~ at my window~ My littlest out of utero turned 5. She watched and waited for snow and it came as she drew the 20th or so heart in her breath canvas on the window. "Wow, it's snowing!" I said. "I know, I wished for it," she answered with no irony.
~in my kitchen~ Eleni's cake ingredients which she hand-picked from the grocery as we sauntered up and down the aisles eating donuts and chatting as a shiny pink balloon on a ribbon followed us around lightly.
~at my feet as I bake~ Of course. You knew this, though.
~in my dining room~ All the contents of our bedroom closets and some things from the walls and the studio too. Why?
~in our bedroom~ Because this is where the closets used to be. My husband has developed a healthy fear of me + graph paper. For good reason. But this is going to be great. My, erhh, our bedroom will get about 3.4 feet bigger along one wall (annexing the closets & a small hallway) and the studio will get lots of built in shelving, and both rooms will get new hardwood floors. More on all this soon, oh, and that charming border will be going. (Haven't managed to get that down in five years of living here. Sigh.)
~in my studio~ Still chirping away on the other side of the plastic wall, Allie manages her same cheery self getting orders processed and shipped in about 1/2 the studio space-and with everything generally upside down. We have had some gianormous belly laughs as we have to get our faces about 2.5" apart and scream conversation so that we can hear each other over the saws, drills, stud prying, hammering, etc.
~on my afternoon couch~ Back to Eleni. Spending the day at home following her whims instead of preschool activities proved a good way to get some lazy movie watching in cuddled with her favorite stuffed puppy who looks just like Leo. I can't believe those feet are five.
~on Eleni's cake~ Hello Kitty with sparkly frosting hand-rendered by her mom (in a major rush, so more of a thick and goopy gestural Kitty, I might add) surrounded by lots and lots of chocolate frosting. Juliana adds candles to the cake because Eleni wanted 5 for her and one for each of her brothers and sisters. 10 candles for the 5 year old. Naturally.
~out like a candlelight~ Five years. And all of us. A wonderful, full, chaotic and perfect day to be five.
xo, AM