Wow, what a change in the weather! Go figure, after about two weeks of hot and humid days, Laura got heaps of summer clothes for her birthday that she can’t wear because it’s too chilly. It reminds me so much of this time last year. I feel like I spent her first month watching the rain and wearing sweaters. It’s supposed to warm up next week, though, so she’ll be wearing those adorable dresses soon.
Her birthday party went well. It’s always hectic when you’re the hostess, no matter how much you plan, plan, plan. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. The cake was a huge hit! I made a chocolate and strawberry layer cake with chocolate-covered strawberries on top:
It was super easy and looked impressive. I want to try other flavor variations at some point (lemon and vanilla, chocolate and spice, et cetera). Laura had a mini strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and a strawberry on top. She was only interested in the fruit while the guests were here, but after dinner she was very excited about the cake itself.
I feel so relaxed now that all these parties are behind us. It had been a busy month, going back to May. Now I can relax and spend my free time on things like sewing and crochet. Meanwhile, my left ankle is such a mess. Don’t worry — it’s nothing that requires I start looking into term life insurance or anything. I have a huge hive-type thing that is a result of what I believe is a combination of a spider bite and several chigger bites. The original (spider?) bite had been annoying, but nothing to be concerned over. Then last Friday I was planting flowers in my window boxes and the next day my ankle had tons of tiny little bites. They itch so bad. I’ve tried everything: alcohol, ammonia, cider vinegar, epsom salt, Benedryl cream, hydrogen peroxide. Some methods work better than others, but I think I just have to tough it out. I’m also so insistent about putting bug spray on Drew and the kids, but do I bother to do it to myself? Of course not. Lesson learned.
Maybe this brief cool snap killed some of these awful bugs. Let’s hope!