under the height limit for everything but we talked our way through it and he spent two hours charming older kids for cuts in line. He's a funny boy.

Nina is having a good time at preschool. But I have to be honest. Her preschool drive is killing me. I am having huge regrets about not putting her somewhere closer to my house. I hate the drive and it just destroys the day for me. This sounds harsh and whiney, and it is, but it's the way I feel. If I didn't love Mrs. Judy, we would not be doing it. I was up in the air about what I would do with Rollin next year, but these first few weeks have sealed the deal. It's a bit sad in a way because we do love Mrs. Judy and Rollin is crazy about the preschool, but I can't do it another year. Driving back and forth sucks the life and energy out of me like nothing else can.

We made lots of homemade playdough this week to keep them busy while I try and get a few things done in the morning. They have spent hours and hours playing with it. We even got a little fancy and scented them with some citrus oils I have. I have some major cleanup each day, but it's a small price to pay to have them occupied for a bit.








































We've enjoyed lots of comfort food this week (trying to get out of the funk I'm in) beginning with Lentil Sloppy Joes (one of my favorite meals!), tomato soup with white cheddar melts, Parmesan chicken, and Portobello Mushroom Ruebens YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today we are blessed with another gorgeous sunny day and the promise of a few more. That's something to be thankful for this time of year.

It's that time again!

We celebrated Zig's birthday this weekend. The weather was soggy, but we had a wonderful day. We had a late breakfast this morning. I made french toast with my favorite homemade oatmeal bread and then we went out for a late lunch. We all went shoe shopping for Sela but had no luck. This evening we just spent time together at home and had a simple dinner and then the birthday party! I made Zig a chocolate cake this morning. It didn't puff quite as much as I thought it would but it was still tasty. I had to replace the strawberries three times because Rollin couldn't keep his little paws off. He's so stealthy when it comes to swiping treats. Sela and Nina spent the morning sneaking around with shoe boxes and paper, string, and magazines. I found them hiding on the floor of the pantry hard at work.

The gifts were so adorable, and so funny. First Nina's. An adorable card with her signature family drawing of happy hand-holding stick people. Her second gift was her memory game with her preschool mates wrapped up for Dad. Funny. Sela made Zig a book all about dogs. She cut pictures of lots of dogs out of magazines and wrote a few words about each one. She spent a couple of hours on it. That was adorable. Then the next present was a folder. Zig said "oh, a folder. It's your folder, Sela." "No, it's my old folder from last year, Dad. It's for you to store all your special writings." And then there was the old tennis ball Sela had us all sign to give to Zig.

And that was his take for the evening. A card, a memory game with last years preschoolers, a book of dogs, an old folder, and an autographed tennis ball, and tons and tons of hugs. Gifts only a parent could appreciate, and he certainly did!

Quote of the Day

Nina: "Dad! Don't forget to tell everyone at work it's your motorcycle birthday party today!!!"

If you know Zig, you will find humor in this.

And No, there's no motorcycle. That I know of. The kids just asked him what kind of party he was having several days ago and he must have played along and said "motorcycle."

Tree house

Eric and Ben have been working very hard the past few weeks to get the treehouse done. It's turned out to be a much bigger project than I thought, of course. Somehow these projects grow in scope without my knowledge! It's like a guest house in the trees. I think there will be heat in it for winter and the porch that wraps around the whole treehouse is covered so the kids can enjoy it even in the rain. The kids are very excited to see the finished product!

Tucker Willis Park

We tried out a new park today about 15 minutes from our house. I picked Sela up from school and told the kids we were going on a special outing. We stopped for ice cream cones on the way, which alone was a huge deal to them. They told me how much they loved me and a million "thank yous" the whole ride to the park. It was pretty funny.

This park was fantastic! We didn't do too many park outings this summer because we were so content here at home, but it was over 80 degrees today and I had heard from friends that this park had lots of water spray toys. It turned out it had something for everyone. Sela and Nina loved the merry-go-round. You don't see those much anymore and I remember loving them as a kid. I remember Erin getting stitches on her chin from one wild ride at Lady Bird Park! Rollin did get drug around a few times and fell on his face, but he survived and figured the thing out eventually. They also had this rope climbing tower and Rollin almost went to the very top in an attempt to emulate Sela. Everywhere we go, people always ask me how old Rollin is because he is totally nuts. At St. Ed's yesterday, he jumped off this play structure and it was about 8 feet high. He landed on his feet and there was a collective gasp amongst the other parents. Anyway, at the rope tower, I was threatening him with anything I could think of to coax him down and when he got close to me, he jumped without warning and almost knocked me to the ground. We called it a day when the kids were sufficiently worn out, but I have a feeling we'll be back.

St. Edwards

I'm afraid to check the forecast for this coming week as we have been totally spoiled with two amazing weeks of sunny weather. It's been wonderful. We pick Sela up at the bus and she and Nina do not come back inside until dark, except for snacks of course. Sela hasn't brought any homework home yet, so it feels like there is still so much time for her to play and do her own thing afterschool.

On Friday I took Rollin and Nina over to St. Edwards to play at their great play area and do some hiking. Well, I guess the real reason I went was to eat lunch at the Bastyr cafeteria. I love that place. If I lived closer, I know I'd eat there several times a week. It's all vegetarian, but no matter what it is, it's always great and very fresh. Anyway, we had so much fun exploring. I let the kids lead the way. At one point, Nina just wanted to lay down together in the grass , so we did. And then Rollin wanted to take off in the Ranger's golf cart, so I hauled him off crying. But all in all it was a perfect afternoon. Zig is at some strategy meeting this weekend at Salish Lodge so on Sunday morning I took the kids back to St. Edwards before church. Sela felt she had missed out on the Friday outing. We did some more walking and hiking around and it was such a gorgeous morning. Rollin led us on a hike down to the water where he immediately got soaked and then wanted to run around naked because he was cold. Oh boy. Good thing little free spirits are very accepted around these parts. No one batted an eye.

Sela found some tree bark and made a couple of boats that she piled up with rocks and floated near the shore. Rollin fell asleep on the way home which got him very rested and WILD for church. My goodness, that boy! I crashed this afternoon and talked on the phone for two hours with Erin while the kids tried to get my attention. Bad mommy. She said they are doing a 2 hour block church pilot in several wards in Virgina. Ooooh, now if that doesn't sound like a great deal!! I could have used that today :)

Tree Huggers

There is a lovely little maple tree right outside our bedroom window and in some ways it reminds me of the story of "The Giving Tree." The kids have spent hours and hours in the tree hanging from it's branches, reading, writing, sketching and playing house. It's the perfect climbing tree for younger kids and there are plenty of little spots to perch and hang. Rollin gets in touch with his inner Tarzan and Nina has found her own lounging spot, just right for her size. With the tree also very close to my kitchen window, I mostly love that I can watch them hang and twirl and sometimes tumble as they explore their little corner of the world.

Preschool Rockstar

Bringing a pet for sharing is the equivalent of being a preschool rock star! Until this year, there were no pets in the Serafin household. A year ago I would have never guessed that by this time we would have 31 animals to our name. It's pretty funny how quickly things change! I hate to even admit it, but those pigmy goats at the state fair were pretty darn cute and for a moment I had a very scary thought about acquiring one! But anyway, Nina's first sharing for preschool this year, she was over the moon to finally be able to take a pet. Spotty went to school and she was a perfect little bunny. She tolerated lots and lots of attention and was very gentle. Nina was beaming and enjoyed being in the spotlight and sharing her little Spotty with all her schoolmates. Spotty fell asleep in Nina's arms on the way home. This was certainly the most excitement our little bunny bunny has experienced in her young life.

Life on the farm

Two nights ago, Sela and I could be found in the pitch black night trying to feel our way through the trees searching for chickens. The chickens are the easiest animals to take care of on most days. I am so happy we have them and the promise of some very wonderful eggs in the near future. They are very fun to watch. But don't mess with their sleep schedule. We usually keep the coup door open in the daytime. Then around dusk, the chickens come back inside on their own, huddle in the corner, the exact same place every night, and they sleep. Then one of us shuts the door to protect them during the night and then we let them out again in the morning. Maybe five minutes of time a day to keep 29 chickens happy. Well, Zig was in New York this week and in the busyness of the day, I headed out a bit later than normal to do a final check and close the door. That's when I saw a big mound of chickens huddled up outside the coup as close to their inside spot as they could be. One of the kids or neighbors had shut the gate earlier which prevented them from getting back in. So they got as close as they could to their sleeping spot and called it a day.

I thought I could just wake them and chase them in. I got one of Rollin's soft bats to shoo them along. And they wouldn't move an inch, even with prodding. They were really irritated. I had to summon Sela, the true farm girl. She tried to push them along which didn't work and then she just started picking them up one by one. The thought never crossed my mind. I haven't handled the chickens who poop without notice near as much as the kids. I love them but not quite the same way as the kids. But here I was picking up chickens in the dark(I even did two at once!) and putting them in the coup. We counted as we put them back in and found we were five short. The chickens like to perch in the trees near the coup so we started listening and feeling our way around in the low branches of the evergreen trees. I saw some white feathers in the moonlight and told Sela to see if it was a chicken (who's the chicken?!). She grabbed it and it started squawking and trying to get away but Sela was undeterred and just grabbed it tighter and took it to the coup. Then we continued to feel around in the dark listening for quiet breathing sounds and we found them all except for one. There are limits to how much searching both of us wanted to do in the dark!

So, it was a bonding moment for all of us, the chickens, Sela and I!

Beautiful Beets!

One of my very favorite and simplest salads is a grated beet salad. This week I had both red and orange beets as well as purple carrots. Just thinking about all those brilliant colors in a salad had me whipping out the food processor to throw a quick little slaw together. I grated a few of the beets and several carrots together along with an apple from the yard and then squeezed lemon and a drizzle of agave on it. So very yummy. Other things I often add are dark sesame seeds, a bit of chopped parsley and dried cranberries, but the beets and carrots seemed enough today.

My photo is lousy, but it does show the vibrant colors of this simple slaw.

Time to do some mental exercises

This weekend we went to a retirement party for Zig's former boss at Microsoft. He has been with Microsoft since almost the very beginning and is just an amazing person. He will now be running the Gates Foundation, hardly retirement. There were some tributes given and a hilarious roast with lots of dancing videos and photos from his 27 years at Microsoft... all of which were highly entertaining and even motivational. Both Bill and Steve teared up when talking about their time spent together with Jeff. They have quite a history. Not something you often see. His family was all there and it was just a wonderful evening.

There were so many things to reflect on as we drove home last night. Seeing someone at the end of their career (their first career, that is), and the themes that emerged about his life and relationships with his family and those he worked with, you couldn't help but feel inspired. Steve Ballmer made a good point when he said most people should count themselves lucky if they can count on one hand five people (excluding family) who would be there for them no matter what, through thick and thin. He said the reverse is true of Jeff...how hundreds of people would probably pick him as one of their "five people." His life can be measured by how many people count on him and call him friend.

At one point early in the evening, we started visiting with Bill Gates. We were discussing the foundation and some of its large goals when we got on the topic of nuclear energy. He apparently has a plan for nuclear energy that's new and different than any approach before. I have to say, I was totally blown away at his knowledge. Blown away. It was something to behold, truly. I've heard Zig talk about his breadth and depth of knowledge and how quickly he can get up to speed on topics that it takes other very smart people much longer to understand even at a surface level. He is known for being pretty direct at Microsoft and will tell the most senior people their ideas are stupidest thing he's ever heard without hesitation. Several people attested to this last night. Zig has seen it done many times and has "felt the love" himself on occasion. Apparently, as Jeff mentioned last night, that's actually a good thing he finds your ideas even worth responding to. How comforting ;)

After talking (and listening, a lot) to him for more than half an hour, I witnessed his intellectual capacity for myself. His passion for knowledge is so clearly what drives him and it's in his blood. The man takes online classes at MIT to help him understand subjects he is trying to grasp at the deepest level, like nuclear energy. Right now he does that, for fun. And you kind of get the impression that there is nothing he would rather do more. He was so excited talking about his energy idea to Zig, Gurdeep and I (while I was trying to remember the difference between protons and neutrons, ha!) that he started rocking back and forth very quickly while he spoke. There is no one like him. I have no doubt in the next decade or so, he will change the world in very BIG ways. 60 billion dollars and a mind like his coupled with all the best and brightest minds in the world collaborating to tackle the world's most pressing and complex social/economic issues. It will be fascinating to watch.

Now I think I will go read a book. I think my brain might have some untapped potential and could use a little stretching!

Just out of reach

Nina's turn

If I had a nickel for every time Nina asked "Is it time for preschool yet, Mom?" She was quite enthusiastic about getting her social calendar back in full swing. She is a bit lost without Sela so she was missing her constant playmate. She and Rollin did play together several times today which was sweet to see. They did some drawing for awhile and then worked on train set.

Nina picked out her back to school outfit a month ago and has been waiting not-so-patiently to wear it ever since:) Delayed gratification is not her thing. Apparently, it's genetic. How many times did I lovingly hear "patience is a virtue" growing up? Hee Hee. Mrs. Judy told me Nina gave her 17 hugs today and had a great day getting to know the new kids in class. Nina was as hyper as ever when we picked her up and it looks like she has a wonderful class this year, both parents and children.

Nina's back to school dinner request was egg salad sandwiches and cupcakes. A little tea party.

Sela was all smiles as she got off the bus today and full of energy. She appeared to have enjoyed her day much more today and immediately went to picking blackberries growing at the bus stop. A little afterschool snack.

Back to school

Today I had such mixed feelings about school starting. It's always exciting to begin a new school year, to get organized and back to somewhat of a schedule. I do love fall. I love the food, the crisp weather, the leaves, the holidays. Our apples trees are loaded and the leaves are just barely beginning to turn. There is so much to look forward to. I just wasn't ready for summer to end, and I sure missed my little Sela today. We all took her to school and she was pretty quiet on the way and looked like she was deep in thought. I took a picture of her while we were at a stop light and she didn't even notice. I think she was a little nervous...new teacher, new classmates, being in class with 3rd graders. But whatever worries she felt must have been washed away when she was practically tackled by her friends. Treela gave her a big squeeze and off they went. Rollin practically jumped into her arms to try and accompany her to the playground.

We stayed home all day and lucky for Nina, our neighbors were home because they hadn't started their schools yet. She perked up when she heard them calling out her secret "Alonee" name over the fence. They were making mud pies, cupcakes and cookies in no time.

When Sela came home, the kids went over to our neighbors, the Glovers, to swim. Then back to our yard for more mud creations...this is their current obsession. They've made some really beautiful pies out of mud and flowers and all sorts of things from our yards. At one point in the afternoon, she walked over to me on the porch where I was reading mail and she had tears in her eyes. She said something had hit her on the head and it really hurt. I just gave her a hug and while I was hugging her she started to cry and said "Mom, it was just a hard day. A long day." She just needed a shoulder to cry on so I rocked her on the porch and we talked about how the first few days feel long, but then as you get into a routine, the days seem to go by much faster. She agreed and said everything else was great about school and her teacher was SO nice. She had a little snack and was back to play.

Later in the evening, Taylor, Jessie, and Alaina (the triplet 9 year olds who live behind us) came over to play a bit. I asked Taylor how she liked school and they all replied in unison, "IT WAS LONG!" They said it was good, but it seemed to take "forever!!!" They all commiserated with one another and I could see the relief on Sela's face. She wasn't the only one.

I finally summoned them in for Sela's special back to school meal, homemade chicken noodle soup, and everyone had a good bath. Rollin and Nina went right to sleep. Sela and I stayed up a bit later. I was cleaning while she told me about all the endangered animals she had been reading about and how she wants to get a "food job" so she can donate her money to save them. Her first animal to save is the Mexican Grey Fox. When I finaly tucked her in, I asked her what her favorite thing that happened today was and she said, "coming home." I couldn't agree more.