A Tale of Two Sisters

Saturday, December 29, 2012

All Of This And Nothing

I am not without shame, I put , or let me say I try to put my kids toys on Ebay.

I bought a ton of cool stuff for Jiejie from the Doll Hospital. I bought Beanie Babies?????, Muffy Vanderbears, Madame Alexanders.

For Mimi I bought Blythe , Dawn dolls and Sonny and Cher, all with the intent of selling them on Ebay????.
Whenever anyone said,"Dont take them out of the box" "They will be valuable someday"
 I usually said nope , "They will just play with it".
I recently, went into the Ebay world to sell a ton of stuff that was building up in my basement.
My dear friend was enthusiastic about helping me out. She had an Ebay shop, she knew the business.
I told her that I was reluctantly selling a modern dollhouse that I had bought for Terry?Just before Mimi came home from China.

I also listed a fur.
The fur sold for probably five times what I had expected, delivered promptly.
The abuse then began.
"My fur wasn't odor free", "My fur had wear", "My fur wasn't sent "UPS fur storage?"

I felt terribly about my friend suffering so much Ebay and email abuse from someone.  I told my friend to let the coat go for free. I wanted her to keep her 100% rating, I felt responsible.
I got a call from USPS, my coat is back, my friend has a 99.6% rating on Ebay.
I wrote a letter.
 Dear Ms. Dominique,
You have just bid upon, spent moments of your life obtaining a fur jacket.
Let me tell you a little story;

My grandmother was given this fur jacket as a gift by my grandfather John Dean. His family owned a small business in Pontiac MI.
The fur jacket was a dear gift  to my grandmother and lent out to  my aunts, only on special occasions.

My mother (who was the most attractive of the three), was asked to a Dance. My mom was seventeen years old and needed to be dressed accordingly for the occassion .

My grandma loaned her the jacket,with of course , the caution of taking care of it.
My mother was at a dance at Cranbrook Manor, with a Saarinen boy.

Years later, at Christmas time, I was standing at the front of the tree, giving out presents to my children. I made it a tradition to wear my grandmas mink by the tree.Considering its historical significance , why wouldn't you?
I reached in a little secret pocket and there were fifty dollars.
My mind raced? so did my sisters(I have four) what could have happened?
My mother would never tell.
In an effort to rid my mother of the question, I thought that I might put it on Ebay.
I asked a sweet friend to do it and she  took a chance for me

I find it unusual how people treat one another and what people think is valuable.
Regards,
Julianne

I am shameless and never going back to sell on Ebay. (for now).
The dollhouse didn't sell. 





Friday, December 21, 2012

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

" Now Is The Start" by A Fine Frenzy is a song placed  with brilliant piece of editing of classic Hollywood films, to appeal to the younger set.

Over the last weeks I have had the extreme pleasure of watching films with my girls.
I don't always get the most desired responses for the movies I love.

Mimi doesn't like how Beth's face looks when she cries in "Little Women" and Jie Jie couldn't get through "Little Women" ... a whole lot of cryin.

Note to self, next year, leave out "Little Women" even the new one with Batman.

JieJie, Bill and I watched " Love Actually" which also makes us cry, but in a good way.

My nephew Bob is coming to stay with us and his favorite Christmas song is " Christmas Is Around Us"I really look forward to hearing him sing it around the house constantly for 4 or 5 days.
He is also responsible for making this brilliant gem of a film about my house during the Holidays. I repost it yet again.







Thursday, November 29, 2012

Stop Me If You Think Youve Heard This One Before

I knew that my passion for music would leak onto Mimi eventually.
Paulina was the president of her middle school rock band club. She did a report on Ella Fitzgerald in the second grade.

I think that Mimi takes it to a new height. She wears her Wilco and White Stripes shirts to school every day. Her latest fixation is/are"The Smiths"
She loves "The Smiths", a brilliant band, but for an 8 year old? She doesn't listen to "One Direction" or Justin, which is more than fine.
But the Smiths? Morrisey ?  at 8 she recites the lyrics to me and I want to weep.
putting on lashes to be Cher for Halloween(fake hair)
"If a double Decker bus crashes into us . to die by your side is a pleasure the privilege,is mine". I loved it as a teen , but heck.
The best bit is that she thinks Morrisey looks exactly like Mitt.


Monday, October 1, 2012

Somewhere Between

I follow a blog called "And Babies Make Four", it is a blog written by a mother of twins who were adopted at the same time as Mimi and they are from the same orphanage.
 I have been following her  very creative and amazing blog since our girls were babies and she just posted a link to a documentary that follows the life of four adopted Chinese teenage girls over a three year span. The filmmaker is also an adoptive parent.
 I am very anxious to see it.
http://www.somewherebetweenmovie.com/


Monday, September 10, 2012

I Could Write A Book

I have an assignment from Mimi's third grade teacher to write a 1000 word essay, telling her about Mimi.

I am working it out here:
 Dear Mrs. Murphy,
I think that I can give you an idea of Mimi. I think an example of who she is could be her first grade year with Ms. Simon.
Ms. Simon had a huge influence on Mimi. Mimi proudly credits Ms Simon for teaching her how to read.

Mimi, at the beginning of her first grade year decided to ditch the name Mimi(five years in) to be called Mary.

Mimi's true name is Mary Margaret Yu Bao Sipes. This is a very large name to carry but she was named for many Mary's and Margaret's and Mary Margaret's on both sides of our family.Yu Bao is her given Chinese name.

So in her first grade year she decided to be Mary....her assignments, folders , labels  signed Mary.She wouldn't respond unless we used Mary.

Burton followed suit, but the family and friends were kind of slow to adjust, tried as we might , we couldn't make the jump.
The general public would say,"She's a Mimi, it's so hard to imagine it any other way ."

Mimi kept on being Mary for the school year and then eventually, with some hesitation, eased back in to her Mimi brand.


Mimi is strong, and stalwart . She is self reliant, but also cares a great deal about what is thought of her. Perfectionism keeps her from trying some things.

She doesn't like being told how beautiful she is.
When she stays in hotels, she immediately calls housekeeping and orders more towels and a wake up call.

She  tries to be in the background. Being in that place, she listens and takes in everything and keeps it in the back of her mind for future use.

Mimi loves routine and at times can be cynical. She is extremely agile,  centered and artistic. She loves painting, pottery, sewing and has a definite illustrative style.
Mimi loves noodles, rice, eggs and fish 
Mimi claims to not be a reader, but adores Archie comic books.

Mimi is resourceful. We often joke that she could easily be the winner on "Survivor". She has a innate  sense of direction.

Mimi is very inquisitive and wants to be told the truth. She is a homebody.

She loves music, mostly Adele, some Gershwin and a bit of Bieber thrown in.

She loves to be scared. She often jumps out from closets and behind doors to catch us off guard.
If she needs something, she will tell you. She has beautiful manners.

Mimi studies ballet and gymnastics.
She has a beloved dog named Zelda.

She wants to be a peer pal.
She is glorious.
We invite you to check out our life at mimiandjiejie.blogspot.com or Google "Sleep Warm In Your Fur"

 




Monday, September 3, 2012

Make Summer Last Forever

Today is our last official day.
Arts Beats and Eats, from the top of the Ferris Wheel

Last official late morning snuggle time
How will we spend it? Probably doing a whole lot of nothing. What a great summer it was, too fast.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Someone Somewhere In Summertime

We've been away, I would say that we have been away for most of the summer.

American Girl store Chicago

Disney week with Grandma and Aunties


Disney

Saugatuck

Home

Jefferson in Charlevoix

Greenfield Village

Malibu

Los Angeles
Our New Pharmacy



 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Nothing But Flowers

The girls made a project gleaned from the blog Rookie

We used dollar store items and knickknacks from Mimi's treasure stash


Friday, June 8, 2012

Summertime

Summer has unofficially arrived and we have been basking.

Between a Phillips girls vacation to Disney(more photos to come), a giant garage sale, and gardening and motor city chicks and end of school activities we have been moving.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of my control, my Ladies of Downton are leaving for a farm in Goodrich on Sunday.

Mimi working on her extensive Fairy garden


Our Ladies, a few weeks back, they grow like sea monkeys
We have so enjoyed watching them grow into gorgeous young women and I know that they will be happy with lots of land to roam.
 



Thursday, May 17, 2012

Last dance continued





When I graduated from high school, I was asked to sing  at commencements. I sang"Out Here On My Own". I was completely inspired by Miss Donna. (I think Irene was too). written by Leslie"Its My Party and I'll Cry If I want To" Gore
Mimi prefers the Glee version.

Last Dance

Why would an eighth grader own this?

The Weight



When Levon passed away, I was feeling the typical sad, troubled music lover. I always feel, as I do with
my passions of screen... .OK who's up next? who is going to replace this immense talent, this nuance, this person?


I used to tell Jiejie the story of how my friend Peg and I would run to the "Norwest"  theater in Detroit to see "The Last Waltz" every weekend, all performances, for the entire run.
We were two stoic catholic school eighth grade girls, sitting in an empty theater to watch The Band.
There was a teeny store on the way that would sell us cigarettes and a six of beer for a little extra money.
We would settle in and watch for hours. I think that was our first live concert.
 I did have my propensity for Eric Clapton, but we both agreed that Robbie Robertson was amazing.
Peg's brother would pick us up from the theater and we would finish the night at Peg's house  with the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players".

When Jiej and Gabe were in high school they would watch the dvd version of the movie over and over, fast forwarding, freeze framing.
Peg and I would have truly appreciated this feature(accept the lack of beer and cigarettes).
We would have totally skipped over Neil Diamond.



 




Superstar

In the past month,we  have been scampering, eating, gardening and raising our Ladies of Downton.

Spring has been ridiculously beautiful and we have been enjoying the spoils.
We have also suffered a lot of loss.
 Aunt Julie lost her sister to brain cancer and she has been healing and taking the helm for  Mimi making me an amazing mother's day night gown.

I think that it may go down in legend that I will be the crazy lady in her nightie, because I can not take this thing off.

You may drive down Woodward or see me in Holiday Market in this beautifully sewn nightgown.
I will post pictures soon, after I wash the tears off.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Bushel And A Peck

The babies have arrived. Our new chicks, Lavinia,Daisy and Violet arrived unscathed to our post office two weeks ago. I received a phone call from a bewildered post office worker. "Mrs Sipes, you have received a package, and it peeps?"

I ran like an expectant parent to the post office, knowing that the little babies needed food , water and heat immediately

I got to our local post only to find a line a mile long for me to wait in(Tax Day). I anxiously stood at the end of the line.
A woman emerged from the back room with a small cardboard box.

"There is a lady named Jules, coming to pick up this box. They are chickens!"" I'm not sure if they are alive now, I don't here anything." The bewildered worker said this and began shaking my tiny box .
I absentmindedly screeched out"Those are my chicks". I then somewhat collected myself and took my place back in line.
 The line parted with some murmuring about how strange this was. I signed for my babies and turned to leave. A man in the next line turned to me and said"Congratulations, Good Luck". I said thank you and something about how I hope my neighbors don't call the cops.  I ran out the door clutching my day old hatch-lings.

I nervously drove the box home, buckled into the front seat. I started talking to them and they began to peep wildly(can you blame them?).

They are growing like sea monkeys and we are enthralled with their crazy antics.

Zelda is not so excited. They presently live in their brooder in the laundry room. As I descend the stairs I use my chicken voice(really I think its just my animal voice). They begin to peep and search for me. Zelda runs down the basement stairs in complete disbelief that I would use that voice for anyone but her.

                            Zelda frightened the poor little baby(we are getting rid of this rug)

Ladies of Downton Abbey

Miss Violet

Miss Daisy
Mimi is a very responsible chick owner, helping with the daily routine and cradling and cuddling them so that they are used to human contact.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Who Are The Mystery Girls?




In less than a week, the Sipes family will own four chicks.
Our friends in Royal Oak will be housing them, in their adult phase... but our chicks will be arriving this Tuesday. They will live in a brood in our laundry room until they are eight weeks old.
I have read books, and blogs, consulted with my fellow chicken owner and we have decided one thing.

They are super cute weensy babies.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter

Back when Mimi was a baby we delved into egg coloring.
How alarmed was I when she put one of the Paas pellets in her mouth(thinking it was candy)?
Roxanne and Ali are in the back of this shot loving it.


Oh my, how far we we have come.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Swingtime In Springtime

Spring is upon us and I must have been basking in its glory to the point of not blogging since March 16.

I have recently been hyper aware of the fact that I have been so preoccupied with photographing moments(and not that well, by the way), that I am actually missing the moments.

The other day I took Mimi to see the Titanic exhibit at the Henry Ford. I had accidentally left my phone in the car and I was so disappointed that I wouldn't be able to chronicle the trip.
I then slapped myself and thoroughly threw myself into the experience.


Here are a few photos I captured during the past weeks.

Mimi counting birthday party winnings in her rock star pants



A split second decision to repierce her ears herself. 

First day of Spring break

Mimi's latest interest, playing basketball(despite her teeny stature she is very good)Taken by Terry

Ever so carefully dying her Easter eggs









Friday, March 16, 2012

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

The other day my mom called and asked me to start planning a "girls" vacation to Disney World.
Zowie!

On that note, Mr Robert Sherman passed away recently. He was responsible(with his brother), for writing the soundtrack of my childhood.





Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Hey Ladies

Ok, my dream is about to come true. We are going to be chicken owners.

I must elaborate. We have friends in Royal Oak that have always wanted to have chickens and because Royal Oak allows chickens, we have decided to co parent a flock.

We are in the process of designing a coop and our ladies have been chosen and ordered, from My Pet Chicken.

Due to my current obsession with not only chickens but Downton Abbey. I have named all of our ladies after characters at Downton Abbey.

Just like Downton, some of the chickens are ornamental and some are just darn good egg layers.

Our coop is based on this one that we found on a very savvy bloggers site.
We(I mean I) couldn't be happier at the prospect of being an urban chicken owner.

Mimi, Luna, Kiki and I are taking full responsibility for the ladies. I am hoping that Terry and Stan will help in the coop building process.
our ladies, from left to right: Daisy, Lavinia,Anna Mae,Violet, and Elsie

These are our friends chicks
More details to follow.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Girl

JieJie called me yesterday afternoon to let me know that Davey Jones had passed away.

Immediately, I was taken back to my sisters and I back on Penrod on the Northwest side of Detroit, watching "The Monkees" and being totally enraptured by Davey Jones. My sister Suzanne had more of an affinity for Peter Tork, which we completely gave her grief about.

When we were adults, we were ushers for a live show based on the Brady Bunch series. The cast would recreate an episode of the Brady Bunch for a week, the script verbatim. The show was hilarious and we ushered through all four weeks.

One week, Suzanne and I were thrilled to find out that they were doing the episode when Marcia tries to get Davey Jones to perform at her prom. Every night we were filled with excitement at the thought of seeing Davey live, even if he was making fun of himself.
 
Over the years I witnessed Jie Jie crazy over Justin Timberlake, and Mimi get whisked away with the Justin Bieber phenomenon.

I guess there is nothing that compares to that first idol crush.






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