celebrations

giving

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For Father’s Day this year, I finally pulled together a gift I’ve been wanting to make Dan for quite awhile. He’s always admired other people’s silhouette pitures but I’ve always been intimidated by the idea of doing them. But thanks to some email support from a friend who’s a pro at these, I put it together in time. I know he liked them, because by the time I got back from running a quick errand Sunday morning, he already had them hung in a prominent place in our house. 
The silhouettes were pretty simple to put together once I got them equally sized. Honestly, the hardest part was just finding the time to get it done. Mary, of course, picked up her silhouette and tore off the pony tail, so I had to redo,  and I was at the pharmacy buying black frames at 10:45 Saturday night. But it got done. And the girls tell me that I need to redo Elizabeth’s silhouette when she has some hair. She’s a bit boyish looking at this point, which is why I added everyone’s ages below their picture.
We started our father’s day with everyone piled in bed together, passing out cards and gifts to Dan. Emma is really getting in to gift-giving (and wrapping presents), so she presented him with the picture she had painted on Friday. (even though he’d already seen it)…
I can remember at Emma’s age, walking around my house and picking out gifts for my mother from her bedroom. I specifically remember one year on mom’s birthday, wrapping up her used highlighter pen and open bottle of nail polish remover to "give" her. But she still seemed thrilled–as was Dan at the "surprise" of getting the painting from Emma.

And speaking of giving, this lovely package arrived for our family unexpectedly last week. Michelle sent it ‘just  because’ and it was full of lovely gifts for me and the girls. Thank you, again, Michelle. It was so amazing all the goodies inside–you definitely "got" the girls…horse everything–tattoos, stickers, candy, and more:
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for elizabeth:
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and a handmade market bag for lucky me:
P1010002_2

P1010002
For Father’s Day this year, I finally pulled together a gift I’ve been wanting to make Dan for quite awhile. He’s always admired other people’s silhouette pitures but I’ve always been intimidated by the idea of doing them. But thanks to some email support from a friend who’s a pro at these, I put it together in time. I know he liked them, because by the time I got back from running a quick errand Sunday morning, he already had them hung in a prominent place in our house. 
The silhouettes were pretty simple to put together once I got them equally sized. Honestly, the hardest part was just finding the time to get it done. Mary, of course, picked up her silhouette and tore off the pony tail, so I had to redo,  and I was at the pharmacy buying black frames at 10:45 Saturday night. But it got done. And the girls tell me that I need to redo Elizabeth’s silhouette when she has some hair. She’s a bit boyish looking at this point, which is why I added everyone’s ages below their picture.
We started our father’s day with everyone piled in bed together, passing out cards and gifts to Dan. Emma is really getting in to gift-giving (and wrapping presents), so she presented him with the picture she had painted on Friday. (even though he’d already seen it)…
I can remember at Emma’s age, walking around my house and picking out gifts for my mother from her bedroom. I specifically remember one year on mom’s birthday, wrapping up her used highlighter pen and open bottle of nail polish remover to "give" her. But she still seemed thrilled–as was Dan at the "surprise" of getting the painting from Emma.

And speaking of giving, this lovely package arrived for our family unexpectedly last week. Michelle sent it ‘just  because’ and it was full of lovely gifts for me and the girls. Thank you, again, Michelle. It was so amazing all the goodies inside–you definitely "got" the girls…horse everything–tattoos, stickers, candy, and more:
P1010023

P1010005

for elizabeth:
P1010004_2

and a handmade market bag for lucky me:
P1010002_2

17 Comments
life (in general)

a list on a friday

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1. I need to start shopping the back aisle end-caps at JoAnn’s more often. Today, in a clearance section the girls got these stretched canvases, including paint for $2. They were so focused working on these. You know how dinner conversation goes quiet when a good dessert is served? It was like that. Total silence for almost 30 minutes. AND I found a speedball block-printing kit for $3. It has everything you need. I’m saving it for a rainy day.

2. Last night’s dinner was really good. And the lemon yogurt cake was killer. I was short one egg and used vanilla yogurt instead of plain but it was still amazing. And I made the glaze too runny (I was baking with baby in the pouch, and basically one hand)–so I poked little slits in the cake for the glaze to seep in…double yum.

3. My sewing machine is doing this:
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P1010003_3

I’ve tried everything I can think of except for a new needle (which I got a JoAnn’s today). Of course, I’m about ten stitches shy of finishing a simple diaper cover for Elizabeth. I hope it’s the needle.

4. I got choked up in the petstore today when we stopped to pick up some goldfish food. Emma was standing in the bird room staring at the finches. She turned around, rubbing her eyes and said,"my eyes are watering I want one of these so bad." It was the most sincere, non-begging tears over missing having birds. We had birds when we lived in Wisconsin but gave them away before we moved. And she still talks about how much she misses having them. It’s one thing when your children beg and plead for something just because it’s new and different. It’s another thing when there’s sincere emotion behind it all. (maybe I’m just being a big softie…)

5. This week I found these amazing bedspreads at a little artsy spot just outside of Baltimore.
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It’s a small block of shops and restaurants tucked together in town…and it turns out is was a short two minute drive from the hospital where I ws going for all my prenatal checkups. (Although, for my pocketbook’s sake, it was probably good that I didn’t discover it until this week.) The bedspreads were only $19 and they are summery and light. But the thing I like the most about them is that this is the same place my grandmother gets them too and they remind me so much of her house. She mostly uses hers as tablecloths now, but they used to be on the beds up in the attic where the boys slept. I’m so nostalgic about things like this.

6. As I sit here typing, Emma is sitting on the arm of the rocking chair (rocking back and forth) eating cherries and spitting the pits into the trash can which she has pulled up beside the chair–and she’s waxing on and on about why it is good that birds have their babies in the spring. That’s my girl.

7. After a discussion with my husband the other night I think I’ve come to the sad conclusion that I’m going to have to give up pottery for awhile. I just don’t have the time to get up to the college. I’d get myself a small kiln to work at home, but I just don’t know what the electrical wiring is like where we live right now. I’m sad to see it go for now. But I guess everything has it’s season and I WILL get back to it, somehow. In the meantime, I might work a little more on my bandsaw skills. I’d love to make a few more of these. and these.

8. Now, I’m the one waxing on and on….so, Happy Weekend All!
 

P1010003
1. I need to start shopping the back aisle end-caps at JoAnn’s more often. Today, in a clearance section the girls got these stretched canvases, including paint for $2. They were so focused working on these. You know how dinner conversation goes quiet when a good dessert is served? It was like that. Total silence for almost 30 minutes. AND I found a speedball block-printing kit for $3. It has everything you need. I’m saving it for a rainy day.

2. Last night’s dinner was really good. And the lemon yogurt cake was killer. I was short one egg and used vanilla yogurt instead of plain but it was still amazing. And I made the glaze too runny (I was baking with baby in the pouch, and basically one hand)–so I poked little slits in the cake for the glaze to seep in…double yum.

3. My sewing machine is doing this:
P1010002

P1010003_3

I’ve tried everything I can think of except for a new needle (which I got a JoAnn’s today). Of course, I’m about ten stitches shy of finishing a simple diaper cover for Elizabeth. I hope it’s the needle.

4. I got choked up in the petstore today when we stopped to pick up some goldfish food. Emma was standing in the bird room staring at the finches. She turned around, rubbing her eyes and said,"my eyes are watering I want one of these so bad." It was the most sincere, non-begging tears over missing having birds. We had birds when we lived in Wisconsin but gave them away before we moved. And she still talks about how much she misses having them. It’s one thing when your children beg and plead for something just because it’s new and different. It’s another thing when there’s sincere emotion behind it all. (maybe I’m just being a big softie…)

5. This week I found these amazing bedspreads at a little artsy spot just outside of Baltimore.
P1010016

It’s a small block of shops and restaurants tucked together in town…and it turns out is was a short two minute drive from the hospital where I ws going for all my prenatal checkups. (Although, for my pocketbook’s sake, it was probably good that I didn’t discover it until this week.) The bedspreads were only $19 and they are summery and light. But the thing I like the most about them is that this is the same place my grandmother gets them too and they remind me so much of her house. She mostly uses hers as tablecloths now, but they used to be on the beds up in the attic where the boys slept. I’m so nostalgic about things like this.

6. As I sit here typing, Emma is sitting on the arm of the rocking chair (rocking back and forth) eating cherries and spitting the pits into the trash can which she has pulled up beside the chair–and she’s waxing on and on about why it is good that birds have their babies in the spring. That’s my girl.

7. After a discussion with my husband the other night I think I’ve come to the sad conclusion that I’m going to have to give up pottery for awhile. I just don’t have the time to get up to the college. I’d get myself a small kiln to work at home, but I just don’t know what the electrical wiring is like where we live right now. I’m sad to see it go for now. But I guess everything has it’s season and I WILL get back to it, somehow. In the meantime, I might work a little more on my bandsaw skills. I’d love to make a few more of these. and these.

8. Now, I’m the one waxing on and on….so, Happy Weekend All!
 

26 Comments
home / IN MY KITCHEN

thursday: at my desk

It’s been unseasonably cool today and I’m enjoying the chance to break out a sweatshirt and snuggle inside for the afternoon.  Mary is napping, Emma is horseback riding and Elizabeth just woke up from her nap and is now my sidekick at my desk.
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Believe it or not, this is my third post of the day. The first two were for my other "jobs" on the side, (which I can barely call jobs because I enjoy doing them so much).
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I did wander outside today to check on my garden after yesterday’s storms came through. And I came home with an overflowing collander of spinach and romaine.
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So tonight’s dinner is going to be a chicken salad with greens from MY garden, eggs from my uncle’s chickens, fresh bread and Molly’s cake (thanks, hannah!)…I knew there was a reason why I stocked up on lemons at the store last week.

Oh, and  I forgot to mention that you’ve probably noticed the changes in my sidebar. I’m going to do my best to keep them more up to date this summer. And I hope that the "fresh inspiration" will be changing very frequently, too. I discovered this weekend that one can really drown themselves in flickr. There’s lots of inspiration every where.

It’s been unseasonably cool today and I’m enjoying the chance to break out a sweatshirt and snuggle inside for the afternoon.  Mary is napping, Emma is horseback riding and Elizabeth just woke up from her nap and is now my sidekick at my desk.
P1010050

Believe it or not, this is my third post of the day. The first two were for my other "jobs" on the side, (which I can barely call jobs because I enjoy doing them so much).
P1010058_2

I did wander outside today to check on my garden after yesterday’s storms came through. And I came home with an overflowing collander of spinach and romaine.
P1010040

So tonight’s dinner is going to be a chicken salad with greens from MY garden, eggs from my uncle’s chickens, fresh bread and Molly’s cake (thanks, hannah!)…I knew there was a reason why I stocked up on lemons at the store last week.

Oh, and  I forgot to mention that you’ve probably noticed the changes in my sidebar. I’m going to do my best to keep them more up to date this summer. And I hope that the "fresh inspiration" will be changing very frequently, too. I discovered this weekend that one can really drown themselves in flickr. There’s lots of inspiration every where.

11 Comments