he cut them
i sanded
and together we
made the youngest
a gift

shhhh!
don’t tell my little niece
that we made this
for her.
ok?

one of my birthday presents
was a new fan-light
for our downstairs bathroom.
part of the gift was
that he would install it,
and so monday he did.
but it was a bigger pain
than originally he thought
and we also found out why
the old one never worked
(the installer drilled a screw
right through the motor.)
but this one?
i love the way it looks.

when i took the
necklace out,
she quietly told me
that she picked it out
and thought
i would love it,
and i do.

she helped me sew
even though she
thinks this doll
is for someone else.
she named her
“ladybug”
and said that she
was perfect.

for Christmas
the girls wanted
fairy dolls,
but being a
crafty mama
i made them instead
of paying the $80
in the catalog.

the flag we pass every morning
on the way to drop off
was being repaired,
the girls were in awe
that he was staying
on the pole
i was trying not to look
because heights
make me queasy.

we are downsizing
all of the kids toys
this castle is one of the
things they play with,
sometimes,
but are willing to part with.

one day,
looking back at pictures of herself,
as a very small child,
she saw that long ago
she had converse.
“i’d like a pair of those
cool shoes, the black ones,”
she said.
days later at a thrift store
i wandered across these shoes.
all they needed were some
new laces
(she picked the neon green herself)
and suddenly,
she has the coolest shoes.
her sister told her
“you look like a rock star!”
with awe and admiration.