what’s on our minds

Hello friends, we really did disappear, didn’t we? So sorry about that, but it feels like the decision over what to do about kindergarten has taken over our lives. It’s torture for a person as indecisive as I am. Luckily for everyone, I don’t use Twitter or else my feeds would go something like this: “Public school! No, private! I don’t want to feel like an elitist snob! I hate the common man! I love the gardening program! I hate cafeteria spaghetti!” And you know I’ve really lost it when I start to suggest that homeschooling maybe doesn’t sound so bad after all. It’s made my life incredibly boring – all the school visits, the applications, and the talk talk talking. I feel like every conversation somehow ends up being about kindergarten. “Hey, how’s your kitchen renovation project going? Do you think it’ll be done by the time kindergarten starts in the fall?” or “Wow, you’re pregnant! Fantastic! Where do you think you’ll send your unborn child to kindergarten?” I’m starting to hate myself. So I shall digress with a little story.

We have this old Meyer lemon tree out front. It’s so old that the original “Meyer Lemon” tag that came with the tree is now deeply embedded in the trunk, never to be removed. It was neglected for some time, and I’ve been trying to train it to grow taller since it’s right on the sidewalk and effectively blocks a parking spot on the street. The pruning, plus the fact that the lemons temptingly call out to all who walk, bike or drive past the tree has meant that there have been years when we haven’t had the chance to enjoy a single lemon. This year, Otis decided to do something about it. He made this sign:

It’s in a sheet protector, hanging off the tree and beseeches passerby “Please don’t take our lemons,” accompanied by a couple of rather confusing drawings saying Yes, do this and No, don’t do that! There is also a frowning, disapproving boy in the corner. Two days after Otis put the sign up, a neighbor asked me as we walked down the street together, “Hey, do you mind if I take a few of your lemons?” Since we had just put up the sign, I was sure she was making a joke, so I feigned outrage: “Hey didn’t you see the sign???!!” Thus ensued an incredibly awkward rest of the walk where I kept saying, “No! It was just a joke! We have tons of lemons! Take some! Really! He’s only four years old!” and she would politely say, “No, no, that’s OK….. it’s just that you have so many!” I was mortified. Despite this embarrassing incident, Otis decided the sign wasn’t enough, and stepped up his efforts with this:

Scary spiders! It’s his version of a rottweiler. He would camp out there if he could.

It’s worked, for the most part. That, and the fact that I didn’t prune yet this year. We now have a tree full of lemons. So many lemons, in fact, that F has spent a lot of his free time dreaming of ways to use them. He’s already made preserved lemons, lemon cake and lemon bars and Shaker lemon pie and lemon marmalade are next on his list.

Unfortunately, though, Otis’s fervor has not abated. He’s still incredibly possessive of those lemons. It’s his version of kindergarten, where many of his conversations end up with references to the lemons. The other day, one of this old schoolmates walked by our house and Otis was on the porch, calling out to them. “Hey Jason! Hey Roger! How are you? Oh yeah? Oh, OK. Don’t take any of our lemons!” Despite how amusing this all is, I think we may need to put a stop to it pretty soon before our reputations are irreparably damaged. Anyone have one final grand gesture that we can make with the lemons which might teach Otis a life lesson or two while we’re at it?

 

merry merry

How did Christmas Eve sneak up on us? Today was filled with final preparations for Christmas. We finally got our tree up and decorated and we hung up the paper chain that Otis has dutifully been toiling over for days. F is upstairs wrapping presents and I’m putting finishing touches on Bee’s present (more on that later). I’ll admit to getting very distracted by this recipe here, which you should go and make right now, even if you are getting ready to open the biggest, most tantalizing present ever. Oh lord, it just came out of the oven, and the smell is making me unable to complete thoughts.

The other day we went to downtown San Francisco to do a little Christmas sightseeing before meeting friends for dinner in Chinatown. For reasons unknown to me, Otis decided he had to wear his Santa hat and beard. It delighted him to no end, and many passerby as well. However, while we were ogling beautiful things at Barney’s, he decided to hide in a rack of clothing, jumping out in full costume and yelling “Boo!” at one very young and very hip saleswoman, who very nearly peed in her pants. She was fortunately good natured about the whole thing, so I’m quite sure that our stern lectures to Otis afterwards will do nothing to deter him in the future. He’s now fast asleep, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus.

Friends, I hope you’ve been having a merry holiday full of cheer. We were supposed to celebrate Christmas with my parents, but they had to return unexpectedly to Taiwan after only 10 days here. Boo hoo! It’ll be our first Christmas morning without family since we had kids, but the day will still be filled, as friends will be joining us for a big Christmas breakfast, and my cousins will join us for dinner. Much love to you all!

 

a winter escape

It’s been a little quiet here because we went away this weekend on an exciting beach getaway to Jamaica! Well, not exactly exciting, since it’s sponsored by F’s employer and he had several functions to attend, but it was a nice escape for us softies who had started to grumble about the “frigid” temperatures here in the Bay Area.

In honor of the occasion, I bought these sunglasses for Bee that I dug out of the bottom of the bargain bin at Gymboree. Glad they were a bargain, because this was about as long as she would wear them. I still get a chuckle every time I see them, though. They are covered with sparkles.

Otis, who has loved the beach in the past, complained about it relentlessly this time around: the sand was too dirty and sticky and the ocean too full of seaweed. He didn’t like having to be carried out to sea, but refused to float around on his own. He preferred to float around in the swimming pool. Unfortunately, he required a chaperone and around-the-clock entertainment while doing so.

But he was eventually coaxed back to the beach yesterday, our last day. F had no commitments, so we had a good couple of hours all together before we had to head to the airport. We let the waves wash over us, got sandy in places you don’t want to know about, and built a nice big sand dam. It was a nice day to start what ended up being an extremely long and exhausting day of travel, finally ending at home at 1am.

And I have finally discovered the secret to a good night’s sleep! It requires 5 of 6 of the largest, fluffiest Down pillows you can find, encased in nice crisp white pillowcases, piled in an inviting heap. And a turn down service with a few little chocolates doesn’t hurt either. If only Bee didn’t wake up a million times every night but the last…

It’s amazing what a bit of sun, bad TV and room service can do for your morale. I feel energized enough to face the rest of the holiday season now.

 

preparing for the holidays

The holidays have become quite huge for my extended family since I had kids. I think that being the first born grandchild has definitely had its advantages for Otis. Each year, my family asks for a list of suggestions that they can buy from, since we’re notoriously picky. The first year, I sent them a long list of carefully thought out ideas, thinking they might choose a few of their favorites, only to discover a pile the size of Mount Vesuvius by the time Christmas rolled around. The list has grown smaller year by year, and this year, as I was willing my brain to come up with a few suggestions, I made the realization that they’d finally done it, they had purchased every present there was to buy. There was nothing left! Well, nothing left for Bee, anyways, except for the super girly stuff. Ah, the price of being second-born.

As Christmas has ramped up for the kids, I find myself with less and less time for the things I used to make. Gone are the handmade Christmas cards. The homemade candy has lessened in quantity and variety. Don’t even bring up gifts. But one of the traditions I’m trying to keep up is the yearly Santa photo. No, not the picture with Santa, but the picture of the kids dressed up as Santa. I’ve done it every year since Otis was born. A little rouge on the cheeks, a Santa beard, a red hat should bring everyone some holiday cheer, right?

Here’s Otis, dressed up two years ago:

Undeniably adorable, right?

Otis and Bee, dressed up last year:

It took some work, but they were mostly cooperative and it was worth it.

But this year? This year, I thought it would be really fun to have the entire family dressed up as Santa. Can you guess what happened? PANDEMONIUM. CHAOS. NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES. Evidently, it’s nearly impossible to get four people to look at the camera at the same time, much less look and smile.

A loose translation of what Bee is saying here: “I said DOWN, you F****ers!”

A loose translation of what I’m saying here: “No, mister, you’re gonna take a picture NOW!”

One unhappy elf, and this was before the picture taking even started!

That elf also has one heck of a 5 o’clock shadow.

By the end of our photo session, I was feeling like this:

Criminy! When I looked at the photos later, I just shook my head in disbelief. Strangely, though, I look surprisingly cute in a number of the pictures. Too bad those pictures will never see the light of day. Otis has been rather unwilling to take pictures lately, steadfastly refusing our efforts at cajoling, joking, tricking. Anyone have any tips for us?

 

to the post office

Much cheering erupted when I checked my email and received my first orders. I was going to dramatically deem it one of the happiest days of my life, but then had to remind myself of the actual happiest days of my life. Oh yeah, there was the day I got married (when I giggled a lot). And there was the birth of my first born (when I got overwhelmed and wept). Right, and the birth of the second one, too (when I shivered nonstop). Hm, well, let’s just say that the future suddenly felt ripe and so much closer.

Spare moments since then have been filled with trying to get everything done: sewing, stitching, stamping, cutting, packaging, and I was finally able to look at the orders, ready to go. It was supremely satisfying to see things finished. They looked so much more professional all packaged up! I almost felt legit. Too legit to quit, in fact. I left the door feeling quite elated.

But there’s nothing that will kill a buzz faster than an enormous line at the post office. I always forget how swamped the post office can be after Thanksgiving. But supplied with a cup of peanut butter pretzels for Bee and my own self-satisfaction, I was able to maintain my serenity and my sanity.

 

a little announcement

Hello friends, hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My parents just arrived from Taiwan a couple of nights ago for an extended visit, so the house was filled with all kinds of activity as much cooking was done, plays were staged, and merriment abounded. The holiday season is definitely starting. We’ve experimented with different methods of cooking, and we dry-brined this year to great success! I think this was our best turkey yet. Thanksgiving leftovers are one of my favorite things of all time, and I’m really looking forward to the next few days of eating.

And now I find myself looking forward to the rest of the year. The holiday shopping season is upon us, and I thought it might be a good time to open up that little shop I’ve been thinking about forever. I’ll confess that I dragged my feet a little, feeling shamefully insecure about whether anyone would be interested, but with my cheerleaders behind me, I’ve finally done it. I’m nervous, but excited too. The shop is here. I’ve even added a widget to the right there. I’m starting out with a few items, but I’d like to add more personalized gifts and the baby manpurses that I love so much. If you feel inclined, please take a look and let me know what you think. If you think something needs improving, tell me (gulp!). If there’s something I should be making, tell me! If you have a better way to prepare turkey, well, tell me that too!

 

hand print for clara

I saw this project some time ago floating around on the internet, and thought it was such a great way to capture a moment in time. I’ve been wanting to do something like it ever since, and the perfect occasion came up when the babies turned one in May. This may confuse you a little bit because first of all, it’s now November, and you’re probably also wondering since when did I have more than one baby? But Bee spends so much time with her baby friend, Clara, and their brothers, Otis and Emmett spend so much time together as well that I find myself always talking about “The Babies” or “The Boys” in broad, sweeping ways. As for the November part, well, let’s just move on.

Clara is just 6 days older than Bee, and on their birthdays, their little hands were traced for when I finally had time to get to work. Although I love the simplicity of the prints from plumpudding, I wanted to add some texture so I filled it in with stitches. I’m not convinced that I like this any better than just the simple outline, but I like how the lines make me think of the lines on one’s palms. I feel like those lines tell such stories about one’s lives, and I spend an awful lot of time wondering how the stories of our kids’ lives will play out so it felt appropriate. I also used some metallic coated linen to indulge my recent love for sparkly things.

I not only refer to our kids in pairs, but I also seem to make things in pairs for them. Matching scarves, capes and costumes have popped up in our lives because when you make one, it always seems just as easy to make just one more. I’ll make one of these hand prints for Bee too, hopefully by the time she turns 2. And Emmett’s birthday is coming up, and I think I see another vision of matching craftiness in my future.

 

Some time ago, I bought this book about sewing knits, and it made me feel brave. (I loved the book, by the way. I would definitely recommend it to beginners.)

It made me feel brave enough to attempt this:

And it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Then yesterday, I finished this tunic/dress:

(Those leggings are from H&M, by the way, and they are fantastic! A 2-pack for $12.50)

 

I used an old dress of Bee’s, traced the upper part of the dress, and fudged the rest. And it was fast! easy! Life changing, I tell you. While I was making it, I realized how it could be possible for Target to sell t-shirts for $5. I think I’ll be branching out into knits now. And you wouldn’t know this from looking at our house full of neutrals, but I seem to have developed a love for sparkly things. The fabric from Bee’s dress is actually covered with tiny bronze sparkles, which is so lovely to look at, but has covered just about everything in its path. This afternoon, Bee actually woke up with a thin film of glitter on her face and eyelashes. Between the bright costumes and the sparkles, I feel like I’m going a little Liberace here.

 

happy halloween

I feel like the world is divided up into people who really get into Halloween, and those who feel rather ambivalent about it. I definitely fall into the latter category. I don’t think I’ve really dressed up in costume since third or fourth grade. Otis, however, enthusiastically falls into the first category. Thanks to the relentless hinting of Fifth Aunt Grandma K, he’s been talking about his costume for ages. (Ahem, she’s also been talking about Christmas for the past month or so.) Luckily for me, Otis is pretty decisive. He went to see the Ringling Brothers Circus a few months ago, and well, the rest is history:

The costume was surprisingly easy to make, despite how scary and stretchy swimsuit lycra is. And, well, if you’re going to make one spandex Halloween costume, you might as well make two:

Hers was a little more challenging because I actually had to make a pattern for it myself, but it came together without too much fuss. I basically traced one of her old onesies. Here’s F, working with the kids on the show they’re going to take on the road. What a stage dad!

And I just love this picture with his friend, Mr. Incredible:

It feels so indulgent, making Otis a costume just to wear for this one day. And not just any old costume, but one that is flamboyant enough to guarantee embarrassment by the time he’s got a fuzzy upper lip and a driving permit. I’ve felt guilty and embarrassed each time people have commented on how much time it must’ve taken to make his costume because for sure, there must be more worthy ways to spend my time. But it has also been so totally worth it to see the shameless pleasure on his face. I can already see him starting to feel self-conscious here and there, and it breaks my heart to think that his innocent enjoyment will soon be replaced with something more grown up. I want to enjoy this too-short time for as long as I can. Pretty soon, he won’t want a homemade costume anymore. So for now, he will get the costume that he wants. And of course, the tenderness in my heart doesn’t stop me from putting on video tape an interview where he states quite emphatically that the idea was his and his alone.

F and I are staring at his bag of loot, wondering what our candy policy should be this year. Hope you all had a great Halloween!

 

tooling around

We are now a fully bicycled family! It started with Otis’s purple Craigslist special, continued with my supercute! bicycle, and ended with F’s recent purchase (sadly, not Craigslist. It feels like we’ve betrayed an old friend!) with our old bicycle seat attached to the back. I love the idea of the whole family biking together. F or I have been biking with Otis to school regularly, and the ride back from school is on a slight incline. F and I agreed that while it is by no means a workout, it’s just invigorating enough to wake up our stiff muscles.

I searched high and low for a bicycle helmet that would not make me feel dorky, and I ended up with this Bern helmet (I think it’s clever how they have different accessories for the different seasons). It has this funny little visor on it, which I thought would be rather useless, but actually it’s been great. While I’m biking, I’m constantly thinking, “Hey, this visor thing really works!”

See?

The whole family went out for a ride this past weekend to the Farmer’s Market. Hey Bee, how do you feel about your first bike ride?

No, really, it’ll be fun! What do you think?

Girl, don’t be a hater. Actually, she really enjoyed herself, and she showed no signs of being scared, which was just as surprising as the fact that Otis was terrified the first time he got in the child seat. Here’s the rest of the fam. Can you see a tiny bit of Otis’s sparkly fuschia streamers? Even though I have a daughter now, I’m still trying to girlify him!

I don’t have any illusions that we’ll become a true biking family. I’ll confess that we are thinking rather seriously about buying a second car, although I wish wish wish that it didn’t have to be so. But in the meantime, I’m thinking about one of these cool setups, which allows you to carry groceries and your kid at the same time, but not in a bike trailer, which appear dangerously low for a car to see. (And hey, they’re a local company!) It’s become more evident to me that I will not make going to the gym a priority anytime soon, so I’m looking for ways to make my every day life a little more active. How are you guys keeping yourselves from becoming lazy lady lumps?