Mother's Day Tea

Annie's preschool class had its Mother's Day Tea this morning. You're probably wondering where you can buy a fancy newspaper hat like the one Annie made!



Her class performed several songs, including Annie's favorite "You are Loved". It brought tears to my eyes.

They also sang "Eggs, Eggs, Eggs" and "Boom Chicka."

Ever since Graham started PreK with Mrs. Sagong (and then 1.5 years with Mrs. Davidson and several months with Mrs. Skow + Annie's year in Beginners with Mrs. Altendorf), I've felt such a cozy, happy feeling at St. Thomas ELC. The schedule, the attitude, the grounds & plants, the tools & toys ... it's all just right for young children. Deciding to send Graham there was one of the best decisions I ever made! It really created a family vibe that I hope to continue well into the future. We've made wonderful friends there, adults & children alike. We've spent many hours on the playground, enjoyed festivities like Spring Festival, and learned at the summer VBS. Third only to our home and our church (and the gourmet truffle shop that opened a few blocks from us) St. Thomas is my favorite place in B/CS.

This year, with Mrs. Lawrence and Mrs. Flynn as Annie's teacher, has been a great way to end our time at St. Thomas. Annie truly is in a happy place there ... even the times of separation anxiety are handled appropriately. She's learned a bunch, like how to hold baby chicks, the life cycle of a caterpillar/butterfly, how to use a hammer & nail ... and so much more.

This line of backpack hooks caught my eye, as did the wooden boards underneath the outside paint station.

Fitness

While rereading my posts tonight I had an epiphany ... I spend all of my 'exercise' time reading the New York Times online.

Well, that explains a lot.

Unfortunately, I'd rather read than work out. And it shows and it shows. But I have made a personal commitment to incorporate fitness into my life this summer. A serious, binding, real commitment that I'm making to Leslie Sansone ... and myself.

Leslie, you know who you are. Hills, you know who she is too. The problem is that Leslie does not yet know who I am.

Stay tuned.

How could I forget?

I ADORE the Weddings/Celebrations section of www.nytimes.com.

If I'm up late on a Saturday night, I also read the "Vows" story; each week, this column profiles a different couple's courtship & wedding, with all the charming, quirky and endearing details included. Some of the brides and grooms are famous, others noteworthy, others just plain interesting.

The Weddings/Celebrations section also lists regular wedding announcements, but I mostly like the profiles, naturally.

Sometimes a reporter writes a follow-up story on a couple previously showcased in "Vows"; these Where Are They Now? stories are called "State of the Union". Yeah, I love those too.

Website autopilot

I'm curious if other people do this too ...
Every day, when I wake up, I have certain websites I just seem to check automatically to make sure all is right with the world. My day doesn't feel right unless I wake up before everyone else and get a few minutes on the web by myself. This pattern is so ingrained it's like my fingers type in the URLs by themselves.

So what do I check in the morning?

1) www.nytimes.com

On Monday, I like to read Metropolitan Diary; on Wednesday, I check out the Dining section; on Thursday, I go straight to Fashion & Style and Home & Garden; on Saturday, I go to Real Estate (see my posts about fav column archives!); on Saturday night, I usually make a sneak peak of the weekend Style section; on Sunday morning (before my children wake up), I skim the weekend Times magazine, especially "The Ethicist". I vow here that I will do a separate posting about Randy Cohen. I LOVE his columns. They help jump-start my early Sunday mornings in a very ethical way. Ha ha!

I usually check Opinion and Health in the evenings and Education postings on Sunday evenings. I have no idea why I do that ... but it works.

2) I also have to check out www.theeagle.com , my local newspaper, and www.stcloudtimes.com , my hometown newspaper. I may not even read any stories on these sites, but I like to feel as though I have my finger on the pulse of both B/CS and the Granite City!

3) I like to check www.lds.org as well, especially my ward website. I find it helpful, too, to read my scriptures online. Thanks, Gospel Library.

4) Last and least, in terms of significance/value/effective use of time, I go to www.people.com. What can I say? Old habits die hard. Keeping one's mind full of celebrity trivia requires daily maintenance.

Food fun

It's Friday night and I'm not feeling well. I've been sick for a week with a nagging fever, congestion and sore throat. Argh. I was supposed to get productive when my Blinn semester was over, but my body seems to be saying, 'Hey, wait a minute! I'm taking a break.' I tried to fold loads & loads of laundry today but kept having to sit down and read chapters out of a David Sedaris book to recover my strength. (Note: in defense of self & time management, when the Ensign arrived late afternoon, I sat down and read President Monson's Sunday afternoon talk to recover my strength. Of course, by then I had finished Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.)

So I've been enjoying some comfort food this past week (not that I need illness as a reason to enjoy yummy food). Since this blog is also my journal (kind of), I wanted to make a list of tasty yum-yums that have helped nourish me. When future generations open the time capsule that is blogspot.com, this little record will be a cyber-shard from my kitchen.

On Monday - Cinco de Mayo - I wanted to make some Mexican food. When I tried to stand up and work in the kitchen, I felt faint. For real. Instead of eating homemade Mexican food, we went to Ninfa's.


I enjoyed my favorite: tortilla soup. I think the hot soup and garlic-laden sauce helped my cold a little bit!


Other things I've enjoyed:
Amy's canned soups, especially the lentil soup and the black bean & vegetable soup. I want to fill my food storage with cans of Amy's soup. In case of an emergency, I could happily eat these soups straight out of the can. Cold. They are that tasty. I dressed up the black bean soup one day with spinach at the bottom of the bowl (pre soup pour) and a sprinkling of pepper jack cheese on top. So, so good. The best canned soup I've ever had.


Butter lettuce. Hey, it's grown hydroponically. That sounds scientific and slightly back-to-the-future. I like how creamy the leaves are. You don't expect that from lettuce.


My favorite cereal is Corn Chex, but I can only eat this with 2% milk. It's the contrast between the milk fat and the corn crunch that makes this a yummy night-time treat.


Lindt has done a bad, bad thing. They've added Peanut Butter & Chocolate truffles to their line up. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups cower in the presence of these truffles. I, however, was not intimidated and easily defeated the bag. Not in one sitting, mind you. But the bag did not last long.


I also bought ingredients to make some guacamole this weekend. Nothing soothes a sore throat like avocado all mashed up (except a Ricola cough drop).


Orbit gum, with those absurd ads and mint combo flavors, has won me over. I keep several packs in my teaching bag so I'll always have a minty-fresh taste in class. I also discovered that they make my throat feel a bit better.

Red pears are worth their price. Annie and I love them. 1) They're beautiful and 2) they're scrumptious.


So what do you like to eat when you're sick, bored or hungry?

Office gratitude

To say that this year has been difficult is an understatement.

One surprising source of comfort: NBC's "The Office."


Sure, sure, some people like it. But I need it. Not because I'm addicted to television but because it brings me joy (yes, you heard me) even on dark days.

Some may worry that this is solace from a mediocre source. To them I say, I still have family, friends, and the gospel to help me. But when I need a laugh or smile (or smirk) at a strange time or tough moment, I can turn to Micheal, Dwight, Pam, Jim and the rest of the Dunder-Mifflin crew.

I loved the BBC version and was reluctant to watch NBC's version. I avoided it for a couple of years, actually. I turned up my nose at it (without even watching), because I assumed the American version would fall short of the British original.

I'm not the first critic to observe that fears of inferiority were unfounded, but once I realized my wrong thinking, I wasn't ashamed to admit it. NBC's version is just as funny but it's sweeter too and more lovable. And now I'm actually glad about not discovering the show right away because when I came on board, there were three seasons of shows to watch.

Don't pity me, people. I'm just being honest. In a time of pain, confusion and low mood (a Hill term), "The Office" has delivered ... and not just paper.



I like this picture because it shows "The Office" leads relaxed, like friends. Like my friends.
(But don't worry - I won't turn out like the recently convicted Uma Thurman stalker.)

Four generations

I like to think of this blog as multi-generational, and thought I'd share a special photo of my dear grandmother Janell, super mom Susan, revered sister Courtney and cherished niece Elin. (I'm increasing in adjective intensity - hee hee!)

Thanks to Grandma and Mom for being examples of curiosity, compassion, courage and lots more. I'm grateful to be in your line. I could not have a better mother or grandmother!

And to Marni, Courtney (and Elin, Ellie & Miles) - what a joy to be your sibling and aunt.

Living family history

My dad sent us an email with a newsflash: his birth certificate (contrary to what was previously believed) lists his name as Ernest Fredrick Hill ... not Fredrick Ernest Hill.

Good to double check, for sure!

Here is a pic of Fred.E.Hill as a young lad (courtesy of Aunt Sherry). To say that he looks like little Miles is S.T.O. (state the obvious, in Marni-lingo). But still, it's true, therefore I have posted a comparison photo of Miles.

Costumes

I thought you'd get a better sense of the dance suits with extra images!

The class really is adorable. Graham has asked several times if he can join the preschool creative movement class too.

Ha! I can only imagine a boy version of this hot pink number.

"Do you believe in magic?"

... in a young girl's heart?

Hey, I can't stop singing along to one of the songs Annie's dance class will be performing to in a few short weeks.

Yesterday was photo day so the girls got to practice in their full regalia after the class photo was snapped.

I remember when the costumes were first unveiled several months ago ... the girls loved them, the moms were blown away. Blown. Away.

I tried to get in the head of the costume designer, a woman clearly striving for that WOW factor, unwilling to settle for just one garnish when five would do.
She didn't stop at the garish pink fabric or the lacy overlay on the bodice. She didn't stop with silver sequins trimming the flouncy skirt. She didn't stop with black lace trimming next to the silver sequins trimming the flouncy skirt. No, she took it to the next level with a black sparkly bow (not pictured) threaded through a diamond heart at the back of the skirt.

Must be seen to be believed.

Each girl also gets to wear a black heart diamond choker, a pink, silver and black bracelet, shiny pink-n-silver tap shoe toppers and a marvelous black feather bun topper. The effect is best little dance class in Texas!

I absolutely love watching the girls dance. They especially had fun yesterday with lots of parents watching and cheering from the front of the studio. It truly makes my heart happy to watch Annie concentrating intently on the steps and the moves (and usually executing them about a half-beat after the instructor). It creates a kind of ripple effect.

FYI: the class recital (Annika, Madalyn and Alexa are also in this class) is May 24th for those in driving distance who want to see the costumes for themselves.

Before and after

Annie also got a hair cut. Her hair was super shaggy, pre-Great Clips stop in.

In her words, "I think my bangs are becoming my eyebrows."

Great Clips

On Monday, a school holiday, Graham mentioned that he might be willing to get a piece of his bangs trimmed. Just a piece!

While I knew that there was no way we would stop at just one piece of hair, I also knew that I needed to jump right on his willingness to come close to hair scissors. Remember my Christmas hair nightmare post? I do.

So we dashed off to Great Clips. Annie always loves sitting on the stylist's tall chair. It's a chance to watch herself in the mirrror, a guaranteed fun time!