Sweet News

Feeling much better today, thank ye. Usually a head cold turns itself right into a sinus infection or bronchitis with me (especially during allergy season), but I think this one is going to just move right on through.

I'm superstitiously thinking this might be because I've started drinking homemade green smoothies--a huge one everyday. I've just been throwing whatever fruit is around in there, plus all that kale we've been having a tough time getting through from our Door to Door Organics box.

What do you think? Do you think it's helped with the cold? It is odd to be feeling so much better so quickly.

Or maybe it was just a punk-ass little germ and I kicked its sad little booty, green smoothies or not.

Either way, I'm glad to be feeling better, just in time for our weekend trip to



Oy.

Oh! And FABULOUS news. We had Nolie tested for allergies (yes, we were a teensy bit worried she might be allergic to Milo, which would have been the worst thing EVER). But she's not. We get to keep our dog and our kid. Sweet.

Spring Surprises

I woke up this morning to two inches of snow outside and a gnarly, oogy, snotty spring cold.

Both of them can suck it.

On to Six

I think this time six years ago we were heading into our second day of labor, thinking we were going to see Addie any time now. She didn't actually come until the following day, the 6th. It feels like yesterday. It feels like eons ago. But that's how time goes. And here we are at Addie's golden birthday, where she turns six on the sixth.

I put her on the bus a few minutes ago for her last day of kindergarten as a five-year-old, and then came back home to put the finishing touches on her birthday doll.



This is all she is getting from us this year present-wise, since we're headed to California for a breakneck nosebleed-inducing pleasureshot through Disneyland on Saturday. If we survive I'll blog about it.

Anyway, here is what I know about Addie at this moment:

1. She has a very, very big heart. She loves her parents and her sister and her cats and her dog. When Nolie gets hurt, Addie is the first one there, putting the bandaid on and hugging her. Unless she was the one to hurt Nolie, which happens, and in which case she feels pretty bad about it. Sometimes a little, wee, tiny bit smug. But mostly bad.

2. Her bike still has training wheels, but not for much longer, I suspect. Her legs are long and strong, and she runs much straighter and more quickly than she used to.

3. Her favorite things are art, reading, and nature, though I'm not sure what order she would put them in. She is constantly building and designing things, inspecting the yard for signs of spring, and reading voraciously about everything from princesses to "mini-beasts."

4. She is still sensitive, though much more likely to laugh than cry compared to a year ago.

5. Addie is a goofball. Don't know where she gets this from. Must be E. Definitely E.

6. She is loyal and kind, and expects the same in return. This makes it very difficult to be harsh or unfair with her. A good thing.

7. She can eat three bowls of pasta in one sitting and still looks like a string bean. Also from E., goddammit.

8. She hates tags of any kind on her clothing, knows how to buckle her own seatbelt, can make herself a snack and operate the tv, on demand, and vcr, knows how to use a mouse on a desktop and laptop, still lisps and drools occasionally, can't tie her own shoes, can make her own bed, loves fruits and vegetables, hates plain milk, isn't big enough to walk Milo the Moose on her own yet, though desperately wants to, and is otherwise a wonderful, fantastic, loving kid in every way. We are so blessed, so so blessed.

Happy Birthday, my Addie.

All Ears.

Happy Easter, loved ones. Hugs near and far.

Risk Taken. Breathe.

After much hemming and hawing, I took an armful of reJuJu upcycles into the Golden consignment boutique Rewind. I realized looking through them, there was about a year's worth of sewing and trying things out in that pile. I work slow what with the career and the kids and all.

But hey, the owner loved them! We worked out a deal and I get my own rack in the store.

Now we just see if they sell.

Phew.

Big love to all of you who have supported me with sewing machines and yarns and old t-shirts and the bridesmaid's gowns from the backs of your closets and encouragement and love. And especially for the new studio space, E. I don't mean this to sound like an academy award speech, but it does feel like something. Gratitude, mainly. Thanks, y'all.

Keep those old t-shirts coming ;).



reJuJu tank, a la Alabama Chanin

The Feeling Factory

So I'm putting the kids down tonight, and Nolie is being particularly whiny and petulant, as she is wont to be these days. So we two end up in our "thinking chair"--the rocking chair in the dark playroom where we go when one or both of us is having some difficulty expressing ourselves with kindness and respect. It gives us a chance to cool off and reconnect physically and to make things right again.

We're sitting in the thinking chair and I ask Nolie, "My goodness. Where is all this behavior coming from?" It's intended as a rhetorical question, an expression of my frustration, but after a pause she answers.

"From the factory."

"The factory?"

"The factory in my body."

"The factory in your body?"

"Yeah there's a factory in my body and when it makes sad I feel sad and when it makes nervous I feel nervous and when it makes happy I feel happy."

"Oh my."

Silence, while I digest what the hell I just heard.

"What feeling is it making right now?"

"Sad."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Tummy rub. And, later, a back rub once she's back in bed.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah."

"It's making happy now!"

The Dude Abides

I have in my brain some elaborate, bizarro post about this huge realization I've just had. A major relief, this realization. It's rolling around in my noggin and should pop out soon.

In the meanwhile, may I introduce to you...



The Dude.

Milo.

Milonopolis.

Milosaurus Rex.

Mellow Milo.

Gifted to us by a family whose daughter, sadly, turned out to be allergic to dogs. So we inherited this one-and-a-half-year-old doogus, who is sweet-tempered, loves kids (Nolie is constantly poking her finger in his cheeks and his eyeballs and he just rolls around on the floor drooling and smiling), and pretty well trained in most other respects (except when it comes to chasing after other dogs and cats). It is so wonderful and peaceful having him here.

The only one who doesn't like him is Sadie. She's completely annoyed about the whole thing. So annoyed, that she has decided to become an eyeball-less geisha. So sad.



Basically, we love him in everyway, and are happily paying back the karma (dogma?) of having to give up Burley.

What do you think? Isn't he absolutely the ugliest, most revolting thing you've ever seen? I mean, really. It shouldn't be legal.