art & life

Maybe I'll blog again............(maybe)

2011-04-02T15:19:00.003-05:00

I really like how this layout turned out. I loosely followed both a Studio Calico sketch HERE, and a very similar one by October Afternoon HERE.

Pictures taken on the last day of the kids' summer vacation 8/2010. Farmer's Market & Public Market.
Background pp is Basic Grey all other is October Afternoon--additional product is Maya Road and the adorable bee stamp from Studio Calico's "Into the Woods" March 2011 kit.

sixty-eleven

2010-04-24T11:14:00.004-05:00

That's when she might get her ears pierced.
Or maybe 68 or maybe 65.
But right now she's only five. So I guess we have a few years until we make a commitment.
Love her.
So much.

The Big Recital

2010-03-28T22:03:00.004-05:00

Saturday night we attended Olivia's first big dance recital. She'd been taking dance classes after school on Wednesdays since the beginning part of school-- so almost 6 months of classes. Her class is only girls from JK & SK at her school (4-6 year olds).

One of my coworkers asked if Olivia was nervous beforehand, but I don't think she was. She's too little to know that she's suppose to have stage fright. She kept saying about how they got to perform at the HIGH SCHOOL!!!! and on a stage!!!!! and have a pizza party after the dress rehearsal. She also thought it was very cool to wear a little (tiny, tiny bit) of makeup for the recital and have her hair done up with braids and a shiny hair piece.

We celebrated afterwards at Steak N Shake with Mary. She was very excited that Mary brought her flowers. She thought it was so cool that the flowers were just for her--and her favorite colors pink & purple too!

New photo post from Hawaii

2009-10-31T04:12:00.006-05:00

Picture of JoAnne and I from our luau at Paradise Cove on Wednesday night.

Thursday morning, JoAnne and I learned how to make our own flower leis at our hotel. The afternoon was spent taking a trip to the Dole Pineapple Plantation, enjoying lots of goodies there.

After that we continued our journey to the North Shore to take in some of the local beaches. We stopped at three different beaches. The first one we stopped at near Hale'iwa, we were able to spot many sea turtles swimming only 10 or so feet from us. The next beach was Waimea bay and there we enjoyed some HUGE waves. The waves were getting so big, that the lifeguard station made a warning that only experienced swimmers should be out in the water. We stayed pretty close to shore, and tried to outrun the waves. We managed to leave Waimea with only a small amount of "road rash". The last beach we went to was sheltered by a lava rock breakwater. We were able to find some cool marine life and pick up a few sea shells and some beach glass along the way.

Highlights for Friday were:

E-Noa tour with Betty, our guide. We first hiked to a waterfall and then were rewarded with some boogie-boarding at Waimanalo Bay. Beautiful blue waters. Had a Hawaiian plate lunch at a place called "Ken's"after we finished at the beach. We were tired & starving after our adventure.

Friday evening we enjoyed a dinner at Shore Bird--a grill your own restaurant, and then were able to walk along the beach to make it back to the Hilton Hawaiian Village just in time for fireworks.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Hawaii Update, Days 1-3

2009-10-27T23:13:00.008-05:00

We've been enjoying our vacation so far.
Just a quick recap of what we've done.

Arrived on Sunday afternoon in Honolulu.
Got settled into our hotel room, checked out the Hilton Hawaiian Village where we are staying. Did a mandatory walk along the ocean.

Monday morning everyone tried to sleep in, although it wasn't an easy task, considering there is a five hour difference from home. We had our breakfast on our "lanai" or one of our 2 balconies from our room. One of our balconies overlooks Waikiki, with the mountains in the background. Our other balcony overlooks our pool area, with the ocean in the background. Both beautiful.

Did some exploring in the Chinatown area of downtown Honolulu. There was a beautiful park where we were able to get some really nice pictures.

Walked along the beach on Monday evening and had dinner and watched the sunset from Duke's Canoe Club on the beach. We shared a bunch of appetizers and had to indulge in a Hula Pie. One piece was definitely enough for all four of us to share.

On Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head Crater in the background

Tuesday morning we were up at 5am, and at the entrance gate to Diamond Head Crater by 6am. Climbed to the summit and we were able to see the sun poke through the clouds at about 6:45am.

view from the top of Diamond Head Crater facing Waikiki

After hiking back down, we took a scenic ride along the east coast of Oahu, making a couple stops along the way. We saw the Halona Blow Hole and then headed back into Honolulu.
Tuesday afternoon was spent poolside going down several of the waterslides in our pool. Lots of fun. Just like being a kid again!

on my mind lately...

2009-03-12T09:23:00.003-05:00

Jake, one of my son's classmates, continues his fight against cancer. Please pray for this little boy and his family. If you'd like to learn more about Jake, you can follow his story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jake

Aidan and Jake--March 7, 2009

The following was taken from an article published in Wauwatosa Now:

As 7-year-old Jakob Aldrich plays with Legos at his dining room table, he talks about his love for Indiana Jones, Star Wars, video games and popcorn - every topic is up for conversation, except the one that has been at the forefront of his family's mind for the past month: his illness.
Ask him about anything related to cancer or hospitalization and he will likely perform that Jedi mind trick in which a child pretends he has not heard a word and instead embarks on another topic like who is more powerful, the evil Darth Vader or the wise Yoda.
Jakob's mother, Jennifer Aldrich, is not surprised by his adversity to discuss his health: "He's tired of listening to adults talk about him."
Battery of treatments
In November 2005, Jakob was diagnosed with stage 4 rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer that is best described as soft-tissue cancer.
Since then, he has endured a rollercoaster of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, followed by periods of remission. But in September, the cancer returned for a third time, and because his body stopped responding to the treatment regimen, he spent all of February at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
"I've never been so scared in my life as I was a few weeks ago," his mother said. "To see him in that much pain and the fear in his eyes was horrible."
He endured two abdominal surgeries to remove tumors from his digestive track, started a new round of chemotherapy and suffered numerous complications that required medications and transfusions to build up his system.
Good guys vs. bad guys
"It was only in the last year that he learned of the word cancer," Jennifer said. "We use the words good guys and bad guys to explain it. The good guys are down there but they could use a little help fighting off some of these bad guys."
Now that the hospital released him, Jakob has an ileostomy bag that empties waste directly from his small intestine, IV nutrition until his appetite perks up and more drugs to deal with side effects.
The rollercoaster is on its way back up as doctors have seen a decrease in the cancer in his lungs, Jennifer said.
The reality is that odds of a cure continue to diminish for Jakob, while his family's hope remains fierce that a treatment will become available.
Fundraiser to help with bills
Until now, the Aldrichs have turned down offers of financial assistance instead taking friends and family up on home-cooked meals and help with caring for their 18-month-old daughter, Avery. But this latest setback in Jakob's health has caused them to take time off work. Jakob will need home nursing assistance and, if the disease progresses, the family may have to look outside Wisconsin for treatment.
Family friends have organized a fundraising benefit as a way to help in the fight against a disease that has left everyone close to the family feeling pretty helpless, Amy Gill said.
The Gills have taken many family trips with the Aldrichs and as a mother, Gill said her heart breaks thinking about watching a child go through this kind of pain. She hopes to raise at least $30,000 to help the family out with their bills.
The event will feature children's activities like face painting and cookie decorating, performances by three local bands, a cash bar and silent auction and raffles.
Jakob's anxiously waiting for the benefit, an activity he sees as reward for getting well enough to leave the hospital.
"I can't wait," he said. "My friends will be there. I want everyone to be there. Tell everyone they're invited to my party."

It was a great party, indeed. I'm so glad that we were a part of it.

This is what I'm going to be working on this weekend...

2009-02-20T13:46:00.003-06:00

I'm anticipating that the one I make, I'll actually like better than the one they sell at PB Kids for $179.00. So far mine has cost $12. I'll take pictures and hopefully post some directions later on for this one!

Wish me luck, okay?

Catchin up on the weekend...

2008-12-22T09:36:00.005-06:00

The kids are really getting excited about Santa's big visit. They've been keeping track of his arrival with a little countdown calendar on the fridge as well as by removing paper chains from an advent calendar Olivia made at school.

Thursday night was a cookie exchange with these girls:

Woke up to almost a foot of snow on Friday morning and had a snow day. Did lots of shoveling, snow plowing and even had a little fun starting to make a snow fort with Aidan. As you can see in the photo it was still snowing just a little bit.

Saturday, we had a VIP arrive in the mail!

After visiting my cousin Brenda in Minneapolis last month, we realized that we had left Aidan's favorite blue teddy there. He finally made his way back home via Priority Mail. Hope you had a good vacation teddy!

Here's a quick e-mail exchange between Aidan and Brenda:

-----Original Message-----
From: Erin
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 1:10 PM
To: Brenda
Subject: note from Aidan

daer breda did you have a grat time with my tete bare did you play with tete aftr shcool and did you play dresop with tete he likes dresop and1 thing that you sod alwase sod do is wos him rite nou he is cold so i am going to snogl him with the tete from dads wrck prte i cant wat entel we visit you in minasota mare chritstmas love aidan

Merry Christmas Aidan,
Thank you for the note!! I am so glad that your bear found his way back to you. I am glad that you are going to snuggle with him -- he sure missed you.
See you soon!!
Love, Brenda

a little on-line fun

2008-11-25T10:36:00.001-06:00

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Our week looks like this:

2008-11-06T10:51:00.005-06:00

Sunday we celebrated Ryan's birthday. We went out for dinner and Ryan ate 32 oz. (that's 2 lbs) of ribs all in one sitting!!!
Shared a Chocolate Zuccotto cake from Maggianos.

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday--
Enjoyed 3 BEAUTIFUL fall days. Highs in the lower 70's--which for November is near record-breaking! On Tuesday we voted. (Olivia wanted to know if Barack Obama was going to be there!!)
Olivia also got to play outside in a giant leaf pile with her best buddy from preschool.

I can't believe that I still have flowers blooming--so cool!

Thursday--
Being lazy. It's suppose to rain today. So a good excuse to stay inside, watch cartoons and eat a ton of candy. Yes--this is Olivia's breakfast. She did, thankfully, eat her Cheerios before consuming the mass quantities of sugar. (I counted at least 7 candy wrappers)

So what did you have for breakfast?????

My morning so far...

2008-10-17T09:16:00.002-05:00

and of course a few pics. Pictures aren't from this morning...but their cute & I'd like to share!

THIS BOY:

--woke up with a sore neck this morning
He actually sat on my lap this morning and let me rub his neck for a little while. Not sure how much longer he'll want to sit on my lap. Need to soak in these moments while they last.
--is getting so big (so quickly!) Last night he asked how tall he'll be when he's 8. He's planning ahead for a trip to Disney. I'm sure he's concerned if he'll get to go on all the rides!
--pretty self-sufficient in getting himself ready for school

THIS GIRL:

--wanted to dress herself this morning. She would have been fine, if we'd had an extra 5 minutes to spare. Threw a little fit when I tried to help her. Needed to rush out the door to get to school on time.
--had organic honey puffs for breakfast. She picked them out at the store by herself. I guess I can't complain about paying a dollar more for cereal (compared to Fruit Loops!!!) for something WAY healthier!
--actually wore pants today!!!
This may not seem that noteworthy, but even her preschool teacher mentioned "pants today" as we walked in the door. She is definitely a dress-wearing kind of girl.

Steal of the Day!

2008-10-16T17:32:00.003-05:00

Look what I found (ahem, stole) today.

So I was dropping off massive amounts of rummage sale items at our church today, when I happened to peek inside one of the other bags at the drop off area. To my surprise, I found a bunch of "vintage" embroidered items. In total there were 2 small tablecloths (end table size), 2 pillowcases, and a couple of small table runners that have crocheting(?) around the outside.
However, the problem being that the church rummage sale isn't for another 2 weeks, and the likelihood of actually obtaining said items once they reach the sale is probably nil.........
I "traded" them for my mounds of unwanted items. Now, if you do go to my church, please know that I will make my donation to pay for these items. Really, I can't have "stealing from Church" on my list of bad things I've done in my life! So God, please be reassured that this was done only with the best intentions in mind.

But really---could you have passed up this little cutie?

What she says...

2008-10-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

So last night, we went to Kohl's for our first post-new-job shopping adventure.

Ryan and Olivia were testing out the massage chairs that they had, and Olivia was saying "ooowwww. ooooww."
Followed by... "this is the woestest chay-ah evah." (worstest chair ever)
Ryan said he laughed out loud it was so funny.
I was with Aidan at the time, but I so wish I could have seen this first hand!
She's definitely not a fan!

p.s. the pic, of course, is not at Kohls.
(actually at home making banana muffins)
p.p.s. I think Olivia is developing a Boston accent.

The Chipmunk Gazette

2008-10-06T08:56:00.003-05:00

OBITUARY
October 5th, 2008

Chester C. Chipmunk of ******, Wisconsin died at least a week ago from unknown causes at his home in this pile of unused clothing. The coroner's investigation was inconclusive.

Chester was an active member of the rodent community, digging holes in the lawn, eating seeds, and making droppings in this pile of clothes. He is survived by a wife, Charlotte C. Chipmunk, and dozens of offspring which continue the fine tradition of digging holes in the lawn, eating seeds, and making droppings.

The humans living at the Chipmunk residence discovered the body of Chester while investigating an unusual smell coming from this box. Erin has not yet decided whether or not to keep the box and its contents, but her husband asks that she make a decision today.

The above was written by my dear husband, who has a great sense of humor, even when dealing with dead animals in our garage. You will be happy to know that I have decided to throw away the entire box of smelly clothes.

Rest in peace Chester.

week in the life:day 7

2008-10-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

week in the life:day 7
Originally uploaded by emmayrand

Started our Sunday morning at 8:00 on the dot.
After Papa got out of bed and left the camper, we all crawled into bed with Nana. Got up and started packing and cleaning up the camper, as it was suppose to start raining in just a couple hours. Easier to pick up while everything is still dry.
Olivia and Braxton helped mix up the pancakes while Papa made the bacon. Had our breakfast and said good-bye to Ryan & Jo. Aidan really wanted to go to the park, so we made a quick trip before it started to rain. Luckily Olivia didn't get hurt this time. Came back to the campsite and helped finish up the dishes. Started raining around 11am. Took a little tour of Roger & Leslie's camper, and then decided to head out. Drove to Madison and got semi lost trying to find the Archiver's in Middleton. Even with GPS, I still have a hard time finding it because the strip mall isn't listed on the GPS. Aaarrgh!
The kids saw the Halloween next door and we headed over there first. Decided they deserve a little break from being in the car. Looked around at the costumes and Halloween decorations. Luckily, I managed to have the kids steer clear of the aisle full of severed heads! (no, really.)
Went over to Archiver's where our first stop was the bathrooms and bubblers. One of the bubblers wasn't working very well and shot up and hit Aidan in the head. I had to laugh a bit about that one. His hair was actually fairly wet afterwards.
Tried to do a bit of shopping but was interrupted by another 2 or 3 trips with Olivia to the bathroom. Seriously, just get the job done! I was trying to figure out what kind of album I wanted to use for my Week in the Life scrapbook, but didn't find exactly what I was looking for...then I lost my 30% coupon....which in the end saved me a bunch of money. Left the store only spending $2.10. That has to be a record.
I had promised the kids McDonald's if they were good at Archivers. So lucky for them, it was right around the corner and we stopped for lunch. Olivia had her usual 4-piece nugget, but with Apple Dippers this time. Aidan gets the "Big Kids Meal" with 6 piece nugget. They both were happy with their toys. Again, more trips to the bathroom with Olivia as my Big 'n Tasty got colder & colder (and less tasty!)
Headed home around 2:30. Listened to the last of our book on CD, and flipped over to the radio to find out that both the Packers and the Brewers had lost. Oh, well.
Got home to find Ryan in bed reading, although he had spent much of the afternoon cleaning out the garage and finding the dead animal that was making such a stink. We debated on going out with Ryan for dinner, but we had already been gone all weekend, and I wanted to just stay home and make sure the kids got to bed at a decent time.
Made a frozen pizza for dinner (how exciting)and watched both AFV and Extreme Makeover, Home Edition with the kids...two of their favorites. Aidan took a shower mid-show and I followed. Got our jammies on and finished watching. Ryan came home and then it was time for bed. Both kids were in bed shortly after 8pm. We headed upstairs soon after and finished the day off folding a basket of laundry. Lights out at 9pm, which is somewhat of a miracle around here. A busy day tomorrow.

week in the life: day 6

2008-10-04T22:38:00.001-05:00

week in the life: day 6
Originally uploaded by emmayrand

week in the life: day 5

2008-10-03T22:17:00.000-05:00

week in the life: day 5
Originally uploaded by emmayrand

Today's TO DO list:

2008-10-03T10:12:00.002-05:00

--Little bit of laundry
--unload/reload dishwasher
--go to bank & post office & probably the grocery store too
--pack for camping (DON'T FORGET THE SLEEPING BAGS!)
--dream up something for dinner
--don't forget to pick up the kids(just kidding!)
--take pictures for WITL
--drink more coffee
--go to work
--maybe try to squeeze in a bit of scrapbooking for Stephanie's journaling challenge

Notes: Enjoying working on my "Week in the Life" project, although I'm beginning to feel like it's getting monotonous. Seems like the same pictures every day, although I guess that's normal with any routine. Looking forward to this weekend to see family, and take different pictures. I think that will help bring a fresh breath of air to this project.

Week in the Life: Day 4

2008-10-02T15:08:00.010-05:00

Day 4
Originally uploaded by emmayrand

Olivia woke me up this morning and climbed in bed for just a few minutes before wanting to head downstairs for breakfast. Woke Aidan up right away too. He needed to finish coloring his homework before school. (I kinda think the coloring part is pointless, especially when rushed.) Aidan was a bit difficult to get dressed this morning. Usually he picks stuff out himself, or I give him a couple options. Today he didn't like what I had picked out. The shirts were either too plain (meaning no graphics) or had itchy tags he didn't like.
Pulled the winter coats out this morning. Fall is definitely upon us and a regular sweatshirt wasn't going to cut it today! It was only 65 degrees in the house today, and I finally broke down and turned the heat back on again. (sigh)
Spent about an hour catching up on WITL from yesterday. Olivia watched Jonah, Veggie Tales movie. After that was finished we headed to the library for a long visit. As we turned into the driveway, Olivia exclaimed "Mom, that was close!" She thought the oncoming car was going to hit us. Looked at Martha Stewart Living while Olivia played with puzzles and brought me board books to read to her as well.
Came home and had an early lunch. I was very hungry and my tummy was already rumbling at 11:30. Toasted Ham & Cheese made in the oven. I've started broiling my sandwiches in the oven to get the texture of grilled cheese, without the extra 20 grams of fat from butter. Olivia wasn't really interested in eating much. Had a Gogurt and a few crackers with ham & cheese. My allergies had started bothering me at the library, so I took a Benadryl when we got home...followed by a cup of coffee!
Read "Fly High Fly Guy" and a "Maisy" book then it was time for a nap. Needless to say the coffee wasn't helping me at all, and we took almost a 2 hour nap together. Olivia was super grouchy, whiney and crying when we woke up. I don't think she feels the best. I was trying my very best to be patient with her, but it wasn't working very well. I put in the Strawberry Shortcake DVD from the library, and took a time-out from her.
Picked up Aidan from school. Came home for a bit. I took a shower and got ready to go to DS for Ryan's going-away party. Tomorrow is actual last day, but they were throwing a little party for him today. It was nice to be able to say our "good-byes". Ryan got a little choked up when he got a card from his team. You could see the tears in his eyes, although he was trying really hard not to let it show. Obviously this whole week it has been sinking in a little more each day. His team has been doing a lot of activities partly as a "send-off" for him. I know he will miss working there, but hopefully better things lie ahead.
Ryan had lodge tonight as well, so had to get going to that. I drove the kids home and we played with the neighbor kids for a while, until it got too dark to see outside! I wasn't too worried about having a "real" dinner tonight, since the kids (and I) had been snacking during the party.
The rest of the evening consisted of a shower for Aidan, a few more snacks (a couple bites of Daddy's cheesecake and some veggies & dip), and then books before bed. Aidan read Maisy & Fly Guy to us(again!). Time for pj's and brushing teeth and bed.
Put Olivia to bed, but still needed to get homework done with Aidan. He had to fill out a sheet with address/phone/state listed. He's working on his penmanship, and definitely needs a little help. He gets frustrated with it, if I tell him that he needs to erase and do it again. (practice, practice, practice)
Watched the VP debate on tv, talked with Mom again, sorted through Orlando vacation pictures for a while before Ryan came home. Watched the weather and had to head to bed.

Week in the Life: Day 3

2008-10-02T09:06:00.004-05:00

day 3
Originally uploaded by emmayrand

Stories from today:
Kids had a lazy breakfast on the couch with TV trays. This is a leftover habit from this summer. Aidan eats PB Cap'n Crunch and kinda freaks out when he sees I'm taking a picture while he's "naked". He hides underneath his blankie--kinda embarrassed. Olivia has oatmeal.
Off to school this morning...quick pic of Aidan standing in line. Olivia plays on the playground for a few quick minutes before we head home to get ready to take her to school.
Have a few sips of my morning coffee. Olivia is playing with the calculator that was left on the table after figuring out Aidan's fundraiser this morning. I'm seriously debating buying one of those giant sized calculators. Such a great way to practice her numbers! Off to school for Olivia. She wants to push her stroller, rather than ride. Fine with me, that way I get to drink my coffee on the way! Everyday starts the same at preschool. Olivia finds her name on her orange square magnet and runs over to a big metal cabinet and always tries to get hers to be the highest. Say a quick goodbye. Honestly, she barely notices that I leave. There's still a lot of kids in her class that cry when their parents leave. Glad I don't have to deal with that.
Come home and catch up on e-mail for a little bit, before having to go back to Aidan's school. I get to help with the Fire Safety House, and I get assigned to do Stop, Drop & Roll with the kids. We rotate through 4 groups. Goes smoothly for the most part, with only a few trouble-makers! This was a great opportunity to meet some of the "new" kids in Aidan's class. A lot of the kids I already knew, but there were some others that he talks about that I hadn't met yet. Finished up about 11:15
Grab a chocolate donut for my way home. Go to pick up Olivia right away.
Come home and have lunch. Leftover pasta for me. Olivia has PB&J again. Seriously, it never gets old to her! Sliced one of the last pears that we had from our trees. Thought it looked really pretty--so of course, I had to take a picture.
Olivia asked to watch a movie...ended up being My Little Pony.
Wednesdays are "early-release" days for Aidan. They get out at 2:20, which is nice to have the extra time with him before heading to work. But that also means that Olivia usually doesn't get a nap, which is okay, I guess.
Picked up Ruby & Aidan and decided to play on the big playground for a while before walking home. Olivia played with the neighbor girls for a while. I'm happy that they enjoy being the "big sister" to her and actually let her tag along a bit!
Got home, had a bit of snack, then I needed to get ready for work. Left about 3:50. Chris met us at her house, and then had to take the kids with her to go pick up Florida Gma from the doctor.
Went to work and won $50 in gift certificates for McCormick & Schmicks. That was pretty cool. Was in Section 1--6 tables. Got my butt kicked for a little while, and was able to get home by 9:30.
Chris brought the kids back to our house to get them into bed at a decent time. She hadn't planned on watching them this late, and still had a bunch of packing to finish before heading to Hawaii for two weeks. (Wish that I could go too!)
Ryan had a team-outing that was suppose to finish by 8pm, but that went late. He got home about 10pm. He went bowling and then out to dinner. Consumed mass quantities of seafood and a glass of Riesling!
Ryan and I talked about our evening for a bit while watching a PBS documentary on breast cancer--quite interesting. Started watching another documentary about organic farming in Canada. I finished off the bottle of Cabernet and then headed to bed.

Didn't take as many pictures as I had anticipated today. Meant to take my camera & let Chris take pictures at her house with the kids. Not going to worry about it so much. Just a busy day because of work. Life goes on.

Week in the Life: Day 2

2008-09-30T16:20:00.005-05:00

So far, so good.
I'm not getting every picture that I've hoped for, but happy with being able to capture and record those moments that I have.
It is ok.

My creation
Originally uploaded by emmayrand

Notes from today:
Ryan made the kids waffles for breakfast while I was getting ready upstairs.
Aidan got dressed, then undressed, and then had to get redressed before leaving for school. Left the house without a jacket or sweatshirt and was cold on the way to school.
It's definitely feeling like fall, cool breeze today and only a little sunshine.
Olivia went to play at Coco's house this morning while I did my training for the Fire Safety House at Roosevelt. Had a pumpkin muffin at the Romant's house when I was picking Olivia up.
Came home around 10:30am and was still really hungry, so I had some leftover pasta from last night. Olivia had PB&J, some yogurt and a fruit snack. She also broke a pink Fiestaware plate too. Oh well.
She watched Wallace & Grommit this morning. I spent a lot of time on the computer trying to update the blog with yesterday's happenings. Finally got the whole photo mosaic thing figured out again.
Quiet time this afternoon while Olivia napped upstairs in her "nest". She didn't want to sleep in her bed, and instead made up an area on the floor with a bunch of blankets and stuffed animals. After hearing her play upstairs for a while, I told her she needed to quiet down and go to sleep. Checked the Studio Calico MB for a while. People were listing their favorite adhesives, so that lead me on a chase to figure out why my ATG adhesive gun doesn't work. Finally got to another site, where they mentioned that some were defective. Contacted 3M, hoping that they will be able to replace it for me....really, really hoping for this!
Picked up Aidan from school and played on the playground for a bit before going home. Kids are watching cartoons from the PBS afternoon line-up. Next up, homework, then dinner...
Apparently, Barack Obama has the first grade vote. According to Aidan, everyone in his class is voting for Obama, except him and Elliott, who are McCain supporters, HA!
Homework went well, no opposition today.
I took a quick shower before dinner. As I was finishing up in the bathroom, I could here the kids out in the kitchen. I figured out that they were setting the table together. When I walked into the kitchen, they had it finished and it looked really great. Love that they didn't need to be asked to do this and that they did it without fighting!
The kids helped me make Chicken Alfredo pizza for dinner. Really it was just looking through my fridge and finding things that could be cut up and put on a Pillsbury pizza crust. I think they enjoyed being involved in the process. Aidan spread the alfredo sauce, Olivia added the chicken, Aidan & I finished with tomatoes, zucchini, and a little chopped broccoli. It was quite tasty, even though Aidan didn't want any of the zucchini.
After dinner, Olivia summoned us for family time reading books. I think that we are beginning to establish an evening routine that doesn't involve the TV. After reading Dora, Knuffle Bunny & Three Billy Goats Gruff (one of my childhood favorites) it was time to get ready for bed. Ryan got the kids to bed for me so that I could drive over to the Wolf's house for a Silpada party. Spent about an hour there and had a brownie too. Came home to a quiet house. Ryan was working on the laptop as usual, and watching Battlestar Galactica, season 2. T-minus 2 days of having the laptop at home. Looking forward to less working from home with the new job.
Finished up the evening by sorting out 2 huge baskets of laundry, watching this People magazine weight loss show, and the news. I also had a glass of Bohemian Highway cabernet that the Breitzmann's brought over last Friday night. I opted out of a second glass, although I was very tempted.
Lights out at 10:30.

Week in the Life: Day 1

2008-09-30T12:58:00.004-05:00

So here's a little project that I will try my hardest to participate in all week long. Ali Edwards, the scrapbooking genius, was my inspiration for this. Please check out her blog, if you're interested.

So rather than keep notes on a million little pieces of paper, I decided that I should utilize the ol' blog to put down my thoughts for the day.

Week in the Life: Day 1
Originally uploaded by emmayrand

Our Monday went a little like this:
Cereal for breakfast, Aidan off to school, come home, finish getting Olivia ready, drop her off too. Come home, check e-mail, blogs, etc. Remember that I need to start taking pictures for this project.
Dishes, laundry, pick Olivia up from preschool.
Go directly to McDonald's for some lunch. Olivia 4-piece nugget meal with "lullaby munchkin" as her toy. Me Double Cheeseburger, fries, and sharing some of Olivia's lemonade. Spent a long time at McD's. Practiced writing her name on some scraps of paper from my purse. Thanked a worker on the way out for her food. Went to Target, and spent a long time browsing the aisles. The main purpose of the trip was to get fabric softener... and $50 later we left. Didn't splurge on too many things though.
Met a rapper/r&b singer named "Young Voice" in the Target parking lot--kinda strange, but whatever....
Olivia almost fell asleep on the way home. Got inside and made some coffee. Olivia had me make her a cup too. After I finished pouring mine, I couldn't figure out where she went. I called to her, and there she was already perched in front of the computer ready to check e-mail. (She knows this is "my thing". Coffee & computer.) Hung around the house for a bit, then it was off to pick Aidan up from school. Had to make sure I was there on time, since it was the first time the first-graders were coming out of the building by themselves.(kinda a scary thought!)
Went to Sendiks after school. Had to figure out what to make for dinner--the end results was rotini pasta with Italian sausage crumbles, red bell & onions, a little mozzarella baked on top. Broccoli for the kids, and zucchini for me & Ryan.
Squeezed in a couple afternoon cartoons, a little math homework, and then ate dinner. After dinner we read 3 books together as a family. No TV. Was nice to have "quiet" for a change. Early bed time since Olivia didn't have a nap, and Aidan was being pretty teary tonight.
Finished doing some more laundry. Ryan worked on his lap-top. I looked through some old journaling form my semester in Germany in 1997. Interesting to see everything that I had done while there. Called to Mom and talked for about half an hour. Trying to finalize plans for camping this weekend. Looking forward to that upcoming adventure. Ryan came upstairs to spend a little time with me before heading back down to work again. He had me laughing so hard that I started coughing and had to use my inhaler! 10:30 in bed, ready to sleep.

thankful for us

2008-09-17T13:22:00.003-05:00

layout made with Studio Calico September kit, Iconic

These pictures aren't the greatest, but I decided to use them on this layout anyhow. I figure that there's not nearly enough pictures of Ryan & I together. Photos are from Trisha & Matt's wedding in November of 2004. I was 8 months pregnant at the time, and wore this really pretty paisley print maternity dress. I know I never wore it again. So this is the only way to remember it.

In other news, Ryan quit his job this week after receiving a job offer from Kohls. This will be a major change in our family, as he's only worked for DS since college, almost 10 years at the same company. I'm hoping that the transition will be smooth, and will be beneficial for our entire family. In addition to a raise, I'm mostly looking forward to more family time. (Really, really hoping for this!)

Congrats, honey. I'm very proud of your perseverance.

Looking back on first day photos.

2008-09-02T11:52:00.005-05:00

1st grade(2008)

Senior Kindergarten (2007)

Junior Kindergarten (2006)

I didn't realize it was our tradition to take a picture in front of the big tree until Ryan mentioned it on the first day of school this year. Looking back, I think Aidan looks pretty much the same. Taller, of course. And a couple less teeth this year!

A day of endings...

2008-08-06T14:38:00.005-05:00

So far today I've...
Walked Aidan to his last day of Summer playground.
Went to Olivia's dance recital on the last day of class.

And in the midst of the fun stuff I've also...

Showered.
Done 4 loads of laundry.
Swept the basement steps.
Swept up all the dead ants from the kitchen floor (seriously, it's been an infestation since yesterday...really, I don't know why they've decided to come indoors now)
Helped Aidan build a new lego truck.
Made PB & J for lunch.
Had 2 giant cups of coffee.
Managed to get Olivia to take a nap.
Uploaded pics from the recital to post on the blog.
Checked e-mail. (And I also promised a quick trip to the library...I must be crazy!)

Pretty soon I'll have to start getting myself and the kiddos ready to head up by Ryan's work, so that I can go to work tonight. Boo! to having to work tonight, but Yay! for getting so much accomplished today. And just in case you want the quick highlights of the dance recital, here you go:

Summer update...

2008-07-25T16:00:00.004-05:00

Okay, this first picture is for all the grandma's that will be reading this!!!!
Yes, Ryan is responsible for Aidan's new summer haircut--so what do you think?
Although it probably won't last very long it's kinda fun for right now. It definately will be gone by the time school pictures roll around in September!

I can't believe how the summer just keeps screeching forward. One day before August. The last month of vacation. Aidan's summer playground will be finished next week... and then I'm afraid the days may begin to start dragging.
It's finally getting HOT around here...The dog-days of summer as it may be. I'm definately not a big fan of the hot weather, but I guess that's what summer is all about. I gave in and turned on the air conditioning this morning, the humidity was killing me! The hot weather gives us an excuse to hang out inside for a while today...then maybe the movies tomorrow...or maybe the pool!

A couple weekends ago we were at my brother & sister in-laws for a picnic and fireworks and my brother was so kind to take me for a ride on his new motorcycle, (and I arrived back in one piece too!) Aidan also got to try out my nephew's mini-motorcycle with training wheels! Who knew you could do that?

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T11:46:00.004-05:00

Auntie Amy came bright and early this morning to wake up the kids and then head off to the parade. Luckily we live just 3 blocks away from the parade route, so we walk down and visit with the rest of the neighbors.
Off to a little party (hopefully some swimming, if it's warm enough) and then fireworks tonight!

Look Mom, No Teeth!

2008-07-01T16:41:00.013-05:00

Yesterday on the way home from visiting family, we stopped to pick strawberries. It was the first time the kids had picked strawberries, and the first time that I had gone since I was a kid. We had an absolutely perfect day for picking. Mid 70's, sunny and enough wind to keep the bugs away.Aidan was a champ and quickly filled up 2 quart baskets. Between the 3 of us we picked over 8 pounds in just 30 minutes or so! Olivia and I snuck a couple berries while picking, but Aidan insisted that we needed to wash them first. (Maybe that's why he picked more than we did!)
Here's the fruits of our labor and some quick highlights from our little adventure...

In other exciting news...
In the last 24 hours my boy went from looking like this:

To looking like this:

Last night he lost his left one while brushing his teeth... and by 6am the other one had come out too.

That tooth fairy is sure gonna have a busy night, tonight!

Teacher Thank You's...End of the School Year

2008-06-11T13:53:00.003-05:00

Friday is the last day of school for Aidan, so I spent the morning crafting and getting some year-end thank you's ready. I repurposed an empty chai container to make this little basket. I think an empty coffee can would work well too.

Here's some of the cards that I did for the teachers & aides in Aidan's classroom:

Although I am looking forward to a more relaxed schedule(i.e. sleeping in from time-to-time), I am a little worried about having two kiddies home all day long. Olivia has really gotten used to being the "only child" during the day. I think it will be a bit of an adjustment when Aidan's home too.
Right now I'm trying to get some more plans made for the summer. There's always so many things I want to try and do, it just doesn't seem like they end up happening.
More on that later...

Viva Las Vegas

2008-06-09T10:56:00.005-05:00

A few quick highlights from our trip to Las Vegas (May 31-June 3)

Fremont Street:
Old-School Casinos
Dancing girls
99cent margaritas
chili fries (YUM!)

"The Strip":
Visiting the hotels/casinos
Bellagio fountains
Cirque du Soleil "O"
Buffet with Crablegs & Sushi
99cent margaritas

Sweet Rak from some Sweet Ladies!

2008-05-14T14:55:00.003-05:00

Thanks again to Nik, and April & Scarlet from Studio Calico!

Easy Kitchen Canvas

2008-05-14T13:11:00.007-05:00

Just wanted to share an easy project that I finished today. It will be hanging in my freshly painted kitchen right above my sink. Maybe it will make the task of washing dishes a little more bearable!!!

I really love to make canvases. They are quick, fun, and best of all you get to showcase them in your home, rather than getting stuck inside a scrapbook that you may only occasionally look through.
I took a couple "in-progress" photos of my project to help you along.

Step 1:
paint the edges of 8x24 inch canvas with brown acrylic paint. I did a very uneven coat of paint to give it a varigated look. After the paint dried, I rubbed on the Adirondack paint dabber on the edges of the canvas and made uneven horizontal marks across the width of the canvas giving it a "wood-look" finish.

Step 2:
Cut your paper to cover the canvas. For the striped pattern, I cut 2- 6x12 inch pieces of paper. For the accent stripe along the bottom, I used 2- 2x12 inch strips.
I had to cut about 1 to 1-1/2 inches off the 2nd strip to fit onto canvas, leaving a 1/2 inch border on all edges. The papers I used were from the Felicity Line from Scribble Scrabble: Forget-Me-Not&Aqua, and Ferns,Flowers & Gumdrops.

Step 3:
Attach your paper strips to canvas. I used Golden Gel Medium brushed directly onto the canvas. I have also used US ArtQuest Perfect Paper Adhesive with good results as well, although this is a bit runnier than the Gel Medium and can wrinkle thin papers. Now your canvas should look a little bit like this:

Step 4:

Cut flowers or other motif out of patterned paper. I used the Crimson Daisy&Chocolate paper from Scribble Scrabble.

Step 5:
Now comes the fun part--adding the decorations.
First I used Glue Dots to add the decorative trim to separate the striped pattern and the brown flower pattern. The trim is from my February add-on kit from studio calico. I want to say it might be from Paper Valise, but am not sure on that! I also added 2 blossoms from Petaloo, in opposite corners of the canvas. I added 2 paper flowers cut from the patterned paper on either side of the large blossom in the upper left. In the center of the paper flowers I added vintage turquoise buttons.

I used the Prima Times Chipboard Alphabet to spell out my saying "make every day count"

And if you're looking for other ideas...here's another canvas that I did a while back. Give Thanks Canvas

If you have questions, I'd love to help you out. Just post a comment, making sure your e-mail or blog is accessible!

HAPPY CRAFTING!!!

5.08.08

2008-05-08T00:11:00.001-05:00

Give yourself a perfect day.
Do what makes you happiest.
Look upon what gives you joy.
Speak to those who warm your heart.
Listen to that which lifts your spirit.
Surround yourself with sights and sounds
and people who give you pleasure.
For all the happiness you give to others
all year long, give yourself a perfect day.

This is what I'll be doing today.
Until next time...

Win a 6-month subscription to Studio Calico

2008-04-29T13:15:00.002-05:00

Just a little promotion I'm passing along to my fellow scrapbooking friends and family. If you want to win over $200 worth of free scrapbooking goodies, just do the following. No further obligations!
You have an opportunity to win a 6 month subscription to Studio Calico scrapbooking club!!!!
Here’s how it works.
1. go to http://www.studiocalico.com and create a log-in account
2. then go to this thread on the message board.
3. post should contain your name and the name/username of the person who referred them to this thread...that would be me: erinm
4. Post before May 3rd to be eligible

Thanks and have fun!!!!!
Erin

a little bit of our weekend...

2008-04-28T14:33:00.007-05:00

Love Spring.
Love getting out of the house.
Love watching everything bud & bloom.
Love playing with the kids.
Love walking around the block.
Love being silly.

Even though the quality of this picture isn't the best, I just love how huge the trees look behind the kids. Just starting to bud. So full of color.

Finally doing a little more scrapbooking after a bit of dry spell. A bit of a creative break.
Combined a bunch of different products from my stash for this one. These 2 love each other so much! Hope that continues.

wannabe nerd

2008-04-23T10:42:00.001-05:00

Despite what you may think, if you knew me in high school...

I'm not very nerdy!!
I guess I was more of the orchestra geek, rather than science/math nerd!

I sincerely apologize...

2008-04-15T16:58:00.003-05:00

Long time...no blog.
Ooopps!

But now I officially have a reason to post.
This girl totally made my day today! I completed this layout for a challenge on the Studio Calico blog:

So lucky me, I won a RAK for completing & posting the challenge!

The picture is of Aidan and his fish Thomas soon after his arrival in our family. The numbers detail little bits & pieces of what's going on in Aidan's life right now.

In other news...
I was going to start posting a photo-a-day for the month leading up to my birthday....but doesn't look like that's going to happen. So now I may just try to do a week in review. So look for another post this week highlighting the events of this past week.

Notes from the "greats"

2008-02-22T16:42:00.004-06:00

Aidan's school just finished off their "Post Office" unit. As part of the learning experience, friends & family members were asked to write letters to their favorite kindergartner. Aidan received a bunch of letters, but I think it is so great to have received very special notes from 2 of his great-grandparents.
I don't think he realizes it now, but he is a very lucky kid to have so many great-grandparents still living. I especially like the drawing on Grandpa Johnson's note.
I never really had a chance to know any of my "greats", so I guess that makes it even more special.

In different news, just received a bunch of vacation pictures in the mail today, so planning on working on a new album soon!

Another birthday and some sweet valentines!

2008-02-13T14:59:00.003-06:00

First, a Happy Birthday to my brother!
Such a good daddy, brother, uncle, son & husband. Enjoy your day, little brother!

Sweet Valentine Ornaments
Just some cutesy little ornaments that I made from papier mache ornaments I have had laying around for years. Used Perfect Paper adhesive from ArtQuest to adhere the papers, and then embellished them. I think they turned out rather cute...especially love the one for my dear Grandma (on the right-hand side).

I've been spending entirely too much time on-line looking at all the sneak-peeks for new scrapbooking items from the CHA winter show in California this week. Looking forward to a bunch of the new releases!

TTFN (ta-ta for now)

free = good!!

2008-02-01T11:52:00.001-06:00

Just got a package of goodies from Shannon Tidwell from KI Memories today!!! Lucky me, I was picked as a random winner for posting a comment on their blog. Go check it out!

Also expecting my order from Gymboree today. Ordered a bunch of cute stuff for Olivia with my Gymbucks.

More scrapbooking goodies should be arriving soon from Studio Calico pretty soon too! Really looking forward to that.
Hmmm... that's probably enough shopping for a while.

Good mail days & free stuff make me happy!

florida review

2008-01-30T11:49:00.000-06:00

1. My creation, 2. hotel pool, 3. shamu express, 4. orlando science center, 5. olivia glasses, 6. aidan glasses, 7. olivia pool, 8. R&E seaworld, 9. lion fish, 10. pirate ship ride, 11. i like beer too!, 12. shamu & kasyn, 13. liv & kasyn, 14. I lost my shoe, 15. b&j painting, 16. liv artwork, 17. ARTigator, 18. flamingo, 19. yellow hibiscus, 20. busch gardens ride, 21. clydesdale family pic, 22. liv & me, 23. aidan & otter, 24. photo by aidan, 25. nice hat aidan

So I think I finally figured out how to work this photo-mosaic thing. If you want to see a picture up-close, click on the corresponding number/description below. Hope it works!!!

Pictures are just a sampling of all the fun stuff that we did on our Florida trip from Jan 20th-28th.

New Smyrna Beach & Sea World--Day 2

2008-01-27T08:39:00.001-06:00

New Smyrna Beach-- Friday

After visiting the shops in the New Smyrna beach area, we took a walk along the beach. Although it was a rather cold and windy day, we made the most of it and collected a bag full of shells to take back home and we even saw some "real live surfers" who posed for a quick picture with Aidan.

Day 2-- Sea World--Saturday

Although we were a little disappointed that we weren't splashed by Shamu this time around, we still had a great time viewing the killer whales. There's just something so awesome about being within a few feet of something sooo.... HUGE!

And did we mention that we liked the beer?

lazy day in Winter Park

2008-01-25T06:40:00.000-06:00

After a couple very busy days at the parks, we spent a very low-key morning around the hotel, then went for lunch and a little sight-seeing in Winter Park, a northern suburb of Orlando.

We had a tasty lunch at "Authentic Cuban Cafe" where the kids tried Maturos--fried sweet plantains. Olivia liked them quite a bit, but Aidan didn't care for them.

After our lunch we took some pictures with the local "ARTigators" that were located throughout the downtown shopping district.

Came back to the hotel for a little swimming--our first time since we've been in Florida. Although the pool was heated, it was still a little chilly, so we didn't go for too long...and then it started to rain a bit, as well.

Seaworld & Busch Gardens in review

2008-01-24T08:50:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, Jan 22--Sea World part 1

We hit up Sea World on Tuesday for the first time. We will be going back again this weekend with Ryan & JoAnne, but knew that we'd like a little extra time to explore.
After spending the morning looking at some of the animal exhibits we went to the "Believe" show starring Shamu. We got there early enough to sit in the "Splash Zone". Half-way through the show, Aidan was very disappointed when we hadn't gotten wet yet. This changed quickly afer Shamu arrived! We ended up VERY wet. Aidan got a bunch of salt water in his mouth, and kept on spitting to get the salty taste out!
Can't wait to see Shamu again!!

Aidan's favorite part was the kids amusement park with a huge climbing area. (Think McDonald's play land times 1000!)
My favorite part was the "Believe" show ( I even had tears in my eyes!)
followed closely by the complimentary Anheuser-Busch products (beer!!!!)

Wednesday, Jan 23--Busch Gardens

Took a coach bus shuttle to Tampa to spend the day at Busch Gardens.
Met JoAnne & the boys there, and were able to spend about half the day with them.
The park was remarkably not busy--so we were able to enjoy a very casual day in the sunshine! Almost 80 degrees during the warmest part of the day.

Highlights of the day included the african-themed "Katonga" musical that was put on in a theater with cool effects like bubbles, and butterfly confetti and even a real rain shower inside! I think the little kids liked it as much as us big kids!
Had fun watching the flamingos chase each other around. Went on a safari train ride, where our train almost ran into a Rhino...luckily we were able to stop before crashing into it. Before heading home Aidan & I went on a congo river ride, where we both got completely soaked. Since we were already wet, we decided to go through another time, since there wasn't a line. Lucky for Aidan, I had packed an extra set of clothes for him. Not so lucky for me, I had only packed an extra shirt for me, and spent the 1 hour 15 minute ride back to Orlando in wet shorts!

Wet & Wild & Fishy in Daytona

2008-01-21T22:34:00.000-06:00

Part 1: Wet

Drove up to Daytona this morning and spent the day with Jo & the kids. We all had a lot of fun playing in the ocean...until the little ones ended up completely soaked & shivering.

Part 2: Wild

After a little lunch, we headed to the Daytona International Speedway to watch some racers practice for this upcoming weekends race.

Part 3: Fishy

Finished our day with a little cajun style fish & shrimp with Ryan, JoAnne and the boys. Ryan managed to finish off an entire pound of shrimp!

Can I have some more salvation?

2008-01-17T16:08:00.000-06:00

It all started during dinner the other night when I was making some grape juice to have with dinner. As we were sitting having our meal, Aidan asked if the grape juice was like what we had at church, and how come it wasn't in a tiny little cup?
We told him it is like the juice we have at church.
So after finishing his first glass he asked, "can I have more salvation, please?"
Ryan and I tried to hold in our laughs.
When we have communion, we say "this is the cup of salvation" as the cups are being passed. Olivia has even caught on and has asked for "salvation" as well!

...I guess at least they are paying attention!

Happy Birthday, my friend!

2008-01-17T14:08:00.000-06:00

Hope you're having a terrific day!
Wishing you many more happy days to come!

Studio Calico love

2008-01-15T16:58:00.000-06:00

.
So here's a fun layout with pictures from last winter. This is my first layout made with the January Studio Calico kit.

love this kit!!!

So go check them out and if you like what you see go use this coupon code and get some of your own!!! New kit debuts on Jan 28th at 12:00am EST.... so midnight on the night of the 27th

My new favorite recipe

2008-01-15T14:54:00.001-06:00

Just a quick one to tell you how much I love this soup!
I would have taken a picture--but it's already gone.
These are my modifications:
I skipped the mushrooms and fresh basil,
used quick-cooking barley (about 2/3 cup)
used fire-roasted tomatoes
used dry thyme & added just a bit extra crushed red pepper--just be careful or it will be too spicy!!!

Spicy Beef and Barley Soup from Cooking Light magazine

"If you like spicy food, increase the crushed red pepper. If you don't like things hot, just cut back. This is a great dish to come home to on a work night." --Amy Burroughs, Milwaukie, OR

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 (1 1/2-pound) eye-of-round steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
2 cups (1/2-inch-thick) slices carrot
2 cups sliced mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 thyme sprig

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef evenly on all sides with freshly ground black pepper and salt. Add beef and onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes, turning to brown beef on all sides. Remove beef mixture from pan; place in an electric slow cooker.
Add carrot and mushrooms to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add carrot mixture, broth, barley, basil, crushed red pepper, tomatoes, and thyme sprig to slow cooker; stir well to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW; cook 6 hours. Discard thyme.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 2/3 cups)

CALORIES 319 (32% from fat); FAT 11.5g (sat 3.9g,mono 5g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 30.4g; CHOLESTEROL 46mg; CALCIUM 63mg; SODIUM 725mg; FIBER 5.9g; IRON 3.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.3g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007

Melting snow and funny sayings...

2008-01-07T09:44:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the push Uncle Bo-bo!!!
This picture was taken only 8 days ago, but already our snow has almost completely melted away. It's been raining this morning and almost 50 degrees for the past couple days...so definately in the middle of the January thaw.

Saturday "funny-of-the-day" goes to Olivia:
O: I like my butt. Mom, you like my butt?
Me: Yes, I like your butt.
(I wonder how she'll feel about it in another 15-20 years??!!)

Sunday "funny-of-the-day" goes to Aidan:
As I'm getting ready to leave for work, Aidan first says to me:
Mom, have fun at work today!
Followed by: I hope you don't get fired.
Me: I hope so too.

Happy {blogging} New Year!

2008-01-04T14:12:00.000-06:00

So it had been a very long time since I actually sat down at the scrapbooking table. (Or could even see my scrapbooking table!!) After spending a little while yesterday clearing a space, I actually sat down and CREATED.

So this is what I came up with:

Used my December Poppy Ink kit on this one.
Photo of my Grandma with my kids & nephews. The kids are sporting their new pj's from Grandma. Getting ready to blow out the candles on baby Jesus' birthday cake. It's becoming a tradition with our family. This year we celebrated with "HO-HO" cake.

The blog begins

2007-12-21T14:30:00.000-06:00

So now I have a blog.
Not that it means much right now.
Just another way for me to procrastinate.
See, right now I should be wrapping Christmas presents or at least having lunch!
To be continued...