finally, a birthday!

after all these years.  happy first birthday jael bait.  mommy loves you. ♥

to celebrate we invited anyone we knew who could fit into a size 4 tutu over for tea and dancing.

and pup cakes.

with the coordinating and inevitable barbie cake to go with.  what can you do?

serving tea in grandma hazel’s china.  the only person who broke anything, out of the whole available lottery of toddlers, was me.  i am ashamed.

“pass the cleam pleaaase.”

“thank you.”

getting suited up.

and they’re off!

dancing flowers, suns, and whatnot, posted with vodpod

look i’m a ballerina!, posted with vodpod

opening presents.

mother’s yard saled, late night, painting project in all it’s glory.

happy birthday dollhouse, posted with vodpod

when visualizing what color i wanted to paint it i thought of favorite houses from my childhood.  as soon as i had it in my mind i exclaimed, “egg yolk!”  and it was settled.

the finest ladies in town.

checking out the goods.  aunt meggie has already outfitted one bedroom.  that just leaves five more rooms to furnish, paint, wallpaper, floor, sew curtains for, and light fixture.  (because even dollhouses need chandeliers.)  it was kind of a shock when i realized a few weeks ago that this might be time to get that behemoth project down from the attic and do something about it.  it’s been up there for five years waiting for someone special.

suffice to say, i haven’t even got my molding done yet and now i have do mini crown molding in a victorian mansion for a picky homeowner.  just raising her right.

the chess bandit

the first thing gideon asks almost every visitor who walks through the front door is, “do you know how to play chess?”

my advice is to lie.

ron paul!

we went to the ron paul rally in boise yesterday with the kiddos.  and they came prepared.  anyways, he’s such a nice man.  how many politicians can you say that about?  there was a slight hang up with the sound system and during the resulting silence someone in the crowd of two thousand yelled, “we love you ron paul!”  and it’s true.  the whole place flipped out.  the man’s freakin’ adorable.

i don’t care much about politics.  in fact, i’d rather not.  frankly.  but when someone’s crazy grandpa takes the stage in his flannel shirt and starts raging about freedom, and the erosion of liberty through the natural course of power, it makes you want to jump up and holler, “finally!”  then when you factor in the actuality of anyone  paying attention to such an individual, you can only assume it is all through the grace of god.  take it or leave it america.

how some people still have the nerve to complain about ron paul is what gets me.  seriously?  do you want to hold out another 4 years and then see if there are any other visionary revolutionaries lurking about ready to buck the system?  any other men who have been cultivating the same consistent message of liberty for the last 40 years, with the character to back it up, and the backbone to do something about it?  because you know, it’s my general impression that the political establishment is chock full of those sorts of characters.  right?  anyways, if i catch any one of you casting your emasculated, pragmatic vote for either of those milksops pandering around right now, i will be less than impressed.  you can’t solve a problem if your best solution is to become part of it.  take a broad look over the course of history, and tell me if there is anything more precious than the liberties we are currently frittering away through our complacency, nearsightedness, and the willingness to choose the lesser of two evils.  we can, and should, have a long list of things to expect out of our presidential candidate.  that’s good, i’m glad you have standards.  but if such a man doesn’t first plant his feet where dr. paul has his dug in right now, none of it amounts to anything.  and as far as i can see, ron paul is the only man bothering to stand at all.  so stand with him.  ”any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security (or a little morality?) will deserve neither and lose both.”  don’t get me wrong, i’m a “have my cake and eat it too” kinda girl.  i’m just savvy enough to realize that there’s no having, and there’s no eating, if there’s no cake.

?

the bucket woman

i mean, bouquet.

i made three of these for my sister’s wedding last saturday.  they were kinda fun.  i think it was because it was an impromptu sort of project where i used what i had and didn’t have to spend any time freaking out in the aisles at jo-ann’s.

but i still don’t want to do it ever again.

p.s.  pictures of the wedding coming soon.