15 August 2011

The Power of Lemonade

I thought I'd have this baby before the start of school.  I mostly wanted it to wait, but you know, the temperatures and the back pain have pretty loud opinions of what they want.  No baby yet.  It's best, as I found out last week my iron is low again and might be delivering in a hospital instead of the birth center. I almost burst into tears when my midwife told me this, but she gave suggestions of what to do and made an attempt to comfort me with the fact I may still have time yet to get my iron up.  It seems our school year motto might be more applicable to me than my school girls right now.
I'm still working on squeezing these lemons, so to speak, and figuring out exactly how to make lemonade out of the situation.  I suppose part of it is what a delicate balance it is to take care of a body, and even the small choices we make have such an impact on us. 
I am feeling grateful now that this baby hasn't come yet.  I might not go as far as eating steak every night for dinner, but I'm consistently sipping some nettle herb tea that is not on my top ten beverages of choice list and adding some iron supplements to my already religiously followed routine of iron and vitamin c.  I am grateful for a body that is able to carry a baby to term and with relative ease.  I know this is not a blessing that should be taken lightly.
I do feel blessed, and know that instead of stomping my feet and complaining about what I want and what I don't have, I should look at the 5 beautiful daughters that were lent to us, and who all came into this world without complication and pray that this 6th will be so blessed while do-ing what I can.
Our back to school dinner was delicious and well-received by our 4 school girls.  Clover and I will have the place to ourselves to chomp on some baby goodness over the next school year.  She seems to have already slipped into big sister mode, insisting that she is not a baby anymore, even when I try to cradle her in my arms.
I am glad and sad.  She has been the baby for so long that replacing that position now with another feels a bit uneasy.  I fear she is more ready than I for the change.  
We dined on lemon-pepper pasta nabbed from our last encounter with Trader Joe's, topped with tomato cream sauce, Ryan's famous meatballs (for those who aren't pregnant) alongside some green goddess dip, Brussel sprouts baked to perfection, plump cherries (that Ryan and I used to spit the pits into empty glasses after the kids were out of site post-dinner,) lemonade with lemon/sugar rimmed glasses, and, of course, lemon bars.
The amber-hued goblets, as told by Claudette, are over a hundred years old.  (Don't tell her we used them in our pit spitting game ;)  They were Ryan's great-grandma's goblets.  I like to think she was pleased we pulled them out to celebrate a year of glass-half-full attitude. 

Pearl helped blow up balloons in the shape of lemons.  She's got great lungs, that one.
It was a cheery dining experience, despite the clouds that rolled in.  Lemon yellow does that.
We toasted to the new school year (after warning and re-warning to clink lightly!)  No goblets were harmed in the making of a great start to the new school year.

After we explained the theme and what it means to turn lemons into lemonade, we talked about how Divine's disappointment in the teacher she got could turn out to be a wonderful blessing, as she might now have the extra help she needs in a subject that doesn't come easily to her (because most do, and that's even more frustrating to her.)  She was the first one to wear the "lemon crown" because of her lemonade day.  Anyone who comes home from school to report a lemonade day will be able to wear the crown during dinner that night.  Divine said she wants her very own for her birthday.  That girl.


Just trying to make lemonade over here.

35 comments:

  1. Thought you might benefit (or at least giggle at!) this site:

    http://www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

    :)

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  2. What a great way to kick off the school year... and I love your theme for the year! What lucky girls you have that you build such special family memories for them.

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  3. Such an awesome idea to incorporate into your children's lives.. :)

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  4. What a beautiful attitude to have and a great lesson for your girls!

    Wishing you comfort these last few days. I remember all too well that mixed feeling of wanting to soak up what you know is some of the last days of this baby inside of you, but also wanting to meet him/her. Willa was born 8 weeks ago and I still miss that belly. By the way, I had three drug-free amazing deliveries all in a hospital, so it is possible. Wishing you all the best, Katy. :)

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  5. You are so cute with your ideas!!! Do you have a motto every year? And do you always have a cute back to school dinner like this? I only have one in school right now (we have 4 kids) and I just love this!

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  6. i am trying to make lemonade as I found out my oldest is wait listed! We wanted to return to traditional school after homeschooling and it is proving to be tough! I hope you have a beautiful delivery!

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  7. love love love love everything about this. what a good idea to use that crown throughout the year!

    and if i were divine, i'd want one for my birthday too! look how magical it is!

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  8. What a wonderful way to launch the school year AND the precious life of your 6th! I too will take on the "make lemonade" approach today as I slog through another day of morning sickness fog. Thank you for the reminder.

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  9. Katy, wanna know why I love your blog so much....
    It could be because you are an awesome seamstress (you are and I love that part!).
    It could be because you are generous with your ideas and tutorials (you are and I love that part, too!).
    But, what I love most about your blog is that you look at your life, see that it's not perfect, and continue to share it with us anyway. You share the bad mixed with the good in a way that makes me feel better about my similar experiences and know that you are happy. Your blog is the epitome of making lemonade and I love to read it.
    Good luck bringing up the iron, I always had trouble with that too...

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  10. Katy, your blog is incredible and I look forward to reading it every day! I wish you lots of luck with the end of your pregnancy, I am praying for you! <3

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  11. Hoping your iron is up for a wonderful delivery.

    I LOVE your bee plates and vase! Where did you find them?

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  12. I always love your posts. They are so beautiful...as are your girls!

    Both of my kids have had some just below what they needed iron levels. I found that the Quaker squares had either 100% or 110% of your daily iron needs in one bowl! My daughter started eating that for breakfast a few times a week and her iron levels improved very quickly. Not sure if it's something you'd want to eat or not but it had the highest iron levels I found in any food.

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  13. I love to read how the great things you do with your children and family.

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  14. Pretty post as always.
    And, nice that you make such an effort to celebrate the special little occasions in life. It makes it so much sweeter that way. Like lemonade.

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  15. Love the theme idea and the crown is such a great idea. Might need to borrow your ideas and get our school year off to a great start next week:)

    Praying for HIGH iron and happy safe delivery sometime soon!

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  16. I know this will seem pretty random, but, ever since you announced your pregnancy, I have wondered what you would name your new baby dill. A thought kept popping up in my mind. YEARS ago, I read a book (which I think was called "Maggie Now;" it was written by the same author as "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"). In the book a relative (or neighbor ...) had a household of girls. Each had the name of a flower (Rose, Violet, etc.) Anyway, the new baby arrived and they named him something very traditional and the main character wondered why they hadn't named him Chris...wait for it...short for Chrysanthemum! (Or was it Del for delphinium?) Anyway, I thought that it was so funny and it has stayed with me all these years.
    Good Luck with your newest little Dill! Your blog makes my day.

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  17. I've been reading your blog for a while and I so appreciate the type of family you are -- your traditions, your attitudes, your perspective. My husband and I moved to a small town a few years ago and we haven't met many families like us. Reading your blog today, I said, we need them to move to our town!
    Thank you for being who you are and for sharing your life with your readers. You are amazing!

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  18. Oh my goodnes...how wonderful. Just purely wonderful...

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  19. Dear Kathy,
    I'm reading your Blog for some week now - I love the way you live and sew! Thank you for sharing so much love.
    Now I have something to share with you: I had low iron too - a week and a half before my second daughter was born. I wanted to give birth in a birth center - just like you do. So I convinced my doctor to give me iron intravenous. The product is named "Ferrosanol duodenal". I am from Germany, so I don't know if this exists in US... Just ask! I got it 2 times and my iron was just high enough to go to the birth center. It was wonderful an worth the effort...
    I press my tumbs (so we say in German) that you can do like you'd love to!
    Sending a sunray across the ocean!
    Juliane

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  20. Do you have Guiness in the USA? It's brewed in Eire and Britain. It is great for raising iron levels and although it has an alcohol content you can just have a small wine glass full every day. We swear by it in our house.

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  21. Love the Lemonade Attitude you're instilling in our grand daughters!
    We're praying for high iron levels...

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  22. Here is a toast to your brightness! And to higher iron levels!

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  23. What a brilliant idea! I may just have to try it with kiddos. Do you think the lemon crown would go over well with teen and pre-teen boys? I think my teen and pre-school girls would dig it. But what to do for the boys?
    Thank you for always elightening and inspiring my day.

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  24. My 4th baby (2 years ago) was a home birth. and right before the baby was born my iron was spiriling downhill. I faced your same dilema...but with diligence and prayer I delivered at home with no complications. Good luck!

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  25. Thanks for the great theme, I think I will steal it for our school year too. I only have boys though, so I don't think the crown will work.

    Try to remember how wonderful it is to carry a baby to term. And in the end, even if you have to deliver at the hospital the only important thing is that the baby and you are OK. Too many expectations can lead to a lot of added stress during birth, keep you mind on the joy of holding your new baby in the end, no matter where that happens. Good luck and I love you blog. Thank You for the gift that it is.

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  26. What a beautiful celebration to mark the beginning of school. I hope all goes well for the duration of your pregnancy. Cheers, (clinking my lemonaide here) :)

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  27. I love this beautiful family lesson and the girly, fun way you're going about it.

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  28. I love that you celebrate the start of school with a dinner and make it party! I have been trying to decide if I was going to do this for my kids. Now that I have seen your post I may steal it! I hope you don't mind. (: We have had quite a few lemon days at our house and this would be a PERFECT way to embrace them!
    I had my #3 baby in a hospital since my midwife and birthing center was too far for me to deliver at, and it was a great experience. Similar, but different. You really can tell them what you want and don't want. Use your voice, God gave you one to speak up for what is right for you and your babe. Good luck with your delivery. Blessings.

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  29. What a GREAT idea and how nicely everyone cooperated with the theme. :) It's soooo pretty. A friend told me about your blog. I like! I have two boys...can I borrow just one of your lovely daughters?? ;)

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  30. How adorable! You are such a fantastic mother--always helping them to create meaning. The crown is just beautiful!

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  31. I love what you do with your family and wishing you the best on the birth of your sixth!
    Also, I love your white dining chairs in this post. Can I ask where you found them?
    Your daughters are beautiful!

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  32. Mellissa-Thank you! The chairs are hand-me-downs that we got when we were first married. Originally they had fuzzy rust colored upholstery fabric, brown backs and arms with a brass finish on the metal. I reupholstered them, sprayed the wood white and Ryan stripped the finish on the metal with "Strip-Ease" (very toxic so do it outside). They've been good to us, and the last time I reupholstered them I also changed the padding.

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  33. I've been extremely absent from the blog world for many months now... Between my 10 year old being home from school all summer, and the little one toddle-running all over and climbing and getting into everything and really trying to get my Etsy store going and my husband going back to school while still working full time...man. OK I'm tired just thinking about it.
    I have very much missed reading your blog. And those post reminded me why I love to read it so much. And why I truly, honestly, very much would love to meet you and your amazing family one day. I love the motto. I love the lemon crown. I love your point of view. You are wonderful and amazing. Hang in there...that baby will be done baking before you know it. :)

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  34. Aaaaah lemonade. That's what we love :) That's my blog theme and I love how you've made lemonade glamourous! I must try that lemon sugar rimmed glass idea, and I'll file away the lemon crown for another day when (trying to be hopeful) I am blessed with children - otherwise I may just have to wear one myself! :)

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