Still growing.

About a month ago, I realized Grace had outgrown all of her clothes, including shoes, in what seemed like a few days. I hit the mall and did the best I could, and she seems okay with what I picked out. We still tussle over actual outfits, however, mostly due to the change in weather. She wants to pair a flowered tank with plaid shorts and Crocs when it's fifty degrees and raining, insisting she'll be fine with her rain coat and orange fishing hat. And sunglasses. I've tried asking her to pick out a pair of pants — no, not SHORTS, not a SKORT, PANTS — and then I give her a choice of tops that I think match. It almost never works. She will dig to the bottom of her shirt drawer and pull out the most ridiculously wrong thing, then fight like crazy to put it on, "...ALL BY MYSELF!" This is going to be so much fun when I start my job.

Out with the old.

I grew so tired of this faux-wood stapler pilfered from a Chicago ad agency almost twenty years ago. It depressed me. Guess where I got the sleek new one? Uh huh, STAPLES. What, like you've never been overcome by a bout of shallow consumeritis? I'm not embarrassed to admit, it brings a twinge of joy every time I use it. Is that so wrong?

Shopping is fun!

I don't really view shopping as recreation, at least not since my girlfriend Ella moved to Connecticut and Grace was born. (Yes, I had Grace to fill the void left by my absent friend.) But yesterday John and Matt, Maxwell's dad, took the kids to OMSI, and Maxwell's mom, Deborah, suggested we shop. My first thought was, "Shop for what?" Then I thought, "Freakin' relax, Laurel." So we wandered in and out of shops in a funky area of Mississippi Ave. for hours. I bought stuff that I didn't need, just for the fun of it. Thanks, Deb, for a lovely afternoon. Here are a few of my finds.


I like to wrap presents, and you can never have enough ribbon.


Apparently this little train is dyed with spices, as opposed to lead paint, and the lacquer comes from some sort of insect. I could have done without that last bit of info, but isn't it cute?


I think this hat looks better on Brady than on me. I vow to wear it, though.