It's All a Balancing Act

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-14T00:23:00.000-05:00

My posts have been sparse lately . . . life just has a way of getting busy. I wanted to share some pictures of our Christmas decor. We will be traveling for Christmas this year so I did not put out too many decorations.

We got a Norway spruce this year with very sharp needles. It was such a painful endeavor to put the lights on we did not put as many as we planned. It's still makes the living room look all festive and "Christmasy". Only 11 more days till Christmas!! Where did this year go?

I'm linking to Honey We're Home - Christmas Cheer Link Party

She Reads... [A.Lot.]

2011-09-07T13:42:00.010-04:00

"I can read in red. I can read in blue.
I can read in pickle color too.

I can read in bed [or in a tree], and in purple, and in brown.
I can read in a circle and upside down.

I can read with my left eye.
I can read with my right.
I can read Mississippi with my eyes shut tight.

There are so many things you can learn about, but
You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.

The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

If you read with your eyes shut, you’re likely to find
That the place where you’re going is far, far behind.

So that’s why I tell you to keep your eyes wide,
Keep them wide open ... at least on one side!"

Credits: Dr. Seuss "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut"

Almost Home

2011-08-11T15:47:00.002-04:00

Every day I commute thirty minutes each way between home and work. After so many years it has gotten to be routine and I normally drive in auto-pilot. However the last mile and a half of my trip back home always fills me with joy.

I love when I turn into this picturesque street and see the road ahead lined with trees on both sides.

A little down the road on my left is my “dream home”. Every time I drive by I fantasize about living there. It actually has been on the market for the last couple of years but the price tag… only in my dreams could I afford it.

Around the corner to the right is a house with a Lavender Farm where you can pick your own lavender. In all my years living here I have never stopped in, but every time I drive by I look at the purple mounds and think “one of these days I should go and harvest some lavender”.

Down the road to the left is a charming little chapel that is the site of many weddings around here. I love its setting and always think of all the great pictures I could take of the girls in this area, but never make the time to do so.

Right after the chapel is this compound of old farm buildings that I also fantasize about owning one day [grin].

Then come the open fields with growing corn in the summer and filled with snow in the winter. In the late afternoon, early evening there are dozens of deer just roaming around. It gets a little less idyllic in winter nights when the road is full of snow and you can see the shining eyes of deer just waiting to jump in front of your car and cause you problems. But I love it during this time of the year.

From this stop sign, I know is only about 20 seconds until I get home.

As I turn into our street, my hand automatically goes up to the garage opener and I start pressing it from the corner.

During the winter it is very useful to have the garage door opened all the way up by the time I turn into my driveway, because having to stop or slow down might be cause to getting stuck in the snow (our snow removal habits are not the best).

During the summer, the girls stay home and this is my favorite sight of all, my little one running towards me to say hello.

Finally home!

Missing My Girls

2011-07-15T16:59:00.002-04:00

I miss these faces.

It has been ten days since I last saw them. They are staying with my in-laws in Nebraska for part of their summer vacation. Kaitlin started the tradition when she was eight years old. This is Natalie's second year.

I do it for their family in Nebraska. They enjoy having them so much. However, it is hard on my heart.

I miss my little princess, my shopping buddy, my little snuggle bug. My days are not dramatic enough without her. I cannot wait for her to come back. Just three more days!

I miss this one too! So much!

For days she has been in one of her "moods". When I text her or "see" her on Facebook all I get are ":)" or "idk". She likes to torture her mother [grin]. I have to keep reminding myself this is what fourteen year-olds are supposed to do!

Two more weeks! (I can see her right now rolling her eyes thinking "Psycho Mom").

“Time goes by a lot slower when you miss the one you love”

I can't wait to have them both back with me! Yesterday I got this card from Natalie. It totally made my evening!

First and Last Day of 2010-2011

2011-06-03T22:27:00.002-04:00

Today was the last day of school for the girls. Kaitlin's is now officially a high-schooler and my ~~"baby"~~ little girl is going to third grade!

I have been doing a side by side comparisons of Natalie's first and last day of school since she started Kindergarten (You can see here 2008-2009 and 2009-2010) and every time, when summer comes around, I'm still always shocked at how much she has changed.

I love how you can really see how she has grown not only physically (notice the folded pants) but also emotionally. In the First Day Picture she looks a little shy and hesitant and in the Last Day Picture you can see how much more confidence she is displaying.

Kaitlin also had an amazing year! She turned into a full fledged teenager seemingly overnight.

Sometimes I want the train of life to slow down a little and let me enjoy them at each stage a little bit longer. But there is no stopping them [grin], so there is no choice but to keep moving onto the next adventure.

Fourteen

2011-05-23T11:05:00.003-04:00

My firstborn turned 14.

This means several things:

a) I'm getting old

b) The teenage years are definitely here

c) She is noticing boys... Heaven help me.

d) Unlimited texting is the only way to go.

e) Only four more years before the college years.

We had a small celebration at home for family and a few friends the week before.

She is a wonderful girl, this girl of mine!

Here is to many, many more birthdays, and happy moments spent with you!

Catching Up - March

2011-04-01T23:31:00.000-04:00

Another long hiatus in my blog world. Just too many things on my plate.

March started with preparations for my oldest daughter first school banquet. This is the Christian School equivalent of a School Dance. I managed to get myself involved in the decorating of the hall for the event. It was hectic and the school didn’t even give us a budget, but with the help of another mom we were able to pull it off beautifully.

Mid-March found us home for most of the girls’ Spring Break, but we took a long weekend and drove to Wisconsin Dells to spend some time at the Great Wolf Lodge. The girls always enjoy this. The mom, not so much! But what can you do?

All in all a non-remarkable closing to the year's first quarter [grin].

Catching Up - February

2011-03-18T08:40:00.003-04:00

It has been a while. It would be great if I had something wonderful or exciting to share, but I don’t. I have just been living life, going through the everyday routines. The days go by in a blur and when I think about blogging I really have nothing to say, so I don’t [grin].

With all the disasters going on in the world, it sometimes seems trivial to sit here and write about my everyday life. But hey, it’s my life, and I want to document a little of it for my girls, since I have given up on scrapbooking and don’t even print pictures anymore, this little blog might be all they get [grin]. So here is a quick recap of the february highlights.

We did not do anything at home to celebrate Valentine’s Day (hubby and I went out to eat the Saturday before) and Natalie was so disappointed we decided to have a belated party for all of her Build-A-Bear animals. She dressed them all up and we made marshmallows dipped in chocolate, cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries to celebrate.

It was great celebrating after the actual holiday. We got everything 90% off.

We had Adventurer Club meetings. Natalie's class made sock puppets and then put on a cute puppet show about friendship for the rest of the club.

At the end of the month, Natalie’s second grade class put a little program together for their families. She was very excited to show us what they had learned. Everyone did a great job!

The teacher made these cute origami flowers for each kid to give to their family

We baked these cupcakes to take to the potluck. They were a hit with all the kids.

I even squeezed in a little bit of crafting. Natalie and I made this clipboard for a little friend at church that likes to play doctor.

All in all it was kind of a blah February and now you got to share the "blahness" with me [grin].

The purpose of the task....

2011-02-24T23:45:00.008-05:00

It seems I have been going full speed since the year started... barely time to breathe let alone blog.

It’s only February and I am already feeling burned out. I am a sucker for stretching myself thin. Most activities I get myself involved in have a good cause but as the to-do list starts growing, I start losing sight of why I am doing things and become obsessed with just getting it done.

On Monday, my oldest daughter gave me a wakeup call. She had wanted to go shopping for a dress for her upcoming class banquet, but my schedule had been so full, I kept putting it off. At the same time, I did not think we needed to spend money on a new dress when she had a perfectly good one at home she had received as a Christmas gift from her grandmother.She kept insisting and although I was a secretly irritated by it, I relented and we went out last Monday. Don’t take me wrong, I love spending time with her, but at this particular point, I kept thinking she was being selfish by wanting a new dress.

Contestant #1

We still had a "fun" time (a little tense at times) and came home with not one but two cute dresses, but as she was getting ready to go to bed I was still nagging her about the reason why she couldn’t just wear the dress she already had.

Her response not only stopped my nagging, it also made me feel about an inch tall “Mom, there is nothing wrong with the dress Grandma gave me, I really like it, but I wanted to have the experience to go shopping with you and having you help me choose the dress for my first banquet.” [Cue total silence].

Coincidentally, earlier that day I had found this phrase in one of the blogs I read… “The purpose of the task is to strengthen the relationship”. Seeing it that way does help one put things into perspective. It gives my tasks a different meaning.

Contestant #2

I am not only getting a dress for my daughter, I am teaching her to make decisions, I am building a relationship with her.

Natalie loved putting outfits together for Kaitlin to try on

I’m not only baking cupcakes for my youngest class, by having her help me make them, even if it takes me longer, I’m strengthening my relationship with her.

The concept applies not only to my tasks at home, but also at church and work. It might just become my new mantra.

P.S. I found THIS article tonight about a mother's experience shopping with her daughter that totally made me laugh out loud. I can so relate with her.

My Organized Pantry

2011-02-10T23:38:00.005-05:00

It is embarrassing, but here is what my pantry looked like on Monday!

Please.Close.That.Door.

I had stayed home from work because I was sick but decided I couldn’t live with it another minute.

When the girls got back from school, I recruited Natalie to help me clear everything out. Once the kitchen table couldn’t handle anything else, we started just putting things on the floor.

And for the next two days we all just walked over the mess and ate standing up around the kitchen.

A couple of weeks ago I had gotten an over the door organizer from Walmart for only $14.99. It looked kind of flimsy but I did not want to spend too much money. After clearing everything out, I installed it on the door.

It turned out just perfect for what I wanted.

It now houses our cereal boxes, hot cocoa and drink mixes. I love it!

On Wednesday I finally realized that things weren’t going to put themselves back in the shelves so I took my trusty helper Natalie and decided to hit the stores looking for some containers.

We went to Target and Walmart and I quickly realized that it wasn’t going to be an easy task. Containers.Are.Expensive. We left both stores empty handed.

I decided to hit Goodwill and another thrift store we have in the area. I found some glass jars for only $1.50 each but I needed a lot more.

By now my shopping partner was getting tired and cranky, but I bribed her with a quick stop at the mall for an Aunt Annie’s pretzel if we could go to another store. We went to Christmas Tree Shops and found some good containers. They were not as cheap as I would have liked, but I decided I was going to have to spend some money to get this done.

After a warm pretzel and a quick walk around the mall we made it back home ready to have some fun. Well, my little helper said she had enough “fun” for one night and decided to watch some T.V. while I started filling the different containers. After it was all said and done I had two big trash bags full of empty boxes and expired foods.

Here is a look at my newly organized pantry! I am very happy with how it turned out!

I love the tall glass jars. I want to go back and get four more to house the rest of the pasta that is in boxes. We eat a lot of pasta in this house.

These big plastic containers are great for housing snacks. We eat a lot of snacks in this house.

(Yes, it does bother me that the lid wasn’t all the way in. I almost go back and take another picture [grin])

Here is the baking shelf. We also bake a lot in this house. Can you tell there is a lot to be desired about our diet? [grin].

The cans are sitting on the floor for now. I want to get a couple of THESE can organizers but they are not in the budget right now.

Speaking of budget, did you keep track? I spent $60 on this project [ouch!]. Much more than I wanted, but not too bad considering it got me a door organizer and 20 containers plus a bonding/shopping experience with Natalie.

I am so glad this project is done! Here is the before and after picture.

And now is on to the next organizing project…

THE COAT CLOSET [Da-Da-Da-Dum]

Stay Tuned!

New Posts

2011-01-26T15:13:00.000-05:00

There are some new posts From here on down. I'm still trying to catch up from Christmas.

Family Tree

2011-01-26T15:11:00.001-05:00

Natalie worked on this family tree during her last Adventurer Club meeting in church! It turned out so cute!

Most of the other kids just added eyes and a mouth to the circle, but she wanted hers to look like portraits and was very meticulous about choosing the right colors for everyone. I loved seeing how much thought she put into it.

Her dad got blue eyes and a Red Shirt because he loves the Nebraska Huskers.

I got a green shirt because that is my favorite color.

Kaitlin got side bangs and an orange shirt since that is one of her favorite colors.

Since purple is her favorite color, that's what she chose for herself.

It took her a lot longer to finish than the rest of the kids. And when the teacher’s assistant told her to hurry up because she was going to miss the next activity, she told him: “that is exactly what happens to me at school. I lose play time because I take too long to finish. But that is fine, because I want to do a good job.” [grin]

She has gotten much better and interested in drawing and seems to really enjoy it. Of course it is easy to impress me because I can't draw or sketch anything for the life of me.

Nine Years

2011-01-16T15:30:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

2011-01-05T23:20:00.001-05:00

2011 is off to a good start and we are in that “first love” stage with our New Year’s Resolutions. Mine fit into three buckets:

1. Get Healthier and Exercise Regularly. It’s the fifth day of the month and although not much exercise has been actually done, I have thought about it quite a bit. So that counts for something, right? Actually, we got a family membership to our local YMCA and have gotten as far as typing up an exercise schedule. Tomorrow is the first time the girls and I are hitting the gym. I can’t wait to feel that all over my body pain from sore muscles.

2. Spend more time nurturing our spiritual life as a family. I would like to have family worships at least three times a week. This is one of the most difficult things for me to do. I could write a whole post about how traumatized I grew up with our “worship” experiences as the daughter of a very conservative pastor, but will spare you the pain. Still I think it is something that is important and that will bring more peace into our home.

3. Get organized! When I open the door to my house and everything is in its place my heart sings in delight. Unfortunately, I don’t get to hear the singing very often. Maybe this year will be the one I finally get organized.

My husband and the girls spent New Years visiting with his family in Nebraska, and that gave me some time to get an early start on my organization projects. Well, at least it gave me the time to think about them [grin]. While spending some “productive” time reading blogs about decorating and organizing, I saw this post by Just a Girl and immediately got a burst of inspiration.

I don’t have a laundry room, mine is a laundry closet and it has looked like this for a long time. It's normally the first thing I see when I come into the house and it completely drives me crazy.

After a trip to Dollar Tree and $20 in baskets, tags, and ribbons I decided to tackle it. Here it is what it looks like now… [cue angels singing]

My heart skips a beat everytime I open the folding doors.

I love it so much I have not done any laundry since I got it organized because I don’t want to mess it up! But that is a different project [grin].

Hope the New Year is off to a good start for you!

Day Three-Hundred and Fifty-Nine: Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T13:20:00.010-05:00

Our morning started at 8:01AM. One little girl in a pink nightie jumped out of her sleeping bag by the tree and went to make sure all the gifts were still there. That little girl had not fallen asleep until 3AM making her parents very, very tired.

This was the scene at 8:04AM. Everybody had taken their places and were ready to start. One little girl was so excited she crawled back in her sleeping bag and covered her head.

And so it began, the ripping and tearing. By looking at these pictures you can see our girls take opening their gifts very seriously. i couldn't get them smiling in any of the pictures.

By 8:38AM it was done and we moved on to preparing breakfast. On the menu.... American Girl Parfaits! Natalie helped make them while Kaitlin went up to get ready for church.

A very joyful morning it was. By 9:30AM we were ready to go to church! My only regret was not taking a picture of the whole family before leaving for church. But I leave you with with this one of my beautiful big girl.

Tonight we will continue the celebrations with our big Secret Santa Reveal Party.

Merry Christmas to All!

Day Three-Hundred and Fifty-Eight: Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T23:49:00.000-05:00

... all is calm, all is bright?

Not much "calmness" going here tonight.

The picture above shows the state Natalie was in a little bit before midnight. She was literally busting at the seams with excitement.

We had a nice dinner at my sister's house with family and friends. It was fun and relaxing at the same time. I wish I could show you pictures of the nice table decorations she set up, or the massive amount of desserts there were, or the fun we had playing Bible Apples to Apples, but I can't, because I left my camera at home. [sigh].

We came back home very late and hurried to open one gift [Christmas PJs] before it turned midnight. Here is Joel in his overly tired, sugar-stuffed state.

These two little girls are growing up so fast! This is the first year their Christmas PJ's don't match. Kaitlin is now out of most "children" sizes.

Wishing you a Christmas morning full of joy and wishes come true!

Day Three-Huncred and Fifty-Three

2010-12-19T12:43:00.004-05:00

Ready to go deliver Christmas Cookies to some of our friends. We spent a week baking cookies for this. Lots of work, but very worth it.

Day Three-Hundred and Fifty-Two

2010-12-18T22:40:00.000-05:00

Sabbath morning, right before leaving for church.

Day Three-Hundred and Fifty

2010-12-16T23:14:00.000-05:00

Natalie performed "Jingle Bells" at her Christmas Piano Recital.

Day Three-Hundred and Forty-Six

2010-12-12T22:17:00.000-05:00

Daddy prepared this "fancy" lunch for us after we came back from performing the Christmas Cantata at another church.

Day Three-Hundred and Forty-Five

2010-12-11T22:04:00.008-05:00

By our church's Christmas Tree after the Children's Choir Cantata. This is the first year for the last 9 years that Kaitlin did not participate. It makes me a little sad. Hopefully I have some years left with Natalie [grin].

Day Three-Hundred and Forty-Two

2010-12-08T22:33:00.001-05:00

These are the mini trees the girls put in their rooms this year. One girl let mommy help set hers up, the other girl didn't [grin]. Can you guess which was which?

Day Three-Hundred and Forty-One: Deck the Halls

2010-12-07T22:40:00.002-05:00

The tree is finally done! Putting the lights on wasn't my favorite [grin]. I had this "vision" of a silver and red tree, but at the end I decided against buying new ornaments and instead just using the eclectic ones we have accumulated through the years.

I'm not the sentimental type but here are a few of the ornaments that have more meaning for me.

I love this Willow Tree ornament Joel got us after Natalie was born. I like seeing a representation of our little family of four.

I also love this Fontanelli a client from work gave me many years ago.

A couple of years ago I started the tradition to get the girls a new Christmas ornament each year. They now look forward to it. Here are Kaitlin's from the last two years.

Natalie loved her first Barbie one so much, I decided to keep the tradition of giving her a Barbie one each year.

This one is a simple one a little boy from my Sabbath School Class gave me several years ago. I love it because it reminds me that I do have some influence on the little people I minister to in church. I remember his mom telling me how he chose to give it to me rather than a family member that year. I was surprised because he was one of those "little terrors" that you thought was never paying attention, but he was.

I'm also done with the mantel. I have gotten mixed reviews on it. Some people love it, some people think it is too much. What do you think?

Day Three-Hundred and Thirty-Nine: O' Christmas Tree!

2010-12-05T21:29:00.002-05:00

We started the tradition of driving out to the Tree Farm and getting a fresh Christmas tree the year Kaitlin was born. In 2004, after an unfortunate incident with our very naughty puppy, I went out and got our pre-lit tree and never looked back. Earlier this year our basement got flooded and the tree got damaged, so we decided to get a fresh one this year.

Today, off we went to the Christmas Tree Farm.

We decided we wanted a tall and skinny tree this year, so we got a Frasier Fir. It was a relatively pain free experience. [Specially since all I did was take pictures].

It was snowing and cold but that just added to the “magical” feeling.

Natalie really enjoyed the experience.

Here, thanks to the "magic" of photoshop is a picture of the four of us.

We got the tree home, trimmed off some branches and set it in place. (I even cut my hand with a knife in the process). It is a lot skinnier than any tree we ever had. Kaitlin came down after the tree was in place and declared it “anorexic”. After examining it for a few seconds Natalie had the following feedback: “Mom, to be honest with you, I liked our fake tree better”.

Personally I like it. Hopefully, once we decorate it the girls will like it better. Stay tuned for the reveal once that is done.
Do you use Artificial or Fresh trees at your home?

Day Three-Hundred and Thirty-One: In the Kitchen with Grandma

2010-11-27T22:56:00.001-05:00

While visiting their grandma the girls love to help her in the kitchen. This time grandma brought out some aprons she had gotten for them. While preparing Sabbath lunch we decided to take a picture of everyone in their aprons. Even grandpa got in the action.

And then he decided to "kick it up a notch" by putting on sunglasses. Kaitlin did not want to be part of such "silliness".

The girls have always enjoyed helping in the kitchen and grandma is very patient with them.

Kaitlin specially enjoys it and is quite good at it.

Making Fruit Soup

I'm so glad they are able to build these nice memories with their grandma.

Day Three-Hundred and Thirty: Game Day

2010-11-26T22:35:00.000-05:00

Natalie attended the Nebraska vs. Colorado football game today with her Dad and her Uncle.

Her grandmother made sure she had all the gear she needed down to tattoos for her face.

The weather turned out beautiful for the game and made it a lot easier for her to enjoy the experience.

Kaitlin and I had bet that she was going to get bored soon, but we both lost. She loved it! And came home very happy with her souvenir cup and box of popcorn that she saved for her sister. I was glad Joel was finally able to share his Huskers Love with his little buddy. And to make it even better Nebraska won 45-17.

GO BIG RED!

Day Three-Hundred and Twenty-Night: Give Thanks

2010-11-25T23:15:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some scenes of our stay with Joel's parents during Thanksgiving. I did not take too many pictures this time.The day was low key. Joel's mom always does a great job with the food, and had actually made most of it before we got there. So there wasn't too much to do on the actual Thanksgiving day.

The girls lounged around all morning, watching TV and holding squirmy kittens.

Kaitlin and Natalie with Ben and Callie

We got together around 4PM for Thanksgiving dinner and the rest of the evening was spent watching TV. Not the most exciting thing but relaxing enough.

Natalie and her uncle Brett

Tomorrow, Joel and Natalie are planning on attending the Nebraska vs. Colorado game. She is really looking forward to it. Kaitlin went when she was four years old and the noise and excitement was so overwhelming for her she promptly fell asleep for most of the game. I have a feeling things are going to be different with Natalie.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving day with your loved ones!

Day Three-Hundred and Twenty-Eight

2010-11-24T22:34:00.002-05:00

On the last day before the Thanksgiving break I found the whole first grade class wearing these fancy Native American headdresses. Natie made the turkey card to take to her grandparents.

The kids also created this cute craft. Natalie was very proud of hers and was afraid the wind was going to blow everything away while walking to the car.

Day Three-Hundred and Twenty Five

2010-11-21T22:26:00.006-05:00

She saw her older sister getting ready to do her laundry and offered to do it for her for a $1. Her sister quickly took her up on the offer. At the end Kaitlin gave her another $1 for moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer [grin].

Day Three-Hundred and Twenty-Four

2010-11-20T22:18:00.010-05:00

Natalie loves "reading" her school yearbook. She can spend a long time seating at the couch going over each picture and reading the names and making comments about the pictures. She loves it even more when I sit with her and she can tell me the stories about the pictures or little anecdotes about the different classmates. It's one of her unique little quirks.

Day Three-Hundred and Eighteen

2010-11-14T21:57:00.001-05:00

Today we had our first "holiday" gathering of the 2010 season. The whole family got together to kick-off our traditional "Secret Santa" game. These pumpkin cupcakes turned out delicious. You can find the recipe HERE.

Day Three-Hundred and Seventeen

2010-11-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

Fighting back the nerves as she was getting ready to play the Offertory at church with her piano teacher. This was her first "performance" other than at recitals. She did great!

Day Three-Hundred and Five

2010-11-01T21:42:00.000-04:00

Playing around with the camera at the River Park.

Day Three-Hundred and Four

2010-10-31T21:32:00.000-04:00

Partners in Crime.

Day Three-Hundred and Three

2010-10-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Young Lady.

Day Two-Hundred and Ninety-Four

2010-10-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

A beautiful fall sunset.

Day Two-Hundred and Ninety-Three

2010-10-20T21:46:00.000-04:00

A stroll through town.

Not What It Seems

2010-10-18T23:18:00.001-04:00

alternately titled: Keeping It Real

alternately titled: Not My Proudest Moment

Do you see...?

Gorgeous girls posing on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Frolicking in the fall leaves.

Looking sweet, without a care in the world

What you don't see

... A mom getting irritated.

... A teenager yelling at her little cousin to stop singing.

... A mom nagging her to give a "real" smile for the camera.

... A little girl refusing to look into the camera.

... A mom stomping away and screaming at them all the way home.

... A little cousin crying.

... A mom out of control... feeling like a failure.

Not my proudest moment. But there is always tomorrow...

Day Two-Hundred and Eighty-Three

2010-10-10T18:48:00.001-04:00

'tis the season for birthday parties. October seems to always be full of birthday parties. There are five just in our family. Here is Natalie leaving one for a classmate.

Day Two-Hundred and Eighty-Two

2010-10-09T15:31:00.001-04:00

When is a headpiece too big?

I think this one might be :)

I made it following THESE instructions, but somehow mine did not come out looking like hers [grin]. I might try and trim it down a little bit. Natalie, however, loved it and proudly wore it to church.

A Crafty Kind of Night

2010-10-06T23:55:00.003-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and our church is planning a "Ladies Pink Night" this Saturday night. I am in charge of the decorations and thought it would be nice to make some custom water bottle labels.

I purchased THIS digital scrapbooking kit and found a simple tutorial HERE in how to make them and decided to give it a try. They turned out so cute I decided to share them here.

Click Picture to Enlarge. Right Click and Save As to your computer.

Tonight I spent some time putting them together. I am very pleased with the results.

I also decided to re-decorate the cupcake stand I used for Natalie's Birthday

and get started in some simple centerpieces for the tables.

It had been some time since I had the energy to stay up late and work on crafts. I enjoyed it but now I'm exhausted. So off to bed I go.

Day Two-Hundred and Seventy-Nine

2010-10-06T23:20:00.001-04:00

Peacefully Sleeping.

Or not....

Day Two-Hundred and Seventy-Seven

2010-10-04T11:25:00.003-04:00

I spent some time tonight trying to "fallify" the mantle. It is still a work in progress but it's getting there.

Before

After

Day Two-Hundred and Seventy-Six

2010-10-03T23:35:00.001-04:00

Extreme Bubble Bath.

Day Two-Hundred and Seventy-Five

2010-10-02T23:02:00.003-04:00

We call them the Magnificent Seven [grin]

Cousins

On Her Birthday

2010-10-01T13:05:00.000-04:00

My nephew and my mother.

He is NINE today. She would have been SIXTY-NINE.

When I jokingly told her, right after he was born, that it bothered me he had stolen her day, she smiled and said "my birthday is not important anymore, now it is all about him". Now it sounds like a prophecy. She never got to share her day with him.

But she was right! It has helped to be able to celebrate his birthday on hers.

Happy 9th Birthday Andres! You chose a very special day to be born in.

This Little Girl of Mine

2010-09-28T23:08:00.008-04:00

Do you know that this little girl of mine

I want you people to know

This little girl of mine

I take her everywhere I go

Oh do you know that this little girl of mine

Makes me happy when I’m sad

This little girl of mine

Loves me, even when I’m bad

I love this little girl of mine.

Credits: "This Little Girl of Mine" by Ray Charles.

Day Two-Hundred and Seventy-One

2010-09-28T23:03:00.001-04:00

Since school started she has spent some of her recess time picking up nuts in the playground. She wanted to collect 100 to take for "100 days of school". Today we counted them. She has been carrying around 286 nuts in her backpack! Now her new goal is 500. I guess she could be collecting worse things [grins].

Day Two-Hundred and Sixty-Nine

2010-09-26T23:00:00.001-04:00

At Thistleberry Farm.

Day Two-Hundred and Sixty-Eight

2010-09-25T13:03:00.001-04:00

Happy 7th Birthday Natalie!

Natalie's Magical Birthday Party

2010-09-21T19:44:00.001-04:00

Right after she came back from Nebraska Natalie started talking about her birthday party. We are big on theme parties in this family and she wanted to come up with a good theme for her party. One night after much back and forth I casually suggested a “Magic” related party.Her eyes opened real big and at that moment it was decided that “Magic” was going to be the theme.

For several months now Natalie has been really into doing Magic Tricks. Most Fridays after her dad picks her up from school they end up at this fun STORE and she has collected quite a few simple magic tricks that she enjoys showing people. Our religion does not believe in magic or in people having supernatural powers, we always explain to her that magicians don’t have special powers they just practice their tricks a lot and get really good at doing them.

I wanted to find a magician that would do a simple and fun show for the kids without getting into any of the “dark” or scary tricks. One of the first magicians I contacted scared me off when he explained that his act ended with him levitating the birthday child [grin]. I finally found one ONE that met my criteria and everything was set.

We decided on the color scheme and started the planning. The party was held this weekend and it was a success. We had 14 children and 16 adults and it was all done inside our under 1800 square feet house. I had planned everything to be done ouside, but the forecast called for rain all afternoon and I did not want to risk it. In the end, it did not rain and the kids got to go outside and play once things wound down inside.

My husband helped me take out our dining room table to the garage and I set up the kids tables in the space. The chair covers were borrowed from my sister. I think it turned out very cute.

We started with the Magic Show. And Lorenzo did a great job of keeping the kids interested.

Here the magician was holding a balloon and the kids were getting ready for it being popped.

Natalie got to assist in several of the tricks. The magic phrase for the day was "Happy Birthday Natalie".

We were surprised that Lorenzo was dressed in Purple and matched perfectly with the party colors.

Lorenzo kept telling her to "Smile like you are having fun"

Several of the kids got to go up and "help" with the tricks and everyone got a "Magician Certificate" to take home.

He even did some tricks with a live dove and a rabbit. At the end of the show Natalie was able to get her picture taken with them.

After the show was over everyone was ready to eat. The menu was pizza, popcorn and punch. We sang Happy Birthday to Natalie, and everyone had a cupcake and some ice cream.

Other

The girls

The Boys

The Cousins

Gift opening was a little bit hectic. All the kids were crowding around Natalie making it almost impossible for her to open anything. I was afraid she was going to lose it and tell everyone to leave her alone, but she graciously let others ~~grab things out of her hand~~ "help" her open them and other than a couple dirty looks here and there, she kept her composure. Her favorite gift by far was the remote controlled "Stunt Granny" her daddy gave her. She had been wanting that toy for a long time and just couldn't believe he actually got it for her.

My one regret is not delegating the picture taking to somebody else. It proved a little stressful trying to play hostess and at the same time take pictures. Also the afternoon was cloudy and the dark colors inside made the pictures turn out too dark. Other than that I am very happy with the way things turned out, it was Natalie's first big birthday party involving kids other than family, and she loved everything about it. If she is happy, then I'm happy.

We love our ~~almost~~ seven year-old "baby".

Day Two-Hundred and Sixty-Three

2010-09-20T22:02:00.001-04:00

Wild Magicians.

Day 260

2010-09-17T23:20:00.001-04:00

When daddy is away it is Natalie's job to feed the cat.

Day Two-Hundred and Fifty-Nine

2010-09-16T22:34:00.000-04:00

A party waiting to happen.

Day Two-Hundred and Fifty-Five

2010-09-12T14:01:00.001-04:00

Cupcake Toppers for a little girl's upcoming birthday party.

Day Two-Hundred and Fifty-Four

2010-09-11T23:55:00.001-04:00

Relaxing with a friend. Sabbath morning before the mad rush to get to church on time begins.

Day Two-Hundred and Forty-Eight

2010-09-05T19:47:00.002-04:00

I know I'm biased, but these are two of the most beautiful girls on earth ;)

Day Two-Hundred and Forty-Seven

2010-09-04T23:32:00.001-04:00

Magical preparations...

Day Two-Hundred and Forty-Six

2010-09-03T21:29:00.001-04:00

On her way to a classmate's birthday party.

Day Two-Hundred and Forty-Two

2010-08-30T21:27:00.000-04:00

Afternoon Snack.

Day Two-Hundred and Forty

2010-08-28T23:24:00.000-04:00

Sweet Little Helper. Natalie was helping set up the "kids table" for our Sabbath Lunch.

It's Back to School They Go

2010-08-24T23:07:00.002-04:00

New jeans, new shoes, new backpacks.

Good bye late nights and lazy mornings

It's time to see old friends again, and maybe make some new ones.

They seem ready. Their mom, not so much [grin].

Summer Recap Part 2: Summer's Last Hurrah

2010-08-23T23:35:00.000-04:00

Warning: This is going to be a long post. I just want to record it for our family. Feel free to skip the text and just look at the pictures [grin]

Two weeks ago while sitting at the office, feeling a little melancholic and guilty that we had not done much with the girls this summer, I decided to take a little “break” and do some internet surfing for affordable things we could do.

Looking into cheap airlines, I decided to check on Allegiant Air. I had heard of friends finding these amazing deals, but I had never done any research on it. Mainly because I rather drive than fly places, you know, with my anxiety and control issues. But this day I decided to check them out, and there it was, an “amazing” air fare, $19.99 each way from Grand Rapids to Orlando. In a rare display of spontaneity, I decided we would go to Orlando for a long weekend. I called my husband to see if he thought he could get the time off work, but he couldn’t. I felt a little guilt at just going without him, but decided to go for it anyway. So I bought the tickets and then promptly freaked out. I don’t “do” spontaneous, so doing this was a little out of character for me. But the deal was done, so the plans started. I called the girls and told them the news, and they were shocked but very excited.

At the beginning of the year, the girls and I had joined Disney’s volunteering program “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day”. We volunteered eight hours at our local Goodwill (it took us a whole month since we did it two hours at a time) and when we completed our time we got three vouchers for a free day at Disney. We did not think we were going to be able to use them before they expired, but now it was the perfect opportunity.

We arrived in Orlando on Thursday morning, and after picking up our “tiny” rental car, drove straight to Downtown Disney. Natalie had a one track mind. All she wanted was to buy another Build-A-Dino at the T-Rex store. She couldn’t really enjoy anything until we went and she got her Dino. Unfortunately, I was so hot I didn't even feel like taking a picture. You will just have to imagine her happy face while getting her Dino stuffed. She named it "Ricky" since she had named the one she got last year "Lucy".

Another fun thing we tried was pin trading. A friend of ours collects Disney Pins and she loves trading them at the parks. She had given us some pins to trade for her and although at first we were a little unsure about the whole thing, it turned out to be really fun. The only thing is that Natalie, kept choosing pins that she liked, instead of the pins our friend was trying to collect. So we ended up with a lot of Disney princesses and Minnies and not so many Mickeys or Evils or Toy Story pins.

After walking for a couple of hours in over 90-degree weather, we decided to head out to our “hotel” (it was $45 a night and it looked more like a motel) and check in. The room had a small kitchenette, so we went out for some groceries and spent the rest of the evening just relaxing and trying to keep cool.

Friday was Magic Kingdom day. We were at the park a little before 8AM ready for the day.

We all knew the drill! Get to the front of the crowd right behind the cord and prepare to sprint towards Space Mountain as soon as the cord comes down. Except it is a lot harder to run when it is so hot and humid. Kaitlin just kept going, but Natie and I were huffing and puffing the whole way.

The forecast said it was going to rain all afternoon, so we hurried along following our trusty Touring Plan.

By 11:00AM we had hit all of the major rides more than once never waiting in line more than 20 minutes. I highly recommend using the Touring Plans, they work like "magic".

After lunch we took a more relaxed approach and visited some of the attractions we had not seen before. Natalie was very impressed with the Hall of Presidents.

We took the train around the park, walked around Mickey's Toontown Fair, and tried not to melt. In most of the pictures the girls have "suffering" faces but that is due to the heat, not that they weren't having fun.

We had a wonderful time! Even with the heat. Believe it or not I did not take that many pictures because the sun was so bright, it was just impossible to get good ones without harsh shadows. I think that was one of the girls favorite parts [grin] not having to pose for pictures so much.

I truly enjoyed this day. I felt so lucky to be able to do this with the girls. Even though I kept having small anxiety bouts about riding all the rides. Just for fun I will show you what I looked like during our first ride on Space Mountain.

But hey, by the third time I was feeling a little braver. I even opened my eyes and faked a smile for the picture.

We left the park around 8PM exhausted but happy.

On Saturday we drove to Cocoa Beach. Again, it was so hot, I thought I would surely melt, but this was our last day and we all decided we were going to enjoy it. We "borrowed" a sheet from our hotel room and set up camp. Kaitlin had planned on staying dry and just sit by the water, but she quickly changed her mind when she realized how hot it was. We spent the whole time playing in the water getting trashed around by the waves. Natalie also collected some shells. Even though I put on 55 SPF sun protection I still got horribly sunburned. The girls seem to tan much better than me.

We ended up leaving sooner than expected due to a storm coming. You can see the dark clouds behind Kaitlin. As soon as we got in the car it started to rain and it rained during our whole drive back.

We closed out our day with Dinner and a Magic show at Wonderworks. Dinner was not that exciting, but the show was amazing. Natalie has been in a "Magic" kick lately and she was just in heaven watching Tony Brent do his tricks. It was the perfect ending to our mini-vacation.

And now is back to real life. The girls started school today and I go back to work tomorrow. School year 2010-2011 here we come!

Summer Recap Part 1: It Just Flew By!

2010-08-22T23:49:00.003-04:00

Time flies by so quickly! It really is crazy! School starts tomorrow; our summer is coming to an end! Although my favorite season is fall, there is just something about summer ending that makes me sad. One more milestone for the girls. Back to the jam-packed hectic days.

Our job schedules were pretty demanding this summer and we were not able to take much time off. The month of June was consumed with preparations for our church’s VBS.

I was feeling a little guilty that I hadn’t done much with the girls so I started looking at some of the pictures I took during June and felt a little relieved that while most of it was spent shopping and planning for VBS we also took some breaks to go to the park and enjoy some summer treats.

There were fancy birthday parties, mini-golf and spontaneous games of crocket in the backyard.

In July, we visited Joel’s parents in Nebraska, and the girls stayed with them for most of the month.

Life at Grandma’s house is a non-stop party. If you don’t believe me, just ask Natalie. During the time they spend there, they are the center of attention. They get to do whatever they want, stay up as late as they want. There are always little kittens to pet, games to play, shopping to do, and money to be made. Re-entry to the real world can be a shock to their system.

We tried to ease Natalie back into reality with a visit from some relatives from Florida, a trip to the American Girl Place and some nights at the movies.

Both girls came back to brand-new looking bedrooms.

And this brings us to August, which was looking particularly blah. The only thing we had in the schedule was our annual visit to the County Fair. But two weeks ago it suddenly took an exciting turn.

TO BE CONTINUED [Due to my being so tired my fingers are refusing to type anymore]

Day Two-Hundred and Thirty-One

2010-08-19T22:04:00.001-04:00

And we are off... It's gonna be a bright, bright Sun-Shiny day.

Day Two-Hundred Twenty-Eight

2010-08-16T21:58:00.002-04:00

This Thursday, We are leavin' on a jet plane!!

Day Two-Hundred and Twenty-Four

2010-08-12T23:38:00.001-04:00

Earlier today I had promised Natalie I would take her to the beach after I got out of work. However, it was around 90 degrees at 5PM and I kept putting it off in hopes she decided to do something else. Around 8PM she called me out and said the words I was dreading: "...but you promised". So off to the beach we went. The moon was out when we got there. I wish I had taken a tripod, it looked so beautiful! But I couldn't keep my hands steady enough to get a good picture.

Day Two-Hundred and Seventeen

2010-08-07T21:27:00.001-04:00

Sabbath Morning before leaving for church. I love this little dress on her!

Day Two-Hundred and Fifteen

2010-08-05T13:34:00.001-04:00

At Steak and Shake around 10:30PM, earning my "Worst Mother of the Month" award over Milkshakes and French Fries.

Day Two-Hundred and Fourteen

2010-08-03T22:08:00.004-04:00

My beautiful big girl. I'm so glad to have her back with me! I missed her terribly!

Bedroom Makeover - Full Reveal

2010-08-02T10:53:00.001-04:00

She came, She saw, She loved! She got right down to work! And now I hope she keeps in this shape [grin].

Here is the view as you enter the room.

The view from the desk area. (I still have to hang the K on the wall)

The view from the bed.

.
The view from the dresser

So, what was the damage? My lips are sealed since my husband reads my blog from time to time [grin]. Considering that most of the furniture and accessories are brand new it was pretty reasonable and seeing her reaction, totally worth it.

Some Links:

Bed and Dresser were bought HERE

Bedding was bought HERE

Lamp, Lounge chair, ottoman, and rug were bought HERE

Drawer cart was bought HERE

Day Two-Hundred and Twelve

2010-08-01T21:43:00.001-04:00

Goodbye Grandma! Thanks for the great summer memories! I will miss you! See you again at Thanksgiving.

Day Two-Hundred and Ten

2010-07-29T23:58:00.000-04:00

Lemonade anyone? Natie came up with the idea of making a lemonade stand for her American Girl Dolls out of the foam pieces that came with Kaitlin's furniture. This afternoon we worked on it. I did all the cutting, she did all the painting and then we both put it together. I am sure it won't have a long life, but she loved seeing her vision become a reality.

Teen Daughter's Bedroom Makeover - Sneak Peek

2010-07-29T13:33:00.004-04:00

I am truly bursting at the seams with excitement to show you what I have been working on for the last week!

As I posted here, I decided to re-do both girls’ bedrooms while they were away visiting their grandparents. My plans didn’t include anything too complicated, I wanted to just give the walls a fresh coat of paint and change the look of things a little bit, and mainly using things I already had. If you know me, you are probably giggling, because you know that I don’t know how to do “simple”. I’m a sucker for over thinking things and making them as complicated as possible.

Natie’s Room took a lot more effort than I had intended and set me back a whole week. Once she returned, I was not able to continue putting every free minute I had into the “project” so I found myself with less than two weeks to pull off Kaitlin’s room. I wasn’t too worried because I thought I had things under control. I knew the paint color I was going to use and the furniture pieces I was going to get.

A couple trips to IKEA and Lowe’s and I had the room painted and the (very heavy) furniture on the hallway waiting to be put together. I also had a hands me down bedding set I was planning on using and a cute desk and chair I found on Craig’s list. So it was just a matter of putting everything together and getting it done, right? WRONG…

The trip to IKEA did me in. My eyes were opened to all the beautiful possibilities and my imagination started going into overdrive. Wouldn’t it be nice to find a cute bedding set with brighter colors than what I had planned on using? And this is when I made the first slip-up… I went to the Pottery Barn Teen website looking for inspiration. Big, big mistake! Once you look at a Pottery Barn catalog, everything else pales in comparison.

I was stopped on my tracks! What do I do now? How could I go back to using this bedding?

It was at this point that I made the worst mistake of them all… I sent my teenage daughter a link to the Pottery Barn website and asked her opinion as to what things attracted her. Of course, I also included the disclaimer that this didn’t mean I was going to get one of those sets; I was just looking for ideas as far as color combinations and styles she might like.

Her response surprised me. My normally subdued daughter was thinking in brighter colors than I would have thought she liked.

And so the hunt began, for the perfect bedding set, and the perfect bedroom look, all within a not so perfect budget. In the midst of this all I was blessed with a visit from my interior design muse. Unfortunately,she was also my enabler [grin]. Many shopping trips later and several additional visits to the ATM machine, it all came together. I am so pleased and excited for Kaitlin to see it! I still have to put a couple finishing touches, but for the most part it is done!

Without further ado I present to you the BEFORE shot.

Here are some snapshots of the new look. I don’t want to show the complete room yet because she reads my blog and I want her to at least be surprised as to how it all looks together. She does not tolerate surprises well, so I have shown her bits and pieces of the transformation, but she will at least have to wait to see how it all looks together.

Here is a peek at the new bedding set.

Her new dresser area.

One of my favorite spots in her room, her desk area.

I love how this wall area came together.

After the room resident sees it I will make sure and post a picture of how it all looks together. A BIG hug and thank you kiss goes to my cousin for her creative contributions, the endless hours spent hunting for just the perfect accessories, and the long nights helping me put it all together. H, it wouldn’t have come out this great without your help.

Day Two-Hundred and Nine

2010-07-28T23:50:00.000-04:00

Isn't she lovely?

Day Two-Hundred and Six

2010-07-25T11:38:00.003-04:00

At the happiest place ~~on earth~~ in Chicago.

Day Two-Hundred and Five

2010-07-24T11:42:00.000-04:00

Reunited third cousins.

Day Two-Hundred and Two

2010-07-21T11:52:00.000-04:00

In anticipation to our visit to the American Girl Place in Chicago on Sunday, her love for American Girl Dolls has been rekindled.

Day One-Hundred and Ninety-Nine

2010-07-18T23:05:00.003-04:00

Guess who is back? She loves her room!

Bedroom Makeover

2010-07-16T23:34:00.004-04:00

For the last two weeks I have been childless. I had such great plans for this time! My husband and I were going to spend lots of quality time together, every room in the house was going to get cleaned and organized, and, because I like a good challenge, I decided I would re-do both of the girl’s bedrooms.

You probably know where I am going with this. On Monday, I found myself with less than a week before my youngest comes back home and nothing had been accomplished. So the last three nights have been spent laboring over re-doing her room.

The bad news is I have been going to bed around 3AM for the last three nights. The good news is that the meds seem to be working. I was able to move faster because I was not obsessing over things being perfect [grin].

My goal was to spend as little as possible. I knew I wanted to re-use her bedding and curtains and that she needed additional storage. Other than that I did not really have a plan as to what I was going to do.

Here is the BEFORE picture.

I went to Lowe’s to look at paints and came out with three gallons of pink and green. I had to give the walls three coats of paint because the colors were so much lighter than the one on the wall. I should have primed, but you know… I was trying to not be so perfect.

After looking around without success for a small armoire that would fit in her room I decided to use the old dresser I had used as a changing table when she was a baby. It had been stored in my dad’s garage for over four years. A few coats of paint later and new hardware it was looking much different. Not perfect [grin], but good enough.

My sister lent me a bed her boy is not using right now. My brother-in-law made it out of solid wood and I can attest to its “solidity”. My back felt it all the way from their basement to my house’s second story as I carried it and transported it all by myself. I also had to bring the dresser up by myself, so after this week I need a really good chiropractor to put my spine back in place.

I did have to re-do a couple of things. At the last minute I found in Target some cute flower wall decals. Last night, after finally putting everything together and vacuuming, I decided to try them out. I started with a couple here and there and just kept sticking and sticking like a robot. Then I saw the ties from the crib bumper I had just cut up, and my drowsy mind just thought it would be so cute to add them to the dresser pulls. I went to bed and when I woke up this morning I went into the room to take a picture of the finished product and it looked like I had taken a bucket full of flower stickers and just thrown them on the wall.

I sent a picture to my “interior design mentor” and she agreed it was a little too much. In addition, she likened the green ties on the dresser pulls to “eyelashes” [grin]. So today, after work, I hurried home and pulled all the stickers out. It definitely improved the look. Here is the finished product.

As always, I ended up spending ~~much more~~ a tiny bit more than I had wanted. But I am very happy with the results. Here is the rundown of expenses:

$100 for three gallons of “Limish” green and “Pink Wink” paint and three cans of white spray paint.

$120 for new dresser pulls, picture frames, mirror and bulletin board

$35 for the stripped rug and cute piggy bank

So for roughly $250 I achieved a totally different look using a lot of what she had before.

My favorite part? It’s a tie between the flower frames I made from her old crib bumper and the cute piggy bank I found in Target.

Now we have to see what the room resident thinks of it. I hope she likes it and maybe will make her want to sleep in her own room and stop ~~interrupting my sleep~~ visiting me every night.

She is coming back Sunday evening. I can’t wait to see her reaction!

Day One-Hundred and Ninety-Six

2010-07-15T20:08:00.002-04:00

Oink! Oink!

Day One-Hundred and Ninety-Five

2010-07-14T21:30:00.000-04:00

Sneak Peek.

Love Story

2010-07-14T12:37:00.006-04:00

Had a good laugh watching this video. I can relate [grin] specially now that we had some time without the girls. But to tell you the truth, I wouldn't want to go back to the being single and dating for anything in the world.

Day One-Hundred and Ninety-Four

2010-07-13T21:27:00.001-04:00

Here goes nothing... I've decided to spray paint this piece of furniture for Natalie's "new" room.

Day One-Hundred and Ninety-Three

2010-07-12T22:53:00.001-04:00

Big changes are coming to a bedroom near you..... Stay tuned!

Day One-Hundred and Eighty-Six

2010-07-05T15:35:00.002-04:00

I left my heart in Lincoln... We left the girls today with their grandma. K will stay the whole month. We are picking N up in two weeks. I miss them already!

Day One-Hundred and Eighty-Five

2010-07-04T15:38:00.002-04:00

...one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Day One-Hundred and Eighty-Four

2010-07-03T15:49:00.006-04:00

Don't let her smile fool you... she was refusing to comply with mom's request for a favor.

Day One-Hundred and Eighty-Three

2010-07-02T22:56:00.003-04:00

Today is our 15th Wedding Anniversary. Here we are with our "Bible Boy". He was four when we got married. We have all "changed" a little since then.

An Afternoon Stroll

2010-06-29T23:41:00.002-04:00

Natalie and I have started a little tradition of walking around our town's downtown on the days Kaitlin has her orthodontist appointments.

Today the weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed going in and out of the little shops.

I had my camera with me and wanted to do a little photoshoot, but my subject is of the wiggly kind which makes it very difficult to take good pictures.

After Kaitlin is done, the walk always ends at the same place: Veni's Candies.

They have the best chocolates, but they are kind of pricey so the girls know we only go there on orthodontist appointment days.

They both look forward to it.

Sometime is the simplest things that brings us the most joy.

Day One-Hundred and Eighty

2010-06-29T23:09:00.001-04:00

A visit to the orthodontist. Not her most favorite thing to do.

Still Here

2010-06-29T14:58:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since I have done more than just post daily pictures here but I wanted to assure my one reader that I am still here [grin]. Life has been hectic with the beginning of summer, VBS at church and ~~not~~ keeping up with housework. We have had some “blog worthy” experiences but by the time I have time to sit down and write about them it just doesn’t seem relevant anymore.

I am now busy getting the house back to a livable state after the earthquake of VBS and trying to pack the girls for their trip to Nebraska. We are taking them to visit their grandparents this weekend and they will stay there for the month of July. It will be Natalie's first time staying by herself and she is so excited about it. She will stay for two weeks and Kaitlin will stay the whole month.

I know I am going to miss them a lot, but at the same time I am looking forward to being able to spend time with Joel one-on-one. Our lives are so hectic we have been living in parallel to each other for a while now without much overlapping. It will be nice to get to spend some time together without the girls demandind our time.

I am also excited about a couple of re-decorating projects I hope to work on while the girls are away. I hope to share those with you soon.

I promise to try and blog more often so…. keep and eye on this space

Day One-Hundred and Seventy-Nine

2010-06-28T23:02:00.000-04:00

Mini-golf in the evening.

Day One-Hundred and Seventy-Five

2010-06-24T23:33:00.001-04:00

Appreciation gifts for VBS Volunteers. Had great ideas for these cute bottles I found, but at the end reali$m won and had to settle for just filling them with candy. Is the thought that counts, right?

Day One-Hundred and Seventy-Four

2010-06-23T22:29:00.001-04:00

My first mate! She is a wonderful helper and has been by my side since I first started organizing VBS. Love you Katie-Lou!

Day One-Hundred and Seventy-One

2010-06-20T23:26:00.001-04:00

Just minutes before our church's 2010 VBS - High Seas Expedition began!

Day One-Hundred and Seventy

2010-06-19T22:16:00.000-04:00

Self-Portrait of a Bored Child.

Day One-Hundred and Sixty-Eight

2010-06-17T23:03:00.007-04:00

Sisters at Play. Natalie got married first and had two children. Kaitlin chose her career first and did not have any children [grin]. A glimpse of things to come?

Day One-Hundred and Sixty-Seven

2010-06-16T23:12:00.003-04:00

Took a little breather from VBS work to play a game of croquet in the backyard. Well, three games... we each took turns designing the course.

Day One-Hundred and Sixty-Six

2010-06-15T23:09:00.001-04:00

VBS Mess! If you come into my house this is the first thing you will see! Please stay away until after June 25th [grin].