American Girl Birthday and Parade of Homes!

It's been an up and down kind of week.  We finished up with the builder last week..for over $13,000.  Gak, I think I just threw up a little in my throat.  Yes, it feels nauseating.  The fact that we still had bills coming in four months later..it was all mysterious.  We had another $5070 bill for brick..and the brick was d-o-n-e last September.  Like..how did that bill not come in before we met, finalized, and closed in December?  ..Ok, I need to move along for my sanity.  Depressing stuff is no bueno.

Mary Claire's birthday was last Thursday, she's TWELVE!!  How did that happen?!  She was just my little girl one minute, and now she's looking into my eyes, and BiG!  And sometimes kinda sassy, and sometimes hilarious, and sometimes shy, sometimes sweeter than pie.  Boy, she's been fun! : )  

Great Wall of Chocolate at PF Chang's..mmm...looks like the momma couldn't wait for some either!

She added candles..and wanted more than 12! : )  More power to her..there will be a day she might subtract candles!

Even though she's big as me, she still loves dolls.  Especially American Girl dolls.  She now considers herself a closet doll lover.  (who makes my kid feel this way?  I'm gonna get you!)  She says none of her friends still play with them.  *sad face*  ..Anyway, she didn't want a party (remember last year's ice skating party or 2012's fun American Girl party?  Ahh..), she just wanted a trip to the STORE and to get Isabelle, the GOTY (her word for Girl Of The Year), since she'll be gone this winter.

They unwrapped Isabelle and handed her to Mary Claire, and we just sat and played for a while!

She says she takes the best selfies, and she's right!  How did she learn this?

So, we went to Kansas City (the nearest store) for a girl's trip!  We stopped by Joplin, and picked up our friends Angie and Andalynn to head north.  We had lunch at Sandstone Gardens (my fave!!), and then only 2.5 hours at the AG Store.  I think we mommas like it as much as the girls!  We got a few extras for their Christmas and upcoming holidays (can you say no shipping?) while they watched the magic at the hair salon.  Late dinner and hotel hunting (after I discovered our room was *smoking*! and I didn't realize there was still such a thing!  My fault, blech.)  Then brunch at Cheesecake Factory, a tiny bit of shopping and back on the road home.

She's so grown up!

but I still love her the same!!

again with her fancy selfie shots!  Thank goodness for those late-in-life braces! haha!

I had bunco at my house last night, and ohh..so much fun!  I do love these ladies, they are all sooo sweet! : )  I apparently made them wild rice and chicken salad before..since Candace said she remembers me making it!  haha, it's been that long we've been playing, that I actually double-made something!  Oops.  Does it help that I tried a slightly newer version?  It had red pepper, purple and green onion, toasted pecans, and a soy dressing..mmm, so much better!  We only played one round, we were so busy talking.  

after their game (against each other!)..and then we went for shaved ice at Shave the Planet!

So..about last week.  The day after we finished with the builder, he called and asked if we'd allow our house to be in the Parade of Homes.  It's not until June, but they had to get it on the roster if so.  I was really nervous for the obvious reasons: lots and lots of people wandering through my home, the actual foot traffic on my floors (even with booties!) and spills or stains, things getting taken and/or moved..and then the real anxiety: my house!  I'd have to have it all perfect, in less than a month!  I have all these things I want to do and redo (but I did get my new breakfast room chandelier up on Monday!), and my landscaping isn't finished, my dining room drapes aren't hemmed, I really need new bedding, what do I do with all these unpacked boxes, should I continue?

soo..will my house look this sweet?  I hope someone equally cute opens the door that weekend! : )

Ok, and the kicker.  My savings money just went to the builder.  So..what am I supposed to decorate with now?  Huh?  Be creative you say.  Ok, I'm really creative, and I'm working on it..but some stuff just costs money.  So here we sit at the crossroad.  Can I just say if you drive to my house and wear the booties and walk around..just please don't judge my house?  Just find something nice to say, and go to the next house.  Thank you.  We actually live and eat and sleep and change clothes here!  (evidenced by the clothes on the floor!) (and crumbs under the table!)

Wrapping my head around this.  I sooo much more enjoy having the bunco girls over, they are super sweet, and wouldn't think of noticing my crumbs, footprints, and laundry!  Love those girls!!

New Diagnosis

I knew this day would come.  We've had another diagnosis.  It was only a matter of time until Mary Claire told me that Megan (her American Girl doll) had been diagnosed with diabetes just like her.  I was really surprised it took so long for one of her "friends" to get it too. (it's been almost seven years now!)  Today Megan got her pump and a really great matching pump pouch (just like Mary Claire's!).  We reassured Megan as we put a new site on her tummy.  She got to stay up extra late, and she's not as sad now.

The things I'm never prepared for.  This is just one of the things we take as they come, because in our children's lives they are very real.  She'd asked me WHEN (for goodness sake's!) I was going to finish her new Valentine's pump pouch (yes, she was wearing last year's today).  I guess I've procrastinated a bit..I've had the fabric for at least a month!  I even had it cut, ironed and ready to go.  Ha!  And then, other stuff got in the way.  So, while I was sewing her Valentine's pouch, she dug around in my fabric and found enough of the pink peace sign fabric to make one for Megan, and told me matter-of-factly that Megan had been diagnosed today, and she was sad.


I could hardly ignore that!  I made both, and got them all cheered up with some pink.  Here is Mary Claire's new pouch:

You can hardly even see her name!  (But she kinda likes it on there anyway)

And here is Megan's pump pouch:

heehee-it's so tiny!  It was too small to put a zipper in, but Mary Claire really wanted one!

And here she is with her tummy site and her new pump pouch.  She's taken it well so far. : )

Yesterday was a super-busy day, so I didn't even have time to write!  We cleaned, made adorable strawberry cupcakes (and little paper *flags* to go in them..), made dinner for friends, had a date night... I'll just show you!

Look at these perfect cupcakes, just waiting for frosting!

I got a chance to try the new kit Ches got me for Christmas

This is the super-cool creme-filling needle attachment.  You stick it through the top (or bottom) of the cupcake to the center, and squirt in the filling.  I even made homemade fluffy whipped frosting to fill the cupcakes!

Mary Claire and I made cute little flower picks to stick into the cupcakes.  They each had a name or word with a tiny picture, then we stuck a toothpick on the back with little heart stickers. : )

Aren't they cute?  (After the filling mess, I didn't mess with special designer frosting!  It was getting late, and I had to take a shower before we went out.)  Do those little hearts look familiar?  We had extras left from our Valentine cards, so we stuck pairs together around a toothpick and put them in the extra cupcakes!

Here's a closeup of Gigi's (with a cupcake picture!)

...and Mary Claire's with a rainbow!

And I'd forgotten to show you our finished Valentine's boxes:

I told you they weren't perfect.  Clay added "bolts" to his mailbox-so cute!

I'm praying you will be blessed by the wonderful love of God this Valentine's Day!  Enjoy your day tomorrow, and think of all the ways God shows you how much He loves you.  We are blessed.  God, please show us how to be thankful for the gifts You've chosen for us.  Even diabetes.

I have loved you with an everlasting love...with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Jeremiah 31:3