the peacoat papers

sunday in the canyon - hands are the maps of our...clumsiness?

I looked down today and realized that you could trace my weekends events by the stains on my hands.

Across two fingers of my right hand are burns sustained from my toaster oven.  I wish I could say it was a battle scar from cooking a dish that was wild and exotic, but the truth is that I was pulling out a frozen pizza.  The pepperonis and my hand got scorched. 

Those speckles of white are from my handmade Christmas cards.  Every year I curse the task.  Last year I walked around with red silkscreen paint under my nails.  This year, it's white spray paint.  (There.  That's your first hint for Christmas Cards '09.)

And if you look a little closer, you might see that my manicured nails are stained with...hot wing sauce.  You can tell my nutrition has only matured since becoming a mother.  In my defense, it was a big football weekend.  And football calls for foods like pizza and hot wings. 

I always notice people's hands.  I hope that right now no one is noticing mine.

sunday in the canyon - unique christmas tree ornaments

We happily pulled out the red and green tubs of holiday decorations late Saturday afternoon.  We put up the tree, hung stockings, and bounced around to festive music.

I joyously started stringing the lights up the tree, weaving in and out of the fake branches.  I was only halfway done when I ran out of white lights that worked.  I had several other boxes of lights, but they were all dead on arrival.  We must become a pre-lit kind of family.

So tonight we had to finish the job. 

Isn't the best part of holiday decorating when you discover a treasured ornament or trinket that you had forgotten about?  I picture families all over the world carefully unwrapping the bauble that sends tears and memories spilling over.

This is not what happens at our house.  Here, I unwrap crumply newspaper to find ornaments like this:

Sparkly poop.  With a ribbon on it.  Because this is what my husband thinks is funny.

And the shopping cart ornament?  It's not a nod to consumerism or the flailing economy.  It is, however, full of our memories.

sunday in the canyon - gorilla & grandma

The Gorilla's parents came out for the week to meet Pigtail.  We had a wonderful time and they were so helpful, letting us sleep in every morning by taking the baby practically before the sun came up.

They let us enjoy a date night on Tuesday, then on Friday we took them out to a restaurant that we enjoy.

(Did I mention that on our date night, we happened to sit at the table next to this famous Jackson?  We didn't stare.  But we could have.)

Grandma and I spent a lot of time analyzing Pigtail's every breath, while The Gorilla and Grandpa took in a mid-week Clippers game.  It was good family bonding for all.

They left this morning, but not before Grandma got a spin on the Vespa.  

sunday in the canyon - first date night

Tonight was our first date night out since Pigtail's arrival into our lives.  We went to the Lakers game, one of our favorite things to do.

For years, we have had a ritual when it comes to going to the basketball games.  We always park in the same spot, go in the same entrance, order the same food.  So tonight, going about our Lakers ritual, it was almost as if our whole lives haven't changed. 

Almost, but not quite.

This time, we couldn't wait to get home.  And kiss these little feet.

sunday in the canyon - new football buddy

The Gorilla has friends over almost every Sunday to watch football.  And this is how he spends it.  In his sweats, eating greasy food, laptop handy.  The laptop is so he can keep up with his fantasy football stats minute-by-minute. 

Who cares that we had a baby one week ago today?  It's still football Sunday.  Friends are over and hamburgers have been consumed.  Only now there's a baby swing in the corner.  And, oh yeah, a baby in it. 

Welcome to the family, Pigtail.

(I tried to take this picture of the tiki room without giving away too much of the remodel, because we're still waiting on two pieces of art.  And art changes a room don't you think?  It would just be unfair to reveal a remodel without the art.)

sunday in the canyon - found keys

This was nailed to a telephone pole here in the canyon.

What a nice thing to do.  I hope the owner of the lost keys saw this and wept with joy.

That's what I would do if someone made an envelope with a (outlined-in-black) sign that contained my ankles.  Or my chin.  Or my sanity.

*

We had a nice weekend.  A date on Friday night to one of our favorite dinner spots, the location of our first date.

On the way home, my abdomen really started cramping.  We're at the stage where every little pain leads to "Is this IT?"

The Gorilla had the nerve to say to me, as I leaned over in pain, "I'm not really prepared for this to happen tonight."

Oh, really?  Okay, then, I'll stop. 

But truthfully, I wasn't ready, either.  I mean, I had a hair appointment the next day that was a can't-miss.  

Luckily, even though it was a sleepless night, the pain eventually passed.  I made it to my hair appointment, and even to dinner with an old summer camp friend and her husband who were in town visiting. 

Today we enjoyed a lazy Sunday.  Skipping the Rose Bowl Flea Market for...laziness.  But Friday's scare did motivate The Gorilla a little.  He installed the car seat in the car, just in case.  So I guess he's inching closer to being "prepared."

Good for him!

sunday in the canyon - room service breakfast

We continued our second anniversary celebration with a "staycation" this weekend, since I didn't think it would be wise to be too far from the hospital. 

Swanky hotels are just about my favorite thing, and I've always wanted to stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel, made famous by so many movies.  (My favorite, of course, being Troop Beverly Hills, which ranks in my Top Five.)  So we did it up.  We rented a bungalow, got relaxing massages, and slept in this cushy bed.  It was hard to believe we were roughly seven miles from home. 

I choose to show you this picture of fruit and oatmeal, but on my side of the table you would see chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and a coke.   

inscription

Today I pulled out Anne Lamott's book on writing Bird by Bird.  I bought this copy several years ago at a used book store in the canyon after I gave away my original copy.

For the first time, I noticed an inscription in the front cover.

It says, "Josh, I can hardly wait to see what's to come.  Elspeth"

It is dated 9.26.2000.  Almost exactly nine years ago.

I wonder what happened to Josh?  To the romantically named Elspeth?  Were they lovers?  Teacher and student?  Neighbors? 

And how did the book wind up in a second-hand bookstore?  Did he toss every memory of her?  Were his dreams crushed in Los Angeles and he returned to somewhere he called home?  Did he die?

I get caught up in these things...What did become of Josh?

sunday in the canyon - funfetti

This is my all-time favorite snack.  Now don't get excited or impressed, it's all straight from a box.  Funfetti with Rainbow Chip icing.  It makes me so happy.

I started making this for the drill team bus when I was in high school. (For those of you not from small-town Oklahoma, our drill team was actually just a pom-pon squad.  We didn't drill, not like some of the big city schools.  The name still bugs me.)

We have devoured almost the entire batch already.  With the help of a few friends. 

It's the simple things...

sunday in the canyon - X-Games

The X-Games are always a part of our summer.  This year is particularly crazy because The Gorilla has two different projects shooting there all weekend. 

I do love to go to this extreme sports extravaganza.  The fashion choices are eclectic.  We have excellent access.  And, as I said last year, it never gets old seeing The Gorilla so completely in his element.  Those are his people.  They love him.  They want pictures with him.  There are thousands of boys/men in vaguely the same outfit.  It's a trip.

This year we gathered on the mega-ramp to watch motocross Best Trick.  That's the mega-ramp behind The Gorilla. Our favorite didn't win, but he's still the one who ended up on the front page of the LA Times Sports Section.

This is our attempt to get a picture with the trick behind us.  It sorta worked.  The guy behind us is operating with his finger a tiny little lipstick-sized camera on the end of a long pole.  We were pretty much in his way.  But he was nice about it. 

The thing I noticed most this year is the apparent brotherhood of the athletes.  During both the Skate and BMX Big Air events, the other competitors would cheer when someone landed their trick.  They were excited for them, for the sport itself.  I can't think of another sport where this happens.  But then again, the extreme sports mentality is so unlike any other mindset I've ever witnessed. 

Today is the last day of the 2009 X-Games.  I'm skipping it in favor of the flea market and a visit to the spa. 

Because that is my element.