So sad that I laughed, and so funny that I cried

When I first saw Miso today I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. I started crying but then saw the whole thing for how ridiculous it was so I let myself laugh. I knew that in the coming days, weeks, and months that I was NOT going to find this funny, so I might as well laugh about it while none of the difficulties of the situation were real yet.

You see, Miso, my great, majestic, and glorious cat always looks like this:

Right? A silver and rust colored lion. He owns this part of the neighborhood.



Yesterday I noticed something weird, and upon further investigation I was horrified.

One of the mats in his fur had ripped from his skin! I felt like the worst animal owner on the planet! (But to my credit- I had previously scheduled an appointment at the groomers -yes, he obviously needs to go sometimes- but it wasn't for a couple weeks.) I called the groomers and made an appointment for today instead.

He had bad mats of fur all along his sides. BUT last year this happened too and the girl managed to get them out and salvage his beautiful fur.

But this year? 

Well, take a look for yourself.

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

All I was able to say for a good 30 minutes was "ohmygosh/ohmygosh/ohmygosh!"

And still, all I can really say is "Oh my gosh!"

My poor kitty! :(

He. Looks.
 Ridiculous.

A few points:

A) It looks like somebody took his head off and put it on another skinny cat's body! Look how huge his head still looks!
B) I'm worried about letting him outside now! They say he is smart and will come in when he is cold. One lady was like "just make him an indoor cat." Yeah, right. Okay lady, why don't YOU come over and try listening to him meow for an hour to go outside. Most relentless cat EVER.
C) I'm worried to let him outside because he is a brawler and now he wont have all that fur to protect him! He's going to get hurt!
D) Apparently those white marks are spots where the other fur mats were tearing off. Yikes. I had no idea!
E) I have purchased a much better comb. The other brush I used on him only got the surface I guess. Well, not that it matters much now...
 F) Miso is having a bad year. 2013 is not his time to shine. First we get a savage dog and Miso still refuses to come to the front of the house AND now this- bald kitty! Oh and snow storms galore, which he hates going out in. And June still manages to chase him down all the time.

*Sigh. Thanks for reading and being there for us during this emotionally confusing time.To laugh or to cry?

Over all I think this photo sums up the day.

Ignorance is Bliss. For a Toddler.

June is a little rascal. She is only 19 months and already she has intelligent sass. 

 Whenever she gets into trouble I will kneel down and grab her to look at me and say in a stern voice “June. No no!” and she just has to know that she is in trouble but despite that she smiles as if I told a joke and babbles something, “mama jee-ah, buklook a bee-bah-jah?” as sweet as can be, as if nothing ever happened.

And THEN she started to close her eyes at me when I’m telling her what to do or what not to do! “June- you need to eat this, see?” or “June, no, you need to go this way.” She shakes your head and closes her eyes as tight as she can as if  “If I can’t see you then you can’t tell me what to do!”

And THEN today I was telling her not to do something and she turned her back to me. So I said “June, look at me- look at mommy.” And she ever so  s – l – o – w – l – y turned her head towards me … until. . . she saw me for a split second and she whipped back around.

RASCAL!

What is most concerning is the memories I have of myself when I was younger, especially as a teenager. . . "Sure mom and dad. Be all upset. But look at me, I'm calm and unaffected by you. I obviously know what's best for me" Even though I wasn't unaffected. I just wanted to get to them, you know? (yeah, sorry again for those years mom and dad...) 

So. Raising June should be fun!

Tea Party- Welcome

I have a lot of life goals. Wanna see some- check them out HERE. I actively try to accomplish these goals. As I was reading through my list this last December I saw the goal to "have a tea party for my friends" and I thought this February would be a perfect time for that. But really, as people asked me why I was having my tea party the only real response was "why not?"

Now. I wish with all my heart that I could have invited everyone I know in Utah (and I really, really wish that all my friends world wide could have come) but because of where I did it I had to keep the guest list small (request of the owner) so I stuck to the people I truly see the most. So if you're reading this and you're in Utah and you're like, "Hey! Where was my invite?!" Just know that I thought of YOU and wanted to but couldn't. If I were wealthy I would have made it happen. As Buck said during all of this planning, "You would be a really fun rich person."

And so, since this is my blog I have decided that I wanted to share ALL the photos I edited. So this will span *three blog posts. Prepare yourself.

Also, a little disclaimer- while these photos turned out good and all I felt like had I been there simply as a photographer I could have done a lot more with it- but throwing a party AND photographing it is like trying to swim with one foot on the ground... or something like that.

Alright- First of all- the invitation! I was proud of myself since I'm not normally crafty. Designed it myself too. :)

 My outfit was a miraculous coincidence. I got this dress, as a gift, from a flea market in November- before any plans of a tea party. Apparently it's from the 1920's (who really knows though) and it's fragile but wonderful. My grandma shortened it for me so it wouldn't look like a nightgown and we were good to go.

I was also proud of how my hair turned out! It was my first time trying this style and while I'm not the worst person at doing hair, I'm also not the best.

And I post these photos with reckless abandon, putting up many. Because I can. (photos of me by Buck)

Now onto the venue. Long story short, I asked this green house/reception place and they let me have my party there for free! Talk about a miracle. It was a dream. Real plants from ground to ceiling, waterfalls and whimsical lights. They had a sound system and we listened to violin music from my iPod.

The table and chair are theirs. The lace table cloths are mine, as are the dishes and everything else- with the excepted of the dishes I borrowed from my grandma, a neighbor, and an antique store owner. (go buy stuff from this lady- it's a great store with fair prices and she might go out of business soon and that would be a shame.)

   

Some of the herbal tea. This was the peach one and it was so yummy.

The menu was important to me. I did a lot of research and everything ended up being made from scratch! (And thankfully some people helped me out too!)

On the menu we had:

Pound cake with raspberry filling and butter cream frosting

and lemon melt away cookies 

and candied orange and grapefruit rinds (I was especially proud of myself or making those!)

Scones with lemon curd and Devonshire cream for the top

Garnished water, fresh lemonade

and, two kinds of tea sandwiches- artichoke and egg salad

My personal favorite- strawberries with a lemon-lavender syrup

A little more decoration

Everything was perfect. The food, the atmosphere, the company. I was sad to leave the summer land behind after we cleaned up. But it's fine because one day I am going to own my own green house. Tea parties year round!

*To see the guests click HERE
*To see the artistic photos of the guests click HERE

Tea Party- the Guest List

To read all about the tea party click HERE
To see some artistic photos of the guests click HERE

Like I said in my other post- I wish I could have invited everyone. But I am grateful for those who did come. It wouldn't have been a party without them.

Those who attended were:

June- she got to be a special guest at the beginning while Buck was there helping out.

Umm, ME

Kenzi and Tanya

My aunt Rachelle and my Grandma

My aunt Shellie and aunt Amy

Carrie and Sonja

And Emily, who for some reason only had a landscape photo.

It was a success.