Jordan's Poem

What's a mom?

a great cook

makes delicious desserts

doodles when she's on the phone

does the laundry

does the dishes

shops for my clothes and shoes

That's a mom!

Jordan is a gracious kid. I don't know that I can really agree with the bit about making delicious desserts, as I hardly ever make dessert, but he is always quick to compliment something he enjoys. I love it when he says things like, "This is the best dinner ever! We should have this more often!" (now if only I could remember what he's said that about...)

He's at the age where he recognizes that things around the house don't just magically get done. It's nice to be appreciated!

52 Blessings Project, #18 and #19

Good food and...

Good company

Suzanna, Mom, Jessie, Jessica, Kristin, Me

My mom took her daughters and daughters-in-law out for a mother's day lunch today. It was very enjoyable. We had some great food, a very relaxing time, and it was something we've never done before...something we should do again!

The Clean Fairy?

Jemma has been learning about families in preschool. On three separate occasions she was asked what her mom loves to do, or is best at doing, and her answers - only with slight variation - have always been that I love to clean.

I noticed that several kids had similar answers about what their moms love to do, and none of them listed anything to do with cleaning on the questions about what your mom does not like to do. (Apparently I don't like to jump?)


I'm sort of feeling the need to explain that I don't necessarily LOVE to clean, life is just more enjoyable when things are in good order. So yesterday, I spent a few minutes in Jemma's room - without her - tidying up some odds and ends that have been out of place for weeks now. She came in later and exclaimed, "The Clean Fairy must have been here!!"

Hmmm....yes, let's let the Clean Fairy take the credit.

If you have kids, what do they think YOU love to do?

52 Blessings Project, #17

Fresh fruit in season.

Something Old - SPT

This photo of my grandma and me is one of my favorites. My dad framed it for a display at her funeral and it's been on my nightstand ever since then.

Although I don't remember the day this particular photo was taken (too young), I do remember so many mornings just like it. Being wrapped up and carried outside to feed the birds. We would put bits of bread or pancake near the flat smooth stones that were on a shelf attached to the white fence. I remember the smell of lilacs, sound of chirping birds, chill of the morning air, and leaning away from the thorny rose bushes.


The blanket in the photo is old enough that it was used by my dad when he was small. It's wool, so it's getting thin and faded, but I've had it for the past five years and keep it on a shelf where the kids can see it and use it and have it be a part of their lives too.

Bloggery

The idea of blogging was fascinating to me for years before ever I ever considered starting one. I sort of had the impression that blogs were for people who needed a place to voice their political opinions or promote an organization, but I hadn't thought about it in a very personal way until my cousin Elisa referred me to hers and Kristi's (another cousin).

I was intrigued with what I found on their blogs. I had just read Amy K. Rosenthal's book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, which I loved. It's just snippets of her life -- her observations, opinions, thoughts, associations.... Blogging seemed like a good forum for those types of writings, which I've always enjoyed doing anyway. And with a blog you can so easily post a photo and share it with others and even sometimes get feedback.

I also came across Jill's blog and got hooked reading it. She is a very engaging writer and so down to earth that you instantly feel like you know her (and it turned out that we had met before...years ago). Then one day I saw a photo on someones blog of the inside of their fridge and it all clicked for me. To have such a normal thing documented was very inspirational, just think about how the fridge and contents of it will change and evolve over the years. Wouldn't you love to see a photo of your fridge when you were a kid? That was the point when I knew I needed to start documenting ordinary life -- the things that don't make it into my journal and are even more interesting when accompanied by a photo.

This is not typical of what's in our fridge, but it's what I found when I opened it yesterday.

Blogging is out of my comfort zone in many ways, but it's opened up some good opportunities and friendships. Saturday night Jill organized and hosted a party for this whole network of bloggers and it was amazing! It was like going to a party of celebrities where you know who these people are and things about them, although you've never met them.

It was so fun to meet Laurie, the Tip Junkie - a very classy girl, and Jill's sister Robyn who is so friendly and easy to talk to, and her other sister Lori who is very fun and has a contagious laugh. I met Amy, whose blog is called The Fromagerie and we talked about cheese and France and grocery stores we love. Barb who lives in Canada and has a great sense of humor. Claudia - the fabulous Claudia - who drove all the way from California just for the party! Michelle, who is so nice and has very pretty blue eyes. Patsy, who looks so young for having a son on a mission and a daughter who just got married! Amy M, who is amazing with her photography. Elisa and Kristi were there - the cousins I hardly ever see, but was so happy to see them.

It was really fun to connect with all these people and feel such a sense of camaraderie.

So Cupcake!

If you like cupcakes, or just a good treat, then you would love So Cupcake! We had a mommy/daughter date there today and enjoyed a little sampling of what they have to offer. We loved the Coconut Bliss, Coco Delight, and the So Cozy Cinnamon and Sugar. The mini size ones are just the perfect proportion!