Okay, so I found this (I don't know why my link doesn't work, so here: http://uklassinus.blogspot.com/2008/08/fabric-dollhouse-tutorial.html) tutorial for a fabric dollhouse, and I was going to make the girl one for her birthday. Then yesterday, I was trying to distract her during an older kid get-her-out-of-here playdate, and we made it. It took all of 90 minutes, even with 3 year old help, so I highly recommend. Next time I'm going to leave less seam allowance and make it less floppy. Also get some cute buttons to hold it together and some premade embroidery thingies for the gardnen.

Anyhoo, here tis:

So then I was bummed that her christmas gift was spoiled. But I saw someone mention making a fairy house, and that seems really, incredibly cute. She's in love with tinkerbell (who is the cutest of the disney characters, and is blond and "spunky/stubborn" like mine). So maybe I'll make her a fairy themed one with woodsy things, and then get her some tiny tink dolls like so, but without all the stuff, maybe get some of her friends:

Then I will still make a handful of them for cousins/friends/brother. The big boy is really into zoo, has all the schleich animals and a Steve Irwin figurine, who happens to be the right size, and I'm thinking safari vet place. Somehow, all of his animals get badly hurt and/or separated from their parents. Tragic.

I am *so* glad that the boy changed from Indiana Jones to Davy Crockett. I'm pretty sure every kindergartener out there is either Indy or Anakin Skywalker. He wanted to be Indy based on the Last Crusade, though, not the Crystal Skull. My rennaissance man.

Sometimes I laugh and laugh, then for good measure laugh some more.

The girl was jabberjaws (possibly related to earlier halloween candy) at bedtime. So she was telling me all about the guys at walmart who are skeletons, which means they have the bones on the outside. Some of them have green bones, and I don't like that, and that's disgusting. But one of them is a pumpkin who sings "Iiiiii want candeee!" just like that momma, and then there's a skeleton head who sings "Iii want candee!" And there's a song in Debbie's car, that is like that, momma, it says "Iiiii want candeee!" And also in Debbie's car, there's a song about Ghostbusters. Sometime momma can we watch a movie about Ghostbusters? There are ghosts in it but they're just pretend, just made up not real. And one of them has a red button, and when you press the red button, the ghost says (remember earlier tune here) "Iiiiii am spooookeeee!"

Laugh.my.tuckus.off.

Seriously cracked me up. I still giggle when I think of it!

We went to the diner for dinner. Much pancake, french toast, grilled cheese. They also have fab pie, but after the sweetish dinner, we weren't in the mood. Big boy wanted pie, though, so she was listing the 230923 varieties they have. He politely asks for cherry pie. I said just bring that, and four forks. Then the baby girl pipes in. "Um, I'll have chocolate cream". It was so hysterical, we got her chocolate cream pie. And of course, we all enjoyed it. She fancies herself "shy", except when there is chocolate pie involved, apparently.

I cut the girls hair. To match Ann Estelle, if you know that character. If you do not, it's a short bob with bangs. Ann Estelle has glasses, but she also has yellow hair, which is close enough for a 3 year old.

I decided that now that she's three, I need to make her look like she has real hair, even if it's by cutting it and forcing the issue. It's super cute. It is also nearly impossible to get a good photo of.

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Originally uploaded by archimom

Celebrating the girl turning 3 last night. Wednesday is the actual birthday. So fun and not too many obnoxious noisy toys!

In one week my daughter will be 3. She has requested pizza and a chocolate cake. Seeing as she and I are about half of the attendants who will enjoy an all chocolate cake, we're doing yellow with chocolate frosting. And pizza!

I bought her a $5 little pet shop set which her brother found and gave to her the other day. I'm not buying her more. She'll like the dress (and tights!! always tights!!) that I also got.

We haven't shown the house in 10 days. Which I love, not having to clean the house, but it doesn't feel great. We really can't drop the price any lower, especially since we expect someone to offer less than anything we're asking. Now I don't know what to do. I still want to apply for that state house, which I have to do by the end of the month, but without the sale of this one, there's a very limited budget (aka, free labor from us). That probably won't look great on paper. I need to figure out how to phrase that. I have mad architect skillz, yo.

I've also been so busy with paying work that I'm not sure where I'll find the 10 or so hours to put together the proposal for that house. I probably have to schedule it for myself. As well as exercise. I'm turning back into a slug and not really enjoying it.

Heard upstairs just now, the girl is singing herself to sleep: Come and sit by my side if you love me, do not hasten to bid me adieu!

The Death Match question was definitely my favorite. I think that actually ties into the Natural Selection question.

You are a Social Liberal (70% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (28% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness. loc: (74, -82) modscore: (17, 42) raw: (2139) Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Momma! I was at Debbie's house! I was eating ice cream, and I shared some with Moon, and Moon has a pink tongue. We went to the farm with a llama with OUT pajamas.

So today as I do on Mondays, I picked up the boy at school. His teacher was all "oh good I have to talk to you". I was so worried he had done something. But no, someone else had done something to him. He's fine. And I'm so glad that she told me, even though he wasn't traumatized and had nary a mark on his body.

Suddenly I have plenty of work and am feeling like a genuine Architect again. Well, plenty is maybe stretching and genuine, I'm not sure I've ever felt. But it feels good to be using up some of those business cards and doing something that requires my washing my hair. Which I need to do somewhat soon, actually.

The real reason I came here was to add this wonderful sketchbook to my link sidebar. But in case you don't know every detail of my blog and wouldn't notice that this is new, here she is: http://www.suzannebuchanan.blogspot.com/

Makes me want to carry my sketchbook and use it myself, instead of ripping out pages for kiddos while we're waiting for chicken strips.

Have I mentioned that I got a breadmaker? I haven't bought a loaf of bread in at least a month. Twice or so a week, I make a loaf of something, and have only had two miserable failures. Not bad. So I'm starting to get bold. I'm trying to figure out the texture thing now, getting that soft perfect for sandwiches storebought inside. I got close a few times and thought that was it. I'm also getting adventurous, by looking in the little window and adding oatmeal or water or honey or whatever, and keeping the texture the same as it usually is. It's very precise. So yesterday, I threw a bunch of things in there, and the texture was funny, so I threw some other things in there, and I was worried, frankly.

3 hours later, the best loaf of bread yet. All store bought texturey inside, the likes of which I hadn't had even *with* the online recipes claiming such. Which is good and bad, because it was obviously good, but unreproducable. I think I sort of know how I did it. Maybe.

Of course, now that I don't have childcare, work is picking up. I'm going to go with it and see how things proceed. I can get coverage for the meetings I have scheduled, and then . . . we'll see. Babygirl will go to school 2 mornings a week in just about a month, and those will be mine.

Two viewings of the house, not much interest. But the most recent interest has been from a friend/acquaintance who dropped the husband off last night, after a showing when the house was looking tiptop. Hooray! But, he has four kids, and to be honest, I'm not sure where he'll put them all.

If he figures it out and writes the check, I will not question. I think you could fit a bed in the wine cellar. ;o)

This weekend, we ate breakfast at Nancy's Airfield Cafe. Where Nancy, herself, was seating folks. And discussing the frogs and fish in the tanks with my boy.

The boy is really into the election and is always talking about Bush and McCain being on the same team, and how that's not the team we want to win, and how Obama is going to live in the White House.

He decided that Nancy, of the cafe, is John McCain's wife. I have no idea how. Isn't her name Cindy? I don't know who Nancy supports, but this is Massachusetts after all, it's probably not him.

Facebook is so confusing some times. I dont' know what to think. I was just friended by a HS classmate, who went on to the same college as I, and that was the last I'd really heard. She was sort of friends of other college friends, so I would hear reports that way. Come to find out, she married a guy we went to high school with. Who I don't think she dated in HS. But facebook cracks me up, and I like to see the reports.

The House that I am very, very, exceedingly interested in, has had a new development. The official rfp has come out, including an analysis of cost estimate, which is somewhere just under $2 million. Just to get it into good condition. And in 25 years, we will have nothing to show for it. I'm hoping that's a very fluffy estimate. By, say, like a power of ten.

It's amazing to me that several of the last few years, on this date, the weather is like this. Exactly (at least here) as it was in 2001. I can feel it all over again. That beautiful, "hooray for fall", crisp sunny day. It makes me want to go out and buy mums, and I usually do. Then I drive home, past my neighbors' house, and there are mums and candles and flag balloons.

I don't know if I mentioned that I'm losing childcare within the month. It was a really, incredibly slow summer, workwise, but those two days have been helpful for just household operations. But financially, not so hot. I was keeping the sitter on because searching for new is such a nightmare. Now, with kindergarten going, it seems silly to have a sitter. Not only do I pay for her to watch just the one kid, the same money, but the days when I'm with the girl, I can get tons of things done. I feel guilty and spendy sending the kids off on these 2 days. So as of October 1, I will be a stay at home mom, who can work as projects come and have family support. It won't be a problem for husband or mimi to watch a kid if I have a meeting, and life might be a little less nutty.

Sometimes I wish life were more like it were 40 years ago. In stupid, neighborly ways. Like, in the morning, I just open the door and let the dog out. We don't have a fence. So when the neighbor walks her two dogs by, Moon runs out front, and neighbor lets her dog off the leash. They have a little playdate and sometimes I look out the window to make sure there's no blood. For some reason, I feel like this practice would be frowned upon by many of the neighbors.

Or the whole "letting kids go to the bus stop alone" bit. I know mine is little, but I can't wait until I can kiss him when he walks out, and not have to be wearing a bra and conversational at 7:50.

Okay, so maybe "really well" was posted too soon. He's still having separation issues, particularly from me. Tomorrow he's riding the bus, I think. That may or may not make it easier. He loves school, his friends, all of it. He does not want to leave me, for some reason. Sigh.

Today my son went to kindergarten. How on earth are either of us old enough for this?

It went really well. This first day, you just meet the teachers, see the classroom, fill out forms. I filled out forms, he played with legos. That's right, there's an entire lego table there. He'll be just fine. The teacher was really cool about me worrying about bus riding (they ride for over 30 minutes with kids up to fifth grade), and I know it's going to be great. He only had a moment or two of uncertainty. We'll see when I have to leave him there.