Plan B

Well, I certainly did not intend to abandon this space for as long as I did.  I found myself with a few computer glitches (Thank you husband for sorting things out for me:).  And the weather...the weather has been beautiful.  It is so hard to be inside.  Then, on Saturday I took a bit of a getaway with Emma Girl.

We drove over to Seattle and caught a ferry that took us to Tillicum Village on Blake Island.  Emma's first grade class has been studying Native Americans and we went with a few of her classmates to see the sights.

Personally, the boat ride was my favorite part.  The seafront was simply stunning.  Even amongst all of the other travelers, there was something quite peaceful about being out on the water.

The girls were hanging out the windows, mesmerized by the waves and other vessels passing by.

When we stepped off the boat onto the island we were greeted with an appetizer.  Clams in nectar.  They were um, well, lets just say the best thing about the clams was stomping on the shells adding to the others on the pathway (we were encouraged to do this, and the girls thought it was so fun). I think clams taste like rubber bands, but I tried to be a good sport. 

We watched a man give a demonstration on how the totem poles were carved.  Then I made the girls pose for an obligatory souvenir-ish photo.

I had hoped that Emma and I would have more time to explore the island.  The beaches looked so inviting.  Alas, the time went by so quickly. It wasn't long before the horn sounded and we were called back to the boat.

The day turned out to be a bit of an adventure, not unfolding entirely as planned.  In the end, we had to give up Plan A and move on to Plan B.  It was a bit disappointing, and we spent a few minutes sulking.  Emma and I are "planners" and letting go of what we had intend was tricky.  It is always good to be stretched in those kinds of ways. We reminded each other of the enjoyment that the day had already brought us, and  pronounced the day a success in spite of the change of plans.  We also decided that we are truly not "city people".  All the noise, all the people, all the waiting in line was overstimulating. We giggled at the way we must've stood out as obvious out-of-towners.

Home sweet home. 

Off we go full speed into another week.  Recess duty, piano lessons, childbirth classes, 5 days on call, end of school year activities...buckle up!  Good thing that we are in the home stretch. I am just counting the days until summer vacation.  Only two and a half more weeks to go. Praise God!

Thanks for checking back in on me, I hope to be here more often this week.

spool snake

I had a lovely Mother's Day that included pancakes, bacon and coffee made by the Mister.  I also stole away to the fabric store for a few hours.  Alone.  The girls gave me sweet cards that they made in school, and Carl and I went out to dinner on Friday night.

As much as I love my girls, the occasional dinner without them is a real treat.  I like eating out like adults.  Wine, appetizers, foods that you cannot pronounce.  Very tasty.  We were also celebrating Carl's birthday. 

(brownies and ice cream, when you get older cake and frosting are not a necessities)

Today he is 34!  I like older men.  Not only do they have more money, but grey hair can be very distinguished.  Besides, you have to marry someone older than you if you want to be in a relationship with someone who's maturity level is equal to that of your own.  He is four years older than me...and those four years help.  In all seriousness, I love you Carl and Happy Birthday!

I made Laurel a little toy yesterday.  My grandma gave me one of her craft books (which would make it vintage) and it had all kinds of simple ideas for homemade toys. All the necessary supplies are ordinary things that you find around your house.  I just love toys that don't have flashing lights, make beeping sounds, or have a screen.

I have been saving all my empty thread spools in a jar hoping that I could, at some point, put them to good use.  This little project was just the thing.  A spool snake.  Just tie a knot at the end of a ribbon and thread them on.  I did tie a knot in between each spool in order to make it lanky enough (is that a word?).  Also, it was a bit plain so I cut some patterned paper and taped it on each spool.  You could glue it on, but I used tape because I am lazy like that.  Then, at the other end of the ribbon I tied a little loop for pulling.  See, here it is in action.

And here the snake is slithering up the stairs.

Two warnings come along with this little snake.  First, if you are going to take your snake for a walk down the stairs, be sure that the little snake doesn't slither under your feet and get tangled up under your pink cowboy boots.  This may result in doing approximately three somersaults down the stairs and ending up with some slight resentment and disfavor to your spool snake.  Also, beware of kitties who love to chase these types of snakes. 

So, there you go.  Don't throw your spools away, make a snake.  A little person or a kitty might thank you.

Her wish for me, My wish for them

 

"My mother wanted me to be her wings, to fly as she never quite had the courage to do.  I love her for that.  I love the fact that she wanted to give birth to her own wings."  Erica Jong

::Happy Mother's Day!!::