C is for...

C is for...Cup. Alex took a cheap shot at Abby before she was even out of bed yet--he decided she must be thirsty and tossed a full sippy cup of water at her. He's got exceptional aim! Poor thing--I feel like I need to get her a T-shirt that says, "Don't call CPS, my parents DON'T beat me!!" It's actually looking a little worse than this now that it's healing a bit.

C is for Chair! Bj's birthday chair:

He's had his eye on this comfy chair for a few months, so Happy Birthday to him! It's super comfy!

C is for...Carrot Cake! Which we haven't had a chance to have any of yet. Poor Bj turned 30 without a birthday cake! The weekend was very busy--Saturday was spent mowing at Grandmama's, napping, then going out with Jon and Michelle (Jon's b-day is the 24th, so we usually have a little joint celebration for the boys.). Sunday we went down to Mall of America, took the kids to Camp Snoopy (oops--it's the Park at MOA now, isn't it?), Underwater World, then to Ikea for The Chair.

Abby was really looking forward to Birthday Cake, so I suppose we still need to find time this week to have cake! Abby picked out a pair of pajama pants for her Daddy for his birthday...after talking all day about secrets, surprises and presents, as soon as he walked in the door, she hollered, "Surprise! We got you jajamas!" Meh...guess she missed the concept--it was easy to forgive such cuteness though!

He didn't ask for a day to himself, or hours on his Xbox, or a party, he hasn't even complained that he didn't get his carrot cake. Bj's idea of celebrating his 30th birthday was making the kids as happy as he could--they had a wonderful time on the rides at MOA, seeing the fish, and "Hanging out with Daddy" as Abby would say. Happy Birthday, Beej...I think we got a gift way better than jajamas on August 25, 1977.

Ok, moving on...C is for...Cross-dressing?! Alex has been clomping around in Abby's dress up shoes. It's not uncommon for me to come across him with a little purse hung over his arm, a wrapped up doll in the other arm, and these lovely heels on his feet, lol! Might be time to invest in a cowboy or fireman costume...

Boy, the pictures are all looking a little dark, aren't they? Sorry...guess my mad photography skillz are slipping...

Oh, one more C...check out this link: Conflicts in Colorado!!

{Insert giant eye roll and sigh here} Criminy, Crikey, load of Cr*p, and Come on. How silly.

Ok, I'm outta here. Have a good rest of the week...watch out for those menacing 3rd graders...one would hate to be chased against one's will!

Logic...

Grandma: "Abby, why don't you sleep in your own bed?"

Abby: "Because my family can't fit in my bed!"

B is for...

Well...made it all the way to B! My mom said, "Oh, cute, but you won't make it through the alphabet." Haha! Oh, now it's ON, Mom!

Of course, B is for...BALL!! Alex loves 'em.

Abby says B is for BOOK, and this is her favorite!

B is for Basement...this is my future sewing space...probably distant future...{sigh}...

B is for Bad Boy...

And finally, B is for Bathing Buddies...and Boogers apparently...

Rain, rain, go away...it's been drip, drip, dripping for the last 3 days. And chilly!! We had to dig out long pants and were surprised (I don't know why?) to find that the kids shot up since the last time temps dipped this low! So, time to go shopping! In the meantime, it's a good thing capris are in.

I worked all weekend, so this gloomy Monday is being spent on house damage control and laundry catch up...rah, rah.

Hope there's more sun wherever you are! "C" you next time!

OH! I almost forgot, B is for Birthday! AND Bj!! The Big three-oohhhh is on Saturday!

A is for...

Well, since I've hit a sort of "blogger's block", I'm issuing myself a little homework to get the ball going again. I'm going to take a cue from some of my favorite blogs and work through the alphabet, A to Z. I don't think I'm ambitious enough to commit to one a day, but I'll try to get close anyway.

Soooo...A!! Well, that's easy enough! A is for absolutely adorable Abby and Alex!! Sometimes antagonizing, sometimes aggravating, but also frequently angels!

A is for Ambition. Which I lack. Remember this vow to post pics of finished projects? Riiiiiight...well, I mostly finished one, does that count for anything? The throw blanket behind the kids in the above pics is mostly finished, I just need to stitch the binding down. That's the one put together from this birthday fabric. Then I moved on to new, short, fun projects...like these:

Scarves in August? Lol...I was just playing with scraps of fabric laying around from other projects, and came up with these--the back is really, really soft minky fabric. I've sold a few on Etsy, which was really fun.

Karen was with us for a week while Mom and Dad were in Michigan...we decided she needed something to carry her Gameboy and games in--we came up with this while the kids napped one afternoon:

...Hmmm, I see these pics aren't very good--it's cuter in real life...sorry.

Back pocket, just Gameboy sized:

Action shot:

Thanks Karen, that was fun! But...the stack of unfinished Abby dresses, Mommy skirts, quilts, pillows and curtains are still staring at me...

We're ready for winter...ready for business to slow down, ready to be snowed in with nothing to do but read, sew, play games and be together with nothing to do. Bj is always, always so tired--we had a lot of hail in the area last night, which means they'll probably get a bunch MORE business...as if they didn't have enough work.

But, we did get to have our Monday night date! We saw "Stardust"...fantastic! If you like fairy-tales and fantasy, check it out.

Haha...I just head Abby tell Alex, "Go away, I can't play, I'm in trouble." :) (She's refusing to nap this afternoon, but has to at least stay in bed for another 10 minutes.)

...so, stay out of trouble so you can play, and Be Back for B!!

Finally, updates!

I can't believe it's August, where did the summer go? So...I apologize for getting so behind on blogging. I guess we just got busy. Bj is working, working, working...he and Jon have really been putting in tons of hours, often not getting home until around 8 p.m. (they head out at 6.), they worked every Saturday in July (and in August, so far, lol). They hired some help, who will start this week, so hopefully things will ease up a little. They're able to get done 2-3 jobs/day, and have been receiving 4-6 new jobs/day, falling behind quickly! I suppose it's all good for the company, but not so great for the family time-we miss him.

I started a little part-time job, caring for a very sweet 91 year old woman in her home. It's a wonderful job, easy work and the hours work very well for us. She's a joy to care for, and her home is on a lovely beach right on the lake--the views make the time I spend there even more enjoyable. I have lots of time to read or work on my crochet skills or hand-stitch applique while I'm there.

Grandpa Rob's visit was wonderful--we didn't get to do much fun stuff all together because of the demands of IGS, but he got to spend a lot of time with the kids, and I really enjoyed having another adult around during the day! Thank you for coming, Rob--next time maybe you'll have a ceiling and something besides a cement floor! I'm really bummed that I didn't get any pictures of Grandpa with his grandkids--but here's a few from fun stuff we did while he was here! We didn't make it to the zoo or MOA though, darn it.

BUT, we did make it up to Clemens and Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud...we played at the park where they had this very cool fire truck:

And Grandpa took us to Chuck E. Cheese! Woot woo!

Don't you love the outfit Abby's wearing? Mimi sent up lots of adorable outfits with coordinating purses and hairclips--Abby was in heaven! She also sent several stylin' outfits for Alex--thanks Mimi! They're fantastic, each one! Thank you for coming, Rob--we enjoyed having you so much. I hope you come again when Bj is able to take more time off--our life is more fun with him around, I promise! :)

It's been blistering hot around here! The kids and I set up the pool--they've been loving it! They'll play out there for an hour and a half, easily--more if I give them popsicles! :)

Note the strategic picture angles? Alex likes to skinny dip.

Oh! Bj didn't work EVERY Saturday in July--one we spent together, just he and I!! Last spring I was able to snag a couple tickets to a St. Paul Saints game for a Friday in July...Lish helped me get them and a hotel room (!!!) so Bj wouldn't see charges on the bank statement. AND she volunteered to spend the night with the kids! I was able to keep the lid on it until the day before, so Bj was pleasantly surprised, and we had a BLAST. The Saints are tons of fun to watch, and we slept from 11 p.m. until 8:30 a.m., uninterrupted, and without anyone else climbing in with us! Devine. Then we had a late breakfast at The Original Pancake House, my new favorite restaurant. Yum, yum, yum. Thanks, Lish for all your help!

Whew. There. Consider yourself updated! I think that covers it. Grandpa Harold's memorial service on Saturday was very nice...small, mostly just the family, but it was good. Mom and Dad have gone out to Michigan to hold a memorial for the rest of the family out there, and to leave Grandma and Grandpa's ashes. Karen is staying with us while they're gone, and I'm already appreciating her help with the kids and the company during the day!

Enjoy your week!

What's funny...

Thought the mood around here could use some lightening...every time I catch these on Sesame Street I almost pee down my leg! Enjoy!

Editing to say...hope someone else finds these as hilarious as I! Bj just watched them and found NO humor...is it just him? (Or just me?) :)

Sesame Street - Dogs bake homemade bread

Dog Barber

Dog Mechanic

Goodness

I'm sure you've all seen the news...it's so hard to watch, but even harder to look away. I was so grateful to have Bj sitting next to me as the news of the bridge collapse broke...every day he criss-crosses the cities going from job to job and supplier to contractor, crossing the I-35 bridge a couple times a week. Had he not been home from work yet, I'm certain my alarm would have been immeasurable! Catastrophes like this are always a reminder of how our lives truly are "a vapor in the wind". I can't imagine the pain and difficulty of not knowing the whereabouts of family members, of being able to do nothing but wait--I'm so thankful to have my family safe and sound and intact.

I apologize for not coming to you with happy news and the fun pics I promised, but this is life.

Last night my Grandpa Harold passed away, peacefully. He lived a long 95 years! Services will be on Saturday--he'll be remembered for his generosity and gentle heart. And the root beer barrels and Werther's he kept in his pockets, ready to share! Anyway, I may be a little busy the next couple days, so the good pictures and happy updates will have to be put off a little longer.

Hug the people you love!