Double Happiness

When I grow up, I want to be like Mommy!

 

 

Okay, this wasn't drawn by my little Picassogirl   and I'm not the Mommy depicted here but it was such a funny story of mistaken identity that I wanted to share it!  :)

Hallway Bowling on a rainy Wednesday afternoon...

It's cold and rainy today so we're staying inside and trying to keep busy.  Here's how we entertained ourselves for the first few hours after preschool ended at noon today (each of these two videos are only about one minute long):

And here's how we finished off before nap with a nice mellow rock song:

Yep... this really must be what dreams are made of! 

Oh how I've missed The Daily Show!

Yesterday's Presidential Inauguration was very historic and significant and I'm remaining cautiously optimistic about seeing some of the promised changes actually come to fruition.  

One unexpected perk of the having a new administration in power is that I'll finally be able to watch Jon Stewart's Daily Show again without first tossing a fistful of blood pressure meds into my mouth and washing them all down with several quick swigs of imported beer.  I think my liver is counting on this to be "change we can really believe In"!

About the Daily Show..... I just love this video from last night.  Especially the analogy about the melted cheese at the end.    

I'm really behind on posting to the blog so I'll just throw in some current stuff from today and try to catch up with the backlog later. 

G is for Gossie (help needed!)

"G is for Gossie"

But what is N O Q U V X Y & Z for?  We've got all the other letters of the alphabet covered but we're looking for ideas for these remaining few.  When we're done, we'll make a precious little ABC book and sell it on-line and give all the profits to Grace and Hope (the organization that made Maddy's foster care possible in China).   This will help other Qinzhou kids enjoy the benefits of having a loving family to belong to while they wait to be adopted.

Two Christmases ago, Nana gave Gwen and Maddy one of their favorite books:  Gossie.  Today, Maddy presented me with her drawing of Gossie.  Isn't it spectacular!?

So, any ideas for N O Q U V X Y & Z?  As you can see from the picture above, our little 4 year old Picasso can copy ANYTHING!  All she needs is inspiration.  Do you have some?

Ardenwood Farm

Here we are at Ardenwood Farm in Fremont and that's the Patterson House behind us.  The house is fabulous and dates back to 1857.  That's four years before my Great Great Grandmother was born and more than one hundred years before I was born.   Even though this family was wealthy and lived in a very extravagant home (for that time), they enjoyed a lifestyle that was completely void of every modern convenience that I take for granted each day.    We toured the house last year and I still remember walking from room to room intoxicated by the sense of nostalgia (or maybe it was just the thick aromatic smoke that filled the house from the stove in the kitchen?)   What stories could these walls tell?  I can't help but wonder what my great-great-grandchildren will think of MY house when they stand in front of it some day.

We've been to this farm before but each time we return it's a brand new adventure.

An old train track is still in use on the 205 acre farm.   Sometimes, there's a magnificent horse pulling a railroad car/carriage on these tracks.  He wasn't there today so wewalked along the tracks with a dozen other families and marveled at all of the Monarch Butterflies swirling around us.  Such amazing little creatures!  Unfortunately, none would pose long enough to have their picture taken!

The girls also participated in an old tradition of "slinging" hay up into the loft of the barn.  They'd pull on the rope to hoist up the bale while someone else made it swing to and fro by pulling on another rope.  Then, with perfect timing, they'd let go and the bale would be flung into the loft!  It took a few tries but it was easy to see how this would be much easier than carrying each bale up a narrow (and steep!) flight of stairs. 

Clever people, our ancestors!