Another swoon, brought to you by Etsy

Oh my gracious.
These are like anti-birth control, don't you think?

Infant/ Toddler Blanket

Minky Stroller Blanket

Chenille Burp Cloth

 Bamboo Fleece Stroller Blanket

Washies

Quick! Somebody have a baby! 

The Art of Losing

I've lost something recently. I can't pinpoint what day it was exactly that it was lost, and that might be contributing to my failure to locate it. Who even knows? Our house is turned upside down daily by the whirling dervish that is Mary Bullock, and with the holidays and a camping trip and dinner guests, there really is no telling where the thing has been stuffed. Probably the trash can, if we're honest with ourselves.

But today for some reason I felt like if I didn't find that thing, my head would explode. I've looked everywhere.  All the logical places and-- because it's me here-- all the illogical places, too. No dice.

On the upside, it did remind me of this poem, which is one of my favorites, favorites favorites. Former student readers, I hope you remember this one:
********************
One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant 
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.


--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied.  It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

********************

Made me feel a little better. I haven't lost any rivers lately.  

That I know of. 

Packing up Christmas

It's always a little sad, isn't it? Or are you one of those people who can't wait to have it all put away? Lee and I once left our tree up until February. That was a good year.

But after we outfitted this year's tree with a baby gate [for her own protection], she did not receive the water she required to make it another month. So now it's time to say goodbye.

The last thing we do before we put the Christmas ornaments up for another year's lodging in the garage is to tuck a copy of our Christmas card into one of the boxes. Three years ago we did this by accident, and the following year we were so amused by unearthing our old Christmas card that we decided to make it a tradition. Ok, I decided. But it's one of my favorite ideas maybe ever.

So long, Christmas!

Best $5 I Ever Spent

Did I mention that it's really stinking cold here?

And that our house has 25 very old, very useless windows?

I might go back to Old Navy and by a few more.

And wear them all at once.

Thinking Warm

Is it too late to take back all of the complaining I did about it being 70 degrees here the week of Christmas? Because it's really stinking cold. SO cold that I can hardly force myself out of the house to do my 10,000 errands. So cold that I'd rather stay IN the house and let Mary Bullock throw every toy she owns on the floor rather than venture out for a walk.

I'm trying to think warm thoughts, though.

J.Crew

 

J.Crew

 

Antrho

 

Anthro

When did I get to be such a Florida girl?

She's definitely a carnivore

Fact: If given the opportunity, Mary Bullock will put every animal cracker she can get her hands on into her mouth all at once.

And I have to admit, I kind of dig this about her. 

And so 2010 begins

So far, not much different from 2009. But I'm hoping-- really really hoping-- that those greens I ate last night will take effect soon.

Anyway, today I will skip the blah blah blah and just show some pictures of our morning.

Mary Bullock got a baby stroller for Christmas, but the only baby allowed to ride is Mary Bullock. I tried to coax her into giving Pearl a ride a few days ago, but that ended badly [for Pearl, I mean] so I just let her push around an empty stroller most of the time. 

She's also started walking around with her hands behind her back a lot. We have no idea where she gets this, but she looks so contemplative, doesn't she? Like she must be wise beyond her year. 

Anyway, I took the day off from trying to fulfill my New Year's Resolutions yesterday, because who does laundry on New Year's Day? But today it's on. So, I need to go read, do laundry, clean something, cook something, and not spend money.

Happy 2010!