july whirlwind and zia’s golden birthday
You’ve probably noticed I’ve been strangely quiet around here. It’s not at all because there’s been nothing to write about–I think we’ve just been holding onto July’s coattails for dear life. I can’t believe I haven’t even blogged about Zia’s birthday, then mine came, and now it’s almost Cash’s. Besides the normal redhead birthdays, this month has been spinning with:
David finishing the last week of his London trip, and also a four-day trip to NYC.
Me taking the kids to South Carolina for my brother’s baby shower (and to see mi whole enchilada familia! or at least half, which is still a lot.)
18 illustrations for the Stasia Dress and Top, a new digital sewing pattern by Sew Liberated.
Shop orders for carved animals–a fox, raccoon, wolf, and two bears (also a fox and wolf requested by the birthday kids).
Making hammered metal jewelry and working on a commissioned oil portrait.
Zia starting fourth grade and–drum roll, please–Cash going to kindergarten.
Zia turned ten on July 10th, which means it’s her golden birthday, and that has been a really big deal. š We had a little party at home with a treasure hunt, pinata, presents, grasshopper pie and red velvet birthday cake. The red velvet cake was a backup plan in case she didn’t like the healthy-raw-vegan-gluten free-colored with spinach-and-sweetened with maple syrup-grasshopper pie she asked for. Well, at least there were no grasshoppers in it!
Everyone actually loved it, and the red velvet cake was completely unnecessary. That cake was also really fun to make–I used a box mix (probably for the first time since I was a teenager) and the frosting was included in the box, LOL. I even bought decorator icing to draw with. It was a total forget-this-natural homespun mama-thing, and I won’t regret it for a very long time.
Zia’s birthday was also the first day of school. Wake County does year-round school tracks, in order to fit in all the kids from the huge influx of new families moving here. It’s really a great thing, because the summer months are so hot that it’s hard to be outdoors anyway. There is a rotation system of nine weeks in school, three weeks off, and that continues throughout the year.
David grilled steaks for her birthday dinner. That man is easy on the eyes and easy on a girl. His mama raised him right–he can cook, wash dishes, and do laundry, too. I try not to exploit his abilities, but I have to admit, they are nice to have around. He can also change a mean diaper…though that skill has lately gone dormant in both of us (happily!)
It’s getting light here, and I’m off to make breakfast, pack lunches and catch and dress a certain scrappy kindergartner. I’ll come back and blog about the rest of July later, but it’s time to grab the tail once again and enjoy this wild ride.
