seven quick takes

1. Miss A turned 3 last weekend! All she wanted was a Minnie cake...for her present, for her birthday dinner, and for dessert. We did give her actual presents, and she was a good sport about my chamber music concert falling on the same day. I can't believe my house is now devoid of babies and toddlers. It seems only yesterday that my day was a marathon of feedings and diaper changes.

My cake decorating philosophy is "know your limits."

2. The east coast has been blessed with a few lovely patches of warm weather. Unfortunately for us, it's either been so wet and windy, or I've had so many errands that we've spent less time outside than when it was just snowy. Goal for today: making the kids go outside, even if the time spend bundling up is equivalent to the time spent playing.

3. To get myself out of the winter doldrums, I'm planning my first-ever real vegetable garden for this summer. We finally have the space to start a decent number of seeds without worrying about the kids accidentally spilling everything. So far we have an odd mix of herbs and vegetables in potting soil, since I bought my seeds on clearance at the Job Lot last fall. #cheapskatesgonnacheap

4. Speaking of winter again, few things remind me more of the lack of forethought and planning than our barely-functional mudroom and the multiplication of outerwear items store in it this time of year. It's roughly 3' x 6', with more of the useful wall space taken up by a window, two inward-opening doors, plus another door to the kitchen.

My attempt at a 360º-ish tour.

The walls are too soft for wall anchors or 3M hooks, there is mold on the baseboards, one of the door frames is rotting, and I'm afraid to mop the stick-on vinyl tile because it's starting to peel off. Furthermore, there is no insulation in the walls or floors, except for a lone paper towel I found stuffed in the wall while hanging a row of pegs.

This means that snowy gloves, hats, and boots do not dry in our mudroom, but rather become stiff and frozen. At least I managed to find a single stud under the window for hanging said pegs.

5. On that DIY thread, thanks to some generous family members who sent us Home Depot gift cards for Christmas, we are starting to build our tool arsenal past basic hand tools and electric drills. I'm one part excited and one part terrified that I'll lose a finger.

I have big plans for all of the scrap lumber the sellers left in the basement.

6. It's becoming more apparent to me than ever that my youngest was somehow born without any sense of self-preservation. Her first instinct upon entering any room is to find the highest surface she can climb, and then climb and jump off of it. I was hoping putting my kids in swimming lessons would help them be safer around water...nope. After Miss A strolled down the steps and went over her head once, it didn't deter her from trying again and again. God bless our ever-patient swimming instructor.

7. On Instagram, I pledged to join a "practice every day and gram about it!" with other followers of @wholeparenting this past Tuesday. How many days so far have I practiced the repertoire for my symphony concert in two weeks? Zero. Eek. I guess I'd better slow down my wild goose hunt for free pianos on Craigslist and pick up the fiddle for an hour or four.

This page is going to kill me. Especially if I have to read off of someone else's copy without my fingerings again.

or

Flesch called. He wants his arpeggios back.

Linking up with Kelly.