Contest

I just submitted entries to this contest, for a chance to win a free "Melissa and Doug" doll house for AC. Maybe we can all move into this house!

Dj Coco!

We gave AC her Big-Little Portable Phono today. She was so excited!

She has a stack of 45s to play. Mostly soul and funk jams that Dad got for cheap. Her favorites turned out to be Jackson 5, "Dancing Machine," Lionel Richie, "All Night Long," Gap Band, "Oops! (Upside Your Head)" (see video, above), and the B-side to Chic's "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)," which happens to be a smooth-jazzy little instrumental called "Sao Paulo." She mostly played "Dancing Machine" and kept cranking up the volume as loud as possible.

I put it away because it was musty (note the air purifier) but she kept saying, "you want to play your own music." By the end of the day she was a real pro. She would put on records (that's "Dancing Machine" on the platter) and then read her books.

One more from the zoo.

Pictures from Mimi

Mimi bird.Guess which little birdy has the PhD (trick question)?
Si-guy up high.

The Saga Continues

Got the Big-Little Portable Phono last week. It comes in the mail. There's a needle still on it, an Astatic N76, but it's worn down and doesn't work. I have to admit that I have a bad feeling because I'm not getting any noise when I rub my fingerprint over the needle like I used to when I was a kid. I don't think the speaker works. Anyway, I order a replacement needle, a Pfanstiehl 166-D7. Just got it today. It came in the little package with the see-through triangle, just like I remembered as a kid, going to Laurel Lakes shopping center to buy them from Needle In A Haystack. After putting AC to bed I tried it. The sounds of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" crackled from the needle, but nothing from the speaker. Figure I can break it open and solder, but that's too much time and stress if I can't get it to work. So this one will be returned as I wait for another to show up, same price, from another online seller. No bidding this time, just a flat $10 plus shipping. The description on this one says it works, so we'll see. More soon ...

A perfect day for the zoo.

Visit with Mimi, Simon & Aunt Wendy

Alice had fun sharing her toys with Simon.
Simon was on the move.
Can't wait to see you all again soon!

Where you'll find me...

"Cheese! " in Mommy's enormous maternity bathing suit.Here's a lovely face that is now buried under a layer of purple painted squiggles...
Cooking with soap bubbles.

Halloween!

Walking to the parade...An elephant, a lion, and a fairy.
The woman with the letters on her shirt is holding her dog. Not sure what that dog is dressed up as...
This costume was a group effort: crown by Alice, dress, wings, and "fairy shoes" courtesy of Nana, wand by Mommy, and tutu by Julie.
This lion is wearing a tutu, too (she's a circus lion, after all). You may remember these two cuties as "lobshoo" and the littlest solid gold dancer from last year's Halloween festivities (and our first blog post)!
We all enjoyed seeing this pregnant nun. Who doesn't enjoy a pregnant nun?

Stylin'

Getting dressed, AC-style.Harold and her purple crayon.

100th blog post!

Hi everybody,

This is our 100th blog post! Make a comment on this post and you'll receive a special present from Alice in the mail!

Auntie Em's

Cheese! Alice is going to sleep at Auntie Em's house.

We made hot cocoa with a chocolate bar and some milk.

Alice is dressing up.

That ball was kind of slippery.

We visited the cemetery in Auntie Em's backyard. There were flags and we ate fried tofu with a fork.

We carved the pumpkin we got from Fletcher Farm.

Angelina Ballerina Mouse!

Fletcher Farm (Western Massachusetts)

Coming soon ... DJ Coco

I am so excited about this. Been wanting to do this ever since I realized that I could purchase a BIG-LITTLE PORTABLE PHONO on ebay. I had a blue one that I still remember endlessly listening to. My parents tell me that I wouldn't let go of it in the store... maybe I was three? (Guys?) Anyway, I got AC a RED ONE for cheap. I never "win" on ebay. This time I sat here waiting to big as the clock counted town. My heart was racing. Should be here in a week or so. Now all I have to do is find a needle for it ... yipes. I've got a bunch of beat-up 45s for Alice to start with.

(Typical ... as I was searching for a picture to post, I found another one on a different website, no auction, for $5 less. And this one still has a needle.)

Gallery

Alice is very proud of these drawings. She asked for tape to hang them up on the wall, and they are on display around our dining table.

Two bunnies:
A sun:
Abby, Elmo, and Zoe (Zoe might be a bunny?):
"Letters":
Here is a typical Alice drawing. We try not to waste paper, so we often reuse pieces and the drawings become layered:

Table makeover

This used to be a boring white table. While Evan was making lunch today, Alice decorated her drawing table using a red oil pastel. Now she can eat lunch surrounded by all her two dimensional friends.Abby #1 holding wands:
Abby #2 holding wands:
Bunny with wands:
...and a tiny rainbow.