catching up

i have so much to catch up on, at work, at home, on the internet! just got done reading my blogs for the first of ten times today. wonderful stuff. i owe a big, belated thank you to sweet jes for the awesome snailmail swap package i received from her! ( i hope you were not worried that it didnt get here, it did im just so tardy with things...) check out the goodies!

this is the first of a three month swap, julys theme being summer fun! jes put in all kinds of fun for the summer. A beach inspired journal, some party lights (used them last weekend!) fun summery papers and fabrics and some yummy treats from maine (used a bunch of the beer mustard last weekend too)! thank you so much jes! one of the reasons i was so late in posting was that we went on a spur of the moment road trip two weekends ago (making me miss the delivery of the package). david got an urge to get out of the house, so by 7:45 friday evening we had reserved a hotel room (thanks hotwire) packed the kids, loaded the car and were off! unfortunately having kansas city as your starting point limits the choices a bit, as does having two kids to keep happy, so we ended up heading to oklahoma city for the weekend. big zoo = big requirement. we spent most of saturday at the okc zoo and it was great! eliot had a blast, and managed to tame a baby rino...


there was also a great hands-on science museum that we spent quite a bit of time in, because it was fun and because it was air conditioned. the rest of the day was spent napping, eating and swimming in the hotel pool. on sunday morning we went downtown to visit the okc bombing memorial. it was very well done and peaceful. david captured some wonderful pictures.

here is one of the gates. there were two this one has the time 9:03 carved on it, the other 9:01 to bookend the time of the blast. the pool was so peaceful and made a beautiful sound. it was only two, maybe three inches deep. off to the right is the field of empty chairs, each representing a person or child killed in the attack.

after the solemn morning we headed to tulsa to visit their big aquarium, much to the delight of collette who just learned how to say the word fish. well, ok, it just sounds more like ssssshhhhhh and can involve spitting. i think she spit the word fish on just about every tank in the place.

that blur is eliot jumping up and down saying "i want up, i want up!". which makes you wonder why they put the tanks so dang high up, i mean its for kids right? after looking at all that water i had to go pee, then we packed it back up and headed home. it was really fun to just get away for a bit.

this last weekend was full of spending time with our good friends clark and kerry who are moving at the end of this week. very sad. clark is in med school and has a year of residency to do in columbia, missouri. luckily that is only two hours away, so i think we will be getting away on the weekends more often. its still sad though...

on a parting note, what do grandmas do with their granddaughters when mom and dad are on date night? cast magic spells on them that make them sit still so their tiny, tiny toenails can be painted i guess.

whew...

i feel like i have been so busy lately, but im not exactly sure on what. i have a few unfinished projects that i need to get crackin on, but where does the time go?? aaah, i wish i knew. here is an overly late picture of a wonderful surprise birthday package i received from leslie! that woman is amazing, three kids and she still manages to get out lovely mail. my new hero i think.


seriously though, i have been so inspired and encouraged by all the amazing craft blogging moms out there (amy, kelly, myra, stephanie, amanda, hillary, i could go on and on) (not to mention all you creative ladies sans children, you rock too!). it makes me so happy to see the creativity because of and in spite of their children, and home, and husbands, and work. it has given me the courage to find my own outlet, one i didnt know i had, and now dont think i could do without. thank you so much!

party dress and a smile

who could really ask for more?

like a bandit (or thank you part two)

i really did make out like a bandit this year. i think my husband is off the hook for the next few years. why? well because he was sneaky. sneaky in an excellent, crafty way. so sneaky in fact that he enlisted the help of some blog friends. what??? husbands know what is going on in our crafty blog world? i guess so! he emailed kelly and amy to be a part of his clever scheme. and this is what they came up with. look what kelly made (in the car on the way to her vacation no less!)....

cute case huh? what could be inside you wonder? how about this....

my very own ipod mini!!! you have to believe me when i tell you that i had absolutely no idea that this was coming. none. and that it is mine, all mine! that may sound selfish, but my husband is kinda a freak about music (not kinda, he is). so that i get to carry this on my person and load my own playlists is also a big gift in itself. thank you so much david! and thank you kelly. you are both very sneaky. and even though amy already posted a picture of the bag she sent me, i wanted to put one up too. its too awesome not to deserve multiple pictures!

and look, i already have it stuffed to the brim with my things! and my mini!

ok, so my wonderful friend kerry (who will soon be starting her own blog, yah!) brought me very many lovely gifts. i was most excited because she made me my first ever apron!!

she also gave me this awesome tshirt, and if you cant read backwards it says "i heart carbs"

i do heart carbs, and i already wore my apron while making my very carb friendly basil chicken calzones. mmmm..... on saturday my friend kristen also turned 29, and we celebrated by having tea with the girls. kristen surprised me with these adorable shoes. i think she knows that i have something of a shoe fetish. its a good thing she and her husband are opening a shoe store.


unfortunately they didnt fit my micro feet (damn you size 51/2!!) but i am going to do everything in my power to get them in my size. after the tea party, we grilled out with some friends. my husband is really catching on to this craft blog/packages in the mail thing. he knows how important packages in the mail are now, and was so kind to bring with him a package i had received while i was at the tea party!! a surprise birthday package from dear, sweet giao! look at all the goodies for goodness sake! (isnt that great? she has all kinds of great little goodies that say that at her store the walrus and the carpenter).

two of her original illustration notesets! fabric, a cute milk tea towel, yummy smelling soaps and all kinds of great crafty bits. oh my, what a surprise! speaking of fabric, the girls also managed to score some great vintage fabrics at a garage sale and out of their grandmothers closets ( i told you i made out like a bandit, and im not even done!).

and my estate sale fiend friend sarah surprised me with this great dresser (that she found for $15, how does she do it!!??) that i am going to use to keep all my great fabric and crafty things in.

oh, is that a gocco printer on top there? it is! a great gift i bought for myself with some birthday money from mom. and the wonderful gals at the papersource surprised me with cupcakes and a crown and birthday banner that i wore all day last thursday while i was at work. 29 is the best! and the 30s are better??? i cant hardly take it. thank you so much everyone for all the wonderful gifts and well wishes. it was truly an amazing birthday this year, and all the gifts aside, its my loving husband, family and friends that made it so.

thank you (part one)

wow, thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! this has been an AMAZING birthday! i mean any girl who gets to celebrate for a week has to feel so lucky! and i do! before all the festivities began, i received a most excellent package in the mail from kelly! look, she sent me a peach!!! i love it! not to mention the cute pencils, fabric, buttons, trim, pig hair ties (!!) and eraser!

thank you so much kelly. i have many more thanks to share (especially sneaky kelly!) later this evening when i get home and take some pictures. again thank you everyone for making this such a special birthday!