Toddler toys to delight grandma.

May 12, 2009

in Nurture

Corolle Mon Premier Calin Laughing Raspberry Doll and Corolle Nursery Red/Fuchsia Umbrella StrollerWhen our granddaughter was born I started to buy a few toys, books, some stuffed animals and the perfect baby doll. I soon realized that the little one needed none of these things. She is happiest playing with her people, petting the dogs or just walking around the yard. Still, being a new grandmother is pretty heady and I was going to enjoy every opportunity to do all the grandmotherly stuff.

Baby doll and stroller
Six months ago I was delightfully telling by best friend about the new baby doll and stroller I had purchased. She laughed and said, “You did not buy the doll and stroller for your granddaughter, you bought it for you.” I was taken aback, just for a moment though. She was so right.

After ordering the doll and stroller I couldn’t wait for them to arrive. When they did I set the boxes aside and waited until I could properly open them and have time to enjoy my granddaughter’s new treasures. I placed the doll in her stroller and spent a good part of the evening just smiling every time I looked at the doll. I loved her already. My sisters stopped by for show and tell, my husband feigned delight (he calls her vanilla head) and our very foibled English Pointer barked every time we brought the doll and stroller into the living room. Yes, I was definitely enjoying grandmother-hood.

Does our granddaughter like her doll and stroller? Oh yes. I left both in a bedroom for her to discover on her own. And she did. A stroller is great for helping a toddler learn to walk. Even the process of taking a doll out of the stroller and putting her back in is a balancing act. And with the warmer weather granddaughter, baby doll and stroller spend more time outside tooling around the driveway. The removable knit cap, sleeping eyes (open and close) and the cuddly bean bag body are other great features.

This is the doll and stroller I chose: Corolle Mon Premier Calin Laughing Raspberry 12″ Doll with Corolle Nursery Red/Fuchsia Umbrella Stroller. Check out Corolle for more dolls and doll fashions and where to buy.  

What else did I buy for me?

Pure Kaloo Chubby Rabbit “Leaf”Pure Kaloo Chubby Rabbit named “Leaf”
This rabbit is velour soft, fat and huggable. She is sable and cream, brown-eyed and smiling. I love the detail: the Peter Pan collar, the straps on her shoes, the shiny embroidered leaves on her chubby belly, the top stitching on her ears and the bow on her head. The finishing touch? A round box for “Leaf” to sit on.

This is a lovely stuffed animal for an infant. Do remember that children grow oh so quickly and they probably do not need but one or two stuffed animals. So I will gladly keep this rabbit here and give it to my granddaughter whenever she wants to take it home. Check out Kaloo for more very well made toys.

Child's green enamel watering canChild’s green watering can
My sister Kate and I spotted this at The Garden Store at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. It took but a moment to choose the color. I know the green enamel finish will get nicked and dented but the balance while holding the can was perfect. We will raid the kitchen drawers for gardening tools and play in the garden this summer. 

Do I go crazy buying all kinds of toys and whatnots for my granddaughter? Not at all. But the occasional purchase is so delightfully fun!

Antonia

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How to get a spider out of the laundry tub.

May 11, 2009

in Keeping house

how to get a spider out of the laundry tubWhoa … don’t leave just yet.

Some of you fear spiders; some of you tolerate spiders; some of you live with spiders. This post is for all of you. One of the frequent guests in my laundry room is a nice crisp very active spider. After doing a little research I do believe he is a wolf spider … a very common non-web spinning spider that belongs under rocks but does lose his way (he really is not trying to scare you by living in your home) and drops into my laundry tub. I like to think that the nocturnal activity in my basement stays unnoticed but alas, sometimes it is sitting right in the middle of my laundry tub waiting to be dealt with.

Do I kill spiders? No, no, no. I calmly (no spider is going to raise my blood pressure) move the little guy to a more suitable home outside.

Steps to relocating a spider from your laundry tub:

  1. Gather your wits if necessary. Do not scream but do breathe.
  2. Put the stopper in the laundry tub. If you are too afraid to do this go directly to step 5.
  3. Run water until the spider is floating on the surface. Sometimes the spider curls up, sometimes not.
  4. Dip a bowl or pan or dog dish (size will depend on fear factor) into the water and scoop up the spider and water. Skip to step 6.
  5. Leave the spider until you plan to run laundry. Run laundry as usual except leave the lid open so you can be around when the water drains. When the laundry water drains into the tub and reaches about 6″ to 10″ in depth, grab your pail and dip into the water and scoop up water and spider.
  6. Toss the spider and water out the back door. Me, I like to gently pour my spider water into the pile of rocks since wolf spiders do love living under rocks. 

The revenge of the garter snake.

Do you know who is extremely fearful of spiders? My very best friend Beth. This is the very same best friend who has saved a toad’s life (at least for a day) by pulling the toad out of a big garter snake’s mouth. 

Just think … lovely warm afternoon with the fragrance of apple blossom everywhere …  strolling along, hearing a squeak, seeing a garter snake with his mouth engulfing a toad … reaching down and picking up the snake and extracting the toad. Oh. My. Gosh!two garter snakes sunning on rock

This is the same person who is afraid of spiders? I did witness the payback a few days later. A big garter snake was cooling off in the shade of a shed in our gravel garden and Beth picked him up only to have the snake foul her hand with an atrocious smelling fluid – it came from a gland … well, let me just think of it as snake poo. This most foul stink was all over Beth’s hand and permeated the air so much that I backed up and proceeded to laugh and laugh and laugh. Disgusting smell. And the odor was not going to be removed by mere hand washing.

toad on Beth's kneeBeth’s popularity that week with:

toads - off the charts

snakes – less than zip

people – not so great (the stink factor)

So, the next time you have a spider in your laundry tub, it could be worse, it could be a garter snake. So get brave and deal with your little spider like the big person you are.  

Delightfully yours,

Antonia

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What is your mom moment?

May 9, 2009

in Nurture

mom2colliesPepper Nuts
Last year I was riffling through my cupboards looking for my mom’s pepper nut cookie recipe. You know the ones … you make a month before the holidays and glaze (no one could glaze like my mom) so they look like translucent snow on a very cold moonlit night. Hmmm. Not here. Not a problem. I will call mom. I reached for my phone and then … paused. Certainly could not call mom, she has been gone for many years now. Next best thing, I called my sisters and asked them to send me the family recipe. 

 

Potato Donuts & Fried Zucchini Blossoms
On special occasions my mom would take her electric skillet outside and cook up her mom’s potato donuts. Fresh out of the hot oil with a little glaze or plain – we were the happiest kids around. If friends stopped in my mom was even more delighted to share. Other hot summer days we ate fried zucchini blossoms (picked in the early morning) and fried puffed up zucchini slices. Parmesan, oregano and love – the best flavors ever.

Mason Jars
One early spring I helped my mom unload fruit baskets of mason jars that she had stored in the garage cupboards over the winter. She used these jars to warm up the soil and air around her vegetable seedlings in the garden. Every big jar had a smaller jar inside it. I thought (for many years and always in wonder) that the baby jar had grown inside the big jar over the winter. How magical! My mom never told me otherwise … thank you.

Books
Our most loved shared passion was books. Both my mom and I read every book (in order) we could find by Anthony Trollop (over 40 writings including the Barsetshire and Pallister series). We both soaked up Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade after I found the book at the library with the pages still uncut! No one had read this book. And my mom was there for me when I fell in love with Wilkie Collins (The Woman in White and Moonstone). Nothing brought us closer than sharing and loving the same book.

Library and Bookmobile
As children my mom read to us every chance she had – it amazes me still that she found the time. We had the whole set of 1949 ChildCraft books. The first volumes showed the wear appropriate to toddlers – spilled juice, crayon scribblings and a few torn pages. The later volumes more fitting for a preteen were nearly pristine. When we could read on our own we always had stacks of books from the library or bookmobile.

Collies and Fireflies
As kids, many a warm summer night we slept outside under an army tarp draped over the clothesline. With our collies guarding us, our parents close by to protect us (from the darkness maybe), the fireflies enchanting us, and a flashlight in hand, we each read our favorite book. The library must have had a lot of damp (not to mention dog smelling) books returned to them for many summers.

What is your mom moment?

Delightfully yours,

Antonia

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View from my ironing board.

May 8, 2009

This morning’s fog disappeared and by noon the day turned warm, sunny and ever so pleasant. The kind of day I just had to be outside. Let’s see. Weed the garden: too wet. Clean the garage: my stepson cleaned the garage a week ago (thank you, thank you!). Sweep the front steps and walkway: the [...]

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Books to delight a toddler.

May 7, 2009

Whenever my 18 month old grandchild leaves I walk around the house and pick up the few items that need to go back into her room (or at least the room with three small canvas bins just for her). Always, I am picking up a book or two. As soon as she arrives she dashes [...]

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