Greetings from the Great and Spacious Building

This past weekend, I spent some great girly time with my mom, our friend Lorna Boot, and our new friends Annette Stein, Kajha Perry, and Mallie Steele. We helped Annette rep her children's clothing lines at America's Mart Atlanta, and we made a little extra $$$ at the same time. We had a lot of fun! And we came home with some great goodies we bought at wholesale prices (and really tired feet). Can't wait 'til February, Annette!

We spent our days up there on the 13th floor.

My Mama and me

We're entering the building on the right . . .

. . . to 13 floors (of hundreds of shops on each floor) of wholesale heaven! (Or should I say hell?) I actually had my Junior Prom here.

Looking up at the elevator

Looking down on the runway

And here is where we perched for three days of busy busy busy! (I only came home with one migraine and two almost-migraines. It wasn't the work; it was the traffic.)

Twirls and Twigs is one of Annette's clothing lines. It won the Earnie Award this year for best girl's collection, which is like the Academy Award for children's clothing. The lady who designs this line uses recycled scraps from the women's fashion industry to make them. They're really unique and fun.

Here are some of my favorites:

I got to bring this one home.

The main line that I help Annette with is called Jelly the Pug. It's a really fun and successful girls dress line. I love all the dresses below (except for the red and pink ones).

We brought this dress home, and it is to-die-for on Miss Choobers!

I'd love to bring this one home after the Spring line is gone.

This line is called Baby Mish, and these are all super soft and sweet.

The three Lornas!

Fashion Show

Thanks, Annette! It was fun!

But I was really happy to come home to this . . .

and this . . .

Whew!

Barbie Photo Booth

I found these pictures on our camera last June.

Had to share.

I'll give you three guesses as to who took these photos. And she's sometimes called "Miss Krogsworth." She makes me giggle.

I love you, Raleigh!

Summer Snippets

Random pictures from our hectic summer in no particular order:

Our new front door. Sorry, no house pics! It's only been a few months, but we are still getting settled. We love our new place, though.

Our little sushi pie back in May.

Miss Middle, wishing these were real.

The girls love having a fun next-door neighbor friend who is literally in our own backyard! Priscilla is a cute and fun new friend!

Madeline wrote and illustrated a special book in 1st grade for her "Young Authors" project. She wrote a story about a fun experience she shared with Jess and Raleigh in Virginia Beach a couple of summers ago titled, "The Silly Song." In the first page of her book, she dedicated her story to Jess and Dannii "because they are so nice to me," and she gave it to them at the lake while they were here visiting us from Thailand.

My dad was too seasick to board the boat, so we left him on shore to read a stack of Alabama Visitors Center brochures we picked up for him to read.

Raleigh wouldn't give me "five," but she LOVED tubing this year! We haven't been out on the boat since last year, and the girls loved it just as much this time around.

This is the only "cousin shot" we have from our summer visitors - Gunnar and Henry, and Henry is missing from this picture! We should've had the camera out more, but we were too busy shuffling babies around.

Underwear Thursday Continued

Here's a random sort-of-underwear picture for a random sort-of-underwear post:

Last night as we schnuggled into bed early (as a new resolution) . . . and our "early" was 10:45 pm . . . (still need to work on "early") . . . Dallas and I got a bad case of the giggles. This happens every once in awhile, where we are in bed at night, tired as can be, and start saying things that make us laugh so hard we're crying.

I think it began last night when I told him about the underwear post. Except I was talking about all of the things that I didn't write. Like all the things that start going through my head when I see the fancy row outside our window. See post here.

It's one of those moments where you have to be really tired (and at least one of you has to be a Purdy.) Tell me if the following things might cross your mind:

Why are there two pairs that are not, ahem, completely white? And where on the row will they be next week? Or the next? Should I look forward to spotting them, or should I avoid spotting them? Should I even be using the word spot?

What if there were only six pairs on the line one week instead of seven?

Or worse, what if there were eight?

You follow?

Dallas noted, "Some people put themselves on the line; others put their underwear on the line."

And then everything went clear downhill from there.

Underwear Thursday

We recently moved into a little rental cottage across town. It is cute and quaint and feels like a vacation home. We love it. A few days after we moved in, I noticed that the lady in the house next door hangs her laundry out to dry.

How cute and quaint! And economical.

I told the girls, "At least they don't hang their underwear out to dry."

But on Thursday . . .

I was aghast to see seven pairs of billowing white underwear hanging from the line, right outside our kitchen window! I went around the house muttering loudly, "Oh my gosh! . . . Oh my gosh!" I think I even called my mom.

Then it started happening every Thursday. A predictable laundry ritual.

Seven pairs of white-y tight-ies in a row, sharing clothespins with each other while catching my attention every time I passed the window.

At first I dreaded the weekly visits from the underwear fairy, but now the girls and I look forward to Thursdays with a mixture of anticipation and dread. And each Thursday when the time comes, we shout to each other, "It's the UNDERWEAR!" and everyone runs for a window.

Today I told the girls that we need to start a tradition every time the underwear comes out. It is a little weekly celebration of sorts.

Any suggestions?

Today

Does anyone else out there read this blog? I stumbled upon it about a year ago, and I really love it. Today I am inspired by these two posts:

This one.

And this one.

That's all.

Happy Friday!

The Worst Part of Our Day

Homework time! Anyone with me on this one?

Merry Christmas!

From our Barbie house . . .

. . . to yours!