Oh weekend, it's so good to see you again.

I'm craving quiet as though I'd just left a Nickelback concert.

This week falls under THAT kind of "irritating" category, only throw in some parent conferences that were comparable to bathing in a tub of warm mayonnaise. I know I overuse that comparison, but it's the (to me) most uncomfortable and gross thing I can think of most days.

I hope some of that made sense.

I left work today with four things on my mind:

1. Procuring more of my life-saving allergy medication since all day I've felt the ramifications of not getting more before I ran out.

2. Pepperoni pizza with fresh mozzerella and a glass of red wine

3. Season 1, disc 2 of Mad Men

4. Paper dolls

Re: #4, allow me to introduce you to the kindred spirit I never knew - Emily Martin of Inside a Black Apple. I regularly stalk her blog and when her book of paper doll projects came out I felt like I had struck solid gold. I have already given a couple of them as gifts- I just can't spread the joy enough.

In the not too far away future I'll make my own paper doll stop motion film (glory!!), but until then, PLEASE check these out:



Do you remember that song? Moment of happy silence, please.



These were made with her book of paper dolls!!! Everything about this has stolen my heart straight from my chest. The magician and the conjoined twins!!

Also her series of paintings, Oddfellow's Orphanage, and the whimsical stories that go along with them are noteworthy wells of enchantment.

Here are some of my favorites:

Ollie Onionhead

The Golden Rule Society Member

And my favorite orphan, AvaWhy is she my favorite, you ask, when there is an onion named Ollie in the group?

Well, read for yourself.

"Ava was sent to Oddfellow's after her parents, also albino, were fatally overrun by bandits while traveling with the unscrupulous Captain Marvelous' Sideshow. Ava escaped by pretending to be a pile of laundry, and, as she is very quiet, was quite convincing. The Headmaster himself accompanied the police to the scene, and found Ava folded up in an enormous quilt and whispering to the finches, whose cage had toppled over in the scuffle. In 1902, she was the first student to recieve the Ornithology badge, and with curiously little effort on her part. It seemed the badge-bestowing committee couldn't help but notice that birds, wild and otherwise, were always landing on her shoulders."

I dare anybody to tell me that Emily Martin and I aren't soul sisters.

And soon to come: A post about my new baby nephew, Samuel Shepherd, born Tuesday afternoon! Stay tuned!

Happy weekend to you all!