greetingarts

g is for go, diego, go live!

My kids watch TV.  Sometimes, a lot more than they should, admittedly.  But I really don't feel that all children's programming is poison, and even I love the Backyardigans and can't wait for Kai-lan to make an appearance.  I do insist on commercial-free channels, though, since the less frequently I get bombarded with "can we get that, please, please?" the better.

While I'd love it if the girls would play chef or build cities with their blocks while I'm making dinner, sometimes (most of the time) that just deteriorates into Jessie conking her sister on the head with a metal frying pan (I love those Ikea miniature real cooking sets - until they get used as weapons), or Rebecca screaming that she needs every! single! one! of the blocks to build her castle.  So, anyway, the TV gets turned on, or a DVD gets popped in.  And peace usually ensues for a little while, anyway.

My oldest loved Dora the Explorer when she was 2, and now Jessie is a big fan of Go, Diego, Go!  So when the live show came into town, I checked into it.  And it was expensive, but at the time, a do-able splurge.  Jessie rarely gets anything special, she gets dragged along to Rebecca's functions, wears hand-me-down clothes almost exclusively, and accepts it all without complaint.  I knew this would be something both girls would be excited about, but that might have special significance for Jess.

We made a whole day out of it, driving into the city, having lunch, checking out the theatre.  The girls wanted to wear dresses, and their fancy shoes, and really behaved well during the entire show.

Sometimes the darkness and shadows were a little scary, but

in the end the adventure and fun and guest appearance by Dora really got them into it.  They danced, shouted at the characters and helped growl like a jaguar when they needed to.

A fun time, their first live theatre experience.  I'm quite sure it won't be our last.  But I need to fatten up my piggy bank, first.

f is for fancy

Since I had my first baby over 5 years ago, I've put on makeup maybe a handful of times.  I wear a skirt or dress once a week, at most.  I own three pairs of heels, all under half an inch, all of which were (or will be) worn as part of a bridal party.  I wouldn't really call myself the fancy type of gal, though I certainly do like to dress up, and be wined and dined once in a while (hint, hint, honey).

My girls, on the other hand, *love* to be fancy.  Purses, shoes, hats, the works.  Dresses, tiaras, sunglasses and feather boas.  In October, Rebecca will be the flower girl and Jess will be the ring bearer for my cousin's wedding, and they are just having a blast with the whole idea. 

Trying on dresses at every opportunity.  The lightest of pinks, with light beading and lace detail.  Ah, gosh, she looks so delicate and graceful, my big girl.  And there was no way Jessie was going to let me get away with not letting her try it on, too.

The same dress, on my baby.  I could look at this picture all day.

pink + orange

Pink = Austin (usually purple, but Rebecca insists he's pink here) + orange = Tyrone.  The Backyardigans on DVD, as seen through the lens of my daughter's camera.

My contributions for this week are reruns, and can be seen here or here.

button, button, who's got the...

Okay, I think I'm doing this right...

Is that all I have to do?!  Thanks, Sarah, for making a button for my button swap!

e is for embroidery

I've always been drawn to embroidery, ever since I was a little kid.  I started out with cross stitch, and for years, I felt as if I'd been born in the wrong era.  I daydreamed about those scenes from Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott, where the young women would sit in front of the fireplace, stitching up a sampler or some such thing, in their long gowns with their hair up, chatting about the latest ball dance or society party.

Yeah.  Right.  Of course, now I fully appreciate and recognize how lucky I am to be alive in this day and age, with central air conditioning, indoor plumbing, and women in management.  However, I still wish there was more time for handwork.

I've been thinking of hostessing a swap for a while now, of embroidered buttons as seen on the Feeling Stitchy blog.  How's about it?  Approximately 1" shank buttons, embroidered on cotton or linen, any subject or shape, using Amy's terrific tutorial. I'm thinking you'll send in five buttons to me, and receive five in return, each one from a different swapper.  If you're interested, please send me an email (link in the upper left sidebar) before September 1st with your name, blog address if you have one, and snail mail address.  The due date for this swap will be October 15th, which means your buttons need to reach me before that day.  If anyone is interested in creating a swap button for this, let me know, I'll do my darnedest to figure out how to display it and put it up here.

The colors of the floss look like candy to me, every flavor color imaginable.  They hold such promise and speak of nothing but fun and creativity.  Everything is possible.

red + white

Becca starts Kindergarten in one week, and I've been looking through some of her old photographs, feeling nostalgic and missing the days when we didn't butt heads ten times before noon.

Wonder if she'd still fit in a two gallon milk carton?

And here's Rebecca's contribution to red + white.  It's a family affair!

d is for disneyland

Oh.  Am I only on "D?"  Whoops.  Anyway, moving on...

One of my most memorable birthdays was my tenth, when my parents took my sister and me on a road trip to Los Angeles, and I got to go to Disneyland on the exact day I turned ten.  I saved those tickets, with "July 26" emblazoned across the front, and still have them somewhere in the garage, I think.  I actually don't remember too many details from the day, just that we went with some family friends, and we got to stay until after the fireworks show and parade at the end of the evening.  Just magical.  I don't know if it was the first time I'd gone to The Happiest Place on Earth, but it's the only one I remember from when I was young.

Now I live close enough to Disneyland that it's worth it to get the annual passes, and we've been going regularly since Becca was 2 and didn't need a full-price ticket.  Ah, those were the days (and there are some "d"s for you, Daddy, Daughter and Dumbo on a dizzy ride).

As with everything else, we have our routines... must go to Small World, must do Autopia, must eat a Mickey ears ice cream bar.

Toontown used to be the first thing we headed for, and the Minnie Mouse house. 

Oh, how Becca was so enamored of Minnie Mouse. 

It was sad for me, when Minnie Mouse was usurped by Cinderella and the princesses, but I guess that's just how it goes.

And now, it's the four of us, sharing the fun, the same rides, sometimes adding in a new one or two, creating memories.  Next year we're in trouble, all four people will need full price tickets, but I still think it's worth it.  The lights and decorations at Christmastime are amazing, and if we are able do it, why not splurge a little?  The parade, the fireworks, California Adventure, it's all so fun, even for my husband and me.  Pretty soon the kidlets won't want to be hanging out with dear old Mom and Dad anymore, even at Disneyland.  So I intend to hold on to these days, when they can't get enough of us, for as long as I can.

blue + green

Yummy, snack time!

Don't forget to check out the other color + color photos.

c is for "cheers!"

I don't really know how it started, I'm sure it was probably at some holiday where I was trying to be fancy or celebrate something, but for months now, very often when Jessie sits down to a meal and wants a drink, or is about to eat a food that someone else has on their plate, too, she has to say, "cheers!" and knock cups, or plates, or the actual food.

Having peanut butter & jelly sandwiches with chips and juice in the backyard is always cause for celebration.

Cheers!  Cheers!  Cheers!

I guess after the ninth or tenth time this meal, it's still amusing for one of them!

orange + blue

Spent a very nice day at the museum,

looking up,

looking down,

(wouldn't this make an awesome quilt?)

crafting medallions based on Greek ornaments and jewelry,

and stopping at every. single. fountain. to see if Auntie had a coin to toss.  And then the differences between my two girls would be apparent, with the coin barely touching Jess' sticky palm before she'd fling it into the water with all her might, while Rebecca would clutch it to her bosom with both hands, squeezing her eyes shut tightly to make a wish.

The new camera got its first real outing today, and it passed with flying colors.  So much less bulky than my old one, I can stick it in my pocket, pull it out and turn it on with one hand, and it's so easy and small that it isn't a hassle, I don't have to think about it, I can just take shots whenever I feel like it.

But maybe I took too many pictures?  I think she's trying to tell me something.