My View Today

My friend Aimee posted this on Pinterest and I just saw it and figured, why not? 

December 1st: Your view today.

I'll be honest, this first one is kind of cheating. It's not exactly a "view" like you're thinking, but it is one of the first things I saw this morning, so I'll count it. And it's a great symbol of what today is: Mike's birthday! He told me a few days ago he was having a hard time deciding between pistachio cheesecake (which was supposed to fix the indecision problem!) and the fruit pizza I made this summer.

"But, I think we'll just make fruit pizza my Father's Day tradition." 

Hey, at least he makes it easy.

But then last night he said, "Ya know, I just keep thinking about that fruit pizza, and I think I want it for breakfast." Good thing I bought that extra package of cream cheese yesterday, just in case. 

The Past Little While

I was about to write up another pictureless post when I noticed I had a couple already in a row. If you're not in my family, perhaps you are more interested in my thoughts on some subjects than you are in seeing pictures of Madeleine--perhaps. If you are in my family, you're laughing at me right now for even thinking such a ludicrous thought. So, here are some pictures of what we've been up to the last few weeks.

A couple of weeks ago for family home evening we walked to a nearby park. The evening was cool and the park shady, which after a few hot days was refreshing.

Dada eats Madie's "corn-on-the-cob." 

A most unflattering picture of me heavy with child, but Madie pushing me was just too cute so I'm putting it up anyway.

At the top of a little knoll we spotted a bunny. It was just sitting there in the grass getting a snack. It stayed for some time--in fact, it outlasted Madie's attention span, which, if you've ever heard her throw a tantrum, is remarkably long.

The past couple of weeks prior to this last one were scorchers. So I emailed some friends one morning to let them know we were heading to the splash park. It was the perfect day for it--hot but not so bad the kids couldn't be in the sun for more than 15 minutes.

Madie had such a blast playing with the cups Jessica brought. One thing she loves most about shooting jets of water is how fun it is to hang her bum over one and let it soak her. Then she runs over to me every time to inform me that her "bum is very wet!"

A couple Saturdays ago--since Mike was out of school for a couple weeks--we went to the zoo as a family. I don't think we've done that since last year. Madie and I have been with friends and visiting family members while Mike's been at work, but we've have been just the three of us in a long time.  

An old--I mean old--tortoise. The keeper said he's about 120 years old and could live another 30 to 80 years.

 It was a great day for the zoo because all the animals were out and very active. I don't think we saw one enclosure that didn't have a visible occupant--we even spotted a lion off under a tree. It was awesome! He was roaring very loudly over and over--I don't know what was up, he was just lying under a tree--but it was cool!

Madie and I watching the tortoises.

 I always think it's funny to watch Madie observe a variety of animals over a short period of time. Unlike most young children--or even adults--she's far more interested in things like reptiles and fish than she is in the more popular things like otters and elephants. I think the only animal that beats them out are giraffes--she loves the giraffes.

Madie lookin' too cool in her shades. This girl has a serious celeb stare.

Painted Faces on Parade

If I had the money and the space I would host a Halloween masquerade. It would be in the spirit of the one hosted by Leonardo in Much Ado about Nothing. I would have masks at the front for people who think they can get in without dressing up. I would love to have fun, fanciful masks like these from a masquerade wedding reception:

Source

There would be awesome traditional masks from different countries:

My dad had a mask just like this one from Hawai'i.

These are for Dio de los Muertos and they are awesome.
Source

Traditional Venetian masks. Also very cool. Source

And there would just be cool masks I saw and liked. Like these leather ones from last year's Charles Dickons' Fair:

There would be great music and lots of space in my house for dancing. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a dance where people actually danced. Novel, isn't it? Ahhh...it would be a yearly event to really look forward to.

How would you celebrate if you had the space and money?

Karma Chameleon

Exciting news! It's my birthday! It's so exciting that my brain blocked it until 6 days ago! (Seriously, is it just me or has September flown by faster than a goose outflying a blizzard?) Anyway, I got my first package in the mail yesterday and I can't even express to you how excited I was so I'll let this picture do it for me.

A dress-the-doll puzzle?!?! SCORE!

 I almost wet myself with excitement! Alas, it was short-lived. I found a note that said it wasn't for me. Lame. All I got was a book and money. The puzzle went to someone else...

Pouty face.

But since I handed the puzzle over to the Leach without too much of a complaint, Karma decided to make up for it. Guess what I found lying on the top of the $5 movie bin at WalMart?

Childhood favorite.

We came home and watched it straightway and I've got to say, it was just as good as I ever remember it being. I think Madie liked it too. Her favorite part was the train. She spent every moment between the song "Casey Junior" and the closing scene saying, "Train?! Train?!" and crying. (I need to teach her not to cry through Dumbo. Karma doesn't take kindly to things like that.)

The Prusso's and What We Did There

So, as was said a couple of posts ago, we watched a family's four kids for a week while their parents were away at Girls' Camp. They were a handful sometimes but a lot of fun! And Madie loved hanging out with so many "brothers and sisters." (Well, most of the time. View "Names Adjusted.") Anyway, here are some pictures so in later years we can reminisce about our time with the Prusso kids--or try and remember who they are. I guess it depends on how far in the future you want to go.

Madie's chillin' poolside at the tennis club. (Yes. We were temporarily members of a tennis club. Oo-la-la!) I took Madie into the pool with me when we got there for Alice's swim lesson, but she started shivering and her lips turned blue, so we got out and changed and watched the other kids swim for 15 minutes. Not the most fun we've had at a pool, but Madie enjoyed it while it lasted. Then gave me hell the rest of the time. (Okay, not that bad. But the initial explanation of why we couldn't stay didn't go over well.)

The Prussos own some beautiful hens, like this one right here. They proved endless entertainment for Madie. She now knows how to make a proper chicken noise rather than just her generic "tweet tweet" for anything with a beak.

The younger girls and I had some fun at a park. Can you believe Jane and Alice hadn't ever climbed a tree?! Neither had the other little girl I nanny, Cali. I mean, c'mon! That's all I did in the summer. Well, that and pelt Sam and Jake with water balloons from above.

On our last night, the girls had a fort inside...

...while Canyon and Mike had a fort outside. Canyon built what could be compared to a sheikh's tent. I guess he's all into adventuring--in style.

I slept on the couch. Considering Lily ended up going to sleep in her own bed rather than the couch cushions on the floor and Mike and Canyon ended up moving inside once the sprinklers came on that Mike thought he had turned off, I think I made the most comfortable decision.

There's the dangerous duo. Even at breakfast they BOTH insisted on sitting next to Madie, which I'm sure made her feel very...secure.

On our last day we took the kids to the zoo after cleaning the house up. Here I am explaining to the kids how in Saipan they enjoy fuzzy flying rodents stewed in their own blood. The kids were enthralled.

And to top it all off we hit up Fenton's afterward. Here's Madie being generous with her Mandarin oranges. (Really, this is generosity. She loves those things.)

Dumped and How To Deal

Mike left me for a man named Kevin and a tent up in Yosemite. It's really hurting my self-image as a wife. So, to console myself I'm planning on breaking out a piece of cheesecake, watching Doc Martin and thinking about what to do next on the short story I'm writing. (It's due Wednesday! YIKES!)

I did want to leave you with my booklist for the year. Now, these are the books I'm determined to read this year, and if I have time I'll stick some more on the end. But I'm not a particularly fast reader, despite being an avid one. I think it's cause I stop to re-read things all the time and take notes in the margins. I used to feel really embarrassed about that, until just recently I was reading an article that said "deep reading" was going the way of the dodo bird. (For those of you who don't know, the dodo is extinct.) They mentioned things like re-reading, making connections to previous parts of the book, and taking notes when they described deep-reading. I was so relieved! I thought I was just slower than everyone else! But now I realize I'm probably just doing more than a lot of people when they read. It's great to just read for pleasure, without analyzing deeply, etc. But I just find that kind of thing a lot of fun. It's like when I watch a movie: I need to talk about it with someone so we can discuss the artistic qualities of it and the acting and the plot, etc., and if there is a moral, what it is, etc. I guess it just makes it more fun for me.

Anyway, on with the list!

Non-Fiction
The Last Empty Places by Peter Stark (Already started it. It is sooooo good so far!)
Encyclopedia of the Exquisite: An Anecdotal history of Elegant Delights by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins
Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk
Classical Tradition by Anthony Grafton
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Fiction
Room by Emma Donoghue
Solar by Ian McEwan
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
Bloodroot by Amy Greene

Poetry
Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon (I'm really excited about this one!)
God Damsel by Reb Livingston

Plays
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen


What are you reading?

"Bring in the bottled lightning, a clean tumbler, and a corkscrew!"

For those of you who don't know her, this is Bethany.

Image A

Bethany and I landed some sweet tickets to go to the Charles Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco last weekend. It was held in the Cow Palace--don't ask--and as soon as you walked in it was honestly like another world. All the workers spoke in British accents--even a bum sitting on a keg outside a store gave me a look and said, "'Ello, luv." It was awesome.

One of the first stops we made was at a bonnet-makers. (See "image a" above.) There's something you should know about Bethany: I didn't think I'd ever get her into a bonnet. That's just not the type of girl she is. She's more this type of girl:

ARRR! Ye lass in back o' me'll be walkin' ye plank afore long!

I, however, was DEFINITELY going to try on a bonnet! Check this Christmas beaut out!

There were tons of shops. Tons. Wand-makers, a couple of haberdashers, a harp shop, lots and lots of roasted nut stands, a couple of candle shops and candy shops, dress-makers and corset shops, Fezziwig's was right as you walk in, where you could learn to dance, they had three other stages and a whole separate theatre, there was even a scientific demonstration for all those interested by Phileas Fogg and his associates. I wasn't as good about taking pictures as I should have been, but I did get a couple more. For instance, the mask-maker shop. This place was AWESOME! Man, if I had a couple hundred bucks to blow on something I would use bi-annually at the most, these masks would be it! Check out my crow! It was my favorite one.

And Bethany's bear was pretty cool too. They had smaller ones--just to cover the eyes--and even bigger ones! They had a wolf mask that was just enormous!

All in all, it was a very fun time, even if we didn't find a third person to go with us (we had three tickets) and despite not being able to blow a ton of money on frivolous but really cool things I would have loved to have and used occasionally despite their being out of fashion. I did spend $14 in an antique bookstore, but you can't blame me for that. I saw a little book called "Песни о Мире" ("Songs of the World") all in Russian for $4 and a hardcover, 1910 printing of Shakespeare's complete works for $10! A piece of my heart stayed at the bookstore though when I couldn't purchase a small collection of children's stories with illuminated illustrations throughout because it was $95. :( Someday...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Thanksgiving Break - Part 1

We just got back from Thanksgiving down in Arizona with Mike's family. It started out with a big surprise! Kylie, the oldest grandkid, turned eight in September and her baptism was scheduled for the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It didn't look like Mike and I would be there until Tuesday at the earliest--or so we told Nana and Papa. The sibs were in on the secret, but did great jobs of keeping it under wraps. Soooo, when we walked into the room they were all waiting in before going into the font room, Karen immediately started crying. Mission: Accomplished.

It was great to see Kylie be baptized. It's so weird to see how much she's grown and matured since the last time we saw her last summer. She is so much fun! And LOVED Madie. She was even willing to play many rounds of Madie's favorite game--ring around the rosie--which I can only take so many times before I'm really over the whole fall-to-the-ground thing.

Anyway, we also got to see Holly and her family. It was the first time for Tyler's family and Holly's family to meet Madie. BJ and Shannon had met her before, but their kids hadn't. So it was a chance for everyone to meet her and for us to meet BJ and Shannon's daughter, Brodi.

Madie with Aunt Holly. (We thought we'd spare you the drunken picture, Hol.)

Nana and Papa gave Madie an early Christmas present the first night we were there. She LOVES it. Anything soft and cuddly, Madie's there. She gets it from her Uncle Sam. (My brother, not old man in the patriotic get-up.)

It's a puppy pillow-pet!

And that is it's nose!

Claire had almost as much fun hauling Madie around in the wagon as Madie did being hauled!

Beautiful Sadie and Ethan--pre-thumb severing incident. (Go to randomcreepyguy.com for further details.)

It was great seeing Grandma Clark, too! She flew down from Utah for the week. We haven't seen her since March!

Nana leads the kids in a game of Don't Eat Pete! up at the cabin. (Sadie doesn't look happy.)

Madie eats a snack on Papa's lap.

Kylie and I play Ring-Around-the-Rosie with Madie. (Like I said, thank you Kylie.)

Holly, Jeff, Claire, and Ethan went on a hike with Mike and me after the night at the cabin. (The wimps all went home.) Man, those kids were literally running up and down the hills!

Kylie and I pose in front of one of the lit trees at the zoo. Shannon got the hook-up and Nana and Papa paid for us all to go to Zoo Lights--$5 a person! That's awesome!

We walked all over the zoo looking at lights shaped like animals. It was really cool. Any guesses as to what is behind us? (No, not the recycling bin. The animal.)

We went bowling on Tuesday night, which Madie loved. She didn't get to roll the ball down the lane, but she did get to hold this bright pink one for a while, and put her head over the fan in the dispenser. She also practiced her walking a lot.

And tasted soda. She likes rootbeer. Go figure.

"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye--or thumb--or whatever." This was the event that led to Ethan dropping a six-pounder on his little thumb. It almost entirely severed his top joint! The poor kid had to spend the night in the hospital and pretty much all of the next day. Holly and Jeff stayed with him the whole time, but Claire had to come home and didn't see them at all until they got back the next night. Such a rough day. But Ethan seemed to enjoy it far more than his parents: when his dad asked what his three favorite things were from the day, he said, "Going shooting, going bowling, and going to the doctor's." Hahaha!

That same night I went to get my haircut. Mike promised to let me cut my hair however I liked without saying anything about it. So I did. :) What do you think?

Since we had Thanksgiving on Wednesday (so Tyler, BJ and Shannon could join us), I was able to go to Old Navy and get a couple things for Madie before the real rush of Black Friday. I bought a pair of soft-soled shoes since she's finally walking now, and this cute jacket and those snowpants! The snowpants were only $11! I didn't want to spend a ton of money on something she'd probably only use once, but she really needs them for Maine at Christmas. So I was happy to find them for so cheap! Thank you, Tiff, for scouting the deals and letting me tag along!

Wicked Good

Forgive the cheesy pun. I just had to.

On Friday night Mike and I dropped Madie-Fi off at some friends and went into San Francisco to watch Wicked--the musical version of Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It was soooooooooooooooo good. And it's only showing in four cities in the world right now: New York (of course), London, Sydney, and San Francisco. The woman who played Elphaba (aka WWoftheW) had played her on Broadway at some point too, and she was phenomenal! The woman who played Galinda (aka Glinda) was also excellent! She was so funny--and again I am drawn: who would I wish to play more? I've always had the same dilemma with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. If given the chance, would I pick sarcastic, smart-mouth Dorothy, or over-the-top glamorous and hilariously ditzy Lorelei Lee? Oh, choices, choices.

We weren't allowed to take pictures in the stage-room of the theater. We had front-row balcony seats, which proved to have a great view of the stage for a good price!

I had to steal the camera from the paparazzi to get this picture from him.

It was an incredible show. We are so glad we went! Elphaba's voice was amazing! Mike even confessed that all the hair on his body (since he doesn't have any on his neck or head) stood on end when she sang "Defying Gravity."

Needless to say, we bought the cd.