Barking Mad

Her Mommy's Wedding Gown

For the longest time, Gaby has begged me to take my wedding dress out of the box it rests in, and let her look at it, touch it, and maybe try it on. Nary a week passes in which she doesn't ask me at least once if I'll take my dress out of the cedar chest and let her look at it, touch it, and try it on.  

I always laugh after I say no because for one, the dress is about 100 sizes too big Omar the Tentmaker was my gown designer and well...well, there's really no good reason.   I have no plans to hand the dress down to her because it is so large that it would have to be entirely remade, and ever since she was born, I've wanted to have someone talented create a couple of quilts out of my dress and one of the bridesmaid's dresses that I have, into quilts for my daughters and now granddaughter. 

After goofing off on Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and seeing a photograph of a little girl playing dress up in what was probably her own mommy's ornate wedding gown, and being totally enamored of the feel of the photo, I decided that the next time Gaby asked me about my gown, I'd say yes.   Actually, I was going to do her one better.  I decided we'd take the gown back home to Maine on our next trip back, and we'd find someplace really picturesque (our house is about the last thing that fits that description!) and I'd let her wear the gown and I'd take photos.    The next time Gaby asked and I said yes rather than the usual no, she giggled and did a little dance of joy.    Watching her get so excited made me feel silly for ever saying no in the first place.

So, a few weeks ago as we were getting ready to head back to Maine for the weekend, Gaby helped me carefully remove the yards and yards of tulle, lace, and pearly prettiness from the cedar chest.  We took a moment to inhale the cool cedar scent, and I tried to see if there were still any hints of that beautiful day, nearly nine years ago, spent high in the mountain top village of Lake Arrowhead, CA, of the day I committed my life and love, to Gareth.  I breathed in deeply and maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought that I could just barely still smell the pine branches hanging in the air, dripping with sunshine and cool breezes.  Then she helped me gently place the gown in box suitable for the trip, and then she watched her daddy place the box in the back of our car.   She couldn't help but exude pure excitement at the thought of finally getting to run her hands all over mommy's gown, and even get to try it on.   I grabbed a strand of faux pearls from her dress up chest, for good measure.

We found a beautiful little river front grassy area in Bath, ME and I spread out my gown on the grass.   Gaby carefully slipped herself into the gown and then ran her hands all along the folds of tulle and lace, and then carefully traced the pearly sequins on the bodice.    I told her that I had some very special plans for the dress, but that I would save a little piece of it for her, to have on her wedding day - her "something old" if you will.  

I took some photos as she enjoyed playing dress up in her mommy's wedding gown, and smiled and laughed as she dreamed out-loud about her own wedding one of these many many many years down the line.

I think perhaps, if she wants me to, I might frame this one and display it at her own wedding  -  one of these many many many years down the road . . .

Weekend Wisdom

Sunday Funnies

click image to enlarge

 

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Yes, occasionally we do put Geronimo on a leash and let him roam around outside for a little while.  Sometimes we take the leash off for a few minutes, but not very often.    While he's perfectly content to lounge around in the grass, all it takes is for a bird or squirrel to get a little too close and I'm sure, despite how large he is, we'd have a hell of a time trying to catch him!

Pinterest Isn't a Complete Waste of Time After All!

I was slow to the join the rest of what seemed like everyone else, jumping on the Pinterest train.  To be honest, I don't think I really understood exactly what it was until just recently.    Of course, there were those who warned me, "Don't do it.  It will suck you in and you'll never escape!"     I didn't really want to get involved in another "time suck" as it is.  I'm on Facebook entirely too frequently, and Twitter?  It's hit and miss.  I have periods that last weeks without tweeting once, and then I'll have spurts of time where I never shut up.   I balked at adding yet another social media app that might require me to pay attention.   Silly me, I just didn't get it.

Well, now I do!

And ya know what?  I like it.  A lot.  Especially now that I know I can actually find cool information out there and put it to use!   This is handy when one is not particularly creative or original as is the case with me.  So, I love all the easy and fun cooking ideas!    I was born without a Martha Stewart gene, and my Betty Crocker gene has one too many chromosomes.  Souffles come out as soufflops!  I've also taken advantage of a lot of the homeschooling information available via Pinterest!    I'm grateful for a lot of it because we're still sort of feeling our way around this homeschooling thing.

This past weekend being Memorial Day weekend, we were invited to a couple of cookouts.  If we're not the ones hosting them, I pretty much struggle with what to take.  Oh and don't think of telling me, "Just bring yourselves! We don't need anything else!"  I hate showing up to things like cookouts, empty handed.

So, after having been on Pinterest for a little over a week, I had a small stockpile of what looked like simple, fun, and good ideas for things to take to a cookout.    Much to my amazement, once I was done putting together a few of the ideas I had repinned from other pinner's boards,  they came out looking like they were supposed to! 

Rainbow Fruit Kabobs . . .

(All images are mine.  Click for full size)

Then there were the fun little Ladybugs at the Ritz!  

And finally, Low Country Kabobs...minus the shrimp, which is typical of a "Low Country Boil"...my eczema flares really bad if I so much as touch a raw shrimp! 

Everything went over so well at the cookout!  I was still socially awkward and spent too much time hiding behind my camera, but I had a great time just the same.  Also managed to get a couple of really great shots of the folks at the cookout, as well as the two "mascots" . . .

Pretty Sadie . . .

Then there was the ever-present blue jay, just waiting for a morsel of food to be dropped so he could swoop down to gobble it up!     The more and more I photograph birds, the less terrified of them I become!

Of course, I couldn't help but snap a photo of Gaby kicking back, being wistful . . .

And Then They Were Gone

I took this photo at 11:21AM EST this morning . . .

By 4:43PM EST our baby robins had graduated from the nest. . .

Gaby is, as I was expecting, crestfallen.   However, after she dried her tears and told me that she hoped the babies would come back after they were all grown up and raise their  own babies in that very same nest, she went and sat at her desk and started writing stories about what Pippa, Twitter, Flutter and Bambi were doing out in the great big world.

Good luck fledglings. 

Good luck to anyone who finds themselves graduating from your own nest, be it high school, college, or even Kindergarten.  May the big wide world embrace you and may you embrace it back.

Spread your wings and fly!