Bubbles' Birthday Bash! And other things. Mostly the other things.

Yesterday was Bubbles' birthday ... and we had her party on Saturday so people could come (and most of the people who said they'd come did! When people RSVP, it makes it SO FREAKING MUCH EASIER. Just saying!).

I had the house clean enough (not like I'd ever get it perfect ... and, even if I DID, having three kids in the house would assure that it would NOT stay perfect after a few minutes) ... and we got pizzas, soda, cake, ice cream, a veggie tray, apple slices (and a cream-cheese-based dip that I had wanted to try) ... everything was store-bought, which makes it WAY easier.

Since we couldn't find balls to make a ball-pit for Miss Bubbles, we blew up a shload of balloons ... which worked out being excellent. And a LOT cheaper.

I also found cute little pseudo-luminaries with fake votive candles, which we used on the table. And we hung up a little banner. And had plates and napkins with dots on them.

Bubbles is such an easy-going little miss that it's easy AND hard to get stuff for her. She likes everything ... but it's not like there's anything that she goes completely ape-crap crazy for ... So, yeah.

She got books and clothes and a doll and some toys and a pair of boots ... and she likes it all.
She also got to have a little layer cake all to herself ... and she ate SO much frosting.
Bubbles also got her first set of (Duplo) Legos ... which, of course, she likes.

The cousins that came all seemed to have a good time.

At the end of everything, we were tired ... but it was good. Nothing too crazy.

Now that her party is over, I'm starting to wonder what else to stress about do. We have SOTW (Savior of the World) coming up in a couple weeks. I'm still volunteering once a week at the school. There's an upcoming family vacation. And Spring Break.

I'm thinking of starting to work on the house. We've been here for over five years ... and ... well, I'd like it to start FEELING like a place that I LOVE. Don't get me wrong. I like our place. I spend a ton of time here ... but there are things that I could do.

We need different curtains. I want to have a proper backsplash. Our bedroom is not the most restful place, with all the clutter ... And I'm the guilty one. I'm a terrible packrat. I know. BUT ... I just am to the point where I really am ready to start deciding on colors (and stop being a coward ... it's only paint. If I hate it, it's not going to cost thousands of dollars to redo.) and start making this house a place that I can really handle having people over.

I'm still sitting at the computer desk that my folks bought at Wal-Mart for me to take to college when I was moving into an apartment with friends. It has seen WAAAAAAAY better days.
... I'm thinking ... what if I find a cute used desk, repaint it, find a way to store the filing cabinet under it, have Michael put some shelves -- maybe even a cabinet-- on the wall above ... and have a much more interesting and lovely desk area?

Another thought, I have clothes that haven't fit me for, well, around a decade. I need to go through them  and save only the coolest things (as opposed to the t-shirts that shrunk lengthwise and are baggy/shapeless everywhere else) ... I can put those things away for when Bucket and Bubbles get to be teenagers (RETRO!! Hey, I was SO SAD that I only got a vest from my mom's collection and NOTHING from my grandmothers' closets -- they never kept much. If they'd had ANY idea that their granddaughter was going to be CRAZY INTO vintage, I know they'd have set some stuff aside for me). But, for the rest of it, I can clean out the closet and actually start filling it (not FULL-full, mind you!) with things that work for me NOW. Which would save a ton of room ... and make getting dressed a LOT easier.

I mean, I'm actually thinking of getting rid of some BOOKS ... YES, I  KNOW!!! But, well, this house is getting stuffed with things that I just am not using. And ... I look at the decorating-pr0n that is YoungHouseLove ... And, well, it'd just be REALLY NICE to get a house that I love every inch and it easier to clean and makes me happy to look at what I've done. ... And, well, I know that we're not going to be in this house FOREVER. Either we'll sell it to my mom or we'll find something else (we do talk of -- SOMEDAY -- buying the adjoining lots and putting something bigger on here ... AND having a good-sized yard).

Regardless, I'd like to make this place a good house with restful colors and everything.

And, I need to find a way to consolidate the kids' clothes enough (and the set-up in there) so that we can move Bubbles' clothes (and makeshift dressers) out of our room.

And, really ... I've gotten so used to being rather lazy ... But doing things where I can SEE results QUICKLY ... that's rather tempting. (As opposed to exercising ... where I feel AWFUL and sweaty and everything ... and, somehow, after exercise, I look down and where are those washboard abs? So depressing!)

But, yeah ... it's really nice to have the birthday parties over. And to have a LITTLE breathing room.
Most of the breathing room will be back by March 24th. Our evenings will be ours again ... and Michael won't be sporting EPIC BEARD and the MUSTACHE OF DOOM ... or the white boy 'fro.
He bought a hat for our family vacation ... while I was checking out at Jo-Ann Fabric, he took the kids out to the car ... and put on his hat.
When I came out, I got really confused. ... That LOOKED like our car. But who was in the front seat? There's some grizzly-looking gunslinger ... Oh! Never mind, that's my husband. The man I've slept next to nearly every night for the last 4, 364 days.

Yeah ... I saw him at church (we took different cars/arrived at different times due to his meetings before and after church this week) ... totally didn't recognize MY OWN HUSBAND. *rolls eyes*

Well, I'm trying to get Bubbles to take a nap ... which she is NOT. AT. ALL. amenable to ... and I should do the dishes and the laundry and a million other things ... and plan dinners, since there are THREE rehearsals this week (and FOUR next week ... then FIVE performances ... I do enjoy doing theatre ... and I really like the opportunity to get to know other people in the Stake/other wards ... but, goodness, I am ready to have time with my family all together, to not have to find sitters, to not take the chance of having to MISS my kids' music presentation ... *sigh* I can do this. I can get through this. And I will. It'll all be FINE. Soon. ^_^).

But, yeah ... Hey, I'm trying to blog more often. That should mean something, right?