I'm behind

The weather has been too glorious to spend it inside.
LMC has been too busy to let me idle in front of my computer.
Husband has not had a day off in 28 days. Straight.

It's been a little hectic around here.

That being said, we did celebrate a birthday this weekend and LMC got a scooter and a "piggie airplane" that drops a barrel of (imaginary) monkeys when a release button is pressed. She is impressed with both.

More to come tomorrow-- lots, lots more to come tomorrow.

Just not today.

Cookbook

I love cookbooks and read them as some read novels or peruse magazines. My cousin constantly laughs at me and wants to see what my updates are as, she too, peruses what I have noted and considered.

But, cookbooks are like Bibles- they hold family histories. They hold memories. They hold stories.

I purchased this cookbook before our DC adventure, with the single intent of using it:

And use it... I have. I jot down recipes that I have found to be successful

I even write down what the menu was for a given holiday...  (Easter 2012 was chicken salad croissants, egg salad sandwiches, and BBQ potato chips as we watched the Masters)

Flipping through the pages, I make notes about the recipe. If something turned out not to be as expected- well, The Future Me will be prepared.

I take lots of notes. Lots and lots...

 Chilled Red Bell Pepper Soup? Who'da thought that would be good? So, I told TFM (the future me) that, "hey- you! Don't be surprised... this isn't bad!"

I take notes upon notes as the recipe is made again and again.

And, if a meal fails and there is no saving it... I let myself know. Even when it sounds delightful. 

Or, if it is pale in comparison to moms... that happens, too. 

Sometimes, the recipe is more of a guide and less of a precise measurement. Like this:

Or, just to really convey to TFM if something is icky and we had to order pizza... well, like I said I use cookbooks like notebooks. And knives like spoons. And dish towels like burp clothes. And burp clothes like dish towels.

I try to have a sense of humor about it and sometimes am more successful than others. 

Or, if I learned something- like how to undress a lamb (that's my verb in regards to lamb- not a technical term), I tell myself how to do it. Saves me the trip to google or to my chef friend.

Or, if something is insanely expensive... and then I find it cheaper somewhere else -- I tell myself where to look.

And... sometimes... how the recipe was modified and why... for instance, if I can't find something. I should make a note of where the thyme is.

To Dance

LMC is a big fan of dancing.

All kinds.

What she lacks in hip-hop (she got that from me), she makes up in rhythm (she got that from Husband). In the evenings, she has two tutus- one red and one green, which she dons with the matching jammies, rotating between Monday, Wednesday, Friday for the red and Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday for the green. Sundays, I insist she wear an actual nightgown, sans tutu.

We dance in the kitchen. We dance in the den. We dance with music and we dance without music.

She makes an excellent dance partner. We have fun with the music too loud and the smooth motown sounds filling our apartment and wafting out the windows when Husband is on call.

So, I have been thinking about putting her in a summer dance class. Up here, there are two kinds...

Creative Movement and Pre-Ballet.

She's going to one. They're almost the same price. They're at almost the same time on Saturday. I just do not know what the difference is- isn't it just going to be a bunch of three year olds running around in pink tutus and pink leotards? Unless you are LMC... then it will be either green or red, depending on the day.

Thoughts? Can you please help a non-graceful girl out?

LOL?

Yesterday, I was reading a message board for DC moms and one of the posts said something to the effect of:

BTDT moms- what do you do when your toddler [insert something I care not to share here]. FT moms, take note for when your angel does this.

Hunh? BTDT? FT? I get LOL, but... this 31 year old gal had to google BTDT. And before you go doing the same thing, allow me to save you the key strokes for the acronym of Been There Done That.

Immediately, I thought about Lewis Grizzard and his awesome column in the Atlanta J-C about personal ads in the classified section (long before match.com and eharmony.com). Since we aren't paying by the word on the WWW, is it too difficult to spell out the been there and the done that?


I ask this question from a mighty high horse because, I too have succumbed to the ease of the acronym. Or the EA as I shall refer to it now.

Allow me to give you a lesson in the acronyms often found in LOC (not Library of Congress, rather Life Of Cagle)

Most often used is LMC... that's Little Miss Cagle. She's pretty adorable and will turn 3 at the end of this month...

PETF: Patricia Eileen the First (that's my mom)
YFBF: Ye Few But Faithful (those dedicated twenty something who subscribe to LOC and who I adore immensely)
FOAF: Fit of All Fits... we talk about these a great deal when LMC has a melt down of all melt downs. They are the stuff legends are made out of.
HIMs: How I Met anyone
SNB: I don't talk about this one too much anymore, but when LMC would shuck her clothes and lay out in a FOAF, she was a Screaming Naked Baby
GF: Gluten Free
SIL: Sister In Law-- I have several, five to be precise. Usually an SIL conversation is about Brother's wife. Unless I am referencing my SoWeGa SILs, than I will reference the Farm.
SoWeGa: South West Georgia-- where Husband calls home
MIL: Mother In Law
FIL: Father In Law
DILOTY: That would be me... Daughter In Law Of The Year
PPCs: Pansy Planting Chronicles


If I think of any others that I use... I'll update the list, but until then- this is a good key to start with.

How far we have come

This is my fourth Mother's Day. I know LMC is not quite 3, but four years ago there was a baby shower to celebrate the coming of our sweet pink bundle of joy.

That morning, I hosted a diabetic friendly brunch for my parents, Martha's parents, my parents, grandfather, and Brother's family. We busted out the fine china (that I still miss) and used a very large piece of plywood from Husband's boat building stock on two saw horses. The [elegant?] under-table was covered [hidden] with a dark coral- almost orange- pressed hemstitched linen tablecloth that was something ridiculous, like 144 inches long. My dining room could not handle the amount of people we were serving.

The fine china, the silver, the crystal, the fancy serving pieces, an extra table outside for bloody marys and sweet tea... I pulled out all the stops for my first Mother's Day brunch, and I still didn't even have a child on the ground yet. We feasted outside in the beautiful 72 degree day, without a cloud in the blue sky day. Fresh flowers and great music with gerbera daisies growing amongst tea olives in our old back yard day. I could not imagine a better way to spend a Sunday.

After celebrating the coming of LMC at Ms. Mobile's home, we would be ever clueless that she would be joining us in less than three weeks.

Mother's Day part II escapes my memory... my apologies.

Last Mother's Day we had an elegant brunch at Tunnicliff's, wandered around Eastern Market-- my favorite pastime-- and napped when LMC napped.... remember naps? Those were the days. Husband had the Sunday off, and it was just the three of us. Our perfect little family of three enjoying our new neighborhood and each other. Oh, how I still remember my eggs benedict on a crab cake instead of an english muffin. Not to be missed.

Which brings me to Mother's Day part IV...

Husband was on call Friday, post call Saturday and back on call today. yeah.... This morning, I awoke as I usually do- alone- to the still of the apartment. Stretching my arms and thinking about my day, I found the remote to the television... and two cards on my bedside table. One from Husband and one from LMC.

The one from LMC had a $20 stuck inside with a note that said, "LMC is treating you to Tunnicliff's and Chesapeake Eggs Benedict this morning. Wish I could be there to celebrate you and all you do for us. I love you -Husband" (yes, he signed it Husband. He always does.)

I get dressed. I get LMC dressed. I get hungry. I get the keys. I get to negotiate with the 3 year old about the mode of transportation to Tunnicliff's. I get to decide where we feast as it is my day after all.

We abort the plan to head for a fancy brunch just the Cagle girls. Instead, we stroll to McDonald's at Union Station and I get a cheese biscuit and diet coke. LMC gets an order of pancakes and sausage. It was $7.23.

Less than what it would have cost for just my entree at Tunnicliff's.
Twice as Fast.
Twice as Easy.
Much, much closer.

And all I wanted.

We've come a long way from Mottahedeh Tobacco Leaf and sterling forks for Mother's Day. Maybe next year. Probably the year after.