Missy’s Neighborhood

Loathes:
1. my face is SO broken out right now, I have been SO stressed out and been throwing all sorts of garbage down my throat and it is that time.
2. the enormous piles of laundry, not even dirty, clean ones that I put off and put off folding and hanging and putting away, I know I created this problem, but It is on my list
3. We got something very strange in the mail yesterday, seems like someone is applying for a loan to buy my house, only thing is, it is not for sale. It was sent to us by accident. Speaking of accident, we were in one about three years ago and have not heard whether that had been settled or anything, it was our fault, and the other person was asking for SO much money and I will say It was not that bad, really. Well, it is the same last name as on the loan for our house. We thought that he was going to try and take our house! We called this morning and that suit was settled last March. Phew!!! Now I need to find out why someone is trying to get a loan for our house.

LOVES
1. Color
2. that it has cooled down a bit
3. The new Mates Of State album that was gifted to me recently, Thank You!
4. the fresh strawberries we bought at the farmers market, they literally melt in your mouth!
5. The sense of community I have here. Thanks!
6. I am meeting with A gal from Photography class tomorrow, that should be Fun!
7. 4th of July is on Friday and Husband gets three day weekend! Yay!
8. My FAVORITE show is back on for the Summer! History Detectives!!! Oh my goodness! The first story made me Cry! A WWII diary of a man has been kept by a family, but it was not their own family, it was another man who served with the family member. They always wondered why the diary just stopped, whatever happened to the man who kept it. So they call in the histpory detectives who found out the answer along with bunches of history about this time period! Turns out Kamikazi pilots had a better rate of survival that the US airmen flying a certain type of plane they called the flying coffin.  Also a story about Annie Oakley, the family has a coin that was said to be shot by her, also a book dating from the 1850's about abeing a wife in the Mormon religion (which was a not very nice book)
It is History told through objects, this show is AWESOME!! I love it!
9. I feel more helpful than helpless now. More powerful that powerless. I am finding a fine balance there.


Enjoy the day my Friends! Go Out and Find some beauty today! It hides everywhere, I promise.

Now I need to :
1. do dishes, they are Out Of Control
2. capture motion with Ruby
3. rinse and freeze some of the strawberries I bought at the market yesterday

I think that is it, I am going to go easy on myself today.

I have been such a bad neighbor, I have not read any blogs in days, and today will be no exception. Wednesday I was with SIL picking up everything we need for the bridal shower tomorrow, she came by at noon and we were off, to get decorations, cake ordered (cupcakes actually) food, a bra for SIL, since I now have a bit of education in the medieval torture devices, gift for bridal shower, dress to wear at shower, black shirt for SIL's dance recital...etc. I got home 45 minutes before I was off to my photography class. Wed. Gone. Thursday, MIL came over at 9am and we went Mother of the bride dress shopping, all day LONG!!!! I got home at 5. 8 hours of malls! That is right, mallS, Plural! My MIL is still a very beautiful woman, and most of the mother of the bride dresses look like they are out of an episode of the Golden Girls. She is also built differently, same problem with SIL and the bra for the dress. They have a really wide rib cage, so dresses fit at the top, and around the waist, but in between the top and the mid back, that rib cage stopps the zipper. I must have helped her in and out of over 50 dresses yesterday. She also is on a budget, hoping to find one for $100 or less. All the dresses we found that were good were also $300. EEEK! We went to Nordstom rack (the second Nordstrom rack of the day) and there it was. It had to fit these criteria.
a) a shade of purple (color of the wedding)
b) fit
c) not make her look like the grandmother of the bride
AND it was on clearance with an extra 40% off.
The original price was $168, after taxes it rang in at $29.64. PHEW!!!!!!

So that leaves me today, the day before the shower, which is at 10:30 in the morning tomorrow. I have to:

1. clean kitchen so I can...
2. Make banana bread and
3. make orange cranberry scones and
4. slice lemons, limes, and oranges for the water
5. put them in the freezer and empty the trays of strawberry ice as well
6. make the party favors (my soap in a fancy box that seems a bit more difficult to put together than they should
7. make a receiving box for cash gifts and cards
8. wash and pack my punch bowls
9. wash and pack my coffee mugs (except for one for sweet husband
10. get up early to make husband a batch of coffee (set up the timer)before packing it and the grinder up to SIL's house
11. pick up cupcakes at 8am
12. ream lemons of juice and make a simple syrup with evaporated cane juice and water.
13. wake up SIL when I get there, make neice decorate

I think I need to sleep, shower, blow dry hair, and put on make-up. PACK CAMERA TOO! GAH!!! I should get off of the computer, my morning is slipping away as I type.

I will leave you with
1. Some Doll pictures from the Doll and teddy bear show with Homebody, she posted some of her pictures and blogged about it yesterday here
2. these are some of the more comical ones I found, I saw Charlie McCarthy making out with Popeye!! One of my flickr neighbors accused me of becoming part of the papparazzi and i was bringing down an American Hero. Haha! Who knew Popeye was into Dudes? wait wasnt there that orange juice commercial a few years ago with he and brutis on a swing? Some Preacher/ Pastor/ guy said they were gay.
3. Weekend America contacted me again about another photo! I told them I was just on this segment a few weeks ago and would understand if they passed me up for someone new. But that it was a HUGE ego boost! This time they choose one of the pictures of my neice with those awesome bubbles.

Okay, I should stop rambling and get some stuff done. Bye for now sweet neighbors! I miss

Todays to do list
1. shower and get ready for day with sister in law
2. buy all grocery needs for the bridal shower

3. put sliced strawberries in ice cube trays with water, to make lovely ice cubes for my home made lemonade.
4. slice lemons, oranges and limes and place on cookie sheet to freeze for ice in water, makes a punchbowl of water look SO pretty!
5. dishes
6. one load of laundry, even though I have to put TONS away, maybe work on that a bit

This was Saturday night, Spring Birthday's.
Kiara, my neice seen here with bubbles, we bought her two books. She turned 9. Mr. Lavender choose these books for her. 1.) Alice in Wonderland and through the looking glass in one volume. 2.) Diary of a Wimpy Kid
We were going to get her a book made by a friends brother, but she must be the only kid on the planet that is not over the moon for Shel Silverstein. We bought her a light in the attic last year, and she was all "Meh..." But Diary of a wimpy kid, she excused herself from the rest of the party and sat down reading this. Good Choice Uncle Lavender! I got some fun tall socks, a free massage, and a few other really thoughtful and nice things.
We played outside in the yard because it seems in Washington we needed the official summer start to actually have some sun this year.
Chris, nephew who looks more like mr. lavender the older he gets, got in on the bubble magic, even though he is 13. We bought him the first installment of the Neil Gaiman Sandman graphic novel for his birthday last year, he really dug it and wants more. Cool! He will be easy for gifts now!
Oh, it is Tuesday, Time for some things.
Bad-
1)my sinuses keep swelling and draining at the most innappropriate times, why can they not drain when I am close to some tissue?
2)ran out of bottled water because the last 5 gallon jug has a leak
3) I have a scratch on my chin from little Luna, it is big. Looks really bad. She was laying across my neck and I scared her when I went to move her fur out of my nose, she peeled out on my chin.
4) the bridal shower is close, and I have nothing done

Good-
1) I have tons of good pictures to go through from my weekend
2) the sun is shining
3) I have everything I need, food (kind of, need to go grocery shopping) shelter, love, kitties, I have not always had these things. What else could I ask for? More would be overkill. ;-)
4)being able to show someone my neighbors ametuer taxedermy collection, and seeing Homebodies expression when she saw all the dead creatures next door. That was priceless. ;-)
5) I feel like I can get lots done today, and I hope I do
6) Did I mention the sun is shining?

This weekend was a busy one. Fun, but busy. Saturday was the spring birthday party with Mr. Lavenders family. We do two birthdays a year, spring takes care of 5 of us, while the Fall birthdays take care of the other 6. I took pictures of my neice and nephew with giant bubbles. I hope they turned out well. I have not yet gone through the 680 pictures I just downloaded onto my computer. I am going to have to split it up into groups. Photo walk on Friday- Party- Doll show- Fairgrounds- and photowalk with  Homebody. That is right, I just said Photo walk with My LOVELY neighbor Homebody! I found someone to drag to the doll and teddy bear show with me! :D She came down to my neck of the woods, I showed her a couple of things that I have enjoyed taking photos of, like the staircase towers, and the home where Mr. Lavender were showered with maggots falling from the ceiling to name a few.

So we walked around the doll and teddy bear show, ate really gross potato salad and talked about some of you. All wonderful things, mostly who we would love to have along with us on a photo walk. We saw many disturbing things, and lots of really beautiful things. Sweet Dolls we used to have as children and some not so sweet dolls (Holly Hobbie, you are on my List!!) I had a really great time. I had an internal list of questions I wanted to ask her, but as usual, I got nervous about meeting someone new and I began to ramble endlessly. I am SO sorry about that *blush* I just cannot find it in me to shut up sometimes.
After the doll show we got brave and wandered the fairgrounds, mainly the wooden roller coaster it was originally built in 1935, but rebuilt in 1970. It was the first big people ride I rode, I was 3 years old. I do not know what my parents were thinking. I threw up. I guess things were different in the 70's, nobody had car seats or seat belts. We got caught by security, but he was not cruel, he sat back all cocky and chatted with us helpless ladies, he warned us of homeless people who live in some of the empty booths and trailors, like they are animals ready to attack or something Ha! He spoke of the Bone yard, a place they stored all the garbage and extra stuff. Our curiosity was raised, I was excited another photographer who liked garbage?! YAY! We walked back there and found some really great things.
One thing that hit me was how excited she was to smell honeysuckle, peony's, and roses, hear baby birds chirping, to see a tiny stream. She lives in the Big City, a place I thought I wanted to escape to, but stayed here instead. It had been so long since she had experienced some of these things, it made me SO grateful for them. I enjoy them, but I feel now I need to really bask in the magic and lovliness of these moments. When you live in the big city, these things are rare, here, it is on every block.  Thank You SO very much for coming all the way down here to my little town. I hope I did not scare you away, and we can do it again soon. ;-)