tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35394623342925516132011-07-29T02:24:25.629-05:00Random journal of various family doings and dreams, gushes about life with my 3 lovely girls (those blooming hearts) and views of my hobbies and handiwork.MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.comBlogger1311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-10344102706871454102010-10-01T10:36:00.010-05:002010-10-01T11:12:55.239-05:00

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MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-78828029097813150002010-10-01T00:42:00.005-05:002010-10-01T11:25:01.327-05:00

That went fast. Is it bad that I have been stopping by my own blog a few times each month to click through links to see other blogs, without actually posting? Small update: since my last post about the nasty caterpillars, the bushes have filled in nicely. Let's not talk about the weeds that need to be pulled again, ok? Thanks.The girls FINALLY escaped school in mid-June. Through the summer they

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-56930531639379217902010-05-17T09:58:00.007-05:002010-05-17T10:46:11.929-05:00

Oh what a lovely weekend. Sunny, warm on Saturday, cool for gardening on Sunday. Perfect after a week of rain.We did the normal weekend things:slept incoffee and omelets in the sunroom while reading the paper and listening to the wrens singing - and watching the cats stare out the window, dreaming of wren for breakfast.mowedcleaned and tuned bikes although the girls have been riding theirs for

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-8523973809248308702010-05-03T22:00:00.004-05:002010-05-03T22:25:52.966-05:00

Beautiful weekend. Sunny, warm, green.Weeding and planting makes Michelle happy.Now I itch. I tried to ignore it.Even though it tickles NONSTOP.Even though I knew I'd uncovered a funny three leafed plant on a red stem while pulling leaves out of tangle of Wisteria vines. (Oh I make sure to shower off the instant I finish gardening. I NEVER touch my face while gardening, and I always toss my

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-89465308262848913632010-04-20T14:08:00.003-05:002010-04-20T14:46:21.837-05:00

We went out on Sunday, just to see two houses. One because it is a historical house and a beautiful Craftsman. We wanted to see it up close, though there was no way we could possibly fit unless we had only 1 child, or if we got rid of all our stuff. It was so beautiful it was tempting to make that leap! Beautiful front yard, but alas, no place to garden. Lovely to see however.The other was on a

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-85451675802915965342010-04-17T11:14:00.003-05:002010-04-17T11:31:17.469-05:00

Fun fun fun. Especially the girls singing along and rocking out. Sarah air drumming. Natasha drooling over the many different guitars. Mira waving her arms and "Wooo-hoo"ing at the first and last 45 minutes of the concert and her 1.5 hour nap in the middle.Considering the concert started at her usual bedtime, she did rather well.Houses - Looked at several more yesterday. Ruled two out. Not sure

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-15485939981950043902010-03-24T15:42:00.010-05:002010-03-24T16:13:27.504-05:00

I looked at a WONDERFUL house this morning. Light, space, great kitchen, woods, enough bedrooms to separate the girls and office besides, perfect for entertaining.Yard enough for raised beds as well as room to play and oh so private.I was mostly able to imagine living there when I blocked out the deer & buck heads hung everywhere. Except the smell of the neighbors horses was getting to me every

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-33256951236218595602010-03-20T13:40:00.006-05:002010-03-20T14:28:31.893-05:00

Oh we had so much fun on Spring break. Sleepovers, playdates, and sunny warm days playing at the Rose Garden.This morning we woke to 4 inches snow! Boo. Oh well - just a little more incentive to stay inside and work on Spring cleaning.And scrapping :)Natasha with her Guitar, photos taken while working on an assignment for my Karen Russell photography class (so sad that it's over). Inspired by a

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-24076476243285095102010-03-04T18:43:00.004-06:002010-03-04T19:39:11.174-06:00

Corny, I know. What can I say?Once again, we've been crazy busy. I am soaking up everything I can in my photography class (Karen Russell, Snapshots of a Good Life), as you can see below. Class ends next week. Very sad. However, we still will have access to the class forums for a year - Yay! Everyone in the class is so supportive, I'm looking forward to continuing and building those relationships

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-57076572207862762942010-02-11T09:01:00.005-06:002010-02-11T09:43:07.794-06:00

I am having such a GREAT year!Learning and applying so much in my photography class that I have turned into a menace with my camera. Took about 40 photos yesterday during my lunch out with Mira.Fun lunch, and some great photos (though I tend to push ISO too low, working on that). Of course now I have a list that includes new lenses, a white balance filter, a new camera... on top of my current

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-1872792995457209752010-01-08T13:29:00.002-06:002010-01-08T13:36:46.642-06:00

I love snow days, having the girls home.Only, I like them home in summer too. School will now be extended until Friday June 11, which the girls won't be happy about. I won't really mind picking them up those extra days in milder weather and no worries about wind chills below -25, as long as this is the last of the snow days. Any more days off will interfere with camp & art class dates.I know - I

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-4081895093575600662010-01-08T12:22:00.003-06:002010-01-08T13:28:35.841-06:00

The vegan diet is going rather well. I don't think I've lost any weight yet as I really haven't changed my breakfast and lunches have not changed all that much. I can tell you though that I feel lighter on this diet. I had been hoping to exercise daily but with the early outs and getting back into the school/lesson schedule combined with snow days, I've only been 4 times. Not bad, but I'm working

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-20931474124312501632010-01-05T22:32:00.004-06:002010-01-05T23:03:03.570-06:00

Day 5 Vegan Diet. Mostly good. I did take a bit of Mira's M&M cookie today, but that beats making hot cereal in the morning, absent-mindedly making it with milk as always, and not realizing it until later in the day as you search for the Silk or Almond milk. I think I did that 2 days in a row. It's just habit to grab that gallon of milk!Kind of like when I play something new at my piano lesson -

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-38566695542456230922010-01-04T17:26:00.004-06:002010-01-04T18:22:44.722-06:00

2010 has been a good year so far. How about you?December 31 we stayed at home. We ate junk (some more than others), watched the Cyclones win the Insight Bowl, played video games, built stuff with legos, I worked on my December Daily album and scrapped several pages. Rather a good day if you ask me.January 1. I hoped to scrapbook a page about my phrase for the year Just Do it - Jump In! (check out

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-69182902416976655772009-12-31T20:37:00.002-06:002009-12-31T20:39:23.446-06:00

Phew. We all left Rich alone in the living room during the first quarter. It was just easier that way.A Toast to Paul Rhodes and the Cyclones! Wooot! Let the party start!Have a wonderful and safe New Years Eve everyone.

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-54269369381282134492009-12-02T22:32:00.005-06:002009-12-02T22:50:36.282-06:00

Here are the first two pages of my December Daily album a la Ali Edwards. I have a photo to order for day 1 and journalling for both Day 1 & 2 ready. Most of the basic pages are ready, I'll try to post them all in advance as I have time over the next few days. I love what I have so far though. I did take a little more time in creating than I probably should have, but I knew from my calendar some

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-67072186895055953752009-12-02T22:17:00.002-06:002009-12-02T22:32:02.787-06:00

A few pages I created in November. They look horrible here actually. They were dark to begin with as the sun refused to shine. I lightened them, and they looked fine in PSE, but here...This one of Natasha is actually a light sunny yellow, (Bazill swiss dot paper). Used a variety of rub-ons (don't tell her many were ends of packages, they just went so well together). Added jewels and an acrylic

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-24491069646011547922009-11-17T16:23:00.004-06:002009-11-17T16:47:38.547-06:00

Yes, I drove to Omaha on Saturday to go scrapbooking with my friend Karen. Why? Because I can. Because it's fun. Because I like Karens company. And because she has come out here the last few times. I had a nice drive, we had a nice lunch, and I scrapped these pages, plus another one I will finish tonight at the church scrapping get-together. It feels good to be creative again!This first page is

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-75099783385128312252009-11-10T22:05:00.002-06:002009-11-10T22:25:35.757-06:00

Just a quick note as it's another busy week at our house!Sarah stayed home yesterday with a bad headache and was alternately comforted by Mira, Eddie pawing at her face and purring, and Horatio napping by her on her bed.Eddie has gotten used to the basement stairs and now goes down alone, staying close to the wall side. Natasha spent the first few days making sure he visited the litterbox often,

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-29888853086151592452009-11-07T15:41:00.008-06:002009-11-07T18:20:20.363-06:00

4 weeks ago: After spending much of 3 days on the phone trying to find a place that takes FeLV (Feline Leukemia) cats and had space, we finally learned about Witty Kitties in Solon Iowa. After getting Bob fixed and up to date on vaccinations, the girls and I drove Bob out there on a day off from school. Bob wasn't thrilled with the trip, but he was soon exploring his new room at Witty Kitties.

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-15481157852597713832009-11-07T15:32:00.003-06:002009-11-07T15:41:36.024-06:00

Good afternoon!Little bit of an update. In the past crazy month we've had a few celebrations including several school and preschool Fall & Halloween celebrations, middle school projects, Church gatherings, family and friends Birthday celebrations for Sarah, and I had a great afternoon with RIF (Reading is Fundamental book distribution) at the elementary school. Rich has been traveling and

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-10060152160315592292009-10-19T21:45:00.004-05:002009-10-19T21:54:11.796-05:00

Sarah wanted a Halloween Birthday again this year, and since Halloween is on a Saturday... My friend Christy gave me some great game ideas, and since the girls are a little older we can branch out a bit. There will be the toilet paper Mummy game, and one called Scabs in a Bag (or something like that).Here's a photo of the invites that went out.Looked at so many papers I'm not positive who made

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-21533940934671497352009-10-01T14:42:00.007-05:002009-10-01T16:17:01.368-05:00

Isn't he beautiful? We love this cat. Many of you have heard the story already, but he needs a home, and fast. He is loving, playful, loves to sit on laps and be petted, chases toy mice, and is litter trained.Why then does he need a home? Well, we tried to give him one. One of Natasha's teachers found him eating food she puts out for their outdoor cats, and named him Bob. We brought him home and

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-7913510490470717282009-09-28T13:00:00.011-05:002009-10-01T16:19:40.337-05:00

Next to the sunroom, the pink room has often been one of my favorite rooms.Once upon a time it was a guest room. Then we painted it yellow, with green shades, a grass green crib (yes the one that is now the compost bin) and grass green rocking chair, with a beautiful rainbow mobile. I used to sit in there and rock and stare at the mobile for hours on end after work when I was expecting each

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-43279652427892861642009-09-20T17:36:00.007-05:002009-09-20T22:14:34.017-05:00

To gather. To grieve. To celebrate. To praise. To mourn. To love.A Scrapbooking Journey through Loss and Healing.Those are the taglines on the new blog my good friend Amanda began recently. Amanda is an incredibly talented scrapbooker and while I could list her scrapping resume*, all you really need to know is this: she is a very creative, funny, caring person who knows how to tell a story. She

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-67220308217217855602009-09-18T09:05:00.003-05:002009-09-18T09:36:12.855-05:00

It's a gorgeous Fall morning... yes, ok. Most mornings this summer could have been classified as a Fall morning. But the sun is out, crickets are chirping, and for once no one in the neighborhood is having a tree cut down or a driveway ground out. The girls have no school today, so Sarah is off to a playdate with a friend who changed schools last year. I still have some projects to work on, but

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-67849413574688137462009-09-16T10:02:00.005-05:002009-09-16T10:20:48.375-05:00

Short post to get back in the swing! Here's me, day after my 40th. Not so bad, eh?I had a great birthday, breakfast with friends, afternoon getting my hair done, dinner at home, and a scavenger hunt for my present - the girls set it up, and I had to solve each clue to find the next. Two weeks later I'm still having lunches with friends who couldn't make it to my breakfast! The weekend after we

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-90547933498056468082009-08-23T12:02:00.008-05:002009-09-18T09:37:50.829-05:00

School is just about to start up, and in the month since I've posted we've: picked Natasha up from camp;visited my lovely cousin Karen and some Twin Cities attractions;spent a week camping in MN along the beautiful St. Croix River, and picked up an armful of fun antiques; harvested plenty of beans, broccoli, zucchini and tomatoes from our gardenPainted Natashas' room (finally) a gorgeous Fountain

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-71024487789734307822009-07-20T00:58:00.005-05:002009-07-20T02:28:03.330-05:00

Yet another long absence...I've been having so much fun with all this computer nonsense. I am very thankful for my mini-laptop (an eeePC). Rich knew I'd be happier editing photos and chatting etc. from the living room (nevermind my difficulty navigating stairs at the time), but it has been instrumental in helping me navigate this malware mess and get back in touch and on track of projects. The

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-67512595898819750452009-07-09T09:38:00.004-05:002009-07-10T07:56:05.562-05:00

It's cool and breezy today, almost ready to rain but not quite. Last night as we ate our grilled salmon, grilled sweet corn and foil wrapped grilled potato, green pepper & onions, the girls had to run in for fleece jackets to cover bare shoulders. It felt like Fall, and this was the week with no preplanned activities, places we HAD to be. Well, with the exception of Natasha's pre-camp physical

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-72341806193752724032009-06-29T10:13:00.011-05:002009-07-02T23:39:48.262-05:00

We've been enjoying our summer so far - quality time at the pool & yard, hours spent in the hammock or on a blanket reading library books, a few playdates with friends, and an awesome band concert at the end of Natasha's Honor band camp last Friday.This is the post that I started at the beginning of the week, but never posted because I intended to add a photo. I had big plans of weeding, painting

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-51939441517607733362009-06-20T21:24:00.002-05:002009-06-20T21:31:06.094-05:00

Oh what a beautiful day. Blue skies, white fluffy clouds, lovely breeze, jet fuel, the roar of a Jet powered School Bus (!!!!), the Blue Angels, and a Harrier.Time to read the paper and most of a book on the ride there and back, girls sitting in the back reading, doing puzzles, giggling. And a nice cool shower at the end of the day.I wonder how many photos Rich took today? Couple hundred at

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-26914500468196664792009-06-16T23:21:00.003-05:002009-06-17T00:04:29.173-05:00

Remember my Earth Day post? Finally, here are the photos of the recycled Crib that my niece Jenny, nephew Todd, and my girls slept in. Well, Jenny, Todd and Mira slept in it anyhow. Natasha hated it from day one. Sarah hated it from month six. One day I could put her down for a nap awake or asleep and she'd stay asleep for two hours. Then WHAMMO - the next day I couldn't even set her in it for 3

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-43681923887200886302009-06-13T09:25:00.005-05:002009-06-13T09:51:46.161-05:00

It's happening. The girls are growing up. Oh I knew it all along - somewhere in the back of my mind. But occasionally something happens to make it so obvious you can't pretend it's not happening. Last week Natasha babysat - for a 2,4, and 7 year old - all at once. She's even designed her own babysitting business cards and has been handing them about. She regularly walks to the local neighborhood

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-54618357763502653852009-06-08T17:15:00.008-05:002009-06-09T10:31:59.028-05:00

The girls have been off school since Wednesday afternoon. We started the summer off right with ice cream at Snookies with a good number of friends who carry the same end of year ice cream tradition. Above you'll see how we spent the rest of the day - hanging out. The picnic blanket the girls are sitting on was made by me from a pattern in Betz Whites Sewing Green book. I have materials for

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-18306507346651090872009-06-07T17:01:00.004-05:002009-06-07T17:41:07.346-05:00

This LO is for the Love Me Some New BasicGrey contest over at PageMaps that ends tonight. As soon as I saw the sketch, I knew exactly what I wanted to scrap: our anniversary. The various elements of the sketch just said "Art Deco" to me. PERFECT, because both the restaurant and Theater we patronized that evening are throwbacks to the Twenties. (Dinner was wonderful, BTW, and so was the movie.

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-63298056032099752072009-05-28T09:58:00.008-05:002009-05-28T10:38:51.341-05:00

Ok, so I was reading Kelli Crowes blog this morning and in one post she asked about summer plans. I had a list going in my head, but it's always good to put these things in writing. Here's my list:1. Finish and send the other half of the Christmas cards. Really. I should have just stuffed them in envelopes and sent, but I wanted to FINISH them, write something to everyone. But between the achy

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-85275899317498568272009-05-28T09:49:00.003-05:002009-05-28T10:19:51.547-05:00

Yes blog, I promise to update you this summer. It's just that I've been busy. You know - helping with Field trips, church and school meetings, playdates, piano lessons and softball games, birthday parties, the church garage/bake/plant sale, my 17th anniversary, rainy weekend trips to antique malls where the girls have been finding treasure galore, playing with Mira, planting the garden, mowing,

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-22945507492473405362009-04-29T10:44:00.004-05:002009-04-29T10:59:37.561-05:00

Phew. It's been a long few days. Mira has been sick. Since last Thursday night actually - almost a week. High fever, clingy, just wants to cuddle mom, sitting on the couch all day.She's better now - only still crabby worn down and clingy.And I have a few deadlines coming up. Oh dear.Oh how I want to edit photos, scrapbook and most of all sew the new window shades for my bedroom and living room. I

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-68003996328122310782009-04-23T08:12:00.006-05:002009-04-23T08:26:28.553-05:00

How did you celebrate?Rich celebrated by staying home with the girls (and all the crazy school drop off & pick ups that occur on an early out day) while I sat inside at a seminar, learning new stuff. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, which he spent dragging stuff for the church garage sale up from the basement, digging out the beautiful compost for the garden, and replacing the years old bowing splintering

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-35108171569558985002009-04-19T16:43:00.005-05:002009-04-19T17:22:02.323-05:00

I'm realizing just how often I rub the underside of my wedding ring with my thumb - about every 5 minutes when awake. At least I'm starting to not be startled when I notice.See, it's been a good year or more since I have been able to get my wedding ring off. That's not a bad thing, just that I like to have it cleaned and professionally checked once in a while. Until recently some of my knuckles/

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-3412404583383065362009-04-05T23:05:00.008-05:002009-04-06T00:02:02.099-05:00

My last post talked about a few of the whys of Bento boxes, and a few giveaways that are still going on. Here, finally, are photos of our lunches in the first few months. I'll apologize now for the quality - some are blurry, taken in haste to please hungry children. We have gotten a little more creative since - well, at least for Natasha and myself anyway! Here are our boxes: Miras' at the top

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-14248829169492245852009-04-03T11:28:00.008-05:002009-04-03T12:06:06.388-05:00

I don't think I've ever posted a photo of the girls Bentos, though I've taken quite a few photos over the past year. I first became interested after hearing about them on a few scrabooking site message boards last summer. Really! So I started checking them out. Oh I wanted one so bad - and they make so much sense. After a bit of research I bought 4 containers (still need to buy one for Rich) and

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-61581866734032525992009-04-01T00:02:00.011-05:002009-04-29T10:06:57.683-05:00

Mother Nature certainly is playing a mean April Fools joke on us with this cold windy weather. More on April Fools in a bit. Thought I'd finally post our Lego photos. While in Chicago I called two of the three Lego stores to see which had what in their pick-a-brick wall. Because the more specialty yellow Legos you can get for castles, the better. Everyone knows this, right?Of course the store the

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-45087468504449125842009-03-27T12:41:00.003-05:002009-03-27T12:53:52.670-05:00

Two words: Wintery Mix.I'm tired of the cold. I'm tired of winter clothes. I want to play in the dirt!Ok, if I can't play in the garden I guess I can do something fun while Mira naps. We're a bit tired here - yesterday while I was at my conference she played extra hard at my friends house. My friend has 4 cats. They're probably alot more relaxed to day :). Then this morning we had to be out of

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-27704499908660085622009-03-24T16:59:00.006-05:002009-03-24T17:09:57.795-05:00

Yes it is. The grass is actually greening, thanks to last weeks warmer weather and this weekends rain. Yes yes, snow bits forecasted for Friday (she waves that all away), right now the grass is turning a beautiful shade of ALIVE, the sun came out and the skies were a beautiful blue this afternoon during school pick-up drive time.Oh Happy Day!Yes, I promised photos. Unfortunately the day I last

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-33591589759073394502009-03-19T21:20:00.007-05:002009-03-19T22:08:43.829-05:00

How's that for a title? Laugh. We are enjoying ourselves this week, despite the fact that Mira has caught the high fever/cough thing that the other two had last weekend while at Oma and Grandpas'. Last week we started Spring break with a beautiful day, great school conferences, and a day of hanging out packing. Friday morning saw us off to Chicago to spend the weekend with my parents. Poor

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-31257117043146978772009-03-09T11:48:00.010-05:002009-03-09T12:45:31.739-05:00

Some of you know how this handsome, fierce, loving fellow came into our lives. But I'll tell the story anyway. One day, two new homeowners went for a walk in their new neighborhood. A beautiful sleek grey cat meowed, we answered. He started to follow us. Not wanting to lead him too far from his home, we decided to head home, just two blocks away. He followed. He hung around. We fed him (do this

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-44372763603558093342009-03-07T11:15:00.007-06:002009-03-07T11:49:42.040-06:00

Just a few of the sweets I made for my family. The heart 'jail' at the top and canvases below original to Wilna, from the Valentines Class I took - with a few twists and my own papers. She has the most creative ideas. She used two large canvases together to make one piece of art which was stunning, however I decided to make a small one for each of the girls. I really wanted to stay away from

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-60451852857475543692009-03-03T13:55:00.005-06:002009-03-03T14:19:02.005-06:00

Will winter never end?Probably not, now that I've asked the question.Anyway.It's cold down here in the basement which is not helping my already achy fingers. I know - why am I not upstairs where it's warm, blogging on my lil' laptop? Because I have work to do. Things that involve e-mail. I know, I need to get e-mail set up on the laptop. One thing at a time, one thing at a time.But I'm taking a

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-34453073177501020022009-02-28T12:47:00.008-06:002009-02-28T14:01:10.992-06:00

I must apologize for the quality of the photos, being February it was another greyish day, and using flash just made things worse, so things are a little blurry. Each girl decided to use different mediums and went about creating their own way. Natasha choose drawing and pencils. If you look closely, each card shows a different view of the same city of her creation.Her fun envelopes...Sarah chose

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-31974215840523390092009-02-27T17:16:00.007-06:002009-02-28T13:36:36.623-06:00

Yay! Natasha and Sarah decorated their mini envelopes, and Mira came up with very cool names for her pieces of art. She wasn't interested in naming them while creating, so today while writing her information on the back I held each up in turn and she named them. Names like Firefly, Flower, Blue river, New York -no -that's-not-right -Rain (?!?).Yes I took photos. Yes I will post them.This time I

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-51737434301697747142009-02-22T11:27:00.009-06:002009-02-22T17:27:30.983-06:00

We've spent the week doing all the things we usually do, working, playing, music lessons, etc. etc. and spending time loving on Ramses.The end of the week was rough as Ram pretty much stopped eating,started acted confused, stopped cleaning, stopped purring when I picked him up. We almost said goodbye yesterday but most of the family wasn't ready. Either way it's such a difficult decision and

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-26943118118586329132009-02-13T11:36:00.009-06:002009-02-13T13:25:09.127-06:00

I have been trying to get a few good photos of Ramses but he spends alot of his time sleeping these days. Not altogether unusual since that's what he does most of the winter anyway. With yesterdays beautiful afterschool light I managed a wonderful series of shots with each of the girls. He actually spent quite a bit of time outdoors by choice this past week in the warm weather; sunning on the

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-82431254116390351542009-02-11T09:51:00.003-06:002009-02-11T10:04:25.781-06:00

We are full into the Valentine making frenzy here. School cards, secret cards tucked here & there for loved ones to stumble upon, and some hearts just for Mira to play with. I might have her string some up in a banner tonight. I need to find a box so Sarah can decorate her Valentines mailbox too. Can you believe we have no empty cardboard boxes? All out with the recycling.I would post photos, but

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-27417045728521494022009-02-09T16:30:00.004-06:002009-02-09T16:40:28.038-06:00

Oh the bug hit and hit hard. The sun came out after the rain and I was even beginning to imagine getting out to rake up those long forgotten piles of leaves... too slushy yet though.What's that? The Art Center? Yes well, Mira was excited, but somewhere on the way home from school drop-offs her tummy started to feel funny and she looked a bit greyish. So I decided to play it safe. We'll try again

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-66541897654958687052009-02-09T07:52:00.006-06:002009-02-09T08:04:30.172-06:00

Can I really be sad that it's raining after such a cold winter? Only because it's likely that skating lessons will be cancelled for tonight. Oh well, it should be cold enough by the weekend to head back to the rink. I'll just keep my fingers crossed for tonight.In the meantime I am glad for the birds enjoying the rain and glad that all the yucky half melted black snowplow piles at every corner

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-89873079162452324872009-02-06T14:28:00.006-06:002009-02-07T12:04:58.360-06:00

Oh yes they are! The air has a warm tinge, and a bit damp too. Oh how nice - no static for a day.I spent the morning with a friend, chatting away while we were both crafty and Mira watched WallE and drew/cut right alongside us. I managed to make all the valentines for Mira's class, from an idea over at the Purl Bee while we were at it.And yes, the girls were super excited about the ATC swap. You

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-87266882748008785172009-02-03T08:45:00.007-06:002009-02-03T13:51:41.844-06:00

Art SwapThere are a number of blogs I look at monthly (or more often), for inspiration or just plain fun. Today, House on Hill Road has a post about a childrens art swap. Artist Trading Cards, if you are not a long time scrapper, artist or E-bay/Etsy afficianado like Rich's sister Vicki, are smallish cards, works of art. The ones Vicki has collected are Santa Claus art, of course.If you know my

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-24353050014442511542009-02-02T12:02:00.006-06:002009-02-02T12:22:44.826-06:00

I think everyone is healthy again. Phew!The girls start skate lessons tonight. Only 4 Mondays, but at the outside rink downtown. Sarah has really improved. She skated much of the afternoon on Saturday and hardly touched the side rails. They are definately ready for a basic skills class. Mira and I will be hanging out in the warming house with hot chocolate :heart: My Valentines and Organizing

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-3996134791658637832009-01-29T23:50:00.009-06:002009-01-30T00:26:14.757-06:00

OH my little darlings have been at it again, poor chicklets. Yesterday morning Mira had a headache - a rare thing indeed. She napped through lunch. That was quite productive for me actually, up until 1 p.m. when I had to wake her because Sarah had early out. OH was Mira not happy. Usually when we drive by the preschool she wants to know if her teacher is there and can she go. Even if she knows

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-6347208189797329012009-01-28T12:47:00.002-06:002009-01-28T12:52:37.300-06:00

Check out http://blog.buyhandmade.org/ and this page at Etsy for recent updates on this Act.I think this article articulates the difficulties much better than I tried to yesterday. I love this summary at the end of the article: If the goal is to really protect children, then Gold believes the CPSIA will need to be rewritten. "The law focuses on lowering the amount of lead and phthalates, not

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-36078017199900542372009-01-27T17:31:00.011-06:002009-01-28T14:13:19.621-06:00

That would be the proposed Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act which is scheduled to take effect February 10. Ok, so I am a bit late on the bandwagon. I love Etsy and shopping homemade items, buying unique items as much as I like creating them. I prefer to give gifts that aren't made by the millions, full of breakable plastic parts, need replacement batteries every month and are quickly

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-24145620609110328252009-01-25T14:34:00.005-06:002009-01-26T12:02:36.908-06:00

The LO I made based on my word for the year, Flourish. We found Peter munching on lettuces, beans, radishes and parsley among other things in our garden last summer. Yes, I did create the page last fall, but added the journalling straight from Beatrix Potters Peter Rabbit last night.Mira's preschool photo, plus a few facts about her and the things she loves about preschool.And here she is

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-69787982148594214332009-01-23T15:59:00.004-06:002009-01-23T16:20:34.700-06:00

Mira was actually excited to go. It's very windy and the temp is dropping, so we waited until we had just enough time to get there and skate for a little bit before the middle school let out.She was excited because I found a pair of cousin Jennys hand-me-down skates that were double bladed. Even though they were a size too long they were rather tough to get on. We managed, but I think her feet

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-62385810903801452262009-01-22T17:08:00.003-06:002009-01-22T17:13:11.775-06:00

One more lil thing - click on the Heart Class gadget over there on the right. I took Wilna's Valentines Class last year and I'm taking it again this year. Join me and we'll do it together:). She's got some great ideas.Oh I know- anyone can make Valentines. But last years project were SO sweet and crafty and surprising. You can save the directions and reuse them later. I'm using last years ideas

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-31592725336583228672009-01-22T16:30:00.005-06:002009-01-23T11:07:45.986-06:00

Aaaaah. Hi everyone :). I have been out flourishing {laugh}. And taking care of all manner of little and big things that were cluttering up my ability to have fun, in between everything else. So now I do feel in control again - yeah!The iffy stuff: (keep reading for the Good stuff!)Playing with my mini laptop, the store to recognize they sold it and try to get the battery to charge, and then

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-80650606404516382202009-01-09T19:08:00.005-06:002009-01-12T12:20:12.535-06:00

One little word 2009.Flourishto be in a vigorous state; thrive;to be in its or in one's prime;to be successful; prosper;to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth, as a plant.a trumpet call or fanfare.a condition or period of thriving: in full flourish. Flourish is the perfect word for me. It's not one of those many "tasks" or "to do's" on my list for 2009, but something I can apply to each and

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-65506427703878353682009-01-04T02:10:00.007-06:002009-01-04T13:35:56.105-06:00

Today the Tree is coming down. I'd like to leave it up until Tuesday - January 6th, the 12th day of Christmas. While that is just a few days away the tree, as you already know, is a bit wobbly. It stopped taking in water shortly after it fell and since it's right next to the fireplace, well, it's time. I will miss it - I do so love sitting in the living room at night, with just the lights of the

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-22530485788617115242008-12-27T11:24:00.004-06:002008-12-27T11:38:30.962-06:00

That would be us - with ice though instead of frosting! Rich's family Christmas has been postponed a day due to the slippery stuff. We'll most likely have a smaller group and miss a few people we don't get to see often, but walking outside is more like skating at the moment - definately not safe for travel.We'll manage to have a fun day though, playing with our Christmas Legos, games, and

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-85447926096961519412008-12-24T07:38:00.011-06:002008-12-24T07:58:15.783-06:00

Merry Christmas!Everything here is ready for the holiday. Cookies and bread and all sorts of yummies for tonights Christmas Eve Dinner - you should have smelled the house yesterday, especially when we had the dried fruit stewing with it's lemon peel, cloves and allspice, and the rye bread with it's grated orange peel, cloves and ginger. Heavenly. Even better was having the girls 'help'. Natasha

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-21963532242446215922008-12-16T10:04:00.010-06:002009-01-23T11:16:14.153-06:00

CrashYesterday I was in the living room and heard a snap. then the tree started to fall. Luckily a small table caught the top, keeping the entire tree from hitting the floor or we would have lost more ornaments. My neighbor helped prop the tree up so I could wipe up the water underneath the tree and the lego base plates - had to dismantle much of the lego village we build every year to get at the

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-27218007440342074692008-12-09T13:41:00.007-06:002008-12-09T22:28:24.308-06:00

We've been enjoying December and Advent, setting up the tree, St. Nicholas came to visit and so much more that I want to document. I actually have been in a little notebook, but haven't much felt like posting as planned. Really, I was going to, seeing as we are staying home now for who knows how long, and I LOVE Christmas traditions.Remember last spring when Ramses went through all sorts of tests

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-79267185733681868622008-12-02T23:45:00.005-06:002009-01-23T11:20:38.459-06:00

Another happy car trip, except for the snowy stop & go traffic on the way home. Yes, stop and go in IOWA people! But we made it home and were not one of the people in the ditch. Yay!.We spent Thanksgiving at the White Eagle Restaurant (wonderful dinner, pierogis, sigh) with family, celebrating my Aunt & Uncles 50th wedding anniversary. It was lovely catching up with everyone and watching the 8

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-80072783407290049612008-11-23T17:36:00.008-06:002008-11-23T18:04:31.053-06:00

I'll start with the reason for the trip, this gorgeous couple, Rich's nephew David and his beautiful bride Meghan (she's even nicer than she is gorgeous, they are a perfect match). Photos were taken at a park with both the Brooklyn and Mahattan Bridges in the background. It had been raining hard earlier in the day (it's good luck you know) but thankfully stopped so they could have the photos they

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-10077254865662962632008-11-23T17:08:00.011-06:002008-11-23T17:58:10.051-06:00

Hello! I'm back from Chicago, and we've gone and returned from New York which you will be hearing alot about in the days to come. And now we're getting ready to spend Thanksgiving with more family.It's really been a lovely few weeks. I finally sat down to do the rare scrapbook page yesterday (just wait until January-March when I do most of my scrapbooking). This page is based on a challenge to do

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-39780924479897865872008-10-23T09:32:00.004-05:002008-10-23T09:50:15.037-05:00

I get to drive to Chicago all by myself. In the rain. Boohoo.Ok, It's true. I will get to listen to whatever music I want, as loud as I want, the whole way there.I will stop at rest stops and not worry about what little hands are touching (Stop that - eeeewwww!)I get to stop at the outlet mall on the way to buy a new pair of shoes. Hey - I need stretch breaks too. Grin.I will get to sleep in a

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-86090726341800117722008-10-11T12:58:00.005-05:002008-10-11T20:37:16.532-05:00

Still happily sewing while the family is out playing and mowing in the sunshine. I promise to be out in it tomorrow, celebrating fall and leaves and the warm weather while it lasts. We'll head to an orchard we found last year (the one we went to religiously every fall for years was sold a few years ago and is now a housing development, harumph). This new orchard has a corn maze, a hay bale maze,

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-41820910242008310692008-10-06T10:17:00.007-05:002008-10-06T10:35:32.131-05:00

Sorry that I have been gone - I keep thinking of things I want to share and post, but we have been busy:Sewing on that beautiful silk (I now have the Baguette silk in my possession too). I think silk is my favorite material to sew with!Canning harvest - tomatoes, and apples. Our neighbors tree is laden with fruit - as she said you could almost hear it groaning. I've heard several people in our

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-50450349120153746152008-09-19T14:47:00.007-05:002008-09-19T15:10:05.861-05:00

Our nephew is getting married later this fall, and the 3 girls are going to be flower girls, all wearing matching dresses made of the beautiful blue silk you see here. The baguette colored silk will be the color of the sashes/shoes. Isn't it gorgeous? These are just two of the colors the bride has chosen, in addition to the pretty chocolate color on the save the date magnets (how clever! We are

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-24196201630314373292008-08-26T11:36:00.006-05:002008-08-26T11:47:37.638-05:00

Natasha's first day smile. Isn't she sweet? Love the outfit, the bag overstuffed with supplies (by Haiku, her most treasure object at the moment).The smile was kinda forced. She was happy about the clothes & bag and all, but the first day of middle school is a bit daunting, even with all the get-acquainted activities she attended. The smile every day since has been genuine, and she is quite

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-27241280292576540642008-08-21T17:33:00.006-05:002008-08-21T18:14:06.996-05:00

Did I mention anything about the drop-off lines earlier? Well, the pick up lines are just as crazy. Crazier perhaps. School gets out at 2:30. There is a nice circle drive for drop-off/pick ups. It's about as big as the drive through the elementary school parking lot, which I don't even want to talk about. It's too SCARY. Well, as I said school is out at 2:30. I figured, 5 minutes for getting

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-28508156536253355622008-08-21T14:09:00.005-05:002008-08-21T14:28:21.412-05:00

Wow - that came up fast. Natasha was a little nervous last night, but this morning both girls were up and ready early. I managed to get Natasha to school and myself home in time for Rich to get to work... but that will need a bit more tweaking. I forgot about the high school traffic on my planned route. And the drop-off lines - WOW. She'll probably end up walking from a block away. Then again,

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-58072728242770410692008-08-19T11:19:00.009-05:002008-08-19T14:38:01.210-05:00

This Spring Sarah moved up from Tee-ball to softball, and has played on 4 different teams during the year. (Ok, the competetive team at her age level had enough girls for two teams during some tournaments, but still, that counts!). She had an excellent coach during the regular season team (The Bombers), and has improved tremendously! She enjoyed herself so much that she wanted to play on the

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-6936515274112259612008-08-18T10:05:00.006-05:002008-08-19T14:40:25.136-05:00

After our vacation we took a day to unpack, survery the rain soaked garden, blah blah blah. Then we hopped right back in the car and headed out to the Quad Cities Air show. It's been a few years since I could attend (small babies vs. the heat & sun sort of thing). So I was excited to see the Blue Angels and everything else. Natasha loved it, though she was quite startled by a Blue Angel sneak

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-13690862790627601542008-08-17T15:05:00.014-05:002008-08-18T10:05:16.725-05:00

The title of this post came from some funny translated directions in one of Rich's model kits. Funny, but appropriate to our summer. I really did plan to keep up blogging this summer, but all my girls are young enough to still want to hang out at the pool with me. So even though I want to type that I am sorry for not keeping you informed, I'm really not. I have had a GREAT summer vacation and am

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-59507299719117587342008-06-20T01:20:00.005-05:002008-06-20T02:33:32.694-05:00

Just a quick update for all you who called wondering how we were doing in the flooding last week.We weren't ignoring you.We were simply out of touch. Way out of touch. Camping for 10 days. No news whatsoever, unless you call state park newsletters news!On Tuesday, our last day camping, we met a nice couple on a trail. They talked to us because we had 3 girls - they had 4 girls they left at home (

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-53192283406550557342008-06-06T15:05:00.005-05:002008-06-06T15:25:02.834-05:00

Eleven years ago my babygirl was brand new, sigh. She's still just as sweet, with just a tiny bit of attitude thrown in :). She had quite the birthday too. The day started with a present (an artsy thing, a Buddha Board) and chocolate chip pancakes. Too sweet for me, but the girls love them. A friend took her to the pool while Sarah, Mira & I picked up a small cake & hung around, staying cool and

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-3541792795429281562008-05-25T14:19:00.009-05:002008-05-25T14:50:53.265-05:00

16 years ago Rich and I were in Disney World on our Honeymoon. We were enjoying the shows and rides and the warm sun while our family back in Chicago was rather cold and wet, sitting at a Cubs game. It's been rather cool and rainy here this weekend too. Friday (our actual anniversary) was rainy enough that Natasha's Field Day was cancelled, as was Sarah's softball practice. So Rich came home

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-57711144267034748552008-05-20T22:46:00.012-05:002008-05-21T09:32:04.452-05:00

Watched it last night. I should have been sleeping, however Rich was up working on a proposal and had the classics channel on when I went in to say goodnight and that was that - sucked in by the boob-tube. Not sure how much he accomplished either. Love Audrey... Gregory Peck is too funny in the beginning and such a bittersweet ending. And Eddie Albert! Who remembers watching Green Acres? Ok, so I

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-40181115868146629742008-05-14T11:38:00.007-05:002008-05-14T12:30:26.822-05:00

This is a page I completed oh, many weeks ago already. One of just three (yes 3)assignments I have completed for Shimelle's No Place Like Home Class so far. Due to the many inspiring prompts I have a whole list of photos I want to take of our neighborhood and community as well as our house, and a list almost as long of the memories I want to put down on paper. I'll be doing more of that now that

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-5640548261316929832008-05-08T18:12:00.006-05:002008-05-08T20:49:01.908-05:00

hehe - I thought by now I'd have some more scrap pages up! No scrapping going on so no pages to share. Just a quick update before I'm off running again. Girls are outside for the moment, but soon I am off to another meeting!Happy Birthday Dad! My Dad's Birthday was yesterday, he got a message, girls are still working on their cards. I'll mail those with a few other things soon...Dentists:

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-69515344113835208442008-05-02T14:34:00.005-05:002008-05-02T14:48:26.419-05:00

The girls had fun running around the neighborhood yesterday delivering little baskets of goodies, and trying to catch kids running from our house when the doorbell rang. No photos. I've tried in the past, but they don't want to stand posed and risk getting caught, just want to ring the bell and run so my photos are always blurry. They don't care anyway, they just love surprising people.Mayday,

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-51001471843459915432008-04-25T19:47:00.002-05:002008-04-25T19:59:05.116-05:00

Ok. How about next week? Been crazy here. N & I had a WONDERFUL weekend last wekend. I need to print photos and make a little book, just for the two of us.Then, I think Monday was a normal day? So long ago activity-wise. Since then Sarah & I spent all morning getting our eyes checked (I need new lenses, she is farsighted like me, but no need for glasses yet). Softball games, Church choir & bell

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-70767127883610518162008-04-17T10:44:00.006-05:002008-04-18T08:57:42.269-05:00

This weekend Natasha and I are attending a retreat for only Moms and daughters. Will be some serious discussions, and lots of fun off on our own together. Natasha has been looking forward to this for SO long. I just hope she is well! The poor child started off the week with a migraine and has had a fever every morning this week. (Bad mommy, she was fine Tuesday morning so I sent her to school and

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-65468809865545806412008-04-12T09:10:00.006-05:002008-04-12T09:21:10.071-05:00

Wow. Sad day - as I posted yesterday Stellas is THE place for a birthday in our family. Thank goodness I have scrapped evidence of birthday fun at Stellas. Because as we drove up last night, 6 p.m. on a Friday night, the place was dark, and while you could still see all the parephenalia lining the window sills, you could also see the chair legs sticking up from the tabletops, and a huge for lease

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-47904971821542493422008-04-11T17:38:00.003-05:002008-04-12T09:09:52.716-05:00

Ask Mira how old she is and that is most likely what you will hear. "Five actually." Although, today, on her actual birthday, she did say twice that she was three.It's been a nice celebration so far - yesterday I hung out with her at Preschool - love seeing her in a different environment. This morning we danced and sang at Kindermusik, picked up a few party things and came home to relax while

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-57989600732419959372008-04-10T00:44:00.004-05:002008-04-10T00:55:38.348-05:00

Silly me, I know... just finished scrapping a few pages I can't really show you, because the lighting is too poor to take a decent photo. So here are a few I finished yesterday :). Both Ms. Sarah - dancing and enjoying the moment, and the other is about 3 wishes she wrote on an assignment a few weeks ago... "I wish I loved everything. {because sometimes I don't}". "I wish I was a Fairy." and "I

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-78763730393739062802008-04-03T18:58:00.003-05:002008-04-03T19:00:34.120-05:00

Natasha said it was like being inside a snowglobe afteschool, and it WAS very pretty, but really, was this neccesary?

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539462334292551613.post-81141054187573411882008-04-03T17:44:00.003-05:002008-04-03T17:57:25.778-05:00

Ramses is NOT happy, but it looks like he will have many more adventures. His tummy is bare halfway up his sides, but he is eating and happy to be home (just don't tell him he still has to go for his dental). The U/S specialist found nothing. No spots anywhere, or enlarged organs, or anything else other than his organs are squished over on one side. So he just has a weird anatomy? Or the fat is

MichelleJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18324517127429183568noreply@blogger.com0