Birthday girl

One

Ah, where did the last year go?

For grandmas and other far-away relatives: a video clip of birthday cake will be forthcoming.

Hodgepodge

Not to be confused with Mod Podge, because hodgepodge refers to a motley assortment of ideas or things, whereas Mod Podge is an abbreviation for the "Modern Decoupage" craft glue invented by Jan Whetstone in the 1960s.

I've been looking back at my blog and realizing it looks rather like I fell off the planet (other than writing a dumb post about J.Lo), and honestly I've felt that way lately. The last month has been a blur: sewing a baby quilt, taking dinner in to a friend who's a new mom, sewing a blouse, going to my 20 year reunion, teaching five pre-teen girls to make freezer jam, getting really sick during the same week Audrey cut four molars, writing an amazing poem, sewing a green and white polka-dot baby dress to enter in the the county fair, taking a mini-family-vacay to the Pacific Science Center, riding the ferris wheel at the fair, Audrey's first birthday, cleaning house to get ready for out-of-town company and a birthday party, baking two batches of cupcakes (because the first ones all collapsed flat right out of the oven) and finally, yesterday, Jimmy's first day of kindergarten.

Did I mention we're homeschooling? And Jimmy has his first soccer practice in less than an hour? And Audrey has not had (and probably at this point will not have) an afternoon nap? And even though according to the calendar we still have 18 days of summer, it's already fall here in Ellensburg but that's okay because fall is my favorite season? And yesterday I found out Jimmy has been peeing in the bathtub because he's afraid of the noise the toilet makes when it flushes? And I'm having a really excellent hair day?

It's all good. It's a hodge-podge and it's mine and I love life.

Jenny from the bike

I recently started participating in a "confession Tuesday" exercise with some other poets, based on the idea that confessional writing is helpful in the poetic process. The jury is still out (at least for me and my poetry), but I have actually started to enjoy unburdening myself and airing some of my sillier quirks and foibles in the relative anonymity of the internet. Last week I confessed something for which I get a lot of well-deserved grief from Jim: I'm a closet J.Lo fan.

It's still a bit embarrassing for me to admit in the light of day and the presence of other sentient life. So I feel the need to qualify it by saying I was more a fan of J.Lo when she was still Jennifer Lopez. Back when she starred in Out of Sight and inspired women everywhere to envy her making out with George Clooney in a bathtub. Back when she had not yet merged into the media circus that was Bennifer. Back when she didn't have to write a song about how she's "real". Back when she wasn't going global with her own lines of perfume, yoga gear, and faux-fur undies. (Although I have to admit I thought "Glow" smelled really good.)

For the last few years I've kept my distance: watched her romantic comedies, listened to "Let's Get Loud" on my workout playlist, but generally steered clear of reading anything about her. A few weeks back I happened to see pictures on msn.com of post-partem J.Lo looking trim in her bikini and thought, "Good for you, girl." Taking off pregnancy weight can be tough, so more power to her. Then this morning I saw another article on msn.com, this time about how she was training for a triathlon and had a blog about it. Sorry, but if you gotta have an entourage of makeup artists touching you up for a photo shoot after a training session... that's just not keepin' it real.

Tightwad tuesday: best when fresh

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables at their peak season, when prices are usually lowest. Here's a handy guide (for produce grown in North America):

And while it won't necessarily save you money, shopping at local farmers' markets is a great way to make sure you're getting the freshest, most delicious produce, while supporting local growers.

Lego love

When I asked Jimmy who he made this for, he said, "Audrey... and you and Dad and the kitties... to show love for everybody."

Awwwwww.

Gotta appreciate a male who's not afraid to express his feelings. And in such an artistic way.

Eleven months

Tightwad tuesday: go veggie

Have a vegetarian dinner once (or more) a week to cut back on meat costs on your grocery bill.

My favorite neighbor

Back in college I got a lot of flack from my roomies because around the house I would occasionally burst into song, and it was always:

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood

A beautiful day for a neighbor

Would you be mine

Could you be mine

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood

A neighborly day for a beauty

Would you be mine

Could you be mine

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you

I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you

So, let's make the most of this beautiful day

Since we're together we might as well say

Would you be mine, could you be mine

Won't you be my neighbor

Won't you please, won't you please

Please won't you be my neighbor?

I knew all the lyrics by heart and could even sing it on key. No mean feat for me. When my birthday rolled around, they gave me a copy of You Are Special as a joke. I loved it.

This morning Jim emailed me a link to an article about Mr. Rogers on CNN, and it plastered a big goofy grin on my face. Which is still there.

He was and is my favorite television personality because when I was four, I believed he could talk to me through the TV set. As in, I could ask him questions and he would tell me the answers. Yeah, I know. I outgrew that belief within months but not the magic of curiosity, optimism and kindness Fred Rogers embodies for me. It's gratifying now to see how timeless his simple but powerful messages still are, how my own kids love him as much as I did.

Tightwad tuesday: fix it yourself

Fix things that are broken. The public library offers many books teaching how to do basic “handy man” tasks like repairing loose furniture legs, fixing leaky faucets and toilets that run, and replacing plugs on electrical cords. My favorite is Dare to Repair: A Do-it-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home, by Julie Sussman and Stepanie Glakas-Tenet. Try fixing appliances yourself before calling a costly repairman; many companies have 800 numbers you can call to talk to a service person.