Today is a good day.

We're celebrating a bit of an anniversary in the Tillemann-Dick clan. (If you're at all confused, this link might help clarify some things.) I can't say in words how grateful I am to the person who chose to preserve life in the midst of death two years ago today. That decision has changed my life and that of everybody I love for the waaay better -- especially that of a certain sister with a penchant towards strong opinions and delicious foodstuffs. Wherever you are, Thank You. Thank you so much.



To everybody else who might be reading this, please consider registering as an organ donor. Please consider asking your friends to register as organ donors. It's a good thing. I promise.

In fact, if you have any questions or concerns about registering as a donor, send me a note at nonitd@gmail.com. I would love to talk through any uncertainties about the registration or donation process you may have, I just need to know about them first. It's not exactly a pleasant subject to have a conversation about, but it's important.

Have a exceptionally lovely weekend.

Happy Birthday, Charity Sunshine!!! (& Prince Edward Island Part I)

In celebration of my impending departure (I leave on a mission for our church in 2 days!), and Charity's birthday, last week we made a pilgrimage to a place we've always dreamed of visiting. Inspired by L.M. Montgomery's  Anne of Green Gables, Kimber, Charity, Liberty, Glorianna and I journeyed to Prince Edward Island with Kimi's babies, my mom, and our beloved god-mother. Charity planned the entire adventure, and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life - which is very is fitting because Charity makes everything just a little more extraordinary. Today, on Charity's birthday, I cherish the opportunity to take a moment to reflect on her truly incredible life and the many delightsome times we've shared. I adore my family. They are the most remarkable group of people I've ever had the privilege of associating with. But even among this group of tremendously determined and accomplished siblings, I think we all agree that Charity was given an extra measure of a number of truly wonderful qualities. Equal parts optimism, radiance, passion, tenacity and undiluted grit have made her into one of the most inspiring and indomitable people I've ever met. Charity Sunshine, thank you for brightening all of our lives. You never cease to amaze me. I'm going to miss you terribly, but I'm so happy we get to share and celebrate this birthday before I leave. Thank you for planning such a beautiful goodbye-birthday adventure. I can't wait for our shenanigans to resume when I get back!

P.S.
Here are too many pictures from PEI. But we actually have LOADS more which we'll share soon :-)

Tres on Cinco

It's been a rather chilly spring in Washington. I prefer it to the alternative -- a week or two of spring followed by an early hot and humid summer. We've had lots of celebrating to do. David's birthday is in April. Willa's is right afterward. But Phin takes birthdays to a new level. I don''t know if I have ever seen a little boy so happy.

Phin, showing off his first baby picture.

It was the inaugural fete at Kimber's house. We ate too much. We laughed too much. The kids continue to grow too much. But right now, it seemed like perfection. And Phin couldn't have been a more entertaining birthday boy.

Thanks to Libby for the AMAZING cake. Maybe she'll share some of the recipes. She also took many of the pictures.

On poetry and kids who don't stay small forever...

Masons, when they start upon a building,

Are careful to test out the scaffolding;

Make sure that planks won't slip at busy points,

Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints. 

And yet all this comes down when the job's done,

Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.

So if, my dear, there sometimes seems to be

Old bridges breaking between you and me,

Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall,

Confident that we have built our wall.

SCAFFOLDING, by Seamus Heaney

Hettie and Phineas and a very old wall...

******

I like to discuss poetry with Hettie. Explaining it to a four-year-old liberates me to revel in oft-simplistic analysis -- which is my favorite way to read poetry anyway. I love seeing her love of language flourish, and am grateful for the excuse to bask, guilt-free, in the warm, shallow waters on the surface of my favorite verses. It's perfect. 

Sometimes, I sit with my girl and read poem after poem, and have what I think are real and meaningful conversations about what they say. Today, as we cuddled on the sofa and came across this gem, I was really moved. We celebrated a couple birthdays in the last month -- Dave officially entered his "mid-Thirties," Willa turned one(!), and Phinny just turned three. I read this poem and thought about how I've labored over these relationships, how we've each grown, how as we grow we change, and as we change some things inevitably fall away... and I'm trying to explain all this to Hettie, how the whole purpose of the life we share right now is to help her become a strong person who can do anything she wants to, and how one day she's going to leave me, and that's okay, and I'm starting to get pretty emotional and as I'm blinking back tears I see poor Hettie is just confused by the whole conversation. "Mom. I already told you. When I grow up, you can live in my basement. No big deal."

Gosh I love these kids. 

Recipe for a Perfect Birthday

Yoni and I moved to a new place in February. While the 6 large pane windows are enough to make me giddy, the park outside my front door is the true source of glee. Yes, it's nice to have a park. But what is really nice is we seem to celebrate EVERYTHING here now!

Today, it was Willa's birthday, and what a birthday it was! Willa, now one, had siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, mom, dad, her own photographer sent from the Washington Post (Seriously. Look for her in the Lifestyles section in the next few weeks) and the piece de resistance, the most incredible sweet edibles I've had in quite some time. Imagine Ben&Jerry's was in a cake and that's pretty much what these confections were. Tiny little dense chocolate cakes filled with toasted marshmallow, graham cracker bites and chocolate chips, covered in a malted graham frosting. Revelatory and revelratory.

Here's Kimber's recipe...

Willa's Birthday Cupcakes, S'mores Edition

1 box devil's food cake mix
1 small box chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
4 eggs at room temperature
1 cup good milk chocolate chips, gently melted
2 cups miniature marshmallows, divided
1 sleeve graham crackers (i.e., 1/3 of a normal box of grahams -- I think it's 12 whole crackers)

Mix together all but the last three ingredients and beat on high speed for three minutes. Then, fold in the melted chocolate, 1 cup marshmallows, and the crackers, crumbling the grahams very roughly with your hands (pieces about as big as a quarter are perfect). Mix until just barely combined, then put into cupcake liners and top with addition marshmallows (I suggested 3, but since Hettie and Phineas were in charge of the process, it ended up being more like 17). Bake at 350 for about 22 minutes, or until the top is set (as best you can discern through all that toasted mallow!). 

Weird and Delicious Graham Cracker Frosting
(inspired by this, which was inspired by this, which I looked up because of this)

In a blender, make an unusual smoothie using 1/3 cup milk, 2 sleeves graham crackers (i.e., the rest of the box that you got to make the cupcakes), along with 1/4 cup powdered milk, a generous pinch of salt, and 3 Tbs brown sugar. Then, using your mixer, cream 6 Tbs butter with 1 Tbs of powdered sugar. Slowly incorporate your cracker sludge, and whip it to a frenzy, adding more milk or powdered sugar as needed to get your desired consistency.

Why is this night different from all other nights?

 

Because it's Shiloh's birthday! We're so lucky he was born. We love you, Uncle Shi!!

Everybody

I know it's a few days early, but this made me think of you:

Happy birthday, Dad.

Birthdays and My Top 5+1 True Stories About Them

True Story: When I was eight, I had a camping birthday party.  We went up to the mountains with some of my best friends and family.  In the morning, One dressed up as a mountain nymph and my cake floated down the creek.  It was awesome. 

True Story: I spent my 18th birthday eve in an inconsolable fit of tears that time was stripping me of my well-earned childhood.  I felt I had never done anything to deserve the fate of becoming a grown up.  It was just too much.  

True Story: I lived in Florence during the hottest summer on record -- at least to that point.  They don't really "do" air conditioning there and we'd had 40 consecutive days over 95 degrees.  You get used to it, but it was starting to take a toll.  That week, there was a fire the next hill over from us.  They got it under control, but the heat was simply out of hand.  The night before my birthday, I said a little prayer.  It went something like, "I am so grateful to live here and to be singing and doing what I love, but if there is any way possible we could have some rain, that would be the best birthday present ever."

The next morning, I awoke to a cool rain.  Which was also awesome. As was my midnight party, led by Z, Momo, Three, Four and Five

True Story: Last birthday, I doubted I would make it to this birthday.  

True Story: We've had another record breaking heat wave this year, but this time it's in DC.  Saturday, the heatwave broke again, with mists of rain and lovely, Seattle-like weather.  It was the perfect accouterments to lovely celebrations by Mr. Two, Three, Dulcia, Mimo, Brother L, and Eurry.

True Story: I made it to this birthday which is a miracle.  Thanks to all of you who prayed and thought and willed me to get here.   Things have changed from when I was 18... aka, I really like my birthdays now!

From Top to Bottom: Fire Station on NJ Ave. By Art and Soul;
Druid Hill Park; Baltimore Botanical Gardens; Hamden Candy Store:
Me and Yoni (can you find me?); Spoils; Best Girl Store EVER (Shoes
&Chocolate. Need I say more?); Cute shoes; Cafe Hon; Bowties and boy things; Thanks for
coming back to town Daniella.  We are a little worried.  You've changed
a LOT since leaving for Australia. I think we need to talk.; Unexpected
visitor 2; rain for my birthday.

A Birthday Haiku for One

Your years, all've been good.
Filled with grand accomplishments.
Happy 30ishth

How to host a totally stress-free birthday party!

Seriously! It was amazing!

My number one tip is this: decide you're throwing the thing less than 24 hours in advance. If you don't plan anything, there's no pressure! Whatever works out is great! I seriously checked the weather report and dashed off a note to friends while the kids played at the park, inviting folks to meet us there the following afternoon. Doing it at the park means there is no preparation for the venue beforehand, and only very minimal clean-up afterwards. Plus the kids are totally entertained with virtually no effort on your part. On party day, all I did was pull together some snacks from the pantry and grab the quilt we keep in the back of the car for impromptu picnics. Basically a playdate with benefit :-)

Here are a few tips for packing a party:

-There are so many amazing places to buy cupcakes, you really don't need to bake or prepare anything!

-That said, on this occasion, Princess H was keen to spend a morning baking, so bake we did. (Sort of -- I know some of my sisters would call what we did blasphemy: mix 1 box cake mix according to package directions, subbing a can of pumpkin for the water, and Greek yogurt for the oil. The work/festive-yumminess ratio is amazing! AND we made awesome cinnamon cream cheese frosting from scratch, so that counts for something, right? Right...?) Anyway, if you DO bake your own treats, toss the naked little buggers in a Tupperware and put your frosting in a Ziploc bag. Snip a little corner off the bag, and then put that entire thing inside another baggie. When you get to the park or wherever, pull out your custom pastry bag and frost in situ. So much easier than transporting already-assembled cakelets!

-For years I've kept a "party box" full of fun paper products, decorations, hats, etc. Most of that stuff is in storage, but my mini version had an ample supply of cute little plates and napkins, cupcake toppers and a package of party poppers which I brought and forgot to pull out -- apparently it doesn't take much more than good company and a few snacks to make things feel festive!

-We brought a big cooler full of cold juice boxes, still and sparkling waters and soda. I might not have done quite as robust a collection if Z hadn't been around to lug the thing, but I'm glad I did.

-We grabbed a basket of apples and pears from the kitchen, and snipped up lots of little bunches of grapes. A small knife and cutting board made it really easy to slice fruit for little people who didn't want an entire pear.

-Other snacks included a big bowl of popcorn, some mixed nuts, and cookies Princess H picked out at the store and bought with $5 a cute little granny gave her completely out of the blue (How sweet is that? I love our neighborhood...).

That's it! Our impromptu gathering couldn't have been simpler or more fun. The weather was so glorious and the company so grand that we stayed at the park for nearly three hours! The real reason I loved this little party is that lots of dear friends indulged us and stopped by. The kids ran wild, and the moms sat around the picnic table munching and catching up. I had such a lovely time, and I honestly don't think Princess H could have been happier if I'd stressed for weeks, planned meticulously and spent a fortune on a petting zoo and moonbounce.

But I might try that next year, so I'll let you know....

Birthday Treats

Princess H enjoyed a slow-burning week of birthday delights. An afternoon with Momo at our quirky new neighborhood children's museum, fancy lunch and a box of very grown-up macarons with Mimo, a delightful little party with friends at the park (more on that later!), lovely and thoughtful gifts from beloved admirers near and far, bicycle-riding lessons with Daddy and the Tweed Ride crowd, a big band concert on the West steps of the Capitol... it was almost enough to make me forget how much I hate my kids' birthdays.

Princess H also received her very first special delivery: a bouquet of fruit from our fairy godmother. It was perhaps the perfect gift for a precocious three-year-old. She started glowing as soon as she realized the doorbell was for her, and it just got better from there. The unwrapping, the admiring, the gleeful selecting of berry or grapes or chocolate-dipped pineapple flowers -- the juicy little basket provided seemingly endless enjoyment for the birthday girl and the many lucky people with whom she happily shared the largess.

But, alas, it wasn't actually endless. And by the next evening, when Three and Dr. P came by to pick up their newly-three-year-old date for a celebratory milkshake, the once-lush arrangement had been reduced to a beleaguered mess of kale-covered foam and naked bamboo skewers. Three, the Dr. and I were discussing what a great present it was, and how much Princess H loved it. "Too bad it's all gone," I said. 

"No!" cried a small, excited little voice. "No, no! I still have one!" The Princess, who had appeared totally immersed in a book on the other side of the room, sprang up like a little bunny and scampered across the floor with even more than her typical exuberance. She ran to the denuded basket, thrust her chubby little fingers into its pillaged depths and retrieved a rather forlorn wedge of honeydew. With glittering eyes, she proudly offered the slightly dessicated prize to her visitors. "It's still good! You can share it!" Dr. P, always quick on his feet, suggested she have the first bite. "But it's for you!" she countered. When the good Doctor insisted, she consented to a microscopic nibble just big enough to inform her heartfelt endorsement, "it's so SO delicious!" She then gave it to Three and P with a million watt smile that made it clear she was done negotiating.

As favorite moments often do, this one crept up quietly. It wasn't anything flashy, and even if we'd had a camera we couldn't have captured the magic of those words and her smile and the wilted melon and the pure joy that filled her eyes and the whole room as she learned for herself -- and reminded the rest of us -- what happens when you share something special.

Changing the subject.

Today is Princess H's birthday. My kids' birthdays traumatize me.  The glorious sunshine made it hard to be totally depressed, but, still, I'd rather not talk about it right now...
So.

A couple weeks ago, my saintly friend and darling Brother Z -- both of whom have mad kitchen skilz -- helped me make 88 caramel apples for my sister-in-law's wedding. (And by "helped" I really mean "did with virtually no assistance from me." My primary role was chasing my two slightly sticky toddlers around the TV). In case you've ever contemplated a similar feat, consider yourself warned: Such quantities of sticky ooze are not for the faint of heart! We took shortcuts -- following this recipe, rather than making our own caramel -- but it still took us more than an hour just to unwrap the stuff!

Anyway, caramel apples are great, but I'm a (relatively) low-maintenance gal, and I endorse treats that are similarly straightforward. Here are a few of my very favorite super-easy seasonal delights:

Mix two of these:

with one of these:

 Don't add any eggs or butter; a pinch of cinnamon or pie spice is nice but not necessary.

Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheets and @375 until set but not brown.

~OR~

Maple Vanilla Roasted Pears

These are not just five-ingredient simple, they are insanely delicious and classy. Our big brother makes them. He's a pretty impressive guy. But these definitely raise the bar.

~OR~

Prepare this according to package directions
(If memory serves, it demands a stick of butter and an egg. Easy peasy.)

 If you're feeling fancy, or have it on hand, add a pinch of cinnamon and/or cardamom, then press the dough into a buttered baking dish -- I've been using an odd little guy I discovered hanging around that is slightly smaller than a standard rectangular cake pan.  Then, cover the top with a full bag of these bad boys

They sell this Moroccan-spiced Pistachio mix at the little
grocer around the corner, but I've also seen them at Whole Foods.
I think it's worth seeking them out, just so you can make this
for your next Autumn picnic.
It's a enigmatic melange of salted nuts, pepitas, sesame seeds,
tiny bites of fig and -- wait for it -- harissa.
When you put this spicy-salty-sweet on top of soft-chewy cookie bar,
it is kind of insanely delicious.

and bake @ 375 until it's puffed and a little golden around the nuts.

No longer a baby, but still our baby

I know a cool guy, his name's brother Z

And he is as awesome a kid as can be.

He's sporty and smart

Rocks the culinary art

But most importantly, he's got  huge heart.

Whenever we need him, and however he can

Z steps up and proves he's the man.

Whether he's protecting dear Momo

Or carrying big stuff

Our little guy is both so sweet and so tough.

And though it breaks my heart every time that I say

Our baby brother is 15 today!

Happy Birthday Z! You make us so proud everyday. You are surly the dessert in our 11-course meal of a family.

Birthday Greetings! More! Again!

Happy Birthday Glorianna!!!

It's kind of hard to believe. Today, after eighteen years of hard work, my best friend/number one partner in crime/favorite little sister. ever. (and I don't say that about just anyone) turns 

*drum roll please* 

18!

Since she's new to the whole being 18 thing, I'm going to give her a quick rundown of the 18 most exciting things about being 18.

Five, now that you're officially old you can:

Vote!

Buy spray paint!

Sue people!

Get sued by people!

Get married!

Get divorced!

Adopt a child!

(ideally not in that order)

   Get a Costco membership!

Become a flight attendant!

Purchase Nicorette gum!

Work at Walmart!

Buy a monkey!

Get a tattoo!

Carry a weapon!

Drive an ice cream truck!

(unfortunately this would require you actually getting your driver's license)

Rent a porta potty!

Buy nitrous oxide!

and

Work at a gas station!

I know what you're thinking. This seems to good to be true, right? And while being able to buy spray paint is pretty awesome, it's important to remember that with power comes great responsibility. So, to end this birthday missive, I leave you with a special birthday haiku.

Finally eighteen

One word: culpability

You best watch yourself