Scene: Snuggles in Mommy and Daddy's bed, Thursday morning.
Marla: (sighs) "Josephine, I love cuddling with you like this. Sometimes I wish we could do this forever."
Josephine: (wailing) " BUT I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP IN THIS BED ! "
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Blogging is optional...
When I wasn't re-reading the Harry Potter series, or studying facts about the creepy crawlies that were slated to attend the book launch, or getting over my "stage fright" about my job there on Friday night, I was doing well...things. Things that kept me away from blogging. Things that would make me think..."Oh! I should blog about this..." and then those thoughts would leave. Blogging is optional.
But, to catch up a bit...
There were toddler messes galore to clean up...
...a favourite being the old "there's toilet paper coming out of my pants" joke. The grasshopper has stolen the pebble from our hands there.
We went to Buffalo, and found an absolutely wonderful Estate Sale. I brought back some stuff to sell at Winkel, and some stuff to keep.
And my mom's neighbour GAVE Josie this toy from when she was a child:
But, in trying to fit these things into the house, I started decluttering. I've also spent a lot of time reading about decluttering, and actually taking big steps toward finding homes for items we're not really attached to. So, there's a garage sale in my future...and maybe yours if you're interested in my old stuff.
There was also the fridge issue.
It wasn't just the defrosting, or the unhooking the bungee cord that became too much to bear, though I was heartily sick of those things. It's simply that my folks offered to buy us a new fridge, so we accepted.
So, our old fridge stared guiltily at us from the curb...
...while the new one was embraced and decorated by Josephine, whose grasp of what's aesthetically pleasing is tenuous.
And, while I can't say I love the new fridge, I can say that having a fridge with a working lightbulb is so, so nice. Having a fridge that never had anyone else's food in it is kind of thrilling. I wondered why modern fridges don't have egg holders in the door any longer, but the salesman explained that it's because eggs stay fresher in their cartons. Oh. Whatever. I marvel that $300 worth of groceries looks like nothing in 17 cubic feet, compared to the old one, which had to be about 12. But then, I don't have to move ten things to take out the milk, and that's pretty groovy. Between not having to unhook the bungee cord, food being easily reachable, and not having to chip ice away from the freezer door to open it, I'm saving minutes a day. Minutes and minutes that were spent doing things like...
...watching the dog laze in the sun (next to the pile of cool-looking fridge bins I saved that I ought to declutter, but can't bear to).
And watching the cat stare in the dog-slobbered door all pissed off...
...because when the dog isn't napping in the sun or on her chair...
...she's staring at the cat who's staring in the door.
Josie's had a bit of a cold, ending up with a perpetually runny nose. Apparently, "parswey hewps keep the schnoobies from getting out"...
...and then it's delicious.
My boss's mom made Josie a ladybug costume, and she wears it a lot and it's adorable...
...but Sweet Jesus, please don't tell her that. A very scowly ladybug walked home from work with Steve one day, because strangers had the nerve to say "how cute!".
Steve had a day off, and we went to Centre Island, where Josie had more fun rolling uphill instead of downhill, because she's weird that way. She also gave me several heart attacks by being fearless on the Ferris Wheel, and then made my heart go "squelch" by being big enough to go on several rides all by herself.
But more, she's really been tugging at the old heartstrings by being a wonderful little kid, enjoying her big-girl room. She sits and reads books in there, she plays with her toys and talks to Missy Fishy, the male Betta fish who is there to keep her from ever "sweeping awone".
A few more pictures to hang, and it's done. What? You want a sneak peek at what else has been keeping us so busy?
Stellar cuteness doesn't just happen, you know, people. All shall be revealed soon, about how my daughter got the room of her...erhm...my...our?...dreams.
But, to catch up a bit...
There were toddler messes galore to clean up...
...a favourite being the old "there's toilet paper coming out of my pants" joke. The grasshopper has stolen the pebble from our hands there.We went to Buffalo, and found an absolutely wonderful Estate Sale. I brought back some stuff to sell at Winkel, and some stuff to keep.
And my mom's neighbour GAVE Josie this toy from when she was a child:
But, in trying to fit these things into the house, I started decluttering. I've also spent a lot of time reading about decluttering, and actually taking big steps toward finding homes for items we're not really attached to. So, there's a garage sale in my future...and maybe yours if you're interested in my old stuff.
There was also the fridge issue.
It wasn't just the defrosting, or the unhooking the bungee cord that became too much to bear, though I was heartily sick of those things. It's simply that my folks offered to buy us a new fridge, so we accepted.
So, our old fridge stared guiltily at us from the curb...
...while the new one was embraced and decorated by Josephine, whose grasp of what's aesthetically pleasing is tenuous.
And, while I can't say I love the new fridge, I can say that having a fridge with a working lightbulb is so, so nice. Having a fridge that never had anyone else's food in it is kind of thrilling. I wondered why modern fridges don't have egg holders in the door any longer, but the salesman explained that it's because eggs stay fresher in their cartons. Oh. Whatever. I marvel that $300 worth of groceries looks like nothing in 17 cubic feet, compared to the old one, which had to be about 12. But then, I don't have to move ten things to take out the milk, and that's pretty groovy. Between not having to unhook the bungee cord, food being easily reachable, and not having to chip ice away from the freezer door to open it, I'm saving minutes a day. Minutes and minutes that were spent doing things like...
...watching the dog laze in the sun (next to the pile of cool-looking fridge bins I saved that I ought to declutter, but can't bear to).
And watching the cat stare in the dog-slobbered door all pissed off...
...because when the dog isn't napping in the sun or on her chair...
...she's staring at the cat who's staring in the door.
Josie's had a bit of a cold, ending up with a perpetually runny nose. Apparently, "parswey hewps keep the schnoobies from getting out"...
...and then it's delicious.
My boss's mom made Josie a ladybug costume, and she wears it a lot and it's adorable...
...but Sweet Jesus, please don't tell her that. A very scowly ladybug walked home from work with Steve one day, because strangers had the nerve to say "how cute!".
Steve had a day off, and we went to Centre Island, where Josie had more fun rolling uphill instead of downhill, because she's weird that way. She also gave me several heart attacks by being fearless on the Ferris Wheel, and then made my heart go "squelch" by being big enough to go on several rides all by herself.
But more, she's really been tugging at the old heartstrings by being a wonderful little kid, enjoying her big-girl room. She sits and reads books in there, she plays with her toys and talks to Missy Fishy, the male Betta fish who is there to keep her from ever "sweeping awone".
A few more pictures to hang, and it's done. What? You want a sneak peek at what else has been keeping us so busy?
Stellar cuteness doesn't just happen, you know, people. All shall be revealed soon, about how my daughter got the room of her...erhm...my...our?...dreams.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Live and In Person...Me! (Plus a few others, like Crazymumma, Darth Vader and He Who Shall Not Be Named)
Last night, Crazymumma , who is about as crazy/sane as me, joined me in working for Critters at the Eaton Centre Indigo Store's Harry Potter Book Launch party. I couldn't have asked for nicer company. She was also the only person I know that I'm not related to by marriage who isn't squeamish about snakes, reptiles, insects and rats. It seems you don't know these things until you ask people.
It was an amazing, unforgettable evening, made even better by those who staffed the event - they worked so hard on their costumes, and they were so helpful and friendly and eager. I think we all would have been happy just to play with the critters we brought - Merlin the albino Corn Snake, Franklin the Tortoise, Nala the Lion-head Rabbit, Scabbers the baby Hooded Rat, Charlotte the Rose Haired Tarantula, Tripod the Bearded Dragon and Mr. Popularity : Darth Vader the Giant African Millipede - and forget about the customers. But we were there to entertain the fans, and so we did. We quickly realized that the rat was a little to skittish, and the bunny, well, drew such remarks as "What does a rabbit have do do with Harry Potter?" So out came the big guns. First on deck, Darth Vader, the Giant African Millipede.
In fact, in the weeks before the event, my partner wasn't so sure she could deal with his creepiness - but guess who couldn't get enough of him about ten seconds after she first held him?
I've had the good fortune to hang out with a few of these guys before this, and from the get-go Crazymumma was fearless and enthusiastic - she and I could concentrate on making it a great experience for all who were interested, and literally, we had each other's backs. Often we'd stand, butt cheeks to butt cheeks, each tempting passers-by to touch something crawly while still being mindful that we had to protect the ones still under the table. Occasionally, we'd confer, agreeing that the possible death for Franklin the Tortoise should someone so much as flip him upside-down was too nerve-wracking, and then pull out something less tempting for inexperienced people to handle so casually, like the tarantula.
I think it was agreed that one of the best parts of our evening was watching people overcome their fears. Finding that a tarantula is nearly weightless, and feels like butterfly kisses on your hand; that snakes aren't "slimy" but slinky, smooth and rippling, and that the Giant African Millipede is actually hard and smooth and feels like someone is combing your palm is eye-opening and transformative. In one case, a father was sure his young son was too chicken to touch any of the creatures, and Crazymumma was especially thrilled that the seemingly brow-beaten little guy braved a stroke or two - take that, Great Santini! I found upon casual observation that most of the guys seemed to like it when their girls weren't shrieking and whining about being scared of icky things - wow - brave girls are attractive. Who knew?
There'd be swells of people, and so sometimes I'd be draping Merlin around people's necks until I felt like Snow White, realizing Dopey had lined up twice for a kiss - other times Crazymumma and I would just stand around, you know, wearing things.
Or, just passing the time, chillaxin' with Lord Voldemort and Merlin.
The countdown at midnight was thrilling - the crate we'd been standing within feet of all night was opened by the security guard and an employee dressed as Harry Potter after the countdown and cheering. I was verklempt.
The line-up around us disappeared, and soon snaked around the store. We beat off the last few whiny school kids, then packed up the very tired and slightly stressed critters. At that point, my friend Crazymumma did something so kind that I don't think she will ever realize how much it meant to me...
She stood and watched the critters so I could get in at the end of the line, stuff my face with some of the free cotton candy, and get my book.
If I could stand to waste one more minute away from reading tonight, I'd make and post a little sign to hang on the doorknob of my blog:
EDITED: Done now. Wow.
It was an amazing, unforgettable evening, made even better by those who staffed the event - they worked so hard on their costumes, and they were so helpful and friendly and eager. I think we all would have been happy just to play with the critters we brought - Merlin the albino Corn Snake, Franklin the Tortoise, Nala the Lion-head Rabbit, Scabbers the baby Hooded Rat, Charlotte the Rose Haired Tarantula, Tripod the Bearded Dragon and Mr. Popularity : Darth Vader the Giant African Millipede - and forget about the customers. But we were there to entertain the fans, and so we did. We quickly realized that the rat was a little to skittish, and the bunny, well, drew such remarks as "What does a rabbit have do do with Harry Potter?" So out came the big guns. First on deck, Darth Vader, the Giant African Millipede.
In fact, in the weeks before the event, my partner wasn't so sure she could deal with his creepiness - but guess who couldn't get enough of him about ten seconds after she first held him?
I've had the good fortune to hang out with a few of these guys before this, and from the get-go Crazymumma was fearless and enthusiastic - she and I could concentrate on making it a great experience for all who were interested, and literally, we had each other's backs. Often we'd stand, butt cheeks to butt cheeks, each tempting passers-by to touch something crawly while still being mindful that we had to protect the ones still under the table. Occasionally, we'd confer, agreeing that the possible death for Franklin the Tortoise should someone so much as flip him upside-down was too nerve-wracking, and then pull out something less tempting for inexperienced people to handle so casually, like the tarantula.
I think it was agreed that one of the best parts of our evening was watching people overcome their fears. Finding that a tarantula is nearly weightless, and feels like butterfly kisses on your hand; that snakes aren't "slimy" but slinky, smooth and rippling, and that the Giant African Millipede is actually hard and smooth and feels like someone is combing your palm is eye-opening and transformative. In one case, a father was sure his young son was too chicken to touch any of the creatures, and Crazymumma was especially thrilled that the seemingly brow-beaten little guy braved a stroke or two - take that, Great Santini! I found upon casual observation that most of the guys seemed to like it when their girls weren't shrieking and whining about being scared of icky things - wow - brave girls are attractive. Who knew?
There'd be swells of people, and so sometimes I'd be draping Merlin around people's necks until I felt like Snow White, realizing Dopey had lined up twice for a kiss - other times Crazymumma and I would just stand around, you know, wearing things.
Or, just passing the time, chillaxin' with Lord Voldemort and Merlin.
The countdown at midnight was thrilling - the crate we'd been standing within feet of all night was opened by the security guard and an employee dressed as Harry Potter after the countdown and cheering. I was verklempt.
The line-up around us disappeared, and soon snaked around the store. We beat off the last few whiny school kids, then packed up the very tired and slightly stressed critters. At that point, my friend Crazymumma did something so kind that I don't think she will ever realize how much it meant to me...
She stood and watched the critters so I could get in at the end of the line, stuff my face with some of the free cotton candy, and get my book.
If I could stand to waste one more minute away from reading tonight, I'd make and post a little sign to hang on the doorknob of my blog:
Gone readin' !
EDITED: Done now. Wow.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Ink and Blood
Last Saturday was the day slated for Steve's new tattoo. Of course, Josie had the perfect outfit.
She watched the process with great interest.
She's been with us for some of our others. But this time, being more aware of what was going on, she did seem a little nervous, concerned and worried for her dad.
Though it was nothing an ice cream couldn't distract her from...
Of course, we were reminded why three-year olds shouldn't be allowed to get tattooed...
It took a while - here's the outline done. This is the nicer picture of my husband's armpit - there's another, but I won't show it (it's NSFDS*).
Within a day or two of getting the tattoo, Steve joked that it should have looked more like this:
Here it is, almost a week later. Still a bit scabby. It seems like we're always a little scabby.
But it heals, and it's beautiful.
(*Not Safe For Delicate Sensibilities).
She watched the process with great interest.
She's been with us for some of our others. But this time, being more aware of what was going on, she did seem a little nervous, concerned and worried for her dad.
Though it was nothing an ice cream couldn't distract her from...
Of course, we were reminded why three-year olds shouldn't be allowed to get tattooed...
It took a while - here's the outline done. This is the nicer picture of my husband's armpit - there's another, but I won't show it (it's NSFDS*).
Within a day or two of getting the tattoo, Steve joked that it should have looked more like this:
Here it is, almost a week later. Still a bit scabby. It seems like we're always a little scabby.
But it heals, and it's beautiful.
(*Not Safe For Delicate Sensibilities).
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