I always taught my own kids—and later, my students—NOT to write on their hands, that’s why I didn’t believe this at first . . .
I thought, it must be a hoax, but then . . .
Kids . . . please DON”T take a lesson from Ms. Palin, here!
Check out the Washington Post story at: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/02/sarah-palins-palm-cheat-sheet.html?hpid=topnews
What’s your take on this elementary behavior?
This is a different kind of “Sunday Stroll” today, because, as many of you know, we’re eagerly awaiting and preparing for the arrival of our daughter’s first baby, due in March. With the preparations for the baby shower for Abbie last weekend, I found myself becoming even more reflective of our daughter’s own birth, one very special March day almost 29 years ago.
I wanted to share some of those memories with Abbie, as she becomes a mother herself. It’s been somewhat of a tradition in our family, on each child’s birthday, to haul out his/her babybook and to relive the story of the birth and early years for that individual child. Actually on the morning of the shower (as I was finished cooking and wrapping presents), I found myself looking through Abbie’s babybook once again. I knew I had to give it to her, along with a new, blank babybook I had purchased for her own new baby.
I wanted to help Abbie preserve those same kind of memories for her own child.
Through watery eyes, I remembered the tiny anklet Abbie wore in the hospital, and I remembered how I studied every feature on her, making sure they were forever inscribed in my memory. As a nervous, new Mom, I wanted to be sure I knew her every detail and I kept her with me in the hospital room all the time, so that I could nurse her on demand. Upon the rare occasion that the nurses took her to weigh her, or whatever, I again checked every detail, including this tiny anklet, to be sure my own precious child was returned to me. (Probably, already a little neurotic, huh?)
I thumbed through pages of memories of birthday parties, which always followed a theme showing Abbie’s love at the moment . . . and the cake reflected the same . . . “Miss Piggy” of Sesame Street for her second birthday, a “Barbie” doll cake for her third birthday. (Actually, I can remember making THREE Barbie doll cakes that year: one for the family party, one for her playgroup, and I’m not quite sure what the last one was for!)
Writing has always been very important to me and I’m sure I spent hours, recording every detail. In her babybook, I included the usual: clippings from the first hair cut and an ultrasound picture, as well as notes from the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.
As guests at the shower passed Abbie’s babybook around to share in these memories, several remarked about the detail, saying they couldn’t believe how much I had written. I must admit that our third child’s babybook may lack some of the intense written detail (sorry, Nathaniel!), but the dear memories remain.
I can remember the hours I spent, just holding each baby in the early weeks and months after birth, marveling at every, perfect little detail: the tiny fingers and toes, the wispy hair, the delicate rolls near the wrists, and the perfect, new baby scent! I took the time to just breathe in all of this newness, having no idea of how our lives would be irrevocably and wonderfully changed! I wish the same for our dear daughter, Abbie, as she begins the wonderful journey of motherhood—the gift of time with your new baby.
I hope that she finds her new baby book a helpful and wonderful way to record these precious memories. If you know her, you know that she loves to write as well, as is evident in both of her blogs, Farmer’s Daughter and Our Country Baby. She is a quite talented writer and I learn something new from her every day.
This morning, I started recording in my own new babybook, called “Grandmother and Me.” I hope to start making new memories with our new grandson soon and I look forward to recording some of these in this special book, which is one that grandmothers and grandchildren can write together!
Thanks for stopping by today. If you have any advice you’d like to offer an aspiring “grandmother-to-be,” I’m all ears!
And, if you’d like to continue strolling on this Sunday, please click on over to the Quiet Country House.
What do you call a tradition that brings together a group of close friends and family members to lovingly support a new mother-to-be?
A baby shower, of course! And what a wonderful tradition it is!
Our baby shower yesterday for my daughter, Abbie, also involved a lot of noise (60 or so women talking simultaneously, re-living memories of their own children/childbirth and offering advice); scrumptious food that only women would enjoy (broccoli/slivered almond quiche, pink lemonade punch, tiny sandwiches); and narrowly escaping cars getting stuck in the snow nor any broken hips from icy, steep driveways.
All in all, it was wonderful. And it was exactly what showers traditionally bring: wonderful comraderie among friends and family; incredible support for the mom-to-be; a chance to tell stories of days past; and mountains of gifts!
“Chick” food . . .
Abbie sharing a laugh with an aunt. . .
A diaper cake ?!?!
Abbie with high school friends, both now married, and one a new mother . . .
Mom-to-be with grandmas-to-be . . .
This new baby is incredibly fortunate to be welcomed by THREE great-grandmas, shown here in their fashionable “great-grandma” tiaras!
Party favors . . .
. . . including Sweet Pea seeds that can be planted around the time of the baby’s arrival in March . . .
The incredibly delicious (chocolate!) blue duck cake, complete with bubbles(!), that Abbie’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law created . . .
Abbie trying on a baby-size “moo-cow” outfit . . .
My daughter and me . . .
We can’t wait to welcome this baby into the world!
Have you participated in this social convention, too, known as a Baby Shower?
So sorry I haven’t been posting much, but I have good reason!
Will fill you in more after tomorrow!
I find I’m posting more on Facebook, as it’s so quick to give a status update there, so click on over, if you’d like!
Hugs and Happy New Year!
Ruth
Let me be one of the first to wish you a very Happy New Year!!!
How are you celebrating?
Do you make/believe in New Year’s Resolutions?
Leave your thoughts in a comment and I’ll be back as soon as I have a minute to post my own!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!!!
I HOPE YOU SPEND A WONDERFUL DAY CARRYING OUT THE TRADITIONS THAT ARE SPECIAL TO YOUR FAMILY AND MAKING NEW MEMORIES IN THE PROCESS!!! ALL THE VERY BEST!
As promised, I’m also posting the lucky winner of the “Pioneer Woman Cooks” cookbook give-away.
Congratulations to Kristin, who left the following message on December 13:
“Kristin Says: December 13, 2009 at 10:28 am e
I would love the book because I am not only a fan of Pioneer Woman, I am also a fan yours and your daughters blogs.”
Kristin~please send me an e-mail at: everydaywomanusa@aol.com to claim your prize! I’ll need a mailing address so that I can get your prize off to you ASAP! (I didn’t find any contact info. attached to your name, so please e-mail me and let me know.)
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR LEAVING COMMENTS; I WISH I HAD ONE FOR EVERY ONE OF YOU, BUT PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR GIVE-AWAYS IN THE FUTURE!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
“Everydaywoman” (aka Ruth)
I’m joining in on the Christmas Cookie Recipe Swap that Farmer’s Daughter is hosting at her blog. Why not join in by sharing the recipe of your very favorite Christmas cookie?
Believe me, a virtual recipe swap is way easier than the traditional cookie swap!
My very favorite Christmas Cookie has to be my own Mom’s Snowball recipe. I made these last night as we were awaiting the first big snowfall of the season. It just seemed like the right thing to do!
They’re easy, yummy, and they disappear quickly!
Mema’s Snowball Cookies
1 cup margarine
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup nuts (walnuts or pecans, chopped or ground)
1/4 teaspoon salt (I usually leave this out)
(Extra confectioner’s sugar for coating cookies)
Cream together margarine, sugar, vanilla. Mix in flour and nuts. Hand form into balls and bake in 350 degree F oven for 8-10 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, roll in a bowl of confectioner’s sugar to coat.
Yum, yum! Enjoy warm or cold (if they last that long!)
Although it took forever to arrive, the Blizzard of 2009 finally arrived last night and transformed our area into a Winter Wonderland . . .
Nature’s tree ornaments . . .
The Mermaid by the pool is a bit chilly . . .
With the temps predicted to stay as cold as they are, we’re guaranteed to have a White Christmas!
Hope you’re having fun wherever you are and perhaps you’re playing in the snow, too!
To see who else is strolling this Sunday, stroll on over to the Quiet Country House.
Yesterday, I had the time of my life when I traveled to NYC and had a chance to meet my all-time favorite blogger, Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, in person!
She’s even nicer, more down-to-earth, sweeter—and even taller—than I expected!
My daughter, Abbie, aka The Farmer’s Daughter, and I went by train, and then taxi to Chelsea Market to meet up with Ree. Anyone who knows Ree, knows how much she LOVES babies, and she was all over the fact that Abbie’s pregnant and was quite chatty. She wanted to know when the baby is due, if it’s a first, etc., etc. (March and yes!)
Abbie wore a top that left no doubt as to whether she was indeed expecting, or not. Here’s a closeup:
P-dub was all over that!
She was quite gracious, too. When someone asked for her expertise with a camera . . .
. . . of course, she obliged . . .
When we first arrived at Chelsea Market, we found it to be a magical place. It’s a huge building, which was orginally a Nabisco Factory, but which is now filled with shops, stores, eateries, and tons of Christmas Decorations. We saw. . .
Upside-down Christmas trees. . .
and lots of decorations from recycled products . . .
A CD-tree, for instance . . .
. . . and fabulous creations from old plastic cups . . .
As we joined the queue to meet Ree, we had no idea how long the wait would be, as the first people in line had arrived at 8 am for the 11:00 book signing!
We chatted it up with those around us. There was a couple behind us who traveled from Massachusetts, a little bit further than us, coming in from Connecticut. The woman, a food blogger known as This Week’s Menu, gave me a great idea, which you’ll see at the end of the post.
With all the visiting and comparing notes about blogs and other interests, the line moved quickly, but it continued to grow and grow and grow . . . behind us!
When it was our turn to meet Ree, I felt I had to ‘fess up to something . . . remember when my hubbie and son were in Oklahoma and they wanted to surprise me with Ree’s just-released cookbook? Well, they arrived home with a bright, shiny, colorful Pioneer Woman Cooks book, all full of wonderful “cowboy food,” as Ree calls it, but with a suspicious signature . . .
Ree laughed and quickly added her own, authentic signature!
Like I said, Ree is incredibly gracious!
Thanks for an fabulously fun day, Ree!
So . . . in the spirit of this giving season, I’m giving away an AUTOGRAPHED copy of Ree’s famous cookbook, which is currently on the New York Times Bestseller List, as a gift to one of my readers. (Andrea~thanks so much for the idea!)
This book is oh-so-much-more than a cookbook! It is a storybook of Ree’s family and adventures on her Oklahoma ranch, bursting with wonderful pictures and stories of her family, both the human kind and the animal kind! You will surely adore it!
It also has wonderful recipes, too. Our daughter, Abbie, recently made us Ree’s Sticky Buns and they are to die for!
So . . . if you’re interested in entering a random drawing for this fabulous book, just leave a comment telling why you’d like it, why you like Ree, or both!
DRAWING TO BE HELD CHRISTMAS EVE, DECEMBER 24th, AND THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED THEN, SO PLEASE ENTER AND CHECK BACK!!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM EVERYDAY WOMAN!
Hugs,
Ruth
My “Aloha Friday” question this Friday is . . .
Do you have any big plans this weekend?
As for me, I’m heading into NYC with my daughter to meet our all-time, favorite blogger, Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, at her book signing.
I’ll also be addressing baby shower invitations, Christmas shopping, and doing schoolwork. I’m sure there won’t be enough hours for everything! What about you?
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, ENJOY!
If you’d like to participate in more Aloha Friday questions, click on over to An Island Life for Kailani’s “Aloha Friday
What Flower
Are You?
