Merry Christmas To All

Gingerbread Memories

On Saturday we went to a House Party.

It was just for kids.

At a very lovely place.

WonderBoy and Sweetie were given a chance to go to town and be creative on their own.

They had lots of containers of candies for decorating

(and eating along the way)

and oodles of royal icing.

They served eggnog, hot chocolate and donuts to fill

the tummies of the young gingerbread house decorators.

Though they love hot chocolate, my kids REALLY love

Shirley Temples and they each just had to have one to keep their energy up!

The relationship with Shirley goes WAY back to my own childhood with my brother.

He and I slurped down our share of of them in

in that very dining room where my children now sit.

Little has changed at that place despite the 30+ years that have come and gone.

It still feels like home there and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to share the experience with my own children.

These are the memories that last a lifetime.


WonderBoy did his best to help his little sister but she wasn't havin' any of it.
She cried and howled when he so much as moved a gumdrop or worse; stole one of her candies from her basket for his own gingerbread house.

I guess doing a While You Were Out makeover for her would be out of the question.

I watched them together and took comfort in knowing that

long after those gingerbread houses are gone, they will still have one other.

And the sweet memories of Christmas' past will live forever in their hearts.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

One more day, Sweetie.....

A Touch of Christmas Cheer

(Special thanks to my sweet angel Gail at Aging with Grace for teaching me to use her signature collage technique!)

Exceptional Nadejda

There on the stage, alone, sits a single, glorious, sparkling black grand piano.

*********
The strategically placed lights above shine down upon it as the audience waits in hushed whispers on a chilly night in a beautiful hall in NYC's Lincoln Center.

As magnificently crafted as that elegant Grand is, it is just a curvaceous box of wood, ivory, strings and metal….until she glides from the velvet curtain; stage left.

She is true elegance as she floats across the stage passing in front of the Mighty Steinw*ay that, in that moment it is clear is merely her accompaniment.

The anticipation is palpable as I hear the audience collectively catch their breath, along with me, as we take in just how beautiful she truly is.

She stands before us in her stunning silky,pale toffee-colored, sleeveless gown.

It perfectly showcases her glistening, flawless, alabaster skin and lithe frame.

The crystals embedded on the front and back of her gown sparkle and shine like diamonds beneath the lights.

In a moment, she greets her audience with a bow as she shyly parts her lips: showcasing that unbelieveably dazzling smile of hers.

Even before she begins it is clear; she is a one woman show.

She quickly positions herself in front of the piano and with ultimate concentration and grace she embarks on a magical journey as her fingers enchantingly begin to touch the keys.

The incredible sound has enveloped us all and within seconds we are helplessly and happily under her spell.

She summons Prokofiev, Liadov, Bortkiewicz, Vladigerov, Shubert (Liebermann) and Liszt.

She undoubtedly makes all of them beam with pride.

The strength, power, endurance and precision that emanates from her, alone, can only be described as mesmerizing.

Her fingers dance across the keys like delicate ballerinas then pounce like a tiger.

They are as playful as a couple of Jack Russell Terriers on an afternoon jaunt, hopping like a fluffy white rabbit on the new grass in Springtime, and then, without warning move furiously in a controlled blur; only to come to rest in a lingering slow motion as if to squeeze every minute detail from the notes beneath.

She delivers every emotion right at our feet…

A Sunrise
A Crashing Cymbal
A Waterfall
Black, White and the Rainbow of Colors between
A Moment in Time
Loss, Love, Hunger, Satisfaction
Unbridled Passion
Silent Snowfall
A Speeding Locomotive
Purpose, Whimsy
Waves relentlessly crashing against a jetty
Abandon, Devotion
A Dazzling Racehorse
A Delicate Music Box

Her statuesque beauty and elegance evokes a timelessness that is hard to deny.

She is in front of me, yet I am magically transported as I watch her playing a hundred years ago; perhaps two hundred.

She is a vision.

Her talent is undeniable and the intellect that goes hand in hand with that kind of talent

is beyond my comprehension.

There is not a stitch of music before her yet;

she executes a perfect performance for nearly two hours using merely the contents of her head.

Merely the contents of her head?!

I cannot imagine such a gift…just her and the piano.

With her sheer ability and the depths of her soul, working in absolute unison,

she captures the world.

My eyes well up as I imagine the foresight, allegiance and respect for her extraordinary gift that led her down the path of nurturing it and dedicating herself completely

to her craft since childhood.

She has worked tirelessly through the decades to perfect it, often under the scrutiny of others but always under the ever present and watchful eye of her harshest critic; herself.

She sits at the helm of the Steinw*ay, not on a bench,

but high upon a stack of cushions; an unlikely throne for such royalty.

As I watch her there, her slim and elegant silhouette reminds me of the fairy tale;

The Princess and the Pea.

I cannot take my eyes off of her as I hear her play the Christmas Waltz.

It is so incredibly beautiful and she brings it to life.

I feel the warmth of my own tears silently stream down my cheek.

My husband reaches for my hand and swallows hard, himself,

gently shaking his own head in acknowledgement.

How such beauty and talent can live in one person... I am lost in wonder.

The performance has ended but the audience will not allow her to leave.

She momentarily disappears behind the curtain and emerges

time and again after each of the 4 ovations.

Each time she appears she is, characteristically, shy and unassuming but the moment she sits before her piano (her familiar partner and friend); her fears are quickly abated

as she re-enters her zone.

Before each encore she whispers to the audience the name and composer of the piece in her soft, shy Bulgarian accent before she magnificently performs it...becomes it; from memory, for her insatiable audience.

The moment I hear her voice, I awaken from the trance the music has put me in.

I smile among the backdrop of the sounds emanating from the stage; from her.

I am remembering all the beautiful words I have heard from that very voice.

There she is, my darling friend;

the enviously thin, bubbly, joyful, ever appreciative girl

who always looks so chic even when clad in jeans and a t-shirt.

I know her and I adore her.

She’s ridiculously unassuming; a true lover of life.

I see her quietly asleep on my sofa;

picking crumbs from a giant cupcake

in the middle of the night that I have made her the evening before…

she’s like a little mouse!

She is being so silly and making our daughters (our little virtual twins) laugh,







She’s rockin’ a hula hoop and cracking herself (and us) up.

In those moments, she is just the sweetest girl I know.

She is adept at putting her alter ego, Pianist Extraordinaire…La Virtuosa, upon a shelf.

She is a wife.

(Handsome Prince Farhan)

She is a mother.



(Breathtakingly Beautiful Rosalia)

She is a friend.



She is slipping her arm into mine and walking together in the park as we chat and giggle like schoolgirls enjoying every moment of one another.

Ours is a friendship that we almost missed had the stars not been precisely aligned.

Her precious, genuine words and kind, gentle manner never cease to warm my heart.

She snuggles close to me and whispers “you are so real” and she means every word...

she thanks me for our friendship.

I remind her how extraordinary she is and how lucky I am to have her in my life.

She is and I am.

If you ever have the privilege to hear an exceptional, enchanting performance by my dear friend, don’t hesitate for a moment.

Her performance is as unforgettable as the woman is herself.

To learn more about her,you can visit her here

And watch a clip of some of her past performances
Here and Here.

A Decade with Santa

My Beautiful Boy

10 Years Ago

(with the real Santa!)

Where does the time go?

Merry 10th Christmas, WonderBoy!

Sweetie Pie Von Trapp

Babysitter Extraodinaire

2 Watching 42

Good thing Sweetie Pie's responsible!

She's fiercely protective over and comforting to her Papa.

And sweet?

Well, they both are...Sweet like Sugar.

WonderBoy and I had some errands to run on Saturday

Sweetie needed a nap so JR stayed home to help her get some much needed shut eye.

Look what we found when we returned!

Thank goodness for the repeat function on the DVD!

At least it put someone to sleep!

Elves At Work

Yes they were.
These two adorable elves were very busy this weekend.

Thanks to a fantastic idea shared by two of my all-time favorite bloggers,

Aly and Ford at Imagine Alyzabeth An;

These handsome North Pole stowaways whipped up fixins' for

a special treat to share with some lucky family and friends on Christmas.

Famous North Pole

Chocolate Peppermint Snow Pancakes

It's pure Elfin' magic

Crushed candy cane and mini chocolate morsels

nestled in a fabulous batch of buttermilk pancake mix.

Those sweet treats are integral parts of the Elf Food Pyramid.

When topped off with some pure maple syrup...an Elf staple,

well, you're GOLDEN!

Is it just me or do these two look alike?!

Impishly adorable!

Speed Patrol

Don't know if you have a Traffic Control Officer at your house.

We do and he LOVES to give tickets to beef up the coffers in his piggy bank.

Thankful Thursday

The Lost Art of The Letter

(I found this waiting for me in the kitchen yesterday morning from WonderBoy)

I'm a note lover.

I have been for as long and I can remember.

I'm a note writer and a note saver.

I have notes from my childhood that I passed in the classroom with my BFFE.

I have notes from my parents, my siblings, my friends, my grandmother.

I have notes from old flames and loved ones long gone.

They are inscribed in books, written in real ink on beautiful stationary, jotted down on a scrap of paper, written in my own lipstick on a brown paper bag (a reminder to me never to leave my BEST lipstick lying around!), scrawled on the back of a waiter's dupe pad, inside a matchbook cover, on a restaurant placemat, typed on an old Smith Coron@, etched into a leaf from far across the ocean, left in a papertrail of scraps for me to find to work out the puzzle of the sentiments it held together as I found it. Some are notes that were tucked inside my luggage or pockets as I travelled or a sticky note stuck precariously on my rearview mirror. Some I photographed so as to always remember them...a message in the sand, footprints in the snow harkening a warm heart or the magical appearance of a sweet word in the fog of the bathroom mirror.

They mean the world to me...all of them.

I have them all tucked neatly away, organized and labeled by person and time.

A continuum of cherished memories.

They remind me of the different seasons of my life, and how those events, along with the people I loved and who loved me, have shaped who and where I am today.

They are my little time capsules.

When I hold them in my hands I am transported back there,

with the knowledge and appreciation of today,

and I can reminisce...

an inside moment all my own.

There's nothing like those notes to comfort, ground me or make me soar.

They are a reminder of who I am and who I always have been.

They are my golden treasures.

Not surprisingly, I leave WonderBoy and JR notes all the time.

The little thinking of you notes, the i love you notes and

the thank you for being you notes,

those are my favorite kind of notes to leave.

These are the variety of notes I leave in WonderBoy's lunchbox to remind him that at that very moment he reads my note, I'm somewhere thinking of him.

Sometimes I leave a little chocolate kiss for him on his dresser with a note to find when he gets home from school. Then I'll find the silver foil remnants of that chocolate kiss along with my note tucked inside his secret treasure (cigar) box.

Other times, I'll leave him a note under his pillow to remind him how happy I was to share the day with him and how much I look forward to another tomorrow as his mommy.

In this day of lightning speed communication by email, text and instant messaging...

the fine art of the truly written word is all but lost.

I have had the privilege of holding in my hands tangible evidence of the many ways people in my life have shown their appreciation, kindness, encouragement, admiration, sympathy, congratulations, words of inspiration, passion,

humor and love for me and took the time to put it in writing.

I realize that at the moments I may have recieved some of those precious missives, I may have underestimated their importance however, having had the foresight to save them over the years, I have been enriched by them many times over.

I want to ensure that my children will always know the simple joys of holding such a personal treasure of their own in their hands one day.

Long ago I began to save the notes JR and I wrote to WonderBoy in a box I've created just for him...notes that we and others who adore him have given him over the years. I date them on the back and write a short explanation of the circumstances surrounding the recipt of that note and tuck them away to be found one day as WonderBoys hands and heart grow over the years.

I started a box for Sweetie as well and I hope one day she and her brother will open their boxes at different times in their lives and cherish the written words that the people who have been with them along the way contributed to the tapestry of their lives.

Mutual Admiration

They are at once

Bickering Siblings
Best Friends
Partners in Crime
Soccer Mates
Candy Sneakers
Homework and Housework Dodgers
Mama Rule Breakers
Video Game Partners
Mama Hoarders
Jealous Ikes
Bedtime Avoiders
Action Movie Junkies
Sweetie Pie Antagonizers
Soda Sneakers
Loyalists
Accident Cover Uppers
Sweetie Pie's Staunchest Defenders
One Another's Biggest Fans
Father and Son
Inseparable
Sweetie Pie's and My Whole World

When the Cat's Away.....

...this little mouse will play!

The school bus barely leaves our street and she's off to his room.



You know, the one that's off limits

(especially to those nemesis of all 10 year old boys, the dreaded baby sister)



To say he's territorial is an understatement.

This is his favorite chair since he was a baby.

He no longer fits in it but its his and that's that.

Those pillows, yep, you guessed it.

His favorites. The blue one has his name emblazoned on it.

It used to grace his crib 10 years ago and is soft as can be.



This is his flying Harry P*tter that whizzes overhead at lightning speed and is never to be operated by human hands other than his own (do you see it flying here...it is!)



Oh, and here we have some of his favorite "stuff" that she's not ever to touch

under penalty of...

well, I'll just say, it's not pretty.

Look how cute she is touching it!



And, of course, the Teddys....nobody touches the Teddys....they are not to leave his bed!

(ut oh, Teddy fall down........)

(don't worry Teddy, I'll help you...I'm a good little nurse)



What a magical place this off limits WonderBoy cave is to Sweetie Pie.

She's so excited she does the happy dance!



My motto...what he doesn't know, well, he doesn't know!

After a while, though, the mystery wears off and she's off to explore more dangerous territory
while calling out the name of WonderBoy's most prized possession, his "son."

She begins to wander through the house.

Can't fool her.

She runs to the front table knowing that WonderBoy would have kissed Kiddie

as his last act as he headed out the door to meet the school bus.

And I spot him there, right where WonderBoy left him.

I hear her calling his name....Kiddie, Kiddie, Kiddie

in her sweet little voice.

Whoa, even I draw the line somewhere and quickly divert her;

throwing myself between the little tornado and helpless little Kiddie.

She's not buying it and she's trying her best to move me from her path.

I'm left with nothing but the offering up of my arch nemesis to draw her away.

It's horrible.

I'll give you a hint.

It's big, and purple with a bright green underbelly.

It sports the world's most annoying voice.

It answers to the name of B*rney

It can cause seizures in adults if they are forced to suffer watching the DVDs

in rapid, repetitive, looping succession.

I can attest to that fact.

Oh, the sacrifices mothers must make!

Thankful Thursday

My Sunshine on A Cloudy Day

When she's not looking, I can't help but stare at her.

When she is looking....

I can't help but smile at that precious little face!

Lucky Mommy!

Wordless Wednesday

A Present

When the doorbell rang and Sweetie realized that she was getting a present

from the Sweet Sisters who live across the street;

she could barely contain herself.



She was so excited that she did what any like-minded, exuberant

woman in training would do.

She threw herself on the floor.



And, when she saw it...well, let's just say she was

in black velvet, furry handbag heaven!

She's made it crystal clear that it belongs ONLY to HER!

Busy as a BEE!

Ever since the dynamic duo, Sydney and Isabella, sent this little bumble bee ditty over for Sweetie Pie, she insists on putting it on at least once a day as she buzzes around the premises.

Once in full regalia, explaining that it's an indoor outfit

rather than supermarket attire hasn't exactly been easy.

What better day than Halloween for our little entomologist in training to not only sport her ladybug costume but to give Mr. Bumble Bee equal time.

I wasn't kidding when I said she put me through three costume changes on Halloween.

This was numero tres!

Have wings will travel.

Believe me, Baby Girl was workin' it and playin'

to her favorite audience member.

You know, the one who melts to a puddle when he

sees her little face and hears that sweet voice say:

"Kiss, puleeeeeeeezzzzz, Papa"

Then they're two peas in a pod;

or bees in a hive, or whatever...

...right up until he tells her her bee-hind lookes big in that outfit.

Yep, a picture's worth a thousand words.

I'm still laughing.

There it was:

The silent, firey, sideways, appalled, indignant, death look that harkens revenge.

That's Mama's Girl!

Men...will they ever learn?

Sweetie Pie

Happy Halloween

A happy little ladybug frolicked in our yard yesterday.

Our soldier checked out his dog tags
to make sure every stitch of his uniform was complete.



(he even explained to me that soldiers' hands aren't really that clean so he roughed his up a bit)

He stood guard over us watching the deer running from yard to yard

(Yes, those are Men's size 9.5 authentic Army issue...and they're getting SMALL on him!)

Then a gentleman soldier assisted Miss Minnie in her THIRD

costume change of the day.
(Notice how she slyly grabs his weapon)

Then it was all about the quest for candy.........

Is it Trick or Treat?

WildChild has already begun looking out for Trick or Treaters.
She's perched herself on the chair at the front window.

She doesn't realize that she's a day early

and that except for a wayward UPS man and the occasional schoolbus;

there won't be any Trick or Treaters today.



She knows there's candy for the kids next to the door

and she wants to be the one to give it out

all.by.herself!



Surveying the stray candy wrappers strewn around the floor of my living room,

the rapidly disappearing bowl of goodies

and the knowledge that the wait is going to be about 24 hours longer...

I guess I'd better head out for more candy!



Happy Halloween!

You Can Run

You can run.

You can hide.

But, you can't change the trajectory of a kiss that was meant only for you!

Nor can you change the sheer joy that being so loved just because you're YOU brings.

Thankful Thursday

Actually, Thankful times a million.

Autumn in Bloom

Sushi Anyone?

Sweetie Pie babbles all day long.

She loves to say sooooooooooooosheeeeeeeee.

When she says that...well, there's just no saying no.

Not like she has to twist our arms or anything!

WonderBoy loves sushi just as much as JR and I do.

Although I only let the kids eat the garden variety cooked sushi and california roll

that doesn't stop him from the rest of the menu...

His new favorite is the all encompassing Bento Box.

He gets a taste of all of his favorites along with soup, shrimp fried rice

and broccoli (yes, he loves broccoli!)

Talk about a Happy Meal!

Oh, and a Shirley Temple.

Dinner out is not complete without his signature drink, the Shirley Temple!

********

Sweetie insists on using chopsticks.

And I mean Insists!

By golly, she's a determined little one.

She does attain her goal more often than not.

The kids fight to the death over the dumplings

and the edamame.

After a few hot sakes, JR and I don't seem to notice, though.

Then our dinner arrives....

and JR and I fight over it

(just kidding...I always win!)

Sneaky Little Girl tries to poach from the adult dish when we're deep in conversation.

Much to her chagrin, she always gets caught.

Mama never fails to have one eye on her.

JR and I usually order much too much.

But it makes for a lovely lunch together the next day.

Alas, an after dinner mint

A great big brother hug

And all is right with the world.

A Perfect Evening!

Jammie Time

Wild Child loves her cudgey new jammies.

Those snowmen forewarn of the blustery days upon us.

I don't mind the cold.

It gives me even more excuses to extend snuggle time with Wild Child and WonderBoy.

Sweets for the Sweet

No morning is complete for Sweetie Pie without a spin in her new car;

thanks to the uber generous Syd and Izzy.

Unlike her other car, this one can actually be controlled by mom from behind

making Sweetie just think she's in the driver's seat!

Of course, before going ANYWHERE she has to have a mini Alt*oid or seven.

The girl has a new addiction.

She's testing the limits of her ability to contain multiple "mints" of the menthol variety in her mouth.

She has officially surpassed me.

I cry "uncle" at about 3.

The weather is quickly turning cold here (37 degrees this morning!)

I'm afraid Sweetie's outdoor spins in her car are numbered.

Minx

Lost and Found

Lost and Found on this day 5 years ago.

We had only seen a picture of one another and spoken on the phone a few times.

(He has the best accent!)

He lived a few miles from me.

Ironically, many years before we had gone to different high schools in the same town and even graduated the same year.

We never ran into one another back then.

After chatting on the phone a few times, he asked me to meet him for a drink at a local restaurant.

He knew all about WonderBoy and me and hadn't run for the hills.

This would be the moment of truth because, in my book, you can't fake chemistry.

I pulled into the parking lot like a maniac, running late, as usual.

I was wondering if the man I was about to meet would even come close to living up to the fantasy of the man I had imagined him to be staring at his picture.

I checked my look in my rearview mirror knowing that it was the last time I was going to see myself before I knew the answer to my own question.

I barreled out of the car in my characteristic whirlwind; grabbing my bag, fluffing my hair, while dropping my keys, shifting my clothes and otherwise primping to get my girl on.

Outta my way, PEOPLE, I had a DATE!

As I trotted through the parking lot, looking over my shoulder at the incredibly crooked parking job I had just perpetrated, I took a deep breath and quickly wiped that bead of sweat from my upper lip...

and, that's when I saw him...

He was sitting on the bench outside the restaurant staring right at me.

He had been, characteristically early, and had been watching me the entire time from the moment I flew into the parking lot as if it were a Nas*car pitstop.

He had a grin ear to ear.

His was even more handsome than I had imagined.

I took one look at him and melted into those sparkling, steely blue-green eyes and began to laugh.

We needed no introductions.

Before I took my first sip of my Margarita, I knew I was looking at my husband.

And the rest, as they say....is history!

Thank you for Finding Me!

I love you to pieces.

(Special thanks to WonderBoy for taking these pictures of us!)

WonderBoy Wednesday