Olivia wants a baby sister. She is on a mission to have one, and she has a name picked out: Lola. She says it with total certainty, as if Lola already exists somewhere and simply needs to be picked up.

So one day, Olivia asked Chelsea (her mommy) directly: could they please get a baby?

Her mother, explained that mommies and daddies make babies together — that mommies have eggs, and daddies have seeds, and that’s how the baby making begins. Olivia absorbed this information – Eggs. Seeds. Got it.

But then came the logistical wrinkle.

“Mommies and daddies,” her mother said carefully, “need to be alone in their bedroom to make a baby.”

Here is where you should know something about Olivia: she does not always sleep in her own bed. When the night feels a little too dark, or a little too silent, she slips down the hall and tucks herself in between Mommy and Daddy. This happens, let’s say, often.

Alone in her bedroom. She turned this over in her mind.

And then — the plan.

She announced that she would be spending the night at Vavie’s house. She packed her things as someone who has Important Business to attend to.

As her mother was heading out the door, Olivia looked up at her with great seriousness and said:

« OK, Mommy. Tonight you will be alone with Daddy- so make a baby. »

All through dinner, she kept me posted on the progress of the operation. Her mommy and daddy, she explained between bites, were at home making a baby. She said it the way you might report that someone is doing the laundry. 

I tried very hard not to laugh. I looked at her — those sweet eyes, that little face so full of purpose — and I thought: 

what a pickle.

The very first words out of her mouth the next morning:

“Let’s call Mommy and Daddy and see
if they made a baby!”

Unfortunately, Daddy was away on a business trip. 

I have a feeling this means there will be more sleepovers in our future — more nights of dinner-table dispatches, more morning check-ins on the baby situation. And you know what? I couldn’t be happier about that.

               

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On a rough wooden desk that was cut down to make a coffee table sits a silver- tray, a silk lavender ribbon, a hemp-woven cloth, a stone urn, faux flowers, and a gargoyle of sort -all of which are over a hundred years old- except one thing.

                

Comments

• How about the gargoyle's friend made of sandstone? Is he ... by Lil
• Faux flowers. .don't think they had those then by Myra Koch
• I was guessing the lilacs. How I would love that bouquet. by Marilyn Miller
• The stone urn? It's weathered but could be less than 100 ... by Diogenes
• Faux flowers? by Lynn H
• In reply to Leonie. No. The ribbon is from the early 1900s. by Corey

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« … Imagine me and you, I do
I think about you day and night, it’s only right
To think about the chicken you love and hold her tight. So happy together… » the Turtles

Wisteria, pink tutu – holding sparkle.

                

Comments

• Oh the tutu that wraps around Olivia. She is lovely. I love ... by Marilyn Miller
• Precious <3 by isabel
• In reply to Deb Hillman. Me too 😉❤️ by Corey
• In reply to Ali. Ooo ❤️ by Corey
• I love this kid! by Deb Hillman
• Absolutely adorable, thank you for sharing. by Debra

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But that’s okay. She said. Save them for another day.

That’s the attitude. Patience- trusting tomorrows will come.

Dancing until they do.

                

Comments

• And when she fits them just right her prince will come. by Marilyn Miller
• In reply to Cynthia Thompson. Thank you by Corey
• In reply to Leonie. I agree by Corey
• In reply to Teddee Grace. The memory is as sweet as having ... by Corey
• So sweet! Love the line” dance until tomorrow comes.” ... by Cynthia Thompson
• So pretty! This reminds me of some gorgeous Victorian dresses ... by Teddee Grace

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At the brocante last week I spotted three paintings that caught my eye. Talking with the dealer I discovered that they were œuvres cotées, meaning works that are listed and valued on the art market. Even the artists themselves were artistes cotés, recognized figures with an established market value. It made the whole find like I won a blue ribbon, knowing these weren’t just ordinary pieces but part of the official art world. Oh la la! Though truth be told my heart leans towards the unknown artist.

When I first started antiquing, I asked an antique dealer how he knew such things. He told me that he read, went to museums—but most importantly- he learned with his eyes. “The more you see, the more you know; the more you know, the more you begin to appreciate the details.”

So I did just that—comparing one object to another, starting with something I knew a little about but admired, and then looking for another to compare it to. Gradually, I began to see what he meant: differences in color, texture, thickness, age, and shape revealing themselves the more closely I looked.

                

Comments

• In reply to Ann of Avondale. ❤️😀 by Corey
• Yes, I believe he is right in learning with the eyes. I love ... by Ann of Avondale
• Thank you for explaining “artistes cotes” I knew about ... by Diogenes
• You never stop learning Corey! xx by Leonie

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