Trees

Today I trimmed our overgrown weeping cherry that sits happily outside our office window. Johanna wanted to help so I told her to pick up the branches and put them in the yard waste container. (I think she was hoping to get her hands on the clippers, but since she already showed me this winter she could not be trusted with a scissors by cutting her own hair I was not about to let her touch the clippers which clearly could do more damage.) I should have known something was up when she was compliantly following my direction. I also should have known something was up when I heard her say "hold that still Abby, I'll go get the tape!" Sure enough, by the time my project was done, Johanna had finished hers...



"I made a tree mom!" And I see about 7 branches taped together with blue painters tape. "Now I have to go plant it..." and off she goes with a yellow plastic shovel and a home made tree. The tree is now "planted" (leaning up against another tree with about 1 inch of "trunk" sprinkled in dirt) in our back yard next ready to take off. I hope it's not windy tonight...

Books

"It is chiefly through books that we enjoy the intercourse with superior minds... In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most previous thought, and pour their souls into ours. God be thanked for books."-William Ellery Channing

If a day does not go by with out at least 100 pages of reading I feel incomplete. I agree so fully with Channing that books are a way to see inside a soul. This may sound a little extreme, but just thinking about how to describe my love for books right now, my heart feels so full inside my chest. There are so many things about the experience of reading that capture me.

First, finding the book. To walk the shelves of a library or bookstore and see all the spines staring back at me, or even better to be presented a book by a friend "I really want to know what you think of this one..." What better gift could be given!

Second, to hold the book. Is it heavy, does it smell new, old? Are the pages think or thin? I find this with the Bible actually. There is something about the perfect weight of this book. The thinness of the pages that are soft under your fingers scanning for the verse. The promise of finding just the right words of wisdom or encouragement. Or a new book by a favorite author. Just holding it knowing what is inside is going to inspire, bring tears, laughter... and of course a plot and people who make you think... but I am getting ahead of myself.

Third, to be connected with whom ever is inside. These people that will be a part of my world for a day, a week, a month. These people, if written well enough, that will be a part of my world forever. These people are loved and hated. They bring forth challenges of belief. They introduce new ways of thinking and living and understanding. These people, whether real or a figment of an authors imagination have the ability to teach, transform and inspire.

Fourth, to be transported to a different culture, time period, even world. This can be an escape from my own reality and it can be a window into some one else's experience. How else can I spend an afternoon in India in 1920 or England during the 2nd world war? How can I be in the imaginary world of Oz or an apple farm in Maine?

Finally, to shut a book pages away from the end, not wanting to finish for fear of losing these people. These places. To cover the opposite page with a hand so I do not skip ahead to see what happens. To finish a book and hold it to my chest to savor the moment of "The End" And, of course, to pass on an experience to someone who will savor it as much as I did.

This post was inspired by Jodi Picoult and her newest novel "Change of Heart" Some other favorites of mine are as follows:

The Time Travelers Wife, Anything by Barbara Kingsolver (Poisonwood Bible!) Rosamunde Pilcher (Coming Home is my favorite all time novel), Amy Tan, Maeve Binchy, Francine Rivers, Chris Bohjalian, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult,Kite Runner, There is no me with out you, 28, Reading Lolita in Tehran, The Far Pavilions, All Over But the Shoutin', anything by Chaim Potok, Steinbeck, To Kill a Mockingbird, Little Women...

People I love, part 3

"Love doesn't just sit there like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new."- Ursula K. LeGuin

I love this quote, first since it is by my husband's favorite author and I think it speaks such an important truth about marriage. One of the things I appreciate most about Josh is that we can grow and learn together. Also, it is very fitting since Josh likes to make bread : )

Here are some other cool facts about my hubby:
1. He is a nurse, He is a nurse who is male or a male who is a nurse. He is NOT a male nurse. I know it is confusing, but I have yet to meet a female nurse so I think it is safe to say there is no such thing as male nurses either. I even looked in college catalogs- there are only nursing degrees, not one college has gender specific nursing degrees! Any way the cool thing about this is that he saves lives! I think it is very cool that my husband saves lives.
2. He can cook- not just follow a recipe, but really cook- He bakes, he sautee's, he grills, and he is very good with a dutch oven or 4:

3. He is a landscape artist. One of our friends calls our yard the "urban garden" Right now we have about 20 fruit trees, every vegetable possible and berries to make about 100 pies. He has flowers, shubs, trees growing all over and they do not die!
4. He can build anything, right now he is into corn hole boards. He finished our entire basement and added on to our deck. And he can sew a button and darn a sock (this doesn't have much to do with building, but it shows balance)
5. He has a great memory- he reads something, hears something, goes somewhere and remembers every detail. I mention something I like and sure enough 6 months later it is under the Christmas tree.
6. He has passion for equality, justice and peace
7. He is hilarious
8. He has big hopes and dreams that inspire me to think bigger.
9. He will be mad at me for posting this.
10. He will be really mad at me for posting that!

Etiquette

I am not sure that I am the best person to discuss etiquette as I am often reminded to "sit like a lady" and "stop slouching", but I am putting it out there because I feel passionate about the issue of "Using your car as a platform to make political, social, emotional or humorous statements" (I realized there has got to be a better name for this, but work with me here) Though I may not an etiquette professional, I do drive a lot and think I my opinion might be respected by the true professionals.. I hope by discussing this here, on my world renowned blog, that an Etiquette specialist might add the following chapter to his/her book:

Rule number 1: Bumper stickers are allowed, I happen to have one myself (shown in following picture),but please limit your self to one. I find when a car has multiple bumper stickers that I stop focusing on driving and become obsessed with reading. This is a hazard to you, to me and any other car on the road. Or bike, or jogger... *Please note, alumni stickers do not count, you may place those and still have another sticker. Also smaller stickers in windows like PBS or radio stations also do not count.

Rule number 2: Please make sure your one bumper sticker has a large font.
I will drive way to close to you in order to read the words and am frustrated if I can not and extra frustrated if it is a lame bumper sticker. If you are a super passionate person (not unlike myself) and feel the need to have more than one bumper sticker this is a must- VERY LARGE FONT!



Rule number 3: Your bumper sticker can make a political point, a social issue may be addressed or it can just be funny, but please, do not use bumper stickers that tell me what I should do. Or mean stickers, lets just all get along!

Rule number 4: Personalized License plates. Absolutely unacceptable. Here is the thing: No one knows what they mean. You can not take a 10 letter word, bring it down to 5 letters, replace one letter with a number and take out all the vowels an expect anyone to understand what you mean. If you have something to say, say it on a bumper sticker or do not say it at all.


(My hubby had to help me decipher this one- "right between the eyes")

People I love, part 2

So Johanna is my literal child. Here is a great example. This morning at about 6:45a.m. (my day off) she climbs into bed with me. "GOOD MORNING MOM!" (This is interesting in itself because she is not a morning child, but I had promised her a trip to the beach). I told her we could get up in a couple minutes. Fast forward a couple minutes..."Mom, I counted to 60 two times! Can we get up now?" You have GOT to be kidding me...
She also is quite the Author. This was the book she wrote today:
Title: Sumr Luve
Page 1: (Picture of heart) Hrts are for Luve
Page 2 (Picture of butterfly) Budrfls are for Sumr
And that is where it ends... I love the plot personally

Here are a few other important facts about this freckled face cutie...
1. She is smarter than she appears. She is listening to every conversation anyone has.
2. She is a rule follower and is a stickler for routines. This is very disappointing to her laid back, fly by the seat of her pants mother.
3. She is a die hard ABBA fan thanks to the sound track of Mamma Mia-
4. She can navigate a computer better that most adults. The kid has found every Care Bear and My Little Pony video ever posted on UTube (we spent yesterday putting parental controls on the computer...)
5. She is very empathetic (much to the delight of her social worker mother)
6. At night when she goes to bed she spend 15 minutes teaching a class to her stuffed animals and Barbies. Last nights topic was outer space
7. When she grows up she wants to be a teacher and a magician. She is adamant about living with her parents, but does not want her sister to know where she lives. (This is a potential problem since her sister is adamant about living with her parents as well...)
8. She is a picky eater. She eats applesauce (only a few varieties), bread sticks (not pizza) hotdogs (only microwaved) chicken (in nugget form only) and just to keep things interesting- Chinese food. I read a book on picky eaters once. It said to call broccoli little trees and the kids would eat it. Are you kidding me! If you call broccoli little trees and your kid eats it...
As always a picture is worth a thousand words so here are a few Johanna classics...

Happiest day of the year

Supposedly today is the happiest day of the year. I heard this and can not confirm it is true, but I will choose to believe it. Here are some things that make me happy (besides the obvious, family, food, shelter...)

1. Coffee: I love coffee, It makes me so happy, especially a really good cup of coffee while reading a...
2. Book. Books are wonderful and I can usually read one a day. At least 2-3 a week. Right now I am reading Son of a Witch, which is the 2nd part of...
3. Wicked. My favorite musical ever. It is funny, creative and has a wonderful soundtrack. I hope someday to see it in...
4. New York City. What an amazing place, there is so much happening, so many interesting, museums, art, culture and...




5. People. I really enjoy spending time with people whether, old friends or new. Even people watching is fun especially sitting in a...

6. Lawn Chair with a breeze on a front porch drinking a cup of...
7. Coffee : )

Who I love

I would like to share about a few important people in my world. I will start with Abby since she gave me a lesson in her name today. It is Abby. Also acceptable is Abby Z. Under no circumstance is she to be addressed as Abigail. Last winter Abby started preschool and as there was another Abby in her class so she was called Abigail. She asked her teacher a few weeks later why she was being called Abigail, as she had not done anything wrong. I learned a little to late to use full names for good and bad as she now does not like to be Abigail.

There is no word or phrase to describe this little one. She is beyond explanation. I have learned through reading every parenting book out there that she is not strong willed or spirited. My mom is pretty close with the word rascal, but even that does not give her full credit.

The best way to sum up my dear Abby is in the following picture:

A few other things to know about Abby:
- she is 3 (you must hold up 3 fingers on each hand, don't try to tell her she is 3&1/2 you will not convince her)
-She, with out fail, wakes up cheerful. It impossible to be crabby in the morning with her around.
-She falls down about 10 times a day, on a good day. Her legs are always covered with bruises, scrapes and scabs.
-She will only wear dresses, occasionally skirts, but that is pushing it.
-She knows how to ride a two wheeler, she does not know how to stop a two wheeler (potential for future video post)
-According to Abby, this is how you spell her name A37O. (so she got the A and the number of letters right!)
- Her favorite color is pink and any stuffed animal, doll etc. is named after a Disney Princess
-She can (and will) talk all day with out stopping. She always holds one finger up while talking as if making a point. The only way to get her to stop is stick her in front of a stranger and ask her to perform.
-And my favorite, when asked what she wants to be when she grows up? "I want to be a grown up" (duh)
These pictures are also great insights into her:

Things to know when blogging with Sarah

So I guess it is pretty predictable to start the blog here, but sometimes predictable is the way to go. Before I expose my innermost thoughts to the world there are a few things you might want to know...

1. I am a horrible speller. You will find many errors in this blog. You do not need to point them out to me. I am fine with it.
2. I am tall. You might not know this about me, but it is true. I think some people do not think I know this myself as it is often pointed out to me by strangers.
3. I am honest. Probably to a fault. I often speak with out thinking that my story might contain to much information. The think about honesty is that I am a huge fan of it (not as opposed to lying, but as opposed to privacy. Not privacy like shutting the door when you are changing your clothes, privacy like not sharing your feelings and experiences, especially when they might help others). So I talk a lot about my mistakes in parenting, housekeeping, spelling... you get the drift. I also am quite passionate things in life that have shaped me (parenting, post partum, travel, high school traumas) which I will spend time in future posts about.
4. I love to laugh. At myself, with others (not at others, well sometimes if they are on americas funniest videos and getting hurt, falling, getting scared...)I hope in future posts there will be lots of times you can laugh with me.
5. I am very passionate about a lot of things. I have a lot of soap boxes. Sorry, that is just the way it is. The beauty of the computer is you can skip the post if I seem a little over the top.
6. Seinfeld and Office are the best television shows ever and there is the potential for many references and quotes in future posts. ("Get Out!"-Elaine)
7. Wicked- the musical, is a huge obsession of mine (future post) so again there might be many references and quotes. ("I think I'll try Defying Gravity"-Elphaba)

I will close tonight by giving you a little perspective into my blogging life. Here is where it all happens.