A List

So.  Haven't posted in a week or so, which maybe was a nice break for you.  It was kind of a... I don't know, melancholy week for me, not because of anything specific and not because anything bad happened, but more because the black dog that's usually at least five steps behind me was only one or two paces back, and while I really don't care for the internet practice of only posting sunshine! rainbows! our family is happyhappyhappy all the time! because I feel it's dishonest and leads those viewing this skewed, technicolor version of life to feel pretty crappy about their own real, imperfect life, I likewise disdain those who log on solely to spread bleakness and a perpetual woe-is-me message, and had I posted at all last week, the latter is what you most likely would have gotten.  (<----Hello, run-on sentence!)  Basically, I'm impossible to please.

Now that I'm on a more even keel, I do believe it's time for a list.

• A few weeks ago, Caedmon and I were in his room, him "cooking" a meal for me in his play kitchen, me sitting on the floor waiting for the plastic food feast.  He first served me a plastic drumstick, then plastic bananas, then a plastic waffle, and finally a plastic hot dog.  I fake-gobbled it all up, but declined when he began urging a plastic hamburger on me, saying, "Oh, no, I couldn't.  I'm just too full!"  He stopped what he was doing, a look of real concern on his face, brought his face to within a few inches of mine, and carefully told me, "Mommy?  It's just pretend."  This from the boy who has trouble controlling his frustration when I forget to call him by his superhero alias of the day.

• Adelaide has been writing books.  I haven't yet asked permission from her to print excerpts, but I really feel like these are things that need to be shared with the world.  Obviously I'm a little biased, but gracious, these are funny- sometimes intentionally, sometime not so much.  Our daughter is probably the most dedicated reader of this blog, so I doubt she'll care, but she's definitely reached the age where I need to ask before publishing random tidbits about her, no matter how funny I find them.  I'm pretty sure she won't mind if I give you the title of the one that just happens to be sitting right next to me here, though!  "The Funny Bits of My Life, By: Adelaide Crisler; The My Autobiography Series, Book #1; Includes special pieces of art and sneak peek at next book!! Special Edition."  If I've learned anything from Adelaide's autobiographies, it's that she has inherited my inability to summarize: the aforementioned Book #1 is 76 pages long.

• Yesterday I found daffodil sprouts and more tulips.  Our compost heap is now only half frozen solid, and I've started my seedlings.  All this makes me think maybe spring really is here, which means it will snow in a week.  Mark my words.  Oh!  And I found a lost earring of mine in a flower bed I was cleaning out, which only a week ago was still a block of ice and leaves.  I'm not really sure what I was doing wearing gold, dangly earrings while gardening last fall, but I suppose sometimes the urge to weed overcomes the best of us.  I was pathetically excited to find that earring.  But really, it was like finding buried treasure.  Raking away soggy leaves and weeds, and lo!  A flash of gold!  Well, you know, fake gold-painted metal, but whatever.  It was like I was a real live pirate for two minutes.  And by "pirate," I of course mean a Disney movie kind of pirate, not a sad, modern-day pirate.  I'm so glad we had this talk.