Some Happy Scribbles...
Hello! I’m writing while looking out the window at a gloriously sunny, perfect spring morning, with, Ollie, our nearly 2-year-old puppy perched on my lap. Which is a good recipe for happiness!
Outside, the garden is coming alive, and with freezing temperatures hopefully behind us, my terracotta pots are out of storage and filled with sweet and colorful pansies, hyancinths, daffodils, and tulips.
I’ve also put a birdbath in my little kitchen garden and have been eagerly checking to see when the birds will start using it; no takers so far, but it’s fun to watch and wait!
Here are some more of the things that made me happy this week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Amelia
Heart to Heart
Over dinner one night this week, Teddy, who is 11, looked at me thoughtfully, and asked: “When is the right time to tell someone you love them?”
I took a deep breath, and replied carefully, “I think it’s when you get a strong feeling that you love the person, and you want them to know, so you tell them.”
But this wasn’t what Teddy was looking for.
He shook his head and said, “No – I mean, do you have to know them for a year, or two years? Or a month? Like, how long do you have to know someone before you tell them you love them?”
I smiled and said, “Buddy, when you love someone, you’ll know when it’s the right time to tell them.”
Teddy nodded and changed the subject. I got the sense my answer was still not quite what he wanted. I began to wonder whether he has a crush on one of the girls in his class and is debating when to profess his love, but I didn’t dare ask!
Curiously, later that same night, I overheard him on the phone with Sadie. This is a very unusual occurrence, and only happened because our WiFi went down and interrupted Teddy’s screen time, and left him with NOTHING TO DO!
As I quietly eavesdropped (the phone was on speaker), Sadie answered, realized it was Teddy, and abruptly told him she had to go.
“What do you want?” she asked, in a voice that telegraphed I’m Too Busy And Important For You.
I frowned, immediately worried that Teddy would take offense and be upset by this.
But instead, Teddy said, “Nothing, I just wanted to say hi. And I love you.”
I held my breath as I waited for Sadie’s reaction to this very unusual statement.
Sadie’s voice was filled with joy and surprise as she replied, “I love you too, Teddy. Bye!”
I exhaled with relief.
Teddy beamed as he hung up the phone. And so did I: the whole thing was music to my ears and I still can’t believe it actually happened! One of my parenting goals is for Sadie and Teddy to grow up to be good friends and stalwart supporters, but now, aged 11 and 15, they don’t have a lot in common, and often seem more devoted to bitter enmity and oneupmanship than friendship.
Later that night, as I thought about it more, I wondered if Teddy was getting some practice in at saying “I love you” to an intimidating, strong female - his big sister - as he gears up to tell his first crush!
Maximizing My Minxing
I really love the new HBO show, Minx, and am down to the last two episodes of the first season.
Which is creating a dilemma, because, as mentioned last week, I get a lot of enjoyment from savoring the pleasure of anticipating something fun! On the other hand, I’m dying to see what happens next and how the season ends… I am going to try hard to refrain from binging both episodes in one sitting. Not sure I’ll be successful!
An Abundance!
I don’t know about you, but when I’m running low on something in the kitchen, I become very stingy in an effort to eke out what is left, thereby avoiding the sad finality of actually having none!
Over the past few weeks, this has been the case with my beloved Maldon Sea Salt, which I consider a kitchen essential, and use on almost everything, including these addictive cookies.
I kept forgetting to buy the Maldon Salt at the grocery store, which lead to extremely careful rationing, which made me feel cheap and sad.
Happily, I got a new box this week, and am reveling in the sense of abundance! It feels so good to use as much as I want, and know we’re not going to run out again soon.
Brave New Recipe
I took a risk last weeekend and decided to try making a Thai dish. Our whole family loves Thai food (as well as Japanese and Chinese), but it’s hard to get where we live, so when I saw this recipe for Pad See Ew pop up in my NY Times Cooking app, I immediately wanted to try it.
I was worried about my ability to pull this off, and set aside a couple of uninterrupted hours so I could focus on following the recipe perfectly. I used chicken and the result was truly excellent - and delicious re-heated.
It wasn’t as complicated as it seemed, and the next time I make it, I’ll take a slightly more relaxed approach!
Oh So Glamorous Book Reviews!
Have you ever seen the oh_apostrophe Instagram account? It’s by a lady named Debora O’Donnell, who posts book reviews with a picture of herself in an outfit - usually a skirt - that matches the book cover!
It’s clever, creative, and adorable, and I love it when her posts pop up in my feed.
This week, she reviewed Molly Shannon’s new memoir, Hello Molly!, which I am planning to read. The other new memoir on my list is Delia Ephron’s latest, Left On Tenth.
Crazy Rich Tunes
Do you remember the movie, Crazy Rich Asians?
This week, when I wanted something new to listen to, I happened upon the soundtrack to the film, and have been playing it every day for a dose of carefree, upbeat, fun.
Here’s the Spotify link:
What’s Your Sign?!
I have a question: do you read your horoscope regularly? I do!
To be honest, it’s something I look forward to at the beginning of every month! I’m a Virgo and my favorite astrologers are The Astrotwins, Penny Thornton and Susan Miller.
I have always felt like it’s an embarrassing (but harmless!) supersition and wonder who else is into this?!
Do tell!
A Few More Flowers!
Thank you for reading, goodbye, and here are some more happy flowers in pots for your weekend!
Love the Teddy Sadie story!!!! And your flowers are beautiful :)