The Big Reveal

For months, Mike knew that he had to get glasses.  When we would be driving at night he would be squinting to read the roadsigns and I think he was pretty much a public hazard.  Anyway, a week ago we went to purchase glasses for Mike (I got new ones as well), and here they are!  We had so much fun trying glasses on!  The majority of them looked extremely dorky on Mike - Mike's head is large, to say the least - but we finally found a pair that we both liked!  Don't you think they make Mike look more intelligent?

On Teacups

If you've ever visited my parents on a Sunday, there is a pretty good chance that you've had coffee in one of my mom's delicate fine bone china teacups.  I don't know how many she has, but I have distinct memories of drinking from them and also carefully hand washing them afterwards (no dishwasher for those cups!).  I still have to smile when I remember Mike's first time coming over on a Sunday and being given one of those teacups.  First was the challenge of carefully pouring cream and  spooning sugar into the cup while desperately balancing the cup in its saucer.  Then Mike had the chore of actually drinking from the thing!  Did you just grab the cup from the top?  Did you pinch the handle with your thumb and finger in the hopes that the cup would not slip out of your grasp?  The challenges!  Anyway, when Mike and I got married, I eschewed the whole teacup business and used  healthy, good-sized American mugs.  But traditions die hard, and last time I was up in Canada, I decided that it was time I started collecting the things for myself!  I had about three in my china cabinet, but three teacups simply does not cut it!  One Saturday, with Ange and Josh and little Jules in tow, off we went to the flea market.  There were more teacups in the place then I could count, and one was prettier than the next.  This wasn't going to be an easy decision.  Well, Jules wasn't going to let this be a Mom event, and she loudly proclaimed which one she wanted, and could she please have a teacup for herself, and after nervously walking around the store waiting for Jules to knock some stand over, I gave in and told her she could pick out a teacup.  Now if you are Jules, you go for PINK!  Jules took her time and picked a rather ugly pink teacup.  Thankfully, I was able to get her to choose another cup after some persuasion, and we happily went home with our purchases in plastic bags.  When our trip to Canada ended and we were back home, I carefully washed the teacup and proudly placed it in my china cabinet.  I didn't actually intend to use it - or perhaps only when company came - and was simply satisfied with the addition in my china cabinet.  But did this satisfy Juliet?  Of course not!  "Mom, can I use the teacup at coffee time?  Mom, when can I use it?  You're not going to let me use it???  MOM!!!"  It seemed it was time to resurrect the old Sunday tradition of using teacups to satisfy a little girl.  Most Sunday afternoons, you will see Jules and I drinking from our teacups while eating a piece or two of chocolate...

           The teacup on the left is from Gran D., and the one on the right is Juliet's pink one!

                              Tea and chocolate, a natural combination, wouldn't you agree?

Cousin Love

What happens when you have two highly opinionated (perhaps bordering on bossy?) girls spend an afternoon together?  Well, an interesting day, of course!  Today Juliet's little cousin Annika spent the afternoon at our place.  This afternoon was an afternoon filled with learning life's lessons!  One minute the girls were happily playing with Juliet's pink, plastic tea set (filled with water, of course), and the next minute they would be arguing over which bathroom they were going to use, and who was going to go first!  I'm quite sure this is what the psalter means by "the joys of motherhood"....  At any rate, we hope to have Annika over more often since Juliet is not in school for now and enjoys the company.  Lora and I both decided that seeing as they both are quite assertive, we would let them figure out most of their squabbles on their own....

Annika and Jules