On Big Sis's Big News...

I waited until today, Valentines day, to talk about some really happy news. Congratulations to the Big Sis and the SIL! They are going to have a little bundle of joy next fall. This will be the luckiest little bundle in the world, as he or she will be blessed with a wonderful mommy and a terrific daddy.

Big Sis has been waiting for me to blog about this for several weeks, but I was hesitant to shout the news too soon. First of all, I had to wait for her to tell her friends....and then I needed to wait for her "Face Book blast". This was a question we pondered for a few weeks. How early is to early to "blast"? For me, the incredibly private, semi-cautious, overly quiet mom...later was better than sooner. For the vivacious, bubbly, outgoing Big Sis...sooner was better than later.....but in this case, we both agreed that maybe waiting though 2 doctors appointments was a good idea. So last week, when the doctor listened to the the little heartbeat and announced everything A-OK...it seemed like it was time.

Big Sis has been spared the worst of the 'morning sickness" so far. Some evenings, it rears it's ugly head for a few hours...just enough to remind her that she is pregnant. But overall, she feels good. And she looks terrific.

Names have been discussed already. Little One seems to think this is her domain. She feels the right to veto any name that she doesn't like...or even those that seem "weird". Last night, she vetoed one name because she said it sounded like "underpants". Now if you read this blog, you know Little One has hearing issues, but there is no way this particular name sounded anything like "underpants". Upon further discussion, she noted the it just sounded like a "geeky" name. Ok, that's better.

The Boy usually greets these type of announcements with caution...as if they are going to somehow impact his life in a negative way. But this time he was excited, only adding that he really "needs it to be a boy".

I'm happy to become a Noni for the second time. The first time, when The Senior became pregnant...you will understand why there was worry and pause. Would she be ok? Would the partnership last? Would she finish college? In other words, the first 50 questions had nothing to do with joy or excitement. But those are the times when we are reminded that God knows the plan, and we don't. The Senior has been a wonderful mommy. The partnership didn't become a marriage, but it stayed a co-parenting friendship. She will graduate this spring... And best of all, we were blessed with the Terrific Tyke, who has brought so much joy to all of our lives....

So today, on this lovely Valentines Day, I am thankful for all of the love in my life, and for all the love that is to come this fall. I can't imagine anything more wonderful than a baby Big Sis or a baby SIL...

On Matters of the Heart...

I love Valentines Day. It has always been one of my favorite days. I don't know why. My mom never even recognized the day. I don't think my dad ever even bought my mom a card one time. But each year, when the pink and red heart day comes around, I am filled with excitement. Even the years when I was alone, ie, without a significant other, I still enjoyed the cards and candy. I always made my own valentines, which was probably more to do with lack of money early on, but later, just out of enjoyment.

My first Valentines Day with The Husband came early. We had only been dating about 2 weeks. I didn't expect anything from him...though I did get him a card. Imagine my joy and surprise when I climbed in my car after work to find a cute little bear with a heart that said 'I love you'. Now there was no card with it, so I guess it could have been from someone else. But knowing The Husband, I knew this was his discreet way of being sweet. Being co-workers, it was important to keep our relationship out of work. The Husband had told me that there was a loop-hole that made our dating "ok"...we actually worked for different companies...but still, we had agreed to keep it quiet. (I also did not know at the time that The Husband still had a 'semi-girlfriend' who probably would not have appreciated him giving me a Valentines gift. This information would cause a short "break" in the following weeks...) Anyway, The Husband has continued to give me wonderful Valentine Days over the years. No matter what he does, it is always thought out and loving.

This year, there is some irony about heart day. Over the last few years, my heart has decided to "break" a bit, both physically and emotionally. A particular abnormality shows itself, and I am forced to go through a series of humiliating tests in order to show my doctor that the complication of the abnormality, "imminent death"...is not , in fact, imminent. However, in my own mind, and denial, I have linked these periods to emotional heartache. I read an article the other day about how doctors have come to acknowledge that a heart can truly "break" due to sadness. I convince myself from time to time that it is the amount of loss I have experienced over the last few years that has cause my heart to complain. This last "episode" I tell myself, could well be due to The Dog passing. Anyway, next week, my doctor will knock me out so that he can go in and take a peek at my broken heart. Just the thought of this makes me feel like fainting...even more than usual. But the upside is that knowing what you are dealing with is always better than not knowing. So I will depend on my brain, and not my heart, to carry me through this little ordeal...

So today, I will look forward to Valentines Day. I had been content to just be at Grandma's house for the Big Day. But The Husband instructed me to pack the big bag that was hidden in his closet...and not look inside. So the day may be even better than I thought....

Until tomorrow...

On Snowless Snow days....

A stroke of luck. The kids are off of school today. Snow is threatened, but not here. Unfortunately, I did not know this until I sat in the school line (by myself) for awhile this morning. I listen to the national news in the morning, not the local news, so it never occurred to me that were closed. As we sat in line, The Boy began to realize that there was no school. His sense of joy and happiness was only slightly marred by the fact that he had the only mom who did not have the info. As always, he was kind, if annoyed. Because you know, he could still be in bed. Little One on the other hand, is always ready to let me know that I am always out of 'the know".....

Anyway, the good news is that the weekend at Grandma's house became a bit longer. We ran home and packed up for the long weekend. The Husband kindly ran to the house before work to turn on the heat and hot water (and whatever else he has turned off...). Now, even though we will only be there a few days, my car looked like it was packed for the beach. I have no idea why. I was highly edited in my packing....but when snow is threatened, games, movies and books must be brought along.....The kids were actually excited, which I did not expect, because they are at the age when friends trump weekends with the family. But for some reason, they were up for it. We threw the cats in the car, crossed our fingers, and headed out.

As usual, stepping in Grandma's house is a lovely feeling. No chores, no stress....This is definitely my Valentines day gift...The Husband is off the hook for anything. I brought several books that I want to read, and Little One and I headed to Blockbuster, where she picked up several movies she has been wanting to see. I grabbed a couple of french movies that I have been dying to see. The Boy brought along his computer, DS, PSP and Wii....he will watch ESPN with dad and be in video-heaven all weekend.

Just a warning...I am in my perfect little writing room today, and I am in a writing mood, so I intend on making up for the many days lately that I have not had the time to blog. Beware those of you who have this shot to your e-mail....I may get carried away today...

Until tomorrow, when I may not move from this chair all day...

On Getting a French Little One....

Well, I've been off for a few days. Just too much going on to write it down. The latest news in our household is that we are going to have another Little One soon....no, not a baby...a Little French One. The local Montessori school was looking for families to host some french children in May for a few weeks, and I volunteered. I might have done this before discussing it with The Husband, so many thanks to him for having such a good reaction.

Little One is so excited about the prospect of this "french sister". She has been working on a packet called "All About Me" to send to our prospective child. This will tell her all about Little One. It tickles me to see Little One construct a certain picture of herself. She is very good at self-editing. Only certain pictures will do. They all must be flattering and lovely. Detailed descriptions of the cats must be concluded, after all, this will be VERY important to our visitor. Her self-drawn picture of our town includes our house, UGA (university) and her school. She feels no need to discuss mom or dad or brother...these are minor details...

We received an e-mail this morning from the child's mom. I loved her immediately. She is a blogging-horto-culturist who comments on how floral design affects fashion...I believe we were separated at birth. The Little One's name is Leila....My Little One thinks that name is just so beautiful, though not "overly french"?? The french Little One mainly speaks french, which is no problem for me...but my Little One is a bit worried about this. I explained that she is bi-lingual, which means it will all be fine,

So begins a few months of letters and e-mails and skyping between the 2 Little Ones. This should be fun. I love new experiences. When I was in high school, I desperately wanted to do the french exchange program, but my over-protective parents would not dream of it. Well, this is my chance to re-live that. Though I have travelled through France many times, this will be new and different. Even The Boy is semi-interested. At first he said "That's all I need"....as if he would be personally responsible for everything...but then, he calmed down and asked the important questions, like "What does she like to eat?"...

So today, as we begin the preparations for her visit in a few months, Little One and I are filled with excitement,,,

Until tomorrow...The Boy's school conference is today, and I sense "issues".....

On Not Getting a Ticket....

I was all set to write on the WSJ article about which stars sell the most clothes, but that will have to wait until next week. The following encounter has trumped any fashion talk today...



I was headed out the door to take the kids to school today when The Husband reminded me that I needed to take his car. He had kindly offered to get a couple of new tires put on my car (This offer coming after I had a total tire blowout after he had assured me all was fine...nevertheless). I don't drive The Husband's cars very often. I'm not allowed to drive the porsche...and I do not hold this against him. I wouldn't allow me to drive it either. But today, the kids and I climbed into the Honda and took off. It was absolutely pouring down rain and still dark...it was Little One's day to pick "leaving time"...and she picks "crack of dawn".....So there we were at 7:20, driving and talking. We pulled off the backstreets into a merging lane, when all of a sudden, the state trooper behind me (I had seen him) flashes his lights. Well, crap.



I quickly pulled over and waited. "What did I do?" I asked The Boy. "No clue", he replied. Little One whispered "Are you going to jail?" ......The Boy laughed and said "Ooh, dad is really gonna yell at you!" Sadly, this was the exact thought going through my mind. However, I crossed my fingers and hoped I had a break light out or something. I rolled down my window, and the trooper trudged over in the rain with a really mean look on his face. "I WAS TRYING TO GET YOU TO PUT ON YOUR LIGHTS."......Ok, well you don't have to yell at me. "License please." I handed it over and murmured "really sorry".



Little One, who needs to learn to restrain her temper, started talking about how "dumb" he was. The Boy was strangely quiet, only mumbling "We're gonna be late." I sat there lecturing myself not to cry...though I felt like it. I was already planning my explanation to The Husband, yet I was also shallow enough to hope that no friends of neighbors were seeing this....although I was a bit comforted by the fact that I was in The Husband's car and it was still dark...giving me a bit of "disguise"...



A few minutes later, here came the trooper again. He walked up, took off his glasses and sighed. "Ok. I'm mad at you because you made me get wet. I had already made up my mind to give you a ticket....But...if you will promise to put your lights on.....I won't."........He didn't smile, but he looked like he might, so I said "Thank you so much", and flipped on my lights. Since we were at the worse possible place as far as trying to pull back on to the road, I hesitated until The Boy said "MOM GO...and be sure your lights are on!" ....Little One rambled on about how "dumb" the policeman was, and frankly, I was feeling the same way, so I refrained from my motherly duty of correcting her.



The thing is.....here it comes......I didn't even know you could get a ticket for not having your headlights on. I mean, I should have had them on, and it was still a little dark and rainy....but I was just wondering why he didn't stop me on the side roads and just tell me. As we pulled away, I said "No need to even mention this to dad.".....The Boy shook his head. "MOM, How come when I make a bad grade, and I beg you not to tell dad, you say you have to. I guess next time I make a bad grade, we don't have to tell him either."......Busted. And not only busted, but embarrassed.



All's well that ends well. We made it to school without further problems....and I did call and tell The Husband about it. "Did you tell them you weren't used to driving my car?" he asked. Well, no I didn't, because I did not know if that would hurt or help.....



Anyway, I feel very fortunate to have "gotten off"....kind of lifted my spirits on a gloomy Friday...SO



Until tomorrow....

Finishing the Fashion List

It was lovingly pointed out to me by The Niece this morning that I never finished the fashion blog. I am so off my game this week. Too many distractions. But without further ado...here we go. I believe we left off at item 6....

6) Gold metallic Sperrys....Ok, back in 'the day', these were called 'Boat shoes'. They have come in and out of style so many times I cannot count. I have never owned a pair. As I have said before, the only flats I ever wear are boots.....however.....I LOVE these. I think it is the metallic that makes them so cute. I would wear them with skirts and shorts. But I am torn between these and the suede McAlister boots. These look like old-fashioned hush puppies, but a bit more cool. I'm going to need The Niece's opinion on this, since price will prevent me from buying both.

7) The Minnie Pant....I love these pants! The ankle length is so flattering (they are called the 'magic pants" in the catalogue because they look good on everyone. They have a real french look...I would wear them with my ankle boots because that is the look I like, but I can see them with flats too. If The Husband didn't read the blog, I'd tell you that I already purchased these....and the following......

8) Ruffled Vest.....Ok, as you get older, you definitely have to balance out 'cool' with 'appropriate'. I am constantly editing my wardrobe to be sure that I don't look like I'm trying to dress like Big Sis or The Senior. But having said that, occasionally I just have to go for it.....the "Minnie pants" with the darling Ruffle Vest seem to satisfy my "chic" craving without going overboard. The vest can be belted or not, and once again, I would wear it with almost anything....

9) Vintage Denim jacket......I was not allowed to have a denim jacket in middle school or high school. My mom thought that only "hoods" wore these. (I do not know what the current equivalent for "hood" is....all I can say is that the kids that wore jean jackets back then all smoked and skipped class....and none of them were forced to wear pigtails by their mom...) Anyway, once I was buying my own clothes, these became a staple for me. I even bought one with a beautiful pastel bird on the back during college....what the heck was I thinking? Now, I like the ones that look kind of worn and cozy. I wear them with everything...skirts, dresses, you name it....It kind of gives a yin and yang look. The newest ones are cropped, and they are cute. But I think you have to be careful with proportion.....I think the normal length is more versatile...

10) Crystal necklace.......I love to look at these in the magazines. When I use to merchandise, these were the pieces that would really make an outfit pop. But to be honest, for me, they do not translate well into reality. I have to wear jewelry that is comfortable. I cannot wear anything that is heavy or too bold. Of course, this is totally a personal thing. Some people carry these off so well...and this necklace is the perfect show piece if you are that person....

Ok, that's it for today. I'm going to stick with the fashion theme tomorrow. The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article this morning on which "stars" sell fashion the best....I'll have to give my 2 cents on this...

Until tomorrow...

"If There Ever Comes A Day When We Can't Be Together,Keep Me in your Heart. I'll Stay There Forever.' Winnie the Pooh

Little One was home from school yesterday. I went up to wake her up for school, and she began to cry. I hesitated....then I heard her stomach making funny noises. Could be hunger...but I couldn't take the chance. A memory popped into my head of a young 4th grader (me) who got sick at school one day. My mom determined it was nerves...so she brought me home, cleaned me up....and sent me back. To this day, I can remember putting on my yellow jumper, which by the way I hated, and crying at the thought of my impending humiliation. I do remember apologizing to the boy who sat in back of me. This particular boy was a good friend. He had nicknamed me "Ork" ....this was the sound he envisioned the bird who I was named for making....I can still remember his sweet words of reassurance: "It's ok Ork. Just don't do it again." .....You'll understand why he remained a good friend all through high school...But I digress....



I tucked Little One back in and let her sleep. After dropping The Boy at school, I came home and worked on a painting for a few hours. Little One eventually appeared on the stairs with a small grin on her face. "I'm really hungry. Can I have the left-over cheeseburger?".....Ok, so those stomach sounds were probably hunger. At least she'd have a day to rest. Little One is easy to have around on these days. She is content to watch game shows and entertain herself while I do my thing. Around noon, I suggested a trip to the bookstore. You'd have thought I said we were going to Disney World. She ran upstairs and put on her "outfit"....leggings with shorts over them, tank top with a shirt over it...and cowboy boots. (no yellow jumpers for Little One). We made our way to the bookstore where she picked out several good books. Later, as we headed to pick up The Boy and grab her homework, she leaned up and gave me a kiss...."I love you. I like being home with you." A sob caught in my throat. Little One doesn't like any show of emotion...so it was not a good idea to burst into tears at his moment. 'Ditto' I replied.



Last night as I tucked her in, I teased her. "I don't care how much your stomach is growling in the morning...you have to got to school." She grinned and said "Darn it! I was hoping for another day." This morning, there were no tears. She hopped out of bed, dressed, ate 2 waffles, and styled the hair into her newest "do". As I grabbed my keys to leave, she ran over and gave me a hug. "I'll miss you today". This time, I couldn't stop the tears. And she didn't even fuss at me....



So this morning, as I sit here on this rainy day preparing to paint, I miss my Little One.....



Until tomorrow...