Hi. I have nothing to say.

I know, I know. This is very hard to believe. There are many days when I think WHY AM I DOING THIS STUPID BLOG-THING? I don't have anything interesting to say. Nobody gives a shit that I bought new fabric or that I can't decide what to wear for my wedding or that we painted our house. Is this what my life has become? Yes. And that's ok. Because it means I'm happy. But happy is BORING. There are no country songs about being happy. But, well, jesus didn't miraculously appear on my toast, my dog hasn't run away, and nobody broke my heart this week. I'm sorry.

I have been riding my bike every day; that is one of my favorite things about summer. I bring my bike to work and go out at lunch and ride on the Trail of the Couer d' Alenes. It's part of the Rails to Trails program, an old railroad line that has been paved and is now a gorgeous 72 mile trail through N. Idaho. The trail head is right outside my office; I've been riding down to the lake and back; 6 miles down and 6 miles UUUUUUUP. I can't even tell you how much I love it: the climate and smells and sounds remind me exactly of Garden Valley (where we grew up, for those of you who aren't related to me.) There are dry grassy areas full of grasshoppers and crickets clacking, and then you pass through a lush canyon with a creek trickling through it surrounded by huge Ponderosa Pines. The sound of birds is almost deafening: robins, swainson's thrush, varied thrush, flickers, kinglets, chickadees, nuthatches. With the warm summer air it's absolute HEAVEN. Today I'm going pass on the muscle-burning ride back up hill; I'm going to drive down to the state park and ride along the lake. I'll take some photos.

In the meantime, here. Look at my bunny. Oh, and my daughter is cute too.

fabric love

I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE this fabric. Ever since I saw this made by flour clothing (maker of little kids' clothing so damn adorable it almost makes me want to breed again), I NEEDED to get my hands on some giant-buffalo-plaid. I looked at all of my favorite on-line fabric suppliers and couldn't find any. And then I was in my local Joanne's the other day and stumbled upon it crammed in with the children's fabric (?!)...and not only in red but ORANGE!!! Orange buffalo plaid, people. I love it almost too much to cut into it...but I'm envisioning some sort of fabulous retro dress. And I won't even care if I look like I'm wearing a gigantic table-cloth. I shall wear it proudly while peddling around on my cruiser.

PS. If you've been losing sleep over it, I chose the LONG, IVORY version of the dress below. And, thanks to JCrew's current sale (3 days only girls; go get those short-versions of ya want 'em) I saved 20%! Bwahahahahahaaa!

I think we have a winner!

Do you like how I did that? Get you all to vote between not two, not five but SEVEN dresses.....and then choose one that's not even on the list?! HA! I made you feel like you had some power and then WHOOSH! I yank it out from under your feet. That'll teach you to try to tell ME what to do.

No, really, this was my very favorite choice from the beginning. Hell, I loved this dress (from JCrew) before I even knew I'd be getting divorced and remarried. I'd seen it when they first started offering wedding dresses years ago and thought, geez, now why couldn't I have found something like that when I got married?? Perfection.

So why didn't I put it in the line-up? I dunno...I guess I thought it was TOO plain. But that's really what I love about it, and that's exactly what will make it feel right for our out-door wedding at a barn, I think. I think I could easily go barefoot (if I so choose) or wear some sweet simple sandals and be able to throw on a little cardigan sweater if it cools down. And as my mom said, I can even shorten it after the wedding and wear it again, should I ever need to dress up some warm summer evening.

BUT WAIT! I need you to help me vote AGAIN. Go to this link and look at it in all the different colors. I love the ivory...but maybe I should do a different color? I'm NOT a fan of pastels; I think it's lovely in brown. But would that be weird for my own wedding? Remember, this is not our first marriage and it is going to be a more casual affair. Although brown could make it tricker for David to find something to wear. Also, this dress is available in two shorter versions (the fabric is different and they are available in many more colors than the long version). Here and here.

What do you think? Should I stick with the long ivory version, do the long brown version or do a shorter colored version??

help me pick out something to wear to my wedding

Ok, so, you know, we're getting married in 3 months short months and I need to figure out WHAT I'M GOING TO WEAR.

Now, it's going to be a casual affair, in a beautiful (modern) barn, in the middle of September. It's going to feel more like a back-yard BBQ than a wedding, and yet, I am much more interested in wearing something "bride-like" than I was at my first marriage.

I love the idea of something retro-ish but WHY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO ALL THOSE MODELS HAVE 14 INCH WAISTS?? My sweet and very helpful sister has volunteered to remove a few ribs for me with her new cutlery. And I appreciate that. I do. But I have a very low pain threshold. So let's review some options, based on the body (and flaws) that I have. Also, keep in mind that I will most likely be barefoot and will have just a simple white flower in my hair. No frou-frou veil or anything of the sort...but still...I want to look pretty and somewhat like a bride. Important factors to consider when helping me decide: I am 43 years old. I could lose a few (ahem) pounds (but can't promise that I will) and most importantly: I have NO WAIST.

First, I'll show you some pictures of modern dresses that I like, all from JCrew:
I think this is simple, lovely and elegant. It's also $850. But I think I could have something very similar made (in off-white linen maybe) for a fraction of the price.



I also think this is sweet and simple. But maybe too young?? And also, would the bow at the waist accentuate part of my body I do not love?


And then there's this, which is hand-made by etsy seller Jane bon bon. I am wearing one of her dresses right this minute and I LOVE it: it is beautifully made and fits me as if it were made for me. I feel great in it.



Aaaand then there's this little number which, oh my, totally speaks to my quirky-retro side. I ADORE this, probably more than I should. But is it just a bit too much? (David, you don't get to vote.) (I know, I know, he IS the man I'm marrying, but he doesn't really appreciate retro as much as he should.) This would definately, um, "surprise him in delightful ways."



And then there are these patterns which I could have made: Clean, simple, elegant. Maybe too plain? Maybe WRONG for a woman who is not 6 ft. tall, 104 pounds, 23 years old?



Hello, Doris Day! Again, WHAT IS WITH THE 11 INCH WAIST?? Were women in the 50s really built that much differently? Were there SERIOUS UNDERGARMENTS involved? Did they not have Ben & Jerry's back then??



Imagine the long version in an ivory-colored linen or maybe eyelet cotton. Kinda Goldie-Hawnish, don't you think?



So. What do you think? Are any of them right or even close? Or just all wrong? Please take a moment and vote up on the left.

And, it probably goes without saying, but I can't promise I'll take your advice. But I do promise to appreciate your advice. I do.

friends

True to form, Moby has decided that if WE love bunny, then he does too. He is the most gentle dog; remember last year when I brought home that orphaned fawn for the night?
Moby was SO sweet and gentle with that fawn. And he's the same with Rootbeer. We let the bunny roam around the TV room while we're in there, and he has learned that Moby is no threat at all. In fact, last night Moby got down in the "Let's Play!" position in an effort to get bunny to romp. But bunny's a lover, not a fighter.

the sunshine house

Here it is, in all it's sunshiney glory. Now, I know some of you (read ALL) voted against painting the sun, but we HAD to.

See, one time shortly after David and I very first got together, and he was still living in Alaska and he and Anna hadn't yet met, he and I were talking on the phone. Anna wanted to talk to him, but she was too shy. So we decided to sing him and song, and we sang "You Are My Sunshine". Well, apparently, for him, that was IT. Sitting in Alaska that December day, fresh out of a very ugly marriage and divorce, he saw "the light at the end of the tunnel" when he heard us singing that song. And from then on, he has called us his "two sunshines". So you see, we just HAD to paint that sun, with it's three rays reaching toward the sky.

In other news, I think I MAY live, although I do have bronchitis/pneumonia and I slept until ELEVEN THIRTY today! It's a good thing too, because if I'd woken up when David and Anna got up, I'd have killed myself because IT SNOWED people. That's right. June, what, 10th?

Al Gore is a LIAR.

Global warming my ass.

wait for it....

Tomorrow there will be photos of our house, freshly painted with the accent trim. I'll warn you now, we didn't entirely take your advice. But it looks awesome and we love it. And our neighbors do too. Unless they're just saying that out of fear that we'll come after their homes next.

In other news, I think I have pneumonia again. Crap.

And while yes, it did FINALLY stop snowing, it has now decided to RAIN every bloody day in the month of June. We're down to MAYBE 2 months of summer weather now. I'm SO GLAD I MOVED AWAY FROM THE OREGON COAST.

But I'm not bitter.