It was a heart break for both Eva and Jill to not live so close to each other. Eva does not remember a time when they were not friends. They met when they were three. I have photos of them dressed in their Madeline costumes selling lemonade in the front yard.  It is amazing how close these two girls are and probably always will be. Their friendship has survived not only our move, but the test of middle school. Now they are both 14, starting high school in the fall and IN LOVE with Justin Bieber. Susie and I gave the girls the tickets as a gift for their 8th grade graduation. We took them out to dinner first and while they went into the concert to watch the opening acts we waited in line to buy T-shirts. I enjoyed spoiling my daughter this way. I used to worry that she was the neglected middle child … but not anymore. As we were leaving the concert, (after 3 1/2 hours of shrieking and squealing) Eva put her arms around me, squeezed me hard and proclaimed, “This was the greatest night of my life. Thanks, Mom.” I swooned with Mommy glee.

In the meantime, the girls have been cooking up a storm. They have made dinner the last two nights and are enjoying thumbing through my cookbooks looking for new recipes to try. Then they go to the store to get the ingredients. They shop, the cook and clean up afterward. Here some photos of their recent masterpieces, lemon cake with marzipan frosting, homemade pizza and potato eggplant curry.

The kids were still asleep at noon today  when I left the house to go get my hair done. When I returned two hours later, Paul had put all of them to work  in the yard. In his words he had “organized his work crew.” They were weeding, removing mulch and cleaning out flower beds. Surprisingly, they were fairly good natured about it. When they were finished, the yard looked great. I made them some lunch and all  five kids sat at the kitchen counter eating, talking and laughing. They were working together, cooperating and seeming to have a good time as well. They were taking pride in their home which pleased me immensely.

This put me in a nesting mood so I made some soup. Paul cleaned out the freezer last night and found a ham bone stashed inside and I hunted around in the back of the cupboard for some dried beans I knew were in there. I threw it all  in a pot of water and let it simmer all afternoon and the smells are still wafting through the house. Yum.

Later in the evening, I asked Sophia if she would like to make brownies with me and she replied, “How about we make Mud Puddle cake instead?”  Great suggestion since Mud Puddle cake is much less fattening and super easy to make. I used to make it all the time when my girls were small because you can mix all the ingredients in one pan and the kids can stir ’til their hearts are content. It’s dairy free too. For a recipe of my Muddle Puddle cake click on my Just Imaginate blog. (Scroll down the page, it’s the 5th recipe down.)

I better go check and see if it’s ready.

One day this past week, when Eva and I were alone in the car, I told her how proud  I was of her for how she managed to survive middle school with dignity and grace. She didn’t become a mean girl, dress like a tramp or become a pot head (like many kids did). She nodded knowingly and thanked me,  but I am not sure she realizes yet the full magnitude of her achievement. Eva has made good choices and being able to have the courage and good sense to do so is the foundation for lifelong happiness and success.

I wish my Eva and her classmates, the 8th grade graduation class of 2010, much happiness and success in high school and beyond.

I know many people’s reaction to crime is to build more prisons. It’s all about punishment and I agree, there are dire consequences for those who commit these heinous acts. An angry group of protestors has already been formed in response whose very name is suggestive of  retaliation. Although this group’s fears and feelings are understandable, fighting back in this way will only fan the combative flames and prolong the conflict. These crimes need to be prevented in the first place and the solution is education and awareness. That is why my 17-year-old daughter, Sophia and a few dozen of her classmates have formed a peace activist group called Peace on the Streets. Their aim to promote peace and to spread the word that violence never solved anything. Sophia and a few other members were part of a panel discussion on community TV last night and I could not have been more proud of her. If you are interested in learning more please visit their Facebook page. It is open to the public. You do not have to have a Facebook account to visit. You may also learn more by reading the Peace on the Streets blog.

I don’t think Eva was all that impressed with her awards (she was very self-effacing about them) but I was sure proud of her. She is an amazingly creative child. She will spend hours alone in her room making up dance routines that she then videotapes and makes into movies. I think she has a career ahead of her in the creative arts.

June 4th Ian and his band, Dirty Penny, will  perform a benefit concert for Haiti at The Catalyst. Sophia’s Red Cross club at her high school organized it. Her friends just about died when they found out Jonny Prynce was our tenant. They were like, “You  know him!!??” I think I’ll send him a bottle of champagne back stage because in my heart and mind, Ian/Jonny is a real star. Download his latest album on iTunes.