Dream cheese and cold smooth water

My child has been having bad dreams lately and conversely waking up early as ravenous as our fat cat Zella. This tends to drive me insane....less sleep at night due to his cries and less sleep in the morning, due to his early rising.around morning 3 i remembered that one of his doctors had mentioned a piece of cheese before bed would help him sleep better (this was years ago when he was a picky eater) ...so being the embellish. er that i am I said " Riley! A doctor told me once that cheese will help you sleep and not get up early since it fills your belly....and oh....it gives you great dreams too! " Okay...so the last part was all me.

Since then, each night he has asked for a piece of cheese and in the morning he tells me that he slept WONDERFULLY....

Well tonight i forgot to give him the cheese...as he lay in bed he said "Momma....I need a piece of cheese"...Man, i was tired! So i said..."Honey...there was cheese on your pizza...I'm sure it will be fine." "No momma! I need my Dream cheese NOW! " well crap....i started this so its my own fault....down i trudge to the fridge, get a slice of cheese....bring it up and pass it to a reclining Riley....he took a bite and sighed,....and then said while eyeballing my water bottle...." after i finish my dream cheese i am going to need some icy cold smooth water."

I handed over the water bottle, watched him take a small sip then he curled up and almost fell asleep before i had even left the room.

old posts February 26 2005

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Dorothy Gilman where are you?

My mother is a BIG fan of the Mrs. Pollifax series that Mrs. Gilman writes. She used to tell us as we grew up..."You should try the Mrs Polifax books! You won't regret it!" We, of course, blew her off because we figured they would be some dry old lady book. Well....a couple of years ago I broke down and bought one. Holy crap they are good! Some parts had me laughing out loud. After reading the series I called my brother and offered my opinion...."DUDE! Mom was right! (don't tell her) These books rock!" So my brother borrowed the series from mom and now he is hooked too...You should really try them if you haven't already.

Anyway...My mom is going through serious Pollifax withdrawel. The most recent Pollifax novel was written in 2000 (Ms Gilman has published a Countess series book since then). That is going on 5 years ago...she keeps re-reading the series (as do I ) so she doesn't have a breakdown...but she is finally starting to slip...a couple months ago My mom started asking me at the begining of our conversations "so....any news on a new Pollifax book?" After 3 of these conversations I said "Ma...I'll let you know when I hear something"....after a couple more conversations she tried to slip the question in towards the middle of our talk. When she came to visit we went to Borders and she stalked the clerks in hopes of getting some insider information. I feel like her dealer...I finally broke down and emailed Ms Gilmans publisher....they said

"Ms. Gilman has begun writing a Mrs. Pollifax novel, and we're hoping that she
will finish the manuscript later this year--or early in 2005. "

Well...that only held mom for about a month...I can hear the yearning in her voice....I am suprised she hasn't hopped a plane to Connecticut to go in search of Dorothy Gilman.

Today I did the calculation and Ms. Gilman is going to be 83 this year! Mom....take a breather...maybe she's on a cruise or playing the slots in Vegas.

and if Dorothy Gilman ever reads this, do you think you could stockpile some books in case of an emergency. God forbid you go on a 2 year continental tour ...My mom might go insane!

---

previous post February 2005

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Kim's Sister

First and foremost in my head, Sheri Mallard is Kim's sister. Sheri was most obviously more than that...but introductions are everything and Sheri was introduced as Kim's sister. Before I met Sheri, Kim had told me some seriously funny sister torture stories from when they were kids. Stories that rivaled my dress up my brother like a girl stories. Ahhh...Kim and I are kindred spirits.

Sheri died a few weeks ago. The night I found out she was in the hospital I cried and actually prayed...the day I found out she died I cried off and on all day. The day of her memorial service I wept when Geoff spoke and then cried all over Kims mom afterward.

Sheri and I were not close friends.

So why did my friend Kims sister passing affect me so deeply?

Just because we weren't close friends didn't mean we weren't friends. I don't think you could meet Sheri and not consider her a friend.

The first time I really talked to Sheri was when she came over to my new home to help me have a tastefully simple party. We had talked before at other parties, but we were alone for the first time at this one. She came in and put me at ease right away. Everyone out there knows I hate crowds and people in general and will escape a gathering with no word to the hostess like a whisp of smoke (sorry Kim's mom!). It wasn't until Sheri pulled up that I realized the dang party was at my house and there could be NO ESCAPE! Sheri gave me some things to do and chatted about her kids and Kim and next thing you know I was actually having fun. She never made fun of my horridly small kitchen done in pink, brown, and fake brick (what had the original owner been thinking). She got things organized in like 2 seconds and somehow did not make a mess behind her as she went. I was in awe. All I remember from that night is the peaceful time before it began and the rain that she had to run through at the end to pack up her car. She laughed and it seemed like nothing in life could get Sheri down.
I saw Sheri a couple of times after that...at other parties..another party at my place....at Kims....every time I saw Sheri I thought the same thing...

Sheri is what I want to be when I grow up.

Hello! She was only 2 years older than me, and yet its true. She had enough energy to power a mid sized town. Besides being beautiful inside and out, she was smart, funny, strong, and organized...I heard stories of existing on little sleep so she could spend time with the boys, her husband, family, tastefuly simple parties, church....

I can barely do the dishes...

Everytime I saw her or heard from her I thought...Man....I can do better...if Sheri can do it I can too! She gave me a jolt..an injection of ambitions. She made me realize that anything is possible.

Sheri leaves behind family and friends that will always love and remember her, but most importantly to me she leaves behind the lesson that we all have the potential to do great things and be outstanding people.

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Stacie...I love you for this...If I could stop crying right now, this would not take me 1/2 hr to type. You said it all. She was perfect and we miss her desperatly. If I could be 1/2 the person that she was, I would be better.
Thanks for this and you are a great friend.

Kim's Sister and best friend. XOXOX

Previous Post January 2005

Friday, January 21, 2005

Dang Vegetarians!

So...Everyone knows my husband Mike is a vegetarian....Except on Saturday nights when he will eat his moms cooking because he doesn't want her to go to any extra "trouble" for him.....God help me if I accidentally buy flavored rice that has 1% rendered chicken fat in it...he can tell and will eat around it!

Anyway....

Last night I made goat cheese and arugula penne pasta...He complained about needing a drink and since his legs were broken (not) I sighed and said I would get him something...All the big glasses were in the dishwasher so I broke out my 40 dollar supergirl glass that NO ONE especially my BROTHER is allowed to touch and filled it up with a hunk of ice and the LAST of the precious ice tea. I could explain what happened next, but will instead insert an excerpt of an email from Mike to our friend Kim.

Mike-
So I was eating dinner last night, drinking some iced tea, nearly done drinking the tea, when I notice there is a ladybug in my tea. Dead of course. What is with that? Why is she trying to get me to drink a bug? I thought the saying was 'Make me eat a bug if I am wrong". How many other bugs has she slipped me that I didn't notice?

Kim-
and you are a vegetarian too!!! She is evil!! It must have been in that cup since Oct when they all come out. Does she wash the dishes.....how did it taste? You probably have eaten giant cockroaches that she passed off as portabella mushrooms!

Mike-
Wash the dishes?? Only when the moon is blue.

It added a little spice to it. In the upstairs bathroom she put a little dish on the countertop with a couple of raisins and a small damp cloth. She read someplace that helps the ladybugs to survive until spring. I saw one in there the other day. Obviously she has become a lady bug farmer. I didn't notice what she did with the bug after I saw it. She probably took it out and will use it as a soup bone next.

Ok...Seriously...it is the dead of winter here and is currently 17 degrees outside...yet sometimes I will find a LIVE ladybug in my bathroom...I can't put it outside it will freeze...and I can't live with knowing I am starving a ladybug to death in a room with no food...Online it said they will snack on dried raisins and suck moisture off of a wet papertowel...I am not FARMING them...I am just being a caring human.

Also- If Mike listened to me and put the glasses in the cupboard with the mouth side down instead of up he wouldn't have almost ingested a ladybug corpse.

posted by Ry's Momma @ 10:38 PM

from jan 21 2005

Friday, January 21, 2005

Mommahood

My friend Nathan asked me the other day how I was enjoying mamahood...I was thinking hard on the subject when I suddenly heard my husband talking sing singy to our child. "Please don't touch kitty's butt, Please don't stick your finger up kittys butt."

That is how being a mamma is going.

Its exciting and crazy. He explores toilets and attacks shadows, Refuses grilled cheese sandwiches and eats crusty stale crumbs found in the yard. He tries to slip under the kitchen gate so he can play in the cats water and LOVES to stick his fingers in his butt crack when he can get his diaper to sag.

Who knew watching Sesame Street through your legs upside down could be so much fun? And are crayons and non toxic paint really that yummy?

I tell Salena ( my playgroup mommy) that its like raising wee beasties...What would I do without my Ry?