The other morning I went online to try and find a ballet to take Millie to for her birthday. While searching I stumbled across one of the sweetest things I have seen in a long time.

watch this you wont be disappointed

(I’m a foolish girl, but I want to believe these two are REALLY in love! Maybe they are!!!)

I wish I’d known about this so that I could have gone to it. Could these two dancers be any more darling?

I found this image from the ballet. Man, I really wish I’d seen this!

Millie came and sat on my lap while I was watching it. She wanted to know what the story was all about. So, I started to tell her the story of Romeo and Juliet…and ended up in a flood of tears. I wish I could blame my ever so deep artist sensitivities, but I think the true culprit is most likely my lack of sleep. Millie was much more sensible. As I told her about the death scene she said,

“Well, that is silly!”

Hot diggity dog, Mills – I love ya! And I think that is exactly what Shakespeare wanted to convey, only maybe a bit more tragic and crushing? But who knows, perhaps one day we can ask him.

Then later that night Millie reminded me that I had promised her the next time her daddy went out of town she could sleep with me on daddy’s side of the bed. I try to keep my promises to her, even if they are RIDICULOUS to make in the first place, and a good snuggle with your old mom is, lets be honest, the best thing in the universe!

I was half way through the film Bright Star – (I had to call my friend Jen Thomas to ask her to explain to me what the heck was going on and she did so, beautifully) so we finished the day watching yet another pair of star crossed lovers…

Squeezing back tears I explained to Millie what was going on.

“He is dying and has to go away and they will never see each other again.”

WHAAAAAAAAAAA!

That movie is a little weird yo, but come on – that premise deserves some tears.

On our menu is

salty wetness

for breakfast

&

dinner.

Have you cried like that too…so much that you can taste your tears?

It is kind of

wonderful!

a beautiful, sodium packed

RELEASE

(for the sleep deprived mommy)

Brought to you by your local

star crossed lovers!

Betta,

Check out what I scored for you at ANTHRO on Monday.

A little Audrey number

{Size 2}

satin collar

quilted velvet

For a whopping $8.95!!!!!

I realize that it is not super practical – being sleeveless and all, but with the right jacket or cardi, you’ll be set!

I was thinking you could wear it with lots of pearls

to an awards ceremony

or on a hot date

or around the house just for fun

*

*

*

What do you think?

And while I have your attention, what do you think of this skirt. I bought it for me and it wasn’t $8.95…

I can’t decide it it is the most awesome skirt ever or if it just looks like a glorified dish towel.

Anthro walks that line, you know

between exquisiteness and dish-towel-ness.

Hmmmm.

Speak now or forever hold your peace!

Ever heard of a “boom mic”?

Every movie, commercial, media event you ever watched employed someone to hold one. The person holding said mic would be fired if you ever caught sight of the microphone or the “boom operator”…so if you have never heard of this contraption, don’t worry. They are meant to go unnoticed.

Boom operators are usually of this variety…

Even though I yoinked these photos from the world wide web, having been on a few sets I speak from experience: The beautiful people tend to be IN FRONT of the camera and the lesser mortals BEHIND the camera.

But every now and again

the laws of the universe are challenged

&

the BABES

are

behind the camera

firmly gripping

the

BOOM MIC!

I rest my case!

Yo, Brynn – you gotta send me a picture of you with the boom mic! So that I can make this collection COMPLETE, yo!

Peace out.

(yo)

BTW, While I am on the topic I would like to add that  I love my sisters A LOT! Including the ones who are not holding boom mics but are currently holding tiny wee babes, named Gabe.

Of

Life without dad.

Jan is on the other side of the world.

We miss him.

During the last trip he took, the girls and I sent him this photo of us. We discovered photo booth and took a billion pictures of ourselves.

The black and white photos were taken at the beginning of his trip.

Here we are a few days later, in bed

No longer smiling I resemble a zombie!

Here is how it works at our house:

I have all the dates for Jan’s out of town travels on my calendar. I acknowledge I am a wimp. I know that there are women who are perpetually without their menfolk, but I have gotten used to having my man around and I dread when he goes away. You see, I am not very nice when he is gone – dang it! I am just a tired, beat up, pathetic figure.

So you can imagine how I felt last week when, out of the blue, Jan got an email saying that he was needed in Asia.

BOO! HISS! is what my heart said, but I smiled and my mouth said, “You gotta do what you gotta do.”

Today I came downstairs from putting this person down for a nap

On my computer I found a million N E W photos of Millie – which she had taken while I was putting Clara to bed. Here is a sampling of what was waiting for me on my screen –

The question is this:

WHO WILL WIN?

Me

or

them?

currently they are beating me 2:1, we had pizza for dinner and sometimes I just have to sit down and whimper

Come home soon, Mr. Dawson

b/c

“you help me so much”.

Here we are, early morning – bubble gum popping!

(This was on only four hours of sleep the night before — I was dying to find an activity that would allow me to be horizontal!)

EXTREME SPORT, Dawson style is UPSIDE DOWN bubble gum popping.

(photos courtesy of Millie Dawson)

As a mother I would be lost without

bubble baths!

Alas, not that I have taken one in YEARS

but my daughters

take

**at least**

one

a

day.

I am grateful for

a tub

water

bubbles

&

the HOURS of enjoyment that ensue!

Currently my mom is at my sister’s house caring for her and her family. You see, baby Gabe just made his earthly debut and they all need a little “grandma action”. New babies and grandmas just go together so nicely. Like peanut butter and jelly! Fred Astaire and Ginger! Milk and cookies!

Apparently Grandma was having a long talk with Khali in which they were plotting a dream trip when Khali and Millie will be old enough to travel alone to Grandma’s for a sleepover, just the three of them!

Grandma asked Khali, “If you could go anywhere in the whole world, where would you go?”

Khali thought long and hard and then said,

“DUNKIN’ DOUGHNUTS!”

Right then and there Grandma and Khali started truly plotting — to make her dream come true (grandma admitted to me that she too was very excited to get a doughnut).

When we heard about their plan to go to DD today before Khali had to be at school – we decided we would go too! To Dunkin’ Doughnuts, that is…

T’was marvelous!

(mmmm! doesn’t this tempt you to go there yourself? Nothing like a “gut bomb” covered in pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles first thing in the morning, says I)

(I’m currently on a diet — no really! I am! I just pretended to eat that…I bit, but “I didn’t inhale” – I swear!)

We love you Khali and Grandma and hope your doughnuts tasted as good as ours!

Here’s to you and here’s to the mighty

(photos courtesy of Jan’s iphone)

The other day Millie called out to me,

“Mom! You’ll never find me!”

I just love how Millie’s little “side kick” must also get in on the action!

I am so glad you are here, safe and sound, and I must say I adore you already.

Your dark hair, and crinkly forehead — are so dang cute to me!

Your mom is my hero.

Your dad ain’t half bad neither.

And your sibs are going to love you to tiny bits and pieces!

Can’t wait to get my hands on you,

Baby Gabe!

My mom has this crazy spoon – it is over 10 years old, dark wood, and has only half of a bowl.

She loves her spoon.

It is like the Velveteen Rabbit of spoons. It is the most used and the most beloved of all the spoons in my mom’s kitchen. All the other spoons must be jealous.

The other night I was in my kitchen cooking and thinking of my mom and her spoon. I don’t know why — but as I thought of this spoon I got really emotional. Do you ever make yourself cry just thinking about what it would be like to loose your mom? I do this every so often, try to imagine my life without her, and I make myself hysterical (even now as I type this I am getting tearful).

I thought,”If that spoon is still around when mom dies, I am going to ask for it.”

(as I wiped tears from my eyes)

“I will take it home and cherish it.”

Then, as I was stirring some batter,

GUESS WHAT?

The spoon I was using BROKE

& now I have a spoon

JUST LIKE MOM’S!

How random is that?

Random enough to blog about, says I!

FYI:

The girls have already discovered it and put it to good use!