Laowai

I named this post HOUSE PROUD just because I like the sound of it and the idea of it. In reality – I often feel too unmotivated to be considered HOUSE PROUD. Brian has been away most of the week. When he’s gone I usually clean in fits and spurts. I’m much more motivated when he’s around to notice. Sometimes when I’m feeling particularly lazy I think about women in the past and how laundry was such and huge undertaking. Or I think about having to make three meals a day everyday instead of making just a few dinners from scratch each week like I do. The thought of having to kill the chicken and haul water from who knows where just to get dinner started usually gives me the jump I need to pick up the clutter, plan a meal or throw some clothes in the washer.

Aaaah I do live a charmed life.

“If you sweep a house, and tend its fires and fill its stove, and there is love in you all the years you are doing this, then you and that house are married, that house is yours.”
– Truman Capote

I’m curious about the context of this quote – just like HOUSE PROUD, I like the sound of it and the idea of it.

Here’s a woman taking care of her house – a painting by one of my favorite artists Carl Larsson.

I ordered a new bench for our patio and look what came for Bea… A house.

We went to the botanic garden today. Bea had her finger out pointing almost the whole time. She loves to point at stuff lately. We saw some snowdrops too.

Is that 4 posts in 2 days? Could my life really be that exciting?

– Let your child pull CDs from the shelf by the fistfull so you can load some laundry into the washer

– Let your toddler root around in the fridge for 5 minute so you can cut up some cheese and grapes and get her snack ready in peace

– Let your daughter throw feminine hygiene products all over the bathroom so you can primp and pluck at the mirror for 2 more minutes

– Let your kid play with a pair of scissors so she would be distracted enough to quit the ever frustrating twisting and rolling and wiggling on the changing table (I promise – they were very round kids scissors)

– Let your little one drop her peas one by one onto the floor so you could read just a couple more of your favorite blogs

It’s all about taking two steps forward and one step back around here.

When she’s not grabbing CDs, exploring the fridge, making messes in the bathroom, running with scissors and launching peas – you can find her taking a nap in her stroller.

I keep forgetting to share with you the fact that we are famous. I submitted my calendar girl idea to the Apartment Therapy web site. Apartment Therapy is a web site that showcases everything new and interesting in home design and home products. Their kid’s division is called Ohdeedoh. Here’s the link to our moment of fame. If that link doesn’t work just go to the main site and scroll to our entry that was posted on March 18th.

We haven’t been doing much so far this week but I thought I’d better post some Bea photos before her fans start an uprising. We’ve been taking it easy because she has a bit if a cold. These are the best photos I have that don’t include her yucky running nose.

This morning we helped daddy pack his bag and saw him off.

Bea dragged her blankie around for a while. She loves that blankie!

Then this afternoon we spent some time dreaming about and planning our trip to California.

Before I go – here’s a cool link that I found through the Junior Society site. Check out Kiddie Records Weekly if you’ve got a little music lover. The site has tons of downloads from the “golden age of children’s records”. Very retro and entertaining! And they are all available for download.

“Afraid of color? That’s like being afraid of feeling happy.”

Last week I bought this little container of Lilly of the Valley. I used to have a bed of Lily of the Valley at our house in Midland. They were right outside our bedroom window. Oh how I miss waking up on a lazy Saturday morning when the first thing to enter my head was the realization that I could smell the Lily of the Valley wafting in through our open window. So every time I go into our bathroom I put my nose close to the flowers and inhale that incomparable lily scent. Mmmmm. So nice.

Also in the picture at the bottom is a little red mushroom that I stole from a cafe in Vienna. Yes, I stole it. It’s only a cheap styrofoam trinket. There was one of these nestled in a mini potted plant at every table in every cafe in the city. I knew they would just throw them out after New Year’s Eve had passed. So you see I had to steal this little treasure and give it a home. Every time I see it I think fondly of our trip to Austria at New Year’s time in 206/2006.

“Happiness is wanting what you have, not having what you want.”

Sitting here trying to will myself to want the snowflakes that have just appeared outside our window and not want things that I don’t have.

Making monkey faces:

Picking your nose:

Practicing your wave:

Hugging:

Wow our weekend with Grandpa and Gramma C. has flown by. Celebrating Grandpa’s birthday, going out to eat, visiting the Art Institute, Seeing the Chicago river dyed green and eating way too many of Gramma’s peanut butter cookies. Now we need a nap!