Attitude of Gratitude: 23

These people.

Attitude of Gratitude: 06

When we lost Audrey's long-time care giver in the middle of Christmas, buying/selling our houses, and moving, to say I was in a panic is a huge understatement. I was 100% sure that ending the previous arrangement was the right thing to do, but I didn't have a back-up plan. It was abrupt. Now, almost a year later, I can say that finding Jen was one of the best things that happened to our family in 2013. She was an incredible match for Audrey, who adores her and with each passing day I would find out more and more about Jen that I admired. She is an incredible artist, wickedly funny, brainy as hell, a gardener, and we have a lot of common interests, friends, and sensibilities. Her tween son Mason is adorable and Audrey is completely enamored with his freckles. When school started, Jen moved on. But we see her from time to time and for completely selfish reasons, we hope she stays in St. Louis and is a part of our lives for a long time. This was certainly a lesson that letting go or closing a door usually makes room for something new and better in your life.

Weekend Bits & Pieces

The Good:

• I got Audrey's room painted and the pink ceiling looks amazing. Poor pictures later this week at SweetStreetSTL.
• Dinner party on Saturday night was so fun. What great friends and food.
• The turnout at our Open House on Sunday was spectacular, as was the feedback from potential buyers and agents. We're hoping it won't be too much longer.
• Lots of visits from friends and family this weekend while we worked on house.

The Bad:

• Our nanny changed her mind about taking the job. On Sunday night when she was supposed to start Tuesday. Not cool.

 The Ugly:

• Spackling. Such a cruddy job. 

Road Trip Chicago

My trip to Chicago was so needed and so enjoyed. On Thursday, Katy and I trekked to MCA and then Intuit, where we actually got to go inside the Henry Darger Room. On Thursday night, I attended a fundraiser for The Intonation Music Workshop, where Tracy is board president. I got to meet a bunch of her friends at a magnificent affair and then on to RM Champagne Salon for a rousing night cap. Friday we shopped and I found the perfect winter coat at 40% off and then dinner at Flo. Saturday it was just me and Tracy hitting the vintage circuit and I scored two fantastic purses. (More on those later.)

That is the laundry list of what we did. But what I can't get out of my head is the conversation I had with Tracy's friend Tonya on Thursday night. Occasionally in life, someone will say to you the exact thing you need to hear at the exact moment you need to hear it - like a messenger angel.  Tonya did that for me. She may not even remember it. Or me. But she is a wise one, that girl. The earth shifted a little under my feet. My heart twisted back into place after being off kilter for some time. 

This edition of Road Trip Chicago was one of the best. I treasure my friends and my life. And Audrey and Lindsey did fine (and had fun) without me. Listen to your life. Lessons learned. Lessons learned.

Share the Love

{From last year's trip to New Mexico and the Museum of International Folk Art}

I'm sharing things I think people I know would love:

Rear End Magnets + Pumpkins (Audrey)

Bunny Chair + Red Shoes (Katy)

Bow Tie + Biscuits (Lindsey)

Fashionistas + Bunny Clutch (Tracy)

Yayoi Kusama + Little Books (Rebecca)

Spain + Reading Spot (Me) 

Jess Dewes

My friend Jess Dewes, is such an amazing photographer. I've bragged on her countless times, but really, the woman can snap. This was at a playdate. Just the girls goofing around. Gorgeous. And below is one of my favorite pictures of all time. Even though you can't see Audrey's face, it completely captures where we were at the time. Our little family starting out, so grateful for all that we have. Each other. She makes people feel instantly at ease and it shows in her photos - often playful or relaxed. See more on her website or her blog. 

Ode to Jaime

My friend Jaime Gartelos moved to Chicago a couple of years ago and I'm not sure I've seen him since. We have two of his paintings in our home, which we adore. Besides being an amazing painter, he is a talented musician, composing a Russian Spaceman Rock Opera in 2004 and performing with a band he put together, The Moscows. That night was spectacular. Jaime's commitment to every detail, unwavering. The costumes his mother made, well...there are no words.

Last November he asked me to write a recommendation for a residency program. Of course I would! But then I never got the request or instructions from the school. I let him know, but I still heard nothing. It slipped through the cracks and this has been bothering me ever since. So this is an apology of sorts.

 

This Walt Whitman quote, from the preface of Leaves of Grass, is one of his favorites. I love it too.

"This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body."

Friends

I had a three long hour conversation with one of my oldest friends from college last night. We exchange short emails (usually links to eye candy and projects) but she lives in the Bay area so we don't see each other or talk on the phone that often. So all the stories and news build up. Laughter and tears over our parents getting old. Our careers. Our relationships. She's golden, that one.

Performance Art: Rebecca and I passing out potatoes to people on the
street at Contemporary Art Collective, Las Vegas. (2005)

Two little girls in a park near Union Station, Washington, D.C. (1943)

Artist Malvina Hoffman and friend in Paris (1920)

Friends posing on Kirra Beach (1938)

Wrapping the Week

We are headed to the farm this weekend to celebrate Easter and four birthdays (both brothers, dad, and my sweetie). What a wonderful week. Highlights include:

• Sleeping with the windows open and trees in bloom. Spring is here!
• Unexpected dinner party Monday night with old friends Nina and Rebecca. So much fun and lots of laughing and beer. I knew I missed Rebecca, who lives on the west coast, but didn't realize how much I also missed laughing and beer. More, please. 
• Playdate/clothing swap/picnic with Jess, Laura, Sylvie, and Bea. I came away with a huge amount of summer clothes for Audrey. Major score.
• Audrey's new passion for streaking after her bath. She wiggles right out of the towel and takes off and there is no stopping those jiggling little cheeks. She is soooo happy, I don't want to stop her. And she has learned out to say "radio" and takes much delight in saying over and over and over.

Here are two more gems that touched my heart this week.

• This is the sweetest song. The Littlest Bird
• A wonderful post about Choosing a Mighty Purpose from Wide Open Spaces.

Happy Spring by little chickadees!

File Under Francophile

Why don't they have this dress in Audrey's size? It is French and her chubby little self would look so freakin' adorable in it. Lindsey started work at the French company bioMérieux this week. The standard legal jargon footer in their emails is in French and also includes this sweet green sentiment...

• Préservons l'environnement - Avez-vous réellement besoin d'imprimer ce courriel?
• Please consider the environment - Do you really need to print this e-mail?

Why do I love everything French all of a sudden? Baby clothes, cheese (well...that isn't new), tennis shoes. French class was the only C grade I received.

We toured a montessori school this morning (for the 2010 school year) and I wanted to like it more than I did. I envisioned something greener, with more inspired playgrounds. I dunno. I just wasn't impressed. Everyone seemed nice enough. But I have a tour scheduled at another school tomorrow. They already have a wait list, so that doesn't sound hopeful. I can't believe I have to already start looking into this. The forms for the magnet pre-schools are incomprehensible. (Form says "See page 4 for details on age requirements." Um...the form is only 1 page long. Duh.)

I have so many smart and wonderful friends. Some with kids, some without. I wish we could all tackle this daycare thing together. I find four friends--watch their four kids and mine one day a week, and we all take turns. Except that we would each need an assistant and day to recover. But the idea of Audrey learning art and photography from Jess and Laura, and learning to garden and write from Stefene, learning to play soccer from Thomas, pottery from Carmelita, how to score terrific finds from Katy. I can handle teaching her how to cook and sew. Lindsey can handle teaching her bad jokes and good grammar. Let's see...we need to cover dancing and musical instruments. Can I cram anything else into the kid.

How about a little love?

Oh, by the way, she had two shots and blood drawn at her 18 month check-up today and not a single tear. She is one super baby.

Enough.