Sunday, September 25, 2011

from ear to ear i tell you

no it's not all roses and kittens.  it is crazy around here.  between school and homework, meetings and projects, mopping and pinterest, i feel like i am in the spin cycle most days. as i type this, i am asking one child where their clothes are and telling the other to wipe their nose and for the love of all that is holy get the steak out of your hair.  it's like we are a bunch of savages.

but sometimes...

i just get all gooey-proud of them.  you know that feeling when they do something all on their own and you want to do a happy dance right there in the middle of 'the costcos'?  yesterday we were getting too close to late for a birthday party and trying to finish up groceries and get some crunchy-crunchy-crickets for aidan's lizard.  an employee was pushing a train of empty boxes through the checkout maze when they all toppled over.  aidan darted away, helped the guy stack them back up and carry them to the front.  the man thanked him and asked if he was a scout.  aidan smiled, said yes and came back to me.  i grinned like a baboon, from ear to ear, and hugged him hard. 


no, it is far from roses and kittens...when i get these glimpses into the people they are becoming, i'm ok with the crazy we are for right now.   

Saturday, September 17, 2011

scissor happy

what do you do when you love love love your gray cashmere/cotton sweater but your dog rips a bitty hole right at your belly button? 

why you just whip out your kid-scissors and slit it right down the middle.  since my sewing skills are incredibly limited, i decided to pretend the rolled edge was supposed to be that way...

when no one was the wiser i repeated the process with a sweater the perfect shade of azure that had a v neck meant to show off goods i don't have...

and when i couldn't find a cardi that i liked one morning, i pulled out this avocado crew neck number that makes everything just a tad too lumpy and hacked away at it...


no tutorial required.  just cut a line from hem to hem as straight as you can.
the edges roll in on themselves and the no-sew, refurbished cardi is born.


my scissors and i are scooping out a maxi dress that is dying to be worn with knee high boots and is begging to have it's ruffle donated to some couch pillows...

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

putting the labor in labor day

we spent the weekend roofing my parents early 1900 house.  it sounds like a terrible way to spend the weekend. 

it was hot. 

the roof had been accumulating moss, dirt and just-put-yer-gloves-on-and-do-it-who-knows-what-else for over 55 years. 

the kind of dirt that likes to stick to sweaty bodies and cling to your nose-holes. 

insects like to hang out on roofs, don't you know? 
and there is like a ton of hammering involved that leaves your hands all blistered up. 



despite all of that it was a fantastic weekend.
...my mom fed us my weight in butterfingers.  and oreos.  and ice cream. and the very best blt i have ever had.  don't even get me started on the roast and my mom's gravy. 

we talked.
we did dishes.
we talked about plans.
we impersonated spiderman.
my parents impressed me.  not that they hadn't before.  they do, often.  but this time was different.  the sun was shining through the trees and the years of dirt was raining down. they were hot and tired and busting their humps to meet their own deadline.  and through all of that, they would stop and listen as nadia threw her two cents in.  they gave her ideas real consideration.  they paid close attention to how aidan worked and gave him specific jobs so he would feel helpful.   


  
we smiled...like a lot. and they thanked us for our help.  but how do we thank them? 

how exactly to you put to words all of that---intangible understanding, love, attention to detail, meals specifically crafted to our tastes---stuff without it getting all watered down and corny? 
maybe you just give them a poster sized print of this face?
that might do it.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

moments like these...

make my life.

aidan and nadia each made me a snack, complete with love note, just like i did for them after the first day of school.  i can't get over how lovely that was.  not only did i feel loved because they thought enough to do this for me, but i felt appreciated.  these silly little things i do get noticed.

i couldn't love them more.

moments like these make me believe we just might be doing something right.