#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

“I’m Going to Call Her ‘Monkey Girl'”

February 25, 2009 · Narrative

Madeline and the Monkey“I’m going to call Madeline “Monkey Girl,” Nick said as we were driving home from the bookstore recently.  I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that his sister was tightly clutching two brand new monkeys in her little fists.  She spied them in the kids section of the bookstore, and held onto them the whole time we were there, dragging them all around with her.

When I was growing up, I was obsessed with penguins.  Loved them, loved them, loved them.  It later changed to elephants, and I definitely still hold a soft spot for them to this day.  I wanted Madeline to like elephants like me, and started collecting elephant stuffed animals for her right before she was born.  They’re such gentle giants with those long, long eyelashes, how could you not love them?

Well, she has managed to resist their charms and has fallen in love with another animal … the monkey.  It is only fitting, really.  She *is* a total monkey herself.  Always into, under, over or climbing anything she can get her little feet and hands on.  The Husband didn’t believe me when I told him what she spent her time recently doing … until he saw it for himself.  Nick had brought a small stepstool into my bathroom to reach something and, of course, like all good six-year-olds, he didn’t put it away and left it there.  Madeline climbed on the stepstool, and then from there climbed onto the laundry hamper.  The laundry hamper happens to be right next to the bathroom vanity and within minutes, she was sitting in the sink trying to get the water to go on.  She kept trying and trying because she knew that water came from that faucet, but luckily, she couldn’t figure it out. 

A few months back, my mom got her one of those Paul Allen monkeys that have become popular again, and Madeline drags that thing e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e.  If you ask her “Where’s the monkey?” she’ll look around until she finds it.  For sanity’s sake, I’ve added a few more monkeys to her collection and they seem to be fairly interchangeable.  ‘Tis a lesson we learned when as a baby, Nick became very attached to a frog.  It was the only thing he wanted to take everywhere with him, and, well, when you only have one, it becomes a bit of a challenge.

When we were on vacation last month, we stopped in a little gift store.  She started yelling from the stroller, “That!  That!  That!”  I followed her fingers to see what she was pointing to.  She had spied a monkey hanging from one of their shelves and was shrieking until I brought it down.

For her recent birthday, Madeline received this great collection of sock monkeys that my Mom found on Etsy (LOVE Etsy!), and she’s been busy dragging them all over the house.  It’s funny because as many monkeys as she has now, she definitely uses different monkeys for different things.  Certain ones go in the car, certain ones go in the high chair and so on.

What can I say?  She’s a girl who knows what she wants.

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Tyanne says

    February 25, 2009 at 8:56 pm

    She is soooo cute!!!

    Reply
  2. brilynn says

    February 26, 2009 at 12:18 am

    I’ve got a soft spot for elephants too…

    brilynns last blog post..Sugar High Friday #52: Baby TKO’s

    Reply
  3. Jennifer W. says

    February 26, 2009 at 10:24 am

    What a cute story. My attachment was to a big yellow dinosaur.

    Reply
  4. Sarah says

    February 26, 2009 at 10:54 am

    That photo is adorable! She certainly does know what she wants. Paige loves dogs (living or otherwise) and cars … She definitely shows how she idolizes her big brother on the latter.

    Sarahs last blog post..Food Boundaries are a Crock

    Reply

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

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