I miss you.

Mom would have been 72 today. I miss you always, Mommy.

Morning Kaffee Klatsch

Today I had to set up for and "host" our spouses' group monthly morning coffee. It's a very informal gathering but there's still prep time involved.

I managed to get everyone sorted out and to school at this end, and get set up in our meeting room down at the base in good time. A fine time was had by all (I hope). Certainly, I had an energizing morning. We had some new faces, one soon-to-be-departing person, and lots of chat with everyone.

I forgot to eat a decent breakfast beforehand, but managed OK. Thank goodness I brought fruit along - that's proved to be very popular on the snack table.








Lovely image from this quilting site.

Comments, and All That...

Thank you, Gentle Commenters, for all the nice words about my "art" yesterday. You make me feel special. Almost as good for the self-esteem as hanging out with Mr. Rogers.

Toni left a comment about another post [my salt rant] that has me thinking. I blogged about it on my other blog, but I'm seriously contemplating her suggestion of a month without processed foods. Just have to wrap my head around portion control a bit more firmly, before I give up the ready meal crutch.

Watercolours: Week Two

I am love, love, loving this class. Today's work was about tones, and this is the exercise we did. It's a Lake District landscape, working from a black and white photograph.


I learned a lot about tones/gradations of color. Still fumbling with the painting of water. Wouldn't you think it would be easier to paint water with watercolour? For me, not so much!

Ooof.

It feels like I haven't stopped moving all day...dinner's over, though, and we're in the home stretch to the bedtime hour.

I got a lot of miscellaneous errands done, and had lunch and a spot of shopping with my buddy Chrissie (waves!). I'll blog one of my purchases another time, when I have good light to work with.

Meanwhile, a little foody musing. What is UP with salt in prepared foods, and why oh why must the makers be so heavy-handed with salt? I've leaned heavily on the ready meal in the past couple of weeks, and the offerings range from terrific (the new Tesco Light Choices, with much less fat and sodium) to deeply, deeply disappointing (tonight's Tesco Steam Meal - salmon, potatoes, and veg).

The meal itself wasn't bad, actually, although the broccoli couldn't stand up to all the cooking time. However, it contained 1300-odd mg of sodium, and tasted like someone had up-ended a salt shaker over it.

What has Susie learned from this, Gentle Readers? Apart from "Cook-your-own, already!" ? Look at the sodium information, too, when picking a food. Wow, it only took me 40-odd years to come to grips with that. I'm a quick study, I am.

As Promised

Here's a picture of the Telly-watching Scarf, just after adding the second ball of wool. See that thin band of red? That's not where the first ball ran out; it actually faded right back to the golden shade for about an inch of knitting, so it was very easy to add in ball number two. Looking good, I think. I just love these colors - so warm, and welcoming. I like the random size of the striping as well.

Knitting...

There hasn't been much knitting here at the KnitFarm this past week. I've still got the warmer-colored one-row scarf on my needles, but not much progress. Today, the plan is to watch a DVD with the kids, so I'll be knitting then. Once I get this done, I may pick up one of my many languishing UFOs, but I rather think I'll be moving on to another simple project instead.

I've got the perfect yarn for the French Market Bag from Knitty - it's a speckled spicy colored wool, with jolts of blue, but it's too busy for anything wearable. I think felting will blend the speckliness (is that even a word?) nicely.

Once I start it, I'll post a picture of the yarn.

Friday, O Friday!

Made it to the end of the week...a little crazy this morning but all is calm now. I've got a birthday party to schlep the kiddies to this afternoon, and then we're appointment-free for the next couple of days. Here's to weekends, and recharging.

Movie Meme

In the absence of a life-related post today, I offer this. Really kinda cool. Courtesy of Annalea at The Passionate Mind.

Here is a list of the Top 100 Films of All Time. So, here's what I've seen . . .

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Raging Bull (1980)
5. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
6. Gone with the Wind (1939)
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
8. Schindler’s List (1993)
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
11. City Lights (1931)
12. The Searchers (1956)
13. Star Wars (1977)
14. Psycho (1960)
15. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
16. 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)
17. The Graduate (1967)
18. The General (1927)
19. On the Waterfront (1954)
20. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
21. Chinatown (1974)
22. Some Like It Hot (1959)
23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
24. E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
27. High Noon (1952)
28. All About Eve (1950)
29. Double Indemnity (1944)
30. Apocalypse Now (1979)
31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
32. The Godfather Part II (1974)
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
35. Annie Hall (1977)
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
40. The Sound of Music (1965)
41. King Kong (1933)
42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
45. Shane (1953)
46. It Happened One Night (1934)
47.A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
48. Rear Window (1954)
49. Intolerance (1916)
50. Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
51. West Side Story (1961)
52. Taxi Driver (1976)
53. Deer Hunter, The (1978)
54. M*A*S*H (1970)
55. North by Northwest (1959)
56. Jaws (1975)
57. Rocky (1976)
58. The Gold Rush (1925)
59. Nashville (1975)
60. Duck Soup (1933)
61. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
62. American Graffiti (1973)
63. Cabaret (1972)
64. Network (1976)
65. The African Queen (1951)
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
68. Unforgiven (1992)
69. Tootsie (1982)
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
76. Forrest Gump (1994)
77. All the President’s Men (1976)
78. Modern Times (1936)
79. The Wild Bunch (1969)
80. The Apartment (1960)
81. Spartacus (1960)
82. Sunrise (1927)
83. Titanic (1997)
84. Easy Rider (1969)
85. A Night at the Opera (1935)
86. Platoon (1986)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)
90. Swing Time (1936)
91. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
92. Goodfellas (1990)
93. The French Connection (1971)
94. Pulp Fiction (1994)
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
96. Do the Right Thing (1989)
97. Blade Runner (1982)
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
99. Toy Story (1995)
100. Ben-Hur (1959)

53 out of 100. More than I expected to have seen.
Consider yourself tagged if you want to be. Just copy, paste & bold the ones you've seen. (Then leave me a comment so I can go see what your score is. ;o)

A Sunny Day

A sunny day, a walk outside, lots of little jobs taken care of inside, laundry sorted, dinner in the works...I think today's definitely a very good day.

About to get even better, when Torchwood series two premieres tonight at 9:00. Captain Jack Harkness. Mmmm. Excellent.

My Morning At Watercolour School

A report by Susie.

I started out on a grand note by ... forgetting to go! Fortunately, a phone call to me (happily picking up a birthday gift in Lynn, and planning where to head next) saved the day. I swooped home and grabbed my supplies and got there in time to dash out my color wheel. I didn't even miss the coffee break. Normally, I would have been mortified to the point of tears, but for some reason, I was very zen and cheerful about it, and even took the ribbing from the instructor with ease.

Wanna see my stick figures from today? Suuuuure, you do. This was our exercise: a little sky, some cloud, irrigation canals, a ploughed field. It was actually good fun, although I'm not thrilled with my perspective, or how heavy-handed I was with the paints in the sky, in particular.

The instructor is terrific, and I am so pleased I signed up for this course!

Another Good Day

Today, I got everything done on my list, except eating breakfast (oops, better write it on my list). Had a good morning chatting and crafting with Chrissie, got my on-base errands run, and even did some laundry in the bargain.

David went to his new Cubs meeting and had a lovely time. He made this boat, with a friend. It came second in the races they held, so I guess it's seaworthy. Will have to test it in our bath.

Lily and I spent the wait at the library for the most part, and she slept on my lap in the car as well. It's juuuust short enough a meeting to make it a hassle to drive home and back.

FitDay

Hey...remember that FitDay I was loving so much last year? [See the sidebar for link.] I just logged my food for the day thus far, and I am patting myself on the back. Just a little bit. I hadn't logged in food since the end of July, although I did put in my weight a couple of times as it crawled upward.

I feel like I did something good for myself today.

A Little Laugh

After a long, sleepless, anxious sort of night, and a downer of a morning, I am giving myself a pep talk and heading out with the kids.

This would cheer anyone up. It's the Chopping Broccoli song from Saturday Night Live of the 90s. The link is the official network one, and it won't work if you're not in the US, so you'll have to Google it. Trust me. Funny.

Long Week...

Somehow, the week has been a good one, a busy one, but as I head into Friday afternoon, I feel like it's been Just. Too. Long. I'm ready for bed. I'm ready for the weekend. I imagine I may need a coffee to make it through to bedtime. That's OK.

How about you all? How's your week been?

10-minute Tidy

Not so much, actually. More like a 90-minute tidy. This afternoon, I tackled David's room, with his help. We cleared out two shelves of beloved but too-simple books (Magic Treehouse, Time Warp Trio, etc. - saving for Lily to read soon), and that made space for all the books that had been carpeting his floor. Once they were shelved, we reached the toy layer. Once that was shelved, D's room became a terrific playtime oasis again.




Well, Miss Lily saw the magic happening, and demanded we tidy her room. I took before pictures in hers (below), so you can see the difference.

Now, to keep it all this way. What's needed next is a MASSIVE de-toyification in both rooms. I'll tackle this when they're at school. My plan - remove 30-50% of all toys, bag them and put in shed. If anything is missed, we can bring it back in. If not, I take them to the charity shop in a month or two. There's sooo much stuff in each child's room right now, they just can't figure out what to play with.

Parenting Challenges in 2008

Wow. I just checked in on The Not Quite Crunchy Parent, which is a lovely and interesting blog. The author has posted her parenting goals for 2008. I embrace Every. Single. One. What a great lady. What a great list. Here's an excerpt, but you should go check out her post. Again, wow.

1. Breathe deep before responding
2. Ask questions- engage in conversation - listen
3. Limit junk food
4. Fight the media monster
5. Watch for inappropriate playmates…and language
6. Work harder on healthy food
7. Let go – relinquish control; Encourage independence
8. Provide structure
9. Read, read, read
10. Play – games I don’t like or understand but he does
11. Learn about what interests him – be able to discuss them
12. Limit “no” – try for “let’s discuss”
13. Say “I love you”; “That’s great”, “good job”

Always Learning

This morning I signed up for a course in watercolour painting. Tuesday morning sessions, beginning next week. I've wanted to take some painting lessons for a long time, so this is quite exciting for me. The instructor, John Hughes, has some pictures here.

Fibery Goodness, and a Prize for Me!

Today was my lucky day. First, a little background. I entered one of Kris' contests a few days back (she ran a week of contests in honor of her husband's birthday!), and my trivia girl mind helped me win!

So when I picked up mail today, my prize yarn awaited me, with this cute notecard and some tea (herbal, for the knitting mellow mojo). It actually arrived in my mailbox yesterday but I didn't get down to pick it up then.

Thanks, Kris - the charcoal and chocolatey tones will be great in socks. I'm picturing another pair of plain stockinette with the ripply garter top from these Broadripple socks. The ripple gives my sock a reason to stay up without the squeeze of ribbing.



Here's the yarn - isn't it cute? My camera is NOT cooperating with the poor lighting tonight...everything should be a warmer, brighter shade. The bluey-pink notebook/binder is watermelon pink, if that helps you to visualize.





But that wasn't all the luck. The laceweight and patterns that I ordered from Sonny and Shear (Kris's shop) just arrived today. The wool is Seacoast handpainted merino laceweight in the Sahara colorway. So soft. Soooo pretty.


This slightly blurry picture (no flash) shows the true colors of the skein. I want to marry this skein, just a little bit. Is that very wrong of me?

The two patterns pictured are FiberTrends designs. I'm thinking the Leaf Lace for this yarn would be a good fit. What do you think out there?

Great service from Sonny and Shear, from start to incredibly fast delivery, and the wool? The wool looks and feels amazing. I can't wait for my Addi Lace needles to arrive so I can start playing with it!

There's Coffee...

and then there's Too Much Coffee. Check out Mark Malkoff's website. He visited all the New York City Starbucks in one day. All 171 of them. The video documentary is about 10 minutes long, and very funny.


Mr. Malkoff is presently living MY dream life for a week - he's gotten permission to live at an IKEA while his apartment is being fumigated.

[Edited to add the link, above. Thanks, Lynn!]

Of Knitting, and Other Crafts

The title is TheKnitFarm, after all. So let's talk a little knitting right off the bat. Here, I present a Finished Object. Here's that super-simple One-row Scarf. I used ALL the rest of the Noro Kureyon and am really chuffed with the result. The scarf's long enough to fold and wrap, ever so chicly. It is probably 7 feet long. This picture shows the colors really well.

I do need to figure out the timer on my camera, as the kids are not reliable photographers. And they're a bit short to model this for me.




Here are some things the kids got up to this weekend.


The parrot: I like it, it was fun enough, but it brings up "creativity issues" for me. David spent some time noodling around with this Chad Valley mini-mosaic set (vintage 60's, 2 pounds at a boot sale, and OOOOOH-so-much-the-choking-hazard; good thing the children are beyond that age). Being a person of order and structure, and dare we say perfectionism, he was determined to make the picture on the box rather than going free-form.

I think I would do well to throw away the box for this and some other crafts we have, since D often limits himself to pictured items. He has a good time, but gets frustrated if it's not "just like the instructions." Not so great for working the imaginative and creative juices. Thoughts, gentle readers? How to you encourage messiness and randomness in art? Or do I go with his preference for order? He's been this way since he began fiddling with paint or crayon or clay, and it's the same with building blocks or Lincoln logs.

This next craft project is Lily's - glitter paint and lots of it. She had a great time swirling it on, and I am a bit reminded of a butterfly. I like the swirling colors against the brown paper. They remind me very much of the yarn, which is Wendy Fusion in Allspice.



While I wait for my Addi Lace needles to arrive, I'm sticking with dead simple, and casting on another One-row Scarf, using this yarn. I think the colors look fantastic in the ball, and I hope they'll work well in a scarf.

Monday - Not the Worst Day Ever!

A good day, overall. I had a nice visit with Chrissie, planned the Great Laundry and Exercise Mission for Wednesday, and had a beautiful drive home. It's been windy and grey, but as I drove, the light was silver and so bright. It was punctuated with the widest rainbow I've seen in ages. I must start keeping the camera in my bag so I can capture neat moments like that. The kids and I had an early dinner out, and once they were fed and cheery, we sped through Tesco picking up more bread and a bunch of fruit and veg.

I've found a really interesting blog through the post-a-day in 2008 movement. The blog is called "thirty-four words: a year of people who have touched my life" and as an exercise in writing, and thought, it is very interesting. Check her out here.

Feeling a big out-ge-wiped tonight; I was dizzy for a moment as I came in the door with the kids, so I think I will sit and take it easy with a cup of tea now.

Monday

How we all feel, lying here under the covers on a cold and grey Monday morning...sadly, we must head out of our warm little den into the wild. Hope your Mondays are easy.

The Fun, It Never Ends.

Such excitement around here on David's birthday. That's right - how do we celebrate when he's not around to help? A little vacuuming, some laundry, clearing up the dining room, did I mention a little vacuuming, even putting away some Christmas decorations. I know you all wish you could such glamorous lives...what can I say? It's all about the fabulous here at Chez Us. Happy birthday, my love.

Thanks to The Museum of Mid-Century Illustration for the awesome picture...

A Little Bit in Love, and a LOT in Love

I'm a little bit in love. OK, I'm utterly enchanted with this blog. It's Yarnstorm, and her photographs and writings about food and craft are so very lovely. Perhaps I am the last in the world to find her, but wow. My head is spinning with colors and textures. Slowly working my way through the archived posts. Definitely worth an extended browse, that blog.

I am also utterly in love with this guy. Gentle Readers, it's David's birthday tomorrow and he's much much much older than I (all of a month, even). I wish more than anything that he would be here, and not in the desert, for his birthday. Failing that, maybe we can cheer him up a bit. If you read this, would you leave a Happy Birthday sort of comment on his blog? I'm sure he'd appreciate it!

Thank you so very much, and all that...

A Side Effect of Deployment

For me, when D. is gone, one of the worst things is insomnia. Me, the one who loves to sleep, who can nap at the drop of a hat, who can drink coffee at 9 PM and be asleep by 9:15 PM. I just can't get to sleep easily. It's 1 AM, I know I'll be a bear in the morning, the kids will suffer, but I just can't make my eyes close.

I don't know if it's classic insomnia, so much as loneliness. After the kids go to sleep, I need to fill my head with something other than solitude. Checking Google Reader blog subscriptions, watching movies, knitting sometimes, eating too often, reading a beloved old book...all of these are more tempting than sleep. Unfortunately, cleaning or laundry are not inviting replacements for sleep, or I'd be living in Martha Stewart Land right now instead of Toy Explosion Book Scattered Land.

Just had to share that with y'all, Gentle Readers. Maybe now I can sleep.

A Blog from World War I?

This is amazing. It's a link to a blog that posts the correspondence of an English soldier of the Great War, Harry Lamin, 90 years to the day after he wrote it. A descendant of his created and publishes the blog. Go back through the archives, which begin with the autumn on 2006. Neat stuff...

It's Getting Scary in There.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

This cartoon says it all, really.

More Posty Goodness

I should probably pace myself, but this review of the events of 2007 was too good not to share right away.



So funny. So silly. Thanks to Imaginary Binky for the link. And isn't that a grand blog name?

Ahhhh.....Monday. I mean, Thursday.

The kids have returned to school, and I am sitting down with a cup of coffee to enjoy the stillness.

Yesterday was a good day. Let us not speak of the Great CarSick Lily Incident, which necessitated a stop at an uberTesco to reclothe her. I learned my lesson, and will start keeping spare clothes in the boot again. It was great to ride out with Chrissie as navigator, and chat along the M1 and various other roads. The Hobbycraft store in Stevenage was immense, and I brought home hundreds of popsicle sticks, foam stickers, paint, a mummy kit, and a few other fun bits. You name it, they had it in the kids' craft section. Yarn? Not so much. No sock yarn. No laceweight. Lots of bulky or worsted weight in interesting blends and textures, for that funky hat or whatever. Just not yarn that really spoke to me.

That's quite all right - I consoled myself with a trip through the laceweight "aisles" at the on-line shop, Sunny and Shear. I got some SeaCoast Merino Lace, and the Spinner's Lace shawl and Leaf Lace Shawl patterns on this page. Might I just add that the customer service from this store ROCKS!? I had an issue getting my address to enter correctly, and Kris figured it out, phoned me, and fixed it supah-fast. Fabulous.

I had more good customer service yesterday, when I emailed SchoolLink about a defective binding in a book we got for David for this birthday. Really quick response, new copy dropped in first class mail, and new copy WAITING on DOORSTEP when I got home from the school run this morning. Kudos there to the wonderful Royal Mail first class service, as well.

SchoolLink is a terrific company, something like Scholastic in the states, but with books for adults in their flyers as well. They are part of The Book People, I believe. New books are much, much less expensive through them than through the brick and mortar stores. And 10% of what you pay goes to the school of your choice - that would be Sandringham and West Newton, West Newton, UK, if you place an order, Gentle Readers.

Rosie, a blogger with local ties, tipped me off to a King's Lynn used bookstore that has a children's section as well. As soon as I sort the house into order, I'm taking myself downtown for a good long browse there.

Well, I've finished that cup of coffee. Off to find a sweater to wear, pick up my knitting, and take an hour more of silence, neat. Have a fantastic day in this brand new year.

Today's Field Trip

This morning we are headed to Stevenage, the home of the nearest Hobbycraft superstore. I hear good things about this place, and I think we'll find some cool craft supplies for the kids, as well as for me. Wish me luck waking them up to make the drive, though...our schedule is completely wigged out after staying up New Year's Eve.

Day One

For some, it's Day One of Blog365 - check it out at http://blog365.ning.com/ for the complete rules. Me, I've joined too, although I calculate my chances of flameout at approximately 101%.

This morning, we all slept in until 10:30. Ahhh, decadence, even if it was decadence with an extra two little warm bodies in the bed. David made it to midnight, although it was tough going there at the end. Lily conked out with a little more than an hour to go. All the Loony Tune Golden Collection cartoons in the world couldn't keep her eyes open.

I toasted the new year with cheap sparkling, D. with milk; we watched the BBC's showing of the London fireworks; and then we headed up to sleep.

I hope 2008 will bring many good times for our family - vacations with all four of us, fun with friends. I also hope to take baby steps toward healthier living all year. And boy howdy, I hope to do some killer knitting.

I have to say the Tut exhibit was (for me) a great disappointment because the mask, that golden Tut mask that is the iconic image of Tutankhamen, was not on display. Smaller versions, toppers for the jars that held organs, etc. were in the exhibit, but not the biggie. You'd never know from the posters, which are giant images of the mask. Had I to do it over again, I don't know if we would have gone, or done the British Museum's Egypt section instead. For me, it was all about seeing the mask, so I'm underwhelmed. The kids didn't have that same expectation, and they seemed to think it was all pretty cool.

We will go see the BM's Egypt section anyway, on another trip. There's enough in that museum to occupy a family for months of field trips.

Meeting up with my friend Michele, and her two boys, was the highlight of the holidays, for me. Michele, you are eerily, fantastically unchanged in appearance from our high school days. Where's that picture of Dorian Gray? As beautiful and smart as always, it's a joy to know her on adult terms. I'd post a picture but the ones of Michele and I have camera blur. David enjoyed spending time with the boys, especially her younger, who is the same age. Lily felt a bit shy, but seemed happy to hang about with everyone.

We had an awesome day out at Kew Gardens, where the weather gods cooperated to make it feel like spring. The greenhouses, and unexpected marine display, were great. The kids spent some quality time playing inside, as well, in the very nice indoor playzone.

All around, it was a terrific weekend, and we even got a daylight picture with the TARDIS (our hotel was a block away). I will post that one! Being home is a bit of a let-down, coming back to a post-Christmas house, and thinking about school and housework and all of that. I think I'd feel perkier if I weren't fighting some sudden stomach unpleasantness tonight. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Edited to add - is it me, or do I totally have long, gorilla arms in this photo?

Happy New Year's Eve; Snowballs...

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve. We've had an awesome weekend in London - King Tut, Kew Gardens, old friends, new kid friends - and we're home recovering. Meanwhile, enjoy this snowball fight with David and Lily, sent by Grandma Doe. So cool. So very cool!

[Edited to delete the Gushy Gram because I can't get the thing to stop TALKING when the page loads. You can go here to see it, though. Sorry 'bout that.]

On Books, and Love

I've been sitting this morning, with BOWLS of coffee from the cafetiere (I got to put my grounds in my new kitchen compost bin!) , thinking about mom, and about books.

For Christmas, I bought this edition of Pippi Longstocking for myself and for the family. David took it up last night for bedtime reading. My mom read this book as a child, and I remember her reading Pippi to me when I was very small. She obviously thought it was very funny. Later, I read the original and the sequels for myself, loved them, and still do. I know mom would have loved this edition. The illustrations are by Lauren Child, who writes Charlie and Lola - a new favorite in our family.

I have so many memories of books and mom. When I was 7 or so, I got a book called Arabel's Raven - I found it laugh-out-loud hilarious, and I just had to share it with someone. I must have read most of it aloud to mom, who listened, and laughed, with a patience I only truly understood once I had children of my own. I still love to read aloud, when it's something worth sharing, but it's so hard to LISTEN when someone else does the same (small David and Foxtrot comic anthologies, I'm talking about you), so I try not to read out loud too much, or too long.

In second grade, when I changed schools because we moved to New Haven, the teacher told my mom I was reading too much. Mom didn't take that well, thank God, and the (awful) teacher shut up about it.

Mom introduced me to books that she had read as a child (Mrs. Pepperpot, The Spettecake Holiday, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils - it's interesting in retrospect that all these Scandinavian books were available in the New Haven branch library we frequented...such variety is tough to find in the libraries I know today). And she found new books that she thought I'd like. I remember the first book I read was Sam and the Firefly. As soon as I figured that out, she gave me On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and I was off to the races, reading "like the wind, Bullseye!"

Mom loved those Little House books as much as I did, I think, and she re-read them often. She liked Farmer Boy best, because of all the food descriptions, and she really had an empathy for the characters in The Long Winter, because of all the long, hard Swedish winters she remembered. She didn't talk much about her childhood, but she did talk about the snow, the incredible deep snow that you could tunnel through, and wearing felt boots because leather would freeze and crack.

Later, I met books like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lords of the Rings trilogy (and The Hobbit, of course), and the best of the best, The Once and Future King. I have read it uncountable times now, and it's still a book I'd take to a desert island. Mom loved it so much she embroidered a t-shirt with saying from the part where the Wart is turned into an ant: "Everythng Not Forbidden Is Compulsory." She grocked that.

Even when we were poorer than poor, there were always books. Books and bookcases were the defining decorative element in all our homes. Curtains? Thrift store finds or made from sheets. Chairs? Sofa? Thrift store for sure? (I got my love of thrift shops and yard sales from mom, as well. So many wonderful things we got second hand...) But books, books were always with us. The library was an important place, always. Wherever we lived, we knew the library intimately. And whenever there was any money to spare, we bought books - new, used, just books. I'm still a sucker for a bookstore, and I find it hard to say "No" to my own kids (or myself) in a bookstore, even here in England where books cost twice as much as in the States.

As I grew up, our tastes in comfort reading stayed similar - Josephine Tey (The Daughter of Time, Brat Farrar, The Singing Sands, all of them really), Dick Francis, Nevil Shute's A Town Like Alice, Helen MacInnes, Mary Stewart. When the Harry Potter books came out, she was every bit as hooked as the rest of us. It became a family affair, going to the bookstores on launch night. When I pick up old favorites from the shelf now, they're ones that mom and I both held and read many times, so I feel connected to her. It's a lovely feeling.

Reading is perhaps the best gift my mom ever gave me. I do wish so much she were still around to share that gift.

A Photo-laden Christmas Post

David The Younger woke up at 8:30 this morning and Daddy called just a minute after that, so we woke up the Lilster and headed downstairs to see what was there. I had put out our gifts, and Santa had come as well.

We got to open some gifts while David was on the phone (he gets 15 whole minutes, so obviously couldn't stay on the line while they checked everything out).

Here are all the pictures I sent to Dadster this morning, so he could get a look at what was going on.

Once David opened this book (Do Not Open), it was difficult to get him to open anything else. It's just as riveting as he thought it would be. Seriously, he sat for the better part of an hour before he opened his other gifts.

He was quite happy with the Doctor Who action figures when he did open them, however. Here's Brannigan.

Lily, she was thrilled with her fairy wand and fairy wings from Santa Claus. Apologies for the blur in some of these pictures, but it's tough to find the right setting for early morning inside shots without making everyone look pasty white.

Probably the biggest hit for Lily apart from the fairy bits is Baby Alive. As you can see, they've bonded already. Lily said "She's the doll I've always wanted!" BA has been christened Isabelle. Thank you to Auntie Laura and Uncle Doug!

Apologies, Gentle Readers, for the poor layout of this post. My Mad Bloggin Skillz are not up to the challenge of getting the text to stay in the right spots today, but I did want to put the pictures in for you.

This wondeful thing is my present from David; it's an electric "wood stove" to heat the hitherto-unheated knitting house, and I've been wanting one for over a year. It's even nicer than I hoped, and I have it going in the big house today just so I can enjoy it. I hope you are having a cozy, comfy Christmas morning too, wherever you are.

The Waiting Is the Hardest Part...

How do you spend Christmas Eve? We have a little Norad Santa tracking happening, a little Christmas music playing, a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle to puzzle over, and some Christmas cards to marvel at. It's all good.
All our love to all of you - may you have a lovely Christmas.

A Little of This and That

Latest baking efforts - star-shaped gingerbread minicakes. Yummy. Lily and I are very fond of them, but I am being very strong and saving some for Santa.

Re the comments on the gingerbread house - yep, we really used duct tape! To keep it stable after changing from one to two floors, I frosted the gingerbread to a cardboard backing. Then I duct-taped the cardboard pieces together from the inside to form a frame before adding the roof. It worked really well. We do eat bits and pieces from the house over the season, but never before Christmas, and usually it's just the candy that gets nibbled. That may change with this house because I tasted some of the unused gingerbread and it ain't bad at all.

Watched The Santa Clause with kids this afternoon, which was fun. Now that they are abed, I am watching this:



Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? It's Casino Royale, with the Hawesome New Bond Daniel Craig. As one of the mummies in the schoolyard put it, "He's tasty. " (Sorry, O husband mine :)...) This movie is a winner in the Bond genre. The opening foot chase blew my mind when I saw it in the theater, and I'm still impressed.


While I watch, I'm also working some mindless knitting - a version of the Yarn Harlot One-row Scarf. My evening knitting for the last little while has been a Sunday Market scarf of this same yarn (yes, Jill, the beloved Noro Kureyon is stiiiill going - I've gotten to knit so much neat stuff from this). I finished that this week, in time for Christmas giving even.


Anyway, the Market scarf/wrap was a loooong piece of straight stockinette, time-consuming because of its length but not particularly challenging. When you're done, you drop stitches allll the way down and end up with something nice and airy. The dropping of the stitches actually took me a couple of hours. It ended up about 2 feet wide by almost 8 feet long, I think, but scrunchable. It looked very dramatic in the Noro but I didn't get a picture on the recipient. I will try to do that.

This one-row scarf is a much smaller endeavor, about 6 inches across, and I am using my light-up needles for the first time, although the flash washed out the lights as well as totally changing the color of the wool. Knitlite needles - they are tres cool, and so easy to use while watching telly.

That's the news from Happy Acres. I hope you all are having good Christmassy fun, wherever you may be.

Yuletide Bakey Goodness

In celebration of finding my camera (let us not dwell on the fact that I have also misplaced D's camera and he is in the desert without it until I unearth it...), here we have pictures of the cookies we made today (I iced, kids decorated) and the gingerbread house we put together the other day.

To be honest, the gingerbread house was pre-baked (IKEA purchase) but we furnished the icing, the candy, and the duct tape. We took two ranch house kits and tinkered to make a two-story house. And it worked. Amazing.

Miscellany, with Pictures

Greetings, Gentle Reader(s). Got some pictures, some chat, and some what-have-you this evening.

David left yesterday afternoon. Got e-mail today and he's arrived safely. Before he left, we decorated the tree. Trees.

One main tree (pre-lit and artificial) decorated to the nines by all of us, two little trees (also faux) decked out by the kids, and one pink tree dressed by Lily. They're all clustered in the playroom, with the nativity on the mantel.

We went The Way of the Fake Tree this year because I wanted to put it up while David was still here, but strangely, I wanted a tree that still had needles at Christmas. Now, me, I am not so good with the watering and care of cut trees. Additionally, taking out the real tree after Christmas is a two-person job. I'm burning piney candles, and pretending...

On Tuesday evening, Lily was one of four angels in the school Nativity pageant, which is the Big Annual Event for the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes (pre-K, K, and first grade in the US). Here's a pre-performance shot. She was lovely, of course, very serious and focused. There were also many innkeepers, multitudes of animals, and the Holy Family. My favorite line? "You'll wike the bye-bee" by Mary, who has quite the Norfolk accent. [You'll wake the baby...]

On Wednesday morning, the costume got a repeat wearing when Lily and I woke up early so she could put a green "leafy" crown on and carry coffee and pastries by candlelight to the others in the house for St. Lucia Day.

This is a tradition in Scandinavian countries and I have foggy memories of doing it as a child with my own mom, who was Swedish. The holiday is really on the 13th, but because Dadster was leaving the 13th, we pushed it forward a morning.

D. left on Thursday. We dropped the kids to school, he said goodbye, and I drove him to the terminal. We were able to have lunch together because the plane was delayed coming in.

Then it was back home to collect the kids and head down to the unit's Christmas party. Babysitting was provided, the kids had a great time, and the grownups (that would be me) had a wonderful time. It was a good way to distract ourselves from the farewell.

Today, Lily woke up with a fever so she stayed home with me so as not to contaminate the classmates. Now that the kidlets are in bed, I'm going to read The Ipcress File, by Len Deighton, a golden oldie. A few months back, I watched the movie version, and found it really interesting. Very early Michael Caine.

Quirky

Today, Chrissie and I went to Newmarket for a spot of rainy day shopping. We checked out all the charity shops within our sights, of course, and look what hopped into my wheeled shopper (you know you want to be a groovy shopping chick like me, with a wheeled shopping cart...). Isn't it fantabulous?

When I brought the bag to the counter, the woman at the till asked if I would like the box it came in. Why, yes. Yes, I would! It's so nifty to know a little bit more about an item. This was an applique-by-numbers bag kit, from General Crafts in Baltimore, MD (obviously, karma meant for me to have this bag, with all my Baltimore time), from 1967. So it's 40 years old, and absolutely mint for all that. I'm absolutely tickled by my find. Now I just need the hairstyle and some white gloves, so I can be every bit as rockstar cool as the model on the box.


This blog showcases zillions of vintage bags; click on that embedded link for several that come from the same maker as my new baby. I like the travel-themed one, and the peacock bag, myself.

The Donkey's Trip

This is part of David the Younger's project for school, a collection of work about The Road to Bethlehem. Here it is, exactly as typed by David last night - sans the cool Word Art (something I didn't discover until I was in my thirties. God bless computer class at school. God bless my very amusing son, and his distinctive writing style. He impresses me beyond words.

Hello. I’m the donkey Mary and Joseph chose to ride to Bethlehem. Out of all the donkeys, why me? And Bethlehem, of all places!
It’s so far away! Ah well. Shh, they’re talking! “Are we there yet?” That’s Mary. Nice woman, but kind of heavy. “Mary, just relax and hope the baby doesn’t come yet.” That was Joseph. When we pass people, I hear whispers about kings and something called “the East” or “the Orient”. What could it mean? Oh look! There’s Bethlehem. And there’s the inn where we’ll stay. Peace at last! Wait!
Joseph and the innkeeper are arguing. Joseph says to let them in because his wife is about to have a baby, but the innkeeper says they’re full. Ooh, now they’re shouting. The innkeeper says they can stay in the stable. Just in time, too! Mary’s just had her baby! He’s in the manger. Ooh, that’s a bright light outside. It’s almost like a star…

Tag, I'm It!

I've been tagged by Marianne over at Busha Full of Grace (amazing lady; amazing blog, by the by) for Seven Things. I've got to share seven random or weird things about myself, and tag seven people. Of course, my brain has been completely blanking since I got tagged earlier today.

1. I (not-so-secretly) want to be an archaeologist when I grow up, and I think the archaeologists on Time Team are haaaawt, even the big scary, hairy guy.
2. I regret not haven taken physics in high school, and sometimes think about taking it now, except that college-level physics is going to be far beyond my ken.
3. I'm afraid to make a fire in our fireplace by myself.
4. I used to keep random action figures, like She-Ra, on top of my computer monitor at work. This amused me much more than it probably should have.
5. I like to draw out quiet people in a group setting. I probably talk too much in groups. Is this two things? Yes, yes, it is.
6. My mother made better lasagna than any Italian.
7. In my heart, I'm monumentally lazy.

I'm tagging David, Susie, Lynn, Vyvyan, Clarke, Samantha, and Jill. Go to it, my friends!

The Rules are as follows:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

New Month, Same Old Look

No exciting new blog format here, Gentle Readers. Just the same old stuff. Being December 1, the Advent calendars are back in action. This year, we have the felt pocketed ones with Nativity scenes, chocolate calendars (Princesses and Doctor Who), and (because Daddy is The Generous Man) extra Playmobil ones. I believe our children will be WELL aware of the date each day this month.



Can I just say that Playmobil Advent calendars are "some assembly required" items? Sheesh. Good value, though. A couple of years ago, I bought the Nativity one. This year, they are completely non-Christmas in theme - gamboling unicorns and princesses, and treasure-seeking knights. Good stuff, and they'll make a lovely addition to our Playmobil collection.



The Jultomten is back, and Lily was overjoyed to find him this morning. The Christmas elves come to houses where there are children of Swedish descent, and make behavior reports to Santa Claus. Handy, those elves.



Many events coming up this month, but one exciting Christmas-related one for our Swedeliness is Lucia Day. Lily is old enough for it this year. I have fuzzy memories of celebrating this when I was very small. Little girls in the household dress in white with a wreath of candles (maybe we'll make paper ones), and go around waking everyone serving coffee and pastries. It's a Good Thing. Depending on when D. leaves for Operation Deny Christmas we may celebrate earlier than 13 December, but I think it is a lovely tradition to keep.



We have Breakfast with Santa on the 8th, D's big party on the 9th, David's work Christmas party for the kids on the 10th, Lily's Nativity play on the 11th, as well as Lucia day and the work Christmas party on the 13th. BUSY week or two ahead.

First Songs

This (Goodbye Mister A) is the first song David has really taken notice of - it's all the rage in the playground or the school taxi. He tells me he first heard it on Space Pirates (a CBBC program). I think it's quite catchy myself. The video link above we like because it is performed by a cartoon penguin.

Thinking about "first songs," I can recall several. I don't think of one in particular. I think my taste was greatly influenced by the fact that my sister is almost 6 years older than I am, and played a lot of neat stuff in her room or on our radio. Killing Me Softly by Roberta Flack, Stuck in the Middle with You by Stealers Wheel, Bye Bye Miss American Pie by Don McLean, I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Maxwell's Silver Hammer [there's a sick little tune] and so many more by the Beatles. Funnily, or naturally, I suppose, I still like every one of those songs.

I also remember Harper Valley PTA and Lynne Anderson's I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, from the time when mom worked nights in a country bar and I sometimes slept in my sleeping bag among the cases of liquor in the back room. Ahhh, the lack of child care for single parents.



The first albums I ever bought were Donny Osmond's A Time for Us and the Beatles' Abbey Road. Torn between pop and the groovy stuff, even at 8.

What were your first songs? First albums?

The Day

The Eye - it is going to be fine. Drove D. down to the doctor's today. Surface damage only; vision unimpaired.

The Cold - it is being held at bay, but at night comes back to pummel me with achiness.

The Weekend - it approaches quickly, but not as quickly as I would like.

The Blogging - it lacks a certain something.

On the bright side, I had a really good time at the coffee morning today. It was a chance to chat, and just hang out, getting to know some ladies a bit better. A Good Thing.

Ciao for now!

Loooooong Day

Woke up with my lovely cold, doped it into submission and charged into the day. Picked up Chrissie to come over for lunch and a spot of craftiness, as well as some interiors advice. I think her eye for color could really help jazz up some of the rooms in the house - we took some pics of the knitting house to play around with first. Then it was off to pick up kiddies from school and petrol from Tesco, and meet halfway home to hand off kiddies to Dad.

I continued to base with Chrissie to drop her, and D. took kids toward home and fed them. While they were eating out, the road past our house was closing because of an accident, so they took back roads home. I followed, about 20 minutes behind, and even the diverted traffic was absolutely jam-stopped for about a mile before it unclogged. I think that's as bad as it gets here.

D. scratched his eyeball pretty badly with Lily's seatbelt, and as soon as I got home, I loaded everyone in my car to take him to the ER. Which is VERY busy because of the accident I mentioned. Plus two others. He's got at least another hour to wait, so I took the littles back home to put them to bed, and D. will get a taxi home once they patch him up.

It wouldn't be quite so bad, just painful and a pain, if it weren't for the fact he had had surgery on these very eyes not 6 months ago.

It started out as a good day....that seems like a loooong time ago.

One Word. Lots of One Words.

Today in single words:
Shower (me)
Bath (kid)
Laundry
Schoolrun (two words)
Hike
Friend
Coffee
Tesco
Hunstanton
Books (located)
Scarf (tie dye, for HP party)
Argos (delivery guys)
Laundry (redux)
Schoolrun (redux)
Ballet
Dinner
TaeKwonDo (boyz)
Cleaning
Bedtime (kiddo)
Sniffles
Coffee
Dentist (forgot to reschedule - crud!)
Knitting (sadly ignored)

Four More Years! Four More Years!

No, that's not an election chant. It's news - David got notice that his request to do another tour here has been approved, so we will be here....anyone? Anyone?

Yes. Four More Years!!

I'm just a little happy.

Party Planning

We are home from our festive weekend away (good time had by all, and minor wrong turn on the way home didn't delay us more than 30 minutes). Lily slept all the way back, while the rest of us tossed around ideas for David's upcoming Hogwarts party.

[Update on the invite situation - we all decided that inviting his year group plus best friend in the next year up was OK, so 13 invited, Friend of Whom I Blogged invited in that number, and David pleased about all the possible attendees. Moving on, then.]

Parchment printer paper and real sealing wax were scored this past Friday. Tonight David and I finished work on the invitations, with many thanks for wording to the amazing Britta. This is a woman who has thrown three incredible Harry Potter parties and has posted her awesome preparations and pictures from the parties on her site. Wow, is all I can say. I'm not wooooooorthy.

Here you can see the invitation addressed to Lily [who will be put to work during the party dressing as Dobby the House Elf, and manning Honeydukes, the magical candy store. She's stoked.]

Fabu Day

IKEA. Pronounced: ILOVEYOUIKEA! Had a super-de-duper day there, with kids getting their 45 minutes in Smaland and lots of time in the more kid-interesting sections of the store. Great lunch. Anyone surprised? Note Hoops and Yoyo enjoying everyone's dessert.

Lakeside Mall - spent a good hour in Starbucks with kids while David checked out some ManTiques. Spent a good hour in line for Santa's Grotto with Lily while Davids checked out MORE ManTiques. Yes, David did not want to see Santa. No, we have not had The Chat About Santa with David yet. Is it time? In denial here. Had an AWESOME dinner at Wagamama - something for everyone there. Miso soup for small D, rice and panko-crumbed chicken for Lily, udon for me, ramen for D the Elder, and yum for all.

Santa pic to follow - meanwhile I'm outta here.

We're Off to See Ikea....

...The wonderful IKEA of Oz! We're making a weekend jaunt of it, so I'm hopeful we can go to Ikea on both days. I may have to defer to the wishes of other family members, though.

Ikea has a warm place in my heart, and in all the family's, really. This is because my mother was born and grew up in Sweden. The Ikea in Baltimore opened 19 years ago, on the day my niece was born in Baltimore.

Ever since, we've stopped in often and oftener, to buy Billy bookshelves galore, kitchen gadgets, the best bath towels ever, lighting, and all-important Swedish food.

Mom loved loved loved to have a day out at Ikea, too, so I'm a bit sad at going without her, but I hope it will remind me of a lot of good days together.

Before the days of Ikea, back in the 1970s, getting Swedish food involved a trip to the Swedish Store somewhere in New York City. I have vague memories of stocking up on lingonberries, Swedish fish before you could buy them everywhere, and delightful clogs in perforated red leather. And Dala horses. In my childhood mind, I sort of thought the Swedish Store was an embassy, or consulate, or something official. It was a very important place, at the least.

In any event, Ikea took over that quasi-official Swedish ex-pat destination for mom, and I fell in love with it myself. It will be a lovely weekend, even if we can't buy any flat-pack furniture (No. Room. In. Car.).

Thank You for Being

This little image says a lot. I thank you, my friends, my readers, my family. I thank God for being here, and for your presence here. I'm glad to be in this world, and to enjoy it so much. I'm glad that I have known the people I have, even the ones who aren't here with me now.

My love to you, today.

The Windmills of My Day

Another fun-filled day here at Casa de Susie. I took small D along for the day, combining our myriad appointments and errands. Woke up at Oh-My-It's-Early O'Clock, to make my 7:10 appointment at the dental clinic. David brought a Redwall book along to pass the time in the waiting room. Appointment result - short and sweet triage to bevel the edge of my chipped molar, and an hour-long session booked for next week for a filling.

After that, a quick stop at the laundromat to put in a bunch of towels and bedding in the Mondo Biggo Machines, before heading to get cinnamon rolls and coffee. Laundry finished up in good time for us to waste some time smelling candles and silliness like that in the exchange.

Then off to David's pulmonary function test, which was conducted inside a little glass box like a phone booth. Apparently he did OK, and we call for an appointment next week to hear the results from the doctor.

Oh, wait...not done yet. We still had to pick up new specs and drop off the old ones to get free replacement lenses. The new frames are spiffy - gold rims and oval lenses. Harry Potterish in a subtle way. The undiscerning might think they were the same as D's old glasses, but we know better. MUCH much different. At least, according to him!

It felt like we'd been on the run for hours, but it was really only lunchtime. On the way back, I took an impulse turn toward the Denver Windmill. I've only been seeing the sign for it for 2 years now, after all. The perfect spot for a nice lunch with my big kid on this sunny day. Afterwards, we climbed up the five inner stories of the mill, and had a nice close look at the workings while it wasn't in use. How fun was that? VERY! I am so glad we did it today, as the stairs were narrow, steep ladders and there's no way Lily could have gone up or down, and no way I could have carried her. David really enjoyed himself, and so did I.

Delicious Day

Today, David started his minivacation. Without any specific plans, he and I headed into town for a little browsing and beginning of the Christmas shopping. We have been wanting to eat at Maggie's, a local restaurant, since we moved here 2 years ago, when it was still called Rococo. Today the stars and planets aligned, we dined there, and I had the best lunch I've ever had in England. Potted rabbit to start, with a chutney, toast rounds and cornichons. Then it was a stellar duck breast with medlar jelly and some amazing, life-enhancing veggies. For afters, GREAT coffee (not always found in UK restaurants) and some incredible cheeses. My favorite was the Oxford Blue. Oh. Mah. Heavens. Creamy nirvana, Gentle Reader. I am still reeling 5 hours later.

Diary of a Poor Lad

David was given an assignment to write a diary of a day in the life of a poor child in Victorian times. What he produced is a microcosm of his writing style, and I love it.

Note the handwriting, still not very tidy, and note the brevity. Because David writes slowly, he tends to write less, which is sort of a shame because he writes so WELL for an 8-year-old. Note also the humor, and the complicated phrasing and punctuation. I've transcribed it for you, and added paragraph spacing for clarity.

Thanks, David, for being my willing blog fodder today!

Dear Diary,

This morning I woke up and had breakfast - bread with
some of last night's cheese. I took our last shilling to buy a
small meat pie for lunch and went to the market area. After I
took the pie home, I went to get some more money.

"Clear the street for you?" I asked a man, and when he
nodded, I swept him a path through the muck.

At noon I went home and found the rats had eaten my
blanket. I ate half the pie and went back to work. By the
end of the day, I had 10 shillings and sixpence - enough for
10 days!

By tomorrow my hat will probably have been eaten. Ah well
- time for a bit of sleep

.

What Number Are You?

Thanks, Jill for this link. Interesting. I think it's sort of accurate - what do you think, Gentle Readers who know me in real life?

***You Are 2: The Helper***


You always put on a happy face and try to help those around you.
You're incredibly empathetic and care about everyone you know.

Able to see the good in others, you're thoughtful, warm, and sincere.
You connect with people who are charming and charismatic.

At Your Best: You are deeply giving, altruistic, and humble. You devote your life to others while caring for yourself too.

At Your Worst: You are manipulative and enjoy making other people guilty.

Your Fixation: Rejection

Your Primary Fear: Being unworthy of love

Your Primary Desire: To be loved unconditionally

Other Number 2's: Mother Teresa, John Travolta, Princess Diana, Dr. Phil, and Mr. Rogers.


What Number Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatnumberareyouquiz/

Busy Day

Here's what I did today. I drove down to Mildenhall to browse the Christmas Bazaar, which is a huge fundraiser for lots of organizations all over the base. Two airplane hangars full of vendors (crafts, foods, books, antiques, pottery, and probably other things I can't think of now). There's also a fun fair outside, with some rides and games. Today was really cold and windy, so it's a good thing the kids didn't come.

I spent some quality time with the antique book booths; I could have spent hours, but there were so many more places to check out. One vendor was selling dozens of antique sewing machines. He showed me a few I have never seen before, and I took his number so I can take my UK-spec Singer Featherweight in for repair. Then there was Gracie's Toffee. Wow, that's good candy.

After my browsing/shopping, I did a volunteer shift for the squadron, who man a food booth for Filipiniana. Fantastic food, and it was really interesting to be behind the scenes. Good thing I brought a warm hat and an extra sweatshirt to layer, though, because those outdoor food booths? VERY cold.

What Do YOU Think?

We can't choose our children's friends, I know. However, how do you approach things when your child tires of a friend?

A little background here: D. wants a Harry Potter-themed birthday party, and he's thought of tons of activities, etc. We talked about different ways to do the party, and have decided to go for a smaller group of invitees and having it here at home. He's limited to six guests so we can do more involved things. He didn't choose to invite one child who's among my favorite of all those he hangs out with. They seem to be irritating one another at school these days, and he hasn't invited him around in a while. I don't know exactly why I'm so bothered.

Yes, I do - when he does invite this boy around, they play SO well together, with focus and creativity. They can set up a train layout and go for hours. One on one, they get on so well, it's a shame it doesn't translate to school time. A lot of it stems from David and Friend being at very different levels in some subjects, I think. I worry that he's dismissive of Friend because "he's not as clever as I am" and doesn't see that although they may be on different math/literacy levels, they're probably the closest-matched when it comes to play. I think that's really short-sighted. But he is 8, after all. From my grown-up perspective, I hate to see him throw the friendship out with the academic bathwater, or whatever.

However, it's not my place to make my child's friends. It's not my place. It's not my place.

How would you feel? What would you do? Or not do? I'm really interested to know other people's opinions and ideas here.

I thought I might ask once, only once, if David wants Friend to come over for a play date this week. If yes, and it goes well, we'll ask him if he's changed his mind and wants to invite Friend to the party as well.

I have a week before we need to send out invitations...

Or should I just let it go, and send the invitations as he's decided already? I lean toward "Let it go" right now this minute. How about you all?