Back in Time

Doug came back from his business trip just in time for me to leave.

Most of my four day excursion was spent driving. The route was familiar. My sister Jennifer, who had joined us as a fellow Northwesterner two years ago, was moving back to Utah. When she broke the news of her move to me a couple of weeks ago, I cried with her. It's hard to move; even to move back to Utah. One year ago, I was in her shoes. I told her, "It will be hard. But it will be good."

I also said, "I want to come help you move!"

I wasn't sure what to expect on this road trip with my sisters and parents. What I learned was that it's pretty fun to be the "kid" on road trips. Chatting, teasing, relaxing, snacking, watching movies, singing along with satellite radio elevator music. Giggling in dark hotel rooms in the middle of the night with my sisters. Fun.

I felt very nostalgic, being back in that place from where my tender roots were yanked so recently. One year didn't seem long ago.

It was very gray and very rainy there. I remembered how tiresome that atmosphere got.

It was also beautiful, and familiar, and it felt good to be back there.

The drive back home--to where my home is now--felt long.

But I got back just in time. Today was Hannah's first true birthday party.

When Doug's out of town...

I spend less time making dinner, and more time baking cookies.

Last night, after our frozen pizza and chips and guacamole and root beer, I made double chocolate cookies.

Two words: Comfort Food.

Nothing much to say

Before I was married, I used to look at "older" couples and wonder (assuming they had been together for years) how they could possibly have anything left to discuss. Didn't they ever run out of things to say?

Now that I've been with Doug for fifteen years, I realize that there are always new things to talk about (or old things to talk about again), but we've also become more comfortable during the quiet moments.

Right now, my blog and I are having a quiet moment. I hope you're as comfortable with it as I am. :)

Deal of the Decade

When I was a little girl, we visited my grandparents every summer. Everything about those visits was special, and highly anticipated. They were full of traditions.

When we went to church with my grandparents, my Grandma James brought along a special Sunday bag. It was vinyl, and decorated with a 70s-style pattern of bold colored flowers. Inside the bag were little toys and games to keep kids quiet during the worship service. There was one item in that Sunday bag that I always anticipated: a small, cloth Little Red Riding Hood doll. If you turned Red's full skirt inside out, you would find that she transformed into Granny. And if you pulled Granny's nightcap over her face, the doll would transform into the Big Bad Wolf, dressed in Granny's nightgown.

Hook me up with the doll and a few Tic Tacs or Lifesavers from Grandma's purse, and I like to imagine that I was quiet in my seat for the entire meeting. At least, that's how I remember it.

When I had daughters of my own, I loved the idea and the process of introducing some of my favorite childhood items to them.

My Sunday bag is definitely influenced by the items I remember from my Grandma's, and my mother's. When Katelyn was barely old enough to appreciate it, I spent hours (and probably a significant amount of my budget at that time) making a felt "quiet book." And whenever I would come across an item such as those little doodle pads where you scratch words or a design on the tablet with a red plastic "pen" and then rip the sheet from the waxy surface to start over (what in the world was that called?), or cute finger puppets... I got excited about adding it to the bag.

I'm sure it was ten years ago now, but I can still picture myself vividly, in T.J. Maxx, the day that I saw the dolls. They were just like Grandma's Red Riding Hood doll, but these were even more beautiful and elegant, with characters like Cinderella. I was tempted, and I mentally debated with myself over the purchase for several minutes, but I thought the price ($13 or $14?) was too steep. This was during the dawning of eBay, and I figured I could find a better bargain there. So I passed up that purchase, and I went home, immediately suffering from Tightwad's Remorse.

I did check eBay, a good place to find collectible dolls, and I found out that these dolls have a name: Topsy Turvy's. I also found out that they cost more money (+ shipping) on eBay than the T.J. Maxx dolls, which were NIB (eBay lingo).

But by the time I returned to T.J. Maxx, the dolls were gone. And in ten years of sort of paying attention, I've never seen them anywhere else. (Can you believe I've held onto that regret for a decade? Can I not think of anything else to worry about?)

One time my kindred spirit Gerb found a Topsy Turvy Little Red Riding Hood for me. Just the same as my Grandma's, only about four times as big. She's an expert bargain hunter, and a great friend. But unfortunately, that Red is too large for my Sunday bag.

Today I went to my local thrift store, The D.I. (In case you don't know, the proper name of the place is Deseret Industries, but if you appreciate the local color of my town, you call it The D.I.) It's a place I like to go when I'm not really looking for anything in particular, but I just feel like looking for something. (I am a Tightwad, but I also love to shop!)

A great big smile came to my face when, among the piles of stuffed animals, I found this:

And this:

And this:

A childhood memory and a motherhood longing satisfied, for a grand total of a buck fifty.

The Caboose

It's not that we didn't have a few options already in our costume box for a toddler, but when I found this pumpkin outfit at the store this month, I couldn't help myself. It looked cozy, warm, and cute on the hanger, and obviously, it was adorable on this girl:

Mateys

Lauren was the cutest pirate I've ever costumed, that's for sure! Her ensemble--including the parrot--was collected from several thrift stores.

And today when we saw this pirate hat at the pet store for a dollar, we couldn't resist trying it on Jack.

He shall now be known as "Jack Sparrow"; or "Jack the Ripper" might be more appropriate, the way he chews things to shreds!

Here's a clue...

Katelyn dressed like Nancy Drew. Instead of trick-or-treating with her sisters, she had a party to go to with her friends. It didn't take her long to jump right into her teenager role, huh?

Nifty Fifties

Emily's costume is something old, something new, something borrowed and it's blue, but it's not the bride costume that I loved when I was Emily's age. It's the poodle skirt that my sister Jennifer once wore. This one was made by my mom.

How can anyone wear a skirt like this and not just want to dance?

The Fair Rapunzel

This dress has a lot of Trick-or-Treating history. I made it for Katelyn when she was just turning four. Kate wore it for two years, at least. Emily has used it, too. I'm not sure if Lauren ever did. But it fits Hannah perfectly this year. If it's going to be used by Olivia, I think it might need a little touch-up work. I still love this dress, though.

Hannah's favorite part of her Rapunzel costume is the long braid, which doubles as a lasso.

How do you take your candles?

The day she turned into a teenager, Katelyn's candle came in a "cake" of warm cinnamon rolls, early on a dark, snowy morning.

I had to get up a few hours earlier than I usually do today, but it was worth it. Thirteen years ago, I was awake all night, anticipating my baby's birth. So getting out of my bed a bit early this morning, after a nice comfy night of good sleep, was no big deal.

I hope I'm not going to jinx myself by saying so, but Katelyn has been such an easy daughter. I don't really like to think about how quickly her childhood is slipping away (18 - 13 = __), but for now, there's no sadness about my baby becoming a teen.

I love this girl!