Here are Andy and our niece Arden, doing ballet moves after Saturday's matinee performance of The Nutcracker at Keller Auditorium. It was Arden's first time at the ballet and she loved it. I recommend bringing your opera glasses if you go, because you will want to stare at those costumes. Gosh, they were so gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. The Snowflakes were just dreamy-dreamy-dreamy-dreamy. (And [oh yeah!] the dancing is magical, too.)
Dinner out afterward, and a trip to the special candy store to get some fancy candies for a future (maybe next week) graham-cracker gingerbread house. There were sparkly lights everywhere, lots of shoppers, bells jingling. Good old Christmastime-in-the-city stuff; I could've stayed for hours. Uncle Andy was beginning to complain about an upset stomach but soldiered on.
Until we got home. Arden and I turned on the Christmas lights, got into our cozy pajamas, made some hot chocolate, popped Winnie the Pooh into the DVD player, and sat down to make some dolls. Uncle Andy disappeared into the bathroom. Soon, Audrey, Arden, and Alicia were all staring goggle-eyed toward the bathroom door, from behind which some very . . . worrisome . . . noises emanated. If John Belushi in his heyday had been picked to do the voiceover for a cartoon about barfing up half a pizza, he couldn't have done it better than Andy Paulson. Or louder. Audrey, from her dog-bed, stared worriedly toward the bathroom, then looked at me: What was happening? "Are you alright hun?" I called. "Mmm hmm," he answered. More worrisome noises. "Ya sure?" "Uh huh. . . ." A few minutes later, he rejoined us, gray-faced in his Chicago Bears sweatpants, raising a shaky gray hand: "Hi . . . girls . . . how's it going . . . out here? I'm just going to lay here . . . wrapped in a blanket on the dining-room floor for a while . . . clutching my stomach. What's Pooh doing [pointing weakly at TV and sinking to carpet]?"
Salmon. Bad salmon, and a lot of it, earlier that morning and the night before. And the sad thing was, he had been so excited. Andy is a frequent salmon-smoker. And the night before I had never seen him so excited about his salmon. "Oh, this is so good. This is the best one I've ever done. Yum yum. Try this, hun. Seriously. It's sooooo good." (I don't like salmon so I didn't have any.) "Wow, it's so great" and more like this Saturday morning, "Yum, yum, salmon, salmon," etc., etc. By Saturday night the barfing started and continued (loudly) throughout the night and into Sunday morning. Oh, it was so sad!!!
So sad. We all felt terrible for him. Arden and I worked on our dolls, ate pancakes guiltily, and tossed sympathetic looks his way, but none of it helped. (Later: Just found this menu in the kitchen; as far as I know the 2 pancakes for Andy were wishful-thinking, but the 7-Up with 2 [cubes] were welcome. And for the record, I did get the OJ and the coffie, but we were out of sawsig :-) I think the Mylanta and Pepto Bismol (not on menu) might have worked for Andy, eventually, because he seems pretty-much okay today. (And yes, calls to the fishmonger will be placed. Can't remember where he said he got the fish.) Poor man. Well, at least we got to spend Sunday together, since he called in sick. I'm not sure he remembers it (delirium) but . . .
. . . I finished the Lucias. I think I was having too-good of a time with them. You'll see them (along with a tutorial!) tomorrow. This morning I asked him how he felt and added, "Wow. You're a really loud barfer!" He said, "I've heard louder [at the hospital]."
"Oh jeez — really?"
"Yeah, and I always thought they were just doing it to get attention. Turns out, they're not."
"Ohmigosh."
"Yeah. Learn a little something every darn day."
I love the start you have on the dolls! I had a run-in with Salmon once. I haven't tried it since then, although there are some VERY tempting recipes in some cookbooks I have. Hope you're feeling better, Andy! I'm sorry you had to learna fun fact like that.
Oh, man. Poor Andy! Hope he feels better. One time, in Mexico, my husband ate some bad coconut ice cream and was SICK all night. Unfortunately, we were on a sailboat in a crowded anchorage at the time. Boy, the way the barfing and splashing sounds echoed off the cliffs...it was like surround sound puke.
I'm a little queasy just thinking about it.
The Nutcracker ballet is so magical. When I was 6 my parents took me to Hungary to visit my grandparents, and The Nutcracker was one of our events. Since you witnessed Arden's reaction to it, you can easily imagine what mine was. And in my adult years as a symphony violinist, the magic never diminished for me.
POOR ANDY! Oh My, I have unfortunately conjured up a hurling sound in my mind's ear that I imagine is like the sounds he might have been making.
What simpatica doll faces. They look so sweet and cheery and friendly :)
On my screen, only the title of the blog post and the photo appear and then you have to scroll down to read the rest of the post...I was totally expecting to hear about your poor niece barfing after waltzing down the street with Uncle Andy (my poor nieces seem to barf on a regular basis when they are sick), so it was rather funny to hear what really happened. Although I'm very sorry you were feeling so awful this weekend Andy, being sick like that is not fun at all.
Lovely dolls Alicia, can't wait to see the finished product!
Oh wow, poor man. My too-similar tale involved shrimp. Oy. Hope he's feeling much much better soon.
I think it's a boy barfing thing. My husband is bad but my Dad, oh dear, he's the worst.
Hi Alicia! My name is Kristi. I've been reading your blog for a couple of weeks now and thought I'd introduce myself. Your aesthetic, your words, your craftiness are inspiring! I collect and decorate vintage Swedish dollhouses (and am also an eldest daughter) so I am currently loving your Lucia project and look forward to the tutorial. Quick question...you've mentioned Marie Claire Idees several times. Is this just published in French? Can you recommend the best place to get a subscription?
Thanks for the help and keep enjoying the holiday season!
Eeek! Poor guy - he's going to be even more sympathetic to his patients now, isn't it, if that's possible...
Looking forward to the tutorial!
poor andy. hope he feels a ton better soon!
also, those lucias have the sweetest little faces. can't wait to learn how you made them.
oh - sorry Andy! The dolls look adorable and I hope your honey feels better!
Poor Andy, any food poisoning is BAD, but something he was sooo
EXCITED about makes it REALLY sad.
Glad you had fun with your niece.
Cheers to health,
Carrie
NJ
Oooooh! Poor baby! Twice in our 5 years of wedded bliss has my darling husband gotten sick and both times I felt completely awful but had to stay away (I have a bit too much sympathy, if you catch my drift...). Well, if you didn't already dislike salmon, I have a feeling you might after that. Poor guy.
Husband and I went to San Francisco this weekend with the hopes of seeing the Nutcracker (which sadly opens NEXT weekend, bah!) so we saw A Christmas Carol. Fun fun! The costumes there are lovely as well, though nothing in comparison. Hope Andy's mean tummy didn't ruin his time.
I think it's the WORST when the man is sick. I know, I know, they are really sick when it happens, but it always seems LOUDER and more VIOLENT... .
I'm glad he's better and everyone is okay. Phew!
Tam
Oh! Poor, poor Andy. Feel better soon.
Hmmm. Shaking head. Crossing Salmon gravlax off of to do list. Substituting purchased smoked trout... ; )
i feel really guilty for how much i just laughed while reading that story. oh my god. pobrecita andy hubby!! in other news, the dollie heads are presh : )
you do learn something new every darn day... poor andy. oof. not fun.
Oh my -- poor Andy! You somehow make even food poisoning entertaining.
I can't wait to see how the dolls turned out!
Hubby says they could tape my barfing and use it to torture prisoners of war or hostage-takers. It sounds bad, but feels worse, poor Andy! Glad to hear he's doing better. (Glad I don't eat salmon, home-smoked or otherwise.)
Can't wait to see the dolls!
Poor Andy!
Your Lucias are beautiful.
oh no! poor Andy. glad he's feeling better.
Oh no, bad salmon. Poor Andy. I've been there. Hope he's better, but he will probably never look at salmon the same way again.
poor, poor boy! there is nothing worse than food poisoning. blech.
Hmm, those sound effects are just the worst. I remember reading The Dawn Treader at the specific scene where Eustace turns into a dragon while my dad was barfing. Re-reading that scene conjures up the sounds for me too. Hope Andy feels better.
Oh, dear, sorry to see Andy and the salmon didn't get along. My husband and I got into some bad barbecue in Jackson, MS ten years ago and we've not been able to have any since--which is too bad, because it used to be a favorite.
The Lucias look beautiful! Can't wait to see more.
I don't think I've ever read a nicer story about barfing. I hope he's feeling better.