Well, I need to get serious here! I have the lists, the menus, the tasks enumerated. A total of four meals to prepare, by far, of course, the biggest and boldest (in a modest sort of way) being Thanksgiving dinner.
So get moving, already!
And I do just that. Ed, who stayed up half the night working, sleeps in and I don't even bother suggesting he come down for breakfast. I want to get going! First stop is to be the beer and wine store and they open at 9. I plan on being there as the doors swing open.
Breakfast, therefore, is by myself. In the sun room. Even though there isn't a trace of sun outside. Still, I like the colors in this room now: the Christmas cactus, a gift from Ed from maybe ten years back, is reliably blooming for the wrong holiday (Thanksgiving)!
And then I shop.
I am an absolute idiot when it comes to craft beers and all my children and their spouses have preferences and I cannot keep any of them straight. You mean an IPA is not the same as an ale? Are all ales pilsners? Are sours typically fruit based? Belgian? Something else? This is the most difficult part of the shopping for me and I must admit to calling both daughters twice from the store to make sure I got it right.
For me -- oh, that's easy! Maybe a Sancerre rose, or a Chablis Grand Cru? From old vines? Mmmm, the possibilities! Even though once again, I'll be mostly on my own in the wine department. Honestly, you try to raise the kids right and they turn their sweet little noses on the beautiful wines of this world!
At the grocery store, it's getting crowded, but not so much that you can't push your cart through (that will be tomorrow). My list is beautifully organized (normally, I never shop from a list -- I exercise my memory by keeping it all in my head, but this time I cannot afford to miss something... like the turkey, which I've written in bold letters). And still it takes me 90 minutes to shop! (I allow myself a happy tear as I pick up a can of pumpkin puree: it's so holiday-ish!)
And so now I hurry because it all must be carted home and unpacked before I pick up Snowdrop.
I'm on time!
When Snowdrop and I arrive at the farmette, she remembers yesterday's fire and asks about it, but I tell her it's just not a good day for it. And in fact, she's happy to trudge inside. It's not great outdoor play weather.
At the farmhouse, she moves quickly to her Duplo blocks (the junior Lego stuff). The girl is all about making things tall these days (with a pause for a beloved baguette).
She'll build towers with anything. Indeed, after her Lego play, she drags out her baby blocks...
... and gets going on them as well.
Stay there!
No? That's okay: she'll try again. Until she gets it right.
In the afternoon, she switches her focus. This is her other love: dealing with the one infant character in the Duplo set. She is more focused on this one wee piece of plastic baby than on any other character in any of her play sets.
As for reading books -- her book choices are expanding every day and Ed has admonished me for not going to the library to fill her bookshelves from there. I tell him I love to own favorite books. But of course, he's right. You can own a story without owning the pages on which it appears.
He is also correct in that lately, I've been spending too much on books for Snowdrop. I think it's because I'm so shocked at how much less they cost now as compared to when my own girls were young. Back then, trips to the bookstore were such a special treat! And when I couldn't resist, when I purchased a stack for them, I'd sweat about it for a long time afterwards. These days, books are easy to find, easy to acquire with a click of the keyboard and for most of us, when purchased just every now and then, they don't break a budget.
Today, I gave her the book about a moose eating a cupcake. In a million ways it's beyond her, but here's an interesting thing about children: sometimes they just rise to something in the story line...
She must have had the two of us read the moose book to her a dozen times!
Evening now. Snowdrop is playing nicely by herself, but she also pays attention to what Ed and I are doing. She stands tentatively by the couch, understanding that Ed is lost in some computer search. She seems disappointed. I explain to her -- ahah is looking for a pair of shoes.
She lights up. This is stuff she can weigh in on! She climbs up onto the couch, studies the screen and makes her preferences known.
Did he go with her choice? I don't know. I'll guess yes, but only if it was the cheapest one of the available options.
Late, very late I roast pecans and then hazelnuts. I'm making progress!
So get moving, already!
And I do just that. Ed, who stayed up half the night working, sleeps in and I don't even bother suggesting he come down for breakfast. I want to get going! First stop is to be the beer and wine store and they open at 9. I plan on being there as the doors swing open.
Breakfast, therefore, is by myself. In the sun room. Even though there isn't a trace of sun outside. Still, I like the colors in this room now: the Christmas cactus, a gift from Ed from maybe ten years back, is reliably blooming for the wrong holiday (Thanksgiving)!
And then I shop.
I am an absolute idiot when it comes to craft beers and all my children and their spouses have preferences and I cannot keep any of them straight. You mean an IPA is not the same as an ale? Are all ales pilsners? Are sours typically fruit based? Belgian? Something else? This is the most difficult part of the shopping for me and I must admit to calling both daughters twice from the store to make sure I got it right.
For me -- oh, that's easy! Maybe a Sancerre rose, or a Chablis Grand Cru? From old vines? Mmmm, the possibilities! Even though once again, I'll be mostly on my own in the wine department. Honestly, you try to raise the kids right and they turn their sweet little noses on the beautiful wines of this world!
At the grocery store, it's getting crowded, but not so much that you can't push your cart through (that will be tomorrow). My list is beautifully organized (normally, I never shop from a list -- I exercise my memory by keeping it all in my head, but this time I cannot afford to miss something... like the turkey, which I've written in bold letters). And still it takes me 90 minutes to shop! (I allow myself a happy tear as I pick up a can of pumpkin puree: it's so holiday-ish!)
And so now I hurry because it all must be carted home and unpacked before I pick up Snowdrop.
I'm on time!
When Snowdrop and I arrive at the farmette, she remembers yesterday's fire and asks about it, but I tell her it's just not a good day for it. And in fact, she's happy to trudge inside. It's not great outdoor play weather.
At the farmhouse, she moves quickly to her Duplo blocks (the junior Lego stuff). The girl is all about making things tall these days (with a pause for a beloved baguette).
She'll build towers with anything. Indeed, after her Lego play, she drags out her baby blocks...
... and gets going on them as well.
Stay there!
No? That's okay: she'll try again. Until she gets it right.
In the afternoon, she switches her focus. This is her other love: dealing with the one infant character in the Duplo set. She is more focused on this one wee piece of plastic baby than on any other character in any of her play sets.
As for reading books -- her book choices are expanding every day and Ed has admonished me for not going to the library to fill her bookshelves from there. I tell him I love to own favorite books. But of course, he's right. You can own a story without owning the pages on which it appears.
He is also correct in that lately, I've been spending too much on books for Snowdrop. I think it's because I'm so shocked at how much less they cost now as compared to when my own girls were young. Back then, trips to the bookstore were such a special treat! And when I couldn't resist, when I purchased a stack for them, I'd sweat about it for a long time afterwards. These days, books are easy to find, easy to acquire with a click of the keyboard and for most of us, when purchased just every now and then, they don't break a budget.
Today, I gave her the book about a moose eating a cupcake. In a million ways it's beyond her, but here's an interesting thing about children: sometimes they just rise to something in the story line...
She must have had the two of us read the moose book to her a dozen times!
Evening now. Snowdrop is playing nicely by herself, but she also pays attention to what Ed and I are doing. She stands tentatively by the couch, understanding that Ed is lost in some computer search. She seems disappointed. I explain to her -- ahah is looking for a pair of shoes.
She lights up. This is stuff she can weigh in on! She climbs up onto the couch, studies the screen and makes her preferences known.
Did he go with her choice? I don't know. I'll guess yes, but only if it was the cheapest one of the available options.
Late, very late I roast pecans and then hazelnuts. I'm making progress!
