schnitzel with noodles

So ... here are a few of my favorite things.

Simplehappy things that have recently brightened my life.

Which pretty much shows how bright my life already is.


New ironing board cover.

New shower head.

New closet space to arrange with abandon.

Now ... if I could only find myself a cream colored pony, I'd be set for life.

running on empty

So ... it appears my blog has turned into a brag-fest about my adorable, precocious grandchildren.

Eh ... get over it.

As you can see by the above picture ... the crib is now empty, the knick-knacks are back in their place, the floor is free of random pieces of cereal, and the hearts of the current residents are heavy indeed. We have our memories, however ... including the following:

On the last night that Miss Dub was with us, PDaddy and I were asked to babysit while Mrs. Dub spent some time with Mrs. Jay. We distracted her while her mommie slipped out by letting her jump on our bed and land in the large pile of pillows. Except that on the last jump, she overshot the pillows and smacked her head into the headboard. (Hmmm, is that why they call it that?) We quickly applied some ice (never an easy trick with a 17 month old) and enjoyed the rest of our evening without the assistance of paramedics.

The next morning when she woke, she immediately offered forth a recounting of the entire story. It went exactly like this:

Nanny. Papa.
Jumping.
Bonk!
Papa.
Cooooold.

Yep. Nanny. Papa.
Sad.

Heaven: the Sequel

Thank you, Easter Bunny!!

A Meeting of the Minds

So ... L'il Gee and his fam arrived late Tuesday night.

These two have been quite the team ever since.

We are pretty much in Heaven.

Outstanding in her field ...

So ... Mrs. Dub and I just got back from a most lovely afternoon with our dear friend Glamma Fabulous (and some of her daughters, and their children + more.) Glamma has recently moved to a new home and due to one weirdo reason or another, I had not taken The Tour. If you are a frequent visitor to her blog, then you know that to see it in person was absolutely a Fabulous Treat. If you have not ... then ...

Well, what are you waiting for??

She frankly makes me dizzy with her Creative and Organizational genius. I chose to put my anxieties aside however and just enjoy the day (making a few mental notes as to my own plans for organization in my own home.) I mostly enjoyed a delicious lunch, stimulating conversation and the chance to watch Miss Dub play with abandon.

So thank you once again my Fabulous Friend.

Now ... where can I get my hands on a label maker?

the Ride of a lifetime

So ... last night we opted for something easy and decided to take Miss Dub to the local mall to eat at the Food Court and play at the Playground. As we came out of the parking lot and were headed to said Food Court, we could see that there was a Carousel and wondered if Miss Dub would enjoy that also. Since the Carousel was in view of where we were sitting, the answer became very apparent.

"Done, Mommy!! Done!"

She seemed to enjoy her initial ride (pictured above ... on a tiger) and we headed off to the Playground.

Needless to say ... she relished her time there too. As did we. Her favorite activity was "jumping" off the flowers (below) which caused her a great deal of anxiety and/or pride.

Before we left, there was one last ride on the Carousel ... this time atop a bunny. She was beaming.

The best part of the night however, was on the way home. She never ... ever ... quit talking about her experience. Fifteen minutes of one long sentence punctuated by lots of "Ride! Ride" and "Bye, Ride" and the occasional "Jumping, jumping!".

It wasn't until I was lying in bed thinking about it that I realized that she had never once whined or wimpered about leaving the Carousel or the Playground, she was just grateful to have had the experience.

OK. Mental note. Emulate Miss Dub.

second fiddle

So ... we have been graced with the presence of our lovely and spirited Miss Dub and her witty and talented mother. Having spent some time recently with her cousin L'il Gee and his family ... combined with this experience ... I am learning one very important thing:

PDaddy has a tremendous following with the peewee set. He is, like, so popular.

I am not complaining. As long as I get to eek some time out for myself with these two, I'll lurk in the background, if needs be.

But ... if anyone wants to vote for me for student-body president, I'd really, really appreciate it.

ain't no mountain high enough

So ... I have been away for a week. Not exactly by choice, but that's beside the point. To ease back into the blogging habit, I offer forth the following story as a tribute to the PDaddy. Every single part of this story is true ... as the picture above illustrates.

So ... I'm a little OCDish about making the bed. I always, always make the bed. Several years ago I started going into this store on Wednesday mornings earlier than usual, and often had to leave before the bed was made. No probolemo. PDaddy always, always made the bed in my absence. He would often question me about the exact placement of the many ... many ... pillows. Did I turn the bedspread down or leave it up? If there was a blanket at the bottom of the bed, how many times did I fold it? I kept trying to explain to him that it didn't matter, that I did things a little differently every day.

But still, he was concerned. Still ... he wanted it just right for me.

One Wednesday morning I told him that I didn't want him to do it like I did it. I wanted him to do it like he wanted to. I told him to be creative.

This is what I came home to. I can't be sure but I believe I cried. As you can see, he piled all of the pillows under the bedspread ... except for one. On top of that one he placed the TV remote. I called him on the phone. "What's with the remote?" I asked.

"I thought it needed a focal point" was his simple answer.

Here's to you PDaddy. You are my focal point.

A Few of my Favorite Things

So ... we spent this last weekend with The Gee's, helping the l'il one celebrate his first birthday. Here is is (pictured above) with his very lovely mother, poised to blow out the candles on his cake and (below) with his favorite new gift. It's hard to believe a whole year has passed ... what a grin-filled year it has been! We sure love you, L'il Gee. Thanks for showing so much love in return.

The 4-day adventure included a number of highlights. A multitude of blessings. A plethora of memories -- such as ...

* Six+ hours (each way) of uninterrupted time with the PDaddy. Always, always a good time.
* Dinner on Friday night indulging in my all-time favorite meal: Chicken enchiladas with green sauce, all rice (no beans) and extra sauce at Wahoos Fish Tacos.
* Time with The Gee's. Big and L'il.
* Time with Auntie Vee (pictured below.)
* Being the first one to greet the Birthday Boy when he woke from his nap.
* Extra-bright greenery on both ends of the trip thanks to so much rain.

Plus too many blessings to count.

Or even name one by one.