stay tuned

photo shoot pictures coming soon...

in praise of port and good company

We enjoyed a wine and cheese party Saturday night at my

lovely cousin, Tracy's, where we feasted on such delicacies as

drunken goat cheese and sipped an assortment of wines - from

two buck chuck to my fave, Port. The details were perfect, from

the lighting to the company. I'm already looking forward to next month...

dance

some, upon hearing the word heaven,

think

streets of gold.

pearly gates.

This is what I think of.

(Make sure your volume is turned up

then hit play.)

big day

her first baby-sitting job is today.

we made up a little bag with bandaids, crayons, markers,

playdough, and snacks. she laid her clothes out last night.

said she "wants to look like the baby sitter

and not the babies being sat".

I'm so proud of her.

Good luck today, Savannah Joy.

my mom

thinking about my mom tonight. she left this afternoon

after staying a few days to watch the girls.

she took them on walks. made a trip to the zoo.

told them stories at bedtime.

she's such a wonderful grandma.

I love you, Mom.

regroup

I felt like a bad mom today. Not because of anything in particular that happened,

just habits I let build up and then

all of a sudden, are staring me in the face, like right now.

It's hard working full time

and staying fully present as a mom.

who likes to read. write. blog. create.

let alone, keep up the laundry.

I'm not as territorial as I need to be...with my time, my space, my stuff.

because most of the time, it really doesn't bother me.

or I feel guilty staking those claims.

until I hear myself speaking in hurried tones. counting the hours until bedtime.

and then I find myself, like right now, when I peek in on their sweet, slumbering faces, remembering the kind of mom I said I was going to be.

and I regroup.

bargains

dreaming of said new place...had to share my hobby lobby
bargains today. I bought two matted frames on clearance
for $3.99 each. The scrapbook paper inside: 50 cents. Thinking
of writing a word some where in the middle...not sure yet.
The fabric (double wide) was on clearance for $7 a yard. I'm
envisioning a little retro. A lotta bright. We'll see...

behold,

our new residence; a small duplex in a neighborhood (as opposed

to the present complex) not far from here. While it lacks the finer details

of hosta, impatiens, and the like, I am actually digging the shabby chic

exterior. In fact, I think Rachel Ashwell might approve. The best

part...it has four bedrooms. I repeat, four bedrooms. And you

should see the master bedroom. It is huge, with hardwood

floors and double closets. The girls call it a dance studio. Two

weeks 'till move in day. I am giddy with excitement.

recharged

Joel took the girls tonight so I could have some time to

myself. I had figured Marshall's was closed so you can

imagine my delight upon seeing this sign.

a time out alone is never complete without a stop here...

and because I hadn't had one in YEARS, a chocolate malt

with extra malt. and I didn't even have to share it.

and to my husband, thank you. I feel much better.

wall.e

We went to see Wall.e last night. Here we are killing

a little time before the movie. As for the movie? Joel and

the girls loved it while I struggled to stay awake. I got bored.

Sorry, all you wall.e lovers out there.

this...

is my friend, Barb, who is never far from her aviators,

even in full batman attire.

And this...

is her sweet son, Jake who just turned nine.

We celebrated Jake's ninth birthday in full summer style...

burgers and dogs on the grill.

potato salad.

volleyball and badminton.

dart guns. marshmallow guns. water guns.

glow sticks, bubbles and fireflies.

and best of all, good company.

Happy Birthday, Jakeman.

beach day

This is what we did today. We went to the beach. The girls actually let me read while they collected clams and gave them names like "Ferguson". We ate tuna sandwiches. It was quite wonderful, I must say. And then back to reality...a messy apartment with company coming in an hour.

the chairs of schuller's books

Winding down now after a long day as I feast on fresh strawberries and a cup of hot tea; vanilla rooibos, if you care to know, the flavor of which strangely reminds me of the smell of a pipe. Work was pleasant, especially my lunch hour, 45-60 minutes of guarded bliss, where I escape to a peaceful corner of the world known as Schuller's Books. Not only do they house books, music, and magnetic poetry, but also worn, cozy chairs like this mottled blue one. Some days, I sit here, a favorite spot in the children's area that sits directly beneath a skylight, thereby, bathing it's readers in warmth and light. Other times, I'll sit on the left side of the couch in "the living room", a quiet little cove complete with a fireplace and two wing back chairs, all rather intimately arranged. What matters isn't where I rest, although I must say the wooden chairs in the music section are hardly conducive to comfortable reading, but that I am alone. Uninterrupted. Recharging my batteries for moments like right now...Someone is thirsty. Another one needs a cold washcloth because her eyes are hurting. And the third? Requesting my presence on our own couch where she watches Cheaper By the Dozen. The left side appears to be free...G'nite.

tidbits

Feeling a bit behind...so much to post about, but oh, where to begin. I thought I might spread the happenings out over the next few days, but then I'd be playing catch up and unable to fully capture today, and we wouldn't want that now, would we...so, here's a few tidbits of the last few days - stuff like happy visits with friends. sunbathing. sparklers. sun-lit hand claps while waiting for fireworks. precious pups, and more.

cherries

Bing cherries are in season and they are divine. delish. can't

stop eating them good. go buy some today.

for katie

Peanuts and Crackerjacks

Sydney's favorite player, Magglio Ordonez (Maggs). You should see all the pics we got of the other players!





Watching the fireworks

Coach Leland!



Joel's face in this picture makes me laugh.

summer afternoon

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." ~Henry James

a tribute

I was saddened today when I learned a good friend of our family, Eric Terhune, was just killed in Afghanistan. For the first time, the war is personal for me. Because of brave men and women like Eric, our children can be safe. For any who'd like to thank his family for his service to our country, you can sign his guest book here.

semper fi.

my new bag

check out my new bella bag, made by my creative cousin, Tracy and her mom. The fabrics are like candy (amy butler)...I'm thinking of some pillows in the orange pattern, then again it also comes in apple green. If interested, they're coming soon on etsy for $40.

Summer Solstice

We rang in the first day of summer with the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing last night (bet you can't guess what the youngest wore). And now, I'm off to work. So, go enjoy Summer today, in honor of me...drink lemonade. set up a slip and slide. do cannonballs in the pool. buy popsicles. wear flip flops...

kindergarten bound

Long day at work. Got home and had to go right to Somer's "end of the year open house", or so I thought. Remembered I needed to bring a dessert, so stopped at Meijer's on my way where we grabbed some cupcakes that tasted like chemicals. Arrived at school at 6:10, ten minutes after the "start" of the open house. To my surprise, little preschool students were arranged in a row, taking turns walking up to the front to receive their diplomas while announcing what they wanted to be when they grew up. Just as Joe accepted his diploma and yelled "batman" into the microphone, all eyes seemed to turn to me while I looked down at my daughter who had on an old Christmas dress, flip flops, and star wars sunglasses. Apparently, this wasn't just an open house, but an actual preschool graduation, with grandparents and dressed up moms and dads, not to mention, their preschoolers. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Part of me wanted to cry and tell them all that I used to be a stay-at-home mom - a really good one -who was at every halloween party in full costume and blowing whistles on field day. But I didn't. I smiled as the class all seemed to yell in unison, "SOMER!" And then I laughed, and started snapping pictures. Somer was not only oblivious, but seemed to be feeling very cool, very proud in her dollar store shades, never taking them off, even to receive her diploma. Later, we ate lukewarm pizza and bagged salad with bulk ranch dressing. And then Sydney said, "No one's eating our cupcakes, Mom."

And I laughed some more.

sun manor

Here are some pics from Carolyn's lovely home, where the sun seems to shine even when it's raining. It's no wonder the name of her street is sun manor. We painted her bathroom and rearranged the living room. Actually, I painted while she brought me beer, listened to me talk about my problems, and made me laugh.