Will You Be My...?

The girlfriends that I want to be my bridesmaids are spread out across the country.  This really is too bad; oh, the fun we would have if we were all in the same vicinity!  Instead of just calling them up, I wanted to ask them to be in the wedding in a creative way.  I didn't know exactly how.  Then one night, during a random bout of insomnia, an idea crept up on me.  Sometimes those pointless hours awake aren't so pointless.

I put a box together for each of them which included a personal note telling them why I wanted them in the wedding (these girls are all so amazing and I wanted them to know how special they are to me), an Anthropologie mug (they have the cutest stuff), and then a banner of pictures glued to burlap and connected by twine which they had to pull out of the box by string. Here's the banner:

Adam had kindly taken the pictures for me when we were visiting the venue where we are to have our wedding.  It's called The Old Sugar Mill and it's gorgeous!

I figured my two flower girls wouldn't be that thrilled about getting pictures of me and a couple of mugs, so I planned something a little different for them.  I wrote the words "Bella & Gabbie, will you be my" on separate pieces of paper, rolled them up, and put them inside five pink balloons.  I put the numbers 1-5 in tiny writing on these balloons (so they'd have to look all over the balloon before finding it).  I then blew up a dozen or so more balloons and littered their living room floor.

I told them that I had a surprise for them, but to get the surprise they had to find the messages inside balloons 1-6 that were somewhere in the sea of pink.  They set to work immediately by throwing their bodies on the balloons as fast as they could.  It's was pretty hilarious.

When they figured out that balloon six wasn't in the crowd, I let them know that it simply wasn't in that room, but hidden elsewhere.  They dashed all over the house until they found number six sitting by two gorgeous cupcakes with the words "flower girls" strung between them on paper hearts.  They were so excited about the cupcakes they almost forgot to tell me that to be my flower girls would be the highest honor they would ever know in their lives.  At least, that's what I think they told me.

I had a lot of fun doing it, and thankfully, all the girls said yes. Yay!

YES!

Hey followers, you still there?  And by that I mean, hi Mom, you still checking my page?  A lot has changed this fall.  For one, I got these:

I know!  So cute, right?  (And they are currently on sale. GO! GO NOW!)

The other major thing that happened was that on October 16, after one of the most perfect days of my existence, on a small cobbled path overlooking Monterosso al Mare and the Ligurian Sea, Adam got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife!  Yay for getting to marry the love of my life!!!  

My first reaction was:

This was followed by:

Which has turned into lots and lots of wedding planning!

So, please forgive my long absence and hope that this little update will lead to many more. Happy week!

The Poppins Perspective: 20 Truths of Nannyhood.

I've been a nanny for about four years.  You may think that it's a pretty easy job and one that I don't have to take home with me.  It's true that I get to hand the kidlets back at the end of the day and go home to peace, quiet, and a large glass of wine (or two).  But during the last few years, I've acquired a more profound knowledge about the job and how it has the tendency of following me around like Peter Pan's shadow: sometimes there, sometimes not, and sometimes showing up like a little, naughty imp when I least expect it.  Allow me to share these nuggets of truth that I've slowly discovered during my Mary Poppins existence.  Consider them the litmus test of true nannyhood.

1.  You automatically ask, "What do you say?" when anybody forgets to say please.

2.  You are asked, "What is that scent you're wearing?" and you have to answer, "Desetin & Vicks."

3.  You feel like you've failed the day if you haven't picked up a crayon.

4.  Your reflexes border ninja status.

5.  When your friends are all talking about their favorite shows (Modern Family, So You Think You Can Dance, Law & Order, Happy Endings, etc.) and you have nothing to contribute because your favorite show is Phineas and Ferb.

6.  You know the difference between a normal silence and an oh-no-what-are-they-doing-and-how-big-is-the-mess silence.

7.  You just smile and say thanks when someone compliments "your kids" because you're tired of explaining you're "just the nanny".

8.  You get caught saying things like, "okie-dokie-artichokie", "ready freddy", and "oops-a-daisy-doodle-chicken-noodle" to your friends.

9.  You dress up when you get home from work just to feel normal.

10.  The first station on your Pandora account is Disney songs and you know all of them.

11.  When you're catching up with an old friend and speak of "your kids" and realize that you have to clarify.

12.  You feel that your skills of holding a baby down with one elbow and all fingers working independently so you can change a diaper in about five seconds is comparable to a rodeo calf roper.

13.  You feel the need to point out the obvious and important differences between nannying and babysitting when someone has the gall to call you a babysitter.

14.  You do a sticker check on your clothes before you go out after work because of that one time you didn't.

15.  You understand there is only a limited amount of work talk allowed from you around your friends because your mom friends think you're a fraud and your single friends think you sound like one of "those moms".

16.  During the day you frequently talk to yourself just to have a normal conversation.

17.  You specifically turn on Sesame Street to see who the guest celebrity is for the day.

18.  You can't decide what's worse: stepping on a lego or a night walking around in new heels.

19.  You have to explain to your boyfriend why there are cheerios in the back of his car after you borrowed it for a couple of days.

20.  You have an unexplained affinity for umbrellas and spoonfuls of sugar.

Cars, Cars, Cars.

There are certain perks to being Adam's girlfriend.  One of them is the guy himself, obviously.  Another one is that we get to attend some really awesome events through his work.  This last weekend I joined him for the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach.  The scenery was gorgeous and the cars were seriously amazing.  Of course, the difference between Adam and me is that he'll be able to look at a car, tell you who designed it, what year it was built, how it's different or better than other models, and use words like chassis, pistons, and Vignale.  I, on the other hand, walked around saying stuff like, "Ooh! Look at that pretty red one!"  Hey, I'm a work in progress.  Needless to say, my appreciation for and knowledge of cars is ever growing beyond the realm of how it rates on the drool factor.

Though I'm sure we were surrounded by gazillionaires, celebrities, and people who've invented things that make this world turn round, the only famous person I saw (because he nearly bumped right into me) was Dax Shepard.  He's no Cary Grant, but I'll take it if that's as close to brushing fame as I'll ever get.  Unless my blog becomes viral overnight.  Hey, a girl can dream.

Discovery.

Once upon a time, exactly three years ago today, a very amazing (and very handsome man) asked me out at a coffee shop.  I said yes.  I'll save the other delightful, sad, hard, and romantic details of that story for another time.  What this little tale is about is how one day, shortly after we had just met, he surprised me by picking me up in his Discovery and taking me to San Francisco and then to a lovely place north of the city called Stinson Beach.  When we got there, he pulled out a bottle of wine and a blanket and instructed me to grab something he had stowed in the glove box.  What I found in there caused my mouth to fall open in surprise.   There was the latest book of my favorite poet, Billy Collins, whose name I had dropped once in a conversation and forgotten all about.  We sat on the beach, sipping wine, watching the sunset, and reading poetry aloud to each other.  It was one of the many ways in which Adam won my heart slowly but surely.

Much later, I came across the book again and wrote this poem in a moment of nostalgia.  Our happily ever after didn't begin that day on the beach; we took a long time to get where we are now.  But again, that's a story for another time.  The beautiful part is that we finally did make it to the beginning of our story.  I am the happiest girl alive knowing that I get to intertwine my hand with his, that I get to discover new things about him every day, and that our journey has just begun.

This morning as I was buzzing awake to the smell of espresso,

I reached for a book I had not read for awhile.

As I cracked it open, sand fell from the pages --

granulated memories of that day you surprised me

with the new hardcover and a trip to the coast.

We read the passages aloud to each other on a blanket

and I watched the unabashed light of the sun

reveal every imperfection of your face

that the softness of candlelight conceals.

I discovered that day that I loved you more for it.

I was intrigued with the different shades of your eyes

more than the sunset sky,

the lines of your face more than the cascade of waves beyond.

And later, when the orange slice of the moon above

was balancing on the rim of the martini glass of the world below,

you interlocked your fingers with mine,

your other hand on the steering wheel,

my other hand on my book.

By the way, if you have never read Billy Collins(my Muse in many ways), you are missing out on a delightful adventure.  He is a master of mixing melancholy with humor and wit with substance.  Fall in love with words all over again or fall in love with poetry for the first time, as I did when I read him.

TGI Monday.

Oh my goodness, where did the summer go?  Yesterday was my last full day with the girls before they start school up again.  We headed to Miabella Gelato at The Fountains in Roseville for a delicious afternoon snack.  It was over 90 degrees and gelato seemed the perfect treat.  What made it even more perfect was that Boyfriend met us on his way back from a business lunch.

Pretty good Monday if you ask me.

The Poppins Perspective: Monster Crowns.

Ever have the feeling that you are taking care of (or have given birth to) little monsters?  Ever want to tell them that you think they are monsters to their faces but then think better of it so you don't hurt their blossoming little egos?  Here's a fireproof way of getting exactly what you think of them into their subconsciouses and fooling them into thinking it's just another craft!

What you'll need:

* Construction paper
* Scissors
* Glue stick or tape
* A little monster (your own or borrowed)

First, cut the construction paper into thick strips and fit it around your little monsters' heads.  Tape or glue at the proper size.

Second, let your little monsters be creative!  Glue spots, eyes, horns, spikes, or what have you to the crown.

Third, let your little monsters run amok!  You may be forced to join them; they are monsters after all.  Also, take pictures of them that they can come across when they're older.  They will be able to show them to their psychiatrists who will reveal to them why they have so many problems.  Or how they've been unable to let go of their childhood and that is why they are currently nannies.

{Let it be known that this post was written with irony and was not about any person living or dead (especially not my adorable little charges).  Do not take me to court for saying that your child is a little monster.  And no, I don't see a psychiatrist.}

The Treasure Hunt or How What Started with an Accent Ended with a Cupcake.

I have a thing for accents. I like people who have them and I like using them myself. I must say, however, that does not mean that I am any good at them.  Seeing as I use accents mostly around kids who laugh instead of cringe when I try, this usually doesn't prove to be a problem.  And though they may be thinking it, they never tell me that my accents all start sounding the same after awhile.


I find that accents come in handy when spicing something up. Take for instance the phrase, 'I love to dance'.  If you say it like an American it falls flat.  Say it with a Spanish accent and BAM. Spice.  (You know you just whispered that out loud to yourself.)  Or take the phrase, "If you don't clean your room, I will string you up by your toes and feed you to my pet cockroach."  When said like a Russian pirate, it has a better effect on children than just raising that eyebrow and shaking your index finger in their face.


It was this Russian pirate voice (which is never consistently Russian, or pirate, for that matter) that started the legend of Captain Katinka almost four years ago with my little charges, Bella and Gabbie.  First it was an accent, then it was a name for this alter ego, then it was a map I drew.  This map. (No, it's not Africa.  Africa doesn't have place names like Faerie March, Triton's Landing, or The Caves of Glimmerglen, now does it?)

Then this map did something extraordinary.  It became a story.   Every day I was there, the girls would grab pillows, seat themselves in front of me, place the map on the floor in between us, and ask me to tell the next part of the story which, of course, was about them -- the two princesses who were kidnapped by the evil pirate Katinka, Captain of the Rusty Mermaid.  Animals spoke, trees walked, faeries fluttered, trolls lurked, mermaids sang, paths were lost, treasure was found, pirates were fooled, and the girls returned home to the good King and Queen of Castle Paricelle.


But, as stories do, it ended.  The map was put away, Captain Katinka's accent only came out when the bed was left unmade, and other things occupied our time.  Until...


One day, very recently, the girls unearthed the map in the deep recesses of their toy room and Captain Katinka came back in all her glory with her Russian ... no, French ... no wait, Spanish ... well, whatever accent she has.


Bella and Gabbie vocalized their wish for a real treasure hunt and my imagination went wild!  I turned their house and yard into our made up world and set the girls on a search for a treasure that I promised them they would love.

We started with the map.

The girls made and colored destination signs that correlated with places on the map.  I set these up inside and outside the house while they were sequestered in a room I didn't need.

I wrote over a dozen clue cards, then gave the girls the first one at the start of their hunt. By figuring out the rhyming hint on the card and finding the right destination sign, they were led to each consecutive clue.  Inspired by the Choose Your Own Adventure books I read in my youth, I wrote clues that led to two different endings: one path led to disappointment and the other path led to the treasure.

At the point where they had to decide between following the faerie lights or going through Wildwood toward Rainbow Pass, the girls chose to follow the faerie lights.

They found their way to Zephyr Lake...

through the hidden pass of the Black Rock Mountains and down the dangerous path of Shadow Gorge.

When they came to the Bay of Mermaids, they had to sing a song to call the dolphins that took them across the treacherous waters to the Tanglewood Jungle...

where they had to undergo great and arduous physical feats to retrieve the final clue.

The last clue led them into the Caves of Glimmerglen where they had to locate the treasure marked by the pirate flag. And if you're wondering if they chose the right path ... they did.  If they had taken the path through Rainbow Pass, it would have led them to the Lake of Pearls where they would have almost been eaten by a Kraken, then on to Tadpole Marshes where they would have gotten lost in the mist for days, then to the Bay of Mermaids where they would have had to swim across without the help of dolphins, and finally limp their way into the Caves of Glimmerglen JUST to find out that the treasure was already gone.  It's a good thing these girls are smart.  I had no idea what to do for a Kraken anyway.

And now of course, the best part: the treasure!  Once they found the Treasure Card, I whisked them off to Icing on the Cupcake where they got to pick out a cupcake of their own.  Bella chose Death by Chocolate and Gabbie licked all the icing off her Rootbeer Float cupcake.

I'm pretty sure this is the face of delight.  Which means the treasure hunt was a big success.  And could ya really ask fer more, me hearties?  (You just said that out loud, didn't you?)