Monday, November 20, 2006

The Princess and the Bounce House


The highlight of my weekend was going to my niece's 3rd birthday party.

I managed to do other things in the two days I didn't have to go into the office at an ungodly hour. I slept in until 7:30 (!), I helped put our house back into some semblance of order after last week's wood floor extravaganza, I went to IKEA and found a great desk - one that accomodates a small room AND has plenty of storage AND hides the clutter (Woohoo!), went out to dinner and splurged on steak and a passionfruit layercake - but not at the same time. I also worked my tail off sitting at the computer, proofing photos. (I had a long talk with Mike about this one and it seems I need to become a little less obsessed with this and more into, uh, daily interaction with my family, maybe?) I thought about quilting, one of my Christmas present projects, but am fully enjoying the suspense that serious procrastination gives way to (kids - DO NOT try this at home). On a rare organizational note, I also brainstormed for Christmas gift ideas and came up with some real doozies. Here is to being optimistic about non-stressful holidays!

Coming full circle after the above laundry list of weekend activities, I went to my niece's princess and Barbie-themed birthday party. When I got the invite in the mail, I think I audibly groaned. Barbie? Ugh.. Even that particular shade of pink gets on my nerves. I know I played with Barbies when I was a kid, but mine were cool. And fairly illicit, but that's another story....

So I winced at Barbie, but knew I would enjoy this most girly-girl of occasions. Mostly because I knew they were balancing out all the pink & purple with a bounce house. I actually thought that I would have a good time IN it, but once at the party, I never really made it inside. It was so much fun taking pictures of everyone having a really good time.

The best part was watching my niece. Since she was a baby, she's always been one of the most solemn kids I've ever met. It's not easy to get her to crack a smile and when you do, it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it quick. At the party she's surrounded by presents, balloons, party favors, and cupcakes. But like a moth to a bug-zapper, all she wanted to do was bounce. And bounce. And bounce. She even stopped mid-present-opening to run over to the bounce house and pull off her shoes. I loved the single-mindedness of it all.

Come to think of it, I think she's got it right. I am SO getting a bounce house for my next party.

A few more of my favorites from the afternoon:

You can see the rest of the set here.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Over the River and Through the Woods

Spent a whirlwind weekend in Gresham - about 20 minutes away from Portland, Oregon. The weather was perfect at 50 degrees and steady showers. I felt rehydrated, like a frog's first dip after a long dry spell. And then I come back to hot, dry perpetual summer of SoCal. {Sigh} I'm in the wrong city. But back to Gresham...

When I go up north, I always try to take some time to walk around with my camera. I have hordes of family up there and it seems someone is always calling up to hang out or have dinner or visit. It's fun being the popular girl for a time, but it gets exhausting. Sometimes I'd rather just go for a walk or curl up with a book. Relatives don't always understand that. Anyway, I was able to escape for a bit and took a walk around my grandmother's neighborhood. It was pretty much the same as any neighborhood around here except for the rain-slicked streets and brilliant fall colors.











You can see the original set in it's entirety here. (If you're interested, some of them are better at their original size.)

Hope you're enjoying your cozy quilts, pumpkin lattes, and spiced ciders as much as I am!