penny pickles art

Where do I begin...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:22:00 +0000

I'm floored that it's March, March, I mean, I knew that February would go quick being a little month and all. We had the last of our swim meets. Jon did remarkably well going from barely making it 25 yards to racing in 50 meter races. We're on the fence if he'll do the summer session - it is a big commitment, but he seems to enjoy it and he looks so cute in his jammers (swim shorts). I'm so proud of how far he's come - barely doing freestyle to now swimming breaststroke and almost getting that butterfly down. I also became an official - because it's more fun than sitting in the stands and I get to be on deck with Jon. He can be a flake at times and still needs corralling and the occasional "look." I hate disqualifying kids, but they learn from their mistakes and I've yet to make anyone cry. I've also avoided officiating any one's kid I know by switching lanes. No need to burn bridges - aye? So we're done with all that and I think Jon (and I) will really enjoy these next two months off and then baseball begins.

Yes that's my phone, yes he's texting his dad. Yes he's seven.

Drew has started swim lessons, yep, just as swimming ended, swimming has begun. It's only for a month and it's only twice a week for a half hour - he's happy its his turn. If you saw my facebook post a day or so ago, I was confronted with a cruel comment from a neighbor who plays "dumb" or "innocent" if you will, by having no verbal filter. The short of it was she said his face was fat. I think after seeing my jaw hit the ground and stumble for words to say, she corrected herself to say that it was so round and that she didn't remember it being so round last summer. Still no good. My boy, I have to say it frustrates me- he's so tall and so big and so built like his father that he has a few more years of pudge before he thins out - if he follows in dad's footsteps. Our pediatrician that we LOVE put it like this - the boy has grown four inches in one year which is very uncharacteristic of a 4/5 year old. It's like a puberty growth rate. He's going to be a very tall boy and thick - it's his build. If you were growing like that you'd be hungry too. There's nothing wrong with him, he's just big. We'll be having the last laugh I'm sure when he's playing college football one day. ;o) (When you go pro Momma would like an orange Range Rover, k baby?) All I know is that I want him to keep on smiling with those big 'ol cheeks - neighbor be damned.

Miss Penny just had her well visit - she's another tall one, but built more like Jon - slim and long waisted, but she also has long legs like Drew - so she'll be the most physically balanced of the group. She's on target and of course beyond average with her athletic skills just by product of keeping up with her brothers. She had her first ballet class and loved it, except for the terribly shy child that left midway because she was so scared and timid. That threw her off a bit. I felt terrible for the little girl and her mom. Hopefully she'll be back and a bit more comfortable next time. Penny flitted and twirled with the best of them. She also has aspirations of being the next Taylor Swift. If you stop by my house you'll see my daughter in all pink with a microphone singing "fifteen." (you think I'm kidding)

This is Penny at the Barbie exhibit, yes she answered the phone, yes she and I want one for the house. No, they wouldn't let us take it home. Yes, she just said 'oooh, I so pretty." when she saw this picture. Humble she is not. I could barely tear her away from the pink runway - where she strutted her stuff for thirty minutes saying, "mommy, take my picture!" oh heavens.

Me: I've been busily working on behind the scenes stuff - contemplating a platform change for my blog - wanting to upgrade my website, but for now I must be patient. I've just finished a painting and then I am doing a darling little door hanger for a shower gift. I've sketched out a bunch of little stuff'dees and made one - patty the platty (thank you Lisa). I need to get back on my machine and get stitching. I think once my Pancake Breakfast this weekend and the Divisional swim meet I'm officiating at is over I'll have my weekends back to work on such goodies. My days have been filled with feed kids, take kids to school, pick up kids, go to elementary school, work on things there, laundry, dishes, painting, cleaning and then of course trying to work out and lose a bit of my ample ass.

So I've got a bit on my plate.

Yes I've been playing around with my logo. Working on some changes - some bigger than others. An expansion really. We shall see.

I also am looking forward to the change in weather so spring cleaning can commence. I received the nicest compliment from a babysitter recently. She said she was so impressed with how organized things were at my house and that she could easily find things even though she'd never been here before - ahhh, now that one makes me happy.

Like last years simplicity series, I'll probably chronicle my spring cleaning room by room - not that you care, but it makes be happy to show off the results, plus its an incentive to really give it my all. So if your interested or merely have a sick curiosity - hang in there, those are coming up soon. I was turned onto the Pioneer Woman blog about a month ago - I'm a late bloomer. But I see what she blogs about and such and well - she's not much different than most of us, she just has Tide and Le Creuset ads on her websites. Okay so that's a big difference. I'm not a pioneer, more like a suburbianeer. I'm pretty sure that one day Mrs. Meyers will be begging me to put her cleaning product ads on my blog. ;o) And with that - I'm outta here off to get the kiddos to bed and the treadmill for me.

Oh one more thing - again if you didn't see my facebook post - check this out.

This afternoon I received a text, it went a bit like this:

Hheyy girrl!

Me: Who is this?

Tori

Me: Tori who?

Brown .

Me: I apologize but your name doesn't ring any bells, how do I kno you?

Stephanie gave me ur number, are you still bi?

Me: Uh, I think you have the wrong number, I don't know Stephanie and I am not bi, or was for that matter. (not even in college)

my mistake.

The End

It's a good day when you've been solicited for bisexual sex via text messaging, don't you think? My first sexting!

Thanks!

Tiny Angels II

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:44:00 +0000

I don't know where to begin with this painting. I am so grateful to have done it for two wonderful, amazing people. Two people that I've never met, but have been so touched by. No one should ever have to experience what they have experienced as parents. I can only hope that through the paint that was applied and the brush that it was applied with and the love that it was done with, I was able capture a bit of joy in a far too-'short life. I did a painting about a year ago for Robyn and Keith, they had lost their premature, twin girls about 6 weeks apart. It was a devastating loss and as an artist I was challenged not only artistically, but emotionally. I was given a poem for my muse and the rest was my vision of their precious angels and their journey. I was very happy with the outcome, and on the opposite side of the spectrum, Robyn and Keith were expecting Rowyn and I was happy to do a nursery piece for their new little girl's room. Fast forward, and little Rowyn's journey into this world wasn't the smoothest and during a time when most parents are struggling with exhaustion and diaper changes, these two individuals were discussing things that no parent should ever have to discuss. Little Rowyn fought a valiant battle, and gave her parents time to snuggle and love her, but she was called to heaven to be with her sisters far too soon.

I was contacted by Robyn to do a memorial piece for precious Rowyn - I thought about it and oddly enough our visions were almost identical. I took my time with this piece, knowing I am doing something so special and meaningful for a family can be kind of stressful. Being a mom, I wanted this to be just perfect for Robyn, knowing I would expect nothing less for myself. I am so pleased with the outcome, I am so happy that Robyn loves it as much as I do. It is interesting how people come into your life and what you learn from them. I am grateful for the trust this family put into me and I am grateful that I can share it with you. (photography by Leslie Webber -thanks Les!)

Tiny Angels II

Thanks again Robyn and Keith - my love goes to you both.

Thanks for everyone stopping by - I have a few more paintings to share and some crafty fun coming up!

what we do

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:15:00 +0000

Lovin' big brother reading to lil'bro and lil'sis

This weekend we were a bit home bound - Ryan was working so the kids and I decided to capitalize on the home time and work on some crafts and projects we've had sitting here for a while.

We're big fans of the Olympics, winter in particular. Jon just loves it - more than the other two - he's decided he wants to be a snowboarder - we've tried to explain that we don't really live in an area that is conducive to snowboarding, but we could start off by skateboarding. He fits the skateboarding look - lanky, droopy drawers, long hair. So even if he can't balance on the board, he at least looks like he can. Blend if you will.

If you know Jon you know he asks a MILLION questions, he never quite got out of that "why?" phase. Which is a good thing for life-long learning, but can be trying when you just want to get through something. In any event, I have a friend who home schools her 8 children, yes you heard me 8. They are wonderful kids and a wonderful family, and run like a well oiled machine. She has a blog that she posts all sorts of goodies, menus, projects, homeschooling items, etc. One of her recent posts included a Olympic lapbook, that discussed the history of the Olympics through our current winter Olympics. Knowing Jon likes the background on things - I thought this would be perfect. You couldn't beat the price either - $3.75 for the .PDF file - download, print and you're ready to go. So I hopped on and purchased and we decided Saturday would be the day to start. Now, Jon had the misconception that we'd hammer out the whole thing in one day - when I explained that this could take a full month to complete he looked at me like I had two heads. After we started, he figured out that one day was not going to be enough to complete this book. Even though I knew that, I didn't know what I was getting into either.

We sat and read the directions, glued our folders together, prepping our base and then dug in. We started with a history of the Olympics. Innocent enough, but after the first sentence, we had to stop and talk about "sacred truce" and discuss the difference between sacred and secular. Then we had to discuss mythology and the Gods, an overview. Then as we read through the timeline, Jon started asking why the dates went forward and backward. So we had to take some time to discuss BC vs. AD. and explain Latin and also how the dates go forward at one point and then backward at another. At this point we're about an hour into it, he's still hanging on so we continue. Then we had to discuss roman numerals - so I found a converter online for him to see what the letters stand for and how to create numbers with them. Not easy. Who knew this one page would cause so many questions!

Eventually we got to learning about the Greek culture, which I always find fascinating since it's part of my and my family's heritage. We learned about their culture, politics and family life. It was just perfect for Jon and we then cut out our hard work and glued it to our board. One of like 12 for that particular board. This might take longer than a month.

We have our science fair today, and swimming ends this weekend, I think we'll be able to dedicate a couple of hours each day to working on our lapbook and our goal is to have it done before the next winter Olympics. Kidding. It's been fun, a learning experience for me and Jon, and I'm excited he's interested at all. What do the other two chickens do while we're working. Well Drew has become my little artist, I can hardly keep him in paper, so he was drawing Olympic events, snowboarders and the torch and such. Penny enjoyed working on her cutting skills and likes to cut confetti- which may sound silly, but she's learned to hold the scissors correctly and just about has enough hand strength to cut with one hand, which is no small feat for a new 3 year old. She's more of a color-inner, vs, her own artwork, but I am sure that will change in the next few months - Jon and Drew were around three when they started to draw people and things that actually looked like people and things.

That's it in a nutshell, a relaxing day that included a bit of learning and of course some awesome time together.

One of the best parts of my day, when Jon gets home from school. Love that boy.

Thanks!!!

Miss Pickles is 3!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:07:00 +0000

This is two days late, but better late than never...

Okay so Penny's birthday is turning out to be a bit like mine - Pennaukah if you will. Friday will be the conclusion when she goes to school and her aunt and uncle come over to give her, her present. It is hard for me to remember a time when I didn't have my little girl. I can still remember sitting or laying as it was in the ultrasound room and we had Jon with us and the tech whispered to me - "it's a girl" and just being floored. We don't make those - I was fully prepared to have a third boy. I can't say enough though, how blessed I am to have my daughter.

So this morning we woke up to a two hour delay - so we had a very nice, lazy morning. Penny had her typical breakfast of milk and string cheese. Then it was on to getting our tutu on. Needless to say it IS a bit fluffy. But not too fluffy to twirl around for a few pictures and of course offer up some of Penny's finest facial expressions.

After that we played dolls and well the rest of the day includes, opening presents, homemade macaroni and cheese and hanging out with our uncle tee tee.

How did my baby get so big?

We changed out of our tutu and shirt to our "mermaid" dress up outfit. We wear this a lot - it is the equivalent to Drew's spiderman costume. It gets a lot of face time and is a primary part of our wardrobe.

I capitalized on the morning by giving the boys free reign on my stickers, stencils, scrapbook paper and blank cards. In my hay-day I was a scrapbooking machine - now I am more of a photobook machine - so much faster and easier. That leaves me, however with a TON of paper, stickers, stencils, etc. So I decided to put that to good use and I am so glad that I did. Holy smokes - did they turn out cute. So heart felt - there is nothing sweeter than watching my two boys make something so careful and thoughtful for their baby sister. I believe tears formed, but I sucked it up - I've become my yiayia - she cried over EVERYTHING happy. I guess there are worse things and to be compared to my yiayia is just about the best thing I could think of. I digress. The cards are awesome - so much better than anything I could buy in the store.

So what's so great about Penny? Sometimes she says some of the funniest things - during the superbowl we all enjoyed the Denny's chicken commercials - when we asked Penny - "what did you just see?" because we were all laughing, she simply replied: " chicken nuggets." She can make me laugh like no other - honestly, she never ceases to amaze me in all aspects. After having two boys, I continue to be floored by the nature that is a girl. She is so nurturing, so loving. She's independent and can hop on her brothers and run around with the best of them. She might be wearing plastic heals and a tutu, but she's running. I can't wait to see the woman that Penny becomes because she's a pretty spectacular little girl. I know our road will not always be so smooth, but for now when we go to bed at night I hold tight to our usual exchange: "You my fend mommy?" me: "I'm your best friend Penny, I love you." penny: "Yes, you my best fend mommy, I wuv you too." and with that I'm crying.

Happy Birthday my precious angel, my miss pickles, my littlest chicken. I love you - enjoy your day!

Thanks!!!!

American Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:09:00 +0000

Nicki, what do you think about global warming?

(conversation cards - this question may or may not have been in the box)

It's no secret that my mom loved dolls. I love dolls, not with the passion my mom did, but I do like them. I can't help but be a little girl when it comes to dressing, styling their hair and playing with them. Penny and I have had many a tea party. I have been known to "disappear" with Penny and only to be found with a hair brush and ponytail holders. I'd like to say that Penny really pushes me to do it, but I would be lying. I love it.

Penny loves dolls too - which works out well because she's inherited most of my mothers dolls. When she was in utero, mom bought her Bitty Baby from American Girl, then when Penny was four months old, Mom and I took her to American Girl to pick out a doll (okay so I picked it out) and we ate in the Cafe. I have a small scrapbook that covers the weekend together. I looked at it recently, I am so happy I did it, understanding that Penny won't remember that day without it. When my mom was still alive she made me promise I'd take Penny when she was three - I don't know why three was so important, but who am I to question a dying woman? It worked out that we would go this past weekend right before Miss Pickles third birthday.

We went up north and stayed in a hotel by my dad, he, Ryan, and the boys accompanied us to the American Girl Store (taking one for the team) and eat at the cafe. It may seem excessive to go and spend the time and the money. Fortunately we had most of everything paid for before we even left the house - this weekend had been in the works since late summer. Penny also has multiple American Girl dolls, but in all fairness she inherited two and one she was too young to pick out. So I wanted to give her an opportunity to pick out her very own doll. We brought Nicki, the doll that mom bought for her and made an appointment to get her hair styled at the salon. After scheduling our appointment, we had lunch, which was delicious. It was hilarious because pretty much everyone was celebrating a birthday. So we heard about 20 renditions of "Happy Birthday" which Penny thought was for her each time. One day she'll understand that it isn't all about her, but for now, it is. Penny was a little cranky, she developed a runny nose the day before and slept little at the hotel - it could have been a recipe for disaster, but she was a trooper and all that suffered was our photography because she had little patience for "smiling" or "posing with her doll". I'll take it because there were definite fits and I am very happy to say none came from our table. After lunch we went to our "hair appointment" and picked out our hair style for our doll. Adorable.

Feeding Nicki tea.

Nicki at the salon

This is seriously the best picture of us for the day - goofy grins all around - at least I smiled nice!

Happy Girl - with pretty dolly - best picture of the day.

After our appointment it was time to shop - holy cats was the store packed, you would have sworn they were giving dolls away (I can assure you, they were not). We were hoping to buy the "ballet" outfit - we don't call it ballerina - it's ballet - Penny will most certainly correct you on that. But they were out of stock, so she settled on a snazzy sparkly number which I am pretty sure Penny would like in her size. She also picked out "Sugar" a small yorkie dog that is about as cute as can be. From there we went down to the historical dolls and Penny settled on Elizabeth - Felicity's friend. Felicity didn't stand a chance, Elizabeth has a big pink dress - if it's pink, Penny is all over it. So Elizabeth it was. We also got a cute summer tee for Penny and one of her dolls and then a small Julie doll because she was our second favorite choice.

All in all, Penny did a great job and enjoyed herself immensely despite the chaos around her. She doesn't get stressed out by choices like Jon or Drew does - she pretty much knows what she likes and that is that. I figure that is one of her best and worst qualities.

This may seem like a silly picture, but I love it. My dad has been dubbed Silly Papa for obvious reasons - the kids just laugh and laugh at my dad and his antics. It's hard to take him seriously sometimes. He had a pretty easy time shopping this year - he just let Penny pick out the goods at AG!

After American Girl we all crashed at Silly Papa's for pizza and cake. It was a yummy end to our busy day. The boys took turns staying at Dad's. Jon stayed Friday night and Drew stayed Saturday night - we tried to leave all three on Sunday, but dad didn't share our excitement - maybe one day...

We got home, unpacked and Penny played. She received a tea set complete with a picnic basket. She promptly ran to her room to introduce her new dolls to her old dolls and have a tea party. I am very blessed that I have children that can and want to play on their own. She loves to close her door and shut out the world and play. It is precious to be outside her door and hear the magic of her imagination.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend - I look forward to going back to American Girl with Penny, just her and I. Tomorrow is her actual birthday- we've got a few surprises for her - I made her a "3" t-shirt and an adorable pink tutu that is fluffy as all get out - when she tried it on today she said, "I big!" meaning the tutu is quite big, but I am confident that she'll love flitting around the house in it. Until then - thanks!

Contest Winner...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:02:00 +0000

This will be a quick one, we're getting ready to leave for Chicago to celebrate Penny's birthday at American Girl - but I couldn't leave without announcing the winner....

Lisa Au!!!! - Congrats and thanks for all the awesome ideas. Since your guys are bigger, you can have a choice of an Owl or a small bouquet of posies - you choose. I just bought some yummy fabric - so either way it will be fun, fun, fun!

Thanks to those who commented - I'll be back again soon!

DYI Posies and a Contest!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:28:00 +0000

I love having flowers in the house. Unfortunately it isn't as easy in the winter, as it is in the summer. In the summer I just walk outside and cut whatever I fancy for a vase. In the winter, I have to buy them or hope that someone else does (which never happens). Ryan surprised me with a bouquet of gerber daisies on the anniversary of mom's passing. She loved gerber daisies and could grow them very well. I nursed them best I could and I finally had to toss them yesterday. Not to bad for two weeks - gerber daisies aren't known for their longevity. I missed the little posies, so I tried to think about what I could do to replace them. I had a rare opportunity to peruse etsy. I love etsy, but I like when other people find cool things and pass them on. I liken etsy to an anchor store - Macy's or JCPenny's - too many choices, too overwhelming. So I bit the bullet and looked myself. I found some cute fabric flowers and thought, "I can do that!" I went off and did it. The bonus is that I have a permanent bouquet AND I used up some of my remnant fabric. I'm thinking of turning one into a corsage for a jacket, sweater or hair thingy. I might just have to add this to the PP inventory - let me know what you think!

First I cut out two sizes of circles in fabric and complimentary felt.

I then sewed around the circle - leaving an irregular width from the edge. It doesn't have to be perfect - it adds to the character. I used white thread because it was there and threaded, I suppose if you wanted to get real sassy you could use contrasting thread for an additional flair!

You'll end up with a pile of thready circles that need to be organized and trimmed.

I then organized them into piles that I thought looked fun together.

I used wire to poke through the fabric and then through the bead at the top.

See the bead? I ran it back through and twisted it, I secured a smaller bead at the base underneath and then twisted the wire.

Vwa-la! I clustered three to four posies together and then clustered three of those groupings. I wrapped them in the same wire to keep them from separating.

Will you be my Valentine?

Okay so while I was making my flowers, I had the idea to make an owl. I like owls a lot - their trendy, but cute. So with all that extra fabric, I decided to make a quick stuffed friend.

A little bit of felt, fabric and buttons and you have a fluffy little friend.

Even Drew likes him.

The Owl tamer...

Guess what - I'm giving an Owl away! All you need to do is make a comment in the comment section. I'd love to hear some ideas for other little stuffed friends. Then I will draw the winner at random on that random number website that everyone uses. Once I draw the winner I will contact you and you can tell me if you want an Owl for a boy or a girl. Plus you might see your stuffed "idea" come to life in the coming months. The contest will close Friday at 3pm EST. You can enter once per day - happy commenting!

Thanks

Snow day doings.

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:55:00 +0000

We had a snow day today - I enjoyed it immensely, Ryan left later than usual to allow the roads and traffic to clear out a bit. The kids played, inside, outside and in between. I love when they're home. I decided to be fairly productive today, laundry, ironing, sewing and cleaning. All those luxurious things us stay-at-homers do for a living. I was more productive than usual - I'm not sure why, but grateful when the urge hits me.

So I've got all this fabric, some I've had, some I've inherited. I've cleaned out a bunch, but decided today to do something with some of it. When we moved into this house, my mom helped me pick out and purchase the fabric to make our roman shades and custom headboard. At that same time we also purchased accent fabric for a years old piano bench that we refinished and gave a second life. I had about a yard of that bench fabric left and decided to make a pillow for our bed. I love making pillows, they're so easy and as I get older I like the contrast and character they bring. I come by it honestly, my mom was a lover of pillows. I have the pillow warden (Ryan) to make sure things don't get out of hand and we don't have too many. I am really happy with how this little fella turned out- it has a chocolate brown backing and then I added the beads for a bit of embellishment.

I then had some Valentine fabric I bought when mom was still living with us. Mom was my official apron maker. I like to wear holiday aprons to my kids school parties - yes, I am a dork, yes, it embarrasses my children. It is retribution for all those public temper tantrums they threw when they were toddlers. Mom was well enough to make my Christmas one, we had bought the fabric for the Valentine one, but she never got around to it. I'm not sure what kept me from doing it other than it was something that she was suppose to do for me and couldn't. It's silly, I know, but that's me. So I decided today was the day and I made it - I realize when I was photographing myself that it makes me a bit fluffy, which as a healthy girl, fluffy isn't exactly the look I'm going for... it's a bit fuzzy, but you get the idea:

Last but not least is a Valentine skirt for Penny. I had enough fabric left over to make a twirly skirt for Penny for Valentines day. That's the benefit of being able to sew in a rudimentary way - I can make something like a skirt in about 10 mins and she can wear it once for all I care - it was scrap and minimal effort - but turned out cute and she looks adorable with a fluffy skirt - not like her momma.

Pair that puppy up with a red t shirt and red tights and her black boots and she'll be rocking the love. I'll post pictures on Friday of her ensemble.

Next up is a shirt and tutu for her third birthday, I think I may make one tutu for our trip to Chicago and one for her to open on her actual birthday. I also have an idea about a number "3 " t shirt - so I have to see if I can make that one work - using some of that remnant fabric I've mentioned and some "sparkle" and a not-too-expensive t shirt - instead of spending 30-35$ on one in a catalog or online. I'm pretty confident I can make the tutu and shirt for less than $10. I may make up a tutorial of that one to share.

So that's my snow day - happy homemaking at its best, we're still living off of Super Bowl leftovers so I'm not too concerned about food right now. Perhaps tomorrow.

Before I send off I have to say I am LOVING all this snow. I'm craving a fire right now and wish that Ryan was home to enjoy it (and tend to it as well!) When those super fluffy flakes were falling, I immediately ran and I got my camera and snapped a few shots. Just gorgeous if you ask me - I don't think I could ever live in a place that didn't have snow.

Soon enough that wind chime will make noise, for now, it's a bit frozen in time. I've had a ton of winter birds too - blue jays, cardinals, robins and sparrows - I can't catch them, but they're enjoying the seeds I've left out as a token of appreciation for their color on the white backdrop.

Okay - that's my day -the natives are getting restless so I am off to referee. Thanks!

Oh and I'm posting this:

Kelly Moore is giving away a bag! Go enter to win! http://kellymoorebagblog.com/

I don't know who she is, but she's got cute bags - so check it out!

Why Penny wants a sister...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Penny would love a sister. I feel for her - I've always wondered what it would have been like to have one. Since this can no longer happen in our household, Penny is out of luck. So she has decided that Cyd is her sister, even though he's a boy, but that seems to matter little to Penny. He is warm, he listens, he follows her around and tolerates being dressed up and decorated. Doesn't that sum up a younger sister? Penny thinks so, as do I.

I have to say there are moments when Cyd drives me crazy, like when he needs to be groomed and drops yet another black cotton ball on my floor after a behind-the-ear-scratch. Or when someone comes to the door and he barrels through the house to run up and jump on them, or the way he skids out on my hardwoods making them resemble a shell of their former selves. Yes, Cyd drives me crazy, he's an attention whore and sneaks naps on the couch when I'm not looking, but honestly I wouldn't trade him for anything. He's a phenomenal dog and here's why:

He loves everyone. He tolerates Penny laying on him, putting bells, bows and necklaces on him daily, Drew covers him with blankets and stuffed animals and sometimes he becomes a hairy planet where lego ships land. And he takes it. all. in stride. For a dog who's first year and a half of life is sketchy at best, he is the most phenomenal pet I could have every asked for.

Penny takes him on daily walks around the house, leading him up and down the stairs, into closets, her room, you name it, he's been taken there. He gets locked in her room, and comes out looking like a bedazzler puked on him. He doesn't whimper or whine or even try to take it off - he just acts like it's no big deal and knows eventually someone will remove the swagger from his fur.

If you look closely you'll see that Cyd is sporting a sweet gold necklace, last week it was a red ribbon with a bell, the week before that it was a pink hair scrunchy on his tail. He's worn crowns, bracelets and been fed tea in a cup, with a spoon - he hasn't explained to Penny the whole awkward opposable thumb thing.

Penny also loves to love on Cyd. He cut his foot earlier this week and it made for a bloody mess all over the house (thank you hardwood floors) it was concentrated in Penny's room and on her bed - ugh. I got him to stop running around and played vet and cleaned and bandaged his cut. He's a good boy and sat still, but I think Penny kissing his nose saying, "it's okay baby, it's okay" was probably helping - I mean his tail was going a mile a minute - he really loves attention. I am happy to report he's a-okay - and nurse Penny had a lot to do with that, I think.

I had to take a minute to honor my fourth child because last night when he came into the kitchen wearing his necklace Ryan and I had to laugh, then take his picture and then remove the necklace. We're true parents: chuckle, document, resolve issue- I like to think it's just seasoned parenting is all.

So thank you Cyd for being such a wonderful, tolerant dog. I am pretty sure he can't read, but he's Border Collie/German Shepard mix - two of the smartest breeds on the planet. Sometimes I think he's on the lower end of the gene pool, but honestly between you and me and the fencepost - I think it's an act and that he's a lot smarter than he lets on. I think being conveniently stupid works for him and that my friends is a pretty damn smart dog!

Little Ballerina Penny

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:30:00 +0000

It was only a matter of time, before we starting dancing.

If you know Penny you know that she basically twirls through life.

We decided that a ballet class at the park would be a good start to ease us into this new world.

But as Leslie said - who are you kidding, this is only the beginning, there is not going to be "trying" ballet for Penny. We have a long road ahead of us that includes, slippers, leotards, tutu's and more.

Honestly I couldn't be happier. I actually cried today when she put on her ensemble. I love having a daughter, I do. I thought about my mom and how she would have just, well cried when she saw how adorable and perfect Penny looked in her ballet gear. Not to be too sentimental, so I'll tell you a little story - so while Penny and I were shopping for this little ensemble, she went behind the counter into the glass case and pulled out the bow you see above. She handed it to me and said, "I need this." Not I want, not can I, I need this. Boy, we are IN TROUBLE. But she it does finish the look perfectly.

Thanks!

Just some stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:38:00 +0000

This past weekend I headed to Ohio to go to IKEA to shop for some furniture for a classroom in our school. We applied for a grant through Lowe's the beginning of this school year and we won! It had been years since I had written a grant, so I was thoroughly surprised. But we won and now we get to stock the room. It was a fun trip because a. I could decorate a space and b. it wasn't my space or my money. I was accompanied by my partner in crime Mandy who has been working on this grant and program and space as hard as anyone. It was a fun trip, especially since Mandy was an IKEA virgin. She fared better than I ever did my first time. As I explained to her I was in tears by the second floor and I think Ryan was seriously questioning our future together. Fortunately we made it through and now I believe, without question, I am an IKEA expert. I could docent the store really - I know what they carry, generally where it is and where your biggest bang for your buck is. I have always recommended the buddy system - bring someone who's been before to lessen the stress of your first visit. It was actually pretty funny to watch someone for the first time - it was kind of like taking a kid to Toys r' us. I'm thinking of doing field trips for friends that have never been - it was only a two hour drive and when you fold down the seats in the van you can fit a crap load of stuff in there. It was a fun, long day - but I was proud because all I bought was a cup for my bathroom and a lazy susan for my kitchen table. I believe I may have zoomed to 60 years old because I've never seen anyone under 60 have one -but the kids had a blast with the salad dressing last night at dinner. Ranch, nah, (spin) Italian, nah, (spin) Vidalia Onion, nah (spin) you get the point. I don't care as long as they ate their salad and they did. I think it was my cheapest trip to IKEA yet.

I appear to be hot on the list of people to call when you are picking out paint colors - personally I love it and I am flattered to no end. I've had two requests this week and frankly I couldn't think of anything better than picking out colors and flooring and things like that for other peoples spaces. I mean eventually you run out of your own space (and money for that matter) so it's an awesome honor for someone to trust my opinion at all. I am really geeked and can't wait to see what comes of our little paint choosing escapades.

So what is on my agenda this week? Well I got out my sewing projects and will finish one up today - the little black and cherry number for Penny. I'm also thinking about doing something fun for her birthday - a t-shirt or something - we'll see. I have a bit more to do on my painting, but should be done by the end of the week. I also have a few crafts for the kids to do for Valentine's Day, so hopefully the week doesn't get away from us.

Some Random Bits:

Can I tell you the solace I get from this blog - the people on the Indy Star can be so hateful - not necessarily directed to me, but in general. Didn't their mother's teach them if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all? I mean, I don't mind a healthy debate, but these people clearly are hateful, negative individuals and frankly I can't handle the negativity. It makes me all sad and sick inside. Ugh - so I appreciate all of you and your interest and your not-hateful-at-all words. I suppose the more public you are, the more people feel they have some entitlement to comment on you and your words. Ah - I feel a thicker skin growing as we speak. I just wanted to pass along a thank you and tell you appreciate all of you!

Okay -I'm off to school to assemble furniture. I hope everyone has a marvelous day and hopefully I'll have some accomplishments to show off this week.

Thanks!

crafts and more...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:00:00 +0000

I've been feeling the itch - I think it's being cooped up in the house. While I love this time of year, it can be a bit cumbersome getting three kids ready to go out the door. Generally speaking my kids are pretty self-sufficient. Jon and Drew can get themselves bundled up, into the car and strapped in. Penny can get her own coat on and most shoes, but she can't strap herself yet (she's in a booster- don't report me to CPS I know she isn't three yet, but her hot pink booster was just what a girl needed a couple of months ago). So I can't blame them entirely, but it certainly takes a bit longer to pull things together than say, getting myself out the door.

Where am I going with this... okay getting out. So I've also put myself on a spending freeze and running unnecessary errands. We've got some economic goals so I'm trying not to buy what I call piddly-shit items that add up. Being my mother's child, if I am going to be successful at that, it means I hit the grocery and that's about it. Otherwise I can find infinite possibility almost anywhere. Yesterday I took a solo sojourn to Super Target, with the idea that I could also get some groceries - I love Target. I mean it's like Meijer and Walmart, except much cooler. That being said, I don't think I can ever leave their premises without spending $100 and a good portion of that going to the one spot. I think it's been three months since I've been there for that very reason.

I did get a few non-grocery items, but they were birthday and valentine cards, along with valentines for the kids to give out. I treated myself to a new diffuser for my stairwell to the basement and a candle for the kitchen. I also got a new valentine t - (Leslie, it has a super cool squirrel on it!!! I could have died and almost called you immediately!) I also treated myself to two new nail polishes - which is fairly scandalous because I almost never buy cosmetics, but I liked them and I wanted them, so I bought them. See my problem?

Anyway - so since I've been trying to not shop (online shopping makes this a challenge) and go out and as a result I'm getting a bit stir crazy. I'm not like some of my friends that need to leave the house everyday - I can go days without leaving and be fine with that -as long as I'm busy. That being said while I may not have Albert Einstein's intelligence, the inside of my head feels like the way he looked. Crazy. Two nights ago I had to get up twice in the middle of the night because I came up with six different quirky sayings you could print on onesies for baby boys and girls. Ridiculous!

I also ironed this week, which if you ask my husband, never happens. I rely on the dry cleaning gods to take care of his many shirts. But trying to be a bit more conservative, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I've done it in the past, but I don't like to iron so it is painful for me. I can't say this habit is going to stay, but for this week, we're set.

I mistakenly clicked on a link from a friends (Betsy) facebook post and found an amazingly creative lady - so this week we promptly worked on this craft and it is happily hanging in my kitchen window. I ruined my pampered chef cheese grater - but I never used it anyway - so now it has a crafty purpose and I see grandparent gifts in the future.

I have a chair in the basement that needs to be refinished and recovered, I just need to get some foam and tear into it, I can't wait until it's done, I love the fabric for it and I've been waiting (not sure why) for about three years now and I've decided it's finally time.

I also have two different fabrics that I've been holding onto in my craft closet to make things for Penny. She's in an "all things twirly" phase. If she can twirl and the skirt flies out - then its a go. She put a perfectly adorable tunic on and leggings earlier this week and twirled after we popped the top on and she looked at me with her little hands on her little hips and said, "I no like this!" and promptly pulled it off and tried to go in the dirty laundry to pull out her hand-me-down hanna anderson from Merdi (thanks again Les!). We found a clean and a little bit too big sample dress I bought from Matilda Jane two years ago and it twirled just perfect, so for the day we were in the clear. We'll be staying in our pajamas more now until I can get these twirly skirts done. I'm thinking I may need to splurge on one of those ridiculous tule skirts because I'm guessing it would become a prize possession in a small girls wardrobe.

a girl needs to move (modeling a pp2 dress)

I am working on a painting for a previous client, but it is an emotional piece and I work on it, step back and take a night off - so that I can really get it right. I'm excited for when it is finished because I think it is going to be beautiful, but it is hard to not get caught up into why I am painting it in the first place and that it breaks my heart.

Finally I am feeling the house/decorate/purge/building itch. I see Ryan's eyes glaze over when I talk about painting the kitchen, getting new windows, adding a skylight and finishing the workout room. Not that he doesn't want to do those things, but it means more work for him, more money and I suppose my psychotic squirrel-like-flitting from project to project is probably a bit overwhelming. I promise once I can open my windows again, fresh oxygen will rejuvenate my brain, that or our spring break trip to Florida in April. One or the other will help, I hope.

So see today is much lighter and I've only had one cup of coffee so far - I guess I better sign off and get going on all my projects - before I lose my steam.

Thanks!

time heals, sort of

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:43:00 +0000

I don't intend this post to be a woe is me depressing sort. If you know me, that isn't my style - or at least I don't try to be! It is hard though when discussing loss and pain to not sound miserable so bear with me!

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of my mom's passing. It is hard for me not to think about the days events, how they went down, what mom was like, etc. When I think of all that, I am grateful for two years - time doesn't heal necessarily, but the raw edges smooth out a bit and the details get a bit fuzzier in some areas.

I miss mom for a number of reasons. First off, I miss her because she and I could have a bitch session like no other. I could trust her implicitly and know that if I needed to get something off my chest, she wouldn't try to fix it, she wouldn't pass judgement and with her years older experience had some clarity or comparison to offer. Secondly I miss shopping with her -mom could shop with the best of them and had exquisite taste - she spoiled me, my kids, my family and friends. She had such a giving heart - to a fault almost. If I had to choose a final one it would be I miss her for my kids. Jon has a memory of an elephant, he remembers details of things he did with mom when he was two. He is so much like her, in so many ways that it's like having a little boy version of her around. They were truly kindred spirits, and for that I am grateful because her legacy lives on vividly in him. Drew remembers things as well, although his time with her was much shorter. That being said my mom adored her Drewski - they had a bond, an understanding. Where Jon and her were outwordly similar, Drew and her share different connections, habits. I do wish she were here to have time with Drew as a little boy and not a toddler, I think they'd be great friends. Finally my pickles, this one in particular is the hardest for me. My mom adored dolls, dresses and although she wasn't a particularly girlie girl, she loved girly things. My daughter can wrestle with the best of them, but her love for her dolls, twirly dresses and pink is borders on the ridiculous. I know that mom would have taken great delight in seeing her granddaughter twirl and sing and push her pink stroller around with yet another naked baby in it. I also know my mother would be in debt up to her ears because of all the adorable things that are offered to clothe a girl. Not to mention the knee deep toys we'd have at this point. I am grateful that mom and Penny shared 11 months together, but for me I truly wish there had been more.

So today is another day, a small milestone. It's not a day I celebrate, but I certainly don't hole up in the house in the fetal position crying. I do what I do best and it's holding my kids and my wonderful husband close, enjoying them and soaking in all my blessings. I met up with an old friend this past weekend, we hadn't seen each other in about 14 years. It was wonderful and it seemed like little time had passed. We are the same girls, just older and it was a wonderful visit. She lost her mom when we were in college - she was 18 or 19 at the time. When I think about her loss, I can empathize with her pain, but I realize I was blessed with more time and for that I am eternally grateful, but equally as heartbroken for her. We all lose at some point, and when you love someone it is always too early and you never had enough time.

Thanks!

08-08-08?

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:40:00 +0000

I was contacted by one of Ryan's co-workers, Courtney. Courtney is a delightful group, who recently got married and spends her "free"time in a Christian singing group. ( I quote that because I believe she spends most of her time that isn't in the office singing) Courtney asked if I could do a painting to memorialize their wedding date, colors and flowers. I was happy to oblige and created the following little 8 x 8 gem:

Her flowers with light green hydrangea's with dark purple, white and tangerine iris', her girls wore tangerine dresses and it was the perfect color combo for a summer wedding. Sometimes I wish I could get married again, if for no other reason to plan out another wedding. Curious why I put a question mark in my title? Well I'll tell you, I'm 2/2 so far this year - Courtney sent me an email with the specifics and details - which included the date. I sent the painting and packaging to work with Ryan to give to Courtney - she loved it, but well, uh, the date was wrong. She got married on 08-08-09. I called Ryan towards the end of the day, because I hadn't heard from him and I was concerned she was displeased. So he answered and told me the problem - I freaked, I could have sworn she told me 08-08-08. Good thing I'm an organized gal - I located the email and I was right - she sent me the wrong date. I find this hilarious for two reasons first - this is my second painting this year that I had to modify the date and second she got married less than six months ago - it just made me chuckle. So Ryan brought it home, I fixed it up and it now displays the appropriate date. It was really no problem to fix it at all - you'd be surprised how easy you can make corrections. In any event - thank you Courtney - I really enjoyed doing you little painting - I wish you love and happiness in all the days of your marriage!

Fortunately my next painting does not include a date - so at least I have that going for me! Thanks!

I've done something right

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:28:00 +0000

Okay - so I've been watching, as most of you have, the devastation in Haiti. The whole situation breaks my heart, but when they show the children, well, I don't think I've cried this much since my mother's death or when I was in my third trimester of pregnancy. Watching a mother finding out that her eight year old has to have her lower leg amputated, falling apart, then the child crying because the mom is crying, it killed me and it haunts me as a parent and human. I've thought - could I adopt one of these precious orphans and handle another child? What I wouldn't give to be able to give a consoling hug. So instead I do what I can right now, I grab my kids and squish them until they say, "enough!" Now that we have the TV in the kitchen, I've found myself watching more news throughout the day. So while preparing dinner, I had NBC on and Jon was at the kitchen. I screen some things from my children, but I'm a bit of realist and try not to hide too much. Of course there was a segment about Haiti and donating. Jon, who really has a heart of gold, tells me - "mom we need to donate, do you see those people they don't have food or water or even a house." I agree and tell him we'll do it after dinner.

We're kind of suckers in this house for donations - it's kind of embarrassing when I fill out our taxes at the end of the year. Not because of the amount because I wish we could do more and never think we do enough, but we run the gamut from cancer societies, Indiana police funds, Best Friends, Salvation Army - you name it we donate to it. I can't say no, once in a while, but not usually. At Christmas time we adopt a family at our school and buy presents for them - I bring the kids along to help so they understand what exactly we're doing. I also have them donate to the red buckets - which is an immediate, visual, tangible type of donation.

So today, Jon said, "Mom, we haven't donated! We need to do it now." So we did and I asked him how much we should donate and he came up with a reasonable amount and we donated. And he was happy. He said, "see now they can have water and food." And that was that. I know it isn't as simple as all that, but I am comforted that my son of 7 and 3/4 years old found such an urgency and sense of satisfaction in giving. In this moment, I think I might be doing this mom thing right.

If you haven't donated and think you might like to here are some opportunities:

WZPL & Hoosiers Helping Haitians

Salvation Army

Save the Children

Embrace your children, be grateful for your life and everything that is in it, it can change in an instant. Thanks!

"i don't do fish"

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:37:00 +0000

I'm always looking for new things to cook, new ways to get healthy choices into my little ones (and husband's) tummy. Sometimes it's easy and they surprise me. Sometimes it's a total flub and it makes me recall the time my mom (I was probably 10) slaved over the stove for hours to make beef stroganoff from scratch. She was so proud and she put the serving bowl on the table and in unison, my dad, myself and my brother all turned our noses up and said, "we aren't eating THAT!" She was devastated and we were floored that she would serve us something so gross. Since that time I LOVE beef stroganoff, too bad it if not prepared properly it is terrible for you - but I will never forget the phone call I made to her about five years ago and said hey mom, "I'm making beef stroganoff, can I substitute this instead of that?" Fortunately my mom was never a grudge holder, so she helped me out- had it been me, I probably would have hung up on myself for having the audacity to call at all, even if it had been nearly 20 years. (I'm Italian after all)

Sometimes I am surprised and hit the ball out of the park - like with my girlfriend Jill's vegan minestrone soup recipe - it has squash, onions, leeks, all sorts of garden goodies. I wasn't sure if the kids would eat it, but my kids are big soup eaters so they downed it. I think I may have mentioned that they love my meatloaf, where I get pureed veggies and ground turkey together and make a healthier alternative to the 1950's version. Last night we had turkey sloppy joes with finely diced yellow peppers and onions and instead of ketchup we just used tomato paste, water and a bit of brown sugar and for a salty alternative we added some cumin - which gave it a mexican spin - which I am happy to say I prefer now as do my kids. It was yummy. My kids also like those little canned white potatoes - we just slice them, cook them in a little olive oil and then I sprinkle course sea salt and lots of pepper over the top ( my kids LOVE pepper - which is good, but weird - I wonder if they're deficient in something?). The kids eat them like they're never going to see them again- which is awesome, but I'd like some leftovers for dad's lunch!

So this week - we cracked into the wonderful Christmas present we got from one of our old neighbors. They sent steaks, fish, chicken, etc. through Omaha Steaks. We had the crab stuffed sole -which I am sure was terrible for me -but it was fantastic and I turned a blind eye to the fat and calorie content. I decided to make fish sticks for the kids and we had double baked potatoes. The potatoes went off without a hitch, but once I placed the platter of fish sticks on the table Drew's comment was, "um mom, I don't do fish." Now this is a blatant lie because he's eaten salmon and mahi mahi - but this is coming from the kid that calls most meat "chicken" regardless of whether it's beef, chicken or pork. I laughed and made him have one. We always have to have a "no thank you" portion. Ah well you can't win them all. We'll keep trying. I'd love to hear your family fav's - I'm always trying to add to my repertoire!

Jon eating an onion, this kid LOVES onions, grilled, raw, white, yellow or red, he loves them - it's gross (but don't tell him!)

Penny lives on dairy - she will never need to worry about strong bones.

Drew could not be reached for comment.

Thanks!

I should have married a dentist.

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:44:00 +0000

I mean no disrespect to my wonderful husband Ryan, he is remarkable and I wouldn't trade him for anything. He can do a lot of things, but teeth aren't one of them. This was the week of dental visits. It started with my oral surgery on Tuesday morning. To be quite honest I was terribly nervous. I've never been put under and I've never taken anything stronger than Tylenol. I am not a fan of pain, but I am even less a fan of taking medicine. I do what I need to do, but I suppose I am a bit of a naturalist. Your body does what it needs to do for damage control - so I just wasn't sure what to expect when it came to teeth removal. Let me give you a bit a background. I am tremendously vain about my teeth. I love the fact that they are straight and white and I've had zero orthodontal intervention. I have only one cavity and that was when I was pregnant with Penny, so I chalk it up as a fluke. My dentist for years has gently suggested that I have my wisdom teeth removed. Not because there was a problem, but because there was potential for problems and why wait until then? Well I should say at this point that I am also a don't fix what isn't broken type of gal too. So I waited and waited and then decided this would be the year. I tried to have it done last summer, but we hadn't belonged to our insurance carrier long enough to have surgery, so I had to wait, until now.

I arrived early Tuesday, met the oral surgeon that would be removing all four of my wisdom teeth. He had come highly recommended not only from my dentist, but from our friend Chad who is our children's dentist and our other friend who is an ENT surgeon. I knew this fella would be good - so I wasn't worried. Going under was fairly unremarkable - it stung like the dickens when I first got stuck, but after that, well I don't remember anything. He could have dressed me up like a chicken and paraded me up and down Keystone for all I know, but what I do know is that I am missing four teeth. Fortunately they are the correct teeth - and I am fairly certain I never wore a costume. I know that I went to recovery, I know I came home and I am told that I took medicine and tried to to talk, but since my mouth was completely numb it came out a bit like Dick Clark's New Years Eve cheer the first year after his stroke. (I mean no disrespect - I feel for him, you really think you sound normal, you do) Eventually the numbness wore off of my upper jaw and that my friends is really interested trying to talk with only the upper half of your mouth - slightly more clear, but really not so much. As the day wore on I was back to normal. I've been good since then, tired, really, really tired. I think it has to do with the steady diet of oatmeal and yogurt. I've embarked on bean soup today and some soft bread - but I am paranoid about getting food in my sockets, plus this is a great way to kick start a diet, let me tell you. I think it's also attributed to the fact that I had to pull myself together and take Penny and Jon to the dentist on Wednesday afternoon, but more of that later.

I am looking forward to my Tylenol PM tonight and a good nights sleep to finally shake off this exhaustion that I have been carrying since my dad left on Wednesday when I was put back on active mom duty. I try to keep myself pulled together, but yesterday was an all day pajama day, it just smacked me like a 2 x 4. I was told by a former (just kidding) friend that they hoped I felt better than I looked. I laughed and then took a shower and changed into fresh pajamas, hoping that would help. I asked Ryan and he said, "Babe, when you are tired, really, really tired, you look it. I was nervous to leave you in the morning." Ugh. Not being a fan of the rode hard put away wet look, I am making a conscious effort to maintain my hygiene and appearance. So far so good. I smell good, look as good as I can look and I am wearing "outdoor" clothes. It's a start.

So I have often joked that I would like to get a dentist chair in my house to use as my time out chair. It's weird, my children seem to become paralyzed upon sitting in this type of chair, like it has a sedative effect. I've tested the theory and it isn't the reclined position - they aren't as cooperative at the doctors laying down and it isn't the fact that it moves up and down - we've experienced our fair share of horrible hair cuts. It is the "dentist chair" the one-two punch of recline and up and down. But it's more than that, they crawl in, all of them, at the age of two and sit right down, get their teeth cleaned, rinsed, flossed, polished and fluoride treated. Not a tear, scream, yelp or plea. They just do it. Honest to God when I am feeling down about myself as a mother I wish I could take them to the dentist just to stroke my ego a bit. I'll admit it, I feel good about it, I know I have no control and have done nothing to make them be this way, but I stand there proud with my two year old, as their mouth is wide open taking it like a champ and the nine year old next to us is screaming. Yes, I judge and yes, I am happy it isn't me. Even when Jon has had cavities filled (I think we're on our 5th) he takes it in stride. He hates it, but he loves our dentist and in turn he knows our dentist loves him. He might flinch or drop a tear, but he's never had to be held down or talked off the ledge. The poor fella does everything right, he just gets those damn cavities in between teeth - we're all praying - dentist included- that when his big teeth come in this is just a memory. Fortunately Drew and Penny seem to be a-okay at this point. We shall see. I'm only slightly kidding about getting a dentist chair for my house.

So I sit here, healing, tired and no longer hungry for real food, thankful that it is Friday. I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend - except the part where I sell nachos at the Colts game and can't eat them. I wasn't planning on working the Colts game (Booth 121, Blue Cantina!), but I can't say "No" and well I get paid (in the form of swimming dues) and get to enjoy the excitement of a play off game - I can't complain too much about that. I hope all of you have a wonderful, relaxing and long (for the lucky ones) three day weekend. Take care, thanks and Go Horse!

fun with kids who read

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:23:00 +0000

This weekend Jon had an away swim meet. It was in Crawfordsville, far enough away to make it a day event, not far enough to get a hotel. So we decided as a family that I would take Jon both days so Ryan could do some much needed work around here, as well as spend some time with our other two. Swim meets are awful for younger siblings - their long, hot and boring (unless your kids is swimming). So we don't like to subject them to it very often, because it is painful to entertain them for the five hours as you sit in the overcrowded stands. When you are by yourself with an able-bodied child, it's actually a get away. I just needed two seats, which is way easier to find than five. I could read, I started and finished the book, The Color Purple and best of all, I was able to relax and not worry about entertaining anyone. So needless to say I was happy to be the one doing the driving and the swim meet this weekend.

On our way to Crawfordsville, Jon and I needed to go to the bathroom, so we stopped at a small gas station right outside of town. They had a small unisex bathroom so we went in together. Jon was thinking about doing some business, so I thought I'd come in for back up, plus my mug of coffee kicked in and needed out. So we're standing there, Jon going to the bathroom and me trying not to touch anything and then Jon started to read. I noticed when we came in a dispenser over the toilet and figured it was for pads and tampons. Then he said, "ul-tra th-in" "six different kinds of please-sure" - "mom, what are con-" Okay - as I grabbed him I covered his ears, no, then I covered his eyes and said, "don't you need to poop?" and spun him around and plopped him on the toilet. He said, "no mom, I don't" " mom, what are those things for?"

Well now shit, I don't want to have the condom talk with my 7 year old in the middle of a crappy bathroom in a gas station in Crawfordsville. I mean really, this wasn't even a truck stop. Do they get so many requests or sell out on the racks so much that they needed to install a dispenser? It makes me wonder about Crawfordsville. Ugh, okay here it goes:

Me -" No, Jon those are things for men."

Jon- "do I need them?"

me- "no, they are for big men."

Jon- "so does dad need them?"

me- "no, daddy doesn't need them."

Jon- "why are they selling them here?"

me- "it's like those machines that sell pads or tampons when women need them"

Jon- "so do you need some?"

Me"NO!"

Jon- "so what are con-"

Me- "damn it Jon wash your hands and lets go we're going to be late to the swim meet!"

Jon- "we're going to be late?? well lets go mom!"

And we were done. If there is one thing I can count on is that my son is fairly neurotic so if I tell him we're going to be late or miss something, he will switch gears immediately. Good heavens, seriously if you are driving to Crawfordsville and your child that is of reading age needs to go to the bathroom do NOT, I repeat DO NOT stop at the Circle K on 47. Pee on the road, pee in the bushes, but for the love of all things holy don't go in the bathroom or you too will have to have a version of the condom talk with your child. It isn't something I recommend.

Thanks!

On a lighter note, Jon did great at the swim meet and PR'd in three of his four events and managed to finish the 25 breast stroke without dying. It was a good, good weekend.

the world is her snow cone

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:06:00 +0000

My kids love the snow, all of them. Those first few flakes of the season bring the begging of "pleeaaazzzeee can we go outside." Now if you are parent you realize that generally bundling your child takes longer than the outdoor playing itself. There is no doubt that after 15 minutes they will come running to the door red-cheeked and covered in snow, whining about coming in because their so cold. My children, despite their love of snow, fall victim to this every time - unless I am outside with them. I've made no secret that I love winter, the snow and the cold, I like fall better, but winter is still one of my favorites. So I don't mind so much going out to shovel and play. Today the driveway was covered with at least 3-4 inches of snow - of course it seemed like more, but I am told that's all there was. When we get big snow falls during the day like this, I like to shovel the driveway so Ryan doesn't have to when he comes home. When mom goes out, so does the rest of the house. So I bundled up the kids and we headed outside. On to my point - and you know I have one. Penny has an unnatural love for ice and snow. She prefers cups of chopped ice to an actual cup of water. When the snow started to fall, Penny can't enter the van without grabbing a handful and eating it to our destination. Today we went outside and Penny was as happy as a pig in a pile of you know what. She just walked around with her eyes wide and her hands full of snow. It was too cute not to share, so I will.

Showing her bounty.

I hope everyone is warm and safe and enjoying this beautiful snowfall! Thanks!

Ft. Flipper

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Okay - so the title of this blog probably makes no sense, but it is the theme of my latest painting. Before Christmas, my dearest and oldest friend Jen asked me if I would do a painting for her to give to her brother as a present. I was touched and nervous - Jen is pretty particular and I knew that she had something cooked up in her head and it was going to be no small task to get that out and on to paper. We sat down and we discussed the painting for over an hour, details, location, font, etc. She wanted a vintage resort poster look, her brother loves to fly fish, so that would be our focus for the painting. Her brother's in-laws have a cottage in Maine and that is where he proposed to his fiancee. The final touch was to give this gem a name - apparently Jay's pet name from his wife is "Flipper, " I'm not sure why, it isn't my job to ask - in their home they have a basement or what is fondly referred to as the "man-cave." Jen thought it would be fun to label the painting "Ft. Flipper" since it would go in the basement in his space.

I was excited to do this painting because it made me work with a bit more realism, I used Mt. Battie as my reference (which worked out well because that is where Jay proposed - I love when things work out that way!) and then started looking up fly lines, baskets, the type of trout that would be in a stream in Camden, Maine, etc. I am really pleased with how this turned out and best of all Jen was too. I present to you - Ft. Flipper:

I decided to line the painting with an irregular border and the bottom edge would be a copy of a fly rod and reel. A funny side note, the painting has since been altered. When Jay received this he liked it, but after awhile he had to ask Jen what the significance of 2007 was. She said it was the year you got married and bought your house. He laughed and said, "No, it was 2008." Oops! Well at least I'm just the painter and didn't stand up in the wedding like Jen did! Ha! All is well though and we are now Est. in 2008!

This actual fly basket was in an auction on the Orvis website for $1,500!!!

I learned that Brown Trout frequent the fresh water streams of the Northeast.

Thanks again Jen for trusting me with this project - I had A LOT of fun doing it and creating it with you. I hope Flipper enjoys it for years to come in his man-cave. Thanks again - stay safe and watch out for all that damn snow we're suppose to get tonight. My kids are praying for a two hour delay...

it's the not so little things...

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:43:00 +0000

I am blessed, truly I am. I have a husband who can make my children's and my dreams become realities. We really take for granted how talented he is and capable. The kids had requested a TV on our kitchen, I seconded the motion because I was tired of the kids eating in the toy room and making a crumbly mess. I am really tired of yelling at Jon to finish eating breakfast because he still has to brush his teeth and I can see the bus coming. All of this could be eliminated if we could have a TV complete with cable in our kitchen. Let me preface this by saying that I am not a big TV person. I'm not. If it weren't for our blessed DVR I would never watch TV because I undoubtedly will not be in front of the TV when a show I enjoy is on. Now I can record them, but even so I only watch a couple of shows so even if I had no TV I would survive (I would miss my Joel terribly though). What we have is a large TV in the "TV room" -this is Ryan's entertainment space that he has wanted for eons. We have my old Zenith that my parents bought for me when I graduated college in the kids "Toy room" so that Ryan and I wouldn't be subjected to Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon when a Colts game was on. A TV in the kids room isn't a necessity, but the damn thing won't die and I'm not a fan of throwing a perfectly good albeit beast of a TV away. When my mom passed she left us with her adorable 15" flat screen that she had in her room. It's a cute little deal and has been stowed away in the storage area for later use - the plan was to hang it in the kitchen. All we had to do was get an overpriced mount for the wall and Ryan would work his voodoo - handy man magic and get cable into this part of the house.

Putting the TV in the kitchen was one of those projects that was suppose to get done over the holidays since Ryan took some time off. Being a man of his word, the TV is up and running. Of course there were a few obstacles, like the fact that mom's TV wouldn't fit our new mount or any mount for that matter because it has a permanently attached base that can be attached to a wall, but wouldn't swivel - which is what I needed for the kitchen so I can be inspired by the Food Network or like last nights episode of the Kardashians while making chex mix. What to do, what to do?

So Sunday I hit a mothering wall - after two weeks solid of the kids with no break except for one coffee date with a dear friend for 2 hours, I needed out, in a big way. So I looked at my husband with those eyes and said nothing - this is what he translated my look into - " You want me to call Andrea (our neighbor home from college) to watch the kids so you and I can go to the store and buy a TV for the kitchen right?" This is one of the benefits of sharing a brain when you are married, we can have full conversations without saying anything. He was absolutely correct - he just missed the part where I needed to go to Pier One and buy some faux lemons for my hurricane in the kitchen, but we've only been married 10 years - we'll get there.

So we called and she came and we left and we bought and we came home and I was refreshed. Fortunately for us the stores were still having great deals on TV's. So we brought home a darling little 19" TV for our kitchen and Ryan got the whole thing up and running in less time than it took to go out and buy it. I am spoiled, very, very spoiled to be married to such a handy fella. Needless to say the kids are in love and I have much more company than I did before in the kitchen - which is A-Okay with me. Here are my little darlings getting ready for breakfast this morning (Drew is absent because he was the only one with school and had already been picked up).

Exploring with Dora in the morning

Who's one of the cutest bed head kids around?

Penny really enjoying her adventure with Dora - accompanied by her beloved "lamby" and sitting on "soft" her blanky. It only gets better with a sippy of 2%.

My sincere hope is that this spring I can paint this wretched kitchen and it will be the color of Cumin (see small square painted on wall next to TV and remote) with white trim - we shall see. If I can't renovate, maybe I can at least put a little makeup on the lady and make her presentable. As a side note, my daughter is sitting next to me saying "I so pretty, I so pretty" perhaps I compliment her too much? Ah - I didn't think so! Thanks!

First on the Resolution Agenda: Cleaning Out

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Tired of hearing about me organize and purge? Then don't read on, I'm talking about it again. I got the wonderful opportunity to meet up with a couple of girlfriends after Christmas -part of my "girls" that I often road trip with and do my girl get-aways along side. We met up to eat and then go for a showing of New Moon. (I promise this isn't going to talk at all about New Moon) I remarked that my dad and I stayed up and watched an episode of Hoarders, on A & E and we were horrified by the conditions people would allow themselves to live in. That the majority of these individuals, although they may seem normal to meet them, clearly had mental issues that were causing this destructive and often dangerous behavior. I remarked that while watching, I just couldn't wrap my arms around how you get to the point where you are on a show like hoarders. Watching things like that show and Clean Sweep, make me want to go home and refine my purging and organizing. My girlfriends laughed and said I should create "Hoarders of Indiana" and single handedly organize one person at a time. While that seems pretty awesome- and I am flattered - for right now I'm just purging my kitchen.

I was amazed that within two hours I got it all ship shape - I make no secret that I hate my kitchen, it's ugly, the cabinets are warped, the drawers don't always work and the only redeeming thing in it is my refrigerator and the fact that my stove (not my fav) is new. One day I'll have that new kitchen, with the gleaming counter tops and cork flooring, but until then I deal with my sweet 80's kitchen. Living in this kitchen has been a good exercise I think because it has taught me to live within a small cabinet space. I have condensed my kitchen down to what I actually need and use, verses holding on to utensils, plates and cookware that rarely, if ever sees the light of day.

I also took some time to go through my recipes - I was the recipient of my grandmothers and my mothers recipes. Some I remember, some I couldn't read and some I wouldn't make if I had a gun to my head and a knife to my throat. I cleaned out those and condensed so that they fit in the containers I have. I also found a few of duplicates of my grandmother's favorite recipes in her handwriting -I am sending those to my cousin - who is also a fabulous cook, to have - I think I might frame mine - especially my Yia yia's banana nut bread - she made it every single week. You never left her house with out a loaf of banana nut bread out of the freezer - it was her signature. The recipe I have is so loved and stained, I couldn't possibly banish it to the recipe box - so I will matte it and hang it where I can see it and enjoy it every day.

So yesterday was a refinement of my current possessions - we are getting to a point where we no longer need children's silverware. My kids are capable of using the big people stuff. We are getting close (although not there yet) to not needing the plastic kid dishes or at least all of them. Same thing with cups - we're down to a few sippys for morning milk for Penny, but other than that we can all wield a cup. It makes me happy, but a little sad that we are moving into that next phase. I will say that once those items are no more I will free up yet another part of a cabinet. My goal ultimately is to have open shelves for my plates and cups - the quintessential organized space in my opinion.

Next up is my dining room, there isn't much there, but I need to go through the linens, the napkins, the place mats I don't use, serving pieces, etc. I've hosted a few holidays now, so I know what I use and what I don't. It's won't be a big project because I've done this in the past. But like a well-visit to the Doctor, I'm just doing a check up.

I think that is where most people probably struggle the most. They work so hard to clean out and to organize and then they leave it and live. I mean you're done right? Sure you are, but unfortunately we accumulate "stuff" through out the year - pictures from or of our kids, drawings, bills, paperwork, a gift, a great bargain, a hand-me-down, etc. before you know it you're back where you started - but you're organized, right? Contrary to what you might think, I'm not OCD, I don't follow people around with a dust broom and I don't compulsively give things away for fear of hoarding, but every year once or twice I get the urge to go over what I have and clean out. I figure once my kids are older, this won't happen as frequently because they won't be going through these "phases" - like needing plastic plates and silverware or toys or giving me 10 drawings a day because they love me. At some point I will have pared down to my perfect place and my cleaning out will be an annual spring thing. One of the reasons I really like to do my cleaning out now is that I'm taking Christmas down and cleaning anyway, so why not do a really, really good job? One day this will be it, it makes me excited and a bit bittersweet at the same time.

I've got quite a bit to blog about so stay tuned - I may even talk about more organizing and purging! (Aren't you excited?) I have a painting to post, two more that I am starting and I am getting my large ass in gear and will be hitting the workouts hard. I discovered pictures of myself after I had Jon, when we were renovating our last kitchen. I was disgusted at the difference. Although I need to consider the fact that it was 6 years ago, I've had two more kids, cared and lost mom and had a husband that has had jobs that have taken him away for periods of time - this all just irritates me and I've hit my breaking point. So I will be chronicling that journey as well. We've also switched web hosts, so I'll be redoing my website, recreating my blog through Wordpress and more. So stay tuned - we've got lots going on at the Page household and for Penny Pickles. Thanks again for reading and take care!

New Year, New Me?

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Sure it's cliche to have New Year's resolutions. But I'm a fan of goals and lists, mostly lists, but goals too. I find that if I list them out, they become kind of an obsession and therefore I focus on them. Let me preface by saying that if I don't accomplish all of my goals, I won't consider the year to be unsuccessful - I am lofty, but in the end fairly realistic. Here are some things I have been thinking about and well hopefully accomplish by the end of the year...

Fall in Love with Running again:

I've been running since I had Jon, it ebbs and flows, I hate it, but I love how I feel when I'm done and I am certainly happier with my appearance as a result. I ran a lot last summer, it felt great, but then Ryan started a string of side jobs this fall and my evening runs became few and far between. I'm an evening runner, I love to have dinner and then go out for a run. I'm stiff and cranky in the morning, my runs suck and then I'm exhausted by mid afternoon - so I love running in the evenings. This proves to be harder in the winter, so I am resigned to my treadmill, which I am happy to have, but hate with all my being. So my goal is to get back on the treadmill, as well as don my new outdoor running duds I received from Ryan for Christmas and do a few chilly runs. I am planning to sign up for the Geist Half in May and we'll see beyond that race.

A Sprint Tri:

I've wanted to do a sprint triathlon for a while now - Ryan bought me an awesome new bike for my birthday this year and I am really enjoying it. I didn't know how much I would like bike riding, but with my shiny new road bike, it is easy to enjoy my time out. So between riding and running all I have left is swimming and I am a strong swimmer and know with a bit of time in the pool I'll be fine - it's getting a swimsuit on in front of a crowd that has me a bit concerned - so hopefully with all this running and bike riding, my ass will be a tad smaller before "T" day - there are several sprint tri's in the area this summer, so I'll figure out which will work and go for it.

Continue to Blog:

I've come to enjoy blogging immensely- more than I could have ever imagined. I enjoy doing the Indy Star blog - but I am finding blogging about life is a bit more enjoyable and frankly the negativity of people out there is amazing. I'm not sure in what capacity I'll continue - only time will tell.

Enjoy my Garden more and Expand:

I love to garden, but found it more challenging this year then in years past. This year I am going to expand, yet again, my vegetable garden to the entire side of my house. I am also going to pull out the remaining overgrown bushes around my house (I guess Ryan knows now what he'll doing this spring!) so I can expand my roses, grasses and lilies. I want to spend more time outside, last year I was a bit of a hermit, so my goal is to be out more and do more and include my children to do more so they can develop the love of gardening as well. I am also going to break into composting -so wish me luck!

Truly Clean Out:

If you know me, I am not a hoarder. In fact I was sent into giggles when a couple of girlfriends suggested I become the Indiana version of "Hoarders" like you see on TV. While that could be fun, I am pretty sure I wouldn't be able to handle some of the neurotic tendencies these clients have. But for myself, I am always looking around my home and trying to keep only what I use, as well as not putting emotional associations with things. (Which is hard now that mom is gone - when you've lost someone close it is very easy to slip into the mode of keeping) I know it may seem silly, but when I'm cleaning I try to think about if I lived in India or some other country of the like and all I had was a one room space. What would I need? Certainly I am blessed to not live in that situation, but do I always need everything that I have? This is a constant balance and study and now that it has been almost two years since mom passed I am going to truly reflect on what I have and what is truly sentimental. Also, I am starting to purge the few baby things I've kept. I haven't kept much, but I do have some things for my brother and for any friends that will start there families in the next year or so. I am paring those items down too.

Starting a Career:

So it has always been the plan that after the kids go to school that I would go back to work in some capacity. I have never planned to go to work full time because I think as my children get older it will be as imperative for me to be present as it was when they were young. So a part time gig is in my future. It has always been the plan that I would work so that we could supplement our savings, college savings and retirement. We are blessed that we are still in that circumstance. I have been doing a lot of soul searching and thinking about what I would like to do when I go back to work. Of course I am trained as an Urban Planner, but I am so out of the loop that I don't think I could just jump back in with much success. I also know that I didn't enjoy it much when I DID do it, so I am guessing I would like it less now than I did then. Comprehensive plan charettes and zoning ordinances aren't really my passion. So what the hell do I do? Sure I paint, and I still enjoy that immensely and will keep my online store open. I'm trying think of ways to upgrade and revamp so expect some changes in 2010 - but I want a bit more consistency and with the economy - artwork isn't a necessity. I am hopeful with time and economic recovery that I will paint a bit more, but for now I am enjoying the break. I have be faced with an opportunity that I am doing some thinking and praying about. My yoga studio is offering a training class to become a certified yoga instructor. My instructors are encouraging me to attend. I am strongly considering participating - it will be about 6 months long - 200 hrs. It is a commitment, but I think I actually could be quite good. I love yoga, I love how I feel physically and mentally and emotionally. Yoga was integral in my healing after losing mom, I was able to connect with my pain and my mom. My meditation time allowed me to speak to her, to hear her voice and know I was going to be okay. I see so many benefits for yoga practice beyond the physical that I really love sharing it with the people around me. Upon completion of this training I would be a certified instructor - I would like to tap into one on one instruction in people's homes rather than a studio - but I certainly wouldn't pass up the chance to do studio work either. In the studio, I think I would be happiest doing beginner and children's yoga- just because when you start off it can make or break your experience. I know that my instructor made it so that I wanted to come back and then I evolved with just wanting to do yoga - not just to work with my instructor. I'm still not entirely sure if I will do take this opportunity now or in another year or so - but I'm leaning towards now. Being a stay at home mom with my own schedule has made me a bit of a commit-o-phobe. So I am making peace with losing some of that control and we'll see what happens.

To Strive to be the Best that I am Everyday -for Me, for my Family, for my Friends :

I think developing ones self is an ongoing education. When I die, I don't want people to remember me for a clean house or organized pantry, I want them to remember me as a person you could pop in or call at a moments notice and I would welcome you with open arms. I want my kids to remember me as a mom that kept them in line, was strict, but also soft and nurturing of their individual self. I recognize each of my children have their own distinct personalities - I try to embrace them for who they are - some days it is easier than others. I want my husband and family to know that although I take time for myself, they are the center of my world, that when I do things for myself it's because I want to be the best version of myself for THEM. I want to them to feel loved and cared for and protected.

These are my goals for 2010 - some will be accomplished, some will be attempted, some will be started and ongoing through my entire life, but as the saying goes - "The distance is nothing, it is only the first step that is difficult." Madame Marie du Deffand

I wish for you a happy, healthy 2010. Be safe, be merry and thanks for an awesome year of support and love!

Lying and why Santa can be a bit of a jerk

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:05:00 +0000

I'm a fan of lying to my kids- I am. I know some people who are totally against this practice. To you I say, FOOLS! There is a narrow window in their little lives when I can tell them things and they will rarely question me. Now let me preface all of this, I don't lie about really important stuff. If they do something wrong, I reprimand and explain consequences, when my mom was sick and dying, I explained it in a way they could understand, but I didn't sugarcoat, so when I say I lie, I mean about lighthearted things. Santa, Easter Bunny, St. Nick, the tooth fairy - these are all the fodder of my lies. Recently Jon has been questioning Santa a bit, not really questioning, but telling me about a handful of kids he knows that don't believe. This really took me a back because I really thought we would have more time with no questions. It's unfortunate because these kids he's encountering honestly live harder lives than they should at their age. They don't celebrate Santa, not for religious reasons, but because mom or dad can't be bothered. I saddens me and then it angers me because it steals the magic from us. Jon is a pretty straightforward kid so when he tells me so and so doesn't believe, I say "that's too bad, because when you stop believing Santa stops delivering and mom and dad have to pick up the slack." That seems to suffice for now. I am pretty sure that if this wasn't the last year, next year will be. While I am comfortable lying - even I have my line in the sand. If Jon point blank asked me, I would have to tell him the truth. So I guess I'm not exactly lying, I'm just embellishing and avoiding the truth.

I came up with a new lie this year that seemed to benefit us tremendously. My children are early risers, I am not, so Christmas morning can be excruciating for me. Last year it was 5:30 - which is no easy feat when you go to bed at midnight and then are expected to host, cook and smile all Christmas day. So I decided to tell my children this little gem. Santa may deliver the presents after midnight, but they are still magical and if you get out of bed before 7 a.m. then the presents will disappear. At 6:57, Drew had to go to the bathroom - I hear Jon quietly yell - "No Drew it isn't 7 yet! They'll disappear!!!" [Drew] "Jon, I have to PEE!" We hear Drew run to the bathroom and he was in there for a bit and then we hear Jon - "It's okay Drew, come out now" and they ran to the living room and then back to our room to get us up. GENIUS!

I heard another one - that I plan on using next year, this one is really good - one mom told her kids that the individuals at the end of the registers (like at Target or Kohl's or Walmart) are actually elves and their headsets were connected to the North Pole and they reported bad boys and girls who acted up in line. Apparently this set her kids straight and they were angels on the look out for elves at all of the stores they entered. Once again- GENIUS!

Here's why Santa is a jerk. So when Ryan and I had our first Christmas we decided that we would only get one gift and a few stocking stuffers from Santa. We then would buy a game for the family to play and a couple of books and one toy from us. We didn't want to overdo it for Christmas because eventually we'd like to take family vacations instead of presents and my parents have always picked up the slack. So my children will sit on Santa's lap and tell him the one thing they want and every damn year the fat bastard says "only one toy?" "what else do you like - or how about I get you x. y or z" I suppose these mall Santa's are used to kids that come in with a laundry list of items they want. We don't do that - you ask for one thing - you always get that one thing. It has worked out marvelously for the duration of our family. So this year we saw a very nice, very authentic looking Santa. The kids warmed up to him quickly and they each took turns on his lap. Penny was easy, but pulled a last minute switch (see below). Drew - he kept it general - Harry Potter legos. Then it was Jon's turn, he told Santa he wanted Harry Potter, Chamber of Secrets Lego set - Santa then said, "Is that all? Do you like transformers? How about Optimus Prime?" Jon looked at him and said "Sure" I mean if Santa was offering, you don't want to be rude, right? So on Christmas morning Jon was excited, but had a bit of a puss - so I asked what was wrong. He said that Santa didn't get him an Optimus Prime. I told him that the Santa we saw was probably his cousin (because mall Santa's are either an elf or a cousin) and he's used to greedy kids, so someone who comes in with one thing is unusual -but that we don't need to ask for more than what we need. That seemed to suffice and he purchased a new Optimus with his gift card money from my dad. All is right with the world.

I get particularly frustrated with Santa because this has happened to us two other times now - first when Jon was three he wanted a Buzz Lightyear - then last minute he pulled a quarterback sneak and wanted a "Blue Buzz" which of course was more expensive and I already had the regular Buzz. But when your kid asked for one thing, you kind of need to deliver. Then this year we struggled with what to get Penny, I mean she loves Dora and we have everything Dora and Diego from the boys. She loves puppies, but we've reached our quota of stuffed animals, she loves horses, but ditto on the stuffed version and figures. The only thing we could think of is American Girl stuff - but her birthday is in February and we're planning a trip north the store to celebrate her day (mostly because my mom made me promise I would take her to the store for her third birthday - I can't break that promise). So what to get? We were lucky, one of my closest friends has kids the exact age of my own - only opposite sex - they had an extra Leapster in pink that they didn't use anymore - so she gave it and the backpack to me - all I needed to do is get a few games. Great! We did that and we were good to go and then Penny tells Santa she wants a Mermaid Barbie. Then she starts telling EVERYONE she wants a Mermaid Barbie - so on the 23rd at 10pm I went to Walmart with the rest of the nut jobs and bought a Mermaid Barbie to go with her Leapster. Once again all is right with the world.

I think it was a great Christmas - I know I enjoyed it - I'm pooped from all the prep, but happy because everything seemed to like their gifts, enjoy the time together and embrace the season. It's all over, so much work and thought - there is a definite sense of relief and I am looking forward to the winter season. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday - take care and thanks!

E! True Noblesville Story: Annie Page (Chipper)

noreply@blogger.com (Penny Pickles) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:46:00 +0000

No really, I am nuts - so if you belong to Facebook you've seen the 5'8" squirrel on my profile picture. Yes, that would be me. Here's the story:

My son goes to Forest Hill, our mascot is "Chipper" the chipmunk. Over the years Chipper has gotten kind of ratty and smelly and well it was hard to get anyone to really WANT to be Chipper - the costume is also a furnace - I mean all that fur zipped up - well it's no wonder polar bears do so well in the cold. So we had a phenomenal fundraiser this fall - raising more funds than we anticipated. So we as a PTO asked the teachers and staff for ideas on how to spend our extra money. One of the suggestions from our Principal was a new Chipper- the kids love Chipper and personally I think he has a thing for him too. So that was one of the suggestions and everyone was on board, except me. Now don't get me wrong - I think it's a fun idea - the kids would love it, but honestly they love ratty Chipper too - so while I have my own passion for squirrels - I did not rally for the new costume. Fast forward to our vote - the costume won - so we ordered it. At this point I need to tell you they are also closing our school in a year and a half and we will no longer be the Forest Hill Chippers - we'll be broken up a bit and my kids will mostly likely be going to Hinkle Creek and be the Cougars (can I tell you how thrilled I am about being a middle aged woman and wearing a "Cougar" shirt?) But that's for another post. So we have a year and half to use the hell out of this costume.

Our principal, Jack, is a riot and he loves to do special things for the kids - so on the last day of school before break he dons a Santa hat and reads T'was the Night Before Christmas to all of the students throughout the day. He had this fantastic idea that our new Chipper should make his grand entrance with a letter from Santa - the only problem was who to put in the costume. I received a reluctant call from our PTO president asking if I had any plans for Friday. Now I did have lunch plans, but other than that, I was free. So my dilemma was do I do the squirrel or be a total bitch and say no. Well as much as I would love to be a total bitch, I couldn't, I mean it's just a costume and I knew I'd have fun. So I said yes, that hell did in fact freeze over and to let Jack know he owed me. Big time.

Fast forward to Friday, I came, I put on the costume and let me tell you - NO ONE over 5'8" can wear this costume - I couldn't sit because my legs would show and Chipper has a bad case of thunder thighs, NO ONE with bigger than a size 9 shoe can wear the shoes because my feet were at the end - apparently people in Guatamala are very small (where it was made). The costume itself is hilarious - my hips were huge (my actual hips look svelt in comparison) and it was still hot as hell- I could have been dropped off at the polar ice cap and done quite well, for days. But then there was the head. This huge, heavy, ridiculous head. I popped it over my own head and ohmyheavenstobetsy, I can't see a damn thing. Nothing, nada, blind as a freaking bat - our mascot might as well have been a giant mole because I had ZERO visibility. The head has two little one inch openings on the two eyes of the chipmunk about 8 inches apart - you do the math - my eyes are not eight inches apart. Which means I spent most of my day staring out of a one inch circle with black mesh over the top. The head was so heavy that in the pictures (that you'll see in a minute) I look defeated, like the alpha squirrel kicked the shit out of me, because my head looks like it's hanging. I was introduced time and time again, walking in and out of the story time - the kids loved it and I will admit to everyone reading this I enjoyed it too - other than the open ended questions Jack would ask me and and then I would think, how the hell do I answer that without talking? "Did you go to the North Pole to visit Santa, Chipper?" "What do you want for Christmas Chipper?" "What do you think about the Senate version of the health care bill?" You get the picture - I would try to shake my head yes, but I feared it would pop off and that would freak a few kids out, no? A Marie Antoinette version Chipper - was not what I had in mind.

I also required a handler to walk me around since I could not see and at first I couldn't walk so well either - by the end of the day I could skip down the hallway -I am sure I was a sight to be seen. My handlers did the best they could, but kids love to hug and high five chipper. I nearly had the air knocked out of me by an overzealous fourth grader who ran head first into my abdomen to give me a hug. I also whacked a kid in the face as I was trying to reach and give another kid a hug. I stepped on one kid and knocked another over with my hips as I was trying to get into the reading pit - graceful Chipper I was not.

My first of two favorite moments of the day was visiting the Kindergarten room - that place was like an militant African minefield - little chairs, desks and kids - I was knocking shit over left and right. I suppose they don't have four foot wide Chipmunks frequenting their space, it was physical comedy at it's best. The next and my personal favorite was when reading time was over - our principal led me down the hall and he had a grip on my arm and was pulling me through a gaggle of kids, the kids were hugging me, grabbing me, giving me high fives - at one point he let go and I thought I would fall or be mobbed - hasn't he heard of leave no solider behind? He then came back for me and grabbed my hand and yanked me through. I knocked over a couple of kids in the process, slammed a few into the walls, and I am confident I personally squished at least six or seven small feet. I couldn't call out "help" or "slow-down" so I was dragged like a cave woman through the hallway, but at least he came back for me.

All in all I had a LOT of fun- if I could see better and the head was more stabilized, I could do so much more. My goal now is to modify how the head meets the suit to enable better movement and to take the pressure off of the wearers neck - I was sore the next day from its weight. The next item on the agenda is to see better -I don't want to look like an ass giving hi-fives to the air. I would wear this suit again (don't tell my principal) - mostly because I love squirrels and definitely because the kids were so much fun to perform for - they loved me! (to be fair they love Chipper, but I was inside so I'll take credit) With that here are pictures from my day as a giant woodland creature...

Pre-head, with my snack and yes that's a bow in my hair, festive, no?

With Annette, who talked me into this.

Chipper with our principal during the "coal test." Don't let Chipper's body language fool you, I'm happy to report that Chipper isn't getting coal for Christmas this year. (Chipper seems to have just have some osteoporosis issues)

I hope everyone has a marvelous holiday - check back, I'll be posting my latest painting, AFTER it's been given to the recipient. Take care and of course - thanks!