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Another year, another birthday! No matter how old I get, I still get excited about birthdays. What's not to like? It's the one day of the year that I get to be the center of attention without trying! I get presents and cake! I love presents and cake! I celebrated early last weekend with good food and my cute boy. We took a walk in the rain around historic Ellicott City, one of my favorite places to be, followed by dinner at The Rumor Mill, an amazing fusion restaurant in a turn-of-the-century building off of Main Street. It's our go-to place for special occasions.

 I saw strawberry beer on their drink menu and I had to try it. When I poured it into my glass I squealed when I realized it was PINK! How fabulous is that? It was definitely the girliest beer I've ever had. Perfect for sipping while wearing a frilly dress and mary jane shoes.

 The food was spectacular as always. See that pile of fried something up there with sauce on it? Yeah, that's an avocado. A curry tempura fried avocado stuffed with jumbo lump crab meat and drizzled with preserved lemon aioli. Stop drooling. You'll ruin your keyboard and I don't think your warranty covers it.

 Dessert consisted of chocolates from a local candy shop. I saw a sign in the window for "Old Bay chocolate crabs" and had to go in. They did, in fact, have molded chocolate crabs with Old Bay seasoning mixed in. How very Maryland! Sounds crazy, but they are delicious. If you've ever had chocolate covered bacon, it's sort of like that. Sweet, salty and smoky, with a hint of spice. Yum.

I cherish these dates with the man I love. We slow down, we indulge, we laugh, we take time to enjoy the things we often take for granted about each other's company in the day-to-day busyness of our lives. It's the best birthday gift he could give me.



P.S. SQUIRREL UPDATE: We ended up taking the babies to Frisky's Wildife and Primate Sanctuary in Woodstock. It's a sprawling animal rescue run by a compassionate and savvy woman who has been saving wildlife and exotic pets since the 70s. I trust that they are in capable hands and they will grow up to be healthy, strong little squirrelies.

photo friday: now open!

aaaaaaaahhhh!

back to school

Today is the day! Third grade! I remember third grade as the grade when I started getting "real" homework assignments. It's all downhill from here, kid. Where has the summer gone?

 

Autumn was so excited to go back and see her friends and teachers. Look at that smile! Adorbs. This year she'll be in the Gifted and Talented reading class. I'm so proud of how hard she has worked to get there. I'm also feeling relieved that we have finally settled into a home where we can stay for the duration of her time in elementary school. She has had to switch schools twice in such a short time. Now she can put down some roots and make long term connections with other children here.

Now to enjoy the silence in my apartment with a cup of tea. Aaaaaah.

some good news

 

The last couple of weeks have been rough. With the passing of a friend, my hours being cut back significantly at work, and being sick for days, I've been feeling emotionally drained. There are times when I'm not sure how I'm going to get through the day. In searching for an outlet for my stress, a way to focus my energy, I've found comfort in creating. It's something I've been easing myself back into after a long creative rut, first with painting, and now with sewing again. Like catching up with an old friend, it feels natural and right. It warms my soul and calms my nerves. Because I've found such joy in rediscovering my passion, I am so very pleased to announce the reopening of my Etsy shop.

The shop will feature my classic zombies with a revamped design, new miniature and custom made dolls, accessories, and some of my art as well. It's been so long since I've sold my work that I'm quite nervous, but I'm really looking forward to coming back. The orphanage gates open on August 31st. In the meantime you can head over to my Facebook page for updates, photos, giveaways and more. See you at the end of the month!

the post in which xan got to frolic through the woods in a silly costume

May 12th brought us to the annual Maryland Faerie Festival, one of our favorite yearly events. My beau and I headed over to Camp Ramblewood with three little pixies (Autumn and two of her friends) in tow. The theme this year was "Goblins" so I put together a black and green ensemble complete with a handmade tulle bustle and a cockroach in my hair. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. My top and stockings matched my hair color perfectly, and my leather boots and bat wings really tied it all together. I love a well assembled costume. I may be 23, but I'll never grow out of playing dress up. I enjoy becoming a character for a day, and using the word "bustle".

Photo Credit: Tantalizing Enigma Photography

The girls looked adorable in their outfits as well. Autumn surprised me this year by requesting a pink tutu and flower crown; probably the girliest things she has ever asked me to make. The sudden fear that my Tiny Small was outgrowing her tomboy phase was quickly quelled by her declaration that she is actually a dragon faerie, and that she can breathe fire. *phew*. As long as there is still fire breathing, we're safe.

 

Don't be fooled by her cuteness. She will straight up roast you.

After our troupe of fae danced around the Maypole and consumed an outlandish quantity of fried potatoes, we met up with some of the festival's regular cast of characters, including Sweetie the Unicorn...

 

 Wedgie the Goblin (surely the guest of honor this year!) who had a much larger cockroach than mine...

 

Jealous.

  and my friend Posie, who hosts marvelous tea parties for wee faerie folk. Pinkies up!

Two painted faces, one new hula hoop, several minutes of bongo drumming, a wild rumpus, a handful of baby goats, and an exhausting royal quest later, we had thoroughly explored the realm of Fae once again.

 

As always, we look forward to coming back next year!

the hoedown throwdown

This year Autumn joined a local Brownie Girl Scout troop, and we couldn't be happier. Because she is an only child, we're always looking for opportunities for her to interact with kids her age outside of school. Last weekend her troop attended an all-American hoedown to celebrate the organization's 100th anniversary.


Line dancing, face painting, burgers and hot dogs fresh off the grill. It was a lot of fun, and the best part was watching her dance with her friends. Check out these sweet moves!

you got served.

love is in the air

It's Valentine's Day!

Seeing as my main goal in life is to be a living cartoon character, of course I had to go all out with my neon pink wig, patterned tights and cotton candy faux fur coat. I mean, really now, could you resist these tights? I do not think so. They are adorable.


For her classmates, Autumn made cards with a classic design that I remember from my grade school days; Valentine mice (though she decided they're rats. I wonder why)! Everyone knows how to make these, right? Fold a paper heart in half...

add a face and a ribbon tail...

repeat until a horde of paper rats takes over your kitchen table.

Quick, simple and cute. She loved making cards for her friends by hand. I'm happy to see that she has such a great appreciation for handmade touches like these. It's something that has always been important to me, and I hope to pass those values on to her.

Speaking of cute and handmade, how sweet is this little guy?!

His name is Valentino, and he was made by my good friend Alexz of Spooky Pooky Creations. I won him in a giveaway she held on her Facebook page, and when he arrived in the mail I couldn't stop hugging him. Autumn attempted to steal him from me, but this little baby is all mine. No matter how old I get, I will always be a sucker for plushies, especially the handmade ones. I just adore that pouty little face.

Now I'm off to confiscate some of those Valentine's day candies Autumn got from school. You know, because too much sugar is bad for her. Not because I'm going to eat it. At all.

Happy Valentine's Day!

resolutions

Every December 31st, I tend to make new year's resolutions that are all about less.
Spend less. Argue less. Worry less. Weigh less, and so on. There are so many things we all feel that we need to take out of our lives. So many things to subtract. But this year? This year I want to focus on more.

Cook more.

Paint more.

Glitter more.

Learn more.

Photograph more.

Laugh more.

2012 will be my year of more. Instead of listing all the things I need to take away, I'm going to devote more time to all the wonderful, joyful, creative things I can add to make life better for myself and the people I love.

Take a moment today to ask yourself what your world could use more of. Sometimes all that's missing is you.






P.S. And yes, blog more.

happy

photo credit: Tantalizing Enigma Photography

I keep telling myself I'm going to start blogging regularly again, and I keep putting it off. Not because I don't want to, but I never think I have anything worth saying anymore. Maybe I don't, but I figured today, my birthday, is as good a time as ever to drag my ass back here.

The last time I blogged about my birthday, my life was very different. I was very different. Since then I have changed in many ways, mostly good, some...not so much. I have experienced much, and learned even more. I've learned that I am the only person in charge of me, and I cannot sit back and rely on others to decide my fate. People may influence my life for better or worse, but at the end of the day, I'm calling the shots, and I have learned when and how to make better, smarter choices. I spent a long time playing a passive role in my life story, and I'm done with that version of myself.

In this moment my life is, with very few exceptions, exactly what I want it to be. I have a home. I have my daughter back. I am comfortable with my place in the world. I cut my hair, I lost 15 pounds, I'm on my way to becoming the person I wished I was two years ago. Sometimes I struggle with the bills, sometimes Autumn misses living with both of her parents, sometimes I feel overwhelmed. What matters is that I go to bed every night in a place where I feel safe and loved. Things are good, and they're getting better.

ain't no party like a back yard faerie party

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of birthday parties. Whether it's an elaborate affair with pony rides and moon bounces or a cake-and-balloons night with a few friends, birthday parties always feel special. Sure, other holidays are nice, but only once a year can you invite your pals and loved ones over just to celebrate how awesome you are.

On Sunday we had a belated birthday party for a certain awesome six-year-old. The yard was decked out with handmade decorations, including ribbon and tulle garlands and the ubiquitous Martha Stewart pom poms.

The piece de resistance was this set of mushroom stools, handmade by Adam and yours truly. I'm not even going to tell you how much blood, sweat and tears went into making these bad boys, how many times I muttered profanities at my sewing machine or had to run to Home Depot for yet another can of spray paint. The idea was inspired by similar stools we saw at the Maryland Faerie Festival. There they had about a hundred of them, but eight was more than enough to make me want to swear off crafting for the rest of my life. They are pretty awesome, though. Who knew a few plastic buckets, some plywood and felt could look so dang cute?
The cake was a devil's food tree stump, topped with a tiny faerie and magic wand candles. I'm not winning any awards for cake decorating, but it was delicious. It disappeared faster than you can say "domestically challenged."

Our lilliputian guests pretty much kept themselves entertained, with a table full of craft supplies and dollar store faerie wings to decorate (an outdoor party is the perfect setting for messy, glittery crafts. do not attempt indoors), hula hoops, and giant bubbles. As the sun set there was a glow stick lit treasure hunt for bags of party favors, which sadly I didn't get any decent pictures of. Each friend was given a bit of homemade play dough (tinted blue and sprinkled with glitter), a hand sewn mushroom hair pin, and, of course, a few Pixy Stix, all in paper bags that the birthday girl decorated herself.

Good friends, good food, and good weather made for a perfect Sunday afternoon. It was worth all the hard work in the end, but maybe next year we'll throw a party that involves a little less carpentry.