Girlz Rock

Girlz Rule. Well you don't have to tell me twice! Especially since Brooke is my boss. She rules all right. Sigh. But we won't get into that...

haha - I just realized that the set is Girlz Rock. Well, that tells you how I'm feeling lately! Truly, Mama rules. Howz that?

We had the opportunity to photograph and model this darling designer outfit from Cream Puff Couture. The moment I opened up the box, I was delighted. I loved the skull applique with it's bling accents and detailed embroidery. Right up my alley! She can wear it when Emme wears La Tatuada. Sisters to the death. Sigh again.

You can find the auction here.

Retro Mermaids

I really couldn't think of what to call this set - until just now for the title of this blog post. The Free Spirit fabric reminds me of atomic age design. The mermaids on the knit leggings and, hence, the applique remind me of something I would find in an antique mall. In my mind, the designs are very retro. Even the style of the tunic and leggings - makes me think of the '50's and '60's.

I asked my friend Monica of Maddie's Bowtique to make me some bows to match some samples of fabric that I had brought to her. She made 3 pairs of bows for me. Beautiful, perfectly scaled bows. She made them the way I would have made them if I could make bows.

I love the tiny little mermaids she picked for this set. The ribbons are perfect and she had not even seen the Free Spirit fabric because I didn't know I was going to use it at the time. I'm going to list the complete ensemble on September 27. It's going to be a custom auction because Celeste and I could not part with our Retro Mermaids!

Shameless Bragging

As if that's not what I do everytime I write in this blog...

Celeste got her school report card - and it was the Kindergarten equivalent of straight A's. What I found most remarkable among many good things is that her teacher commented that she puts Celeste with the kids who need extra help because she is very patient with them. Not only did Mrs. Margo write that in her report card, but she took me aside and told me. She also said that Celeste is not only very pretty and girly, but that she is also very athletic and likes to "go for it!"

*****

So today, we are waiting while Celeste is having her gymnastics class. It is a LONG hour. Emme is bored, so I suggest that we play a clapping game. You may know which one: "I had a little sister, her name is sister Sue. I put her in the bathtub, to see what she would do..." and so on.

At first, we clap slowly so that Emme can get the rhythm of the game. Then suddenly, she gets it! We are clapping quickly to the beat of the song. This is not easy for a 4 year old! I am so impressed.:-)

Then Emme wants to play another game. Okay - so I suggest an obscure one: "I love my love with an "A" because he is Adorable. Emme's turn: I love my love with a "B" because she is a Baby. We take turns going through the alphabet all the way to Z. At first Emme needs some help. When she gets to "F" she has to whisper the alphabet to see what comes next (a,b,c,d,e,F!). She also needs help with some letters like K - Kandy or G - Gump - But she gets it! I am so impressed and praise her so much that she asks to play it over and over until Celeste joins us.

On the way home from gymnastics we play "I love my love" again and again. The girls get so good at it that they come up with lines like: "I love my love with an 'L' because she Likes to Lick Lollipops!"

I love my girls with an "S" because they are So Smart!

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder

Preschool through Kindergarten had a big party yesterday for Valentine's day. The theme was Tea Party and the parents were instructed to dress the kids in special outfits.

I dressed Emme up in her "La Tatuada" set with her silver Michael Kors sandals and her hair done up in a ponytail with red heart-tipped ribbon streamers. She added the final touch with a silver tiara adorned with purple gemstones.

She was a show-stopper when we walked into the preschool/preK classroom. The teachers oohed and ahhed at her outfit. The kids ran up to her and touched the sparkling crystal skull and crossbones. Emme stood regally and accepted the admiration graciously.

I stood beaming until Emme's best buddy Leah marched up to Emme and declared, "Well, my dress is more beautiful than yours. Look! It's got princesses!" She pointed to her golden Disney Store dress with the full skirt and sleeveless bodice. In the center of the dress was a lovely Disney Princess cameo.

Emme silently admired Leah's dress until Leah walked away distracted by the Valentine festivities. I worried about Emme because she relates so much to her clothing. It's a struggle or a triumph to pick out her clothes every day. Her mood depends on what she is wearing.

After school, I asked her, "So how was your day?"

Emme: It was great, mom! I had a great day!

Me: How did you feel when Leah told you her dress was more beautiful than yours?

Emme: That was okay because my dress was better. Hers had "armpits" (that's Emme's way of saying sleeveless. She dislikes sleeveless clothing).

Me: Well, I'm happy you felt good in your dress!

Emme: I did. But I told Leah that she hurt my feelings when she said that hers was more beautiful than mine.

Me: You did?

Emme: Yes. Leah told me that she had to say it because I looked so beautiful in my tiara and she didn't have one.

Me: And what did you say?

Emme: I said, "Leah, we are BOTH beautiful." And we hugged each other.

Conversations in the Minnie Van part 2

Celeste: "So Mommy, did you really work in the city?"

Me: "Yes"

Celeste: "Was it pretty?"

Me: "Yes. It was very pretty. I worked in the financial district. The buildings are beautiful there."

Celeste: "Was it noisy?"

Me: "Yes."

Celeste: "And then you went to Iowa where it's nice and quiet and met Daddy. Right?"

Me: "No."

Celeste: "How did you meet Daddy, then?"

***
I give the girls a quick synopsis of my first blind date with Bruce and how it was set up. I stick in lots of details - things I know they'll enjoy - like what he wore, what I wore... things like that.
***

Me: ...and that's how I met Daddy.

Emme: How did you meet us?

Celeste: (laughing heartily) Emme! Mommy didn't MEET us! She MADE us!

Emme: Ohhhh...Mommy, how did you make us?

Pretty Please

Pretty please with a cherry on top? That's what I used to say when I was a little kid. I made this adorable set for Brooke's first birthday. It is totally over the top for my usual style - but once I put it on Brooke, I knew I loved it. I think I will be making lots more sets like this for my baby. It's like having a little girl for the first time!

You can see my auction here.

Snow

Today Bruce decided to take me and the girls on a picnic in the mountains. He wanted the girls to experience snow. It was something they had been yearning for. They were so excited. They got their caps, mittens and rain boots and we all piled into the car for a relatively short trip up the Angeles Crest Highway.

The weather here in Los Angeles has been beautiful. The days are crisp and clear and the grass and trees are green from the recent rains. The drive up to the mountain forest reminded me of the Road To Hana in Maui. We even saw a waterfall. It was lovely.

We stopped at a little picnic area. It seemed everyone had the same idea. Families of all sizes, nationalities, ages had come out into the sunny day to see some snow - such a special thing for us Californians!

The girls were in heaven throwing snowballs at their daddy and climbing up small drifts.

Here are some pictures of them with their first snowballs. Something to be chronicled!





Bruce took this last one. I love it. Contented sisterhood. See the melting snowball in Emme's hand?



When the girls could ignore their appetites no longer, we drove up the highway a bit, turned onto a lookout area and parked. We picnicked tailgate style, feasting on fried chicken, coleslaw and lemonade. The view, needless to say was amazing. But here was my favorite view:



The picnic in the van was Brooke's favorite part of the trip. She felt like part of the gang sitting with us eating pita chips and hummus along with her King's Hawaiian Bread.

It was an unforgettable day!

Camera Tip

I just checked out this video on the $1.00 camera stabilizer. I can't wait to make one for myself!

Come to think of it, it won't be too helpful with photographing children since I'm always crawling on the ground or on my knees trying to get nice shots of them.

hmmm.... worth a shot anyway!




$1 Image Stabilizer For Any Camera - Lose The Tripod - video powered by Metacafe

Conversations With The Neighbor

I adore my neighbor. She drives a Jaguar and wears diamonds and hotpants with marabou feathers - I kid you not - to water the lawn. She's not too much older than I am which is the funny part. We get along great and we have kids around the same age. She has all boys and I have all girls. The same ob/gyn delivered our children. We have at least that in common.

So the other day, after a morning of shopping, I breezed out of Bruce's car and found D watering the lawn in a tennis skirt and sporting a new haircolor - red. My heart lifted to see her and I walked on over to chat because I was feeling fine.

Me: "Hi D!"

D: "Hi Monica!. How're the girls?"

Me: "Great. Growing. How're the boys?"

chit chat chit chat....

D: "So I found out why Dr. X (our former ob/gyn) went on leave."

explanation: Right before I became pregnant with Brooke, Dr. X took an unexpected leave of absence from his private practice. He left a very competent friend of his, Dr. Z to take over the practice and that's who delivered my baby.

We, D and I speculated for months on why Dr. X left. Did he take a vacation? Was he stressed? Did his wife threaten to leave him unless he slowed down? The possibilities were limitless. He was so charismatic, so handsome, so young, so successful. Why would he leave a thriving medical practice in Encino? Maybe he retired. But his nameplate is still on the door of his office. We were stumped.

back to the conversation:

Me: "Tell me. Why did he leave his practice?"

D: "He is a compulsive shoplifter."

Me: "Wha? What could he possibly shoplift? Those Armani suits?"

D: "Please, Monica! Where would he stick them? Besides, he told me he went to Italy specifically to buy suits once a year."

Me: "Well, what, then? I can't imagine he needed to shoplift anything."

D: "It's a sickness. They caught him at Barney's in New York shoplifting jewelry. They took away his license. Apparently he's been caught before. I don't know what he's doing right now. Recuperating, I guess."

Me: Feeling bad for sweet Dr. X. Why did they come down so hard on him? Why did they take away his license? What could he shoplift - and I seriously wondered - from a woman who has nothing on and has all her netherparts exposed to him? Ask him to pay a fine and let the guy practice. He is the best doctor around.

"Well, I hope he comes back soon."

D: "Yeah. Me too. I miss him."

Maria

Maria is the lady who helps me keep my house clean. She's been helping me since I was pregnant with Emme. Maria is a wonderfully business minded woman and very successful, I'm sure. She is my age and certainly does much better at cleaning houses than I do at selling boutique clothing items.

She must know this because the other day she called me on the phone:
"Eh, Mees Monica?"
"Si Maria, que pasa?"

Translated conversation follows:

"Lately you've been paying me eight five dollars. You only need to pay seven five."

She annunciated it like this: ocho cinco and siete cinco - so we would be clear.

I usually pay her seventy five dollars a week, but I had been paying her eighty five dollars since the holidays. Kinda like a pay raise. Or at least so I was thinking.

"Please, you only need to pay me seven five. I want to be clear with you in case you forgot and started paying more by accident."

"Okay Maria." I say slightly embarrassed, but remembering that Bruce had complained that I had given her a raise. "I just paid more because it was the holidays."

"Gracias Mees Monica. And don't forget: It's SEVEN five, not eight five."

"Okay Maria. I won't forget."

God Bless Maria. He is saving a special place in heaven for her. I know it.