To A. James on her third birthday

Warning.  Mushy Mama Stuff


A. James, little bird---

Tomorrow we will celebrate your 3rd birthday. We will celebrate three years you’ve been in our lives, although it is difficult to remember what life was like without here. You are not a baby anymore—although you will still be my baby when you are have your own family and I am old woman.

You are now a little girl. You’ve lost your baby face and I can only see slight resemblances to your baby pictures. You are a funny girl. You are a clever girl. You are a compassionate and loving girl. You are everything I had hoped you to be and much more I could never have imagined.

It is hard for a Mama to watch her little girl grow up. It is bittersweet. I love watching you learn and discover. It shocks me to hear you say words that are reserved for “big girls” and use them correctly in sentences. You sleep in your own bed, in your own room. You no longer wear diapers or need my assistance doing as much. You are becoming more independent and want to be alone with your friends. I am proud to see you so brave and self assured. Your drawings are recognizable and it is amazing to see how they’ve evolved from tiny little scribbles into people, horses, mermaids---and other things you love.  You can even write your name now! 

It has been a joy to have watched you change from the tiny little baby into the girl you are today. I am so thankful to your father who has worked so hard so that I can stay home to have this rare opportunity to nurture you and watch you develop into the woman you will someday (sooner than I think) be. 

Until then I will try to remind myself that children grow faster than we'd like and take the time to cuddle you when you want to be cuddled, read to you when you want to be read to, hold you when you want to be held, kiss you when you want to be kissed-----all because I know that the day will come when I’ll have to set my little bird free.

Then you'll not want me to hold you as often, you’ll be able to read books without my help and you’ll be “too big” to have your mother kiss you or cuddle you at night.

Happy Birthday my little girl.

Love,

Mama

*This book always makes me cry.





Where We Try to Brush the Dog with the Broom

Have I mentioned we love to read?  Only a time or two right?

Lately we have been on this fairy tale kick.  I've discovered a part of our library devoted to stories from around the world and I'm sure we've read every one.  The coolest part is all the different versions of Cinderella and other famous tales.  Today we finished reading The Gift Of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story , Sukey and the Mermaid  and Cinderella Skeleton All are "Cinderella" tales, but told from different perspectives.  A. James was excited because Alligators/Crocodiles and Mermaids are her two new favorite things in the whole world.

For the moment anyway.

Reading so many fairy tales made me remember my own passion for folklore and fairy tales.  I decided to request a book I've had on my to read list for some time now.  Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan is a re-telling of the classic Snow White and Red Rose.  Neil Gaiman gave it a thumbs up, so I decided to read it. 

Verdict?
Loved this book.  So beautifully written.  Very dark and tragic, but I tend to like my books that way.  As with most books I read (and enjoy), I kept thinking about the characters and their words for the next few weeks  Also, found one of my new favorite quotes:

"You may never be entirely happy; few people are. You may never achieve your heart's desire in the world, for few people seldom do. Sit by enough deathbeds, Branza, and you will hear your fill of stories of missed chances, and wrong turning, and spurned opportunities for love. It is required of you only to be here, not to be happy." Miss Dance, Tender Morsels 

As luck would have it, I happened upon the original Grimm's Brother's Red Rose and Snow White illustrated by Ruth Sanderson at our Public Library.  To be honest, I picked it out more for myself than for her.  I wanted to re-read the original and see how it compared with "Tender Morsels."

We both enjoying it, immensely.  A. James kept talking about how the Bear came inside and the girls brushed him off with the broom by the fire.  We kept the book out much longer than the others because she loved reading it so much.  I'm sure between my husband and myself we read the book 100 times.  

Then came our first big snow of the season.  I let our dog Abby outside and started cleaning up around the house.  A few minutes later Abby started to bark and bark wanting back inside.  I let her in and she came running into the house completely covered in snow. 

The first thing A. James says is, "Mama, get the broom.  We have to brush her off by the fire like a Bear!"  

Ha.  Well....first of all.  No fire.  Second of all.  As excited as A. James was to brush off dear Abby with a broom, Abby was just as unexcited about being brushed off by a broom.

We settled with using a towel instead.  I think Abby was much happier with this decision. 



Where we bake a Thunder Cake

I would much rather read a book or bake a cake than watch a movie or a T.V show.


That probably makes me a nerd.  I am okay with that.



Delicious cakes and Neil Gaiman short stories trump Jersey Shore or Teen Mom marathons.  Every time.

I just can't get into reality television. Not even American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.




I know. I can already hear your gasps of disbelief.




Plus, what shows that I consider good always get cancelled because they don't star Paris Hilton or people who collect cats.

So I read and bake bread.  And occasionally watch re-runs of Arrested Development.



My daughter has reached one of those "perfect" reading ages. She is just now starting to appreciate books with more words and fewer pictures. This opens up a whole new world of reading material.  This makes for a very excited mama and daddy.

A few days ago I shared a book from my childhood with her.  It is always a fun game to see if she loves these books as much as I did at her age.  Usually she does and it brings me a special kind of joy to finish a book and hear her say, "read it again." Or watch her go through her entire stack of library books to find it.


This was the case with Patricia Polacco's Thunder Cake.

Every time it storms I think about this book. I think about my Grandmother's house and how she wouldn't ever let us be afraid of anything. I remember baking in her kitchen and her pouring sizable portions of the raw cake batter for us to eat. It brings images of fresh eggs cooking and the taste of raw biscuit dough. I think about stories before we went to bed around the fireplace all wrapped up in handmade blankets eating marshmallows we cooked.

While I was pregnant my mother gave me our copy of the book. My aunt bought me a copy.  This book is special to many of us. I think it probably reminds most country people of their childhoods on the farm.

So, you can imagine my excitement when A. James asked to make "thunder cake" one morning.

We read the book as we baked the cake. Stopping to "gather ingredients" along with the characters.  We talked about how one day we will have a farm and we will go outside to gather eggs from our chickens, or milk our cow. 


We talked about how grandmas are important and who we wanted to share our cake with when it was finished.


It was fun; we will do it again in the summer so we can actually gather eggs and tomatoes instead of getting them from the fridge.  The recipe is in the back of the book, but you can visit Patricia Polacco's website for the recipe as well.


Enjoy!

Things I'll get around to doing in 2011 if I feel like it and have the time

Resolutions?

I'm not very good at completely changing my lifestyle.


I know change is good.   Change is also very scary at times too. 



Like the mogwai in the movie Gremlins. 

never expose it to bright lights  don't get it wet, and never feed it after midnight

I'm pretty sure the same rules go for this guys sweet moustache.

Honestly, though.  New Years isn't that much different from every day.  I'm always setting crazy goals and saying next week I'll start working out/make a budget/plan a menu for the week/blog more/finish that craft project/plan the garden/read that book/purchase some modern rugs/take the dog for more walks----the list goes on and on.

I've seen a few blogs with some great resolution ideas:

Erin Compton has a "to-do" list.  Clever.  A "to-do" list sounds a lot less threatening than a "resolution."
Tracy and Kellie are making lists of what they WONT be repeating.  Also a wonderful idea.

However, this got me thinking about something that I am constantly trying to do:  accept praise!  Anytime anyone compliments me, I shrug it off.  What about starting a "brag list" of things that you are currently doing well and want to continue doing?  Not only are you patting yourself on the back, but you are goal setting at the same time.

Double score.



We can only exist in captivity and have
several health and behavioral problems! 

 Maybe I'll create a hybrid version of their ideas with a few of my own.  Hybrids are always great ideas right?
Who doesn't like Ligers?

In high school we had this Chemistry professor.  When making out our tests he would include some no-brainer questions along with the devastatingly difficult ones.  Like: what color is Santa's hat?  That sort of thing.

I'm going to take the same approach with my resolutions. I think it helps with self esteem.
So, to-do (and don't) list of things that I am currently doing that I like, things I'd like to complete, and some random small tasks that will make me feel wonderful about myself.  . 

Things I'll get around to doing in 2011 if I feel like it and have the time---no pressure.

• Gain or Lose a pound
• Buy insane amounts of fabric
• Be proud of yourself for sticking with your parenting goals---even if you may doubt these decisions at times.
• Plant a Garden
• Read a few books
• Cook something different a few times a month
• Finish a project
• Spend less time on facebook
• Ask your grandparents to tell you stories of their childhoods.  You won't regret it.
• Go 48 hours without Internet*
• Write more letters to friends*
• Continue with the handmade gifts.  Some will appreciate it.  Others will not.  That is just how it works.
• Write a short story
• De clutter---get rid of 100 things!*
• Enter goods in the fair again this year!  You rocked last year!
• Say "thank you" more often
• Bake tasty treats for people who you appreciate (recycling center, library folks, etc).
• Stop making fun of yourself for enjoying what you enjoy doing (sewing, cooking, gardening, canning, reading).  It doesn't make you an old lady---and so what if some people think otherwise?
• Plant one new crop this year.
• Keep trying to buy local!
• Take a yoga class.
• Bake something you've been wanting to bake from Joy the Baker's blog.
• Keep visiting your grandparents and bringing them food.  They really enjoy it and so do you.
• Go through your giant list of tutorials and pick three of them to complete*
• Spend 5 minutes everyday reflecting on the good
• Learn one song on your ukulele
• Continue to make donations to the children's library.  Win-win for all.
• Try and bake bread several times a week.

*Some of these were stolen completely from Erin's page.  They were too perfect!

Santa Claus=Super Creepy



Seriously, you can't tell me this doesn't frighten you. 

 I am currently reading Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors.

It is awesome.

Timely enough he has a "Christmas" poem.  I especially enjoyed this one because I have always thought Santa Claus is super creepy.

I think I would have been one of those children who cry themselves to sleep on Christmas Eve Night.  Or I would have just slept with a bat under my pillow.

But we never had the whole "Santa" illusion.  Lucky for me.

Here, goes. 

Nicholas Was...

older than sin, and his beard could grow no whiter. He wanted to die.

The dwarfish natives of the Arctic caverns did not speak his language, but conversed in their own, twittering tongue, conducted incomprehensible rituals, when they were not actually working in the factories.

Once every year they forced him, sobbing and protesting, into Endless Night. During the journey he would stand near every child in the world, leave one of the dwarves' invisible gifts by its bedside. The children slept, frozen into time.

He envied Prometheus and Loki, Sisyphus and Judas. His punishment was harsher.

Ho.

Ho.

Ho.

Happy Holidays!

When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion



New Garden Friend

Fall is in the air which means garden season is over.  It is time for apples, pears, pumpkins, cider, bonfires and camping.  I received a ton of garlic to plant, but I must wait about another week to put it in the dirt.  The squash, cucumber, and cherry tomato I planted up the trellis of my porch was starting to wilt so I decided it was time to take it down.





As I was reaching up to grab the last of the squash vine I noticed that there was something very much alive still on the vine.  Depending on where you are from, you might call her a garden spider, an orb weaver, a writing spider, banana spider or corn spider.  Since I was a little girl I had one build its web outside my bedroom window every year until I moved out on my own.  Even after I was gone I knew I could expect to see one of the beautiful and unique webs with the "z" in the middle if I came and visited my old room.  Since I've moved away from the country I have missed the appearance of these startlingly beautiful arachnids.  I was very shocked to find one outside my house in the middle of town.

I moved her to under my kitchen window in hopes she would stay there and build a web.  She sat on the bricks for the rest of the day, but by that morning she had created a huge web across my large kitchen window.  She has become somewhat of a family "pet"---or as much of a pet as a giant outdoor spider can be.  Every morning when A. James gets up she runs to the kitchen to see if the spider is still there.  She likes to peer out the window and examine her and ask tons and tons of questions.  When a bug finds itself in her web she jumps up and down excitedly and shouts, "She has caught a bug, she has caught a bug!"  This prompted me to check out The Spider and the Fly from out local library.  Now she says, "Welcome to my parlor said the spider to the fly."  It is morbidly funny.

She has laid two egg sacks so far.  However, I read that they can lay anywhere from 1 to 4 and she is getting quite large again.  Unfortunately, she will die with the first hard frost---but her babies will hatch out in the spring.  Until then we will continue to watch her and learn what we can.

Christmas in July

Normally, I am one of those people who shake my fist at anyone who dares to put up their Holiday decorations before Thanksgiving or even mentions Christmas before sweater weather arrives.  However, this is a different story.  I am hand making my presents again this year and after last years experience, I have learned my lesson and promise to start early.  Like now, early.

So, I'll start to make my list--maybe check it a time or two and get down to business.  Want to join me?  What projects have you made in the past?  Any suggestions or links?  Here are a few books that I have been inspired by if you wanted to check them out.

Both of these books byAmanda Blake Soule are amazing.  Really.  Do yourself a favor and check them out.  I am going to have to buy them for myself because I practically keep the library's copies (which I requested to be purchased) at my house.

Reading with A. James

So, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I am trying to find a good way to showcase some great books we have read lately, hoping to give some suggestions to other parents (or just people who have a love for children's books). On occasion, I'll list books for "big people" too. I just don't get as much time to read those anymore.  So if you are looking for these posts specifically, I'll have them all tagged "reading." 

Boni Ashburn is hilarious.  This is now one of my favorite children's books.  Ever.  It is so funny.  If you have a wicked sense of humor, I'd recommend reading this book.  A. James loves it.  We've also read her second one  Over at the Castle --which is also good, but it is hard to follow Hush, Little Dragon.







A. James loves the rain.  She gets so excited to put on her rain boots and rain jacket and head outside.  This books was perfect for her.











We read this book at least once a night.  Seriously.  We have read it so many times I'll stop in the middle of my sentence and A. James will finish it.  She loves this book.  I love this book.  I ordered it for her to celebrate her second birthday.  I cried the first time I read it.  In my opinion, every mother needs this book.  I still tear up from time to time (don't tell anyone).  I adore anything Gaiman writes.

 Anything this woman writes is golden in my opinion.  I especially love the Mr. Putter and Tabby series  about an old man and his old cat. In fact, I loved Mr. Putter and his cat before A. James was even here.  I am excited that she shares my love for their adventures. Out of all of them we have read, this one is my favorite.  It has everything I love: fall weather, gardening, canning and pear jam. Yum.  So Search Amazon.com for Cynthia Rylant.

A penny for your thoughts

First of all, I'd like to say that reading is a very important part of my life. I have always loved to read. Naturally, when my daughter was born we introduced her to books very early on. She was able to recognize animals, colors, shapes before she could talk. Now, almost daily we read between 5-10 books. As a result, I have came across some very fantastic books for children (and adults too). I'd really like to share some of these with you! So, I'm debating starting another blog/addition to this blog where I discuss books we have read. I need your input. What do you think is the best format for this project? Another tab on my current blog? A day of the week devoted to great books? Another entirely different blog?



I'd like your thoughts, suggestions, experiences!

You say it's your birthday?!

A. James is turning two. "Very Soon" as she says. At the end of this month, my baby (who doesn't look so much like a baby anymore) will be a little girl. So sad! We are throwing her a book-themed birthday party for a couple of reasons.

a) Her birthday is very close to Christmas (only two months away)and I am still trying to figure out what in the world to do with all of these presents!

b) I'm trying to discourage the "want, want, want, more, more, more" mindset that most children have today in relation to their birthdays and other gift-receiving holidays.

c) You honestly can't have enough books when you are a kid!

So, as presents for those coming I am making Morsbags for the guests to use as reusable library bags and asking the kids to come dressed as their favorite book characters. So clever I know However, that is about all I have as far as ideas. My cousin is supposed to be making the cake. I am stumped on what to actually have on it. A. James is going as "No Bows" (which as a cute little lizard in it, maybe a lizard?) Oh, well. If you have any especially clever ideas, please let me know.