World turned upside-down

Sweetness gets twisty in her hammock

BREAKING NEWS:

I have tested positive for being a slacker in the area of blogging.

What? You have been too busy and/or distracted (that's actually my excuse) to notice?

Well then let's pick up as though we never left off; shall we?

Skeleton with pet raven ... because why not

Last Sunday, amid coronavirus panic and self-isolation and quarantines and cancellations of church and school and shortages at the grocery store and whatnot, the family gathered to celebrate our Audrey's birthday.

Our number was nine, in keeping with the President's directive that we keep groups to under ten.

We'd planned a brunch of waffles made by Audrey on her adorable Dash Mini Maker.

The birthday girl ... playing with pain

Andrew and Brittany, who gave me the skeleton and raven towel pictured above on my birthday a few weeks ago, also gave me a cereal dispenser.

There were Lucky Charms and Cocoa Pebbles on tap.

To go on top of our little waffles we had fresh strawberries, blackberries, real maple syrup, powdered sugar, and Reddi-wip.

We put it in writing

Yes; that was delicious beyond anything I have the ability to describe in mere words.

While Audrey produced a pile of warm waffles, I made omelets to order.

Everyone was happy with their brunch and we had a great time hanging out. 

Take your pick: Chucky Larms or Cocoa Pebbles

I took a few minutes to get Audrey's Official Birthday Portrait (OBP) which included Dagny.

Then I got one of Dagny by herself, just because she is getting so tall and looking so much like a first grader, which she will be later this year.

Happy Birthday, Mommy

Erica and Chad had brought Sibi along when we got together on Saturday night for a pre-party, and she loved sharing in the gaiety of the occasion.

That dog is a force of nature. WHAT a huge personality accompanies all two pounds of her.

It was funny to watch Sibi's reaction to Andrew whistling near her ears.

Sibi the party Chorkie

But there's always something, and this time that something was that on her birthday, Audrey was sick. She'd been suffering with allergies and then last week, that turned into a heavy cold. 

Even in her weakened condition, the birthday girl ordered a yellow cake with chocolate icing. I made the cake from a box mix, but frosted it with homemade chocolate buttercream.

Official Birthday Portrait

Then Erica and I stuck azaleas all over it, from the yard. We were wildin'.

Baby Ember, just shy of four months old and not yet savvy about cake, was nevertheless full of curiosity and cute faces.

Dagny Clare will turn six in June

Dagny had been similarly under the weather; yesterday her mother took her to the doctor where she was diagnosed with a double ear infection and some troublesome chest congestion.

Both mother and daughter are on the mend. On Monday, Dagny hung out with me for several hours and took two naps.

Whistle a different tune, please

Yesterday she and her mother came by after Dagny's doctor appointment and after going to buy her prescriptions. It was a chilly, rainy, dreary day.

Dagny, whose appetite had gone AWOL, asked me to make her a "bed" on the couch beside me, which I did. She settled in for a nap that went for most of three hours.

Make a wish

When she woke up, having missed the dinner hour which TG, Audrey, and I enjoyed together, she felt better but still wasn't hungry.

Baby Ember on Mommy's lap

Today the sun is shining and although I haven't seen Dagny, I understand that she's feeling better.

In fact, by the time I finish this post, Dag and Audrey will be here and we plan to take a walk.

So smooth

You may have noticed in a few of these photos that my kitchen looks funny. That's because TG is in the end stages of a project that's been ongoing for several weeks.

As in, he smoothed our huge kitchen ceiling (it was popcorn; our kitchen is thirty-four feet long), had a new light installed to replace an oblong fluorescent fixture, and is in the process of changing what had been bead board wainscoting in the eating area, to board and batten.

Ember enjoys preferred seating

The last element of the makeover will be to repaint.

I'll share pictures of the whole thing when it's done.

Meanwhile, everyone mind your p's and q's, stay well and safe, and let me know how you're doing.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Wednesday

Let not your heart be troubled

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Here's a placeholder: Dagny and Sibi, last week.

Sibi needs only a small red cape to be Superpuppy; no?

At any rate I'm working on a longer post for you.

Meanwhile: wash your hands.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Tuesday