The days seem to zip by in a blur. I forgot what it was like to enjoy the moment. So I took a few days off work to catch my breath. Daisy is a young lady now. So keeping her entertained is more of a challenge when she was little and a nice foot bath did the trick.
I was going through some old photos today and ran across one from a couple of summers ago. Daisy was still in diapers and I probably had no idea then how quickly time was passing. Like most parents, we are so afraid we are going to forget her adorable mispronunciations and little cuteness, like the time when she walked toward a creek, smelling the beautiful flowers and saw some wild ducks floating by. Then, she did what any polite young lady would do and introduced herself to her new friends, “Hi. I Deezee.” She’s quite the backseat driver, too, often warning of impending dangers on the road ahead. “Tata, look out. It’s a river!” she says to my sister.
This morning, Shawn drove her to school and, although the right side of the street was clear, he could not park due to scheduled street cleaning. The other side of the street was packed with parked cars. So, around and around they went, up and down the streets, looking for a spot, at which point, his mini backseat driver declared, “Daddy, you’re not very good at this, are you?” Then, Shawn tried to explain to her why he was looking for another place to park and prompted the response, “Now you’re just making excuses.” 
In moments like this, one of us gives our blue-eyed beauty a li’l lecture about bad behavior, how to properly talk to adults, etc etc while the other, face buried in hands, tries really hard to giggle as quietly as humanly possible. I love everything about Daisy, even her wise-crack comments. Kids these days are so smart.
In our day, our parents propped us up in some corner and threw a toy at us. Nowadays, toddlers who can barely talk are using iPhones to watch their fav kiddie show. Daisy never disappoints to entertain and impress. She also has undeniably the cutest little feet. Of course, I am biased. Oh, those feet. How I love those little feet. They are on my desktop at work. Every time I minimize a window, I get another peek at them.
Sundays are lazy days. We like to go out for a breakfast treat or have something fancy at home, like buttery crepes or donuts made from scratch (Shawn’s latest specialty).
There is always a fresh pot of earl grey brewing on the stove.
Whatever we don’t drink goes into the garden to feed the gardenias and blueberry plants which love acidic soil.
I remember when Daisy was itty bitty. She was extra wiggly and bored out of her mind while we had a messy kitchen to clean up. Since our li’l beauty loves to play with water, I offered her a big bowl to play with her toys. Next thing I know, she had her feet in the water. So, we rolled with it. First, a bit of leftover tea and bath soap went into the water, followed by some flower petals and lavender oil. The tannins in black tea actually kill stinky bacteria. A few drops of precious orange blossom water also joined in, much to the wrath of the culinary gods, I’m sure. Hopefully they will forgive me.
Fragrant Black Tea Foot Soak
Supplies
Large stainless steel bowl (from cooking supply store)
Warm water
1/2 cup leftover brewed Earl Grey or 1 tea bag
1 squirt of shower/bath gel
2-3 drops lavender oil or orange blossom water
fresh flower petals
An impromptu luxurious foot soak, followed by a pedicure from Daddy is such a treat. A routine before bedtime for li’l tootsies on a chilly night is a fragrant foot spa at home, lovingly administered by Mommy and Daddy.
I sure do miss those precious days and those little chubby bare feet.
