Mexican Fiesta

Okay, I know Fifi's birthday is five months away, but I've already started planning it. She is right into Dora the Explorer, so I've decided to give her a Mexican Fiesta birthday party.

I was online today and found a website selling Mexican (and Guatemalan) goods wholesale. There is some great stuff there, but minimum orders are $100, so if I go with it, I'll be getting EVERYTHING there. They've got loads of stuff to use as party favours, like mini sombreros, bamboo flutes, maracas, handbags, etc. And I'm going to make friendship bracelets. These kids are gonna have the awesomest party bags EVER. I'm also going to buy my girls Pueblo dresses and myself a Pueblo blouse and Scott a Baja shirt. He said he'd like a sombrero too.

Scott's going to cut a larg cactus out of ply board, and I'm going to paint it green and drill holes in it to stick green Christmas lights into. This will be for photo ops! I'm going to decorate the place with tissue paper flowers and coloured Christmas lights and Mexican blankets (I have only one, but my friend is married to a Mexican, so I'm banking on her having one or two). There will be a pinata. We will eat tacos and quesadillas. I'm going to make a tie-dye Dora cake. We will sing Feliz Cumpleanos instead of Happy Birthday.

I heart birthday parties.

Now, lest I forget my second-born, Lolly's birthday is the month before (only four months away?! WHAT?!), so for her party, I'm going to do a Carousel theme. How? I do not know yet. Perhaps I should be thinking more about her party. It'll probably end up being an old-fashioned American carnival thing, since I doubt I'll find many carousel-related items, but the reason I want this theme is a) I have carousel buttons which need to be put to use somehow and b) I want to make this carousel cake. Or something similar. I've got the instructions in a book, and it is too cute. However, I'll need to think up some more ideas on how to theme the party out.

As I said, I heart birthday parties. Sigh.

Did I Mention...?

We got our new car?

Let us ne'er forget The Faithfulness of the Skoda.



You served us well. RIP.

And now, behold, The Zafira.



Seven seats equals three more kids, according to my calculations. (It only equals leg room and a large boot to Scott's.)

I heart it.

We're Not Gonna Pay...

LAST YEAR'S RENT!!!

Okay, actually, we are and we do and we get that paying rent is part of life. But when you're an idealistic teenager, the musical RENT was just so meaningful. Never sell out! Live poor as long as you are living your art! Don't pay rent! Stick it to the man!

Okay, that's also not the primary focus of the musical either. It's really about living each day as if it were your last and loving people. So that part's still good.

Anyway, the point is, I've just booked tickets to see No Nonsense Productions present RENT at the Arts Guild! I must be honest. I booked them with a smirk... it's going to be very amusing listening to west coast Scots put on a New York accent. And seeing as I've seen the show done by two different professional companies, it will be interesting watching an amateur group perform it. But nevertheless, I am excited. I'm dragging Scott with me (so literally too), and the girlies are going over to Auntie Kate and Uncle Faisal's for the evening. (I better get expressing.)

It's booked for September 11, so I'm sure I'll be back on here telling you how it goes. Excited!

Red Thai Curry

My nose is running this curry is so hot.

Made with hot peppers straight from my plant.

Whoooooo.

Psalm 17:8 - Keep Me As the Apple of Your Eye

I've been so caught up in the drama of my personal life (don't ask) that I haven't had a real moment to let the really good news settle in. Last night, I finally got the chance to sit down, forget the other stuff and get excited.

Everyone, welcome our new niece, Juliette Amelia Apple McFarlane, into the world!

Scott's brother and sister-in-law Pete and Rebekkah gave birth to little Juliette on 14th August. Big sister Audrey is apparently very fond of her little sis.

So that's four girls in the family! A family that had been almost entirely boy for generations! (Scott's sister was the first girl in 60 years. Then Fifi, Audrey, Lolly and Juliette were born with n'ere a boy in sight.)

So congratulations, guys. We're so happy for you.

The pile of dishes by the sink have been by the sink for, well, way too long. My excuse is the lack of hot water. It takes a while for the water to heat up, and Scott doesn't like the heat being on for hours while we're out, so the water isn't hot enough, and I can't wash them.

That's my excuse. My other excuse is I don't have time with the two kids. I'm ignoring the fact that both girls are asleep now, and I could be washing them now instead of watching One Tree Hill again.

Maybe tomorrow. Or maybe not. Who cares? Years from now, will it even matter? That is, assuming one of us doesn't die of some kind of fungus growing on the oatmeal pot. Maybe I'll accidentally discover the next penicillin.

How do you get time to write your thoughts when you can barely catch your breath?

Magic 8-Ball

Outlook Not So Good.

Ambiguous Inside

I'm happy with my life. I've got to say that first.

But these past couple of days have been so surreal. I look around me and wonder what has happened. How did I get here? A house that never looks tidy, no matter how much time I spend cleaning, two daughters who have somehow been entrusted in my care, work that I am solely responsible for completing in my own time....

And right now, this very instant, the one instant I sit down and try to think on paper (computer), all I'm getting is 'Mum! Mum! Fifi wants juice!' Yes, she speaks of herself in third person.

And Lolly's highchair is surrounded in the lunch I prepared for her, all over the floor.

And it's 15 minutes past noon, and I just managed to get out of my pajamas. Literally 5 minutes before 12. That is not like me.

And I've got clothes out on the line that keep getting wet because the sun comes out brightly, then the rain comes out of nowhere. And then the sun comes back out, and so I leave the clothes to maybe re-start drying. And then it will rain.

I've got to go get juice for Fifi. And the rest of Lolly's pitta sandwich.

But like I said, really, I am happy. Hearing Fifi repeat Dora speaking Spanish, well, that's just adorable. And if you could see Lolly right now in her little hoodie, you'd keel over from the sweetness.

Speaking of sweetness, I want sweeties. But I'm on a diet, so guess I'll just eat a handful of seeds or something.

(Can't tell if I'm really happy or not? Me neither. But I know I am. Just today, this week, who knows.)

Local Inverclyde News

I keep getting told off about not blogging. Really sorry, dudes, but I just don't have time! Who knew kids were so time-consuming?!

So in local news,

Lori got rear-ended and is getting her car written off. In the meantime, we're enjoying our snazzy courtesy car from the insurance company.

Inverclyde Breastfeeding Mums had it's Knit-A-Thon last weekend, and it was a real success.

TinyTalk Inverclyde is having a picnic in the park a week from Monday. I'm thinking I'll make it a Teddy Bears' Picnic for funnsies.

Scott, Lori and Lolly went to Callander last weekend for a night away. Fifi spent the night with Granny and Grandpa. We all had fun.

Scott gave Lori £130 worth of gift vouchers, £90 of which were for the craft store. I spent all £90 today in one fell swoop, and it was awesome. Gotta spend the other £40 on Amazon.

Lori has started a diet. It went great for the first day. The second and third have not been so great, but they were weekend days (if you count Friday as a weekend day), so that's gotta be a proper excuse. Lori needs to fit into her new black dress for Veronique's wedding in October.

Veronique and Scott are getting married. Congratulations, guys! (Not Lori's Scott. We ain't into that.)

Lori has a new job with the Breastfeeding Network. It's very exciting.

Mhairu has a new job with the Breastfeeding Network too. It's very exciting.

And that's all for local news. A few words from our sponsors, and then it's sports.