the game of the name

'Chips, eggs and peas, please'  (7.5cm x 5.8cam / 3" x 2.5")

Did I mention the great birth announcements in The Times I saw a while ago? A daughter Leonora Button, sister to Avery Bean. Then there was Herbie Angelo on the same day as Hector Otto.

And we thought Phoebe was pretty daring. We should have gone for something like Phoebe Chocolate Button or Phoebe Bouncing Bean or Phoebe Sunshine, not Phoebe Kate. Thomas & Alice could have been Thomas Rhone and Alice Chardonnay (I was in the wine trade then), or Thomas Tiger and Alice Aardvark. Instead, they are Thomas James and Alice Josephine. I feel that maybe we didn't consider the full range of options open to us as parents. Mind you, when you start with a name like Jane, it's a long, long way to Leonora Button.

Comments

[Wren]

Lovely dinner, I enjoy dipping chips into a fried egg. I remember seeing a fish dinner, is this a new addition?

[Honey-Panda]

Some names are shockingly bad! I love the name Phoebe Bouncing Bean especially! When I was younger i always wanted to change my name, but now i realise it is different but beautiful in it's own special way. I don't like normal names and when I have children I'm going to name them differently so they are their own character and not one of thousands already with the same identity!
Love Honey-Panda xxx

[Plain Jane]

Thank you, Honey-Panda aka Miss Alice Josephine Brocket. I can see you will make me pay in the future for giving you a 'normal name'.

[Jan]

What a charming new embroidery! I like the green on pink and the striped edging is perfect.
And do continue to keep us updated on the birth announcements. The names are priceless!

[Strikelise]

I'd love to do some research on how and why people choose the names that they give their children. The motives are so different - romantic, traditional, humorous(dangerous, that one), vain, dutyful, practical, eccentric and pretentious. There are probably more.

[Ella]

I love the egg and chips, but am interested to know how large it is? It looks trading card sized.
When I was expecting my first child , my parents joked that if it were twins we should call them Ping and Pong (my married name is Ball) Fortunately we had 1 girl, Katherine. However when our son came along he almost got stuck with Bob Ball when my husband thought Robert would be a good name, David ended up being the name of choice.

[Alaska]

Dearest Honey-Panda, once upon a time my parents gave me a name they thought rather unique and then the next year everyone and their brother named their daughter the very same thing. Today it seems as if every third female in my age-range has that name.

So at the age of 21, I changed mine legally to Alaska. I haven't met *anyone* else with my name and I've never regretted the decision. (Although in a certain mood, I will tell people that I am the 49th of 50 children.)

I did keep the old common name and used it for a middle name until I married. It's a perfectly good name.

Ironically, my husband and I were unable to agree on any uncommon names, so our children are Max, Ben, and Milo. Two out of three have very common names (but being so short the boys appear brilliant when they can write their own name name so young). Max is my older singleton and Ben and Milo are my younger twins.

Your name makes me think of Alice-in-Wonderland--a girl who was especially clever.

[Jill]

That embroidery is so cute!

[Chris]

Great embroidery! I'm sure your children will be all too happy to have nice calm names later... ;)

[LadyLinoleum]

Jane, I LOVE the embroidered meal...we really need to collaborate on something. I know, we both have so much free time! LOL

[Debbie]

I have not seen your blog before and seeing it now its wonderful! I really like your new embroidery, I love the colours you have used, its so original and cute!
Debbie

[Christina]

My mom's name is Jane! She thinks her name is plain, but I love it and tell her often that it's loads better than something common like Ashley or Sarah or Meagan. Jane is the common un-common name.

My two older sisters were named in what I call decending order. My oldest sister: Katherine Diana is named after my Nana, Katherine. My middle sister, Diana Jane, has my sisters middle name and my mom's first name. Oh, and me? Well, I'm not named after anyone really, but I fancy that I'm named after the deceased Swedish queen, Christina.

I love that embroidery!

[Sally]

Jane is a lovely name - conjures images of a gentler era, manners and politeness, grace and intelligence, needlepoint and tea in the garden - or eggs, chips and peas if you please? Great embroidery!
Lucky my 6 yo Matisse loves to draw and has a way with colours - I just loved the way it sounds - pretty and sunny.

[Hannah]

My husband wanted to call our third child Leo Lions if it was a boy, I even agreed to it to shut him up as I was fairly sure we were having a girl, and I am so glad we did, so she is called Lucie which is much better, dont you think!!

[janel]

My mother liked the name "jane" but settled on "janel" at the last minute. Thing is I ended up without a middle name because thee thought the one they had planned (Caroline) didn't quite go.
M husband and I named our daughter Amy Blue, Amy after my mom and Blue because it went so nicely.
Personally I like Jane, I think it's classic rather than common.

[Rose]

Great embroidery! My mother spared me from being named "Maude" at the last minute and gave me my great-grandmother's middle name instead. Whew! But my son's name is Hunter Cosmo, which I had doubts about at first, but now like.

[Shell]

Those poor kiddies. You really do have to wonder what some parents are thinking (or are they thinking at all?). 'Chips, eggs and peas please' is wonderful!

[sara]

I'm am absolutely mad about the wonderful things you do! I'm going to have my own house soon, and then...girl you're going to have to make me one of these!Pleaaasssse!
Great taste, delicious colors, magnificent detail!
love
sara

[Robin]

Lovely! and I love your kids names as they are.

[Katy at Pomelo Pleasures]

How funny poster christina, My mums name is Sarah Jane, my name is Kathryn and my sisters name is megan. My fathers name is Michael. Goodness. I have always loved wonky names, (like some of the names j.k. rowling or raul daul comes up with, but luckily my fiance´s name is Santiago so I am not going to be locked into a name trend. Personaly I love the name jane, and other than my mum I know no one (lovely bloger excluded) with that name (1 Jana, but thats not the same).

[Päivi]

Hi!
I thought I'd comment on the name-issue. Here in Finland the most common girl names are Maria, Emma, Ella and Siiri and boy names Eetu,Oliver and Aleksi. When we had our 2 youngest kids we wanted to give them a bit more unusual names, so we started looking for names from the 17th century and found some we thought were beautiful and they also mean something. Our daughter's name is Xenia Ea Amoninda (those are all first names) and our son is Fii Tuisko Arpia. Xenias name means Kind and Loving Goddess and Fiis name means Perfect God and Shaman.
The 2 older ones are Jonne Aleksi (boy) and Jonna Marita (girl) (those names doesn't mean anything).