More brass crap that I don't really need

Look what came home with me today.  Isn't he cute.  He'll go nicely with my other brass crap collection.  I did want to use him as a book end in the bookshelf, but alas his rather magnificent trunk is just too tall.  So on the piano he will go.  Hopefully it will bring me good luck when I'm struggling with trying to get the boys to do their piano practice.

New Chair

You may recall, but you probably won't because it was months ago, that I decided to recover a chair to go in the Library/music room.  Anyway, I hated how it looked and was constantly feeling dissatisfied with not only the height of the chair but also the color.   So that's probably why I never finished the project!  I had seen a chair that I absolutely loved in Anthropologie, but being Anthropologie it was way out of my price range, $1698 plus tax to be precise.  It was also quite grubby having been in the store for ages.  To order one would have been a few hundred more in shipping!  I had asked whether they would discount the chair because it was looking a bit tatty (it doesn't hurt to ask), but they insisted that the price was firm.  Somehow, deep down inside I knew that chair would be mine if I was patient enough.  On Friday I went to the store to see if it was still there.  Long story short, the beauty went home with me for just over $500!  That's a discount of over $1300 if you count the tax!  Yes, I know it's crude to talk about money, but I must say I'm pretty good at grabbing a bargain.  So here she is in her full glory.  The kids won't sit on it til I clean it, so I hope it does clean up.  But it's not really that bad.

It's the Lunet Chair by Anthropologie, but they don't make it in this color way any more.  You may also notice that the curtains have changed yet again.  I decided that the room needed calming down a bit because there's so much going on in there.  Yes, I have Beatles figurines in my bookcase,  as well as Beatle's bedding, don't ask.  But my home is a lived in place and not a show room so the bookcase will always be bursting with kids paperbacks and music books.  The other side of the room houses Roman's drum kit.  It's definitely a tight squeeze in there hence no photos of the whole room.  It's difficult to capture in pictures without it looking like a complete disaster.  So here's just a snapshot.  Now imagine me reclining in my new chair, sipping a cocktail, while perusing an interior design book.  Bliss.

Happy 8th Birthday Callum

I can't believe my youngest turned 8 this weekend!  To celebrate, he decided that he wanted a Club Penguin themed birthday party this year.  So I channeled my inner Martha and came up with this:

It took me FOREVER!  I'm not kidding.  I've never covered a cake in fondant before, and I still don't get how they get it perfectly smooth without any creases.  I certainly won't be going into the cake making business anytime soon.  But Callum loved it, and that's what counts.

I also made some Puffle cookies.

Here's the table looking all nice and tidy before the kiddies descended and rifled through their bags, messed up the tablescape and proceeded to grab the fondant figures off the cake!

I got another year out of the number 8 candle.  Unfortunately it's time to retire it.

It seems that the only time it rains in Utah in the summer is actually on the day we throw Callum's birthday party!  Can be quite tricky when you're hosting a swim party.  

See I told you there were lots of grabby hands.  All that work to be gobbled up in two seconds.  Of course I had to take a bunch of photos.

Ahh, but there's a surprise in the cake.

Yep, Martha, I tell you.  Rainbow cake at its finest.  I must say, it did look rather cool.

Callum loved it!

Look even the plate matches.

Ahh, Callum holding Gary The Gadget Guy, his favorite Club Penguin Character.  And that was the last we saw of him!  Gobble.