Pretty cookies

This is what Anna and I made today — or what's left of them, anyway. I had eaten halfway through the green cookie at the bottom when I realized I should take a picture of the cookies before they disappear because the colors are just so pretty.

We had already eaten most of the cookies Anna decorated, so don't go thinking that she frosted any of these because she didn't. She's just not that good. Actually, she did frost the giant tree on the left and then proceeded to pile it with a 2-inch-high glob of white frosting, so the "snowy swirl" look is how I saved it. Was I an intrusive, meddling mother? Maybe, but just for a minute and over one cookie. But did I want it to look edible and get eaten? Yes.

Anyway, I'm here to tell you that frosting cookies is the perfect recipe for instant Christmas cheer. Happy Holidays, folks!

Cold season

After one of the worst sore throats I've had in a long time, I now have the best sick voice ever. I think it was worth it, because I can now reach the C below middle C. I could totally sub for one of the three tenors.

Annacdotes, Part 6

1. One morning over breakfast, Anna and I were having a discussion about the little rhyme "This little piggy" with your toes. When I got to the last one, the one that goes wee, wee, wee all the way home, she said in kind of a disgusted voice, "Does that mean he went potty all the way home?" That made me laugh, especially because I have never referred to that substance as "wee wee" (or made that connection myself, for that matter). But then I had to explain that the "wee" in the rhyme was like a little pig squeal and, naturally, we had to practice our pig squeals for the rest of the morning. Awesome on the eardrums.

2. Anna handed me several balls one day and said, "Mom, can you show me how to jiggle?"

3. I decided it was time for another talk about obedience one day when Anna had repeatedly gotten into something I repeatedly told her not to open. (I'm hoping one day this concept will click. One day...) After some discussion, Anna said she was ready to apologize. I knew things had really sunk in when she said, "Mom, I'm sorry for obeying." I helped her remember that she DISobeyed and that's probably what she meant. And then I said, "Next time, you need to do what I ask." She said, "Okay, but next time don't ask me to do anything!" Again, her logic astounds me.

4. In an overly sad voice, Anna told me one day that she went by the fire and it burned her. Since it was totally out of the blue and no fire was around, I kept asking her to repeat what she said. Finally when I figured it out, I said, "When was this?" She said, without missing a beat, "Five years ago when I was two."

5. Sometimes, hopefully to tease her out of a bad mood, I'll ask Anna why she's being such a crabby pants. But she will correct me every time, depending on what she's wearing (if she's not wearing pants): she's been a crabby skirt, crabby dress, and even crabby leggings.

6. Speaking of cranky Anna... Anna is a master pouter. She's got the sad face, the slumped shoulders, and the silent treatment down. I have no idea where she learned such things. Luckily, her pouts last about 30 seconds, but still. One day she was sad about something I said and wanted to pout in the dark. (I don't know why.) She kept demanding that I turn off the light. When I asked her to speak to me in a nice voice, she kept demanding. When I kept at it, asking for some manners, she said in a huff, "I don't know how to ask nicely." "Yes, you do," I said. "No, I don't," she spat. "And I don't want to be teached either."

I felt like I was talking to one of the newsies.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

We took Anna to see this over the weekend. In a word, it was fantastic.

We laughed. A lot. Anna was glued to the screen the whole time, but she'd basically do that with any movie. And I've always loved Roald Dahl, so it was a win all around. Go see it.

My favorite new invention

I guess it's not really new or even considered an invention now, but I LOVE it when grocery stores have disinfectant wipes by the carts. Love it. I would even kiss all the employees to show my thanks — if it didn't cancel out any disinfecting I just did.

An interview with Anna

Here's how a conversation with my three-year-old went the other day:

Q. If you had a baby girl, what would you name her?
A. Sofa.
(This is especially funny because I have a niece named Sophie, so I'm pretty sure that's where Anna got this name—the idea for it, anyway.)
Q. How many kids are you going to have when you grow up?
A. So many.
Q. How many?
A. 25 girls and 26 boys.
Q. Whoa. 51 kids?! Where will you live?
A. In California with you.
Q. And you'll bring all your 51 kids?
A. Yes. Or maybe no.
Q. Wait, so you're going to leave your 51 kids and come live with me?
A. Yes.
Q. Where will your kids live?
A. In the high school. That will be their house.
Q. What are you going to be when you grow up?
A. A mom!
Q. That's a great job. Are you going to have another job too?
A. Yes.
Q. What will it be?
A. You.
Q. Me? I'm going to be your job? You're going to take care of me when I'm old and infirm?
A. Yes.
Q. As your job?
A. Yes.

Isn't she priceless?

Recycle

A long time ago, I told my sister about these funny warnings that came with some really cheap and sketchy pasta pots that we were given for our wedding. After I read the warnings to her, she posted them on her blog. But since it's been years since the post and now that I have a blog and now that we were joking about these the other day, here they are for all to enjoy. (And enjoy again, if you have been a longtime Jen's Log reader.)

Reading these never fail to make me laugh. In fact, I glued them into my Book of Things That Make Me Happy. Also, the wording and spelling here are 100% consistent with the original instructions, so read carefully.

WARNING

1. The products cannot be allowed to be wash on the non-stick surface by metal scourer/other metal cleaning utensil.
2. The prosucts cannot be allowed to operate by metal kitchen untensil for cooking (suggest to be nyloin or wood material).
3. The products cannot be burned/fired without the liquid putting inside of the products over 2 minutes.
4. The products cannot be cleaned up by dish washer machinery.
5. The clean up the products is allowed to clean by water and then using the cloth to dry up.
6. The burning/fire temperature cannot be allowed over 220 degrees Celsius.
7. The bakelite handle cannot be directly fired.

Take special notice of #2 just for the spelling fun ("nyloin"? I don't want to use anything made out of that) and the wording of #3. What? I also like the incredibly interesting uses of the word “allow,” as if the pots have a mind of their own so they shouldn’t be “allowed” to “operate by metal kitchen untensils,” even though they might want to. I also like how the word “burn” is used all the time, as if that’s how we cook in this country. We burn and fire things. And we may have tried to directly “fire” the bakelite handle, for no reason, if not for the warning. That’s just a funny visual for me, imagining someone holding just the handle directly over the stove in an attempt to cook something.