Wall Art

Some of my very favorite people :)

Dog Watching

This photo has nothing to do with the post, but I thought it was funny. This is from the back of my grandma's piano. The piano was moved away from the wall since the living room is going to be painted. I'm relived to know that the piano is built using tested scientific principles.

When I walk into my brother's house, Ji rushes off to his bedroom. (Ji is my 19 month old nephew.) I follow him to see what he is up to. "Zooj," he says, holding out three shoes that he has grabbed from his dresser. In his other hand is his black knit hat with the cat ears and face. The eyes glow in the dark. "Zooj. Go," he says again as he makes a knocking motion in the air with his fist. Ji knows that I am a pushover, and will take him outside if he asks. So I find some socks to go with his shoes & put them on him. I pull his hat on (he is the only kid I know who loves to wear hats.) and find a jacket. He insists that I zip the jacket up. Then we go back into the livingroom and he runs to grab my shoes and bring them to me so I can put them on. As I open the front door, he triumphantly blows two kisses to his mother & out we go.

Ji likes dogs. He's a little nervous if they get close to him, but he loves to watch them. I've seen him stand outside the neighbor's door run and not even flinch while they bark. To him, that's just the sound that dogs make. Today Princess, the upstairs neighbor's, dog is out. She's a small dog, only coming up to Ji's waist. But he still likes a little distance. We walk over to the fence, where the next door neighbor's brown lab is. Sometimes she will push her tennis ball under the fence where there's a space, and I'll throw it for her to chase. Ji says, "ball," but I see that the tennis ball is split open and the felt is torn off. Princess has followed us to the fence, though, and even though she's tiny she growls at the other dog. Then they race along the fence barking at each other. They race back and forth, never seeming to tire. We watch for a few minutes, then Ji waves good-bye and we wander to the gate, which he shakes back and forth until I unlatch it and we go out.

We walk a little, and he points out the pink blossoms that have fallen from a tree to the ground. I hold him up so he can smell the blossoms, and we are showered in pink petals. Some dogs across the street are barking, and Ji points in their direction and says "dog." "Yes, there are dogs there," I say, hoping that acknowledgement is enough. But he persists. "Dog. dog." I pick him up and we cross the street.

There are 3 dogs fenced in the backyard, next to the gravel driveway. I crunch across the gravel and set him down a couple feet in front of the fence. Two of the dogs are the small fluffy type, and aren't barking. The third is a fat beagle, and she barks and barks at us. I crouch down and put my arms loosely around Ji. He doesn't seem very concerned. He is mesmerized by the dogs, pointing to one of the fluffy ones, who is off a bit from the other two, to draw my attention to it. The other fluffy dog is right next to the fence, and seems politely interested in us. The beagle still seems to think we are a threat. She stops barking, but starts up again in a minute. I see two tennis balls wedged under a shed near the fence. I reach in to see if I can dislodge one, but they are well stuck. The fluffy dog sniffs me appreciatively, but the beagle also moves closer. Ji steps closer to the fence, picking his feet up alternately to crunch in the gravel. He seems to luxuriate in the newness of the sensation. This is one of the things I love about spending time with him--getting glimpses of the world as new and fresh, sharing his wonder at the ordinary & often overlooked. He reaches out to place a hand on the fence. I am worried that the beagle will try to bite him, but she doesn't. We stand there for several more minutes. The wonder has worn off for me, but Ji is still entranced. "Say good-bye to the dogs," I tell him. He waves obediently, and I pick him up and turn to walk away. He points over my shoulder. He wants to go back. So we do.

We try this a couple more times, with the same results. Finally, I distract him by mentioning cars, another one of his interests. "Vroom, vroom." I whisk him back into the house. I sit down on the couch, with Ji on my lap facing me. He grabs onto my shirt with both hand and tries to pull me up. I may have had my fill of dog watching, but he has not!


Stayed tuned to find out what crafty project Mr. O & I are up to:

Ack! It's been nine months!

Dear Readers,
I can't believe that it's been 9 months since I last posted. Sorry about that! A lot has happened in that time. (No, I have not produced a baby. My niece did ask me if I will be a mother by Mother's Day and her mother pointed out that it was biologically impossible in that time frame. Maybe I could adopt, though.)

One of the biggest changes in of location. I have left Brooklyn to move back to Utah. I thought that with the slower pace of life, less stress, and fewer hours of gainful employment, I would have plenty of time to do things like write blog posts. But it turns out that I really like to take naps and play with my niece & nephew. (And hang out with their parents.)

So, I will try to be better about posting. Maybe I'll even get around to telling you what I've been up to the last 9 months.

xo,
aka Olivia

P.S. I DID NOT get married in the past 9 months, in case you're wondering. I am working at a birth center, and training to teach childbirth education, so I do have babies on the brain.

Cleansing & Rebirth

What a pretty spring soap that A gave us. Almost too pretty to use!

In my planner on the month of April was a cryptic note: "Make lamb cake for Easter." I have no memory of what prompted me to jot this idea down, or what form exactly a lamb cake should take. It seemed like a nice idea, though, so I decided to make one.

Coconut flakes seemed essential. Maybe only because of the lingering memory of this cake from February, edged in coconut flakes, in honor of my roommate's grandmother's birthday. If she was still alive she'd be 100.

Fortunately R stopped me from cutting into the unfrosted cake thinking it was a pan of cornbread before I'd done too much damage. (This was before it was heart shaped.)

I was planning to cut a sheet cake into the shape of a lamb and frost it in white with coconut. But then I had an even better idea: lamb cookies! My mother makes coconut macaroons with egg whites, sugar, and coconut flakes. They would be perfect as fluffy little lambs. I imagined sliced almonds as their faces with a chocolate chip eye and black licorice whips for the legs and tail.

They didn't quite turn out as I planned. The almonds were too small to have chocolate chips as the eyes, so I made the chocolate chips the tails. The licorice didn't stick to the cookies after baking, I was afraid to put it in before baking for fear of it burning. But with a little imagination they sort of resembled sheep, and they tasted good, which is what really matters.

I'd invited A & her family, T, K, and L over for Easter dinner. R, K and I spent Sat evening doing most of the cooking so that we could just relax on Sunday. Then we ordered pizza and played Ticket to Ride. The dinner was nice, very good company. J made bread, T made a green salad and L & M made a fruit salad. I was too tired to do much but enjoy the food and conversation, but I think everyone had a good time. I meant to take photos to document the people in my life, but then it seemed like it would change the dynamic too much. I do wish that I'd managed to think of an Easter activity. But our church meeting was nice--I sang two numbers with the choir, and there were a couple numbers by the children and a piano solo. There were 2 short talks about Easter and spring.


Since I didn't manage to take any photos of people at Easter, here is a photo from February of A & J's darling children. I love having them come over and going to visit them. They were here for Easter. Notice my photos of other loved ones in the background.

Here's my mother's recipe, complete with her notes:

Coconut Macaroons

2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

In a mixing bowl beat egg whites and vanilla till soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, beating till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold in coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325 degree oven about 20 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Makes about 30. (It only made about 15 for me. I was impatient and didn't beat the sugar and egg whites until stiff, though. I could also have made them smaller)

It's a good recipe for Passover 'cause there is no leavening. Also gluten free.

Variations: I have made them with chocolate chips instead of (could be with) the coconut, tinted them green and added a little peppermint extract, added 1 tbs lemon juice instead of vanilla and put grated lemon peel with the coconut. I have never tried the nutty version where you add 1/2 cups toasted almonds, pecans or hazelnuts with the coconut but it sounds delicious.

I also saw a recipe where you shape them like birds' nests and then put jelly beans in them for the "eggs."

Sleep Training

Two of my friends with babies have told me this week that they are sleep training. I myself have been walking up between 2:30 and 4:30 am and not being able to get back to sleep. I have ended up getting up and doing things for a few hours, then going back to bed around 6:30 am. (Which is not so much earlier than when I should be getting up.) Today I tried taking a long bath, and now I will try again to sleep. How can I sleep train myself? Any ideas?

Perhaps this is another example of my body being sympathetic to my nephew's. We've been having similar digestive issues as well.

Rainy Day

Yesterday was a rainy day. (Well, the morning was. By afternoon it was clear and sunny.) I saw the rain drops on the window and had to grab my camera.


I did re-pot my cactus, but he's not standing up any straighter. He does seem to be getting taller, though. You'll have to compare the photo in my last cactus post to see if his arms have grown. Still don't have a name for him.


My birthday violets (from over a year ago) still bloom. Today is supposed to be in the 50s. We'll see if it lives up to the promise.

If you only remember one thing...

Remember to eat before going to the hospital to give birth. Once you are admitted, nothing but ice chips will pass your lips. I know that the movies and TV make it seem like you should rush right to the hospital as soon as your water breaks (which is always portrayed as a dramatic and unmistakable event) and that within a short time you will be pushing your baby out. But the truth is, under usual circumstances, there is no need to rush right to the hospital. In fact, once you get there, it will take them some time to admit you. You might even have to wait while the shift changes before anyone will so much as take your blood pressure. Then, unless your labor is unusually fast or you have already labored quite a bit at home, you will spend many hours waiting, having a contraction, waiting some more, until the baby is born. It could be 6 hours it could be 23. There is no way to know in advance. But I can promise you one thing. You will be told not to eat. ANYTHING. So, before you go to the hospital, eat a good meal, fold your clean laundry, tie up the loose ends of your day. You'll be glad that you did.