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Coats. Coats! Today we show and tell our coats for Jennifer via Blackbird.

My favorite coat is a deep berry boiled wool coat, very plain in style. I usually wear a paisley scarf of some sort with it. However, I seldom wear it these days, since the things I wear are quickly covered in baby snot and drool and whatnot. And I am not a fan of drycleaning. Those chemicals bother me, and somehow, in my head, I just don’t feel like drycleaned things actually get clean. One of my quirks. I also have a white wool/cashmere blend coat that my sister found at a thrift store. It has its own shawl. I have yet to wear it, as it hasn’t fit any occasion as of yet. Next is the parka. I haven’t worn it since 2002, which is the last time I went skiing. It’s a very nice coat, but I don’t spend much time in blizzards, so it stays in the closet. The coat I wear every day is a plain fleece jacket. Fleece, yes, blech, yes, but I can throw it in the washing machine any time. Plus, I can zip it over me and my baby, if I’m carrying him in a front pack.

Oh yes, the parka I am amused by its label. No endangered species have been shorn. And for some reason, this nylon garment is recommended for dry cleaning only. Perhaps because of the fur ruff Why is it that animals in the wild don’t shrink when their fur becomes wet I think the easy road is to place a dry clean only label on clothes, and that way the manufacturer doesn’t have to worry whether or not the garment will hold up through a wash cycle. It’s all about quality control and cost savings.

Rather than work on my lengthy to-do list, I’ve been making goodies. It started with shortbread. My dad’s recipe. It turned out okay, but not as wonderful as my childhood recollections. It did help make things seem a bit more cheerful, having a house full of buttery sugary yummy smells. Next came the cashew brittle. I’ve never made it before. The recipe came from Mrs. Fields, and called for macadamia nuts. I had cashews, so cashew brittle it became. It was surprisingly easy to make. The house smells even more sugary and buttery. I couldn’t stop with the brittle. I decided to dip pretzels in dark chocolate. I like that salty sweet combo. And finally, the rice crispy treats. More butter. And marshmallows. I don’t really like marshmallows, but I do like rice crispy treats.
With a house full of goodies, I felt compelled to buy some holiday tins to package them in, and ultimately, give away. Otherwise, I will eat it. All of it.
Somehow, the cheer doesn’t linger long. I was thinking of making meringues, or ambrosia. I don’t know the correct term. I’ve never made it, but thought I’d try. I have a nice mixer that should make short work of whipping egg whites to a stiff peak. I also want to make candied popcorn, or popcorn balls. Popcorn is a happy smell to me. When we were young, we always had peanuts in the shell, an orange, an assortment of ribbon candies, and sometimes popcorn balls in our stockings on Christmas morning. But the tins are already full.

I am avoiding my to-do list well. And the cheer remains somewhat elusive. It comes and goes.

Today, a sweet surprise. A package has arrived from a far away place. From a sweet pea of a person.
I am delighted. Without even opening it, I am delighted. How kind, how sweet, what a wonderful friend, I think to myself.
And then. I open it. It is exquisite. It is divine. It is beautiful. It is extravagant. It is gorgeous. It is oh, so fine. And the color. My favorite shade of red. It is perfect. Absolutely perfect. And I think, oh Suse, you shouldn’t have! But I’m so glad you did! It is fabulous!
See Fabulous! Thank you so very much, my friend. (And just today she was saying that “every girl needs a little Audrey in her life.” This is so very Audrey, don’t you think )

I am tickled pink the most gorgeous shade of red! Thank you!

…before I go collect my boy.

I am actually on vacation this week, but it feels about the same as any other working week. Part of me feels guilty for dropping him off, but I can get errands done faster if I don’t have to bundle him in and out of the carseat. Good daycare is in demand. The waiting lists are long. To secure our spot, we pay whether he’s there or not. So I’m taking advantage of this time. In fact, the cool cat and I actually went out to a movie on Monday. Our first theater movie since the Boo was born. We saw King Kong. It was gory in places. I had to look away. And I jumped on several occasions. And squirmed. And smiled. We had a good time.

I have a list. A very ambitious list. I wanted to get my life organized during this break. So I can feel more at peace. More calm. Less stress. But I’ve been blowing off the things on my list. I’m having such a hard time getting into the swing of things this year.

I went to JoAnn’s today to get some tins for baked goodies. I appreciate the price reductions of 70% off all Christmas items. But they’re busily putting out the Valentine’s Day stock. I can’t even say how deflating this feels to me, this pushing of the next commercial occasion. I want things to SLOW DOWN! I want to kick back, drink some tea, and read a book. And not worry about the bazillion things I think I need to do. I don’t want to think of Valentine’s Day. I don’t want to be surrounded by pink and red fuzzy hearts quite yet.

Here’s my new list.

Rest.
Drink some tea.
Have some more tea.
Read a book.
Take a nap.

But not now. Now I have to go get my love bug. He needs some serious snuggling. Or rather, I do.

Self Portrait Tuesday Community – Theme: Reflective Surfaces ‘Tis the season for reflection. For piety. For prayer. For thankfulness. For gratitude. For remembering. For faith. For hope. For love.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I believe.

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

I grew up with this oil painting of the madonna and child. My mother made it. It graced our walls for as long as I can remember.

This week, Blackbird (and Deb) want to see a favorite ornament.

I tried to start a meaningful tradition a few years ago with home made ornaments, but that grand idea sort of fizzled. Most of my ornaments have no meaning or story. They’re just colorful things that were probably on sale. I do have butterflies, which are kind of cool. And lots of berry clusters. But nothing very meaningful.

At the risk of planting a Kenny Rogers melody firmly in the unwary reader’s mind, this is my favorite. This is what decorates my life:


What could possibly be better Or more beautiful Or more adorable He’s deliciously huggable, my little Love Bug.

Reflective Surfaces – http://selfportraittuesday.blogspot.com
Reflections from a PDA
In a little over a month, Lactina and I will part ways. The journey has been long and tiring, and I hope worthwhile.
Mother’s milk is supposed to boost a baby’s immune system. Poor little guy has another cold. And therefore, so do I.
The PDA. Christmas 2004. The last of the big splurges before the baby came. A cry to order and organization. Fast forward to December 2005. I barely know how to use it. The money was not well spent.

What a day. What a week. This one wiped me out. So much work. So little sleep. My brain is like goo. I had all these great intentions of getting other things done this week. My poor little love bug is all sniffly and under the weather. There are two new kids at the daycare. Carriers, the both of them. I’m certain of it. It’s okay, I guess. Some exposure is good for building a strong immune system. And his is fairly strong. He doesn’t like sweets, so I have to be very creative in attempting to dose him with infant decongestant. He hasn’t been sleeping very well, either. Poor little guy. He’s normally such a happy boy. It’s hard to see him hurting. Those tears are so heartbreaking.
What a face. He has so many new expressions, and they are so funny! He’s trying to be a tough guy. But I know better. He’s a love.

Weekend plan: get some SLEEP!

Friday show and tell – Blackbird has asked to see decorations.
Alas, there is not an abundance of holiday spirit at Chez Squished this year. We do have a wreath on the front door. One of my coworker’s sons was selling these to raise money for his school’s band. I think they take a trip every year for a competition. Or something like that. He’s very good. (The son. He plays trombone.) The wreath was somewhat on the ho-hum drab side, so I stuck an assortment of colorful things in it to spruce it up.
We also have a cute little Charlie Brown tree just outside the front door, so a few baubles dangle from its limbs.

Just inside the door is a post with a nice vanilla candle. Not nearly as nice as Babelbabe’s, though. Those are downright fabulous. Some crackled glass ornaments hang from this. They are too heavy for the tree. They’re a deep amber color. Gorgeous up close.

Inside, the tree is jam-packed with all sorts of colorful things. I’m partial to the butterflies, and this green sequined star.
This fairly well sums it up though. The sentiments of the season, that is.

http://selfportraittuesday.blogspot.com
December challenge: reflective surface

Reflections from the kitchen.

Living on the edge. Is there anybody out there A face, distorted, on a waste can. A wasteland. There is a ghost in the faucet. A shadow of a person. A shapeshifter. It’s not the real her. Or is it Living on the edge. Resting on a thin sharp line. Hoping not to get hurt.