A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? How has your week been? Since the kids are out of school this week, we have been using our mornings to explore off-the-beaten-path Normandy — and doing a lot of baking. This weekend, maybe we’ll visit a couple of brocantes we haven’t been to before, maybe do some bike riding, and Olive will head back to Paris (sad face). How about you? Any plans?
I’ve got a great link list for you this week. Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share:
…Tall House Updates
Here’s the latest happenings at the Tall House. First up, a couple of weeks ago I shared floor plans. I also invited Q&A about the floorplans:
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My wonderful mother-in-law, Julia Blair, gave extravagant nicknames to her children. Ben’s is: Benjerbomboom. His siblings (or maybe it was the neighborhood kids) gave him another one: Ben-Benji-Bare-Bottom-Burp-Baby-Blair. All of his siblings have terrific nicknames. A sampling: Jenettikins, Blopsy, Caroliney-Deeny-Diny, Margretchie, and Deedle-Doos. (Just by reading those names aloud, you can probably guess that my mother-in-law was a wonderful singer. And you’d be right.)
My name is Gabrielle but I grew up with the nickname Gabby. Since I talk a lot, it’s always been a good fit. (Hah!)
We were telling our kids about their aunts’ and uncles’ nicknames, and realized that at our house, we’ve hardly used nicknames at all. Ralph is occasionally Ralphie. Maude is once-in-awhile Mimi. Olive is Olive. Oscar is Oscar (with an experimental Osc here and there). Betty is always Betty. And Flora June is Flora when speaking French, and June when speaking English. I love the idea of nicknames and was kind of surprised to realize we didn’t commonly use them.
Also, nicknames and alternate names always make me think of Dostoevsky. I swear, he uses like 10 different names for each character he introduces.
What are your thoughts on nicknames? Do you have one? Do your kids? Do you know anyone that was given a nickname as an adult and it stuck?
P.S. — The names that got away.
Living With Kids: Katy Regnier
There are houses that scream “THREE CHILDREN LIVE HERE!” as soon as you walk through the door and over a small pile of plastic joy, and there are houses that whisper “Three children live here,” and leave you looking for any traces of babies or toys or…fun. Katy‘s home lies somewhere perfect in between, stating contentedly “We live here.” And isn’t that the loveliest thing a home can say? Friends, I’m delighted to introduce you to Katy and her sweet family. Enjoy!
…Salt Dough Easter Eggs DIY
Easter is on its way and I am very much looking forward to it. I’m ready for the bright colors, the pastels, and anything with spring green. And I am helping it along with the bright tones of these Salt Dough Easter Egg Ornaments.
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? How was your week? Our kids have a two-week school vacation that starts this weekend. Last year for this school break, we drove to Switzerland to enjoy a few days in the snow. For this pandemic variation, we’ll focus on movie marathons, baking, and lots of reading time.
Speaking of reading, I’m happy to report I did some casual fiction reading and really enjoyed it! (I know I mentioned I haven’t been able to enjoy fiction lately.) We started listening to the audio version of book one of the Scythe series on our last drive to Paris, and I was into the story, so ended up getting the kindle versions and zipping through all three. It feels like it had been soooo long since I had gobbled up a story like that. Now I’m on the hunt for another good fiction read. Would definitely love to hear what you’ve enjoyed reading lately.
Ready to dive into links? Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you.
…Tall House Updates
Another exciting week of progress at the Tall House. And at the Small House! We weren’t originally planning on working on the Small House this week, but we’re so glad it could happen.
A man named Guillaume helped us with our radiators a couple weeks ago and was looking for additional projects. We showed him our (seemingly endless) list of projects and asked what aligned with his skills, and he mentioned his father (who is retired) was a roofer. Guillaume thought tackling the Small House roof repairs, with the direction of his father, would be ideal. So we said: Go for it!
…Living With Kids: Laura George
[ Note: This is one of the first home tours to be featured in this series, which now includes almost 450. It was originally published in March 2014. Readers loved it then, and I think you’ll love it now as well. ]
More than a few of Laura’s photos sent for inclusion in her tour had the word sun in the name. Those three little letters made me like her so much. I guess people looking for the bright side have always been my favorites.
There’s so much sunshine in this tour, Friends. From the very first description of her kids to how she describes her home to her final answer about the way our children honestly see us, it’s all real and refreshing. (Neville sounds like a hoot!) Please enjoy it!
…A Few Things
Hello Friends. How are you? Did you have a good week? The big adventure at our house over the past few days was snow. Our area is very rainy, but snow is rare, so it was a fun change of pace. It’s also been below-zero cold all week, but will start warming up again on Sunday — next week should be in the 40s and 50s. I’m especially grateful for the coming warmer weather because it makes the renovation work go more smoothly.
This Sunday is Valentine’s Day. To celebrate, we like to host a simple breakfast for the kids — it’s so nice when the 14th falls on a weekend and we can make it a brunch instead. If I get a burst of energy, maybe we’ll make some heart-shaped sugar cookies as well. How about you? Anything Valentines-y happening at your house? (Lots of fun ideas here.)
Ready for a weekend link list? Here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
…Tall House Updates
Here’s the latest progress at the Tall House. Some things slowed down this week because the roads have been closed due to snow, but there was still lots of happy progress.
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…Living With Kids: Amber Johnson
Today I am going to introduce you to Amber, a nurse midwife who lives with her family in Boulder County, Colorado where her husband works in software. Because COVID forced them to move their kids to online school like so many others, Amber and Josh decided that this might be the perfect time to move over seas, and Amber recently accepted a nursing teaching position in Uganda starting in the fall of this year. Amber graciously opened her home to us before they finalize preparations to leave. Welcome, Amber!
…A Few Things
Hello, Friends. How are you? How was your week? I’m still feeling that Pandemic Wall. I find I’m resistant to making even small plans, and hesitant . Probably some good rest will help, so I’m keeping the weekend as clear as possible.
The only for-sure activity is watching Wanda-Vision with the kids after dinner tonight. Have you been watching? We are very into it. And maybe we’ll play a round of Blair Monopoly — Oscar made it for us for Christmas and it’s so a full-on treasure.
Ready for your weekend links? Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
…Tall House Updates
Here are some of the latest Tall House Updates. First up: We had the Lacanche Range tuned. The term for a range (oven+stove) in French is piano, so getting it tuned makes sense. : ) We also had the chrome details replaced with brass details.
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Hello, Friends. How are you? Last Friday we were in Paris (and I shot the photo above), and it already feels like a million years ago. My whole concept of time is just bizarre these days. You two?
We have a very open, very unplanned weekend ahead of us and that sounds exactly right. If we have the energy, I’d like to work on the floors in Oscar’s room over at the Tall House. (We’ve never uncovered them all the way before and I hope there aren’t any negative surprises.) But I would also be fine if we just stay in and have a movie marathon. How about you? Anything happening for you this weekend?
I hope you’re in the mood for a link list, because I’ve got a great one for you. Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
…Introducing: Newlane University
Several years ago Ben Blair launched a startup company: an affordable online university called Newlane. He started the university with his education-tech-philosophy-collaborator (and my brother), Josh Stanley. I talked about the startup back in 2016 when they launched with a kickstarter — when it was still an idea and not a full-fledged university — and I’ve been mostly quiet about it ever since, while they worked on accreditation. But the big news (the very good news!) is that International Accreditation with ASIC has been achieved!!!
The accreditation process is intense. So much more intense than I would have ever guessed. The process is ongoing over multiple years and requires a huge investment of dedication, time, and money. So we are celebrating big time over here! Founding and building a university from scratch, and earning ASIC accreditation, is incredible. I know the sacrifices they’ve made to reach that goal, and I’m super proud of them for what they’ve accomplished.
To celebrate the good news, I thought it would be fun to interview Ben about Newlane. I get asked all the time about what he does for work, and when I answer, people are genuinely curious to know more, and they have lots of great questions. I thought this would be a cool way to cover the most frequently asked questions, and give a good overview about the university.
Q. For those who don’t know you, give us a little bit about your background and how it led to starting a university.
A. My background is in philosophy and education. I did a Philosophy BA at BYU for undergrad, then, when we moved to New York, I did two Masters degrees and a PhD in Philosophy & Education at Columbia University.
I am very conscious about the rising costs of college — especially so as a father of six. When Josh (who has 5 kids) approached me with the idea of creating a university that offered a 4-year accredited degree at the lowest cost possible, I was on board immediately.
The school is still very small, so everyone on our team wears multiple hats and takes on multiple roles, but my main role is Director of Education for the university.
…Tall House Updates
One of the projects that’s been happening at the Tall House this month is in the attic. Gijsbert has been building an upper wall to add privacy to the guest bedroom, and he added a floor to the loft area (above the staircase) that finishes it off, and hides the wires and construction mess.
If you’d like to see the progress, here’s a 3-part report I shared on Instagram Stories over the last couple of weeks (they are saved in the Attic Highlights):
…Living With Kids: Leslie Degenhardt
The home of Leslie and her lovely family was featured here a couple of years ago, and we are delighted to have them join us once again. They’ve spruced up their place a bit, and decided to start a business during all the craziness of shut down and homeschooling and work-from-home. Leslie is passionate about vintage and found clothing and furniture pieces, both because of the personality that they bring as well as the sustainability of not always buying something new — so starting a shop that sells vintage goods is a perfect fit. Welcome, Leslie!
…Renewing Passports in Paris
On Friday, we woke the kids up at 5:30 AM so we could drive to Paris. We had an appointment at the US Embassy to renew the four youngest kids’ passports — Olive, Oscar, Betty, and Flora June. I spent many hours prepping for our appointment, and happily it went very smoothly. (Big sigh of relief!) The woman who was assisting us thanked me for being so organized and prepared and I’m only slightly exaggerating when I say I’ve never felt more proud. : ) She said it would take about ten days to process and then the Embassy will mail the new passports to our house, which means we won’t need to go back to Paris to pick them up.
In the past, when we’ve needed to renew passports, we’ve always been living the U.S., so this was our first time reapplying from a foreign country. We’ve heard that the passport processing time in the States is currently 8 weeks or longer, so I’m guessing they must have a speedier process for people who are living abroad. Which makes sense I guess — it’s nerve-wracking to know that our kids currently don’t have a passport (and won’t for another two weeks) and we are in another country.
…Inauguration Day Thoughts & Reactions
Oh my. I’m still processing my thoughts about yesterday (1/20) and today (1/21). You too? Here is some of what’s on my mind:
-I woke up yesterday feeling hopeful, but also very worried. I wondered if there would be last-minute drama from Trump, or more violence from Republicans.
-In the morning, I heard the Star-Spangled Banner playing on a French radio station and started weeping. It felt like the whole world was celebrating.
…Living With Kids: Ruth Beckerman
When Ruth reached out about sharing her family’s story, I was intrigued. It is always interesting to talk about different kinds of families and the way that they evolve over time. Ruth, and her husband Andy, are both retired and were empty nesters. Then the pandemic hit, and their grown-up kids (like so many parents) were have such difficulties juggling work and school and toddlers. So Ruth and Andy opened their home back up to support and help their kids and grandkids get through this difficult time. It’s a good illustration of how so many of us have had to be creative to get through this impossible year, and I’m so happy to share Ruth’s story here. Welcome, Ruth!
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