Moments to Remember

The Reveal

Well, ready or not, you now get to see the new styled hair.

These photos were taken at the end of the day, after a few hours in the car, one visit to an outlet mall, countless "don't touch your hair, Beth!" moments when I reached up to touch the new alien-feeling hair-do, several tightly squeezed hugs and kisses from my two kids who missed me all day, a pancakes-for-dinner cooking session, and full kitchen clean-up.

It still feels strange and fluffy and way more curly than I remember my hair being, since it has been weighed down by length for so long. I feel a little like a big-haired blast to the 80's girl, and probably will for several days at least, until I get used to the fullness again. The jury is still out on whether I love it or not, until I get a chance to wash and style it for myself, but at least for now, it seems to be exactly what I asked for.

Multi-Talented

Thats me...

Yesterday I was a cake decorator.

The day before I was the Girl with the Pressure Washer.

Washing away a few years worth of weathering and grime so that the deck will be wedding ready.

Today I am a Grocery-Shopping Gardener.

Tomorrow I'll be something entirely different.

No, really... tomorrow I am going to get my hair professionally cut for the first time in 5 years (can't decide if I'm embarrassed to admit it or not). I really and truly WILL be something different by the time I get home... I will be styled.

Here is the hair collage I am taking with me to show the new-to-me stylist...

This is a huge step for me, trusting my unruly locks to a stranger, but she comes highly recommended by a friend with perhaps even higher standards of hair care. So the two of us are making a day of it. Matt has taken time off to watch the kids and I am committing to a possibly life-altering encounter with a pair of shears.

I'll be back Thursday with pictures of the new me... and although I am positive that I won't look nearly as glamorous as the women in my collage, I am hopeful that I will at least be pulled from the depths of Mommy-hair mode and still have a smile on my face.

Cake... Again

After I posted about the last wedding cake I decorated, a friend, who saw the post called to see if I could also do her daughter's wedding.

Not one to easily say no to people I like, and having a pleasant cake experience fresh on my mind (and also being a bit of a sucker for punishment, because anyone would be crazy to actually love the stress of creating such a centerpiece on such a special day!), I said yes.

Despite the quickly approaching date of my baby sister's wedding, which will be in our backyard, and despite the heat of a Summer finally arrived, I spent many hours last week in the kitchen, baking.

And yesterday was the marathon day, the sticky sweet smell of frosting wafting about in my kitchen (blown about by my kitchen fan, is more like it!).

I had an interesting time of it, setting the cake up in a much more prominent place than I'm used to, with all of the wedding guests already in attendance, and it felt like every single one of them was watching my every move.

In reality, they were watching the gorgeous bride (Maria, you were glowing!) as she moved about, and I was just a side note, I am sure.

At the end, I was happy yet again with the final product and got myself out of there before I had to see it being chopped up and eaten!

Who am I kidding? I picture almost every cake I ever decorated (a few I would have gladly chopped up myself!) still sitting there, a treat to behold, frozen in time, never to be destroyed. Don't anyone tell me otherwise.

Leftovers

Found on *someone's* plate at the end of a recent meal.



Anyone know of a good (easy) trick for getting rid of eleven years worth of silver marks on white dinnerware?

In the Afternoon

When one's Mama is busy baking cakes for a wedding and making Raspberry Jam as well, the post-nap snack is usually something a bit more fancy and full of sugar,

and requires very serious focus and attention.

Speaking of Wild Animals...

I figured it was about time to update you on our recent Woodland Visitors... or should I call them Residents? They were here first, after all.

A mama Blacktail deer with her sweet baby...




A lone coyote out for an explore...

A very curious male Blacktail deer with nice velvety forked antlers...






there he goes, back into the woods. But wait! Who is that entering stage right?

An even bigger Blacktail buck... nice rack!

And I would be very remiss if I didn't include the following (rather large) fellow. He has visited us before, but we have never actually seen more than his tracks. Lo and behold...

A Black Bear...



The camera didn't capture his face, but who can mistake THAT silhouette?!

Visiting the Zoo

One of the highlights of our Staycation was a trip to the Oregon Zoo. Our poor, deprived children (cough, cough) have gone to Zoolights, but never to see the animals during daylight hours.

Captured moments, in no particular order...

Pond Turtle...

Ducks...

Sea Lion (click the picture to see Katie clasping her little hands to her mouth in awe; so cute!)...

Taking breaks in the shade...


Eating Elephant Ears...

"Dude, don't eat the plate!"

Sugar and Spice, indeed.

Elephant...

Learning to read a map...

Zebra...

Giraffe...

And, if you ask either of the kids, the very best part? A ride on the Zooliner, of course!



Train-obsessed 4-year-old Heaven...