Ponco and Ruff-Ruff

My son likes to tell people about his pets.

He has a cat, Ponco, who is orange with black stripes. Oh, yes, Ponco also has green eyes.

His dog, Ruff-Ruff, is "brown all over." Well, brown and maybe black.

He loves them very much. He likes to run and play with them. Ponco likes to snuggle. Ruff-Ruff is very gentle.

"Kate, I didn't know you have pets," you're thinking. "You never talk about them."

That's because ... we don't have any pets.

The Boy has talked about Ponco and Ruff-Ruff for more than a year now. (In fact, it might be closer to two years.) We first heard of them when his classroom was having Pet Week at school, and the teachers said the kids could bring in pictures of their pets.

A couple of days into Pet Week, one teacher said to John, "You should bring in a picture of your pets! Daniel talks about them all the time."

John looked at her and said, "Um, we don't have any pets."

The teacher stared back. "Daniel says you have a dog and a cat."

Awkward laughter in the classroom, I'm sure.

So we asked Daniel, and he told us all about Ponco and Ruff-Ruff. (The only thing about pets that has changed in the time we've known about them is Ruff-Ruff's name. He was originally Ruff-Ruff-Ruff.)

He told us about them, their fur colors, how sweet they are.

And that they live at his grandma's house.

Yes, I said they live with Daniel's grandmother.

"But wait, Kate," you say. "Aren't both of Daniel's grandmothers dead?"

Yes, yes, they are. And both of them died before Daniel was ever born.

So, it's Pet Week again at school. Daniel has told his teachers about Ponco the cat and Ruff-Ruff, his dog, again. (This is a different set of teachers, FYI.)

They laugh hard when we explain that Ponco and Ruff-Ruff aren't really our pets, that our child has a very active imagination. And, no: His grandmothers don't have pets that he visits. His grandmas are both in Heaven.

So Miss Lana and Miss Megan suggested we go online or go through a magazine and have Daniel find pictures of his pets to bring in.

I sat down tonight at the computer with my sweet 4-year-old, and we found pictures of Ponco and Ruff-Ruff.

Meet Ponco. Daniel says Ponco is all snuggled up in her blanket at "my grandma's house."

Meet Ruff-Ruff ...

Oh, wait ... This is Ruff-Ruff!

OK, so one of those dogs is Ruff-Ruff. Daniel pointed at both of them in the Google image search and insisted both of them were Ruff-Ruff and that I had to print both of them off.

You know, I'm not sure how accurate the photos are. Because the pets live with Grandma, I've never seen them before ...

But we love them. We love to hear about them and hear about Daniel's adventures with them. They might be the best pets ever.

What a day it has been, what a rare mood I'm in ...

There's not much more that could make this day wonderful ...

I awoke to glorious sunshine.

It's 5 p.m. now and about 65 degrees.

In March. In Western Washington.

This my favorite kind of weather. Warm, but not hot. A nice breeze. The snow-capped mountains still peeking out.

My husband ran out this morning and bought some doughnuts from Pao's and coffee at Starbucks.

Then we went to the Easter egg hunt at our church. The Boy got good treats, we had a long, wonderful chat with the priest, and I got to talk to one of my mom's good friends.

Then it was time to PLAY BALL! Well, kind of.

The Tacoma Rainiers were having a big open house at Cheney Stadium. You could sign up for ticket packages (we did!), sample some of the ballpark's 2013 food (we did), jump around in a bouncy house (The Boy did), get a balloon animal made (done), visit with Rhubarb the reindeer (done, with photo!).

I have a couple South Sound places I consider "happy spots." A sunny day at Cheney Stadium is one of 'em.

Back at home, The Husband and The Boy ventured outside for yard cleanup -- weeding, planting, pulling up some dead stuff. Boy was so excited to use the garden tools he got for his birthday in February.

It was errand time alone for me. I charged up my iPod, opened up the sunroof in Henrietta the Honda and headed out.

I grabbed some great deals at Safeway, and then dashed over to Ace Hardware for a new trowel and some pansies. I am a sucker for a yard full of colorful pansies.

Next stop was The Ram on the Tacoma waterfront to fill the growler. (We said we'd bring some beer to Easter dinner.) On Saturdays, The Ram has growler fills at half price, so good beer at a good price. Can't argue.

While getting to the waterfront was a pain -- that joke about Washingtonians throwing on shorts and getting outside when the sun finally comes out, that's not really a joke -- the drive back to our house involved the sunroof and great music. (I was probably the only one on Ruston Way with Liza Minnelli blaring from the speakers ...)

Back home, I dug in the dirt, too. I got my new pansies planted in the flower box. Soaked up some sunshine. It feels great.

I feel great.

Thinking we'll cap off the night with dinner and egg-dyeing at my sister's house. My son is so excited to dye eggs with his cousin, and I can always use an evening with my sister.

Tomorrow is Easter, which is the most glorious, celebratory day of all.

God is so good.

To sum up:

Perfect weather.
Coffee and doughnuts.
Easter egg hunt = fun, faith, old friends.
Baseball.
Happy boys playing and digging in the yard.
Sunroof + iPod.
Good bargain-hunting at the grocery store.
Flowers for the yard.
Beer.
Show tunes.
Time with my sister and her family.
I have so much to be grateful for.

Tell me: What are you grateful for today? And what makes you happiest?

What I needed today ...

I'm on vacation. That should leave me stress-free, right?

Yeah, I'm not wired that way. My mind is going a million miles an hour right now, and I'm full of stress, anxiety, sadness, tension, joy, worry, anticipation ...

Definitely not peace, though.

As I'm sitting at the computer today -- fretting over this and that, wondering my husband hasn't returned my email, concerned that my son is unhappy, feeling unmotivated to make a pedicure appointment or mail my Christmas cards -- I Googled "a prayer for the anxious."

This is what I got, and it's what I needed. But I need to take it to heart, embed it in my soul, particularly on days when I feel like this.

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit

O Holy Spirit, give me stillness of soul in you.

Calm the turmoil within, with the gentleness of your peace.

Quiet the anxiety within, with a deep trust in you.

Heal the wounds of sin within, with the joy of your forgiveness.

Strengthen the faith within, with the awareness of your presence.

Confirm the hope within, with the knowledge of your strength.

Give fullness to the love within, with an outpouring of your love.

O Holy Spirit, be to me a source of light, strength and courage so that I may hear your call ever more clearly and follow you more generously.

Wishing you all peace and comfort in the days ahead.

An excerpt ...

What's on my mind today? My husband.

Here's an excerpt from a note I wrote him this morning ...

I am sitting here feeling so blessed that I'm your wife and Daniel's mom. You two are the best things that have ever happened to me, and some days I just want to revel in the two of you and how much I love being a wife and mom. I loved snuggling you this morning; it made my heart happy.

You are so smart and loving and compassionate and creative. It's fun to be your wife and to see the ideas you come up with and the drive you have to see the world and to succeed. I am often in awe of your dreams and your determination.

Thank you for taking such great care of me and of Daniel. We are so lucky to have you. I could not have survived Thanksgiving without you, your comforting smile and your hard work to clean our house. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The call of the cookies ...

I used to bake cookies from scratch all the time. It was one of my favorite things to do, and I was pretty darned good at it.

I spent hours in my parents' kitchen making treats. I knew my way around that kitchen and my mom's mixer.

But I got married and moved away from that kitchen.

I got my own mixer, my own baking sheets, my own kitchen.

It wasn't the same.

Don't get me wrong: I still loved baking. I just rarely made cookies from scratch. I toiled over scratch brownies and banana bread and pies and recipes that didn't call for my stand mixer. Lots of stirring by hand or using my small but powerful hand mixer.

And then my son fell in love with chocolate chip cookies (which he pronounces as "cukies").

Chocolate chip cookies. One of my favorite things to make. One of things people used to rave about when I made 'em.

My husband signed us up to bring a dessert to my son's Thanksgiving potluck. And what dessert did The Boy want?

It had been a long time since I pulled out my KitchenAid mixer -- and even longer since I'd made cookies from scratch. I actually had to dust the old girl off.

I told my sister this, and to be honest, she was quite horrified to hear that the expert cookie maker had been dormant.

But tonight, I came out of retirement to bake chocolate chip cookies -- delicious, homemade, warm and gooey ones.

It was exhilarating to open up those sticks of butter, to pack just the right amount of brown sugar, to splash the vanilla into the bowl. I had to keep checking my recipe -- a recipe that used to be committed to memory -- but I couldn't believe how at home I felt.

Except for one little thing.

The mixer.

Now, I know that there's nothing a KitchenAid can't do. They are amazing machines. Cold butter is smashed in no time. And cleaning off that beater is a snap.

But it isn't quite the same as the double beaters and whirring bowl of my mom's old Sunbeam Mixmaster. I was a pro at that thing (until the motor overheated and caught fire). I knew exactly how to work the Mixmaster, how to get the right consistency for my batter, how to best blend my ingredients.

I'm just not quite as comfortable with my (literally) sparkly KitchenAid. But after tonight, I'm bound and determined to get there.

Because, really, the yummy sounds my husband made as he bit into a cookie were like music to my ears. These were some of the most perfect chocolate chip cookies I'd ever made -- the right texture, the right crispness on the tops, not too firm/not too soft. (And I felt terrible that I'd been married to this wonderful man for eight years and hadn't made him my signature cookies in ... I don't know how many years!)

The smell of baking chocolate chip cookies brought back so much joy for me. I remember what it was like at my mom's side learning to bake, wearing my little apron, holding my wooden spoon. And I thought of my mom again and again and again. I got flour on my shirt and on my chin. Ah, Mom, you're so close I can almost feel you ...

Baking cookies tonight made me ridiculously content. I was reminded of what I pictured many years ago that my future life would look like: me at the kitchen counter, baking cookies for my family.

Pure happiness all around -- my heart, my husband's taste buds, my son's belly tomorrow. I can't think of a better way to start my Thanksgiving vacation.

Tonight, I am thankful for chocolate chip cookies and the magic of baking.

An October daybook: Life right now

Outside my window...
Rain and clouds. Trees and more rain.

I am thankful for...
My husband, who is strong when I am not. Who makes me laugh every day. Who tells me he loves me at least 10 times a day.

I am thinking...
There's a lot to get done at home. I'm worried about my loved ones back East who might be affected by Hurricane Sandy. I have Thursday off! A vanilla latte would be nice right now.

From the kitchen...
Baked macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight. It's in the fridge and ready to get popped in the oven when I get home. So delicious.

I am wearing ...
A super-comfy outfit -- a Nordstrom long-sleeved T-shirt in dark gray, jeans that are getting too big for me and my Keens. Glad my office is a fairly casual place.

I am creating …

Distractions for myself while at work. Well, really I’m creating a newsy website to inform the public.

I am going …

To eat lunch soon? To leave work on time?

I am reading...
"31 Days to a Happy Husband" by Arlene Pellicane. "My Fair Lazy" by Jen Lancaster. These two books couldn't be more different.

I am praying for...
A peaceful heart. ... My son, to stay healthy and strong young. ... People who will face Hurricane Sandy. ... My husband, who works hard and worries about our family a lot.

I am hearing...
My colleague reading charging documents in a homicide. Fun times.

I am hoping...
For a rain-free Halloween night. For a cozy night with a good dinner and some snuggling on the sofa to catch up on all our DVR'd shows.

Around the house...
The living room is cleaned up (yay!), but the rest of the house looks like a tornado hit it. Looking forward to chatting with our friend Larry about remodeling the main bathroom and installing a new front door.

I am working on...
My marriage. House cleaning. Raising a sweet boy. Thenewstribune.com.

A few plans for the week ...
We’ll take The Boy trick-or-treating on Wednesday night. I think we might have some cousins tag along, which would be fun. I am off from work on Thursday, and I am looking forward to going to All Saints Day Mass and running some errands.

One of my favorite things...
Hugs from my 3-year-old. He gives the best hugs ever. I don’t want to let go.

Quote for the day …

“Replace self-defeat with self-love. Be kind to yourself – today and every day.” I clipped this out of a daily calendar I had a couple of years back. It sits on my desk as a daily reminder.

A wonderful night for Oscar: Favorite moments, my best-dressed musings

My favorite parts of tonight's Oscar show:

* Christopher Plummer. First of all, he's always reminded me of my father. Something about his face. And then in his speech, he used phrases I think my dad would use. He was so darned classy. And then he mentioned his daughter, Amanda, who co-starred in one of my favorite movies, "So I Married an Axe Murderer."

* The Christopher Guest & Co. bit as the "Wizard of Oz" focus group. Have you seen "Waiting for Guffman"? Go rent it. Go rent it now.

* The "Bridesmaids" stars. Gorgeous and funny. They didn't try too hard and were still absolutely hilarious. I so wanted Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo to win for best original screenplay. At least Dean Pelton from "Community" won (for adapted screenplay, for "The Descendants").

And now Kate's best dressed list, in no particular order:

Wendi McLendon-Covey, of "Bridesmaids." Gorgeous color. Loved the lace and bodice work. I always appreciate a dress that's super-feminine but not too frilly, not too simple.



Penelope Cruz: Wow. Penelope defines Hollywood glamour here. A color no one else was wearing -- I love blue-gray. I also love organza. A simple, off-the-shoulder gown by Giorgio Armani. An elegant train. Nothing frou-frou. Her hair and makeup are sheer perfection. I imagine she will be atop everyone's best-dressed list this year.



Natalie Portman: Red with black polka dots. Pinch me, because I must be dreaming. She's like a 1950s Barbie doll in vintage Dior. When she walked on stage, I said out loud (to my TV), "She looks stunning." She didn't overdo the makeup, like some actresses would have. It was perfectly executed. Excellent work, Natalie.



Robin Roberts of ABC's "Good Morning America." She was one of the first celebs I saw tonight. I thought she looked fabulous. That sparkly dress fits her like a dream, and she has the figure to pull it off. I adore that cowl-neck necklice. What a perfect choice.



The fashion faux pas ...

So glad that Robin didn't go the route of her TV-talk-show counterpart Nancy O'Dell. (Is it fair to lump journalist Robin Roberts into the same TV category as Nancy O'Dell? ... Nevermind.) This is one of my least-favorite gowns of the night.



Egad. The truth is, I would have LOVED Nancy's dress if it weren't canary yellow. It would've been gorgeous in a medium brown or ivory or a steel gray. Maybe even a copper.

OK, now what were your favorite parts? Your best (and worst) dressed?