Honey + Toast

I love to watch Greta learn make-believe. So when she hands me a magnet off of the fridge and looks at me like I'm to eat it, I start nibbling.
Most of our pretends around the house are food based. Her first pretend was to serve and sip "soup" out of stack able bath cups...."Mmmm Tasee*!" (And of course the parents went wild. "I'm sure she is a genius to be imagining so young!")
Then it was all about the tea set she got for Christmas.  Setting the places on the floor and pouring coffee and tea with a chipper "Ear go*!"
Today it was toast and honey. One of Greta's favorite things is honey. I don't know whether to blame the influence on Winnie the Pooh or not, but for her, honey is that spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. When she grows tired of eating her food regardless of what it is, the last ditch effort on her part is to ask for some Honey on top. A little dab on her oatmeal or a make believe dab on her pasta and all of a sudden it's no longer slop.
So no wonder the concern when she had a very toothsome piece of toast made in China and nothing to help it go down?
Immediately we had a case of the pleading gimme gimmes for the sticky honey bottle. ( I really need to keep that bottle out of plain sight.) But mama ain't no fool, I pulled my first make believe wild card out of the Parent's Bag of Tricks.

Me:"Oh! That toast looks like it needs special make-believe honey!" (I try and put on a convincing face and look more trustful than I really am.)

G: Blank look.

Me: "Here it looks like it's all stuck to the bottom of the bottle, let me try squeezing some out for you."
(More convinced that this is not going to work, as I mime squeeze the bottle upside down. She is so not going to buy this.)  There! You can go ahead and take the whole bottle. (As I attempt to hand her air, I suddenly feel the full silliness of this illusion.)

G: She hesitates (I can hear the gentle whir of her processing this new idea of make-believing things she really would rather have in real life) and then to my surprise she takes it, brings it to her plastic toast, squeezes some on and rubs it on with her finger. And comes back for more. (Never mind that I totally gave her the whole bottle and that technically she is still in possession of it. A fact I overlook as I eventually hand out 6 more imaginary bottles of honey.)

I love how sometimes it's just the play that kids want...not necessarily the stuff.
I'm going to hang on to this Wild Card!

*Tasty
*Here you go!

Peony Season

Peonies are my favorite flower*.  They are so grand, sweet smelling, and unabashedly feminine (without being too formal like roses.) So when those magical 3 weeks out of the year come around when you can actually get your hands on them, I leap into action!
I bought a few stems and put one in by the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, the table where we eat, and right by my bed so that I don't miss a minute of this Peony season.
I went on an overnight Women's Retreat this weekend and felt like I was being torn away from a whole day of precious blooming.
For me, Peony season is something to be savored, and remember back on in the frosty winter months when all you can find at the store are food color dyed daisies. So I take regular pictures (last years) and  bury my face in them and inhale sloooowly.
What's your Spring favorite?

*Besides the Ranunculus which claims the title "Favorite Everyday Flower" since you can get them almost any day. I like to think of them as Peonie's little sister.

Instagram

So I've just joined the masses of people who use the instagram app. on their phones to jazz up those everyday phone pictures. You know how I'm a sucker for old-timey photography, it's been fun to make our own!
Here are a few pictures from our walk on the river today.
Greta had a great time throwing rocks and yelling "SPLASHA WATERRRR!

Local Foxes

We have been breaking records for our rain the last few days.
But I don't mind too much* because it pairs really well with our green firs and Fleet Foxes. We've been listening to their latest album Helplessness Blues in the car the last couple days. (A relief to Greta I'm sure since last week was Beastie Boys Week.)
I think this album sounds an awful lot like their first and I'm not complaining. Folksy and a little haunting, it's perfect for falling in love with the northwest over and over again. Look at these guys...they sure look like local boys.

 Washington print done by Amy Ruppel

*It also helps that warm weather and sun are expected to be with us the rest of the week!....After all, it's Spring!

Type + Language...

So you know it's going to be good. Besides which, Stephen Fry is awesome.  Do you love "The free and happy use of words" as much as I do? Well, those of you who do will be tickled by this...

Supercalafragalisticexpealadocious!

Mary Poppins flew into our city yesterday and it was one of my greatest excitements to go and see her  opening night at the Paramount*.
Dad and The Boy pooled together to get tickets for me for my birthday present this year. (As I am both a huge musical theater fan and Mary Poppins devotee.) And boy what tickets! I can safely say that I have never sat in finer seats for anything in my life. The middle of the middle of the best seats in the house. (Those poor devils to my right and left missed out on the very middlest.)
The seats came with special Paramount Club Perks like hors d'oeuvres before hand in the private club room,  (where the season ticket holders check their coats and listen to jazzy old people music by candlelight.) We had our drinks waiting for us at the bar at intermission accompanied by tiny little desserts and (the best part) our own private bathroom so as to avoid the unfortunate line outside.
Schmancy!
And of course the show was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! With the most beautiful sets and the touches of magic and surprise you would expect from a story where hat stands come out of carpet bags.
I felt just like one of the (thousands) of little girls there with their parents, all amazement and ooohs and awwws.
And even now I am trying to remember back on all of my favorite bits to try and cement them in my flimsy memory. I want last night to be unforgettable.


*One of the lovliest theaters!

PS. Isn't hors d'oeuvres the most ridiculous word? I love French things and all, but you'd think we would have adopted a new (easier to spell) word for something so commonly used. I have to google, and copy/paste it every time.

The Final Frontier: A Summary

Excitement is in the air at the old homestead! After much hoping, and waiting we have started the final stage of our home renovations this week.
The big one, the icky one, the last corner of the original house, untouched by our hammer and paint. THE UPSTAIRS BATHROOM! And all the people said Amen!
It has long been the dark secret only revealed to our unwitting overnight guests. We have grown accustomed to it, (as people can become accustomed to just about any unpleasant thing) as it is the only upstairs bathroom and only bathroom in the house with a shower.  But it's dark wood, unfamiliar musty smell, yellowing paint, peeling pink seashell wallpaper, and questionable history, has made it the unwelcome stranger in our house.
It's a "get in get out" room. A don't touch the walls or floor with your bare feet room. A most definitely never take a bath so Greta has only had 2 baths in her life room*.
I will be posting our progress as we go, in a series I like to call The Final Frontier: The Battle of the Funk Nasty Bathroom.
Simply put, we** are going to rip everything out and replace it, and increase the footprint by removing a hallway closet, as well as extending it into our bedroom.
There used to be a sink in our bedroom. An odd little feature, and unnecessary when we could use that square footage to make a bigger happier bathroom for all.
Here are a few BEFORE shots of that odd little sink area by our closet. The last picture was taken today as we only just added the drywall and door last night, marking the new bathroom footprint.

I  will be sharing more pictures with you as we go! Everybody loves a good makeover!


*She showers instead.

**Let me note that "We" when used in a work related sense mainly means Kent and my Dad. Greta and I (such modern women) make the sandwiches. Not that we aren't fit for hard labor or anything, Greta is particularly dexterous, but we quickly saw the need for someone to keep the rest of the house afloat and we are particularly good at saying things like "Would you like french bread or Milton's  for your sandwich?" and  "please don't track that in here."

The Weekend Update

What a cheerful weekend. Saturday was my birthday and I couldn't have asked for a better start to the day than my special story reading ("Happy Birthday to You" my favorite Dr. Suess story.) and a string of cheery calls from some of my dear old friends*
There was a lot of...
Me: What should we do next?
Them: What do YOU want to do next?
Me: Hmm, What should we eat for dinner?
Them: What do YOU want to eat for dinner?
Me: Greta smells unfortunate.
Them: I will hurry her away for a fresh change of pants, you just lie there.
And YOU'RE the birthday girl, and IT'S Mother's day
So I ate the things I like (Very Large Sandwiches, Chips and Guacamole, Mud Cake, Sparkling Cider, Tall One Pump Caramel Soy Lattes.)
Sat down a great deal, and toddled around town with The Weekenders** fulfilling whims.

Thank you to everyone who sent along Birthday/Mother's day wishes! And to my Dear Boy who catered to me so sweetly.
But, I am grateful it is Monday. And today I am just normal Skirst and have already changed two poopy diapers. Too much having it your own way can be a little stifling after a time.
I will just be storing up for next years Birthday-Mother's Day double header.

*Friends who I met in Junior High and have stuck together (although living in various states) through college, weddings, and now kids!  We don't see each other nearly often enough, and we communicate mostly by text and fb now, but we always pick right up when we visit.  I have a feeling we will still be keeping up with each other when we are a bunch of old biddies.  Friendships like these are precious and few.

** Kent, My Dad, Cousin Sarah, Greta, and myself are the makeup of this little group. We get together so often for sleepovers on the weekend that I have started calling us "The Weekenders".

Happy Mother's Day!

To my beautiful mama, I love you!

Happy Weekend!

Come tomorrow someone around here is going to be one year older.  My dad and my cousin Sarah are coming over to help me celebrate in a peaceable fashion. I'm all partied out from the shower last week, and looking forward to a happy, quiet, no-maintenance birthday.  I think if nothing else does that fact alone ages me considerably.
And then as if people weren't tired of me lazing about all Saturday, Sunday is Mother's day.
Sounds like a honey of a weekend!

image by Jordan Ferney

Pretty little things.

With all that is going on in the news and around the world, sometimes it seems silly to set my mind on the pretty little things my blog usually consists of. Not to say that I don't absolutely devour the news like the worst junkie...I do, and I sleep less because of it.  But when i approach my blog I like to ask the question "What will I want to remember about today years from now?".  And as I doubt anyone reads my blog to catch up on current events, while the news does it so much better, I will stick to the pretty little things...

Did you watch the Royal Wedding? Confession: Of course I did, I don't know why I ever thought I wouldn't. I knew little to nothing about Kate Middleton or Prince William leading up to their big day last week, but in the end I couldn't resist.  For one, it was history (love me some history), it was British (so, duh.), it was going to be beautiful and rich with tradition, and it was a reason to unite with other people and get excited about something...and I'm always looking for an excuse to do that!  So I put on my best jammies, surrounded myself with Easter candy, pillows, a cup of tea, along with the makings of an elaborate paper chain and watched the whole thing live until about 4:30am the next morning. I'm nuts and it was totally worth it.

The paper chain was for a baby shower I hosted this weekend. Dear Leslie is having herself a baby girl and we all had such a good time celebrating her new joy. I took the opportunity to try out those cute paper straws you see traveling the blogosphere, and those fun DIY streamers from Oh Happy Day.
And as it was a party, it was my excuse to buy heaping amounts of cheese and sparkling cider, of which I have been happily putting away for breakfast, lunch, and after dinner snacks. I love party leftovers!
(Sigh) And I love that no matter what is going on in the world there are always weddings and babies.