Yesterday Mimi, the fashionista, decided that my hair looked really cute, but that it just needed  a few adjustments.   She grabbed a brush and started “fixing” me.  After a few agonizing moments she proclaimed me Beautiful. 

Then she paused and cocked her head staring at the top of my head intently.   “You know”, she said “all those gray hairs up there are silver, not gray.  They’re actually really pretty”.  Then she happily skipped away.

Um…thanks?

Totally off topic: All you “Microsofties” that spy on me (don’t think I don’t know about you!) need to click over to see Mrs. G’s post today.  It’s all about you…well…kinda.  The comments are fun too!  (I don’t mean to exclude anyone, everyone else would enjoy it as well!)

When the girls were in elementary school, they enrolled in the School Savings Program that was sponsored by a local bank.   Basically the girls could bring  money to school on a certain day of the week, and deposit them in their own savings account.  This worked really well and the girls each saved a (very small) nest egg. 

Once they graduated from elementary school, they still had access to their accounts, only they had to go directly to the bank to do anything with it.  Despite the fact that  there is a local branch right downtown, we’ve mostly forgotten all about the accounts. (Except when they send the quarterly statements!)

This summer, KT has been working diligently at her first job.  She’s thrilled to be bringing home some pretty hefty paychecks.  I’ve been gently nagging suggesting to KT that she bring her checks to the bank to deposit them. (Usually right after she asks if she can borrow some money!)  Yet for some reason, she never had the time or kept forgetting to do so.

It finally occurred to me that she probably didn’t know how to deposit her hard earned checks as she’s never seen it done.  Shaun and I  do all of our banking online. We  both have direct deposit, I pay all of our bills online and cash is easily obtained at the grocery store.  So I asked her if she would like me to come with her to deposit them.  I had to smile at the huge sigh of relief my girl let out before she casually said that would be ok with her. 

The next day I found myself at the bank, teaching KT what a deposit slip was, how to fill it out and (very importantly) how to get cash back.   When she came to the box asking for her account number, KT whipped out the small laminated card that she had been given way back in first grade.  (I have to admit that I got just a little bit teary-eyed looking at her wonky little signature). 

We ended up talking with the branch manager to find out the options available to a sixteen year old girl.   KT decided that she would transfer her school account into a “real” savings account which would enable her to have more control over her funds and to get her very own ATM card.

I’m pretty sure this is the last time I will be invited to go to the bank iwth KT.  She’s a quick study and I’m sure she will be depositing her checks as soon as she gets them now.

As much as I love to see our baby learn such adult things as banking and taking care of her own money, I can’t help but feel a few twinges of sadness.  Our girl is getting so grown up…she’s stretching her wings and testing them out…preparing to fly on her own.

All I can do is prepare her the best I can.  And save these precious memories in my heart….

Not one to be discouraged by not-so-great cooking results,  our Mimi once again headed to the kitchen to prepare a feast for her family.  She chose a complicated looking recipe from the food network (it was labeled “easy” but obviously that was a typo) and got to work.

On a day that our vegan girl KT wouldn’t be home for dinner, Mimi created a shopping list and off we went to get the few ingredients that we didn’t already have.  (Amazingly, this shopping excursion resulted in  an herb garden…but that’s a story for another day!).   Armed with all of her supplies, Mimi insisted that I leave her alone to create her own personal magic. 

Letting Mimi do her thing all by herself was a bit nerve wracking for me.  Especially when I’d hear a huge gasp, mutterings or worse yet, crash.  Oh, and we won’t even mention how many times the smoke alarm went off.  Yet, every time I offered my assistance, she informed me that everything was under control and that I was not to peek.  

It seemed that Mimi had barely started her meal preparation when she called us to the beautifully set table. 

Her pride and joy was the perfectly seasoned tenderloin steak topped with fresh basil, sage and parsley (from her garden) and gorgonzola cheese.  (She did allow me to look at the cheese and assure her that the mold was the good kind!)

Shaun declared it the best steak he had ever eaten that he hadn’t prepared himself.  (Such a modest man) Mimi and I quickly realized  at the first bite that we simply weren’t cut out to eat rare steak.  Back in the oven it went!

The next course was pasta tossed with oven roasted garlic and fresh basil.  Oh my…talk about heavenly. 

When KT got home, she attacked the leftover pasta. 

For dessert (as if we really had room) Mimi had prepared ice cream balls with cinnamon and chocolate sauce.  And here I thought the pasta was heavenly….

It was the perfect ending to the perfect meal.  I wish I could take credit for teaching her all  know, but I can’t.  As Mimi frequently points out, I can melt a pan while trying to cook rice.

Hey, at least I can create a child that can create a fantastic meal…that’s got to count for something!

Irish Coffeehouse wants to know about our careers- then and now

THEN: As a child day dreaming of what your future would hold for you, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you ever pursue or achieve it?
NOW: If you could be trained and placed in any career beginning tomorrow, what would it be?

As a young girl, I had big plans for my future.  We’re talking MAJOR big plans.  I just knew that I was destined to become a member of the most elite and glamorous jobs ever.  I was going to become a Stewardess.

Stewardesses got to fly around to exotic places like Paris and Rome (I didn’t know until later that those were actually in Texas and Iowa), they wore classy uniforms and best of all, they got to wear Go Go Boots.  For all these wonderful perks, all they had to do was pass out a meal or two and something to drink.  Yep, that was my dream job.

Sadly, I never did end up working in that highly coveted field.  Well, maybe I did in a small, very grounded way as I was a server in a very touristy waterfront restaurant for a few years.    I  met people from exotic places like Paris and Rome (the ones in France and Italy) while wearing a classy uniform…and Top-Siders.

Over the years, I’ve worked at a variety of jobs including such glamorous and unusual positions as bookkeeping  (yes, me!), traveling encyclopedia salesperson and a hypnotist’s assistant.  Yet, we are asked what our career choice would be if we could start, fully trained and ready to go tomorrow.

Hmmmm…what an interesting thought.   I considered what would be most important to me.  Of course, I would need flexible hours as my number one priority is still my family.  Traveling to exotic places would be nice.  Working and helping others has always been high on my list.  It would have to be a varied position…monotony drives me nuts.  I’ve got it.

My new career would be… philanthropist!  And of course, I would wear go-go boots…

Yep, that’s my dream job.

Off topic note: Do you know anyone who has Pulmonary Haemosiderosis? I know of someone that is looking for information and a support group about this.

For this week’s Fun Monday, Dungarees Ablaze says, “Let’s hear about your favorite “Birthday”, it needn’t be your actual birthday just a “birthday” celebration. You can use one you planned, one you attended, one you crashed, just a fun time for this FUN MONDAY

Hmmm…there have been soooo many birthdays (not just mine silly!) that it’s hard to choose a favorite.  I think I’ll go with my mother’s 50th.  (I’m pretty sure that was just last year) My dad wanted to throw her a surprise birthday party.  Of course, I thought that was a great idea.  At least until I realized that what he really wanted was for me to throw the party. 

Being young and dumb, I agreed to do the simple job of all the putting the party together, while he took  the onerous task of inviting everyone.  Despite having very limited experience in party planning , I just knew that my great idea of putting up steamers, making a cake and ordering a few pizzas just wasn’t going to cut it with my parent’s crowd.  (My friends would have been happy!)

So I got to work picking the brains of my mother’s friends on the best way to put this party together without my mom finding out.  (This was before Google was invented, how did we manage without it?) Armed with good advise and lots of enthusiasm, I managed to get everything ready in time for the Big Day. 

When that day arrived, Dad did the other half of his huge assignment by taking Mom away for a few hours.  We quickly snuck in and got to work decorating and greeting guests in order to create a beautiful  party for my mom.  Somehow, we managed to pull it off.  Mom didn’t have a clue and was overwhelmed with everyone that cared so much about her.

In my quest to be the Hostess with the Mostest,  I announced that I had one more surprise and ran off to get it.  Much to the amazement of both my parents, I came back out with my brother and his new wife.  We had arranged for them to fly out from the East Coast to be with us on that special day. 

I still haven’t decided if it was more fun to surprise my Mom for her birthday or to surprise both of them with my baby brother.  Either way, it’s a birthday celebration that I will never forget….

Ever since Mimi was a wee little thing, she has been fascinated by the art of cooking.  She was the only four year old that I knew who would rather have watched a cooking show instead of a cartoon. 

I can’t help but wonder if the love of cooking is a genetic thing.  Mimi’s grandfather was a well known and highly sought after chef in New Mexico and of course her father is a wonderful cook as well. (We simply aren’t going to talk about her maternal side now, are we?)  Mimi’s latest obsession has been with cake decorating.  If she had her way, she would watch the cake challenges on the Food Network constantly. 

So when I called home from work last week, I wasn’t too surprised when she asked me to bring home some marshmallows and  powdered sugar.  Apparently she had decided to bake a cake and had planned on covering it with rolled fondant.  (The marshmallow version tastes better than the traditional.  Personally, I think they are both nasty even if they do look pretty)

Immediately after I got home and handed over the requested supplies, Mimi got to work.   When I offered my assistance, my budding pastry chef merely shooed me away with a stern warning not to peek at her artwork. (Could she possibly have forgotten who she was talking to???) 

An hour or two later, Mimi happily presented her completed work of art.  She explained that she had intended on making some sort of alien.

See the scary alien eyes?

But then somehow it morphed into…something else.

Interestingly…it tasted about the same as it looks.  (How on earth does one mess up a box of cake mix???) 

When I came home from work today, I found that Mimi had once again put on her toque and had baked some yummy carbon-flavored chocolate chip cookies.

Obviously, she gets her baking skills from her father’s side as well.  I wonder if I can convince her to wait until the cooler days of fall before I teach her how to bake.  Sigh…

 For this week’s Fun Monday, Olive has asked us to tell about a whopper of a fish story.  I signed up knowing that I’m pretty good at coming up with quite the story from just a little kernel of truth.  (Just ask my family…it drives them nuts when I use my Creative License to liven up a tale.  Only once or twice of course…)

Despite having a week to come up with a great story…I’ve got nothing.  See, you have to have at least that kernel of truth in there.  I’ve only been fishing twice in my life, and neither was a good experience for me.

The first time I went fishing was in the Pacific when I was a kid.  All I really remember is that the grown ups drank a lot and that I caught a sand shark.  Somehow that shark got twisted up in my mind with a movie that I had watched. (I think I’m scarred for life.)

The next time was on a Co-Op preschool field trip to the Trout Pond.  The pond was really a shallow cement pool with nasty looking water in it. We helped our children drop a pre-baited hook into the water and waited about ten seconds until one of the many starving trout attacked it.  Then a “fisherman” that worked there took it off the hook and wrapped it up for us. 

I tried really hard not to show my horror at such cruelty to my daughter who was beaming with pride.  Then I suggested that we give that very special fish to friends of ours.  Thankfully she agreed. (There was no way I was going to clean and eat that poor fish.)

Of course that reminds me of the time my dad brought home a monster sized fish from somewhere and insisted that I clean it for him.  That poor dead fish and I looked each other in the eye and I lost it.  It was the first of many times that I became a vegetarian. 

I’m sure a better person than me could write a heck of a story about any of those…but I’m still waaaay too traumatized.  

Poor me…

Shaun: I love being out in nature

KT: Yeah…so you can run over it!

Don’t worry, he’s very good at staying on designated trails and not tearing up the unsullied nature that we really do love. 

I’ve been messing with my template, trying to make a new and improved version. 

I somehow forgot that my brain never made it into the future…I’m still back in the stone age.  In my brain, I’m still using a typewriter (at least I’ve trained myself not to keep trying to hit the carriage return!) 

So…I’ve lost my tulips, I’ve misplaced my original lemon banner that Shaun created for me, and I can’t even remember the original WP template that I loved so much.  It could take me while to struggle my way toward the Computer Age, so don’t be too alarmed if my blog looks different every time you visit it…Fortunatly I live with kids and a computer nerd, so maybe they’ll help me!

But for now, I’ve got to go doctor up my World Famous Beans to take to the “Exploding Fireworks” party we are going to. 

Have a great (and very safe!) Fourth!