taking time to smell the flowers

I really am trying this year to notice spring. It seems like over the last few years I pause from the hecticness of life and realize I've completely missed spring and it's already full blown summer before I know it. So, even though it's back to freezing today, I stopped rushing around and took some pictures. I love springtime, especially the blossoms on the trees and I hope it doesn't snow today- like predicted.

in memorandum

Ivan, the cat has gone to kitty heaven. She was 13. She died in her sleep on Saturday. I must say I've been fine until I started writing this, now I'm crying. It just that she's been in our family most of our married life, and although she was a little stinker and would just as easily bite you as start to purr if you tried to pet her, we still loved her. We are happy she's reunited in dog/cat heaven with Enzo (the Siberian Husky, pictured above), her best friend most of her life who has been gone 3 years now. We will miss you Ivan, you little pill.
These pictures are from before we had children, once children are born you stop taking pictures of your pets, unless they are in the picture with the kids. Since the kids were all scared to pick Ivan up and would only chance the occasional petting, I couldn't find any recent pictures. Or maybe if we didn't have so many (thousands) pictures these days I could have hunted one down. I guess it's all good, you get the idea and she was looking good, (no weird aged kitty problems) until she finally shuffled off her mortal coil.



This whole thing has made me think about Rubin and Ed. Super wacky, you gotta love Crispin Glover in this cult classic.

Paradise

Yes, this is the actual Paradise Bakery sugar cookie recipe, and the cookies taste exactly the same delicious.

Paradise Bakery sugar cookie

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups shortening
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, beaten
4 1/3 cups cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Plain or colored sugar, for decorating

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, cream together sugars and shortening using an electric mixer. Mix on slow speed 30 seconds, then scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
Slowly add vanilla and beaten egg while mixing.
In a separate bowl, combine cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing on slow speed until just blended. Do not overmix.
Scoop with an ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place on baking sheet. Flatten slightly with palm of hand.
Bake 9 to 10 minutes. Cookies are done when small cracks appear and are pale golden. Ideally, do not let edges brown.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Dangerously delicious. I shouldn't have this recipe. Not because I came about it illegally- it was in the Salt Lake Tribune last week, but because I longer need to drive 40 minutes to get my fix. The cake flour is key, make sure you have some on hand.

took the words right out of my mouth

spring break wrap up

Oh... a week off of life was lovely. Spending a week at Grandma and Grandpa O's is always grand. You can learn all sorts of things that you can't learn at home in the suburbs (is that where we live?) This little garder snake got manhandled for a good solid 20 minutes, C. wanted to know what his name was and as you can see- was not too worried about getting close.


Here is the quilt my mother-in-law Jan is currently working on. Hello... gorgeous. It was propped up across the room from me as I sewed aprons in the cabin, quite a masterpiece to ponder.


Good times cooking hot dogs and marshmallows over the open fire, "another smore? oh I really shouldn't... OK, well- maybe just one more..."


Joe Bennion joined us for a few days, he had a rock laying class in Torrey. The kids loved making pots and little dog sculptures with the clay he brought. He impressed us all with tales of misfortune and fun at Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon.


These two little doggies were made and then buried in the ashes of the fire to cook. The kids dug them out the next morning, and have been very carefully taking care of them ever since.


Izzy on of the models for the clay dogs pictured above (see the resemblance?) the "wild dingo" doggie having the time of her life in doggie dreamland.

Jan and Owen a big huge thank you for your tremendous hospitality. You guys are the best, we love you!

running in sagebrush

Sometimes hiking with your grandpa takes a turn for the worst. After playing at the sand dunes, you take off running after your brother through the sagebrush and don't see the barbed wire fence strung across the path in front of your face. WARNING: Graphic image coming up!


The Wayne County Health Clinic doctor advises your mother that if it was his daughter he would have it stitched up by a plastic surgeon... in Utah County (a 3 hours drive). So you jump into the car in your sweaty, bloody hiking clothes and speed to the fancy plastic surgeons office (your mom spends most of the drive fighting with the insurance company about out of network coverage and anticipating a long appeal process). You get to the plastic surgeons office and the nurse questions your mom seriously on the topic of herbal medicines, but I think what she really wanted to ask is if my mom ever wears deodorant or makeup and if I attend public school.
Getting stitches right by your lip hurts really bad, but Dr. Jones was nice and he did a good job, but the V shaped cut is a tough one to stitch no matter what your credentials are. Now you just cross your fingers and hope that the drive/plastic surgeon visit was worth all the trouble and you don't end up with a puffy, weird scar on your cute little face anyway. Then you stop into your real not-on-vacation-any-more house, because you live in Utah County... to shower. (aahhh- finally) You climb back into the car for the 3 hour drive back to grandma and grandpas house because you are afraid you be missing out on some fun, and your mom might be tempted to clean the house if you stick around any longer. Whew... what a crazy day that would be.

spring break

We are spending a splendid but chilly spring break in Torrey with granny and grumpa O. We really hope it warms up so we can do a bit more hiking and mountain biking. Here is the view out the kitchen window.

Of course I am doing plenty of sewing. As a bit of a procrastinator I have lots of aprons, skirts, and purses to sew up for the Beehive Bazaar coming up here May 9th and 10th. Looking at the big picture- or as some call it- the calender, can really make me panic. Here is a stack of finished aprons (yeah!)

ladies night

Saturday night just the girls went to to see Annie at Kingsbury Hall, part of the Broadway on Tour series. It's such a perfect musical for kids. My 8 year old was very impressed when 'Sandy'- the real live dog ran out onto stage. I have seen the movie ohh maybe 100 times over the years- we used to sing "It's a Hard Knock Life" when we did our chores as children (I'm sure my Mom loved that.)
My kids have only seen the movie a few times- apparently too 'old school' for their generation... (whatever) and we even have it on DVD... Anyway, live on the stage we all enjoyed ourselves, how can you not- stage performances are always such a treat.
I think Wicked is coming to SLC soon...

Traveling Circus

From the travel section of the NY Times Style Magazine:
"Now that bureaux de change are doing brisk business in rubles and yuan, it’s clear there’s a new world order in travel. ‘‘People from everywhere are going everywhere,’’ says Ian Bremmer, the president of the consulting firm Eurasia Group. And with new wealth come fresh stereotypes — remember the Ugly American? Bremmer ascribes clichés to ‘‘pure economics. It’s who’s spending the most money and annoying the locals.’’ Here, a pop-anthropological look at the travel universe now." -ANNA LOUIE SUSSMAN

Click here to view the details on the Americans, British, Gulf Arabs, Russians, and Chinese. Extremely entertaining.

everyday art

the boys room

Oh boy, am I glad Ikea finally came to town. To be able to just pop in for some shelves on any given day is quite a luxury. This room looks about 100 times better and tidier than it did before. It's amazing what a difference some cupboards (with doors) and a few shelves can do for one's mental health.

felt treats are the only treats I need to have around

What is it about felt food that is so stinkin' hilarious?
I love this flickr group. Thanks Hailey for passing it along today. I didn't make this felt cake pinktoque did (instead, I made a real cake this weekend- chocolate with dark chocolate butter cream frosting... yummy).
Although, I would like to try my hand at felt food soon, and trick visiting neighbor kids. I have some candles that look like cupcakes in my kitchen. Every now and again a new small friend will come over and all of the sudden relate how hungry they are or just try and take a bite when no one is looking. Hey, what can I say?- I would probably have done the same as a child and... perhaps even now.

cozy chair

Something about Stefan Zwicky 's 1980's concrete chair "Grand confort, sans confort, dommage a Corbu"> speaks to me- as well as the other designs featured in the NY Times Jagged Edge article.

If I had grounds and not just a backyard I might need a couple of these for pausing and reflection.

Millicent

Today on Radio West: The Book Bizarre, "Tuesday, we're offering a list of bizarre books for this most foolish of holidays. From fake works like the book on silence - consisting of entirely blank pages - to serious tomes with titles like "Inquiry into the Medicinal Value of the Excreta of Reptiles," our team of local booksellers has seen it all."
I throughly enjoyed this episode, I found myself madly scribbling down titles authors and publishers, and reminiscing some I have read (Geek Love by Katherine Dunn) Then someone mentioned the publisher Harlin Quist and the children's books they published in the 70's. When they said "Millicent the Monster" it was like I suddenly stepped back in time. I have had pictures from this book in my head all my life but have never been able to put any words or a title to it. It was like all the stars lined up- finally putting it all together. I just found a copy online that will arrive on my doorstep in a few days. I sure I will embarrass my kids when I blubber through the first reading and a few more after that.

Now if I could just find some more info on Iris the Virus- a kids TV show from back in the day. Anyone recall it?

go ahead and try making your life more like this, your kids will squirm

This is a silly video-(its 3 minutes long, for those of you trying to be less busy and more productive today) it will make you smile AND most importantly it showcases my next Halloween costume. Ahhh yeah, the Hot Dog on a Stick uniform.

To my sisters: April- Hot Dog on a Stick uniform- brilliant, way to go! And Precia- the first to admit you'd wear the uniform in the first place, if I sew it, can we share the costume?

3 random things to share on a Friday afternoon...

1. Felt flowers- I've been making these babies for the Beehive Bazaar all week, I really like the way they are turning out, especially in a photograph and all lined up next to each other. (wow- really deep thoughts)

2. Making me smile and laugh out loud (albeit nervously) this week and not to be missed, stuff white people like.

3. Busy vs. Productive
Busy-ness is impressive. It puts you in the heat of the action. It gives you an elevated sense of importance. You’re always late for social engagements, barely have enough time for family get-togethers, and hardly get a moment’s sleep. […] Of course, it’s all just an illusion. -Brad Bollenbach

Are you productive or just acting busy?

What effects does missing ingredients have on cookies?

Who knew that such a science project could take one 6th grader to the Regional Science Fair at BYU? That is a total of three times we've had to re-bake these 6 batches of cookies. The first two times the cookies were part of the display- making it quite visually appealing (and nearly impossible to pass by without inquiring after samples).
The third time- Regional Science Fair- no human food (or animal) food was allowed to be displayed, or just about everything else you might want to include in a clever science fair display (embryos of any kind, plants, lab or household chemicals- including water, sharp items-and the list goes on and on) paper and cardboard were acceptable- thankfully. So we re-baked to take pictures, because we neglected to photograph sufficiently the first and second time around.
Needless to say the picture display didn't quite have quite the same impact in competition. But, it all good... who needs to win when you get to spend one whole day, excused from school, hanging out on college campus with a few other 6th grade friends? Sounds priceless to me.

Thank goodness we are done baking. Cookie dough is my weakness, I have probably eaten half my body weight in dough and cookies since the end of January, while overseeing this project. And no... not the wacky batches- come on... I'm not quite that hard up.

birthday cake

My little gal requested the dolly dress cake for her birthday, and I happily obliged. It seems like I have made this type of cake for my girls- throughout the years, at least twice before. I have found that Bratz dolls are easier to use than Barbies because their feet and shoes come off at the ankle making them shorter and easier to bake a dress that is not so extremely tall. No need to buy any fancy cake pans- it's all about the pyrex bowl when it comes to baking the dress, and then making another round cake to stack it on- making it just the right height. As you can see I accidentally grabbed a bag of peanut M&Ms instead of regular and had to make it work. The finished product was a big hit with all the party goers.

using my skills

Party invitation made on Photoshop- (minus the text). As you can see I still have a lot to learn- like the dark edges around the bottom of the hair. On the printed copy I hid it with a little glitter, then I couldn't stop with the glitter and I glittered the wings too. You would perhaps never guess that this simple party invitation took me an entire afternoon to make. But- I believe I am improving little by little. Playing with Photoshop is very fun.

On a Whim by Robert Kaufman

I have been looking for this fabric (and another from the same line with birds on it) everywhere. I even emailed the company to learn where I could find some (not very helpful)... but, that is one of the things I love about the internet, without having to go anywhere I can do a little research and find just about anything my heart desires. Thank you worldwide web. So, after some serious searching- I finally rounded up a few yards at Fabulous Quilt Fabrics, a shop in the midwest. It arrived today, it was my first glimpse of the real thing- I can't wait to cut it up, it's so dang cute.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

The St. Patrick's Day garland is finished and here is a bit of it. What is it with me and garlands? I just can't seem to have too many. This one was easy to make because I just added the shamrocks, ribbon and gold tinsel stuff to the red and orange felted flowers that were already on a string. I hope I don't regret later that I sewed them all together and want to take it all apart to salvage my beloved felted flowers. I should just learn how to make them and keep a stash in all colors.
Anyway- have a great day, I hope you remembered to wear your green...

shamrocks

I've been working on some St. Patrick's Day decor. I don't think I would bother but for the fact that my daughter's birthday is extremely close to St. Patrick's Day and she's beginning to take it personally that we haven't a single piece of celebratory decor. If all goes as planned, these wool and sequined shamrocks will be strung up into a garland before Monday rolls around.

bicycle basket

This bicycle basket makes me long for spring. I know it's on it's way, but it seems to be taking too long to really warm up. My kids think 50 degrees means shorts and a tank top, my 3 year old even had his bathing suit on yesterday. Yikes! I'm holding out for high 60's.
I really need some sun on my limbs.
I'm getting antsy to get back on the bike- even for a trip just to the grocery store. (although, when I go to the grocery store I would probably need at least 10 of these baskets)
Anyway, the MoMA store is where you can find it, along with many other cool things.

finished

I think my daughters room is finally finished. I even went through all the toys and sorted, organized, and tossed- (not a small job, it hasn't been done properly in years) I took me the entire morning, but it was way worth it. Now if I could just get my whole house as spotlessly organized as this one room...
The curtains were the finishing touch, I have been waiting for the extra 2 yards I needed to come in the mail- I could only find the Alexander Henry "Hollywood" fabric in blue and brown on ebay. Then... like a dork- I absentmindedly I cut the curtains too short ignoring the #1 rule of woodworking and sewing alike: measure twice- cut once. Luckily, I wasn't cutting wood- I would have had to start all over; I just had to improvise and patch things up a bit. I think I like the band at the top better than if it were just one solid color.
I found the little clippy holders at Ikea, they look confusing in the package, I thought I was going to have to sew button holes across the top of the curtain to make them work, but you just slide the fabric in and you're done.
Now, I can move along to the next room. My other daughter's room (the "I really want my own room", driving-force-behind-the-upheaval girl) is almost finished too. I'll get some pics up soon.

new skirt

I finally stopped with the read-a-thon long enough to make something. Here is the skirt I made from the Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt pattern. I lined it with some fancy satiny fabric as you can see. (It's kind of like having fancy underwear on- it makes you feel like you've got some secret, like our friend Victoria.) The fabric was wet when I took the picture. I had just washed it to try and get the unfinished bits on the layers to fray a bit more but, I think the fabric may be wrong for too much fraying. If you remember I got the fabric on ebay- I thought it was 100% cotton but, it feels more like a rayon/cotton blend. Good fabric for a skirt though- it hangs nice, not much stretch. Anyway, I like how it turned out. Now I need to loose my last 5 or 10 (depending on how much I care on any given day) so it will hang right when I wear it.

By the way... read-a-thon participants:
Mole People by Jennifer Toth
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Emma by Jane Austen
March by Geraldine Brooks
Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E Turner
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
So (or should I say... "sew") now I'll just watch movies or listen to books on CD while I sew.- I've got lots of sewing to do with the Beehive Bazaar coming right up in May. Oooh I absolutely love multi-tasking. I don't know what it is- I can't stop, I just love a good story- and an escape too I reckon.

obsessed

I have nothing to blog about because all I have done all week is read... the Twilight series. Re-read that is, and YES- it's even better the second time. I started Twilight on the plane home from CA. I secretly wished I was flying to Australia- I could have finished all three books in one peaceful 14 hour sitting- stuck in seat 19A, people bring me food, surrounded by strangers I'd never see again and don't even have to acknowledge, no one needing anything from me. (oh well- I'll have to settle for stolen moments throughout the day and night to read)
I am half was through Eclipse and have to finish tonight so I can get reacquainted with my family. I'm obsessed... and I don't care.

how I spent my princess weekend

My lovely spouse sent me to So Cal this past weekend for some much needed rest and relaxation at the beach house with two of my favorite people- his Mom and Dad (also visiting- gregarious nephew Chris and his friend Porsha). The weather was fairly cooperative, and a few days away from real life were luxurious.

Highlights from the weekend- this delicious meals at Sarducci's in San Juan Capistrano. Halibut and mashed potatoes with a cilantro lime sauce on one side and a mango something-something extremely fabulous sauce on the other side, and some mango salsa in the middle. Wow.

I wanted to sit on my butt as much as possible, and I did. I read plenty (Sarah's Quilt-sequel to These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner) and Twilight (a treat even the second time) and saw lots of movies. Here is the movie list:
There Will be Blood- based on the book 'Oil' by Upton Sinclair. A powerful long movie, Daniel Day Lewis (dreamy in my book) definitely deserved an Oscar for this performance. I was glad to be sitting next to my father-in-law who did some lawyering in the 60's in California concerning the oil companies and gave me some extra insight as we watched.
In Bruges- I was on my way to see The Counterfeiters and went to the wrong theater, so I ended up seeing this one. Interesting, wacky, bloody- but entertaining.
Diving Bell and the Butterfly- I really liked this film. Directed by Julian Schnabel- it is an amazing true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a man in his early 40's who suffers from a stroke and winds up completely paralyzed (locked-in syndrome), able only to blink his one eye to communicate from his perfectly intact brain. Shot from all sorts of crazy angles you really feel as if you can begin to comprehend what he is going through. He writes a book through blinking his eye at the correct letter for a therapist. Amazing story and film.
Be Kind Rewind- By Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Science of Sleep) A double treat- Gondry's creatively brilliant filmmaking and Jack Black's always lovable acting. I enjoyed every minute of it.

an almost finished room

Ta-da.... here is the very close to finished room of my little gal. Just the curtains need to be sewn, but I need a few more yards of the fabric shown. (Alexander Henry 'Hollywood" in teal and brown, draped over the curtain rod) I bought this piece at Joanns's just about a month ago but they are all out- even the warehouse. I could only find it again for top dollar on ebay. I guess I should be glad I could find any at all. It should be here next week, and I can finish the curtains then. The walls are Martha's foxglove pink. I swear by Martha Stewart paint colors- there really are no bad colors. I have never been disappointed, or had to repaint with a Martha color. The prints hung on the wall are recycled from the toy room, I just repainted the frames brown (and a glitter clear coat over the top- just for fun) I got them at Hip and Humble a few years back. They are Seasons on the Farm by Eeboo.

The toy room has been dismantled and taken over by my oldest daughter, so the kitchen is back in M's room. I built this kitchen set for the kids in 2002 I think, for Christmas. (based on a Land of Nod kitchen) It has been used as a restaurant, doctors office, vet's office, you-name-it kind of store, and kitchen- of course. Behind the kitchen is the backside of the shoe quilt, just turned around to mix it up for awhile.

This little Frida painting is by Ann Gardner, a local gal. We traded a few years ago at a art and craft fair where we were both vendors. I think she got one of my skeleton dollys.

I thought this bit of crafty decor up the other morning, with found objects from around the house. OK- I admit I did have to purchase the giant embroidery hoop, but the rest I gathered up from here and there. Lit up or not M. thinks this is the best part of her new room.

Materials:
1 giant enbroidery hoop
1 strand of Christmas lights with various colored ribbons tied in between each light.
1 garland of felt beads
1 garland of felt flowers
Wrap everything around the hoop then hang it on the wall. Mix in any strand of anything you have laying around.

tagged

I got tagged by Colett and then by Suzy. (I'm sure- come on people like I don't already have enough to do.) Now I guess I have to try and say something somewhat interesting about myself.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
I am going to follow 2 of these rules. I shan't pass it on because I dislike the pressure of chain letters and then passing the responsibility onto your equally busy friends. (there is one crazy thing about me right there)
OK... so, when I ran this morning- 5 miles, by myself, without an ipod (I don't even have one) this is what I came up with.

Things about myself:
1. I am the second oldest of 8 kids.
2. I grew up in New Hampshire and Rhode Island running wild in the forest- ice skating, skiing, building forts and hauling off my Dad's tools (sorry Dad I now feel your pain- my kids do the same thing), we moved to Southern California when I was a freshman in high school- I quickly and easily fell in love with the beach and being tan.
3. I have always been interested in sewing. My Mom taught me to sew when I was 8 or so after relentless begging (I recall) I started to make my own clothes in jr. high, then was too shy to wear them. (someone might know they were handmade) In high school I made more of my own clothes and cared a lot less about what people though, but I still sometimes answered "no" when people asked if I had made my outfit. I guess I never knew if this was a positive or negative question, if I should be ashamed or proud. Oh the drama and insecurity of youth. But, I did design, sew and proudly wear my senior prom dress, then went onto make my wedding dress a few years later, pictured above. Go ahead and laugh folks, it was the early 90's and we look like babies.
4. I graduated from BYU in 1994 with a degree in Elementary Education (cliche!) It was the safe bet, although I do love to teach and I'm sure it has helped me as a mother. But, I look back and wish I had pursued fashion design, I looked into it and even went to some of the fashion show designers meetings. I backed out of the show and decided it was more of a hobby than a career AND the BYU fashion design department was pretty goofy at the time. (now it's gone)
5. I have ridden almost the entire coast of the U.S. by bicycle. I have ridden with my bike panniers full of gear from Astoria, Oregon to Huntington Beach, California with my husband (the original bicycle tourist) and then from Vancouver, British Columbia to Astoria, Oregon with my brother Adam and sister Precia a year or so later. Great memories, I can't wait until my kids are big enough to go bike touring.
6. When I was pregnant- the first and fourth of my children were breech at 39 weeks. Luckily, the kind midwives and their doctors took a chance on me and tried a version (turning the baby by pushing from the outside- extremely painful as you can imagine) Both versions were successful and I was able to avoid C-sections and have regular deliveries-natural child births in 3 of the 4 cases. (On my fourth baby, second breech- when the version was successful, mentally and physically spent, I opted for an epidural.) As it turned out my two smaller babies, (8.7 lbs. and 9.7 lbs.) were the breech ones, the bigger ones were head down (9.8 lbs. and 10.4 lbs.- what's up with that?)
7. I have really big calves. They are a real bummer when I am boot shopping, but I've heard they look great in heels.

And now that you've seen Steve O. (pictured above) in all his marital bliss and the glory of youth- here are the answers to the husband tagged questions:
1. Husband's name: Steve O.
2. How long have you been married: 16 years
3. How long did you date: 3 months, but let me say we had admired each other from afar for about 6 months before a mutual friend introduced us, then we were engaged for 5 months. (I was in Israel for 2 of these months)
4. Who eats more sweets? A tie I think...
5. Who is taller? He is, by 4 inches- allowing me to wear heels whenever possible.
6. Who can sing better? He can make up better lyrics-this make me laugh hysterically and the kids roll their eyes.
7. Who is smarter? I don't know, but even better... who is savvier? we like to play that game when we travel, even though he has the advantage of traveling all the time, I can usually pretend being super savvy. He makes me laugh by constantly saying, "Well, savvy travelers usually..."
8. Who does the laundry? Both of us, he likes to do laundry, but he picks out his own clothes first and leaves the rest.
9. Who pays bills? I do, I should probably have earned an honorary accounting degree.
10. Who sleep on the right side of the bed? I somehow, instinctively sleep the furthest from the door wherever I am.
11. Who cooks dinner? I do, unless I'm out and he's forced to.
12. Who drives? Usually he does, when we happen to be in the same car. On long trips we both fight over the passenger seat, where you can nap, read and relax. I drive better in the middle of the night, give me a book on tape and a bag of sunflower seeds and I can drive all night.
13. Who is more stubborn? I don't really know, but I am way more bossy.
14. Who kissed who first? He kissed me first, and it took him 2 weeks!
15. Who asked who out first? After I knew from my friend that he wanted to meet me- it took him 2 long weeks to finally call, during which I could do nothing but think of him and wait for him to call.
16. Who proposed? He did. On the top of a mountain where we had ridden our bikes. I had no idea he was going to propose, I don't remember a word of what he said but that it was beautiful and poetic.
17. Who wears the pants? Me, the bossy one.

a great upheaval

This weekend a simple cleaning up of kid bedrooms turned into a enormous reorganization of furniture and toys. I've had this notion in the back of my mind, the idea of re-doing the kids bedrooms- but I haven't been willing to put forth the effort to make it happen. (I'm still hibernating) Well, this weekend I finally got moving. Now the ball is rolling, there is no stopping until I'm finished. I think there is a bit of spring fever involved, but mostly I attribute it to: we've-got-too-much-stuff and not-enough-room for-it-all syndrome. I've got a giant pile of crap to go to goodwill. I can't wait to say goodbye to every last random toy and nick-knack in the stack. The bulk of the work- scrubbing, painting, assembling and moving furniture is finished I still have curtains and pillows to make, a few pictures to hang and then I'll do a before and after photo shoot.

P.S. I really like this fabric, maybe I need to make some curtains for my kitchen with it.

a little project

I think I'll make this skirt out of this fabric. Hopefully in the next few days.

a calender page...old school

Let me introduce you to my new scanner. I am so happy- I've wanted one since my boy took the other one to the office a few years back. I am acquiring all sorts of new tools (scanner and computer) and skills (photoshop) this year, and I can't wait to use them.
I made this page for the O family calender last year (from or Europe trip last summer in case you can't guess). I did it the old fashioned way, print the pictures- cut and paste with scissors and glue. That could perhaps be the last time I ever do that...sigh. With my new scanner I can probably even scan all of my kids pictures from before the days of digital pictures and scrapbook entirely on the computer...WOW. No, wait- the WOW comes in when I actually get around to scrapbooking at all. A sorry confession I agree, but I'm on the right track now right?

party time

My little fella turned 10 yesterday. Wow. We had his party at the local tumbling gym, equipt with all that kids love- foam pit, trampolines, rope swing, various assorted giant blow-up kid climbing or launching devices. Here is what the silly cake ended up looking like. Steve O's and my collaborative efforts of trying to design the right image on paper left me with too little time to really give it 110% as far as shaping and frosting- so and it turned out a little wacky. But, come on it's just a cake. It's all good...I mean really- it tasted delicious and all gobbled up.


The inspiration behind the cake. I have been taking a photoshop class over the last few weeks and this is the fruit of my education so far, my first real- not just playing around project. You don't even want to know how long it took me to complete the full invitation (with all the text). But, there is no stopping me now...