Coming up for air by way of a gargantuan update.

Gargantuan is such an odd word, is it not? Anyway. I've been out of touch with my blog this month and I feel the tension every time I try to nonchalantly drop by to read other people's updates. Every time it loads onto the screen it just glares at me because it's sick of being flung to the side like yesterday's newspaper. It's a needy little thing. And I'm dramatic. But I have my reasons. The main reason I've been neglectful (and only reason—no need to be dramatic here) is because I've been working on this beast of a project for Oh My Crafts:

That's only half of it. It's a 48-page book with instructions for an upcoming event OMC is throwing in October. People are flying in from here and there and everywhere to take craft classes from some of the popular craft companies in the area. This type of project usually fares best when a "team" of people put it together, but I'm pleased to announce that this time around the part of editor, art director, copy editor, and photographer were all played by yours truly and I had one month to do it. Go me. Actually, I should clarify that I did not create the cover. They contracted that out because for some reason they were afraid that I was overwhelmed or something. HOURS. It took HOURS. (Dramatic update: nope, not being dramatic). But it's okay because here's where I admit that I'm a total nerd and I LIVE for these types of projects. Of course, I tend to live for them a little bit more when they're organized and less of a nightmare. But who's being technical? Plus, it's all good now because I handed the whole caboodle off to the printer last Friday. Sigh.

And what made it more fun was that while I was hunkered down on the couch with my laptop hurrying to meet my deadline, Tom Thomas sat across the room hunkered down at his computer finishing his projects for finals week. Party at the Giles' residence—that's for sure. Tom did two all-nighters in a row and although I've never been the type who can stomach an all-nighter, I did stay up way past my bed time all month long.

Mkay, this wasn't one of Tom's final projects, but my favorite. He took a typography class this semester, which I vicariously took through him because I'm a super-big typography nerd. Perhaps I should limit how many nerd confessions I offer per post—but instead—I'll make my point clear and tell you that my favorite sans serif is Myriad Pro—however lately I'm really into Champagne & Limousines (which I used for my book up top)—and my current favorite serif is Goudy Old Style and to me Comic Sans is to typography like Justin Bieber is to music. (And I'd love to be able to tell you that I conceived of that simile but Tom was 100% the brains behind it.) Anyway—what was I saying? Right. Back to Tom and his fan-freaking-tastic project:

Meet the Myriad Thom Yorke from Radiohead, but five gold stars if you already knew that.

Plodding along, we come to the cutest member of the Giles clan. (However my toes are a close second.) The little miss rang in five months with a Bumbo and a bowl of rice cereal. Again, party at the Giles' house. As of yet, we haven't been able to discern whether she likes this new development or not. She's taken a fancy to the spoon though. She can't seem to keep her hands off of it. The cereal never comes off her face, I've noticed. I wash her face, only to have to wash her face again in twenty minutes when a flaky residue has reappeared. Only to have to wash her face four more times throughout the following three hours after more flaky residue magically reappears. Tricky stuff—this baby food. Or this baby. I'm forming a theory that she stores it in her cheeks and then when I'm not looking she smears more across her face.

We took Clara for her first sojourn up north to visit a certain Grammy, Grandpa and Mugsy. Along with the fantastic company, there happens to be a wonderland of playrooms located there, and Clara settled in at once.

Oh, and the creepy eye right behind her? Yeah, we didn't plan that.

In recent weeks she's taken to exploring uncharted territory. Nothing goes unturned.

I can also happily report that the little miss has a sense of humor after all, although it does not present itself easily. I discovered that the best way to get her to laugh is to burrow my face in her abdomen for an extended period of time—making all sorts of ridiculous noises. From there it's just a battle of wits to see who can hold out longer. Just today I got a fantastic giggle by holding her up in the air and doing precisely as I described, but that plan dreadfully backfired because she threw up and it landed in my hair, on my face and shirt, as well as the couch and who knows where else. Truthfully, we may not learn the magnitude of the blow for weeks to come. Not cool.

Gee, I'm really on a roll now.

What's this? Oh, just stretching the hammies and glutes before her morning run. Then she usually gets in a couple of tennis matches, all before nap time.

And that, friends, is all I have in me. I'm all blogged out and my vision is blurry. And chances are it's the same for you.

Dramatic update: perhaps "gargantuan" was a little dramatic. But who's being technical?