Wednesday, July 7

a couple of notes...

note number one:
i noted upon Our #4's return to the shed that a rather iffy 'whiff' returned with him.
this did not surprise me in anyway.
a boy of 12 at summer camp for a whole 8 days should indeed return home with a 'cloud of pigpen' following behind.
his 'whiff' told me he had the best time there was to have...
it also told me to tell him
"okay, much as i have missed you, i cannot talk nor look at you, until you have been in the bath"


a few minutes later he emerged, sparkling in some places and not so in others.
i noted his hair had not seen the shampoo
and when i glanced down, i visibly gasped at his toenails.
"never in all my born days have i seen so much yuck crammed under ten toenails, seriously could you not have sorted them in the bath?"

"nope" he replied, seeing nothing wrong with the thick brown line of crud under each of his ten toenails "we don't have a nail brush"

"not true" said i "it is somewhere lurking in the bathroom and i suggest buddy you find it pronto".

two days later,
Our #4 and myself are sitting in traffic on our way to soccer practice.
he turns to me, with 'thee' smile upon his face,
you know the smile that melts a mother's heart and
yet she knows what follows is not always what she wishes to hear.

"so i cleaned my toenails like you said" he beamed

"ahh, so you found the nail brush then?" i asked foolishly

"oh no, i used a bookmark i found, not my favorite one which is my green eggs and ham one. no i used the one ma and pa gave me for Christmas... it worked a treat" he beamed even more 'beamier' than before.

i left it there, for indeed he had made what was for me a tough day, melt away...
i was filled with warmt for my child, for all the little funny things he has done over the years.
reminding me once again, on a day when i had 'lost my rag' several times, why i am most fortunate to be a mother.
i did not wish to enquire where he was when he unearthed the goings on from under his toenails.
i decided somethings are much better left unknown

note number 2:
for reasons i cannot say at this momento,
i am working on getting a few action shots of moi in the shed...
this is not easy for me, for i am a cousin of flat stanley and cannot for the life of me pretend like the camera isn't there.
i become completely rigid and board like.

yesterday with the help of Carlos my camera and Our #3 we attempted some action shots within the shed...
i am not going to tell you how many photos we took, let me just say,
a digital camera is a marvelous thing.
in the end after the day was nearly done,
we had two action shots to show for our efforts.


Our #1 remarked whilst packing her case
"oh yes, this is a perfect 'vertigo' action shot, there you are one leg up and clutching your crochet to keep upright" with a twinkle in her eye.

then Debbie, my soul sister in old blighty pointed out that i may need to be a little less actiony for fear of someone seeing my leg and asking me to join the team GB and train for the next Olympics...

i am thinking this is why sometimes i prefer the company of ones that do not offer up advice even if i ask for it


she is delighted to report after a crappity crap start, Mr Summer is doing what he does best today ~ Tif

33 comments:

1 Funky Woman said...

I am laughing hysterically about your son! What a cutie he is. It must be a boy thing because I have a 10 year old boy and you have to remind him to use soap and wash hair. I just don't think they notice the gunkies in their nails. Someday they will thats what I keep saying to myself! But the bookmark was too funny! Did you throw it away?

Vicki K. said...

After a week of camp (the rustic wilderness type), my brother returned home with a suitcase full of clean clothes. My mother calmly asked whether he had changed Any of his clothes. "Nope, didn't need to, Mom, 'cause we swam in the lake everyday."

Will it help you to know my brother has grown up into a handsome man with perfect grooming skills?

Tif - I am so excited - as I have gathered my yarns to begin my own Toeb (Tif's ordinarily extraordinary blanket).

It seemed to me that your leg looked perfectly poised - as though you had such a profound thought you had to pause mid-action.

nacherluver said...

Your words, your pictures, your outlook always seem so sunny and refreshing! Have a bliss filled day :)

Scented Sweetpeas said...

Love this post, thanks for the smile it just bought to my face. Eldest Sweetpea came home recently from camp and I was amazed at how many clean clothes he had in his case - not sure he changed the whole time :-o

Hannah said...

I loved this post it was too funny! I remember my mom telling my brother" how can you take a shower and come out still dirty?" LOL

Chloe said...

*wiping away a mirthful tear* Thank you for so many laugh out loud moments in this post. I wouldn't look too closely at the windowsills if I were you. My son likes to groom his toes near the natural light.

Sharon Stanley said...

so happy to see you back...action figure that you are........and so sorry about those toenails...what is it about boys and their feet? I find most toe issues appalling.

Anonymous said...

Ah kids - don't you just love them!
Sometimes!
Vivienne x

Minara said...

lovely posts as usual the toenail bit made fell sick a little but it was a happy ending so all is well

Unknown said...

Being a mom does have it's gross moments of hilarity doesn't it? My girl has not cleaned her toenails with a bookmark to my knowledge, but there was her not-so-brief fascination with dental floss for which she left dirty discarded piles of all over the place. EW! I thought having a girl would be a tidy experience - that we would craft and chat together someday. At present she's 16 and she thinks crafts are for old ladies (even though I'm only 36!) and sometimes it looks like a garbage truck unloaded in her room - it's not looking good. Good thing the doggy likes to keep me company on the couch. :)

Marion said...

I have been reading your daily life stories for a while and you make me happy and give me lots of smiles...
This is a beautiful blog and your work, well what can I say, your imagination with fabrics is beyond words, you're a treasure.

Merci!
Marion

Greedy Nan said...

The photos [of you] are just delightful. Your home is so TIDY!! Does anyone actually live there?

Peggy said...

I loved the story about your son! Kids are THE best!

Cameron said...

Your choice of words and how you marry them makes me giggle to no end...."unearthed debris beneath toes" "crappity crap" "a cousin to Flat Stanley"! So wonderfully funny :oD I love it!

And the pic of your son and you with Used Dog are fantastic!

angelina said...

aw tif i love you, and i think you are great, and so stylishly hip, and prettier than any picot edging which does make my heart skip a beat or two whenstever i see it...(i love your wall birds) xx

paperbird said...

beautiful post- i have a 12 year old. she is at camp now as we speak and although she is a girl- girls get grimy too, I imagine that i will have the bath running for her when she comes home with a foot scrub close by :-)

melissa said...

I'm new to visiting here, but just wanted to say how sweet this post is. Our youngest son is 14 and has to be *encouraged* to bathe. Just doesn't occur to him!

Thanks for the loveliness as well. :)

Danielle Quarmby said...

I love that photo with your dog - but they are both very sweet :)

Sue said...

Why is it in life our nearest and dearest can be our harshest critics? You look perfectly upright and your legs sturdy!

Katie said...

You are adorable! I love the leg up! And Your #4 is a doll. Makes me excited for what added silliness the future holds for my Noah (Our #1)! So funny!

Lucky Dip Lisa said...

I am seriously kicking myself for not having visited your blog regularly. I found it earlier in the year when everyone was talking about the Dotti Challenge and for some reason lost it again. It dosn't look like you've lost any of your thrifty awesome-ness though and it seems fitting that I have rediscovered you on the day rediscovered pom-poms!

follyandglee said...

an inspiring post indeed. as i am in need of reminding of the wonders of motherhood tonight I shall inspect my 12 year olds toe nails and ask him to practice beaming. x

RachelG said...

i did not wish to enquire where he was when he unearthed the goings on from under his toenails.
i decided somethings are much better left unknown

I am a girly girl and the mother of two boys...14 years ago this sentence would've had me puzzled!
I love it!

Kristy said...

Bookmark cleaned toenails....lovely!

dottie angel said...

haha! funny that, i too noted all the clothes placed in the laundry basket were indeed rather neatly folded for one who has been at camp all week!
gosh is that not 'boys at their best' :)

2SewRetro said...

#1. Your #4 is adorable!!! Even if he does have dirty toenails. ;-)

#2. I love the action shots you ended up with. They look really good. and I ADORE your home, blog, Etsy, etc., etc. Mossy Shed is my ideal living space.........someday. :D :D

Autumn Mist said...

Funny things, boys. You spend several years trying to coax them into the bath room, then all of a sudden you can't get them out! Drove me mad.

sabrina said...

Hmmm... I am the only girl in my family. I grew up with two older brothers. While I remember times when all three of us would traipse through the fields and blackberry bushes surrounding our house, I don't remember them always being dirty. Maybe my brothers were cleaner than average...??

Jacqueline said...

I cannot tell you what relief it is to know that your #4 is as grimy and blech-ridden as my #4. (who, at the age of 10, somehow looks as though he goes down a mine shaft every day.) And oh, the toenails. THE TOENAILS.Thankfully, they are hidden in filthy sneakers riddled with skateboarding punctures, popping out only at night to scare me...

It's the fingernails that take my breath away. This summer's refrain has already begun: How can I POSSIBLY (much eye-rolling)need a bath tonight?! I went swimming YESTERDAY.

I love my sweet-n'-dirty boy, and try to remind myself that losing all the hot water to shower-obsessed teenagers does have its downside ...

Pics are stellar!! Bravo, #3!!

ladytacones said...

Dear dottie, YOU MUST BE AN ANGEL!!!

I JUST DISCOVERED YOUR AMAZING BLOG and I have fallen in love with your sensitivity! I will visit you for inspiration very often.

Best wishes from Spain...

HollyG said...

I love your blog! So quirky and beautiful. How did you make the "birds" in your bottom photo? I can't quite tell what they are or what they're made out of, but I'm interested in recreating your genius!

marga.marina said...

oh beauty... i love the picture with your dog, that´s true love!

dottie angel said...

thank you for your lovely comments, they brightened my day without a doubt :)
as for the little birdies hollyg, well they are made from wrapping paper i glued on to construction paper and then stitched around the edge with the aid of Miss Ethel my trusty sewing machine... i used some wall birds i had as templates.
hope that helps you :)