Words and Pictures

A round-up of some of the week's events!

First ... guess who lost another tooth? (No, it wasn't me...)

It was THIS cutie pie!

Lizzie got mad at me this morning and told me that she was running away to the playhouse in the backyard until I decided to "not be so lame."

Then she decided to write me a note, the contents of which were:

Dr Mommy
I hop sat yoo sa gubiy

Translated:

Dear Mommy,

I hope that you said goodbye.

Because clearly she wasn't going to come in from the playhouse for a good long time since that would be how long it would take for me to be not so lame anymore.

(I only figured out that 'sat' was 'that' when I remembered that Lizzie has a bit of a speech issue with th's)

As it turns out her plans were foiled by the fact that I was very impressed by her note (the first she's ever written) and her grumbly tummy.

Lizzie yelling that it was time for lunch...

Finally ... I bought the girls some summer clothes yesterday (ordered online at their request) including the most adorable ruffled bikinis. After playing outside in their new sneakers for a little while Hannah came in and asked if it was okay to "try on my zucchini now."

No zucchini pictures, but I do have one of some crazy girls:

Simple Woman's Daybook, May 15

For May 15

Outside my window... late day sunshine, a little humidity, two little girls torturing a caterpillar.

I am thinking... that we'll soon be getting some good growth in Rob's garden thanks to rain and somewhat warm weather. Can't wait for the lettuce and carrots!

I am thankful ... that the lump on Hannah's head turned out to just be a swollen lymph node and should go down on its own in the next couple of weeks and that the doctor was equally wonderful to Lizzie who was worried about her own bump on her own head (a mosquito bite) and reassured her that she was fine

From the kitchen... wonderful smells leftover from tonight's dinner: freshly baked cornbread (from scratch) and chili

I am wearing... grey collared shirt, brown leggings and flip flops

I am creating... working on the end of the year gift for the girls' teachers. I'll post them when they've been delivered

I am going... to put my feet up and watch Ghost Whisperer and then do some more work on the gift.

I am reading... Frank McCourt's memoir, Angela's Ashes. This is my second try at this book. I got about two chapters in when it first came out and couldn't finish it, but I'm giving it another try. So far I feel the same way ... the style is too breezy for the difficult material.

I am hoping... that my book will soon be published in both French and Portuguese. We heard from the publisher this week that the French deal is almost made and we've had requests from Brazil, too.

I am praying ... that my book will soon be published in both French and Portuguese (and also for world peace.) :)

I am hearing... Girls playing and screaming and whatever the girls left on, on the television in the basement, which I am too lazy to go and turn off (but will once I finish this blog!)

Around the house... things are in decent order. I've got birthday gifts to wrap that are on the island and -- as usual -- the place needs some vacuuming, but on the whole things aren't too bad. This weekend I want to get into my nook and clean out all the stuff I've been "storing" in there.

One of my favorite things... dark chocolate silk smidgens from Gertrude Hawk. (http://www.gertrudehawk.com/) They are (not really, but a girl can pretend) healthy as they are made from 70 percent chocolate. They are beyond good.

A few plans for the rest of the weekend... Cleaning/organizing the nook, Rob's going to plant our tomatoes and a couple of other things (maybe the cucumbers?), a Sunday afternoon cruise with a stop at DD for iced decaf and work on my memoir.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

It's official! I'm going to start (and lead) a Brownie Troop with my friend Amy Shenk in the fall. So far we have 11 girls interested in joining and I think we'll have a good group. I loved girl scouting and hope that Hannah and Lizzie do, too.

Conversations and Comedians

There are many, many things that surprise me about motherhood. Stuff that I was SURE I knew and could handle (before I actually had children...). Some are poignant -- like really how much you love your children and how you want to protect them from every little thing, even though you know you can't or else they'd never grow. And some are very happy.

This post is about one of my favorite things about motherhood. And that is how absolutely hilarious children are.

Back in the day I spent a lot of time around comedians.
And I'm here to tell you that none of them ever made me laugh as hard as Hannah and Lizzie do, completely unintentionally.

Here are some examples from the last week or so:

The scene: Screaming from the basement where the television set has fallen (during iCarly and absolutely FAVORITE television show) from its perch on the TV stand and grazed Lizzie's leg.
Hannah, to Lizzie: Oh Lizzie, I am just so worried about your leg. I hope that you are all okay.
Lizzie: Oh Hannah it was so scary. I hope I didn't break my leg.
Me, to Lizzie: Your leg is fine, but how did the television fall off the stand? Was someone touching it?
Lizzie: No, I was just POINTING at it.
Me: Just pointing at it? Then how did it fall? Is there a ghost in the basement who pushed it?
Lizzie, looking worried: Wellllll, MAYBE when I was pointing at it, I touched it by mistake and it fell.
Me after I had checked out the leg and put the television set back on its stand: Okay, well you' and the TV are both fine, but don't touch the television.
Hannah: I'm really happy you're okay Lizzie. I was worried about you.
Me, to Hannah: So tell me the truth, were you worried more about the television set breaking or Lizzie's leg breaking.
Hannah, with MUCH feeling: Oh Mommy, of COURSE I was more worried about the television!
Lizzie: Mama, do we really have a ghost in the basement?

The scene: About a week ago there was a dead mouse on our driveway, most likely dropped there by a hawk, judging by the wound. I noticed Lizzie sitting quietly on the driveway about three feet away from it, staring intently.
ME: Lizzie why are you staring at the dead mouse?
Lizzie: I want to see its soul to come out of its body and go up to heaven.

The scene: The girls are playing outside on the rock wall that divides our property and our neighbor to the rear, Mrs. Whitlock.
ME: Don't go on the other side of that wall, girls. I don't want you disturbing Mrs. Whitlock's property.
Hannah: Why does Mrs. LipGloss care if we disturb her grass?
Me: Her name is Whitlock.
Hannah: I know. Why does Mrs. LipGloss care if we disturb her grass?
(This is funny because it adds to Hannah's long list of malapropisms including froggy for foggy, bund for bun, piggybank for piggyback and alien for ambulance...)

The scene: The family taking our usual Sunday cruise out towards Lancaster; them doing their usual fighting

ME: Girls stop fighting. I don't know why you just can't be friends with each other!

Hannah: We're not friends, Mommy. We're sisters.

The Comedians:

Mother's Day

I've been thinking a lot lately about nature vs. nurture and from where Hannah and Lizzie get their unique personalities and skills.


And when I think about nature and nurture I think about from where I got MY unique personalities and skills.


Some of them came from this woman:




This is my mother at age 4 or 5 in her dance recital garb. I know that I DID in fact get my high arches (and included inability to wear most shoes) from her, but somehow, the grace and coordination of dance -- well, not so much. She kept those for herself.


And there are many things of me that I see in my daughters: Lizzie's hypochondria is all me; Hannah's shall we say lack of coordination, again, all me. I have no idea how these things are programmed outside of DNA, but it's very clear to me that these girls are mine and that in some karmic way they were sent to teach me things and I'm here to teach them things.


Like, for instance, how to cook.

If there is a piece of toast to be burned, Hannah will burn it. In fact she has yet to make toast where the smoke alarm hasn't gone off. If there is a pot of water to be watched on the stove, Lizzie will let it boil over.


Now it's all out there in black and white for everyone to see, too. For Mother's Day the girls' class made a cookbook of their own recipes. Here's Lizzie's:


Cupcakes

2 quarts of flour

1 cup of sugar

3 cups of baking soda

4 sticks of butter


Mix the ingredients together. Pour it into a cupcake pan. Put it in the oven for 20 minutes at 20 degrees.



And Hannah's:


Brownies

3 quarts of sugar

2 cups of flour

4 cups of frosting

6 cups of baking powder


Mix up all of the ingredients. Put it in a pan. Put it in the over for 4 minutes at 10 degrees.

Clearly there is much work to be done. And hopefully I have inherited my mother's legendary patience with which to guide them. But at the very least I am so very blessed and grateful that as much as I am in my daughters' lives to guide them in things well beyond cooking, my own mother is still in mine to do the same thing.

Happy Mother's Day to both the naturals and the nurturers!

Simple Woman's Day Book

For May 8

Outside my window... the sun is finally shining after nine days of rain. And about 10 months of winter. It's all green and lovely out there.

I am thinking... that even though I have frustrating days with my daughters (like today) I am really very very blessed.

I am thankful ... for whatever patience the Lord affords and for the sun.

From the kitchen... eggs are boiling for devilled eggs, chicken is poaching for chicken salad and the ingredients are gathered for a batch of Aunt Dodie's Peanut Butter cookies that I found on my friend Kristina's blog (http://www.sweetpeawanderings.blogspot.com/)

I am wearing... red shirt, grey capris and my blue fake crocs that I got at Walmart for ONE DOLLAR!!

I am creating... a chore chart and summer work program for Hannah and Lizzie.

I am going... to set out the snacks for an afterschool playdate (for both the girls and me) with one of our neighbors who just also happens to be the Brownie coordinator for our area.

I am reading... the Wizard of Oz series by Frank Baum. I found them when I was putting Hannah and Lizzie's room together and loved them as a child. So far I love them as an adult, too!

I am hoping... that Hannah and Lizzie lose their very annoying attitudes or we will all be on timeout for the weekend

I am hearing... lots of birds and the water bubbling in the girls' fish tank (we are down to two fish, RIP Drippy).

I am praying... for our country and the economy and the state of health insurance in this country. With so many friends out of work, I can really see the mess we need to get ourselves out of.

Around the house... things look pretty darn shiny as we are expecting guests. The upstairs looks pretty good, too, but I'm avoiding the basement since the girls promised me they cleaned it up but, you know, they probably didn't.

One of my favorite things... http://www.hulu.com/. It's a great place to watch television shows that you forgot to Tivo. :) Oh, and apparently the Razzy Lime Salsa I mentioned last week is NOT back. I must have dreamed that (which of course we all know means that it will come to pass.)

A few plans for the rest of the weekend... Rob said something about taking the girls to the bikepath, but since they may well be grounded for the next 47 weeks, I may go to the bikepath and leave them all here. :) I'm sure there will be some relaxing on Mother's Day, too. I have a story to write this weekend and the girls and I are going to get started on their year-end gift/project for their teacher.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I want a poodle. Not a foofy poodle, but a poodle like this. Oh and Lizzie would like it if it didn't mind wearing a dress every once in a while. She said she now likes dogs better than cats because dogs can wear cute clothes.

See other day books at http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

The girls' new room!

Click on the video below to see the before and after of the girls' room. For those who have not been listening to me talk about this for weeks and weeks, here's how things happened.

I wanted to update Hannah and Lizzie's bedroom with a theme that would take them as far through the tween years as I could AND didn't break my budget. I came up with a MOD theme (I did get input from Hannah and Liz, but they were still pretty much into having everything be about the Princesses although iCarly was a close second!)

So with my $300 budget I tried to figure out the best way to make the room look completely different without spending any money. I explain most of my finds in the video, but I neglected to mention that the Bed in a Cubes were about $50 each and the ceiling tile/bulletin boards were $20 for a set of four.

Because I was SO lucky to find bedding that fit my theme AND didn't cost a lot AND was for two 6-year-olds who don't really care if they are sleeping on 200 thread count sheets, I really was able to come in easily under budget. And I was blessed with the advice of family and friends about where to find some good deals, too.

Oh, and for some reason on my computer some of the walls look pink. They are actually a medium purple color.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For May 1

Outside my window... it's dusk and I can just see the remnants of the clouds through the trees.

I am thinking... that I may get my hair cut early next week.

I am thankful ... for children who went right to bed tonight as I am pretty tuckered out myself.

From the kitchen... dinner dishes are all cleaned up (we just had tuna sandwiches and chips, so it was easy to make and easy to clean)

I am wearing... grey shirt, grey pants (very neutral today!)

I am creating... the final touches on the girls' room -- stay tuned for a video before and after sometime next week.

I am going... to make a big bowl of popcorn and watch Tivo'd Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.

I am reading... nothing except websites -- I need to get to the library!

I am hoping... to up my exercise time to 25 minutes a day next week. Right now I do 20 minutes 4 or 5 days a week. YAY!!!

I am hearing... Ghost Whisperer on the television (it's a scary one with talking dolls and that always freaks me out) and Rob crinkling a potato chip bag.

I am praying... for my friends at the Reading Eagle who were laid off yesterday. Way too many talented people lost their jobs.

Around the house... the living room shows the remains of a great game of Hullaballo that I played with the girls earlier and the dining room table still holds the remnants of coloring and reading and homework.

One of my favorite things... is Tastefully Simple Razzy Lime Salsa (http://www.tastefullysimple.com/) It's FINALLY back after a way too long absense during which I begged every consultant I met to let me buy whatever secret stash they might have. It's delicious and after one bite you'll be hooked too -- so be careful.

A few plans for the rest of the weekend... I'm building the girls' bookcase, going to the library or bookstore, supervising some artwork for the redecorating (you'll understand that more when I do the big reveal next week) and quite possibly eating Chinese food.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Blossoms ready to burst on my new favorite tree.
For other daybooks visit www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com