Someone turns 5, Someone Else gets an Orange Belt

These are in no particular order because you always have to think backward when uploading pics in blogger, and who has the energy to do that at the end of the day?

Here's Anne's birthday party. Note the beautiful blue and pink cake. It's from Sam's Club Bakery, and it was delicious. The French bread at last night's Boy Scout spaghetti dinner fundraiser was also from Sam's, and it was fabulous. I think I'm falling in love, and maybe giving up on making things myself since Sam can do it better.

Damon got his orange belt yesterday. Jake and I missed it because we were at home making a pie for the aforementioned scout fundraiser and getting Anne's party ready, respectively, and Damon's belt testing always takes 2-3 hours. Except for yesterday. Damon called from the Do Jang asking us to pick him up after less than 2 hours. By the time I got there all the other kids and parents were gone. Yeah, us! Year of Anne, Damon gets the shaft.

Grandma Becca made all Anne's dreams come true with a make-up kit. I try to keep evil influences out of the house, but it looks like Lady Gaga crept in.

Any ideas what I should do with this wood panelling? I'm not up to painting the dark wood molding, so I'm kinda looking for a miracle. You know, make the room beautiful with minimum effort. The vertical blinds have gotta go, but what am I going to do with the panelling? Help!

that's a big horse

Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids: pretty cool place. The butterfly exhibit was neat-o, except we weren't allowed to touch the butterflies.

And none of them would land on us.

Maybe my smile and hair (it was humid in there) frightened them away.

I was trying to get Anne to smile better. Any guesses why she thinks a toothless smile is prettier than a toothy one? Or why Claire doesn't even bother?

Anne really misses her grandparents. Mr. and Mrs. Meijer were a pretty good substitute.

love thy neighbor

How would you feel if you lived in a neighborhood where people take pride in their homes and yards...

and one of your neighbors put a hideous vegetable garden in their front yard that assaulted your eyes every time you stepped out your front door?

I am that neighbor, and I'm very ashamed. But I REALLY wanted a garden and some blueberry bushes. Unfortunately there was only one spot in our yard that got enough sun (curse our neighbor's trees!). And there are a lot of rabbits here which have already decimated my pink lemonade blueberry plant, so what choice did I have but chicken wire?

Maybe $4.20/gallon gasoline will make my neighbors feel more kindly toward my garden when they can't afford to go to the grocery store for fresh produce and I give them some peas.

Or maybe Jake will fork out $1500 for trees and shrubs to hide the garden from view.

Or maybe there will suddenly be a surplus of rabbit pie and rabbit fur-lined gloves in the area, and I won't need chicken wire anymore.