Check Out the Thing That's Keeping Me From Posting Here

I have a new blog, it goes with my Reiki practice.  Check it out!  I'll be writing about pretty much anything I feel is even peripherally related to Reiki.  I'm sure my upcoming post about how I fell asleep on my Reiki table and the rack tracks from the head piece didn't fade from my face for 5 full hours will have you on the edge of your seats! 

This blog was actually requested by more than one of my friends (what?  Two is more than one!).  A request like that is so touching it can't go ungranted.  Even if "ungranted" is not a word.  So, I'm at it.  I do realize that, to date, there are only 2 posts on it, and that doesn't really make up for my slacking off here, but I type slowly.  I've added it to the sidebar on this blog and here's the direct link. 

The Oakhurst Castle

There's a lovely home on Fayetteville Road, which is just behind our own road, that we walk past all the time.  It's built to look like a castle though it is, in fact, just a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom house.  It's really stunning, and we've always wanted to see the inside of it.  Today, because it's up for sale, we finally got to go inside the house.  We are not the only neighbors that wanted to see this place.  It was the most crowded open house I've ever attended.

Babies!

Inside the turret, very cool space.

The house really is gorgeous, and we were entertained by some unexpected surprises.  The owners collect antique radios, which were fun to see.  There's a bird's nest with babies in it in the garden.  A huge luna moth lit on the front porch light and was on display for all of us to enjoy.  The artwork in the house was really great, my favorite being a large Frank Zappa painting,

The Sistine Kitchen

right next to a very clean, white sofa, if you know what I mean.  There is some really stunning glass work happening in there and an impressive Sistine Kitchen.  I loved the library, and the out building (which I failed to photograph at all, sorry).  Here's a few shots, and here's the link to the real estate site, if you want to see more pictures.

I took this for you, mom.  It's way better in person.

view of courtyard from master bedroom

View of the courtyard from the front porch.

Front porch

The library.  I wish I'd gotten closer to the radios, they were really cool.

There really are no words for how much I hate this new photo editor.  Anyway, after our thrilling tour, we hit the coffee shop, because it was just so beautiful outside, we really needed a nice beverage and to cop a squat out in the middle of it all.  Kate gave Sarah's doll a piggy back ride to Karvana.

Easter 2012

The Easter Bunny delivered around 10PM last night.  He showed up with his friend, the Tooth Fairy.  We had just settled into bed and were about to turn out the lights when I heard voices from upstairs.  The previously passed out children, it seemed, we no longer in that state.  Indeed, this became clear as Sarah appeared in our bedroom, outstretched arm displaying her basket full of goodies.  We could tell she was very sleepy, she was a bit out of it.  We explained it was the middle of the night and she said "but Kate said it's the morning!"  We sent her back upstairs, then Jeremiah went up to see if they were actually bedding down.  They weren't.  Kate was just standing beside her bed, eating chocolate.  Evidently they did go to sleep, but not for long.  They were back up before the dawn, in our room, eating jelly beans.  Throughout the day, there have been a few brief pauses between candy-eating sessions.

The gang

Sydney

Lenora & Charles with newly engaged Lindsey

We, of course, continued our tradition of the egg hunt on Third Avenue.  This year, it was much cooler out than it's been in the past few, and the candy was considerably less melty when the kids found it.  Nevertheless, faces, hands, clothing, parts of the sidewalk and plants and some of us adults were smeared with chocolately goodness.  At one point, Sarah came and leaned up against me and said she felt sick.  This was only temporary, and she managed to find and consume the contents of many more eggs before all was said and done.

The hyperactivity reached a somewhat startling level, causing me to feel exhausted despite my doing practically nothing.  Well, I mean, I stood around drinking wine and talking.  That's pretty tiring.  So it's no wonder that as the girls are snuggling in for their bedtime stories, I'm wondering if maybe I should just go to bed, too. 

Wow, the new photo editor for Blogger makes me feel violent.

Thees Eez the Good Life

Snuggled into bed between her father, two dogs and me on this glorious, crisp spring Sunday morning, Sarah aimed her index finger at me and beeped my nose. "My mommy" she said. "My Sarah", I replied, beeping her back. Then she said "my daddy. My Lydia. My Monkey. My Kate. My Me. My love", and sighed contentedly. I buried my feet further under Monkey's warm fur and managed to read another 2 pages of my book before any other action was required of me. This is going to be a very good day.

Poetry - The Place Where Kate & Sarah Are Friends

Today when I picked the girls up from school Kate shared a new poem with me. I read it out loud to the both, and Sarah gave Kate a big hug. Currently, they are downstairs screaming at each other. Here is Kate's new work of literature (this is an exact copy, so the spelling is hers. I can't really complain; her spelling is infinitely better than mine was at her age.)

Sisters
Sisters sisters always fighting.
Some love and some fight.
Some do a little bit of both.
Like me and my sister.
My sister is the sweetest
sister to ever live. She is
the prettyest of the most pretty of all. She is the
most loveing. I love her
even though we fight
sometimes. We still love
each other very much.

[Stick figure of Sarah with a giant bow in her hair not shown here]


The poet.

Happy St Pat's Day!

I've never really bothered to learn much about it, so I have always been a bit confused by this whole "luck of the Irish" thing. A casual glance at their history makes me think it might have started ironically, but then went viral. Still, we've been very lucky so far today! The morning clouds cleared right out, and the sun is shining brightly and the air is unseasonably warm. It's treat day here, so we all walked to the Farmer's Market and indulged in some treats from one of our favorite bakers. Going home, we took long way around via the community garden. Jeremiah, Sarah and I all found 4-leaf clovers! I gave Kate mine, and she threaded it through the button hole of her overalls - now she's wearing some green.

I know it's been awhile since I've posted. The girls have been up to their usual - vacillating wildly between uber-sweet and monstrous. The other day, while Sarah was taking a bath, Kate went in and dumped cups of very cold water on her. They got water all over the bathroom. I considered breaking it up, but when I realized I'd be squelching what will certainly become a fond childhood memory for them both, I took a couple pictures instead. The bathroom is built to withstand a lot of water in places, anyway.

Now I must conduct a Reiki session, then get out into my garden, which is sorely in need of some compost and mulch. Also, the kids have gotten deadly quiet downstairs. Time to sign off here and carefully proceed down to undo whatever disaster is surely in the very quiet making.

The Sun Came Out

This morning the girls are bickering, screaming and slamming doors. I can't seem to get them to stay outside. It's beautiful out there, so perhaps I'll go play outside, and they can stay in here and declare each other "the worst". Meanwhile, to remind myself that they're usually a fun addition to the house I'm recalling just a couple days ago. A cloud of sweetness descended upon them both while we were at the chiropractor. Kate made up this poem about her sister -

There was a girl named Sarah,
who was very sweet.
Once, she did something so sweet,
that God smiled so brightly,
the sun came out.

She recited this during her adjustment and then again to Sarah, who embraced her sister with a warm hug. Then, they played without a terse word between them until bedtime, when they managed to brush their teeth without getting toothpaste on every surface of the bathroom. Yes, there are days like those, too. I had to write it down, because sometimes they're hard to recall.