Rainy days.
With the exception of yesterday and our brief return to the light, the past few days have been comprised of thunderstorms. Deluges at night, mild to moderate torrents during the day.
I love storms. Thunder, lightening, the pitter-patter of rain as it washes over our home. It's all wonderful. Give me an excuse to snuggle up, make hot chocolate, and as we did two days ago, build a fort with the children. So in case you didn't know this, I'm gong to let you in on a little secret:Being a parent is the best job ever.
But back to the rain.
With our third consecutive day of rain, this pretty much sums up how we were all feeling as we hunkered down indoors.
At this time the rain seemed to be taking a little break, but everything outside was soaked and, frankly, gross. We'd exhausted our other forms of indoor play, so putting my noggin to work while cleaning the guest suite, something sparked when I spied a matelassee. The rest, my dears, was history.
The wee one was in the middle of his snack as eldest and I carried the blankets into the kitchen. Needless to say, his attention
was
divided.
It started out simple enough. The matelassee went over our breakfast table and chairs, while one of the wee one's blankets acted as the cushion of the fort's floor. Eldest was quite happy.
It only took minutes, and by the time the fort was assembled our messy bebe was ready to get down and join in the fun.
He was very curious, walking all around the pretty fort Mama and his sister had built. Eldest tried to coax him to come underneath with her, but he wasn't quite ready.
He preferred to roam around in his "bear" feet.
And eldest felt the fort wasn't quite finished. The little interior designer inside of her needed pillows, and she grabbed every green pillow she could find. She may have fallen down once or twice trying to get them to her little house, but don't worry. As you can see, she was just fine.
The little guy thought face-planting in pillows like his sister would be great fun as well.
And when he saw how much fun big sister was having as she relaxed, he decided to join her.
He never stayed very long, as he is always on the move.
He has a permanent case of ants in the pants-something I never encountered until having a boy. So consider this a heads up!
That said, when he was in their lovely fort, the little boy who is quickly eating us out of house and home had a blast!
It was quite possibly the best thing we've done in a while. The children spent most of the day playing in and around the table, and it they really loved it. Whether it was listening to music or watching PBS, the fort was their sanctuary.
They played for hours until something unexpected happened...
The wee one's friend came back and we were overjoyed to see him.
The sun stayed with us all day yesterday, and for a little while we were able to enjoy the simple joys of being outside. But today, it looks as if new storm clouds are rolling in. The wee one is already tugging on some pillows and eldest is eyeing the kitchen table eagerly.
What do you think? Did they enjoy their first fort?
You tell me.
I believe today marks the final installment of Kelly's July's Fireflies. It has been such a privilege to be a part of something so fun with the other Fireflies. Kelly is the sweetest soul; a social butterfly filled with heart and humor.
If you still haven't been by her blog, Just a Girl in a City, then you really must drop by. It's a little bit of everything, but clearly her focus lies on her friends and family. This is something I can get behind!
And have I mentioned she's taken her burgeoning culinary talents to a new blog she recently created? The Apron Dialogues has many a tale from the table-recipes, too!
One word friends: Donuts. Kelly made delicious, fluffy donuts. Click on The Apron Dialogues above and the link will take you there for many delicious treats. For today's finale of July's Fireflies, however,click here.
Thank you, Kelly, for introducing this Southern Lady to a new group of great bloggers and readers. I had the best time, and reading your own entries, particularly those that have had me reminiscing about my childhood and looking ahead to the future, made this experience extra special.
I feel badly.
You see, I understand that I've told you there are recipe's to share and adventures in pictures to see. But where are they? On my hard drive, naturally. As for what has been keeping me from fufilling my blogging promises, here's a visual hint:
One might think since we are painting, removing pictures from walls, and selling/dontaing odds and ends we no longer wish to keep, our move to Tokyo is well underway.
Unfortunately, you'd be wrong.
The move is going to happen, don't misunderstand. The timeline, however, has caused some significant possible changes for our family. They're changes I've been praying over for hours, and they've left me angry, frustrated, and very disappointed.
I'm an upbeat person; the optimist to my husband's realist. To experience these negative emotions all at once has been pretty overwhelming. Thank goodness for prayer and the generous ears of parents.
I know that whatever path we choose in regards our move to Tokyo, the outcome will be positive. Getting there, however, will require more work than we expected.
There's so much more that could be said, but if I do, there's the risk of this turning into an angry tirade. Which I don't want. I'd rather try to focus on the good that is coming from this situation because there is plenty.
We've been making lots of time for fun with the children-not only because they're the lights of our lives, but because it does our hearts good to focus on these wonderful little souls.
I let eldest help with touch ups in the bigger rooms because she thinks it's super fun. Who am I to spoil such a notion?
We've been playing games as well. Board games especially are our favorites.
We were able to be amused by the wee one eating his pancakes and blueberries while wearing his "blueberry" pajamas.
We even made a trip to the DQ for a classic summertime favorite: the Blizzard.
I chose oreo while eldest had cookie dough. Ever the adventurous eater, the little guy wanted some as well, so I let him have a few small spoonfulls. He wasn't sure what to make of it since it was so cold, but he continued to come back asking for "Mo Mama", so I think he liked it!
I'm glad, too, since eating icy treats are an awesome way to beat the heat in the summer.
Today I declared a strike on Chez Quon. We've been out having fun, picking up a few necessities, and some that are not. But the nice break away has helped me to refocus and breathe a little more easily.
It doesn't hurt that I've been with two of the most wonderful children.
Please keep our family in your prayers over the next few weeks. Changes are a-coming, but they won't be easy ones. Considering the times, we are blessed in so many respects. My husband has a good job, we have a lovely home, we have health, love, and most importantly our Faith. I know somehwere in this mess of a move there are bigger blessings on our family's horizon.
Patience and prayer will get us to where we want to be because God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.
If you're a mother like me, or a person who's generally busy in the mornings, you understand the necessity of a quick, satisfying meal. This latest discovery has simply delighted the children and I.
Meet the Bogle.
How do you do, delicious, mouth-watering morsel from Panera? You see, that's where we found them. Since I'd lost track of time last night and we'd chosen to grab a light meal from there, what do you think we saw when we first entered said establishment? That's right.
The Bogles.
They're bite-sized versions of their fantastic cinnamon crunch bagel and come in batches of either six or twelve. It's like a tiny cinnamon roll-with icing-so you don't need to add anything extra. Though if you did add a bit of cream cheese, I don't think it would hurt.
We purchased it as a breakfast-on-the-go for my husband, but as he was "on the go" this morning and racing out the door, I forgot to hand them over. So guess who's enjoying them fresh from the microwave?
Eldest.
And she is in seventh heaven, if any of y'all are curious. Pick some up right away if you live near a Panera, because I have no idea how long they'll be making the Bogles. Your taste buds will thank you for it!
And if you have the time after you make your trip, stop by Kelly's blog, Just a Girl in a City, today! She'll have her third installment of "July's Fireflies" up.
You can click here to make your way there.
As much fun as it's been for me to participate, I've also enjoyed meeting the other girls involved. They're all very talented and fabulous, and I hope those of you who have stopped by feel the same.
Enjoy your Thursday! Weekend here we come.
Hello all. Have you missed me?
My apologies for being absent, but things have been brewing and threatening to overflow like a pot of well-made coffee. Oh, don't worry. Everything is fine. Husband is well, the children are wonderful as always, and yours truly, your Southern Lady, is enjoying this quiet morning with my family.
I fully intended to share the marvelous day the children and I shared last week in NoDa (also known as the artsy area of North Davidson to we Charloteans), but wouldn't you know it? Details for our possible move are cropping up, so in case we have to jaunt across the ocean to Tokyo in the next few weeks, we don't want to spend our remaining days in Charlotte running around like mad folks.
Enter: the list.
Are any of you list makers? I am. Eldest is. If the world has any sense of rightness, the wee one will be as well.
To save myself daily headaches of figuring out what needs to be taken care of (and there is so much my head is absolutely spinning), I'm taking it day by day, keeping myself filled with grace and calm as I check off items on my daily list.
Not as easy as it sounds, I assure you. But I'm giving it all I have.
Yesterday's list included passport photos, getting eldest's forms for Sacred Heart finished and sent to her previous teacher, and arranging a time to get my car serviced this weekend.
The pictures took seconds,
but the wait beforehand...well, it's Walgreens. Thankfully the children are easy and entertained themselves while the machines warmed up. And our Walgreens photographer? Sweet as pie. It made the wait a nice one.
We knew it would take a while for the images to be developed, so on the brilliant suggestion of eldest, we were off to Amelie's once more.
I think we may be developing a slight addiction. But trust me, as a girl with great affection for French food, we wouldn't go this often if the food was not worth it. And it really is.
I had a chocolate-filled croissant (as recommended by my daughter). It was sinfully good. Even the wee one-who we assumed after his birthday cupcakes had a dislike for chocolate-seemed to notice how good it was.
It was his snack time, but as he'd already eaten and his little hands were now empty,
I decided to see what he thought of this confection.
Believe it or not, despite his little perplexed expression, he really enjoyed it. In fact, he finished off my second half. Perhaps it was just the icing on the cupcakes he didn't care for, because I'll tell you all something, this boy certainly didn't mind these croissants. He loved them!
I'll tell you all something else he and eldest loved-making a discovery in the form of games and toys within an armoire.
Of course, being that she loves game nights, what do you suppose she pulled out once she discovered it?
That's right. The domino's.
She played with them until it was time for us to leave, and then we rested the afternoon away until the wee one woke from his nap. We did have to make a special afterwards as it seems our wee one is becoming a little damp at night-outside of his diaper. It hasn't seemed to matter that we've gone up a size, apparently he just needs a little extra padding. Naturally, this hasn't bothered him a bit.
For all parents out there who have been through this or are going through this exact situation, these gems worked like a charm. Our wee one is back to his leak-less nights and my mornings aren't initially spent changing his sheets and sleeper.
This is a very good thing.
And speaking of good things, do you remember that delicious shortcake recipe I promised you all around the Fourth of July? Be sure to come back later since I have it ready to go!
A good day to each of you-I'll see you later for some strawberry shortcake goodness.
Chi-chi, friends and followers! As promised, today will be the second chapter to my husband's Tokyo story. We'll call it:
Tokyo Thursday:Traditional Tokyo
During his two week stay in Tokyo, my husband visited and walked the paths many had before him. Some took him to popular parks and monuments, some to the Tokyo National Museum. They all took him too the streets so he could do as the natives do. A few more unexplored pathways even took him on culinary adventures (which he's still a little shocked that he partook in).
But since it was a bit of a scouting trip for our family as well, he was looking for our new, much cozier Tokyo residence.
And I think we found it in the Izumi Garden Residence Tower.
So let's start there before we get to the really cool stuff.
This is much more modern than what we're accustomed to, but very elegant. It's filled with clean lines,
marbles,
dark hardwoods,
and soft berber carpeting.
These pictures are of the model they show most people and use in their advertisement, so the images are not ours. They belong to the Izumi Garden site, which you can find here.
It really fits the bill for what we require in our new home, and what we would like as well. It's right next to a subway station, and from what I understand very close to Sacred Heart as well as husband's office.
We're going to have to adjust to much smaller living quarters-much smaller-but we think the trade-off is very much worth it. Besides, it will only be for two years. Can you imagine how our tastes and priorities in living space will change over that time?
And can you imagine us sending eldest all by her lonesome on a train to reach Sacred Heart?
I know it's the norm for Japanese school children to go off independantly to their schools. Chances are after a little while we might feel comfortable enough to let our daughter do the same. Maybe. For now, though, it's such a novel concept. You just don't see much of that here-or at least I don't. Do you?
It was one of the many things that I really like about Tokyo. The sense of safety, even for the young. Another thing? Their appreciation for their history, their family, and their land. I adore this aspect especially since it seems to be something we're loosing in our own children.
At my husband's hotel, The New Otani, every garden and walkway was treated with care and always is. Isn't it gorgeous?
At the Hokan Building at the Tokyo National Museum, you see further evidence of the preservation of the natural envirionment.
Front, back, side, it doesn't seem to matter. The land is nurtured as much as the culture.
And speaking of culture, here are a few little treasures from the museum.
I understand the detail work on the scrolls and in the books were amazing. It's going to be such a treat to see them in person. Hopefully. My husband was very fortunate. After his museum visit, he saw another familiar sight in Tokyo-confusing street signs.
Eventually they led him through Ueno Park and to several shrines. One was of Takamori Saigo,
another were the tombs of the Shogatai soldiers.
Somwhere along the way he even snapped a picture of a shopping center!
You know, the imporatant things. Would you look at those candy colored shoes? I'm fairly sure that was enough of a glimpse into abyss for my husband, so off he went in search of something more satisfying.
Like the Five Story Pagoda.
This is its actual name, by the way. Not terribly creative, but I imagine the translation from word to paper is another thing entirely. Continuing on this same route, Hozomon Gate took my husband to the Sensoji Temple, where he was witness to a strange phenomenon.
For some reason, everyone was very eager to drink water out of the same fountain. Very eager.
There has to be more the this story. You touch the foot of St. Peter at the Bascillica in Rome, so perhaps this is along the same, if not incredibly unhygenic, line. There was a giant stone man atop the fountain everyone was drinking from (thankfully, husband wisely abstained), so I'm thinking he is a local hero of some sort.
Mystery! I love a good one, and eldest should enjoy looking up the local lore on this particular one.
I'll leave you all there, since I know this has been a pretty long entry. But when you return next Thursday, I'll have the final chapter of Tokyo Thursday ready for you to enjoy.
What is it entitled? Tokyo Thursday:Beautiful Sights.
Enjoy your end of the week! We certainly will.
