Bucket Fillers// Long Overdue

Wow, a bucket fillers post is long overdue. I haven't done one of these in awhile! Have you heard of the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud? Go check it out the next time you're at the library. It's an awesome children's book about 30-pages long with cute illustrations and a fantastic message: everyone has an invisible bucket that you can "fill up" with good things by having positive interactions-- smiling at a stranger, telling your parents or a good friend that you love them and why-- or you can "dip" into by being unkind or cruel-- by bulling or excluding friends. The young kiddos that I've worked with find it really relatable, easy to understand, and it's very easy to discuss behavior in terms of, "are you filling a bucket or are you being a bucket-dipper right now?" This series is my way of curating the things that have "filled up my bucket" lately. 

My freshman roommate was an international student from Mexico. If a Spanish or English word came up in conversation that wasn't either a cognate or in our (hers-advanced, mine-limited) second-language lexicon, we'd resort describing the word in a kind of high-stakes game of catchphrase until we found the translation. If that didn't work we resorted to google. I learned a lot of Spanish words this way: avocado is Aguacate. Tulipanes (her favorite flowers) are tulips. They make me think of her. 

My morning commute sometimes features a strawberry sunrise. 

His bus was in a car accident a few weeks ago. No one was hurt, but I've been hugging him especially tight lately. 

Tea bag wisdom. Sometimes I think I should get this tattooed on my forehead. 

We celebrated Erica's birthday with this chocolate cake. Birthday cake calories don't count, right?

This. *Sigh*

These songs: Amor T'es La, For What It's Worth Cover

Love, 

Madelyn

Bucket Fillers// Socks Edition

Have you heard of the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud? Go check it out the next time you're at the library. It's an awesome children's book about 30-pages long with cute illustrations and a fantastic message: everyone has an invisible bucket that you can "fill up" with good things by having positive interactions-- smiling at a stranger, telling your parents or a good friend that you love them and why-- or you can "dip" into by being unkind or cruel-- by bulling or excluding friends. The young kiddos that I've worked with find it really relatable, easy to understand, and it's very easy to discuss behavior in terms of, "are you filling a bucket or are you being a bucket-dipper right now?" This series is my way of curating the things that have "filled up my bucket" lately. 

What's better than funky socks on a Fall day? Maybe a good book, a thrifted blanket, and a beautiful view, but not much else. Happy Monday friends! I hope you have a lot of bucket fillers this week. 

Love, 

Madelyn 

Also, these socks? Dreamy. 

Bucket Fillers: Asheville & Other Stuff

Wow, it's been awhile since I've written a bucket filler post, but I have a lot of small, happy tidbits I've been wanting to share on here, so this post is long overdue. 

Have you heard of the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud? Go check it out the next time you're at the library. It's an awesome children's book about 30-pages long with cute illustrations and a fantastic message: everyone has an invisible bucket that you can "fill up" with good things by having positive interactions-- smiling at a stranger, telling your parents or a good friend that you love them and why-- or you can "dip" into by being unkind or cruel-- by bulling or excluding friends. The young kiddos that I've worked with find it really relatable, easy to understand, and it's very easy to discuss behavior in terms of, "are you filling a bucket or are you being a bucket-dipper right now?" This series is my way of curating the things that have "filled up my bucket" lately. 

-The last time I left home, Sam ran beside my car, barefoot, to blow me a kiss and wave as I turned out of the neighborhood. I may have cried a little. 

-This sandwich I made for dinner the other night- sourdough, granny smith apple, and sharp cheddar grilled cheese. YUM. 

-My first issue of Taproot Magazine came in the mail this past week. I devoured the essays. So, so beautiful and lots of good, practical advice, including an article on essential oils for cleaning! 

-Over the weekend I went to Asheville with Noah to use some Asheville Treetop Adventure tickets we received for Christmas and it was so much fun! I love doing stuff like this, activities that are adventurous seeming but actually really safe. We were climbing, zip lining, and rappelling through obstacle courses that were anywhere from ten to fifty feet up in the air (all while wearing harnesses clipped to steel cables-- adventurous seeming, but actually really safe :). In real life, I'm a chicken. I don't like crossing streets, let alone swinging from trees). 

         

-After the zip lining, we went into Asheville for the day. This was, of course, when both my camera and my phone died so this^^ is the only picture I have of the afternoon. Asheville has a lot of public art (it's all beautiful) and buskers on the street (they're all talented). We ate at some delicious restaurants and it was just fun to pop in and out of the shops downtown. We hung out for awhile at the Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar. I found David McCullough's book on John Adams and was immediately absorbed. He was a fascinating person, I had no idea! 

BUT, let me tell you about this burger I had at Farm Burger in Asheville. Local beef-- grass fed, antibiotic and hormone-free-- medium rare, on a sesame seed bun with paprika mayo and swiss cheese... I'm salivating as I write this. Y'all, this burger was the best meat I have ever tasted. So, so good. If you're ever in Asheville GO. 

[[Also, for my herbivore friends, there is a veggie burger. I can't attest to the taste of it, though if it's anything like their beef burger, I'm sure you'll be waxing poetic about it for days afterwards. ]]

I hope there are lots of things filling your bucket this week! 

-Madelyn

Deets: 

Magazine// Taproot

Burgers// Farm Burger

Adventure// Asheville Treetops Adventure Park

Books// Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar or, my always favorite, Malaprops

Mattman Says// 07 AND Bucket Fillers: Operation Sketchbook

We've known for almost nine months what we'd be getting Matthew for graduation, but just to cover our tracks, my parents asked him. When asked, Matthew said thoughtfully, "hmm, I think I'd like a sketchbook."

So this whole secret plan (which in fact was not so secret. everyone but Matthew knew.) became known as Operation Sketchbook.

Matthew's new sketchbook, his graduation present, is gonna be one of these wiggly little guys:

Matthew loves dogs. He loves dogs. Loves. He remembers every dog he's ever met, he researches breed characteristics in his free time, and often retells funny stories about our friend's mutts. But Sam and I are allergic to dogs and so it seemed like a dog would never be a possibility for my family (but after meeting Lucy our thoughts began to change!). Matthew was in disbelief when he was told one of these puppies was going to come home with us (in about three weeks).

Isn't he just the sweetest? I love my clan and I can't wait for our new, furry family addition! Also, I'm so relieved that the cat's finally out of the bag (dog? haha.) because the suspense was killing me! I'm not very good with surprises and notoriously give christmas/birthday presents early precisely because I hate to wait. 

Three weeks from now, we'll be dog owners! Any puppy-related advice or name suggestions? Let me know! 

-Madelyn 

Bucket Fillers: This Kid.

When I left for school, Sam was in kindergarten. I was worried that I wouldn't be a big part of his life because of the hundred-some miles that separated my school from my hometown, where my family lived. Of course, I planned to travel home for major milestones like the holiday pageant or end-of-the-year celebrations. I came home when he tested for his black belt in Tae Kwan Do; I've never missed his birthday. But life isn't just about those major things; it's about minor things, seemingly small moments that are strung together like beads on a chain. Eating a meal together, reading together, even running errands together. They amount to far more than just the big stuff. So I promised myself that when I left for college, I wouldn't be an absent big sister.

So far, I think I've done a pretty good job. When I'm home, I make an effort to be a part of his daily life: I'll bring him lunch at school sometimes, cheer him on at swim meets. He'll never say, "I have an older sister, but she left for college when I was young so we aren't close." I'm pretty proud of that.

With love, Madelyn 

Bucket Fillers: Bruises/ Dursley Renditions

I have two purple bruises over each of my hip bones this morning. The culprit: yoga. My brother Jack decided to come with my mom and I yesterday. His bendy-ness is surprising and impressive given that a) it was his first yoga class ever and b) he is a swimmer and a runner. We were in bow pose and I tried a variation meant to open up the shoulders by grabbing the left ankle with the right hand and vice versa, crossing at the wrists. This was a very pretzelish position and, though it felt good, it was difficult to get in and out of. I glanced at Jack in the mirror. When he saw my gaze he promptly went cross-eyed, which caused me to giggle, and then made a face that I wish I could describe or even replicate but was so funny in the moment I could help but chuckle, which turned it to a full-on belly laugh, which promptly turned into a mix of laughter (Jack was laughing and everyone in class was looking at us by this point too) and a mix of crying and saying owwwwww-ch! because while I was laughing I was balancing my whole body weight on the edges of my hip bones and I couldn't undo my hands and feet quickly enough. Hence, the bruises.

Oh well... they were totally worth that face. Hilarious.

I'm making an effort this summer to make reading special for Sam. He likes reading, but he doesn't love it and he would choose a book he's already read (ahem, Captain Underpants. The Hunger Games.) over something new (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). We started the book a while ago, sometime over the winter but it is at or even above his frustration level (reading with 90% accuracy at a reasonable rate) so we started over and are switching who reads at every other page. Yesterday, we went to Sweet Frog, had frozen yogurt (he paid for his own, I was so proud.) and read in the corner of the store. The things is: he is a great and...animated... reader. When good ol' J.K. uses shouty capitals to portray Uncle Vernon bullying Harry and attempting to stop him from getting his letter from Hogwarts, Sam deepens his voice and shouts. It's brilliant. Also, you should here my Aunt Petunia voice. It's pretty entertaining.

For these reasons, I wanted us to sit outside. There were no tables, "Okay buddy," I said to Sam, "we can read inside but we're gonna have to turn down the volume." I explained that the other patrons in the store probably wouldn't appreciate our renditions of the Dursleys nearly as much as we did. He agreed.

About twenty minutes into reading, an older man came up to us and said, "I'm sorry, excuse me m'am?"

I looked up and looked around momentarily, confused. I don't think I've ever been m'am-ed by anyone older than myself before. When I finally realized he was talking to me I responded, "yes, sir?," already a little embarrassed. He was going to ask us to stop yelling in fake British accents.

"I just wanted to say: I love this. I want to see more of this in the world. Thank you." Then he left before I could respond.

"What was he talking about?" Sam asked.

"He likes that we're reading together. He thinks it's special."

Sam raised an eyebrow, dubious as to why this moment is precious and says, "Really?"

"Yeah, I think it's pretty cool too."

He shrugged, returned to the page and continued reading.

He may not think it's all that special yet, but when we left he said, "That was fun sissy. We should do it again."

Love, Madelyn 

Bucket Fillers: April Showers Bring

So, I know I said I was going to try and post semi-weekly about things I've been doing lately (and calling the series "lately") but I decided I liked the idea of making a semi-regular bucket fillers post better.

The original bucket fillers post can be found here. 

I'm looking forward to May and the end of the school year. I am spending the summer at home, coordinating and planning swim lessons at my local YMCA. I'm going to be sewing (I haven't forgotten my New Year's Resolution!), cooking, and baking as much as possible. 

My mama and I went to the farmer's market this morning, the first time for both of us this season. Many of the vendors know us, some by name, and it was great to be back for another summer. I bought some rananculus (above) and a lovely jade plant in a quirky pot which my mom declared, "you have to call it Tim, because the pot reminds me of a giraffe which reminds me of Tim (a family friend who is very, very tall)." So, Tim it is. 

Sam has had the song "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons stuck in his head for over a month. He goes around belting it at the top of his lungs and when the song comes on, he grabs the nearest person and dances with them in the sweetest, jerkiest movements. He doesn't like to lead the dance, but usually the partners he grabs-- sometimes our mom or brothers-- don't know how to lead either. So he instructs them to hold their arm up while he spins, backleading like a pro. 

May, June, July, and August are gonna be pretty rad. I can't wait. 

Love, Madelyn

P.S. currently reading The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton, it's whimsical and peculiar and definitely worth the read.

Lately: Bucket Fillers

This past week has been hard, I am newly single and not by my choice. It's something I don't want to go into much in this space other than to share this: I've had some great bucket fillers lately.

If you're not familiar with the children's book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud, do yourself a favor and pick it up the next time you're at the library. It's about 30-pages long with cute illustrations and a fantastic message: everyone has an invisible bucket that you can "fill up" with good things by having positive interactions-- smiling at a stranger, telling your parents or a good friend that you love them and why-- or you can "dip" into by being unkind or cruel-- by bulling or excluding friends. The young kiddos that I've been working with find it really relatable, easy to understand, and it's very easy to discuss behavior in terms of, "are you filling a bucket or are you being a bucket-dipper right now?"

Lately, I've felt like my bucket has had a few holes punched in it. I'm trying my best to keep the good stuff in there (because there's lots of good stuff being put in there), but sometimes it feels like all the great things have leaked out and I'm left standing holding an empty pail. But of course, that's not true. I have the best family and a fantastic group of friends who have been working hard to fill my bucket and are reminding me that the good only leaks out if I let it. I can refuse to let others steal my joy, and that's exactly what I want to do so I am curating some reminders of the bucket fillers that I have been blessed with this week.

A mama who hates sewing, but is willing to teach me anyways. 

"Sissy, I will be your new swing dance partner." 
and "Mama, when you drink wine you remind me of Dionysus."

A new project. 

New Plants: Arugula. & also Dahlias and Aloe. 

Practicing social skills at our new favorite hangout. They have a TARDIS. 

Jack: "You know Sis, he really wasn't cool enough for you anyways."

Hope your bucket is full today. 

Love, 

Madelyn 

Lately: Seeing Green and Making Dough

I'm starting a new series this week where I post just a few pictures of what's been going on lately and thoughts that are on my mind. 

Lately, I'm psyched that I can finally start bringing my plants outside during the day. 

I saw a family in the grocery store the other day, the mother was pushing her little boy in the cart while two little girls-- one wearing face paint whiskers, a big flowery skirt, and cowboy boots and the other wearing a plastic tiara, a dress and pacifier-- holding hands, trailed behind her. The whiskered girl was saying, "you know, mama, I think we really need some sunflowers." I couldn't help but smile. And buy some sunflowers. 

My mama has a small binder that she uses as a homemade recipe book. I love flipping through it and seeing the collection of recipes she's curated over the years. Some of the recipes are from books or the internet but many more are from people we've known in the many different stations we've lived while in the military. There's Miss Pam's Sweet Potato Casserole. A rhubarb bread recipe from my grandmother. A New York Cheesecake recipe from my mom's boss. 

A few years ago I made a recipe book of my own, and included some of the recipes from my mom's collection. I have a recipe for curry from my South African friend Pashy, who I met while she was studying abroad here in the states, and a few other from my international friends. I hope to fill this book even more as the years go on with great food recipes from great people. I wanted to share one of these with you today. This is my godparent's recipe for wheat bread. I've tweaked it a little to reflect how I've been baking it lately: 

4 cups warm water

1 tbsp. dry yeast

1 tbsp. honey 

4 cups white flour

3 tbsp. oil

3 tbsp. honey 

3.5 cups whole wheat flour 

additional white flower 

Combine water, yeast, 1 tbsp. honey, and white flour and beat until smooth. Cover and let sit 1 hour. Add oil, honey, and whole wheat flour and mix well. Let sit 15-20 minutes in refrigerator. Turn out onto floured counter and knead for 10ish minutes, adding flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Cover and let rise again for one hour until doubled. Divide dough in half and bake on greased pizza stone at 400 for about 45-50 minutes. 

I don't have much experience making breads, this recipe is easy to follow, hard to mess up, and makes two very tasty loaves of bread. These past two weeks, I've made the recipe and kept one loaf for myself and given the other away to friends (what college student doesn't like free, homemade bread?). 

Have a great week, friends! 

-Madelyn