Mom-me through eyes of a 10 year old...and a 7 year old...

Polly is one of my heroes--and she had this list of question on her blog, with honest answers from her darling daughter--so copycat me, here are Sam's answers:


1. What is something mom always says to you? "How are you?"

2. What makes mom happy? "When we treat each other kindly."

3. What makes mom sad? "When we don't respect each other."

4. How does your mom make you laugh? "Ugh. That's a hard one."

5. What was your mom like as a child? "I never knew."

6. How old is your mom? "Ahh, 41."

7. How tall is your mom? "Almost as tall as me."

8. What is her favorite thing to do? "She likes to sew."

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? "She usually gets the place ready for people that are coming over."

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? "For sewing."

11. What is your mom good at? "Sewing."

12. What is your mom not very good at? "Homework."

13. What does your mom do for her job? "Do you have a job?"

14. What is your mom's favorite food? "I don't know. My favorite food is hamburgers, hotdogs, and s'mores."

15. What makes you proud of your mom? "When she does something good like help us at doing things."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "A mom."

17. What do you and your mom do together? "Sometimes clean my room, cook dinner, help each other."

18. How are you and your mom the same? "We like to play in the water."

19. How are you and your mom different? "I don't like to sew but I like to play."

20. How do you know your mom loves you? "Because she cooks for us, cares for us, she picks us up all the time and talks to us."

21. What does your mom like most about your dad? "He buys food for you to cook!"

22. Where is your moms favorite place to go? "I don't know, but mine is Cactus Willie's!"






here are Roxie's answers:

1. What is something mom always says to you? "There's nothing you usually say to me, well, putting away clean laundry."

2. What makes mom happy? "When we're doing things you want us to."

3. What makes mom sad? "When we are fighting."

4. How does your mom make you laugh? "She tells me funny stories about her childhood."

5. What was your mom like as a child? "You lived somewhere in Utah!"

6. How old is your mom? "Ohh, this is a hard one. I think 41, 40 or 39."

7. How tall is your mom? "Probably 7 or 8 feet tall."

8. What is her favorite thing to do? "Hmm. Sew and paint."

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? "She does all of her work, peacefully."

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? "Painting."

11. What is your mom good at? "Painting and sewing."

12. What is your mom not very good at? "Playing computer games!"

13. What does your mom do for her job? "Paint for people, murals."

14. What is your mom's favorite food? "Chicken."

15. What makes you proud of your mom? "That she cooks most of the dinners."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "Jerry from Tom & Jerry."

17. What do you and your mom do together? "On our own? Hmm. Sometimes talking with each other."

18. How are you and your mom the same? "We both want long hair and we both have the last name Landbeck. We both are in the upstairs. "

19. How are you and your mom different? "You have glasses and I don't."

20. How do you know your mom loves you? "She cooks dinner for me."

21. What does your mom like most about your dad? "When he goes on dates with you..."

22. Where is your moms favorite place to go? "Italian Sensations restaurant, where us three went..."

For the record, I am young at heart, slightly older in other places, and thankful my children see me as younger and taller than I actually am!

Depends on which way you look at it...

If you read the links to other blogs, my brother-by-marriage Roger is voting for Obama. My conservative, very conservative brother. One I hold in high esteem and really respect his opinions. I've been trying to look at what he said and think about the whys.

The topsy-turvy feelings made me think of another old (class of 1984, Highland High)high school era painting, currently in Roxie's room.

This is the direction I painted this oil, standing on one end, curves up and down the center. Loved the deep scarlet flaming up and down, contrast of warm and cool colors one of my favorite juxtaposition eye-candy in art...
My art teacher turned my painting horizontally and said, "Fjord!" As in landscape, no longer just sensuous curves.

I try to turn things around, "on their ear" all the time now. Just to see it anew. New perspective, new eyes, new horizon. Ahh, but I get comfortable and forget. Start seeing things permanently one direction.

My goal is to open my political eyes wider and look some more. I will stop assuming I know what I already feel and be done. I'll step back and investigate a little more. I will stop thinking my choice is already made.

One of my weaknesses is wanting to be an authority on things--anything, dumb little things even. I don't like to be wrong, or be caught not knowing something if I am asked.

Right now I don't know who I am going to vote for. And I thought I did.

Family Tree

Ikea had these great wooden hearts painted red--a Christmas decoration. I bought them when they went on clearance and permanent black Sharpi-ed all our family names, my side and husband's, parents on front, children on back, spouses added with a big + sign. They hung on our Christmas tree one year, and then I didn't want to put them away all year and zip-tied them to...can you guess?
Crib rails! I saved the head board and foot board--future art projects. They were too cool to throw away, even after we knew for certain all our kids were here, born and bodied. On St. Patrick's Day I painted the downstairs hallway bright green, and then hung up the crib rails (the kids all helped paint them before Samuel was born. I had given away our crib after Suzanna, thinking we were done. Someone gave us an old, old crib that needed help, and I let the kids attack with pure color! I see them as art, have hung the rails different directions, sometimes they look like ladders, other times jail bars. Front and backs are different, so they can rotate...

Why Baltimore?

When people ask where we are from, we say Baltimore, and if they want specifics, then we give details. But it is the biggest closest city. And I love this city! John's grandpa Stewart used to drive me downtown to doctor appointments. Not his, mine. He knew the back roads to take. The shortcuts. I was unable to drive myself, too sick. After dreading food, (associate every time you eat with needing to immediately go running to the bathroom and it gets gross quickly)for months, Grandpa Stewart showed me something wonderful in his hometown. He was born in this city, grew up in Pig Town. Where they really did run pigs to the slaughterhouse. He showed me his favorite things, and they became mine.

So every time I need to go downtown, I think of him. JSL the first.

This is JSL the 3rd. When I first met him and figured out his full name I thought that was so weird. I didn't know any generational guys, (except Joseph Smith, Jr) and I was sure that I wouldn't want to pass on a generational name. But that was before I met all the JSLs, including a son with the same name, now. I wouldn't live here if not for this smile, these blue eyes...
This is MY tower, Bromo Seltzer landmark tower.
This is MY hospital. University of Maryland. Love the fact that student doctors are all over you, researching, helping, learning, asking great questions, checking up on you all day. And so earnest and sincere, and talented.
Student Dr. Halsey (no relation to Harford County)me and Dr. Bruce Greenwald (I think he looks like a young/clean Bob Saget). Met him through a drug test 12 years ago and kept him as my GI doctor.
Free advertising plug for the BEST sandwhiches I have ever had. Ever.
Inside. The oldest workers all knew Grandpa Stewart by name. Grandpa Stewart taught me how to order, how to maintain eye contact, how to ask for it right. The only way, according to him.
Order a "regular"=corned beef on rye, mustard, pickle. I bring home one for Billie every time I go, honoring her deceased husband and what he shared with me about great old Baltimore, beautiful city.

Last Thing You SEE before you go to SLEEP?

How much of what you see last, before you turn out the lights, influences your dreams and thoughts during the night? Have you surrounded yourself with things you love, things that remind you of who you are or want to be? Here is a quick tour of our tiny master bedroom (we took the smallest room because it was attatched to a bathroom!)
Painting by my mom. Love these colors, and the image reminds me to not be so independent, that I am NOT alone, ever, like that lonely tree, clinging to the cliffs. But that I am strong, tenacious, holding on to good things.
John's side of bed. I love our marriage photo, standing right outside the Salt Lake Temple, looking very contemplative, serious, and oh, so in LOVE!

20 years ago high school painting of old lady feeding pigeons--like in "Mary Poppins." This is on my side of the bed.

Fallingwater Adventure

  This is the view most people have seen of Fallingwater, cantilevered house over waterfall, built by Frank Lloyd Wright for Kaufmann family from Pittsburgh as a retreat, away from the polluted city (on land that was originally a Masonic camp, with cabins, no electricity, a place to escape the city).
  I paid for the big deal tour, and could take photos, but cannot post any on internet of interior---which I would love to do but will respect. House is owned by a private nature conservatory group. The Kaufmanns only son gave it to them with the intent of it being publically toured and the land preserved carefully. It is in a beautiful setting.
  The guest house pool...which I would love in my backyard.
  Another exterior view near guest house, notice cement arbor. Color is same that Wright designed, a pale peach, looks good with all the green.

Rhododenrons cover the mountainside. The sound of the falls is beautiful in the background. Nice trees. Low ceilings, lots of emphasis on horizontal. Toilets lower than normal, really lower, sunk so just inches from floor...Kaufmann Junior had heard that was better for your bowel health, to squat more....cork lined bathrooms--all the walls and floors. Excellent lighting everywhere. I loved the recessed lights in the bedroom, the change of ceiling height forcing your view outward, no curtains, TINY bedrooms but felt open because of the windows; low couches, big enough to sleep on, many colored pillows in ethnic fabrics. Focus on fireplace. Shelves, shelves everywhere. Books going up stairs on shelves built into walls. Old-fashioned ugly yellow kitchen. Original Aga stove was missing, but you could see where the stone had been cut away to fit it. Amazing artwork. Low balcony cement railing--not a good place for toddlers. I was nervous right next to the edge! Besides that one detail, I would have loved to move right in. Very peaceful, relaxing.

Southwestern PA adventure

Signs of the times. Corn maze entrance.
From the highway it looked like the house right out of Psycho. I got off the next exit and back-tracked to find--a haunted house, a real one, under construction getting ready for Halloween.