O

I'm not going to lie...we are mighty intimidated by the letter of the day when it is a vowel. A, E and I were hard...and our letter O is even trickier. From the lack of enthusiasm encountered today when I offered Oatmeal for breakfast, Organizing for craft time and the Odyssey for a bedtime story...it became obvious that we will need a couple of days to cover the letter O.
Until then...
O is for Owlxo

The Letter O

xo

Project Runway

Two years ago it began with mismatched socks. And then came the pink Crocs....but wearing Arlo's jeans {sized 6 months}...Well, I think we have to draw the line there...but am I crazy, or does the combo kind of work?Anyway, who am I to criticize...look who showed up in the park wearing an apron. And Arlo's threads...oh my...I say YES to swan shirts and purples stripes every time. Our kids don't have a chance, do they?
xo

A Stocking Story: The Intro

Once upon a time there was a young new mother who loved to knit. With her baby boy sleeping soundly on her chest, her knitting needles clicked to the rhythm of his breath. When the first snow fell, the new mother became inspired. She would knit the biggest, most extravagant Christmas stocking she could possibly dream of for her perfect babe. It would be RED. It would be GREEN. It would be WHITE. It would flash his NAME. and SANTA. and ELVES. and HOLLY. And most impressively, it would be HUGE. She began to knit...
{Hugh, 2006}
Along with the baby, the stocking grew and grew...Until it was completed with plenty of time to spare before Christmas. The new mother was a little shocked by its enormity and questioned herself {and only to herself} whether or not something had gone awry with following the pattern...but all and all she was satisfied. However, when showing it to friends/family she tried to squish the stocking so it appeared smaller...but her friends/family were clever. Much too clever and their reactions were:
1. Wow. Good Job.
2. That's going to take a lot stuff/money to fill!
3. You know if you have a second child you will have to knit another stocking.
The new, not-so-clever mother only listened to point number one....until it was time to go Christmas shopping and then she remembered point number two.
One day, the newish mother had another baby. Today, she remembered point number three.
Oh dear.
The stocking is bigger than her big baby...
Perhaps the newish mother could get away with making a smaller stocking or maybe, just maybe her new son doesn't need one this year...Oops. Bad idea...don't worry new baby...surely your newish mother will come through. Surely.
xo

Violin Lesson #3

Hugh loves to practice his violin. He proudly squeaks his strings {actually just the E string} while he waits for his dinner. Last week he worked away on a piece named 'Mississippi Hot Dog'. Strangely, hot dog does not resonate with Hugh...so he renamed the song to 'Mississippi Meat Pie' giving honorable mention to his preferred dinner dish.
Today at his lesson, Hugh was bubbling over with anticipation to share his reinterpretation of 'Mississippi Hot Dog' with his instructor. And like any good teacher, she gave him the exact amount of enthusiasm he was hoping for. She was so impressed with his performance, she gave him three more songs to learn. The rest of us will gladly take a break from meat pies and hot dogs and will welcome the A, D and G strings...I think.xo

The Visitor

It's hard to believe we would be thinking about anything else this time of year other than my birthday...BUT as it goes....Christmas has trumped my big day. Last year we were introduced to a tiny elf {who we call Ivan} by Aunt Eleanor. He magically appears throughout the days {or in our case, the months} leading up to Christmas. He sits. He listens. He watches. And then he reports back to the North Pole. He tempts us by his cuteness...but we mustn't touch otherwise he will lose his special elfin powers. Oh the temptation Ivan! This morning...minutes before dashing out of the house to school...Ivan was spotted...and Hugh brushed his teeth. Thank you Ivan. You truly do have special powers.xo

Saturday Farmers Market

Simple pleasures: Unzipping a pod to find the perfect row of peas.Saturday Farmers Market
xo