Random, photos and a question

* I hosted a gathering of some of my crafty friends yesterday. Our crafty gatherings always mean a reason to bake :) I baked cookies for the gathering, then made three new recipes and another favorite today. This was all well and fun, but the bottom line is that I cleaned up the kitchen several times in the last two days and spent an hour doing all of the dishes that my kitchen antics created. The flip side? I froze blueberry muffins, oatmeal bars and chicken marsala that I can eat over the next few weeks, and we enjoyed some yummy Texas cheese fries with steaks that I grilled tonight for dinner. AND I have a lot of catching up to do on the baking blog now :)

* Yesterday Elle did something (I can't even remember what it was) and I told her it wasn't funny. She fake, hysterical laughed and said "It IS funny."

* Tim got his hair cut for the first time since late last year (because of the scalp cyst, then because of the shaved area from the surgery), and he told the stylist to cut it all as short as the shaved-now-somewhat-grown-back area. He usually keeps it longer in the front, but that's not what he told the stylist. The end result has been the source of several self-imposed descriptions and my new nickname for Tim: Matt Lauer.

* I've been taking a lot of random snapshots of Elle lately. She's moving so fast (and often, bee-lining for the camera) that a lot of really great shots come out blurry. But I love that I'm catching so many different sides of her personality and expressions:

Love that half-smile, soft curls, round cheeks and luscious lashes.

* I've received what I consider to be a pretty cool chain letter, and I'm still looking for a few people to send it to so that I can fulfill my "send this letter to six people ..." request. This chain letter instructs you to send a book to the first child listed on the letter, then you move up the second kid to the first position and add your kid to the letters you send out. I'm all about spreading the love of reading and have fun buying some of Elle's favorite books for other little kids, but the whole process works only if the people you pass it along to are willing to participate. It has been surprisingly hard to find people to continue the "chain," but it means that I'm on the lookout for any friends who might be interested and willing to participate. If the chain works, the child should receive 36 books. That's 36 books - and you only send ONE. And if you don't have time to go buy a book, you can save time and postage by buying a book on Amazon or half.com and shipping it directly to the child. E-mail me at seacowcircus@gmail.com if you'd like to participate.

The kid loves her books.