This, That, 'n' the Other.

Did you all have a good holiday weekend? They always go by too quickly, don't they? We're guilty of trying to cram too much in, getting too busy, and before we know it, the time is over and we've had a lot of fun, but not much of a chance to just do nothing. (That's something of a run-on and a little comma happy to boot!) The house is messy and we're all overtired and cranky. Anyway, here's a little hodge podge of what we've done the last few days...

Thought I'd throw out some pics of one of our favorite haunts, the Community Center. They have a neato pool (with zero depth entry!! Wonderful for Alex.) with a huge slide and a great little play ground (complete with tire swing and slide!) right in the water. The kids have a blast playing in the water! Unfortunately, they have something of an uptight rule that children under 5 must always be within arm's reach of an adult--I understand the reasoning, but it's not very realistic for one mom with 2 busy toddlers. The daytime lifeguards are pretty strict about enforcing it, so swimming is usually reserved for the times the adult-to-kid ratio is a little higher.

All that just to say, sorry! No pictures of the really cool pool and swimming kids, but here are some post-swimming pictures of the kids in the "Romp N Stomp", a fun indoor play area! :)













We made lots of use of the Romp N Stomp this winter--so great to have somewhere to run off energy when it's -40 outside! We mainly got the membership so I could work out (they have childcare available in the mornings!), but we've ALL been really enjoying it!

Hmmm, what else? OH! I know! Here's the latest creation of our budding architect/sculptor:





Oops, try again:



That's better. Lol--see Alex wailing in the background? In his typical style, he was frustrated because his dad wouldn't let him knock over Abby's tower.

Today we popped over to my mom's for a little Memorial Day grilling action (thanks Beej!). She's got her yard and deck tricked out for the grandkids with a pool, Grandpa-made swing, sandbox, lots of colorful flowers, comfy furniture and a water feature with goldfish!

Alex delights in playing in the water and keeping the goldfish on their toes. He has a little "Jekyl and Hyde" to him...one part sweet and snuggly as can be, the other (larger) part full of mischief...don't think I have to tell you which one is showing up here...

Here's Abby enjoying Grandpa's swing...getting good swinging pic's is a little tricky! The swing has a loooooong arc...takes quite a while to get from one end to the other! I have to admit, it's pretty fun...

We rounded out our holiday festivities by heading out to Grandmama's for lots of Scrabble on the picnic table, more grilling, and a great deal of running, playing, digging, ball throwing and exploring. The kids were completely played out, dirty and exhausted! We chucked them in the tub, swished them around a little, then tossed them in their beds.

And now, I think I'll head to mine.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

Home at last! (And a happy birthday...)

Well, I'm sure you'll all be relieved to hear that Flora is at last in her new home. And as luck would have it, her insurance adjustor found that her home had appreciated significantly and she was actually able to upgrade to a larger place when she got the money from her claim! Lol...here she is getting settled.



As if that wasn't boring enough...I know most of you won't be thrilled even a fraction as much as I am about this stuff, but I'm posting it anyway. Here's the result of my happy birthday!!



Uh huh!! An IRON!!! With a retractable cord! My old iron had a short in the cord--it would only stay hot if the cord was in exactly the right position. Very annoying if you're doing something like piecing a quilt...nothing quite like waiting for the iron to re-heat every time you need to press a little 2 inch seam. So that was happy birthday item #1...here's happy birthday item #2:



Woot woot! It's a Singer serger! Now I can finish my seams as professionally as any you'd see in a store! I'm still figuring out all the knobs and doo-dads on it, but have a couple projects waiting in the wings! Ok, now the most beautiful happy birthday item of all!!



That's fabric. I've drooled over those prints online for months and months, finally picked some up at a little quilt shop Bj let me stop at on my birthday!! They're going into a little throw quilt for me to look at every day. Thank you, Husband for listening to all my extremely un-subtle hints and getting me exactly what I love for my birthday!

"What?", you say, "Where are the babies??!!" Sorry...Flora and I hogged this post. And I realized I haven't taken any pics of the kids this week. Give me a day or 2.

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!

Oh, did I mention that sandbox I was so excited to have for the kids is really one of THE WORST ideas I've ever had?? It's outta here as soon as I have help from Bj...sand is everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Sand in the garden under the porch, sand in the air conditioning unit under the porch, sand in the kitchen, sand in the bathtub, sand in my flower pots, sand in Alex's diapers, sand in the washing machine, sand in Abby's hair...it's everywhere. Our landlords are great (doesn't hurt that they're lifelong friends of our family and my brother in law's parents!), and have offered a little patch of the lawn for our sandy turtle's new home. I don't care where he actually lands, as long as he's FAR from any doors! Sure shoulda thought that one through a little more...

"Meandering" afternoon...

Some afternoons feel like they meander...the kids nap a little longer than usual, the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing through all the open windows, a neighbor is mowing his lawn, the kids wake up happy and peaceful, I'm able to keep a steady pace with my housework and it doesn't feel burdensom--time meanders along pleasantly. Things aren't harried or rushed, everyone's content in the moment they're in. I like those afternoons.

Here's a pretty girl...



It's not everyday I get a nice smile for a picture from that one...must be the meandering afternoon...

I gave the kids bowls of water to play with on the porch. It kept them busy for over an hour, lol! Ah, to enjoy the simple things again...



DUMP!!! "More wawa, Mama!"



"I'M not going to dump MINE, Mommy!" says Abby...





Alex would bend over, slooowwwwly until his head hit the water...



Then he'd stand up real quick and stand still, feeling the wetness dripping down his face...



Then he'd LAUGH until I though he was going to fall over!



This is what I really want to be doing...



That's a quilt I'm working on from reproduction 30s and 40s feedsack prints. I don't have very many memories of Grandma Elden, but these prints feel like her to me. I don't know if she had housedresses made from similar prints, or quilts made from similar prints, or none of the above, but for some reason they bring the big white house into my mind. Here's a picture I kyped from the Elden yahoo group--thanks whoever posted it! ;)



Anyway, I'm fighting the Invasion of the Cheerios, so no quilting for me. They're everywhere, in every room of the house. Someone spent some serious snack scattering time...but this is such a nice afternoon, that I think I'll be able to enjoy anything I do.

I hope you all are having a sunny, breezy, peaceful afternoon!

Sprucing the place up a bit!

Like our new blog banner? Lol--it needs a little work, but I think I'm heading the right direction...I can't get too fancy, because I don't have any schmantzy editing programs, so for now, this is almost as good as it gets. I say almost, because I'm missing borders around my pictures...the banner is a tad too short for the "header" border, so it looked funky...feeling a little lazy, I just removed the borders rather than editing the banner to fit.

Anyway,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

to our Grandmama, Blue Grandma, Pink Grandma, Mimi and all you other wonderful moms in our lives. Looks like I changed my font...that's alright, I like this one ok. Well, we're celebrating Mother's day with panache! We caught a delightful stomach flu bug yesterday...BJ and I have both spent the day paying homage at the porcelain throne, while Alex burns through the diapers. Abby seems untouched, knock on wood! So, no breakfast in bed today, thanks!

Well, lets see...kids have been loving the summer weather--spending hours a day on the porch, playing outside at Pink Grandma's and Grandmama's, and getting worn out at parks!

Friday was my mom's birthday--the fam congregated for steaks on the grill, twice baked potatoes, strawberry walnut salad, cake and ice cream. Mmmm...good food. Happy 61st, Mom! Abby was concerned about the birthday present situation...what's a birthday without a bright, sparkly pile of gifts to open?? What good is a gift card?

Grandpa put up a new swing for the grandkids--it's a hit with all! I took pictures, but non of them turned out--it was getting dark, so there's not much to see in them. I'll get some day time pics later! (I'm having a rough time to get this font the right color!! Gar!)

Yesterday we spent the day at Grandmama's mowing the lawn and playing outside...

The kids love all the space to run out at Grandmama's. They love driving their car, digging, (Abby helps Grandma in the garden--she says, "We gotta get all these weeds out of here!) and just running. Abby actually fell asleep at 5 pm yesterday and slept through the night! Poor tired girl...I'm not complaining though! Alex can't wait for the day that he's big enough to drive! He climbs in the little car and will sit, waiting for Abby to give him a ride. He's even willing to put his very life into her hands for a ride...she's got the gas pedal down, but steering is another story, lol! Grandmama can pick up her lawn chair and move pretty quickly when Abby's coming 'round the mountain, lol! Bj needs to install a horn.

Alex and his bouncy balls are getting a little out of control...poor Flora was a victim of his ball slinging habits this week...she's temporarily residing in one of my glass measuring cups while she waits for her home owner's insurance to process her claim. Here he is apologizing for his indiscretion...



Bj? Well, business is good. Contractors are sending jobs everyday, and he and Jon are working hard, long days. It's a good thing, but I miss having him around. On Sunday Bj will be ordained and set in place as Assistant Pastor at our church. Our pastor feels Bj is already functioning in this role and would like to recognize and formalize the position. So I'm a pastor's wife? I haven't quite wrapped my mind around it, but I'll get there.

And me? Oh a lot of this...



And sewing, which I've been enjoying SO much! Tired of losing my scissors and rotary cutter, I whipped up a little craft apron...



And these, which will be up for sale in a little online baby bedding and accessory store my friend Michelle and I are working on...






I'll post a link when things get better looking...it's still not quite all put together...but here's a little taste!

Blogger is giving me fits today, and I smell Alex again,so...that's it for now! Bear with me on the huge pictures...I resized them, but I suppose it will just take a bit for it to happen. Everyone have a wonderful week!

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