Stupid Traveler

Do you ever have one of those trips where you end up spending money on things you already have at home but you neglected to bring them? Last weekend on the way to Seattle, I bought another (black, zipper) totebag. I bet I have a dozen similar totes but I couldn't get my carry-on worked out. I had an extra KINDLE with me (don't ask) and it was too heavy and unbalanced so I bought yet another totebag. $19.99. Why oh why don't I just tuck an extra one in my suitcase everytime I travel?

Then I bought a Better Homes and Gardens magazine that I already have. Duh. $3.99.

Then I was freezing at SeaTac so I bought yet another one of those cheap airport pashminas. $14.95. Now I have one in turquoise to complement my lavendar and brown wraps -- why is it they are always sold out of black? It was 100 degrees at 8:00 p.m. when I got home so on the jetway I stuffed my new "cashmere" pashmina into my new totebag next to my Better Homes and Gardens.

A Long Way From Home

You know you're in the Pacific Northwest when you are greeted by this in your hotel room closet.

Pool Maintenance

Lynn has been trying to vacuum our pool for a few weeks now. There was severe dust build-up from our recent winds. It appeared we needed a new vacuum because no amount of elbow grease was working. He took apart the section that rolled along the bottom of the pool and he examined the motor. He couldn't find anything wrong but thought maybe it was just worn out and we needed a new one. Finally he detached the hose and looked inside for possible holes or obstructions...

then he found the culprit. A runaway Littlest Pet Shop.

And yet another reason I love having a 10 year old daughter.

Sparkle

There are many reasons I like having a daughter.
When I clean out the lint tray in the clothes dryer, it almost always sparkles with bits of glitter.

funk

Am feeling old and fat. Leah went grocery shopping with me and as we stood at the deli counter making small talk with JoAnne, the deli lady, she smiled and asked if we were having a "grandmother/grand-daughter day"? I should have just said yes but I feel the need to correct people when they call me Leah's grandma. So I said "no, this is my daughter." Had I known how JoAnne would react, I would have let it go. She paused and then in embarassment said "she should have known." Then as she readied the roast beef she apologized with each slice. I said "it's okay, I understand." The apologies would not stop and it made things much worse. I tried to reassure her but she continued. Even as we made our way to the dairy case, I could hear her relating the story to her co-worker. Stop. Enough.

I'm wondering if in the future I should just let it go when someone makes this assumption. I really do understand why. I mean I have friends with grandchildren that are Leah's age. It makes sense but I just don't need reminders of how old I am. I always wonder if all the celebrities with their IVF babies hear these same comments. Does their botox, plastic surgery and sparkling teeth make them immune?

In the car, on the way home, Leah told me that I'm pretty.

Easter 2011

Finished decorating a couple of weeks ago. This is a glimpse of our Easter Tree and the buffet in the entry. Don't you love Easter decorations? We have wooden eggs, plastic eggs, fabric eggs and glass eggs galore.

Leah woke us at 5:45 this morning for the egg hunt. Is this the same girl who accuses me of being the Easter Bunny? Luckily Tempe is an early stop so every rock, shrub and tree was ready for inspection. Am wondering why Mr. Bunny didn't put more chocolate in Leah's basket as I'm craving peanut butter cups...

Brunch at Z Tejas was good as usual but the service was a little off. They didn't have our reservation and at one point Lynn left the table to get a drink (Bloody Mary bar.) While he was gone (and I was sitting there!) the wait staff took his chair to use for a large table next to us. Lynn took the chair back and we watched as Musical Chairs began when the party was seated.

Had 21 kids in Sunday School this morning. We didn't have enough chairs. I thought people quit going to church.

Savor this day, our next holiday will deliver temperatures that have us heading for the pool.

I've Got It, But Don't Tell Anyone

Shhhhhhh. It's our secret. I was forced to see "Never Say Never" today and he won me over. Yes, I've got it - Bieber Fever.

Leah talked me into taking her to NSN and I thought I'd have two hours in the theater to daydream or snooze, but I watched every second of the "documentary". It's a compelling story. Really.

It seems he was born musical to a very young mom who felt guilty about being a young mom so she supported his dream and vowed to give him every opportunity to succeed. She posted some of his music videos on YouTube, they were seen by a music producer and the rest is history.

I think he's very talented. I'm not crazy about most of his songs...okay...I am. I've always said I have the musical taste of a prepubescent girl and now I just proved it.

A Decade

Chatty, brave, stubborn.

Freckles kiss her nose. My girl.

Today she is ten.

My Happy Place

When I saw this, I knew I was home. There's no place like Eugene, Oregon.

What's In A Name?

Nicknames are welcome in my family. I find them very comforting. I think nicknames are a sign of love, affection and a certain amount of intimacy. My parents have called me "Marykins" for as long as I can remember. Sometimes my mom shortens it to "Kins". She has also called me "Sweet Stuff" but when Leah was born, I lost that title to her.

My brother called me MoogPaloog or Palooger. He also calls me "Mare" which bothers our mom, but I don't mind it one bit!

For awhile one of my friends called me "Ellen".

Lynn has called me "Lambchop" or "Lambchop Queen" for most of our marriage. Laurie called me "Mimi" the first time she met me and it's carried over although lately it's become "Mia, Mia".

Donna calls me "Mia Woods" and if I hear "Miss Mia" I know Didi is beckoning me.

When Nancy found out that my parents call me Marykins, it stuck. Except (and I forget why) she drops the "s" and just calls me "Marykin". (Nancy, why did you drop the "s"?) -- I know there's a story buried in that truncation.

Other friends and acquaintances have simply called me "M.E."

My initials are MEW so I have indeed been called "Mew". And my maiden name is Smolnisky resulting in a short "Mes".

Patty calls me Queenie or Mary Queen (that's a story about a conversation she had on a ferry in the Pacific Northwest about 20 years ago.)

An old friend, Barb (who I haven't seen since 1984) called me Mary Pie or simply "Pie."

In the KKC, I'm Mrs. Woods. In fact, it sounds strange when one of the KKC actually uses my first name.

Occasionally Linda calls me "Marilyn" because one time we were somewhere and someone thought that was my name. If you say my name really fast it sounds like Marilyn.

I happily answer to all of these names.

Just don't call me "Mary".

Modern Art

Who needs summer school? Today I came home to this creation. Let's face it, the kid's got talent.

Home for Lunch

The number one reason to go home for lunch.

Leah came out of her bedroom sporting wings. I asked "why the wings?" She smiled, shrugged and struck a pose.

Bon Mots

If you are over 21 years old and you are describing something other than 1) the Grand Canyon, 2) St. Paul's Cathedral or 3) any wonders of the World, please use an adjective other than "awesome".

As Promised

What a difference a day makes.
Sometimes a sparkling pool is all you need.

Anticipating the Summer Blues

Do not adjust your set. This really is the color of our pool. Nothing a few gallons of chlorine won't cure. Stay tuned...I'll update tomorrow with pictures of our sparkling pool.

Blogstipation Part Deux

No free time to jot down anything. Parents left this morning so one less generation to entertain. I will try to get back on track this week. Stay tuned.

Will Nine Be Fine?

Contradictions fly

Sweet, mean, happy, surly, kind

Today she is nine

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday to Linda, my beautiful friend in Eugene, Oregon.

I can't find a recent picture of her but Linda has thick brown hair and a perfect face that seems to get better with age -- I should hate her for that reason alone but I don't. (I won't even mention her perfectly proportioned figure that is curvy in just the right places.)

Linda and I have been friends since our junior year of high school (gulp, nearly 40 years ago.) I don't know if Linda knows it or not but I find her very wise. I have learned so much from her over the years especially about being a mom. Linda and I are both adoptive parents (Linda has 3 kids and her youngest son is from the Ukraine.) I remember one very bad day when my Leah said she wanted her "real" mom. I was upset and when I told Linda this story she said "oh, even the kids I gave birth to have told me they want a different mom." I loved how she put it all in perspective for me. I replay that conversation many times in my head and it always reassures me.

What I admire most about Linda is her steady and thoughtful demeanor. Her mom died about 9 years ago after a battle with Alzheimer's and Linda was a strong and loyal daughter throughout. She treated her mom with love and respect and her actions have inspired me to be a better daughter.

So happy birthday my dear friend. I look forward to our next visit.

P.S. Even though my birthday card is a little late, I promise this is not a repeat of your 17th birthday. The birthday that no one remembered -- not even your own mother. (Linda played the part of Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles only it was real-life.)

Six Degrees

If you know me at all, you know I love celebrity gossip. Just got back from Los Angeles where we attended the Rose Bowl. Whenever I go to LA, I assume I'll see someone famous. So far, I have only see a glimpse of Milli Vanilli (yes, that's correct -- it was back in 1992.)

I remain hopeful that one of these visits I will see a big star!

My friend Mary Beth lives in Los Angeles. Her sister in law, Valerie, has a PR firm with some famous clients (who shall remain nameless.) Last time I visited we had lunch at the Brentwood Country Mart with the hope that someone famous would happen by. Of course no one did, but Valerie was there a couple of weeks ago and stood next to Harrison Ford in line to order his food.

At the Rose Bowl tailgate party on Friday, my friend Janice ran into Ty Burrell (the dad on Modern Family) near the port-a-potty. Of course I missed him too. He was wearing a Prefontaine t-shirt (I googled him and see that he was born in Grants Pass, OR.)

I guess I will have to cling to my memory of meeting Jimmy Stewart some 48 years ago. I have no picture and I've lost the autograph so you'll just have to believe me.

Traditions Fit Me to a Tea

I know I've mentioned that I'm blessed with many good friends. My blessings include the KKC (Kitty Kat Club -- we don't really remember how we came up with the name.) Every Christmas we have high tea at the Phoenician and it is one of my favorite days of the year.

The KKC was formed about 18 years ago (we think!) and our current membership counts four -- all original founding members (Kathy, Karen, Jill and me). Our bylaws do not permit expanding the membership. Our mission is to eat, dish, drink and laugh.

High Tea at the Phoenician is fabulous. We settle into our first class table with a spectacular view looking south at the Valley of the Sun. I order Delicate Orange Spice tea "a spicy cinnamon aroma is balanced by the sweet orange flavor, creating an inspired cup". Oh my, I was most inspired after my first sip of this holiday beverage. Then Natalie (who claimed to remember us from previous years) brought the first of many glasses of champagne... more inspiration.

First course is a selection of tea sandwiches. See photo. My personal favorite is egg salad which sounds very pedestrian but when it's on tiny circular bread placed on fine china, surrounded by other delicate sandwiches it becomes anything but common. Other sandwiches include English cucumber, hickory smoked salmon, Phoenician's lemon and thyme chicken salad, crisp asparagus and galic herb mousse and pepper crusted beef. Mmmmmm.

Did I mention that in between champage, tea and mini sandwiches we exchange gifts? Oh, that is the main event. At the end of each holiday tea we pick names for the next year's gift exchange. We have forgotten what the dollar limit is and we concentrate on quality and making the right choice. We also buy a "small" gift for each other person. The small gifts are usually identical. The KKC delights in reminding me that I was the last member to participate in the small gift exchange. This tradition morphed over time and it wasn't until year 9 or so that I caught on to this added pleasure. But I must say that a few of my small gifts have surpassed expectation thereby erasing my slow start.

Back to food.

Apres tea sandwiches, Natalie serves the buttermilk and cranberry scones. Best part of the scones??? Lemon curd! I love that stuff. At this point, I am sure we are going to see Mary Poppins clip by as it is all very British. Now we have opened nearly all of our gifts. So we focus on champagne and celebrity gossip.

After scones there is more bubbly, more tea and then the beautiful mini-desserts. This year I was too full from the two previous courses and, uncharactersitically, the Phoenician offered us doggie bags for our desserts. Pleasant surprise. Dessert include a fruit tart, maple cheesecakes, chocolate dipped strawberries, holiday eclair, brulee tart and chocolate cherry petit gateau.

Dessert is followed by a silver tray stacked with steaming cylinders of white linen napkins. An elegant and indulgent way to conclude the day.

We slowly gather our loot and make our way to the valet stand. There is always an obligatory stop at the Christmas tree for our group photo.

Then it's to the car and back down the hill to real life. Heading to 68th Street and back across the Salt River on Mill Avenue. With twinkle lights surrounding us through downtown Tempe, we continue dishing on husbands, kids and celebrities. Speaking of... Karen believes she saw Whoopi Goldberg getting on the evelvator at the Phoenician.

Stay tuned for posts about our lovely gifts.