Sadie-tails

I have been begging. Pleading. Trying. For almost a YEAR. And this morning she let me. She ripped out only one side the first go round. Then when I got them both in I whisked her to the mirror, and the whole family exclaimed for a good five minutes. Daddy grabbed the camera...





Suddenly she wanted her monkey. Badly...



All better...

before the purge.

The amount of things sitting on my 2'x3' nightstand is unbelievable. How everything has not fallen off is a miracle unto itself. Before I clear most of the things off, I decided to document. Think of me what you will...
{we'll start with my lamp from Target. when the disc-thingies sway to reveal the bare lightbulb you get blinded. but it allows me read all of these...}

books

*A Mercy - Toni Morrison {current library read}
*The Best American Non-Required Reading 2008 {also current library read, good for reading in short spurts.}
*The Bostonians - Henry James {brought this back from my parents house in November. NOVEMBER. have not read it.}
*Same Kind of Different As Me - Hall and Moore {amazing book. I read it in December. DECEMBER. It has not made it's way down to our bookshelves.}
*Number the Stars - Lois Lowry {a Newberry Winner that was one of my favorites as a child. Reread it in December. umm, why is it still here?}
*The Message
*The ESV Bible {I'm starting to look a little holy, huh?}
*Seams to Me - Anna Maria Horner {love her fabrics. love the book. have yet to do any of the projects.}
*Simple Sewing - Lotta Jansdotter {got this for Christmas. also drool over it. also have done nothing from it.}
*Treasuring God in Our Traditions - Noel Piper {a fabulous book that helped me guide my children through Advent. it will also be great resource for Easter and other traditional holidays; including birthdays!}
*Honey for a Child's Heart - Gladys Hunt {a MUST HAVE for any parent, future parent, educator, or someone who just loves books.}
*Last Child in the Woods - Richard Louv {a startling research about the current disconnect between children and nature. i think my copy has been sitting there for two years.}
*The Tale of Despereaux - Kate Dicamillo
*Elizabeth Goudge's {one of my dearest authors} Eliots of Damerosehay Trilogy. My favorite literary family of all time. I have them in separate, hardback vintage copies courtesy of my mother. I love them.
*Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ - Jeanne Guyon {an amazing book my church's Neighborhood Fellowship Group started about a year ago.}
*The Jane Austen Book Club - Karen Joy Fowler {yet another book read in December and begging to be shelved properly}
*Andy's baby book. I'm not really sure why currently housed there, but he was a very cute baby. And his mother was delightfully thorough in recording all kinds of milestones and Andy-isms. oh, let's have a look, shall we?

and if those teetering towers of books aren't enough, we move onto
miscellaneous. no really. Very miscellaneous.

*exactly ONE black leather Isotoner glove
*also ONE white sock with hearts encircling the ankle
*a pair of way cool earrings a friend brought me from Ethiopia
*a wooden bead necklace that Ella made
*a box of safety pins from my first consignment sale as a vendor {doesn't "vendor" sound so official?}
*a pad of paper from the Opryland Hotel
*a framed picture of Andy and me from our engagement photo shoot. it's one of my favorites ever.
*a framed picture of Ella during her first professional photo shoot as a three-month-old. chubby, bald and delicious.
*this picture
*and this one
*a couple of pens
*a journal
*another pair of earrings
*a baby monitor {because our sleepy-time noise machine is broken so we use the baby monitor to listen to Sadie's white noise machine. we are that addicted. and we do NOT need the monitor to hear Sadie when she's ready to get out of bed. I think our neighbors know when she wakes up}
*my cell phone {you know, just in case}
*Cetaphil moisturizing lotion {for the crackly winter}
*a guitar pick {not that I play the guitar.}
*a broken Sleeping Beauty Barbie necklace {like, for the actual Barbie. it's tiny. and I don't know why it's there.}
*half a roll of Lifesavers {I think Andy brought them home one day, and I had such an overwhelming excitement for a white one, he laid the roll there so I could have one. I don't remember when that was.}
*a recipe for Pumpkin Black Bean soup {seriously, why is it there? was this my bedtime story?}
*my handbook for an amazing marriage conference by this guy
*my "arsenal" {this is a pack of index cards with verses written exclusively about God's goodness. I used my parent's fatty Bible Concordance so I could get all the verses I could find. I've kept them by my bed for the last six years, and pull them out when I feel the especial need to tell Satan to get back where he came from}

Thus ends my list. Off to clean.

Wordless Wednesday

okay. so. I don't even know if these are the rules, but I'll play. I post a picture, and then you (my teaming throngs) get to write a caption. And don't worry, I won't be sad if no one plays. This is just a way for me to post this cause it makes me laugh.

sweet Ella on a blustery day

{This is a "wind ring" Ella made at preschool. She loves nothing more than to run her fastest as the colors stream behind. Not even four years old, her movements are graceful and fluid. Thoughtful, yet full of abandon. This is my daughter.}

Caldecott

Ahhh, books. It's a prevalent theme here, which is appropriate for it is a prevalent theme in my life! As a mother, I feel a particular responsibility (and overwhelming privilege) for introducing my children to a wide variety of literature. We have reached the perfect stage (in my mind) for Caldecott Medal books. Before they can read, I want their little minds to come alive through interesting and beautiful illustrations. And, I dare say, I am just as mesmerized as my children.

As we all know, I love the Nashville Public Library. I have my (super long) library PIN code memorized for when I request books. And for the past few months I've been working my way through the Caldecott Medal award and honor's list. I pick the ones that seem age-appropriate or are related to the current season (there are lots of great stories for the winter). I see which books the girls (or I) gravitate toward, and my hope is to one day own all the ones we absolutely love. In hardback. We have just a handful in our collection so far -either as gifts, or great deals online.

I am currently head over heels about Ox-Cart Man. In it, a nineteenth-century family grows and makes produce and goods all year that the man of the house puts in an ox-cart and takes to town in October. There, he sells everything (including the ox and cart), buys a few necessities, then walks home to start the year-long process over. I find it both inspiring and soothing. The book was published in 1979, which happens to be my birth year. I was thrilled to stumble upon a first-edition hardback (for less than $10 purchase and shipping)!

{this is the family making Maple syrup in the month of March}

I'm sure I'll write more about the others in our collection. And the ones we find ourselves borrowing again and again.

Ella is up from her nap, so we're off to adventure through 1954's winner, Madeline's Rescue!

here

Team O is still alive,


happy,


and crazy as ever,


I'm ready to be back.



{photos by Garett Buell}

november

Well, friends. There have been many moments between this post and the last where I've thought "Maybe I should write about this. Post a picture. Record in this modern annal the happenings of today." Obviously those moments did not find their way here, and I am okay with that. Maybe later we'll peek back.

But today. This day. I feel like I captured my children in their truest element. Their exuding joy and fullness of life. Their fashion sense. Their love for the outdoors, and for each other. They are just three-and-a-half and nearly two. Have I only had them for such a short time?

rear view

(insert required apologies for sporadic posting) These last few weeks of summer have kept the Osengas on the move. I plan to go back and start at the beginnings of our travels...but in perusing the photos of my last trip with the tiny ladies to the North Carolina coast, I noticed several taken from behind. I bundled them up in a little collection for you - you know, to stave off complete Osenglette withdrawal.










but how can I not include my favorite seafood shots...?





{photos snapped by me or my mammy}

cause they're cute

Andy's doing video updates for his new project over on his website. Yesterday he incorporated our children, and it's just too sweet not to share here.

muffins, lotta, and a green skirt

This morning the girls and I made blueberry muffins. Not from a package. For whatever (sad) reason we had not had flour and sugar in the cupboard for quite some time...and the other day I decided enough was enough. It was time to start baking again.

So today we did. Lots of muffins and messy mouths later, we are spending the morning reading books, doing puzzles, building with blocks, investigating our abacus, and hoping Sadie's fever subsides. Ella is eagerly awaiting her lunch date with Daddy, and I'm intermittently trying to stave off the (ongoing and dramatic) battle over who gets to cuddle with our stuffed Pat the Bunny.

I can't stop glancing up at my new purchase. At the first of the year, I saw it on Jenni's blog, and wanted to get it, but for some reason didn't. Well, the year is more than half over, but I would think about it from time to time, envisioning it on my wall. I headed over to Lotta Jansdotter's site last week, and saw that it was on sale (naturally, I suppose, considering the time of year). But I got it anyway. And it makes me feel cheery just looking at it.
{photo via Lotta's website}

I'm also wearing this skirt (except it's a fun, bright green). On the Gap website, it's on sale for $33 - but I found mine in the store for $11!! I've been wearing it the majority of the past two weeks that I've been its owner. There are so many things I love about this skirt! It's got the perfect flounce (without being frumpy). There are hidden pockets on the sides (so hidden that I didn't even discover them til my second time wearing it) that are perfect for my phone, because the pockets are deep enough to keep my phone secure, AND it helps me actually find my phone when I need it (instead of it sitting on the clothes dryer for 4 hours like it did yesterday). And the fun, girly part is that the top layer swirls up something akin to blooming petals as I bound down stairs.

{photo via Gap website}

snapshot Sadie

I recently scurried after Sadie with my camera, to capture her last days as an 18-month-old. Here's a bit of what we came up with.

the littlest mermaids

In keeping with the video theme, here's a little clip of the girls in their truest element. Ella singing ("Ariel songs") and dancing very earnestly, and Sadie trying her best to keep up.



{video by Nana}

here we are

Andy's side of the family started a family blog where we can all post and keep up with each other. His brother and sister-in-law spent two weeks in Hawaii, and posted a video of their digs. And pictures of the crater where they snorkeled (the same place Andy and I snorkeled on our honeymoon...this bit of info comes in handy later). Andy and I decided to respond with what we were up to.

I meant to post this when we filmed it because, well, it's just that riveting. And because we've actually been doing lots of fun things in the interim. But Andy has all the pictures on his computer, and I get mean letters in the mail if I post without pictures.

So. Without further ado, I give you Andy and Alison having absolutely nothing to say.

tweet tweet

I just joined Twitter. I haven't quite mastered it, but it's up and running in my sidebar. So for all of you dying to know even more of my random thoughts/what we're up to, check it out!

on loan

My love for the library is strong and true. The girls and I attended the Main Branch's famous story hour this past week, and afterward browsed the children's section. This, of course, meant that I racked my brain as to what great children's book I had been wanting to get, but dangit, I just can't remember right now...while Ella performed a puppet show (which really meant her holding puppets and singing "Who's ready for the puppet shooooooooooow??")... and Sadie flitted from one spot to the next, landing in the middle of the floor and flipping through all eight copies of the same Christmas book.

As I was collecting children, bags and books, one book caught my eye. It had obviously been left behind by another browser, so I picked it up and added it to our pile. I'm so glad I did. We All Went On Safari: A Counting Journey through Tanzania is a beautifully illustrated book that gives a surprisingly in-depth look to the Massai people of Tanzania, the country's animals and grasslands. You can even learn names and numbers in Swahili! The first read through, I was unsure of the pronunciations of some of the names, but the back of the book has pronunciation guides and additional facts about the inhabitants of Tanzania.

This book prompted the first lesson on our new globe that actually took us out of the United States! I highly recommend this read not just for families with children learning to count, but anyone who wants to know a bit more about another part of our world. We have read it through many times, and it's one of those books that may find a permanent spot in the Osenga library.

reaction

I LOVE the Nashville Public Library system. There are so many reasons why, and I intend to write a post about them all. But now - right now - I only have time for a quick lament.

Friday is when the library sends out circulation notices - a friendly little e-mail telling me that the book I have requested is available for pick-up at the closest branch. And Friday is when that branch is closed. So I get all excited, only to remember that I have to wait a whole, entire day to retrieve the book.

It's Friday, and I just got the e-mail.

when you're sliding into first...

...and you feel something squirt

{Addendum - at the beginning. I have interspersed some new information. Look around. It's like Where's Waldo, except with words.}

No fun, right? Well, the runny rounds were made in the family last week. "Why does she share this personal and rather revolting information?" you may ask?? Because I have some information that I feel might help fellow sufferers (or the parents of the sufferers).

It could be common knowledge that there are a few foods that are especially good to have on the menu during these times. A friend of my mom's passed along the acronym BRAT. This stands for Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and T beans. huh? (The only correlation I came up with was T=toot=beans, but this still is a weak argument to me) ** Thanks to the fine and helpful ladies who commented, I have learned that the T stands for Toast. NOT BEANS. Good thing I've been feeding my child beans Daily for the past week. But not tomorrow. No sirree. **

After a call to the doctor's office, and the confirmation that toddlers hang on to this messy business for sometimes a couple of weeks, the nurse also added Yogurt to the list of stopper-uppers. Yogurt has probiotics, which basically put good bacteria into your system. My children especially enjoy these.

So. Armed with my ** new and correct ** list of foods and exceptional brain power, I came up with a new acronym. BARTY: Bananas, Applesauce, Rice, Toast, Yogurt.

Use this information, my friends. Use it well.

my people

{I've heard some murmurings from the viewership that I haven't posted enough pictures for all two of your likings. So without further ado, I present my offspring. And their father.}