of friends, berries, ferries, and gulls

For Mother’s Day, a bunch of friends’ families went strawberry picking and rode a ferry home. Admittedly the ferry is the long way, but it was fun adventure and free!

It was a beautiful day, and yes, I got a wee sunburnt, but loved it.

College Run Farms has season crops for public picking throughout the growing season, and right now is strawberries.  And the best fresh ice cream in the world.

Nothing more heavenly in this world than the scent of sun-warm berries and tasting them in the rows. Toots took off running, throwing strawberrycaps in her wake, Captain Comic was overdressed, regardless of the pleas and orders to change, and Mr. Cynic roasted his scalp under his black straw fedora, but fun was had by all, even if Captain Comic kept tugging on my arm, “Can we go now?”

Here is a smattering of the pics of our adventure:

A long unusual moment occurred between Mr. Cynic and a laughing gull who rode the back draft of the ferry. Either the laughing gull was trying to commune with him, or wanted to peck his eye out. I prefer the former option…

I hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day, too!

birthday

It has taken me a while to sit down and post Toots’s birthday. It is school break, big allergy season for my household, the pollen is even giving me a run for my money this year!  And I finally printed up my manuscript, which I’m still mildly apprehensive about reading through. And I burnt out my printer and made a bit of a day of it at Office Max to get the job done. Enough excuses, her birthday was a joyful day, and I think everyone had fun. Per usual, I held the camera, thereby managed to avoid being captured.

I went into her room first thing in the morning to cuddle with her in her new big girl bed on the morning she turned four. Honey and I finished the antique process the day before and he assembled it in her room to wake up in on her birthday. She was really excited about her new bed! She picked out the sheets and new quilt, etc.

Her walls are cafe au lait because this used to be Captain Comic’s room, and I thought it would be a soothing color for a retreat space for him when we moved in six years ago. Now it just looks like mud. Painting is a bit of problem, I would love to liven up the room, but standard paints send me into respiratory distress. I am thinking of a way we could milk paint the room, much like we did with her bed frame.

Don’t be distressed by the expression on her face in the picture with the bed. She had just gotten a booboo on her thumb. She really does love her new big girl bed!

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The birthday festivities included a Diego cake (I missed making her cake myself, she was pretty adamant about Diego – but I did make scratch cupcakes for the in preschool celebration and I must add, they were the fluffiest best cupcakes I have ever made) which made for blue lips all around; slide and trampoline were very popular; all the little kids had a go at the pinata before my friend’s older daughter’s 1st whack burst it and then Captain Comic destroyed it (which was his mission of the day); presents; and lots of running around and fun. I once again realized that the average age of Toots’s preschool friends’ moms is about 15-20 years younger than I am. sigh. They’re very nice, I just feel like a polka dotted horse among zebras.

Toots was so excited all day long, and loved her birthday very much!

So did I.

how does it happen

One day, which seemed to go on forever, I was pregnant.

Then 4 years ago, on April 1st, Toots made a rather extreme entrance to the world. Seriously, she almost landed on the hospital room floor. And that’s generally her personality now. When she’s ready for something, she knows it, and consequently so does everyone else rather soon after.

Toots at six months

Toots at one year

Toots at two

Toots at three with low piggie tails

Now she is four.

I usually post my kids’ bdays as lists by age of interesting things about them. Her list is fairly short, only because she hasn’t tallied a whole lot of years. But she has done a whole lot of living.

1. Toots isn’t exactly a Tomboy, but she keeps up with her really big brothers and can hold her own. She chooses to wear dresses about as often as I do – not very often at all. She has her own flair when she dresses, mixes patterns and loves cwazy socks. she manages to still be pretty well color-coordinated even with hearts and stripes and polka dots. She loves hiking and camping and gardening.

2. Her hair is near unto un-tamable. she has cowlicks off the back of her head that have their own minds and curls that go in every direction, but mostly right over her face. Her eyes are sparkly coffee beans.

3. She’s smart. She reads, she tells stories, makes up songs, has her fingers talk to each other, her feet, even her knees, which by the way, one knee is a boy and one knee is a girl. and they each have their own voice. She is sarcastic already, and makes wacky faces pursuant to any given situation.

4. She is a cuddler, she squeezes into every nook and cranny of me. She loves and loves and laughs and acts silly and wants to make everyone smile.

What’s not to love

April Fool’s Day hasn’t been the same since.

And this year, neither will Palm Sunday. Our yard (barring rain) will be full of her peers.

chicken, no head

I am trying to slow down, really. I have parts of some days that it is possible. And I do.

But, yes, I am late, but not forgotten.

For New Year’s Weekend, we visited my family in Connecticut, the house I grew up in, and I retrieved the boys from their father who lives in Rhode Island. It was too much driving in too short a time, but good to see my parents, brothers and their families. I can’t believe how fast my nephews are growing and how grown up my niece is now, with her own apartment in Boston.

In its way it was like so many Christmas gatherings of old, the way my mother likes them: as much as everyone in one place as possible. We used to do this with her enormous family when I was a kid, too. Must be where the mayhem started.

For about a half an hour of quiet, I took Honey and Toots to the old boat marina. A bit of salty air does me good, always, and this is the original salty air for me. Usually when I visit, I hit one of the beaches for a bit, but I hadn’t been to the Marina in decades. I went with my gut instinct to  see the marina.

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In other news, I contacted an award winning local musician for a senior year mentorship for Mr. Cynic. He’s very impressed with his songs, says he has an impeccable sense of rhythm, among other things and he is excited to work with him on his songwriting skills and in the process of recording the songs he writes, will learn some basics in music production. Mr. Cynic has his heart set on going into music, however it happens, and production was the contingency plan for his creative side.  Now is the official beginning of his career, if this mentoring happens for next school year, for credit, and so forth, one step closer to his college of choice, Berklee College of Music.

Here’s another little sample of his stuff:

I really couldn’t be happier. Unless I finish this draft of my manuscript at writing group tomorrow!

happy bday to me

I have had more mayhem than usual since I moved to WordPress, consequently, more intention to post and less chance to do so.

I will try to get more consistent about it shortly, things may start to settle down a little, post holidays.

I usually post a number of things coincidental to the number of years a person in my family is turning, but today, I may skip that for fear you would not reach the end of the post.

Instead I will try 10. maybe 12, because that is double my favorite number, which is my favorite, because there are so many of them in my birthday. And I can never stop at a reasonable limit. Just ask cookies, or chips.

1. I gave this to myself as a little birthday present because, I need to heed this advice more to calm the mayhem: http://artsyville.blogspot.com/2011/12/we-are-not-tireless-machines.html. (sorry, not a lot of time this morning and had trouble uploading photo and setting link to it).

2. It snows on my birthday every year. It’s Mother Nature’s little dose of happiness to me. She knows I love it. I am pretty confident it will not snow here on my south coastal Virginia peninsula wedged between two rivers, today. The forecast is for a high of 6oF.  But if it snows where you are, please let me know. It will give me a little winking thrill.

3. My boys have both outgrown me this year. Captain Comic has been sneaking (not certain if this is accidental or on purpose, sometimes both most likely) wearing the new pants I bought for Mr. Cynic. Mr. Cynic declares he feels violated when he sees Captain Comic in his jeans. They wear the same size, and Captain Comic says, “What?! They are my size! I checked!”  I think he knows how to work his special difference to his advantage.

4. I need to slow down, I love the energy of a good life pace, but even for me I need to be conscious of how quickly things avalanche. See number 1.

5. My daughter is a regular little person now. She still sounds like she’s talking through helium, and she’s a tiny little spit of a kid, but she stuns me with her grown-up qualities daily.

6. My Honey sang Happy Birthday to me in bed this morning, before dawn.

7. Grandma showed me a recipe the other day for a Boston Creme Cake. She wants to make it for me. It’s a giant donut. Now that’s love. I don’t know when we’ll share it or I’ll have a chance to blow out the candles today, but I love the idea.

8. Some how, at some point in this wacky scheduled day, there will be a dirge-like rendition of Happy Birthday, one kid mouthing it with fingers in his ears, and saying CHACHACHA between verses.

9. I love my life, and happy I am still here, aches and pains and mayhem, et al.

10. Going to see my stylist today. Happy birthday to me!

11. The camellias are blooming.

12. This year is going to burst with goodness. I just know it in my gut.

happy new year

We took a road trip and saw my family in Connecticut. And I now know I am not 20 years old and can just hop in a car and go whereever and not need a vacation to recuperate from the weekend away. Over a thousand miles in under three days. And the weekend before, we did five hundred.

I took pictures. I took pictures at the house where I grew up and I took pictures at the boat marina.

I haven’t uploaded them yet.

Mayhem rules the roost. School is back in session for the boys today, and for Toots tomorrow. I worked a full day at my part time job on the holiday day everyone else (not working in retail or emergency rooms) had off.

I came home late last night because I was so brain dead, I couldn’t count a small stack of twenties correctly.  When I came home, I couldn’t see straight or complete a thought. Then I went upstairs where  Lucy the terrorizing terrier has taken to peeing on the rug in the hall because we left her with Grandma instead of taking her with us.

Her pee spot didn’t look right, so I took her to the vet this morning. Tests came back fine, probably just a UTI. But of course she was overdue for her shots, etc….cha-ching!

Which reminds me, I need to take Babette, the ghetto queen cat in for her check-up, too.

And make Toots’s wellness appointment before the popular pediatrician fills up for the year…

I have to pick Captain Comic up early from school because he has an appointment this afternoon … and oh, Mr. Cynic’s bass lesson is today, and I am wondering if I can make it back in time from the other kiddo’s appointment.

I really do want to slow down and take a respite of some sort, but it will have to wait.  sigh.

But it was nice to see everyone in my family, however briefly, and celebrate being a family.

And now that I think of it, my family has always been full of mayhem. The more the merrier!

aftermath

1. Christmas was wonderful.

2. I think the kids are all happy. I think Honey is, too.

3. Even though I received a tablet with Honey, my favorite gift may be my fluffy slippers, and new long sleeve shirts that are casually work appropriate, and sweaters, too, but mostly slippers.

4. Roadtrip was not bad, boys are off to their father’s for most of break. Honey, Toots and I stopped to visit with his Aunt and Uncle outside DC on the way home, and then

5. We’re spending New Year’s Eve day with my family in Connecticut for another ‘Christmas’ and I will retrieve the boys from their father.

6. I am exhausted and

7. Still need to bake the cookie doughs that I made last week.

8. I wanted to finish this draft of the manuscript this week, but between travels and job and cookies (haha), I don’t necessarily see it, unless I forgo sleep altogether.

9. I just can’t do that. I come close enough too often, and I do not want to hallucinate Angry Birds as I drive down the road to work.

10. Some pictorial highlights from Christmas Eve dinner and presents with cousins and Christmas morning:

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11. I will post some cute Christmas morning video later.

12. Next year I am asking for a better camera.

season’s greetings

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, etc, etc.

Enjoy whatever you celebrate. Let your light shine and may you be with loved ones at this time.

I wish you all the best in 2012.

cookie day

Cookie day got off to a late start. But I now have one batter in the fridge for its set time.

The baking may have to wait until Friday the way this day is going, and tomorrow is booked solid out of the house til 9pm.

My helper may be disappointed.  She went up to nap after first dough was done.

She didn’t want me to take her picture, no matter how cute she was with flour on her nose.

 

Happy Hanukkah, and Merry Solstice to those who celebrate either. I am partial to celebrating anything that can be celebrated, especially the promise of growing light to come after tonight’s longest dark of the year. At this darkest time, it’s nice to know, spring will come.

 

 

last stretch

We got most of our holiday shopping done over the weekend, in a rush, but we did it!  We nearly finished decorating, too.

We also took Toots to Urgent Care and yes, she had contracted a horrible sinus infection after about 10 days of an innocuous runny nose. She refuses liquid medicines, and is such a pipsqueak that most of  children’s symptom meds  in chewable or melting strips form, I have to cut in half.

Now she has a liquid antibiotic that she would rather work her contortionist techniques – she is quite talented, by the way – to avoid taking and then dribble down the front of her shirt. It’s only a 1x a day 1.6mg dose. It shouldn’t be this hard.

This week is going to have to be played by ear. I have no idea how I am going to make my usual skads of cookies to give to neighbors, etc while working and with all the kids home from school most of the week. And work.

We also have a Flat Stanley project to do for my nephew in Connecticut. We will take him up to Cornwallis’s Cave and the Big Monument up at York River Historic District, which is part of the Historic Triangle. We’ve done this before for a long distance friend. Captain Comic gets a kick out of holding the Flat Kid behind bars where Commander Cornwallis and his troops were held captive at the deciding battle to end the Revolutionary War.

I guess I just have to put my head down and run.  But then I recall, that is how my brother broke his teeth as a kid, running head on into a tree in a touch football game. Must use caution.