Terrible Two's

CIMG8161, originally uploaded by amydell.

It's impossible to tell you all just how bad she's been lately- This was taken right after a crying fit- before we spent our day taking them to the zoo and to Chic-fillet. Hmmm.. something is wrong here-- the harder we try- the harder she makes it on us.

How Nice to Be Southern!

So, there they were- after drinking my morning coffe and sauntering to my mailbox still in my pajamas- I peered in and there they sat!! Beautiful paper, beautiful handwriting, addressed lovingly with the name that I've adopted with marriage-- "Mrs. Amydell Beardshall" and "Mrs. Beardshall"- how lovely and wonderful! And I thought- "How nice to be Southern!" These notes of 'Thanks' made every second of work and preparation- worth the effort! Rarely do I get the attention of such notes, so when I do receive them- I cherish them! They contained such nuggets of love as "... we were all happy and delighted guests!", "I enjoyed every minute of my stay" and "I have never seen such attention to detail and I loved it all." -- My mother made me this way! I must confess- Southern women aren't just born Southern- we're bred. I've often felt that etiquette and adoration shown to people that provide enjoyment for me is of the utmost importance. I absolutely love, love, love to entertain- but find that people rarely return the favor. In days past- people would meet for lavish or simple - lovingly prepared dinners and parties- as a part of their social engagement calendars. No internet- no phone-- letters and correspondence were their method of exchange, giving them something to look forward to outside of slopping the hogs and weeding the garden. It was seen as a mode of entertainment before the "tonight show" and Nintendo. How Delightful it must have been to just sit on the front porch after supper- with a glass of iced tea and chat about the neighborhood or the state of the Union. I often think I was born at the wrong time- (barring the necessity of central air and heat) It was more genteel and certainly more fussy. I like that. I LIKE spending time to entertain my friends and family- who am I without them? I putter and primp in preparation for my next feast, I crave the conversations of the evening under candle light and good wine. I am here to please and pamper you, for without you, I am not happy. So thank YOU- for those notes of 'Thanks"- they made my day- they might have even made my year! I'm off to write a couple of my own now with fresh thoughts of appreciation on my pen!

My 'room with a view'

CIMG8101, originally uploaded by amydell.

Clearly-(for those of you that know us)- the last 14 mos have been the hardest financially of our married life. The small things- like this view from our library/office window make things a little more tollerable, make me a little more 'willing' to hang on and pray that our other house sells soon! There is a book that I read in college by Forster, that I'll always remember- the opening passage says "Any nook does for me, but it does seem hard that you shouldn't have a view." It reminds me a lot of a saying my mother used to use a lot when I was little (and frequently now, even though I'm grown) "Bloom where you're planted". I love making this home, my own.

Check it out and let me know what you thought of it. Its a free read. ENJOY! Let me know about your 'views', today. :)

You might think I'm cute- but THINK AGAIN!

So- this past Sunday- we took the kiddos to this local place called Lupe Tortillas. It's supposed to be "the kid place" to take small chillens and eat some good grub. (and it IS) for people with children who are not demon spawn! Holy Jesus!! I have NEVER seen TWO, two year olds be as bad as our two were. They RAN across the parking lot to the sand box- where the "parent stadium" is set up- and happily joined three hundred other blonde haired, blue eyed, white kids whose parents were partaking in various libations (from the stadium) and screaming demands to "stop dumping sand down his pants" and "stop kicking the little girl in the eyeballs!" I SWEAR I have NEVER seen that many kids in my life that looked just like mine do! It was worrisome, at best- because I could never seem to get both of them in my "mommy view" before the other ran in the opposite direction. Oh- how I 'love' them being two. 15 mins after we let them loose in the sand pit- we were called to our table- where we 'promptly' wrangled the kids (after my being BIT on the shoulder by Bryce, because I was taking him from "MY sandcox") -- and after navigating the small, seperate rooms of the place- could not find DH- I returned to the deck- and found that he had given up the table we were waiting for and had let Brooke return to her sand dream. UGH! Instead of EATING-- Grrrrrrrrr.... So- I went back in- put us back on the list and demanded that we were GOING to have a meal AT THIS PLACE- and the kids WERE going to behave... (1st bad mistake!) They WHALED all the way in from the box-O-fun and layed on the floor screaming until we started shoving chips in them. They started to calm down a little bit after the found and tore apart every crayola on the table. By this point- the poor wait staff were DONE with us- and the young, childless couple sitting at the table next to us- vowed in a loud whisper NEVER to procreate! (yeah, Good idea!) FINALLY - the food came- and some order was restored as Bryce climbed from the back of my chair (after trying to escape and run free in the eatery) and sat on the "REEEEEEDDDDDDDD" chair you see here. He ate like a champ- colored (with his partially chewed crayons) and basically turned into the angel that I gave birth to. We caught this pic- right after he settled a bit, and Brooke pee'd on my leg. Caviat: ALL I HAD IN THE CAR (because I'm twin mother of the year, was swimmers-- we had NO PULLUPS left!) (are swimmers supposed to be used as every day diapers? because apparently- they arent- they wick away water and let it SEEP through the diaper- because thats what this one did!) Are two year olds supposed to be in public? I dont think mine are supposed to leave my house. I know I cant keep them locked in the house FOREVER- but after this past weekends experience- I dont think we'll be eating in public with them again until they are at least 14!!!! Hey Lupe Tortillas- THANKS for tryin! I hope the waitress enjoys that fat tip I left her! She EARNED it!