Wednesday, May 25, 2011

May 26 - Birthday Girl!

Woo-Hoo! My baby turns 7 today!

While she thinks every day is a party worth celebrating with sundaes and sprinkles, she has especially been planning this year's birthday thing for the past 8 months.


Some fun things about Naomi:

- 49 1/2 inches tall

- Favorite colors: blue, white & black
- Favorite food: macaroni & cheese with broccoli & cheese and corn on the cob

- Favorite singer: Britney Spears

- Future aspiration: be an artist
- Favorite hobby: painting (boxes, paper, her eyelids)


Happy, happy birthday, Sunshine!

Monday, May 23, 2011

May 24 - Another Favorite Thing

Complimenting my love of special paper, writing with fancy pens makes me warm and fuzzy inside. When you feel the weight of a well-crafted pen between your fingers, when the fine, black ink easily rolls words across the page, writing long-hand just seems more worth it somehow. These old fashioned tools speak to me of Refinement, of Class. A Tribute to Forgotten Graces.




Waterman, Cross, Mont Blanc, Parker. I have a small collection acquired over time, just uncovered in a drawer last week. Letter writing inspiration! Of course, they're all regrettably out of ink. Ink that must be ordered from someplace obscure, like the antique store that used to be on 4th street, but moved without a forwarding address. Therefore I am left with only holding the treasure for a moment, smiling nostalgically, then returning it to the velvet case. At least until I figure out if Pensfromheaven.com or Nibs'r'Us are legitimate institutions.

And for now, I return to the practical communication venue. Isn't it ironic that I'm electronically blogging about my love for pens and paper?

May 23 - A Few (More) of My Favorite Things

Sometimes when fantasies like kids who do what they're told the first time and running a 9 minute mile seem outrageous, it's just nice to remember some of the tangible "cositas" that make one smile.


- like queso dip, any time, on any thing


- and beach days on Lake Michigan


- all fruit popsicles


- seeds that actually sprout when planted


- fancy paper (ever tried the hand made elephant-dung parchment? It comes in subtle gray and brown. They sell it at the zoo. :-)


- perennial flowering plants that don't have thorns


- dark chocolate covered espresso beans


- Mardi Gras pink toenail polish

And naps without an agenda. (yawn) Have a marvelous day!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

May 18 - Paranoia Will Annoy Ya

Maybe it's an occupational hazard of being in home health care. Maybe it's because I've actually sat on a beige pleather bench while a perky little doctor in peach delivers the dreaded "it's cancer" diagnosis. Maybe I truly am a paranoid hypochondriac (placating demurrals appreciated here). Whatever the risk analysis, every time I have a paper cut that lasts more than a day, or congestion that won't seem to go away, I'm convinced my entire body is headed for a breakdown.
Seriously, the string of weird physical things that keep popping up, pooching out, pestering me is bizarre. Yesterday, I was back at the doctor again after fever, back pain, and a 5 week history of weirdness finally made me cave and schedule an appointment. (I hate wasting money on doctors. I should have been a doctor.) After the medical assistant rolled her eyes at my symptoms and questioned me repeatedly about "abnormal discharges" (how would I know what's abnormal any more - apparently the hormone game keeps changing!), I again regretted bothering to go. I like the doctor much better than her assistant. She seems to get me. However, the final diagnosis? Wait for it... Wait... Normal. Nothing's wrong. She gave me a pre-emptive, CYA week's dose of antibiotics, and shrugged. Aaargh!



So, feeling achy and tired and itchy and bloated and sore and having frigid digits but a body temp that fluctuates uncontrollably - all to be expected. Normal 36 year old stuff. No worries. Or, I have terminal psychosomatic whatchamacallit, and will be dead tomorrow. Just in case, it was lovely knowing you all, and to all a good night! xo

Monday, May 16, 2011

May 8 - Mother's are Special

My mom and Charlie visited us over the last week, so we got to celebrate Mother's Day honoring each other, which was pretty fabulous. Especially since my kids couldn't care less about the Hallmark holiday, at least not beyond the required school craft project delivered in staple-happy style.

(Side note: this in no way reflects on Dale, who I overheard trying to coach and inspire them for weeks into honorific attitudes. And who bought me an awesome Kindle with a pretty pink cover. Thanks, Love!)


Mostly, I just wanted to take the time to be thankful for my mom. I am so incredibly lucky to a) still have her around, b) still enjoy her company, and c) still have her expertise framing the domestic side of my life. No one starts projects and directs furniture moving quite like my mother, who seems to thrive on change (definitely more than me) and pursuit of aesthetic variability indoors and out. Thank you for everything, Mom - I love you!

We had a lovely time together. I wish cross-country travel hadn't gotten so ridiculous. Michigan to California is no longer a bi-annual option for this family of five (sometimes six). We'll just have to treasure the time when we get it. I hope all of you had amazing mother's day celebrations too!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

April 30 - Race for the Rack! I mean, Cure!



Woohoo! First race of the season and we didn't die! This perky little 5K moved to downtown South Bend this year. Starting from the Cove, our newly renovated minor league baseball stadium, we got to jog back and forth across the St. Joe River.This year around 1600 showed up in the chilly, breezy morning to raise money and show support for breast cancer victims and survivors. This is my favorite race of the season, probably because the theme color is pink and many people have teams with funny names and costumes, plus they provide the best snacks (fruit trays, yogurt, brie, croissants)! The sponsors do an incredible job of honoring the survivors, with a parade and victory chant, fancy flowers and hot pink boas. While I would absolutely NOT want anyone to have to go through cancer, it is kinda nice to be on the other side and be recognized. Although compared to the stories of many, my blip in the road is embarrassing to mention.


Regardless, Dale and I had fun on this lovely little run. The fundraising is still open through the end of the month for this very worthy cause that helps provide screening and treatment for local women. I hope others will consider donating and coming out to join us next year (April 28, 2012), but if that's not your thing, just remember "I Am The Cure"!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

April 24 - Easter (Late Entry)



Spring is finally making it's lovely appearance, just in time to celebrate Christ's sacrifice and victory, and all things new and hopeful again. We are so blessed!
Tradition makes my heart happy, as we make memories and grow together as a family. We dyed eggs, hunted for plastic, candy-filled eggs, discovered real robin's eggs in the yard, and chased swallows around the backyard birdhouses.


We ate carrot bunny cake and jelly beans. We fought over egg relay race techniques, then made up and ran together anyway. We missed Naomi, who was on a trip to California with her dad. She posed ahead of time so we wouldn't forget her, and wrote a note to the Easter bunny requesting "educational materials". Funny girl.
Hope you had a fun, springy celebration too!