first tooth!

The big news around here is that my son's tooth fell out yesterday. In the middle of the afternoon - pop! - out it came. We don't really know exactly how it happened, but from what he told us through his tears, we understood that the tooth coming out was a little scary. He said it was in his mouth, and then it went down to his tummy. Gulp!

So here's the note he left the Tooth Fairy last night (we wrote, he dictated).

Dear Tooth Fairy,

Surprise!!! My tooth was loose and it fell into my tummy! And then I cried! But then I felt happy!

He signed it with a picture of himself, and on the other side he drew a picture of a big tooth with a big hole at the bottom.

It was pretty exciting around here last night, talking about the Tooth Fairy visiting us during the night. In the meantime, my younger son kept saying he had lost a tooth, too, but we finally convinced him that all his teeth are still in his mouth.

This morning there was another burst of excitement, as we looked in the pillow to see what the Tooth Fairy had brought. Something for the piggy bank, that's for sure!

What a day.

m-w

By the way, how did you like me using the word 'dearth' down there in that post? - what a winner of a word. After I typed it I had doubts about its spelling, so I hopped over to one of my favorite sites, Merriam Webster Online! Ol' m-w.com is highly recommended for quick spell checks, thorough definitions, and of course the handy-dandy thesaurus.

dry cleaning follow up

Thanks for the comments from my post the other day about the dry cleaner losing my jacket. What to do, what to do. Your comments show a variety of potential ways I could handle the missing piece, and I still haven't decided exactly what to do. There is a dearth of raincoats in the stores these days, but I suppose given enough motivation I could find a comparable piece and give my cleaner the ticket. More to come.

such a gift

The weekend with my college roommates was great. There they are up there with me, just before we went out Friday night. Friday was a night here in town, Saturday was a night in Chicago. It was a lot of laughs, a lot of laughs, and just a general feeling of comfort that comes with being with people who know you inside and out, backwards and forwards, younger and now, older. The friends in life who came before everything else did - the husbands, the kids (between us there are 8), the career - they know you like no one else, n'est-ce pas?

Such a blessing to have friends like that. Such a gift!

dry cleaning dilemma

I have a dilemma and I'm hoping you kind blog readers will help me figure out what to do.

My dry cleaner has lost one of my items. The item is my raincoat, which I bought about 7 years ago before a trip abroad with my husband. It was not the priciest at the time, but it was/is a nice coat in my favorite color, sky blue. I have no recollection for how much I paid for it. The coat is in very good, if not excellent, condition. I really only wear it when it rains, and really only in the spring. So it hasn't had that much use. Not like a regular, every day winter coat would, for example.

Here's my problem. The dry cleaner says they don't have it and they will most likely never find it. They want to compensate me for the loss. How do I come up with a fair price? There has to be a middle ground between the price of what the coat is worth now and how much it would cost for me to buy a new one.

I would very much appreciate your ideas. Thank you!

washington hall

I am a proud graduate of Ohio University (the hot link there will take you to OU's website, specifically the virtual tour page. When you get a moment, I highly encourage you to take a look at one of the most beautiful college campuses in this country. Start on the "College Green" and go from there.)

When I was at OU I made a lot of friends. If you have read my blog for any amount of time you probably have an idea of what I'm like in real life. I like to meet and get to know people, hopefully my actions show that I like to meet and know a variety of people. The same was true when I was an undergraduate. When it came to meeting other people, I had plenty of opportunity and outlets in which to do it. There were a lot of student activities that I was involved in, and I branched out a bit. You know, a little of this, a little of that. I'm still the same way and still live the same kind of life. Which is why I tend to overbook myself sometimes, but now I'm going off on a tangent that doesn't have much to do with this post.

What does have to do with this post is the building situated in the picture at the top: Washington Hall. The building where I spent my freshman year and where I met my closest college friends. There are 7 of us in the group. Back at school we totally immersed ourselves in the goings-on at OU and between the pack of us, probably knew most of the undergraduate student population at school. Yet throughout our 4 years, and more telling, beyond, we never made closer friends than the ones we lived down the hall from in Washington.

Two of my special friends are coming to visit me this weekend, and I can't wait. Neither Lisa nor Betsy has ever seen my suburban town - the last time they saw my home my husband and I still lived in the city. Both of them live far away from me (and from each other), but we try to get together as often as we can, maybe every 6 months or so.

I will be busy making the Little Cottage look its best over the next couple of days, before my friends arrive. The forecast looks good and we have planned some special outings. It seems like we are destined to have a wonderful time, as we always have since our baby days back in the freshman dorm.

have a seat

Please - if you live near me, buy this. I'd like to come over and sit on it.

Too.darn.cute. Can be found here.

random thoughts

I have discovered a new favorite lunch: quesadillas. A fellow kindergarten mom told me how she makes them for her kids. Soft flour tortillas, in the frying pan (under med-low heat) with no cooking oil or even cooking spray. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese inside and flip back and forth until cheese is melted. Tortillas stay soft if you turn them often enough. This has turned out to be a great lunch for my kids. It's yummy, easy to eat, not messy, and completely portable. I think I like them more than my kids do.

* * *

A new blog has me addicted: http://jcrewaficionada.blogspot.com/ You may have seen it already or have noticed that I listed it with my other links on the left a few weeks ago. It is for the serious j.crew connoisseur and I must admit, it's a wonderful link when you are supposed to be working but you want to procrastinate a little longer.

* * *

Last night was neighborhood bunco. Denise was hosting, and I had never been to her house before, so I was especially motivated to go. She is a decorator and specializes in window treatments. I was looking carefully at her windows as she gave us a tour of her lovely home. Nicole, my friend with the new baby, stopped by with her small bundle to say hello. She lives across the street, so it was easy for her to do...but still. We were so impressed that she showed up, after giving birth 4 days earlier. Everyone took turns holding the baby and we shared baby stories the rest of the night. Of course we didn't even play.

* * *

Standing under the street lights with my friends last night after the evening was over - we were out there talking for an hour - I kept thinking, I am so back. As in, summer is here, the air feels soft on my skin, it is such an alive time of year. You've all heard enough complaining by me over the past year+ about weather I despise. How about hearing for once that I am totally in my element now? I love, love, love, love, love how I feel in the summer. I have finally hit my stride again.

* * *

Speaking of stride, yes there I am up there, stretching after a jog. My stretching partner usually joins me every time I come back. I never say that I am a runner. If you saw me out you'd know - I am a jogger. Pant, pant, jog, jog. It has to be about 60 degrees out for me to say it's perfect for jogging outside.

* * *

I really do live in a little cottage. It is 1200 square feet, + our back porch which I think adds another 200 sq feet or so. Which makes me wonder this: if it's so small, why is it that I have a hard time finding the time to clean it?

* * *

I do not like receiving emails about politics, religion, or any combination of the two. It's occurred to me that people do not seem to think twice about forwarding on to me an email about these subjects. It seems to me that they think that I either: a) agree with their point of view (which is supported in the message of the email); or b) do not agree with them but should agree with them and this email states their point of view in a way that is friendly/joking/well written/inoffensive. It doesn't matter, I don't care. Whether you vote Republican or Democrat, whether you believe in the war in Iraq or are completely against it, whether you are for or against prayer in schools, for or against same sex marriage, I'd rather not hear about it from a message in my inbox. Let's wait until we are together, and you can ask me my opinion and I can ask you yours.

s curve

Hi. I'm at my desk this morning, desperate to finish a project but distracted enough to check my email (and blog) regularly. Have noticed that I have a terrible tendancy for slouching while sitting here. It is so hard to sit up straight all the time, but I'm going to try today to keep at it.

have a great one!

HEMA page

http://producten.hema.nl/

Forwarded to me by my dad (Hi Dad.) Give it a moment to load.

6 unimportant things

Hello! Long time no write. Happy June!

I hope things are well with you. Are you happy that summer is here? Me too. Is it hot where you live? Same here. School all done? Yep, and summer school begins tomorrow. Have you been spending time at the pool? You bet!

I am sitting at my computer after having been away for a week. I am supposed to be working but I can't seem to get in the mode. So thank you to Millie for a tag:

6 unimportant things for me to share with you:

1. Today I went on the Custom Home Tour going on in my area. There were 20 custom built homes featured - all homes built from teardowns, all new, all for sale, ranging in price from $1MM - $3MM. My friend and I toured 17 before we called it a day.

2. Of the 17 homes we saw, there was one that I loved. A couple more were pretty good. The rest were not for me. One was dreadful.

3. I decided that the reason that I didn't like most of the homes that I saw is because they are just too much. Not too expensive - though they are pricey - I mean, Just Too Much. Too ornate, too formal, too over the top, too custom. It is as if the builders are falling over themselves to create something that has never been seen before. It's hard to imagine a family living in space like that. Certainly it's hard to imagine small people feeling comfortable there.

4. There was another home that I saw today and loved. For sale (open house) but not on the tour. Same price range though. But...different. Beautiful, inviting, and although large it was intimate. I could totally see a (my) family fitting in there very well.

5. Switching gears a little bit here. After the tour my friend and I went to the hospital to see our friend Nicole, who just had a baby girl yesterday.

6. The baby is beautiful! And, what a lucky birthday: 6/7/08. I would think that with a birthday like that, she is destined to lead a charmed life. Don't you?

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I'm back this a.m. (Monday). I posted this last night and then realized....I think #s 5 & 6 are not unimportant things. They are important things!