Mother's Day. Upcoming honeymoon.
I’m a freshly minted stepmother - I got married April 26, 2015, so I OFFICIALLY have both a stepdaughter and a son-in-law now. Stella has taken to calling me her “wicked stepmother” while cackling then giggling. I’ll take it - I sense a certain amount of relief on her part, like she wasn’t entirely certain I’d go through with it. I might be reading into more than is there.
I had a really rewarding Mother’s Day weekend. Mick bought me a sweet little tea infuser in the shape of an egg with a small brass bird that rests on top. The bird is on the end of the chain that dangles outside the tea cup. They whole thing rests on a small curved saucer. I showed a photo of it to the kids, and Will asked if it was a steel fascinator. With the Kentucky Derby (their first while here in Louisville!) fresh on his mind, I got tickled that he mistook it for a tiny hat! He also gave me a spoon rest - very practical and just what I was cursing that I needed the other day! Stella made me a necklace out of cloisonné beads, and a sipper/straw adaptor for mason jars. I’ve been eyeballing them for some time, waiting for them to go on sale, muttering about how I’m too cheap to pay full price. Very thoughtful gifts, all.
For my Mom, we went going to the How-To Festival at the Louisville Free Public Library. It is this wonderful event where they host 100 classes in five hours - anything from learning kitchen knife skills to building raised gardens to writing with a quill pen to square-dancing to embroidery to a host of other topics. It is one of my favorite events in Louisville - I was excited she could join me. We started with a knife skills class where we both muttered asides to each other. We separated for a while, then met outside for lunch at the food trucks lined up outside the front entrance. We shared some Korean BBQ tacos, split a black bean & hominy salad, and later a cookie ice cream sandwich. Stella and Will joined us as we were finishing lunch, and we all four headed to a paper crafting class in the basement. Stella made a wreath, Mom & I made paper flowers from old maps and tourism guide books. We all had a really good time.
Sunday, I drove Mick, Stella, Will & myself to Cincinnati. We cooked out at Dixie’s condo. Mick’s older brother Brian and his two kids, Colin & Brianna, were there as well. I snapped a phot of Dixie with her three grandchildren - she looks blissfully happy. The grandsons helped dig holes and plant flowers in her garden. We had a really good visit but I was exhausted by the end of it. I drove too fast home, tired and ready to be out of the car. The kids dozed in the back seat and Mick kept me company up front. I wish I could arrange the same kind of day for my own mother - unfortunately, my brother and his little family are all the way in Austin, TX. Happily, Mom is flying down there this morning for the birth of her second grandson. Poor Cassie looks like she is smuggling a basketball right now - Rob said she moves like a wounded animal. Her petite frame carries the baby ALL the way out front. Her C-section is scheduled for tomorrow.
Mick’s foot has been really bothering him. It was so swollen and painful, at one point we thought he had developed gout. However, it might just be a nasty sprain - regardless of the reason why, he has been hobbling around and trying to stay off his feet. My heart aches for him - I added him to my health insurance once we were married but it doesn’t take effect until June 1.
We’re taking a belated honeymoon this month - rather, it was postponed until between spring and summer semesters for Mick. We’ll take a bus to Chicago, then a train to Essex, Montana. We’ll spend three nights at an inn in the Glacier National Park. We’ll reverse the trip and be back in time for Mick to teach a summer school class starting June 1. I can’t wait to get away from Louisville together, get some time alone. The place we’re headed has no cell phone service. The inn has no televisions or telephones in the rooms. There is a bar with wifi available but that is all. We will travel very lightly - one backpack each, a camera bag and a small cooler. Since we will be fairly isolated there at the inn, we don’t want to eat at the hotel restaurant three meals a day. We are going to pack in our own travel food - hummus and fruit and cheese and chocolates, crusty bread and pickled eggs. To tell the truth, it’ll be the same kind of food we take every time we travel together. The first trip we took together, we met in Chicago. I took a bus and he’d taken a train there a couple of days earlier so he was there to meet me. I had just the one bag with a small purse packed for day trips in the city. Lesson learned from other trips - never pack more than you want to schlep yourself! So I’m planning this trip in late May very cautiously, very carefully. It’ll still be cold that time of year, so layers will come into play. I can’t wait!!
I had a really rewarding Mother’s Day weekend. Mick bought me a sweet little tea infuser in the shape of an egg with a small brass bird that rests on top. The bird is on the end of the chain that dangles outside the tea cup. They whole thing rests on a small curved saucer. I showed a photo of it to the kids, and Will asked if it was a steel fascinator. With the Kentucky Derby (their first while here in Louisville!) fresh on his mind, I got tickled that he mistook it for a tiny hat! He also gave me a spoon rest - very practical and just what I was cursing that I needed the other day! Stella made me a necklace out of cloisonné beads, and a sipper/straw adaptor for mason jars. I’ve been eyeballing them for some time, waiting for them to go on sale, muttering about how I’m too cheap to pay full price. Very thoughtful gifts, all.
For my Mom, we went going to the How-To Festival at the Louisville Free Public Library. It is this wonderful event where they host 100 classes in five hours - anything from learning kitchen knife skills to building raised gardens to writing with a quill pen to square-dancing to embroidery to a host of other topics. It is one of my favorite events in Louisville - I was excited she could join me. We started with a knife skills class where we both muttered asides to each other. We separated for a while, then met outside for lunch at the food trucks lined up outside the front entrance. We shared some Korean BBQ tacos, split a black bean & hominy salad, and later a cookie ice cream sandwich. Stella and Will joined us as we were finishing lunch, and we all four headed to a paper crafting class in the basement. Stella made a wreath, Mom & I made paper flowers from old maps and tourism guide books. We all had a really good time.
Sunday, I drove Mick, Stella, Will & myself to Cincinnati. We cooked out at Dixie’s condo. Mick’s older brother Brian and his two kids, Colin & Brianna, were there as well. I snapped a phot of Dixie with her three grandchildren - she looks blissfully happy. The grandsons helped dig holes and plant flowers in her garden. We had a really good visit but I was exhausted by the end of it. I drove too fast home, tired and ready to be out of the car. The kids dozed in the back seat and Mick kept me company up front. I wish I could arrange the same kind of day for my own mother - unfortunately, my brother and his little family are all the way in Austin, TX. Happily, Mom is flying down there this morning for the birth of her second grandson. Poor Cassie looks like she is smuggling a basketball right now - Rob said she moves like a wounded animal. Her petite frame carries the baby ALL the way out front. Her C-section is scheduled for tomorrow.
Mick’s foot has been really bothering him. It was so swollen and painful, at one point we thought he had developed gout. However, it might just be a nasty sprain - regardless of the reason why, he has been hobbling around and trying to stay off his feet. My heart aches for him - I added him to my health insurance once we were married but it doesn’t take effect until June 1.
We’re taking a belated honeymoon this month - rather, it was postponed until between spring and summer semesters for Mick. We’ll take a bus to Chicago, then a train to Essex, Montana. We’ll spend three nights at an inn in the Glacier National Park. We’ll reverse the trip and be back in time for Mick to teach a summer school class starting June 1. I can’t wait to get away from Louisville together, get some time alone. The place we’re headed has no cell phone service. The inn has no televisions or telephones in the rooms. There is a bar with wifi available but that is all. We will travel very lightly - one backpack each, a camera bag and a small cooler. Since we will be fairly isolated there at the inn, we don’t want to eat at the hotel restaurant three meals a day. We are going to pack in our own travel food - hummus and fruit and cheese and chocolates, crusty bread and pickled eggs. To tell the truth, it’ll be the same kind of food we take every time we travel together. The first trip we took together, we met in Chicago. I took a bus and he’d taken a train there a couple of days earlier so he was there to meet me. I had just the one bag with a small purse packed for day trips in the city. Lesson learned from other trips - never pack more than you want to schlep yourself! So I’m planning this trip in late May very cautiously, very carefully. It’ll still be cold that time of year, so layers will come into play. I can’t wait!!