my first attempt at decorating a "fancy" cake

I had help from all three girls natch, and it was after dinner (you know in my house that's onwards of 7). I really wanted to give it a try on my own but you know that just doesn't happen unless it's before everyone wakes up or after everyone's asleep. I thought I would try another practice cake (or "uh-oh" cake, as Maddie called it) but haven't had an opportunity to do so this week. It's been a busy week w/ Maddie's city expo project (Orlando!) and sewing princess hats & other party preparations and STILL working on the bookshelf.

Fi is FINALLY potty trained! We were lent a book called "the Princess and the Potty" and it helped alot (Princess Fiona doesn't wear diapers anymore, she wears "pantalettes"). That and the promise of going to school with Maddie in the fall. Today we will attempt to register for ECE when we visit the school to check out the city expo.

It is snowing again. Again. And it's all of 19 degrees. I know summer will be here soon enough, and will most likely be the usual hot hot hot, but I am so done with the cold. I honestly don't mind the snow. It's the cold that I don't necessarily enjoy. Snowboarding is different because you don't notice the cold when you're having fun. I don't relish the idea of being outside just for the sake of going to the store, or wherever. I mean, one of the reasons I moved here was because the winters are (usually) so mild.

Then there's the issue with the roads. The ice is still so bad on some roads that it's like off-roading -in my civic! I was telling my dad that it's worse on some of the side streets than even the back roads in W. PA. Think driving in the winter to someplace like "the christmas tree farm" or "thud flat" back home or any number of those deserted outdoor keg party locations in high school. I think I can best describe it to folks not from my hometown as driving on a logging road, if you know what that's like.

Um, there's one street a couple blocks away that's like driving in one of those antique car rides at Cedar Point. Just take your hands off the wheel & step on the gas, b/c the car ain't goin' nowhere but following the 6 inch ruts in the ice for the tires. There were times when I felt that surely I must have been plowing the snow with my low clearance.

And get this, we have potholes here now that PA would be jealous of. hahahahaha. It's been what, a month? two at the most, of this weather? Talk about instantaeous potholes. It's like a disease, they're everywhere & spreading. It's gonna be a great year for folks in the auto repair biz. Suspensions and alignments will be most popular.