Pretty Fingers and Toes!

 My nails are currently not lacquered, but the lovely Kenia and my favourite Nurse Anna have prettier fingers  (June 6th) and toes (June 27th) than I do.  The shoemaker probably has no shoes..... the programmer has the lamest computer..... and the nail artist goes around with nails unpainted.  Worry not! I make up for it by not always cleaning up around the edges of their nails.

Lady with no Baby but a Husband, a Dog and a Kitten

Anna was driving me to the hospital with baby Christopher Angel in my arms looking up at me with the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. Big. Brown. I melt. He smelled so beautiful, he was perfect...he giggled and said "Mamah". Apparently I needed urgent medical attention.  Anna was driving like a maniac....cutting through parks and driving up steps - yes, steps!  But I was ok.  The world was chaos around me, overtaking cars and fast traffic in a big city.  Rush, rush, rush, Emergency! But I had the most beautiful baby in my arms smiling up at me and he was mine.... all mine......until I woke up.

 It was all a dream.  There is no Christopher Angel.  There was no emergency.  Anna wasn't driving like a maniac.  Here I am. Just me.  A lady with no baby lying next to my husband at 6:00 in the morning.  "There is no baby." I thought to myself.  "No baby.  Husband, dog, but no baby". 

My oh my! This lady has a baby on the brain. For the time being, a kitten must suffice. That being said, the sweet melody of one of my favourite comedy characters come to mind:

Soft kitty.
Warm kitty.
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty.
Sleepy kitty.
Purr, purr, purr.

Fritz the Dog

Fritz was a puppy but now he's a dog.
Bouncy and happy and chews on large logs.
He chews on steel rods and on leaves and on pens.
He's scared of the Rooster and the barbed wire fence.

Fritz is a dog who thinks he's a boy.
A boy with four legs and the strangest of toys.
He naps on his back with his legs air
And sits in the grass with a Regal-like flare.

In the morning he waits for his Martin to rise.
If his Martin is late, he howls and he cries.
He swims in the river and plays with much mirth.
He swims with his Martin, his dearest on Earth.

His least favorite thing, he must do most everyday:
Watch his Martin leave for work when he wants to play.
But Martin comes back and even just for a while
He throws Fritz a stick and he runs with a smile.

Fritz loves to chase squirrels to the top of the trees.
Running and jumping all day in the breeze.
He loves to chase cows even though he should not.
But his Martin says "Nay" and then he just stops.

And at night when it's dark and his Martin's asleep,
He sleeps on the porch and he dreams up a heap.
He dreams of his Martin, the river and sticks
The mechanics of doing a front aerial flip.

Fritz was a puppy but now he's a dog.
He doesn't quite know it but he's the best dog of all.

I wanna write story books when I grow up!

It all started out of pure fun.   I was sitting in my little sister-in-law's room teasing her about being an oop (monkey)......so I folded some paper together, borrowed her pencil crayons and drew up a quick book with all the Low German words I knew.  The rest is history.  So now, in an effort to keep my sanity, I've decided to embark on a brand new hobby: writing, illustrating, arranging and constructing my own hard cover story books.

With the stories and concepts I've made so far out of fun, I've started my first real book-in-progress as a gift for my two-year-old niece.  How many kids can say "I have a story book about me"?

Here's a list of concepts I have lined up and the progress I've made on them.  I've separated them into series.

Teach Your Child Plattdeutch Series
A series of books with simple sentences that use Low German words to get your child started on learning a new language.

       1.  Kenia the Oop

• Kenia is a monkey who eats bananas, sleeps and grows.  The sentences are simple and contain one Low German word with an illustration for the word.
• Inspired by my little sister Kenia....the real Oop. 
• Complete but needs to be edited (German phonetics) and digitized.
• Images need enhancement.

      2.  Wasani and the Hose

• Wasani is a little boy who goes on an adventure on his Grandpa's farm and befriends a rabbit (hose).
• Inspired by my nephew Mandel (mostly known as Wasani)
• Cover concept completed.
• Needs to be digitized.
• Storyline needs completion

The Best Dog of All: Fritz Series
A series of books inspired by my dog, Fritz.

        1.  A Puppy Named Fritzy

• Fritzy is my puppy and best friend during the first 9 months of being married.  I stayed at home without kids so Fritz was my baby during that time.  It's a story of appreciation for a loyal friend.
• Story complete.
• Illustrations left.

       2.  Fritz the Dog

• Fitz is much older and spends a lot of time with his Martin.  This was written after waking up to our dear friend having a seizure on the porch.  It was a scary night for our little family....we thought we would lose him.
• Story complete
• Illustrations left.

Other Children's Books

1. The Mootz that Scootz

• Mootz is a baby girl with big blue eyes and very little hair.  She turned one with no teeth and hadn't learned how to walk - but she scooted everywhere.....fast!
• Inspired by my niece Ariella - the real Mootz.
• Story & Illustrations complete.
• Digitized.
• Printing and Hardcover binding left for completion.

Upcoming concepts are stories/series that may include:

• The Adventures of Nurse Anna.
• Sweet Princess Gyal 

As I progress with each project I'll be posting updates on them.   I'd like to think of it as a way to keep myself motivated to finish them all.   I just hope I can keep this up and write stories about my own kids when they come around....... until then, I've got all of the above to keep me busy.