One of the (very good) reasons I haven't been posting much recently is that I was kind of (really, super) busy preparing for Baby Girl's shower.
I spent last Wednesday afternoon with my pal, Able Baker Dana, baking muffins and making little candy pacifiers.
They're easy peasy if you get your sugar/water 'glue' consistency just right (which we so didn't at first).
Luckily, we had enough time to live and learn, and they set strong enough to be tied with ribbon to use...
...as napkin rings.
For 36 sets of silverware rolled up in cloth.
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I worked on Thursday morning, but I spent the afternoon gathering folding chairs and serving dishes from the four corners of the earth.
I also blew up some balloons to tie to a rod we were putting in the front yard to identify our house on the day of the shower.
Usually, we'd rely on your house numbers to do that, but I took ours down when I 'renewed' the front porch, and never got them put back up again.
Whatever works.
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On Friday, I washed the sheers that belong on the windows in the front room.
While they were in the laundry, I was setting up all the tables and chairs and putting the paper placemats on the tables when I heard a little 'thud'.
I looked over to see that a (juvenile?) yellow-breasted chat had flown into one of the naked windows and knocked himself for a loop.
I'd never seen one of these birds before, so (though I was sorry for the little fellow) I felt I'd been given a little gift in the middle of a long day of work.
He had the most beautiful yellow breast, and I was just sure he'd fly away before I could get my camera.
But he didn't.
He stayed long enough for me to get pictures from inside and outside the house.
And when he flew away, he sang a beautiful little song.
I was absolutely delighted with him.
Thank you, God.
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Saturday - the day of the big celebration - finally arrived.
The folding chair covers were tied with the appropriate colors.
The decorations were in place.
The tables were set with...
...sugar and spice...
...and everything nice.
Artists began to arrive and get to work on Baby's first alphabet book.
And they each wrote a page for Baby's first Book of Advice for good living.
Sometimes they coordinated their pictures...
...with their advice.
And sometimes no picture was needed.
Along with their love and good counsel, they brought gifts.
...and future playmates of Baby Girl, who knew exactly where to sit.
They brought a LOT of sweet duds for Baby Girl to wear...
...and they all autographed one of them.
A LOT of people already love Baby Girl...
...without being instructed to do so.
Baby Girl's piggy came to the shower and...
...was well fed.
Guess who else came to the party?
Baby Girl!
But she didn't have much to say.
I guess we'll hear from her later.