I can't hear you!!

While driving in the car:

Heather: Hey people, would one of you let me change lanes?

Esther: Mommy, maybe you need to open the door.

Heather: Why's that?

Esther: So the people in the cars can hear you!

A Year With Frog and Toad

Last week the kids and I went to see the musical A Year With Frog and Toad at the Irving Arts Center. The show itself has played on Broadway but I think this cast was more local. It is based on the children's books about Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel, which I have fond memories of reading as a child. I wasn't sure quite what to expect and thought it would probably be rather cutesy and geared towards children.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was extremely good - very clever, wonderful music, and entertaining for children as well as adults. The music was a 30s jazzy sound and the tunes are very catchy. I was so excited that as soon as we got home, I ordered the CD on half.com for about $5. I'm posting the first song from the show below. If you want to preview the rest of the music, check it out on Amazon.com.

I highly recommend this show and the music!

Naughty Lady

Instead of using the words "bad guy" for the antagonist of a show or book, Esther usually uses "naughty lady" or "naughty guy" to describe such a person. One morning while eating breakfast, she showed me how a naughty lady would eat a strawberry.

Chair and Hair

Here is my dream come true! A snuggly book nook and reading corner - complete with warm blanket and adorable lamp. I'm pretty sure this is the lamp I'm keeping. Daron still needs some convincing, though.


Esther testing it out.

And a cute haircut for my little girl. If I curl it under a little in the morning, it keeps it from looking too stringy during the day. Poor kid did not inherit my thick hair; maybe it will grow thicker during adolescence!

Spam

Last night at my writing group, we had a fun writing prompt where we had to imagine we were a can of something. So I wrote about the first thing that came to mind. What follows is a quickly written and rather goofy poem, which I'd like to share.

I am a can.
A can of Spam.
A small blue can of Spam I am.
My insides are filled with salty stuff -
The pinky gray color of meat in the buff.
I sit on the shelf of the store day and night.
All who see me take off in a flight.
Years go by and then one day
A hungry student comes my way.
I'm purchased and served up with some toast
And bacon and eggs - I don't like to boast.
Wolfed down a hatch with vociferous glee,
I slip and slide down with a "whee, whee, whee!"
I was a can.
A can of Spam.
A small pink blob of Spam I am.

My Goose

Esther really enjoyed all the Christmas music this season and had many favorites. One of which was The 12 Days of Christmas. She apparently got a lot of it. This morning as she was getting dressed, she took a break and lay on the floor. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "I'm a goose a laying."

White Christmas

According to the internet, the last real White Christmas in the Dallas area was in 1926! What a wonderful blessing for us to have one, especially as we have been missing snow.

You can see our footprints all over the front lawn where we played in the snow the night before!

We had a wonderful quiet, and peaceful day. The snow was beautiful, the kids were pretty well behaved, and outside was cold! We opened stockings, ate breakfast, did presents, then relaxed and played in the snow (Esther built her first snowman!), and then cooked up a storm for dinner. Nathan was so thrilled with his dump truck!
Esther is our horse and pony lover and was so excited to add more to her collection.


I decided to go really simple and natural with our table decor this year. And I found mini Martinelli's for our guests to take home. After bowls of Italian Wedding Soup, we had a big salad with hard salami, sharp provlone, and tomatoes.
Roasted rosemary fingerling potatoes and steamed carrots with butter and dill.
Simply the best Italian Wedding Soup I've ever made. Pretty, huh?
Stuffed turkey breast - stuffed with green olives, sausage, proscuitto, and chestnuts.

And for dessert - spumoni filled cannoli shells, biscotti, and Italian nougat candy. What a tasty feast!