OUR COMMON HOURS

Kelli Ann Wilson January 1, 2015

51 // 52

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014.”

Lillia: This week it was Christmas! You got a new computer from me and Daddy, but it came with a catch: you had to build it yourself (with Daddy’s help, of course). There were a few speedbumps along the way, but as of the end of the weekend it was up and running! Even though you missed out on the instant gratification of just turning it on and using it Christmas morning, I think you really enjoyed having the opportunity to be involved in the building. And, now you have a much better understanding of how computers work. You are really lucky to have such a great dad, and I hope you enjoy your gift for years to come.

Zane: This week you really enjoyed all of the Christmas hullabaloo. We put “reindeer food” and a carrot out for Santa’s reindeer, and hot chocolate and a candy cane out for Santa. In the morning, you were thrilled to see that some of the carrot had been nibbled. This year you were really excited about opening presents, and you tore into them with typical childhood fervor. It wasn’t until the dust settled that you actually looked at what you got. We bought you a couple of really nice wooden vehicles, including a very big crane that you were really excited about. You probably would have liked anything we got you, since you are such an easy-going guy.

Kelli Ann Wilson January 1, 2015

2015

Another year, another list of resolutions. This year I’m going for one big goal and a few smaller goals.

// Get rid of 50% of my stuff — Yes, I am insane. (And yes, Damian, I know I said 30% earlier in the week, but now I’m going for half! — here are some reasons why.) I don’t know how feasible this is, but I want to do it badly. After 33 years of life, 11 years of motherhood, 4 years of marriage, and 3 years of home-ownership, I’ve accumulated way too much stuff. And, by “my stuff” I really mean “our stuff.” There isn’t a drawer, shelf, or closet in this house that isn’t cram-jammed with things, and when said house is 960 square feet things get pretty claustrophic pretty quickly. How much of it do I actually need? I can’t tell because I don’t even know what it all is! My goal is not only to clear out the excess stuff, but also to document my decluttering journey here on my blog. (If I hold myself publicly accountable, maybe it will actually happen.) My guess is that it will take several sweeps of the whole house before I can whittle it down by half, but I’m up for the challenge!

// Do the 52 Week Portrait Project (Again) — “A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015.″ I loved doing this project so much last year, and I know that my readers really enjoyed it, too. I’m looking forward to seeing my kiddos and my photography skills grow throughout another year.

// Read all of the books I got for Christmas before next Christmas — I made this my goal in 2013, and it really helped keep me motivated to finish the pile of books on my nightstand. I received an interesting collection this year, which included a lot of non-fiction DNA books (so I can finally understand what my test results mean!), along with a novel, a biography, and a memoir: Ancestral Journeys, by Jean Manco; Trace Your Roots with DNA, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak and Ann Turner; The Seven Daughters of Eve, by Bryan Sykes; Genetic Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond, by Emily D. Aulicino; Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout; Hetty, by Charles Slack; The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls.

I once read that all mothers should have three books going at once so that they always have something to read, no matter the situation: a “stiff book” (i.e. a challenging one); a moderately easy book (i.e. a biography); and a novel — not “twaddle” — (i.e. Eliot, Dickens, etc). I think that this should apply to all people, not just mothers, and I think my Christmas books fit nicely into those categories and will keep me very busy.

// Write lots of snail mail — This one goes on my list every year because I think it’s important at least to try. My grandmother was the postmaster of North Haverhill, NH for decades (and New Hampshire Postmaster of the Year in 1986, no less!). If nothing else, perhaps a love of all things mail-oriented is in my genes. I’d love to write to you, so please add your address to my postable account (if you haven’t already), and anyone can write to me here any time: Kelli Wilson, PO Box 313, Walpole, NH 03608. If you haven’t heard from me in awhile, you can always bring that to my attention 🙂

Happy New Year, everyone! I’d love to hear your resolutions, so please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Kelli Ann Wilson December 29, 2014

year in review // 2014

I have heard more than one person lament that they cannot believe it is almost 2015. They say that 2014 went by in a flash, which seems strange to me because I feel like the year passed in exactly the right amount of time. I attribute this in part to the fact that nothing really terrible happened in 2014, so my experience of time was not distorted by stress. I also think it might have something to do with my working hard this past year to incorporate more liturgical and seasonal festivals into our lives. Orienting myself to the calendar in this way also made me more attentive to what was happening in the natural world, and allowed me to follow the course of the year organically. It was not too fast or too slow; it was just right. I’m looking forward to the year ahead.

One thing I have done consistently every year on my blog is to look back at my New Year’s Resolutions from the prior year and see whether or not I accomplished what I set out to do. So, here are last year’s goals, and my success or failure in accomplishing each of them:

// Read Some Classics. (This was my list: Middlemarch, by George Eliot; Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen; Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens; Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte; Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte; Emma, by Jane Austen; Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott; Tess of the D’Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy; Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo; Sense & Sensibility, by Jane Austen.)

Umm…I didn’t read ANY of these books! I did read some great books, though, but I can’t give myself a check mark since I didn’t really accomplish what I set out to do. Maybe another year.

// Do the 52 Week Project — “A portrait of my child once a week, every week, in 2014”.

✓Doing the 52 Week Portrait Project was both challenging and incredibly rewarding. My blog grew, both in size, and quality, and readership, as a result of doing this. I had really bottomed out with my photography, but the 52 project got me going again, and then some. I can see a HUGE improvement in my photography over the course of the year, and making myself take portraits every week definitely helped in that regard. There are probably some weeks I wouldn’t have taken any pictures if it weren’t for this project. I still have two more posts to finish up, but I’m going to say I completed this because I know I will finish those soon. I plan to do it again in 2015.

// Take Some Classes.

Nope. I didn’t even finish the online class I mentioned in my resolution post from last year! Oh, well.

// Leave My Savings Alone.

✓I’m going to give myself a check mark here, even though I didn’t do quite what I planned. This past summer I decided it was time to really get our finances under control. We made a plan, which included paying off our credit cards, and putting money into savings every week (including money for the kids). This Christmas we were able to put expensive gifts on the credit cards and then pay them off before the end of the month. I feel like, for the first time since we’ve been married, we are actually financially stable. It feels great! High five past Damian and Kelli for looking out for your future selves!

// Write Lots of Snail Mail.

Sadly, I didn’t write as much as I wanted to. I always put this one on my list, though, so maybe 2015 will be my snail mail year. Please feel free to write me anytime: Kelli Wilson, PO Box 313, Walpole, NH 03608. I will definitely write back!

Other notable experiences of the past year: I turned 33; Zane started preschool; I made a bunch of cute peg dolls; I started a collaborative photo project with Tarah; I started going to church for the first time in years, which rekindled my spirituality; I joined the board of The Samaritans; I solved a genealogical mystery and in the process learned that my Copeland ancestors were free people of color (so I wrote a paper about it); Damian and I had all sorts of adventures on our almost-monthly dates; and, just as the year was drawing to a close, I got sick with the flu and then recovered.

I’ll be back in a couple of days with my Resolutions for 2015!

Kelli Ann Wilson December 27, 2014

recovering

The title of this post is a bit misleading — I’m pretty sure that I am not yet in the recovering phase of this illness (it appears that I might have the actual flu, not just a cold). But, I did go outside today because it was wonderfully and unseasonably warm and I couldn’t resist, and I felt a little bit better afterwards. I also made myself some lentil soup and I figured I’d share the recipe with you, because ’tis the season. It was comforting and wholesome, and my three-year-old gobbled it right up, too. I also think it tasted pretty good, though my tasting abilities are quite diminished due to a stuffy nose, so don’t take my word for it!

Adapted from Easy Lentil Soup (using the ingredients I had on hand)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and small dice
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
1 quart vegetable broth
(or 1 vegetable bouillion cube dissolved in 4 cups of water)
1 1/4 cups lentils (any color except red), rinsed
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the broth, lentils, and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Cover and bring to a simmer, about 15 minutes. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering, covered, until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes more.
Taste and season with salt or pepper as needed. If you prefer a creamier texture, purée half of the soup in a blender and add it back to the pot (I did this, and it was yummy).

Kelli Ann Wilson December 26, 2014