Last few FaceBook Posts = Latest Chez Miner. Tomorrow... presents and feasting!

December 16 at 5:33pm · 

And... we have a blue belt! This is the face and hand movement for put-the-camera-down-and-don't-take-my-picture.

December 17 at 3:45pm · 

Pretty!

Rachel Miner with Andrew Miner.

December 20 at 10:22pm · 

The best of my son's un-prompted answers to a list of questions that was going around FB. Illuminating! I love the honesty... and I suppose I love the cheeky kid too :)

*Do you think you could live without me?
From C about Mom: with Dad and with a lot of grief, yes. And also I’d have a more unpleasant time with the stricter firmer parent. I’d be less inclined to argue.

*What is my favorite food?
From C about Mom: some vegetable filth

*How do I annoy you?
From C about Dad: your rigid certainty about everything that leaves no room for argument

*What is my favorite food?
From C about Dad: some kind of steak. I don’t know which. With bones in it probably.

December 22 at 2:08pm · 

If one has completed the Thursday Pilates class and grocery shopping and is doing the five minute ocean visit and… one recalls that one does not need to hurry back for homeschooling this once, aught not one extend one's walk to go to the best place to see the waves? And if one is passing the steps down to the beach on the way back, aught'n one take the time to walk in the surf? And, if one sees the tide pools exposed, might it be a good idea for one to explore? And, hypothetically speaking, after one has tiptoed over the gravel back to the car and arrived home grungy and sore-footed, aught one take an epsom salt bath scented with Bergamot before afternoon chores? Mmmm, I think, hypothetically of course, I'm going to be feeling quite cozy soon... might even have to add a tiny rock in the hammock into this, uh, imagining!

December 23 at 5:54pm · 

QuizzStar

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Oooo, I like it 😊

December 23 at 6:06pm ·

Power out all day, we've been flipping on the generator for a bit to keep the fridge/freezer cold and use electronics every few hours. Now that it's night and they're saying 2:30am "maybe" we'll get power back... let there be light! Off to get some lentil soup ready 😋

December 24 at 6:06pm ·

I'll admit that middle-of-the-night migraines two nights in a row is less than ideal. But, it doesn't seem to matter how crumpled I start out... when I walk my forest, I am filled with gradually more and more love and gratitude and joy and I don't seem able to come home without bubbling over with smiles and good cheer. It's so beautiful. It's so precious and worthy of cherishing. Every soaring redwood and sun-warmed moss and glowing oak trunk enchant me. May your days be merry and so beautifully bright.

Update:

December 25 at 1:46pm · 

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style." -Maya Angelou

"The purpose of morality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live." - Ayn Rand

"Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence."
“The happy life is thought to be one of excellence; now an excellent life requires exertion, and does not consist in amusement. If Eudaimonia, or happiness, is activity in accordance with excellence, it is reasonable that it should be in accordance with the highest excellence; and this will be that of the best thing in us.” -Aristotle

Happy holidays to all my dear friends... may they be deeply happy, drawing on the best within us!

Taub-Miner-Millington Holiday Update

I haven't posted one of my weekly updates in awhile and this one was full of fun pictures, so, here goes!

12/2/16

Hello everyone,

Of course, the big doings of the past two weeks have been the annual Thanksgiving, Hanukah, family-photo gathering :)

I think it’s the last time we’ll take the Mini Cooper to Sacramento though… after the three hours Cameron, who is now roughly 5ft 4in, stated, “Comfortable?!?! Comfortable is a distant memory!"

I got to visit with my sweet niece...

and nephews.

As challenging as it is for him, Cameron mostly tolerated the family photos!

After this note to a friend, I wound up nostalgic enough to make the first trifle I’ve done in about ten years. So, we had a bonus extra dessert before the holiday:

Rachel Miner Have you ever tried a trifle? They take about eight hours. You make the pound cake and then the custard and then the syrup and then whipped cream and, of course, you pick a theme like coffee (kahlua) or almond (amaretto) or hazelnut (frangelico). And you layer all the cake-y, custard-y goodness so that the flavors blend into each other over the night and are ready for a topping of fresh whipped cream of the matching flavor the next day that results in an ecstatic richness of cascading, heavenly glee... um, I think my repressed baker is rumbling. Oh dear.

Like · Reply · November 11 at 10:35am

I found the perfect snuggle bug when waiting for migraine meds to kick in :)

We lit candles and ate latkes!

We opened lots of presents and Cameron loved getting his own copy of Calvin and Hobbes!

Did I mention nice snuggles?

Andrew made the most heavenly potatoes of all time and I, um, supervised the bowl licking :)

Cameron taught some of his favorite iPad games to his older cousin. And, my dad found a cool new game for adults + Cameron called "Letter Tycoon”.

We ate… lots! There’s no way I could cover all the goodness, but it was an amazing combination of efforts.

We’ve had a chilly week back and it’s been perfect for fires and games :)

FB:I love that moment when the fire really catches and the wood stove starts dispelling the chill from a cold evening ❤️

FB: Have you ever noticed that when you look at the sun with your eyes closed as your eyelids warm you can see a shimmering cherry red or vibrant burnt orange color? I'm not sure if it's some kind of infrared trick firing your optic nerve or if it's actually some kind of visual image of the inside of your warmed eye lid... but, it's breathtakingly beautiful. I believe I've mentioned my forest love before... so besotted :)

Cameron attended his first class to become part of the “Storm Team” (Student teachers in the younger classes… he’ll try being an aid for the first time on Tuesday.)

FB: My reward! I worked hard today and now I'm going to play games with my boy in front of the fire and happily ignore the to-do list... it'll always have more; this is party time!!!❤️🎉😄

Here’s to cozy times at the end of a long day,

Rachel

P.S. More pics from the photo shoot… it really went well! We even got to tickle Cameron and capture his classic love-the-frustrating-parents face!