And it all began today....

Today is the birthday of my first daughter.  Which means this is the anniversary of the day I became a mother.  I had wanted to be a mom ever since I realized there was such a thing.  And the journey has been far more wonderful than I ever imagined, thanks to the Englishman and my three daughters

The biggest hurdle to first overcome on that journey was convincing the Englishman that I was in fact in labor.  He insisted I wasn't, mainly because he was starving for sleep and hoped we could wait till morning.  But our first daughter had her own ideas and arrived two days early, at 8:15 on a cold January morning.

My first question when they said it was a girl was "is her nose big?"  (Don't ask, lifelong battle between my nose and I). I was ecstatic to have a girl.  And she looked like me!  I hadn't given much forethought to a middle name, but after going thru natural childbirth I thought it only fitting that she have my name so she would remember, for the rest of her life, who brought her into this world! Her sisters also have the same middle name.

Daughter #1 was a sweet, wonderful child.  She seemed to have been born with a great deal of knowledge inside her and was far more mature than other children her age.  She truly loved going to school!  The first time she got on the bus for nursery school, she sat on the seat, looked straight ahead and didn't shed a tear.  It was as if she were on a mission.  And her love of learning has never stopped.

After her college graduation ceremony, I hugged her tight and as the tears rolled down my face confessed to her, "I always wanted to be like you when I grew up".  She had grown into an amazing woman - so smart, capable, caring and eager to take on the world.  I was so very happy for her.

Today she has built an incredible life, filled with world travel, friends, a fabulous home and two challenging basset hounds.  I have always been incredibly proud to be her mother. And I feel exceptionally blessed to also be her friend.

So Happy Birthday, Binzer - may this year be filled with wonderful adventures and dreams coming true!

Today's Birthday Boy is.......

Bentley.  My "baby" is now 5 years old.  The story of all our dogs and how they came to live with us is a tad too long to tell today.  Suffice it to say, this little guy won my heart when I saw him stumbling around in the pet shop and I just knew he had to come home with us.

I admit that I do both refer to him as and "baby" him.  He reminds me very much of the beagle I grew up with and adored, Spotty.  Bentley has his own sweet personality.  If you've ever seen the Charlie Brown Christmas special where Snoopy points his nose into the air and howls, that's what it sounds like here whenever the town fire whistle goes off.  He's actually getting better at sustaining the low moan which rises to crescendo.  I used to try and discourage him, but now we actually root him on.  It's his signature.


And this is how you will find him most evenings after dinner.  Not sure what exactly he is hiding from - the light in the room, the other dog, or life in general.  But it seems quite a necessary routine for him to settle himself.  Hey, whatever works!

So Happy 5th Birthday to my baby.  May you live a very long time!

Happy Birthday!

                                        

Today my wonderful son-in-law, aka the Marine,  turns the big 30!  I think he's a bit in shock at the number.  (Wait till he sees 50!)

Historically, there seems to be a large amount of friction between the mother of the bride and the groom as the years go on after the wedding - the jokes and moans about "the mother-in-law" seem endless!  However, I have not encountered a single problem with my son-in-law.

If I could have drawn up a list of qualities and ordered a husband for daughter #2 I could not have done better than the Marine.  He is the most loving, attentive, sensitive husband to my daughter.  And has turned out to be an outstanding father to two of the most beautiful, wonderful little girls.  You should see the way he plays with them and hear the giggles whenever he's around.  Priceless!  That's in addition to feeding, changing, rocking, etc.

The Marine has a wicked sense of humor and can do the most amazing imitations of people (oh dear, I hope he's never done me!)  He is loyal and dependable.  When the Englishman is away I have no concerns about who I would turn to for help.  I would simply, "call in the Marine".

So Happy Birthday to a very special young man.  May this decade bring as much happiness to you as your being in our family has brought to all of us.  Love you!

I've got a secret.....

Nothing earth shattering.  Just the admission that I already know what happens in all of Season 2 on this program:

I said to the Englishman the other day that I felt like I was harboring some secret news, that it felt almost like cheating. " Cheating on who?" he inquired.  I don't know - it's just that I know and viewers in the U.S. don't.  "Who would you tell? he then asked.  Well, no one.  "So what's the problem? he said very matter of fact.

He's right.  It's not like knowing a secret code or intercepting a message.  Silly me.

If you haven't already tapped into this lovely program, I urge you to do so.  Before Sunday night if possible, when Season Two begins.  Netflix, if you are a member, seems to have episodes from Season One.  But you can easily catch on to what is happening even if you haven't seen the previous shows.

As a woman, I find it fascinating to see how our gentle sex was treated back in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  To the tell you the truth, I'm appalled at some of the attitudes held toward us.  How women didn't just haul off and slap these men up the side of the head I'll never know.  (Probably because of the repercussions they were sure to suffer.)

In another British series we watch called "Bramwell", a woman doctor is reminded by a senior Surgeon that "after all, we know for a fact that a woman's brain is much smaller than a man's."  Seriously?  SLAP!

Probably best for all concerned I was born in the era I was and not before.  But I'm drifting off topic.

Please tune in to PBS on Sunday January 8th to go back in time to life at Downton Abbey.

Umm, and in the spirit of full disclosure, I have also seen the Christmas Day Special of Downton Abbey which followed the end of Season Two.  But I promise not to breathe a word of it!

Tip for a Tuesday....

I've been wracking my brain for days trying to think of a new "tip" and this one popped into my head as I was doing the laundry this morning.

Napkins

Cloth napkins

Like this one

Now it might seem like a silly suggestion, but years ago, while reading one of the numerous lifestyle books by Alexandra Stoddard sitting on my bedroom shelf,  she mentioned something about using cloth napkins.  And I thought,  how nice.  Instead of those tiny paper ones which never seem adequate to the task, she suggested using cloth ones.  For every meal.

So I purchased two sets of plain cloth napkins and have used them ever since.  

Well, not the same ones, I have bought others over the years.

I like the feeling they give of sitting down to a proper meal.

They are easily tossed in with the regular wash.

And come in a variety of colors, as well as holiday motifs.

Try it.  You just may like it.  

And I suspect the tree huggers would say we are helping the environment at the same time.

Bonus!

Computing.....

Is that even a word? Computing?  Is that what I am doing for hours each day, trying to find my way around this thing called the Internet and the blogging world?  It seems to take me FOREVER to do things on my friend "Mac", but I am slowly but surely making progress.

I confess that when asked on certain sites do I want the Mac or PC version, I have to stop first and remember that Mac is short for Macintosh, a type of apple and that is the computer I have.  Sad, but true.

But then I pat myself on the back for at least trying.  Apparently there are scores of people out there who either just plain dislike computers, don't trust the Internet or are too afraid to try.  The fact that the Englishman constantly assures me that I can't break anything has been a huge boost to my confidence and eagerness to go forward in my attempts to conquer this myself.

So if you've noticed a few changes to the outward appearance of my blog, it is because I am venturing farther down the road of technology.  It is both exciting and intimidating.  And I find I am enjoying every minute of it.

If you haven't yet gotten on the highway of computing,  I urge you to come join me.  It's a wonderful journey, I assure you, and worth every moment of your time and effort.  Hey, if I can do it......

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year in London from the top of Big Ben

to....

New Year's Eve in Times Square  - New York City

Wishing one and all a healthy and Happy 2012!