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Walk in my Shoes

This morning, Daphne and I went to the coffee shop. From now on, if I say "the coffee shop," I am talking about Shoes Cup and Cork, which I have mentioned before. It is probably never going to top Legal Grounds, because it doesn't have those delicious granola pancakes, but it is a really great coffee shop nonetheless, and you can bet I'll be frequenting it when Daphne starts school. I will sit there on Tuesdays and Thursdays and knit and drink coffee and fret about swine flu. Anyway, today we went there not only to enjoy some coffee and checkers, but also to contribute to their Walk in My Shoes box. Daphne proudly gave her bag of shoes to the guy behind the counter in her first of what I hope is many acts of charity. I think she thought it was pretty cool.

I love the coffee shop. It not only promotes good causes and has good coffee, but it also has great orange pillows that I would very much like to copy and put in my house somewhere. You can see part of one in the left of the picture.

Speaking of houses:


This is where my parents and Jeff will be living, presumably by November 18. That is going to be a good day, as it is located only about 40 minutes from my house. I have already told my mom that she is hosting Thanksgiving this year. I will bring pie.

K Day

So, on Sunday night at bedtime, Kev and Daphne decided that Monday would be "K" Day. I have no idea why. But Monday morning, we came downstairs to find that various K's had been hidden around the playroom in the spirit this festive event. I decided to take the idea and run with it, so the day was dedicated to all things K. We made kites and keys and hung them around the house. We made crowns to wear at dinner (Kev was the King of K Day), and we had kebabs for dinner and key lime pie for dessert. This is thanks to WikiAnswers's "Foods that Start with K" page. All I could think of without the help of the internet was kiwi, ketchup, and kale. Yuck.

Daphne put on her fancy K day outfit:

I think the gloves are a nice touch.

Next time we have a made-up holiday, I hope I get to be in on the planning. I have some ideas...Pancake Day, Nap Day, Pedicure Day, Mommy Doesn't Have to Cook or do any Dishes Day, Breakfast All Day Day, No Diego Day, Hey What the Heck Let's Pack up the Car and go to Maine Day...

Winter of What?

You may remember that last winter was the Winter of Soup. It wasn't much of a Winter of Soup, as it only consisted of five soups, but it was a Winter of Soup nonetheless. So, last night, Kev asked me what this winter is going to be the winter of. I immediately said pie, because pie has been on my mind lately. And there WILL be pie, but I think this may also be the Winter of Bread.

I got this book (above) for my birthday last year, but I didn't get to use it because I lacked some of the equipment and then we moved and then I still lacked some of the equipment, plus our pizza stone didn't make it here in the move. So, this year for my birthday, I got a new pizza stone and I have decided to take some of the birthday money I got to get the rest of the stuff I need to get started. How could I possibly have a bad winter if the house smells like freshly baked bread every day?

So, this will be the Winter of Bread. And pie. Oh, what the heck...let's throw in some more soup too. I love winter. Bring it on.

Black Birds and White Elephants

This is a pie bird. You put it in the center of your pie when it's baking to vent steam. I have big plans for this guy, especially since apple season is approaching quickly. Most pie birds are black because of the whole "Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" thing (trivia courtesy Alton Brown). Thanks to Kim and Pat for noticing something that screamed me. (It must have been screaming loudly, too, because I'm pretty sure Pat couldn't see it.)

During our trip to the beach, the subject of downsizing Christmas on Kev's side of the family came up. After much discussion, some of it quite heated, we decided that the adults are going to do a white elephant gift exchange this year. I am pretty excited about this. As much as I enjoy giving and receiving gifts, none of us really need any more giant piles of stuff. So, this will be good. One gift, small spending limit. Perfect. Now, though, comes the hard part. The strategy. There are a few different paths I could take. I could get something really cool that everyone will want and fight over. I could get something really funny, but that nobody will actually want. Or I could be really devious and get something that only I would want, so that I end up with my own perfect gift for me. What to do? You would think that 4 months would be plenty of time to figure this out, but I started on Christmas last year at this time and didn't do a fraction of what I wanted to do. Granted I moved to a new house in a new state right before the holidays. This year I don't have that excuse. Time to get busy.

Meanwhile, my feet are in a tragic state of disrepair. I thought sand was supposed to be The Great Exfoliator. Well, it isn't. And something needs to be done. Perhaps someone will put a pedicure gift card in the White Elephant exchange! I can only think of one person I might have to battle for that. I won't name any names.

Calm Blue Ocean

So, we're back from our big trip to the beach, in Ocean City, Maryland. And I survived.

It's no secret that the beach is not my most ideal vacation destination. I don't like swimming, sun, heat, crowds, and especially sand. I prefer to be cool, dry, and clean (especially my feet). That being said, I do LOVE the ocean. I love the way it looks, smells, and sounds. And being by the ocean was a real treat.

Daphne, on the other hand, loves the beach, and just watching her have fun made all the sand I had to remove from, well, everything, totally worth it. She had a great time playing in the sand and the water, and playing with her cousins. It is getting to the point where they actually interact and have conversations, and it is really fun to see.

Here they are, "surfing."

These are wild ponies on Assateague Island. Very cool. Public Service Announcement: If you go there, cover yourself from head to toe with something containing deet. Spray your car with the stuff. Better yet, don't get out of your car or open your windows even a crack. The only other place I have seen so many mosquitoes was the "jungle" I visited in Cozumel. Poor ponies. They must be so itchy.

Other highlights from the trip include:

• biscuits and gravy for my birthday breakfast
• a night out with Kev for my birthday dinner
• several hours of Rock Band 2 (I like the drums!)
• knitting and reading
• daily ice cream
• riding the surrey with the fringe on top
• not having to cook
• Orange Julius!!!!!!!!
• Kim's stromboli
• Darlene's blueberry jam
• other

But I think my favorite part of the trip was the very last morning. Kev and I woke Daphne up at 5:30 and went down to the beach to see the sun rise and look for shells. We were practically the only ones there and it was so peaceful. AND we saw a school of dolphins. I didn't even really mind the sand.

We got back home Saturday afternoon, and I am still trying to catch up. I got the laundry done, and a little cleaning today. It is really really hot out...supposed to be 100 today. But I think after this week, it should cool off. Fall is so close now, and it's time to start thinking about soup and pie (I got a pie bird for my birthday!) and sweaters and scarves and school starting. It's good to be home, and back in my own (sand-free) bed, but I do miss being by the ocean. It was a good week.

No Bloggin' Time

Gearing up for another big weekend/week. Back to blogging soon.

Addicted to Hats

Daphne is ready for the beach. I found this pattern and made the hat above. Then I made the hat below to go with the pillowcase dress. I might make one for me.

My house is never going to be clean again.

Cake and Ice Cream

So, Saturday was the last day of the Loudoun County Fair, and we went. We decided to go early to beat the crowds and the heat. I think we got there at around ten. Little did we know, they don't open the rides until 1:00. Ugh. So, we figured we'd walk around and see stuff and eat lunch and by then maybe the rides would be open. Petting zoo, magic show, pony ride, tractors, potty. Well, that killed about an hour. By the time we ate lunch, it was almost noon. Arts and crafts table (macaroni necklace!). Twelve-thirty. Half an hour to go.

We decided to go into the one air conditioned building to get out of the heat and see the arts and crafts and kill some time before getting some ice cream and hitting the "midway." At this point, I must tell you that this was the smallest, saddest fair I have ever been to. The arts and crafts were in a room about half the size of an elementary school cafeteria. Unfortunately, also in that room were the candidates in the 4H cake decorating competition. All on display on a table that was eye-level for a certain Peanut who cannot resist tasty treats. We should have known better than to put her down, but we did, with a "Do NOT touch the cakes" warning. Seconds later, Daphne was face-first in one of the cakes, ruining it completely. We left immediately. Luckily, the cake judging was already over. I hope she stuck her face in a winner.

Daphne cried all the way home. I felt sorta bad for her, but I felt worse for me. I didn't do anything naughty, but I lost my chance at ice cream and the Fun Slide. Maybe there is a Fun Slide at Ocean City. I hope so.

I think Kev felt bad for Daphne too, because he went to the grocery store later that day and came home with a box of pink, green, and brown cones and a bottle of rainbow sprinkles. Finally, today, Daphne made it through the day without getting in trouble, and we all enjoyed a be-sprinkled after dinner ice cream cone. She has been extra challenging lately. Think Veruca Salt. And as much as it pains us to take away priviliges (I had to take away QUINCY this week!), we can't let her act like that. I have high hopes for a good week this week though. I think the cake incident taught her a lesson.

Meanwhile, I got some sewing done this weekend:


Here is the finished pillowcase dress. So easy to make (tutorial here). I also finished all the napkins and made a little beach hat for the Peanut. And at naptime today, I got to go to the mall. By myself. To shop. Thanks to Kev for babysitting, and to my mom and dad for the gift card. It was a good day.

Man. Look at that sweet little girl in that picture. Can you believe someone so sweet and innocent looking could get in so much trouble? What a little stinker.

Now everyone is asleep. I guess I should be sleeping too. Tomorrow is grocery store, laundry, and give-Daphne-a-bath day. And Tuesday, it's supposed to be 98 degrees! August is the worst. Hurry, September!