Her cake looked awfully pretty all lit up in the dark!

I love getting to see my Alice grow year after year, and hope that her next year is even better than the last! = )
later days
edit 8-21-25: backdated for continuity
Her cake looked awfully pretty all lit up in the dark!
I love getting to see my Alice grow year after year, and hope that her next year is even better than the last! = )
later days
edit 8-21-25: backdated for continuity
Since her party took place later the same morning that Billy and I drove in from our 24 hour travel from Poland, Alice was in charge of placing most of her props around. I thought she did an excellent job. Avia stayed over to help too, and I was so thankful!
Alice even sorted the food by color on the table! Warm colors were on the Soviet side.
And most of the food went on the American side of the table.
A happy Birthday Girl!
Hanging out with her friends. = )
The party favor pins, as well as some of Alice's souvenirs from Berlin.
Time for Birthday Cake!
Her friends got her some delightful and thoughtful gifts!
I want to give a shoutout to Kristy for her help in sourcing some of the decorations for the party! She found these pots, which gave a nice 'empty' balance to the table!
I think Alice had a lovely time, and we look forward to celebrating her one more time, for her official birthday, which also falls on the first day of school this year!
later days
*United States Department of Sixteenth Birthday Party Celebrationsedit 8-17-25: backdated for continuity.
edit 8-21-25: edited to add content.
Grace also painted her hand very vibrantly.
Kennedy's mom, bravely, hosted a sleepover party at a hotel for her 11th birthday! I hung out a while, waiting for Emily to finish up her final track meet of the year, and it was easier to leave the party than to leave our house. lol.
A bunny outside of the pool.
Hot tub time!
About a year ago now, the blog printing service that I've used for all of my blogs announced that they were going out of business. Naturally, I ordered As many blogs as I had published, which got us through the end of 2023, possibly halfway through 2024. Either way, I needed to find a new publisher for 2024, and I am so happy with this new blog! I import the whole year and it divvies it up into equal volumes, and makes it look super sleek and modern! But, I just know it's going to look so dated in 15 years. lol.
The posts below were chosen because I was texting with Kristy, so both of them are because she is featured in them. = )
Old and New.
Cynthia sent me the most beautiful collection of classic German wood cuts! I did have to ask Christin for assistance because I couldn't translate it and the internet failed me on at least one of them, but they are beautiful books, and I love them so much.
Billy has finally talked me into doing the nerdiest thing that I've ever done: make a DND character. Honestly, I'm excited, but I know, deep down, it's so nerdy. Oh, so nerdy. I'm a dwarf with a two-handed axe, btw. Steve is going to be our DM at our next meetup with the Cornishes, in July. We decided to set up our characters at the conclusion of our last get together.
Emily made baklava for Avia! (Finally! The ingredients have been collecting dust since February!)
Grace made a crockpot meal that we also enjoyed!
While the twins cleared out their American Girl Doll toys, I emptied their "upcoming" closet, reclaiming space and hangers! We now have room in both closets, and a huge box of get rid of clothes for their yard sale this weekend!
Latin practice has looked a lot like homeschool this summer. On the first day, they wore swimsuits in anticipation of a playdate with Heleena, and on day four, they worked in a box full of 'garage sale' bound clothes. <3
William recreated a picture from last year at the orthopedic doctor. He's a little taller this go round. ; )
later days
These pictures didn't really fit anywhere else, so I'm adding them here.
My mom and a I drove up to Owosso for a rummage sale. It's only about an hour away, but far enough that we wanted to explore a little bit afterward. We ended up in the most organized junk shop ever. Things were piled together, but the aisles were tall and packed and layered with any number of items! It wasn't dirty or smelly as these places can be, but there was a LOT to look at. The gentlemen ran a sign store too, and so there were signs for every occasion! Naturally, when I saw Hank Williams, I had to take a picture* to share with Billy!
After a doctor's appointment in Charlotte, I had around 40 unplanned minutes before the thrift shops opened. Thankfully, there was a Biggby nearby, and so I got some coffee to enjoy before going shopping!
Billy and I went to Beerfest at the Ballpark last weekend. It was a chilly day, but didn't rain on us like the last Beerfest we went to!
I do love the setup of this stadium (even though their purse policy drives me crazy**.)
The pizza was served in base shaped boxes! So cute. = )
Our Uber driver dropped us off right at the entrance, but we thought it might be a little tricker for them to find where to pick us up, so we walked the mile down to a bar called Leroy's that Billy has wanted to visit for forever!
We crossed under 496, and between the roads, rivers, and bike lanes, the space underneath the interstate is totally broken up!
My Philly cheesesteak was the best I've had since moving up here! Now I know where to go when I have a craving!
On the first day of walking Alice, Emily, William, Grace, and Juliet to either their bus stops or school, I stopped on the way home for an iced latte from our little shop here in town. It totally hit the spot, and made a beautiful day even better!
Kristy was telling us about the price of common painkillers increasing with the tariffs going into effect. While I'm not terribly concerned, it was a cheap enough purchase to keep and store, just in case.
Grace playing a different game with Renae.
One of my best rummage sale finds, so far, this season was a snap circuit kit! William played with it all evening, and included Grace when she was home. This must have been on the Reading night!I was nearby a restaurant that had 'famed' Dubai bar desserts. I tried it, but was not super impressed. I liked it enough to later buy one from Horrocks that was much better! The inside was more of a nougat, vs the crunchy feel of the one pictured here.
Juliet and Kennedy spent the most time in the pool while I was there!
It's been a fun month, and May is looking just as enjoyable! = )
later days
*for $22 a picture was preferable to buying the sign which would essentially just be junk, as it has nowhere to go!**only tiny purses, 4x6 maybe?, are allowed, or slightly larger clear ones. That's fine, but men have cargo shorts that are literally larger than that! I don't understand how my purse is more of a security issue than a man's pocket. It always seems to be cold when we go, but sometime, I swear I'm going to wear men's cargo pants and hove my purse into one pocket and my skirt into another, just to see what happens.