Madeline's Sweet Sixteen

Today is Madeline's Sweet Sixteen.

She Celebrated with her friends over the weekend.

The birthday invitation arrived in a jewelled box.

The party went to Hollywood for some old Hollywood glamour.

We stayed in an Art Deco Old-Hollywood hotel, The Chamberlain. It looked like Kelly Wearstler got her decorating hands on it, very glamorous.

Dar Maghreb restaurant in Hollywood, let the Moroccan festivities begin.


The food is all eaten by hand, no plates, just a towel in your lap and a very thorough group hand-washing, table-side before the meal.

The girls had to be coerced to get up and dance. I got up just to show them that even an old mom, like me, can do it. When Madeline saw me, she said "eww, no, sit down" so I did.

We had a seven course meal with these cookies brought at the end and Happy Birthday was sung.
The cookies were like funnel cakes doused in honey, sesame seeds, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Interestingly, I've never had a funnel cake in my life, but they look just like them and I am sure they have as many calories.

After dinner I took the girls to an Improv down off Melrose. It was a lot of fun, you know, laughing until you are wiping tears and sound like a choking animal of some sort, because you can't laugh any harder. Funny stuff, and it was family friendly. In fact, they had a rule that if any cast or audience member said anything inappropriate, they would have to wear a brown bag on their head, nobody had to wear the bag.

In the girl's room (I had my own room so I slept well and got a full 8 hours). They created henna tattoos, with spotty results.....that was a pun, all that improv still fresh in my mind.

Madeline slept with a glove on her hand so it smudged and looked like a skin condition in the morning.

Time for cake. This cake was amazing, probably the best cake I have had in my entire life, but didn't touch the red fondant, of course; It was yellow cake with fresh raspberries and three different kinds of frosting, super yummy.

Madeline is now legal to drive (after she takes her test), date (over rated), and get a job (and pay taxes).

Happy Sweet Sixteenth Birthday Madeline

Disneyland

We had to squeeze a late in the school year visit to Disneyland. We usually go much earlier in the school year, November.

We had to choose a date that was before the schools that get out in May and before state testing that began the day after we went. We had to thread a needle.

We went on the new Toy Story ride in California Adventures. It was a lot of fun!

New Birds in Town

This is Pepper, one of our new Birmingham rollers, a pigeon.

This is Salt, our other pigeon.
They are both offspring of our pigeon we sent back to breed. It worked! I think it is amazing how easy it is for animals to breed. We are thrilled to have them.

We are hoping one is a boy and one is a girl so we can try our hand at successfully breeding a set of birds for Janeen. We need to fix the birdhouse so the eggs won't roll out and crack.

We are still waiting for them to fly and do their rolling tricks. They are young and getting up their nerve still. Right now they fly around and land on roofs.

Trip to AZ

I got to spend a few days in Scottsdale with Tanya and Sheli. We always have a great time!

This trip included a visit to Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright's winter campus/home), shopping, dining, and lots of catching up.

I've been wanting to visit Taliesin West for years and the stars finally aligned and I can now cross it off my list. I have an interest in Frank Lloyd Wright's designs and life, very complex. I have watched many biographies about him and have looked at many of his books of the buildings/homes he's designed.
I've read "Loving Frank" and am in the middle of reading "The Women".

The tour of Taliesin West was so informative and very satisfying. They are very generous with information and letting you sit on the built-in furniture and looking into rooms/bathrooms. I don't think I've ever been on a tour of a home where I felt pulled into the world of the owner as much as this one, due to the fabulous tour and tour-guide.

This spire, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is not located at Taliesin West, but nearby, and there is an interesting story about it.

I have to see Falling Water one day, I must! I would like to see the original Taliesin, in Wisconsin, one day too. That would be an emotional place.

American Idol

Madeline and I went to the dress rehearsal for American Idol on Tuesday. It was so fun and amazing to hear the performers in person. They all sang so well it blew me away. I wasn't surprised to hear the judges tell them during the real show that they all sang great. Not one of them had a bad night. In fact hearing them on television really pales in comparison to hearing some of them hit these insanely difficult notes in person. Goose bumps all around.

This picture was taken by Ryan Seacrest himself, who talked to the audience off the cuff. He twittered this to his site. We were in the left pit next to the stage. Madeline got moved away from me by a stage manager and she was put right in front. All the pretty young people to the front and their moms stay in the back! Madeline is easy to find, but I am right behind the hand. If you know me you'll recognize me (mom, you better recognize me).

We spent the late afternoon at The Grove and had a nice time looking around and eating.

They had this large station at The Grove to get your Avatar created. I couldn't resist and had to get mine done. I got to watch it morph right before my eyes.

Madeline does a much more thorough job describing our day on her blog. She is clearly more of a writer than I am. Check out her new blog "The Pug and The Fizzy Water". Look for her link on my list of blogs I like to read.