Treasures

I am a material girl, living in a material world. There are a few things that have caught my eye lately and I thought, let's share!!

No getaway to Bavaria is complete in my mind, until I go to my woodcutter's shop in Ettal. Yes, he is mine, all mine, but if you are really nice to me, and him, I'll tell you where to find him. I claim him because we have a great working relationship, he makes fabulous things . . . and I buy them. Then I get to enjoy the giddy feeling every time I look at them scattered throughout my house. Really, who doesn't need more giddiness in their lives?

Check out this close up, you can still see the moss that was/is growing on the bark. THAT is so cool!
You guessed it: more red! Really, it is no longer an accent color in my world. It is strong, bold, out there, an eye catcher, and I! LOVE! IT! Plus nothing makes a green salad look more like art than this bowl. It think we will overdose on salad before I grow tired of placing it on my table. My family set their feet down when I suggested a moment of silence to honor "the bowl".

Our dear neighbors have cherry trees and this year they really bore some beauties. Luckily, we were able to join them cherry picking. The berries were bursting with sweetness and were mouthwatering good. We were rewarded with the best jar of cherry marmalade that has ever been made in all the history of the world. Even McKenna would lick her plate if a drop of it fell out of her PB&J.


One day there was a girl (me) that was feeling a little blue, (well, not really, it just makes the story sound better). So she decided to test her fate at the post office to see if anything was there to brighten her day. I have a love/hate relationship with my box, someday's she is my best buddy, others she is a huge empty disappointment. But on this day I was one LUCKY GIRL! Look at these beauties that my mom surprised me with for Mother's Day. They are so grand and they bring artistic sunshine into my kitchen.


Here is another treasure, my girls are in full fledged fort building mode, which is the bomb because when I was a little girl, I was in full fledged fort building mode. Remember this? It was your own domain, you could do with it what you pleased. Bring in books, music, flashlights, and smuggle candy and other sweet treats. The fort enveloped you into a make believe world where no adults could enter (because they couldn't fit). They asked if they could spend the night in the fort and I said, "of course" and then magically, I turned into the "coolest mom on the planet". I enjoyed laying back in my bed and listening to the giggling into the wee hours.


Look how smart they are! Rubber bands on the chair to hold the roof in place. I didn't think of that at their age, imagine the fort building possibilities with this new found gem.

And the smarts don't end there! They built a fort amphitheater! The acoustics rocked and they spent the night in that one too. Thanks to Super Stephanie, the Best Babysitter of All Time, well really, she is tied with her sister, Sara. Imagine when they babysit together at the same time!


I know this is a long post but I have one more treasure to share and it is a biggie. It is a DVD I found that is the best thing out there for keeping your kiddo's safe from strangers. I'm not going to go into too much detail, okay, yes I am, but BUY IT. It is straightforward, black and white rules for the kids to follow so there is no confusion about what to do in any situation. I divides people into 3 groups, "safe side adults", "kinda knows" and "don't knows". The word "stranger" is not used. Safe side adults are parents, grandparents and 3 additional people that your child can go with anytime. Kinda knows are well, kinda knows, like soccer coaches, friend's parents, parent's friends etc, they can only go with them if mom and dad have already given permission. Don't knows are everyone else. It gives them permission to yell, kick and scream if a don't know talks or touches them. If you are not there, it tells them to find another mommy for help. Plus the DVD is really funny and my kids want to watch it over and over, which means the message is driven home over and over. McKenna has it down pat, we practice, she feels empowered. So much so, that when we were out shopping and a lady approached us, she yells out, "MOM, she is a "don't know" and she is in my "safe side circle". To which I replied, "But I am in your safe side circle so it is okay" She gets it! It is not just for little ones either, Bailey loves it and she learned a valuable lesson as well. Put this in your parenting arsenal, you'll love it.

Whew! that's a bunch of treasures. Now I need to stop treasure hunting and get down to business. We leave for Italy in less than a week. I am not prepared. As long as we have euro for pizza we will be as prepared as we need to be. Who cares if we don't have enough underwear or forget our toothpaste. We are going to have a blast!