Short Stuff

SPA STYLE: We're keeping busy, in the pandemic sense of the word. Plus, I'm working long hours, hence the lack of blog posts. Apologies to those who are actually curious regarding what we're up to.

Last week we fit in a Birthday Dreams donation cake. The teenager chose a spa theme. (Name on cake above is obscured.)

We looked online for ideas and more often than not, the cakes included makeup, spa masks and such, so we used those ideas as inspirations.

First, we had to bake the 3-layer cake. It had to be lactose free, so that was an extra consideration. It was also one of the reasons we chose that cake/kid, because we knew they were likely not to get a cake if it came down to Birthday Dreams having to buy them a store bakery one. 

Once the cake was baked and built (filled and iced), it was a matter of decorating. Annabelle crafted nail polish bottles, lipstick, eye shadow, and more as cake toppers. 

I wish I had taken better photos of the cake. The two here don't do it justice.

LETTERED: CJ is pretty much consumed with politics at the moment. I think it will be good for him once school starts Sept. 29, to get his mind back on classes and away from the ugliness that can be current events. In the meantime, we have at-length discussions about all of the many, MANY things so wrong with the world right now. It ranges from forced hysterectomies at the southern border to the founder of cray-cray QAnon being from Mukilteo, a town just to our north. 

I challenged him to do something other than doomscroll, and write a letter to his senators. He is focusing on the disastrous fires and climate change. The letter writing process has been an ongoing edit and re-edit affair over the last couple of days. I have stressed to him that the communication should be constructive, and offer resources and a buy in instead of just a bitch out. Stay tuned for a final missive.