...according to me

words of wisdom

"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh never mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.

But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked... You're not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind... the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with you life... the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...

What ever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can... don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance... even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know whey they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.

Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen..." - Baz Lurhman

These days

1. Ever since I made peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches for Ingrid's birthday lunch I've had at least half a dozen. I hadn't had one in about 20 years. I guess I forgot how great they are. Blast from the past.

2. Look, we're farmers!

 

My lonely tomato plant is "working". We have three actual, real live tomatoes. Not sure I'll eat them. I know these might actually be better than the pesticide laden ones I buy in the supermarket but for some reason I don't think I will be able to eat these, just because we, non-farmers that we are, grew them.

3. It is hotty hot hot today. H.O.T.

 

4. My right knee is on the fritz.There is a crunching sound with every step I take when I walk up the stairs. Which is a lot during the day with a 20+ pound baby attached to me. It doesn't hurt. The sound and the image it evokes in my head just grosses me out.

5. Each afternoon about a half hour before Derek gets home I take Ingrid out on the front doorstep to wait and watch the cars go by. She loves it, pointing out the birds, dogs, cars, buses and flowers. She gets most excited by the dogs and buses. But, we have hanging flower baskets and every day, without fail, I forget that they are there and bump my head on the bottom. Tonight, I found a flower leaf stuck in my ponytail from the collision earlier today.

 

6. Ingrid has 6 3/4 teeth.

7. Today our mailman decided to give us mail belonging to numbers 6, 8, and 21. We've received mail for neighbours before but never so much at once. It makes me wonder if the reason we've received no mail three days in a row this week is because someone else received it instead.

8. Meet Miss Ingrid Flintstone.

 

She's recently taken to saying "yabba dabba, yabba dabba, yabba dabba" and on and on. And on. So cute. She also said "rat-a-tat-tat" or something of that ilk. She thought it was hilarious.

9. This week, beginning on June 17, Ingrid has taken many independent steps. Since her birthday she has been a walking fiend while holding on to something but now she's doing it on her own. I don't call this walking yet because it's just been one step at a time. Until today! She took about three steps in a row. She did it!

10. Ingrid has a new trick. She fills her mouth with water until it's overflowing and spits it all out drenching herself. She did it today in her car seat, unbeknownst to me, and got herself and the seat soaking wet.

11. Still dreaming of that clothes line. Especially on hot days like these.

 

Makeshift will continue to do for now.

12. I recently took out a photo cd from four years ago. It is home to our very first digital photos, wedding photos, and a few measly pictures I took while we drove across Newfoundland on the day we left for Ontario. I was curious what my very first digital picture was and, lo and behold, I don't have it. Nor do I have the subsequent six. I guess they were just practice shots. But here is the first digital picture I ever took and saved.

DSCF0008 - Taken May 21, 2005.

 

I remember this day very well. The weather was miserable. I was dying with a cold. I had just arrived in Ottawa for a 10 day visit and we went off on a road trip, making our second trip down to North Conway, NH, with a day stop in Lake Placid first. I took no less than four shots of Derek, just like this while we were driving.

13. I get so sad when I look at the lack of pictures I took of my last day as a resident of Newfoundland. I have very little documentation of a very big experience in my life. I started out taking some pictures of the scenery but after a while it all started to look the same so I stopped. Plus we didn't stop much or take our time because we were on a deadline to catch the ferry. But mostly, I was just so sad to be leaving my beloved home. In my head, I didn't think I'd ever want to remember that sad day again. I remember expecting to feel something. At midnight the ferry departed and I looked out the window and watched as the island faded away into darkness and just waited for the flood of emotions that I expected. But it didn't happen then. It hit me about a year later. Really hit me.

The lack of pictures is a very sad reminder to always take pictures of the big moments in my life, even if I'm too tired, too scared or too sad to want to as the moment unfolds.

And from a folder named "From St. John's to Ottawa" from the same cd mentioned above, here are a few pictures...

It was late, cold and wet. It was August 29 and Hurricane Katrina was tearing up coastlines everywhere.

 

This is me then, a tired, sad and uncertain newlywed.

 

And, here's Derek, road-weary and perhaps a little uncertain himself.

But fear not. I have many, many fond memories of this time in my life. Two of my favourite memories from the early days of our marriage are from this trip. The first was our stop in Beddeck, NS. I'm still waiting to go back. I had the best lobster sandwich of my life there. And the best pizza, too, that we bought from a very suspect looking little shop way off the main road. It was so good we went back for more the same night. My second favourite memory is from our stop in Moncton, NB, where we went to a fair type thing and I kicked Derek's butt in pretty much every game we played and Derek won me a tiny stuffed lizard that I hung on our very first Christmas tree together, and continue to do so every year.

on father's day...

... we went on a zoo adventure. Well, sort of. It's more like a farm/semi-zoo.

But, first thing's first, Derek got down to business doing what all good daddies husbands do...

 

Then off to the zoo.

Ingrid was failry impressed with the goats,

 

but mostly just wanted to roll around the grass and pick weeds.

 

She enjoyed a little airing out courtesy of daddy,

 

but refused to get back in the stroller.

 

Like a lot of other people, Ingrid is fascinated by Derek's red shoes and is easily distracted by a pair of shoelaces.

 

After another quick romp in the grass it was on to Monkey Island but not before a picture with daddy...

 

and Mommy, too.

 

It was a hot day and all of the animals were chilling in the shade. We saw the lions resting in the shade, and the white tiger growling in the corner. We got close enough to see the leopards.

 

And finally, two more pretty photo ops...

 

 

Papanack Zoo is very much a small town, local zoo. Not overly exciting but a nice day out, nonetheless. Except for all the smokers. Blech. Everywhere. So disgusting.

And I've discovered that my sunblock doesn't work. It's Ombrelle SPF 60 but lately I've noticed I'm still getting a tan and today I actually got a burn. It's a new bottle so I'm not sure what the problem is. Frustrating.

soooo tired

Flowers

The Ornamental Gardens at the Experimental Farm are really beautiful. They have all kinds of beautiful flowers and trees. I love going there and decided it would be nice to take Ingrid there, too. It was pretty hot and kind of crowded. Ingrid was in a bit of a mood so we didn't stay long and I didn't get the picture I wanted in my head. These are the best of the bunch.

 

 

 

 

 

All Ingrid wanted to do was dig in the dirt. Given how meticulously groomed everything is I bet there are rules against this kind of stuff.

 

This is one happy baby! But moments later it all fell apart and I had to hightail it out of there with my little shrieker.

Here's looking at you!

Finally, Ingrid is front facing in the car. She seems to like it. At first she just sat there and looked around a lot. She looks comfortable enough. I love looking back and seeing her there and now it's easier to pass food back to her. The only problem is that she can also see me in the mirror and points and grunts at me until I pass back my sunglasses. Lately my sunglasses are her favourite out-and-about toy.

First Birthday, Act II

We decided to invite Cindy and her family over for a little birthday lunch for Ingrid today. We had so much fun!

1. We had some of Ingrid's favourite foods: watermelon, strawberries and blueberries (identified around here by very high pitched squeals and grunting. She loves them.)

 

2.I made more sugar cookies, decorated with pink and white royal icing. Just as delicious the second time around as they were the first.

 

3. I had three special "things" on the table, one from each grandmother and one from Derek. All given to me/us when Ingrid was born. The "It's a girl" wagon came as the holder of a bouquet of flowers from Derek's other. Initially, I was going to put pink jellybeans in it but decided that there was way too much sugar already so I used it for napkins instead. I think I liked it even better this way.

That little skinny vase was from a flower Derek gave me when I was still in the hospital. It was just perfect for today's festivities. And the little plastic balloons from my mother that festooned Ingrid's cake on the actual birthday were also present today, on the sandwich tiers. You'll see it later.

 

4. I made sandwiches for lunch. They were all going to be cut in litle triangles like most people do but I realized a little too late that my Oat & Honey bread wasn't square and didn't cut into nice triangles like the cheese bread did. So I cut the lettuce and tomato sandwiches into rectangles. And since I was making peanut butter and jam sandwiches for our little boy guests I thought cutting them in circles with a cookie cutter would be apppropriate.

 

There was a pitcher of strawberry milk, too. It was pretty yummy and a echo of past childhoods.

5. Leave it to a creative nine year old boy to come up with this...

  

Always trust a nine year old boy to come up with something creative.

6. Lots of pink.

 

7. Cupcakes. Ohhhhh, the cupcakes! They were yummy. I made "Chocolate Lover's Dream Cake" but in cupcake form instead. Too good! I had a lot of fun decorating them, too. Pink frosting, pink sprinkles, and white royal icing swirlies. I baked and decorated them on Saturday and refrigerated them. While they were in the refrigerator the swirly things broke off most of them. You woud not believe how disappointed I was.

 

 

8. The birthday girl! She loved the cookies, apparently. I think she had a lot, too. Opps!

 

9. One very excited and emphatic little boy. Lots and lots of "Mmmm, Mmmm"s. He's a icing man, that's for sure.

 

10. Ingrid loves her new baby stroller. Gosh, remember these? So fun!

 

11. In lieu of any actual party games, Derek, Eirik and Alec had a water fight in the backyard. Honestly, I'm not sure who had more fun. Derek was having so much fun filling up water balloons and dropping from the upstairs windows. He drenched the bathroom once, too, when he let go of a balloon in the sink by accident.

We had a wonderful time. I hope to do it again!

T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

The terrible two's is a myth. Trouble begins at one.

Exhibit A.

Later, she ate her breakfast and smooshed blueberries into the floor. 

 

enchanted

Ingrid loves loves loves her new Little People doll house from her Aunt Kim. As soon as I took it out of the box she started grabbing for the characters and is totally fixated with the little door. She loves it. She keeps poking her fingers through the "window" and opening and closing it over and over and over... I love watching her play with it. It's just like a real dollhouse.

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Kim! I can't wait to see her in those new clothes, too!

First Birthday, Act I

1. On her first day of life, Ingrid slept so much she had to be woken up to eat and wouldn't stay awake long enough to finish. Her 366th day of life was as far a departure from that first day as you could possibly get. She was cranky, fussy, and crying most of the day. She's teething hard. To the point that my usually tough little cookie would crawl into my arms and break her heart crying, turning to me every now and then with her mouth open and her hand batting at her gums. It breaks my heart to see her like that.

2. We had her first birthday portraits taken. She was tired and it was close to nap time but I wanted to get them done anyway. She's a total charmer. I brought Tubular along just in case she was unhappy and he ended up in a lot of pictures.

 

Derek thinks Ingrid looks like a hobbit with very long arms in this one...

 

Like the outfit? I, too, wore it about 32 years ago.

Later that day I thought Derek might try to sell me when I realized I had lost Tubular. I searched high and low but finally accepted that I left him at the store. My heart rate returned to normal once we had Tubular back safe and sound.

3. We really didn't do very much during the day. I thought it might be nice to at least go to the park but it was a miserably cold and dreary day. Only 11 degrees. It was 30 degrees and HOT last year when Ingrid was born. The hospital's air conditioner was broken, too. Nice.

4. Little Miss One Year Old decided she was now big enough and old enough to not need a nap. It's the first time in her life that she didn't nap the entire day. Mommy no likey.

5. She finally went to sleep when Derek came home and cuddled her to sleep. We should have been forewarned at this point about how things would go later in the evening.

6. Derek and I ended up eating Ingrid's birthday dinner ourselves. I wanted us all to eat it together, seeing as it was her birthday. But things rarely work out as planned any more.

7. I made pizza and chocolate cake.

 

I even managed to do some lettering on top! It's pretty wobbly but not bad for my first try.

 

Those balloons were on a cake my mother had made for Ingrid when we went home to visit for the first time last August. They didn't really match the pink and they probably won't match any future birthday cake themes but I'm going to make it a tradition and put them on her cakes every year that I have the privilege of making them. I have plans for something from Derek's mother, too, that will go on the table for every birthday celebration in the future. I'll be bringing it out on Sunday when Derek's sister and nephews come by for a mini celebration.

I had so much fun decorating the cake but quickly remembered why I stopped going to the classes once the kitchen got taken over by cake decorating supplies and icing sugar. By the end of the night our house was so messy, if you walked in after the fact you'd think you missed a party for at least 20, not a party for three.

Anyway, we ate the pizza but I wanted to wait at least until she woke up before cutting the cake. She was still not happy. We ended up not getting any cake until she went to bed again for the night. Ingrid never got to have any cake on her birthday. But the next day I offered her some and she promptly spit it right back out.

8.It was like Christmas all over again. A pink Christmas, with balloons and streamers. Ingrid got some beautiful gifts. She's a lucky, much loved little girl.

9. She had a bit of a melt down when we started opening her presents. Sort of like this...

She was afraid of the sound of paper tearing, too. Poor baby.

10. Of all the crappy times for your video camera to stop working, during your baby's first birthday celebrations is the crappiest. To boot, my camera battery died and the el-cheapo ones I replaced it with died after about four flash pictures. So even if Ingrid had been in the mood to wear her birthday party hat and blow out the candle like I envisioned in my head, I wouldn't have gotten the picture anyway.

But we did manage to get a short video of Derek and me singing Happy Birthday to Ingrid, with her woeful whining accompaniment.

11. Her mood did a complete 180 degrees when Derek put together the toy my mother sent. She loved it! She toddled around the house pushing it and squealing with delight. It's the first time she's ever "walked" and she was so proud of herself. I was pretty proud, too.

12. She finally wore herself out and slept straight through the night. Her birthday gift to us.

Here's she is - our one year old little girl. As Derek says, she's into the whole numbers now. hehe

 

Resemble anyone you know?