My sister-in-law Maya takes gorgeous photos of her family so I had to share some with you from her recent trip to Milwaukee with my brother and their kids (her sister even makes an appearance).
Maya's sister.....trying to fit in with local Wisconsinites.
Thanks for letting me indulge in some family photos. Will be back soon with some more lovely interiors!
~ sunny
All photos by MB
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image: sunnygirlsf
My friend Sharona now lives in London...and probably will forever! (note to self: plan trip to London to accept Sharona's invitation. ask sharona if we can pop over to Paris as well.) I was minding my own business yesterday when the mail arrived with something from The Queen! Or not. It was a package from Sharona which held the teacup and saucer you see above. She'd snapped a photo of it at a market and we both "ooh"-ed and "aah"-ed over it...but she sneakily told me that the prices were outrageous. Thought that was the end of that.
Sharona's note accompanying the gift said that she inflated the prices just to throw me off - as she was intending on surprising me. What a sweet friend!
If you have any London secrets to tell her about (cute little shops, flea markets, hidden gems), you can find Sharona on her blog, Today I Wrote Nothing.
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Isn't this photo beautiful? My former housemate from San Francisco (and current friend!) Annelies got married two weekends ago!
AZ used to have separate food and poetry blogs but is now focusing exclusively on la vie en route. She is a gifted writer with so much style; you'll adore her! I'm thrilled she graciously allowed this photo to be shared here!
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found this: shoestring mag - when I googled Budget Living Magazine. Looks cute.
Also found the domino mag flickr group. JACKPOT!
sooooooooooooo what's going on? (rocking back and forth on my heels, looking around the room)
what's new with you? (still not making eye contact with you)
I confess. I have another blog.
There, I said it. This one we're on here seems to have narrowed itself (okay - I narrowed it) to Pretty Pictures Only. Why? I don't know. Then I have this other blog about decluttering my closet, working out and trying to get rid of some spare pounds that stick around, and other fun projects.....and am having fun with it. THIS blog, my Pretty Blog, is amazing to put together. The other one? fun, fun, fun...for me anyway. (pardon the many "me" and "I" references here. will ban myself..uh...Sunny..from using those again this week)
You're cordially invited to view the Other Blog. If you'd like. I'll welcome you in, hand you a mocha, and we can curl up on the couch and chat about why you haven't seen Inception yet - or you can teach me to crochet something more than a double-stitched potholder. Or we could just shoot the breeze. Anything's possible.
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Am reading a new-to-me blog called Ladybug which featured a decluttering session and inspiration pages posted into design journals using pretty masking tape. (Aren't you happy I explained what the photos already illustrate?! Sheesh!). It caught my eye because I just went through a huge stack of magazine pages dating back five years and ended up tossing over half the pages because my style had changed. But in that stack were some treasures - some articles I'll post here very soon in case they could be your treasures as well.
Another blog worth checking out is "journal futile". Both this one and Ladybug are written in French so I depend on google translate to help me read the posts.
I read a blog post recently that pretty much kicked my butt. It mentioned how someone might talk forever about travel but never do it. Anyone who knows me realizes that I love all things French and want to visit Paris someday. Apparently I'm all talk and no action, thus my goal is to start saving up to visit Paris by 2011 or 2012. Heck..how about 2020?
photos by Marie of Ladybug
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Was with family this weekend "up north" (Wisconsin code for "north of anywhere you are now"). The fam had a lemonade stand to raise money for a child they sponsor who lives on the Gaza Strip.
images: sunnygirlsf
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am writing on a new blog in addition to this one. just daisy is about my process of letting go of pounds and clutter from my body and my home because I deserve to live in a tidy home that I love coming home to and running around in a body that is strong!
so naturally pretty photos will remain here (well..there might be some over there too) and then at just daisy, there'll be stories (mine and others), photos of in progress projects, before/afters, and just inspiration to keep things sparse and clean.
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Good evening! It's Friday evening of a U.S. holiday weekend. Enjoyed a dinner of french toast with peanut butter and real maple syrup on it...then read my book a little more. Jumped up from the couch to transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer and discovered some underwear wound tightly around the agitator..underneath all the fin thingies. (I'm sooo technical!) Thought it would require a quick pull on the underwear to get it loose but it wasn't that easy.
Then came this phone conversation with my friend Tina:
me: "Ummm.....I've got underwear stuck in the washer. Am too short to reach the bottom of the washer when I lean into it so I'm standing on a stepstool. I can now reach the underwear and have scissors in hand to cut the underwear but am afraid I'll pull too hard and knock myself out and stab myself in one move....Can you BELIEVE I got underwear stuck in the washer??? Who does that???"
tina: "That's my GREATEST FEAR!!" [dramatic]
me: "What? Your greatest fear is getting your underwear stuck in the washer???"
tina: "Right."
me: "oh..it's being unconscious...."
tina: "yep..and people not finding you for days."
Because I didn't want to be left unconscious for days nor have a repairman be called thus requiring me to run around and tidy up the living and dining rooms before a repairman could be allowed into the home, I managed to get the underwear free of the machine - in little cloth pieces but they are free.
What kind of night is it when your greatest triumph is that your underwear is FREE of the washer?!
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Post previously titled "puppies & prayer" has moved to my other blog.
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Apartment Therapy posted a home tour of Evan B. Harris, and I became smitten with the kitchen and the attic. The bare surfaces, the pretty storage accessories.... quite beautiful to me.
The retreat I went on this weekend was amazing....a time to relax, slow down and actually think, read and pray. Listened to some great teaching and also participated in some discussions. I was in charge of the meals and they went well overall. Two people told me they'd expected retreat food to be peanut butter & jelly sandwiches but instead were treated to homemade chili, cornbread, fresh fruit and vegetables, juice, soda, bottled water, homemade desserts, breakfast casseroles, sloppy joes, and homemade soup. More than one person groaned over the pounds they were sure they gained this weekend.
Hope your weekend was a good one!
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Definitely a pretty kitchen. Yellow is becoming more and more a new favorite color of mine. And how did Real Living Magazine know that I'm looking for an old school, big clock for my apartment?! Mind readers!
Need more time in the next few days. Today is only one day but it needs to hold nine hours at work, two hours of a dinner with a family friend in town + some card playing, packing for a retreat for tomorrow, gathering items to hold the food at the retreat so some of my personal style will be there in the kitchen and dining room of the retreat house (10+ bedrooms! 10+ bathrooms! not too shabby! and that's just the girls' house). Add to that packing for the gym tomorrow (5:45 AM class), working a morning, then gathering all items plus stopping to pick up containers of donated pasta e figioli soup to serve 35 people at lunch on Saturday. Did I mention that I also want to clean my apartment thoroughly so that I have a nice surprise waiting for me when I return home?! Yeah - that's not gonna happen.
Luckily for my packing time, the retreat items I need are comfy clothes, Bible, notebook, pen, "a good attitude" (according to the retreat organizer), toiletries and that's pretty much it. However, I don't travel lightly, so I consider my pillow, a small throw, and comfy socks to be "necessities". I'm sure the guys attending the retreat will spend three minutes tossing a toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear and the books they need into a small bag and calling it a day. Lucky!! (said in my best Napoleon Dynamite voice which I hear on my NP keychain)
All this to say, blogging from "morning's light" will be kinda light (hahahaha. ok not funny) the next few days but I will return with photos from the retreat (of people snoring during the sessions, of people stuffing their faces, and of pranks being pulled) and bits of the funniest moments. Because there will be some. I guarantee it.
Ooohhhhh...Amy did introduce me (and the bajillion other readers of her blog) to Aunty Cookie... a very fun and pretty Australian blog!
images: real living
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friends: Brenda is my mom's bestest of friends, and she was in town this weekend. It took my nephew Hudson hours and hours to warm up to Brenda, but just as he and his family were to leave, he ran up and hugged Brenda's legs and *poof* they are now buddies!
Bonus: Brenda is a nurse and she figured out from my symptoms what medicines I would need, and she was correct. I took her advice and have not had a coughing episode (for that is what they are) in 24 hours. Thanks, Brenda!
family: here's a photo series I'm calling "Tall Kids" as they each look extremely tall. Cute kids, wouldn't you say?! They are my nephews and niece: Caleb (age 12), Mimo (age 5) and Hudson (age 2 1/2). In May they'll be joined by a brother, Christian James (CJ for short).
(Caleb was watching a show, and Hudson wants to be just like his older brother, so he found a pillow and plopped down as close as possible to Big Brother. I found it adorable.)
mansion: Toured Milwaukee's Pabst Mansion with Brenda. Seven of us took the tour and included five of us who were vocal ["Ooohhh....ahhhh....look at that tapestry! the woodwork! the storage!!!"] and a couple who were silent [*crickets chirping*]. Beautiful home with two of the first three stories restored.
concert: Battle of the Bands took place at church this weekend, with one of my junior high small group girls, Alysia, performing her own songs. She did amazing and had such a strong stage presence! She even had fans who made signs!
That was the weekend + a little baking + a little cooking + a little cleaning. Just right.
photos by sunnygirlsf. click on photos for larger versions.
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"How Not to Do Youth Ministry"
by Sunny
When volunteering with a youth group at church and leading a small group of eighth grade girls, do not assume a girl is going to ask an irrelevant question when she raises her hand - even if history tells you that the question could be about ice cream or a pet dog.
Your girls may surprise you. One of them may have a question for you and the proper response is not to say, "What is your question about? Is it about shoelaces???" Because you will then find out that her question is about the Bible verse you just mentioned and what the reference is because she wants to look it up later.
Oh. I'm so sorry! It's Romans 8:26. Glad you're looking it up later!
My co-leader Anna and I have a great group of eighth grade girls. They have a lot of energy, they care for each other, pray for each other, and are there on Wednesday nights to have deep discussions. And have fun as well. One of the girls has a mom recently diagnosed with cancer. Another girl has ongoing medical problems. More than one has a troubled family background yet each one shows up cheerful, energetic and willing to dive in to answer discussion questions and share prayer requests. They're such an encouragement to me each week. I've not been there 100% the past few weeks - being sick and then having a whirling mind due to too much cough medicine in my system.... and they welcomed me back with open arms last night!
This Saturday is a battle of the bands and A, in the lower right corner of the photo above, will be featured at the piano while singing songs she's written. I cannot wait to hear her sing!
So now you know how I spend my Wednesday nights! I work with a great team of junior high leaders. Our preparation meetings are filled with laughter and with planning. Then we pile out of the classroom and into the gym where we play basketball, mingle with those who hang out on the side of the gym, then play one big group game - which changes every week. Gotta say those nights are the highlight of my week!
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Last week was a whirlwind! Sharona was in town, and we always had something to do. Friday was a day in Milwaukee at the Art Museum and battling the cold, cold wind as we walked the downtown streets. Escaping into a chain bookstore then a local bookstore for warmth was quite comforting in itself plus the fact that browsing for books is fun!
Above photos by sunnygirlsf
I visited the third floor of a used bookstore - and found what I'm calling my "treasure": a stack of 16 issues of the out-of-print Domino magazine! There are some duplicates so I may be giving some away here if you'd be interested - or maybe a magazine swap?
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While my guest for the week, Sharona, is curled up at home on my loveseat, working on her laptop in comfort, I'm viewing this sunny kitchen and wishing I could work at that table.
Here's Sharona at my apartment - we had to call tech support for my wireless router and were walked through the corrections needed - step by step. Lovely!
image: sunnygirlwi
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Am under the weather - yes, again. Took a month to get rid of the cough that accompanied the flu..then *bam* a cold. But it's the perfect time to stay inside, rest and look at pretty things that the internet offers..specifically pretty blogs! Here are some latest favorites.
How are you feeling?
okay - this is not from a blog but one of my junior high girls from church just tagged me in this photo on facebook... I'm tagged as someone she loves. awwww.. very sweet. that made my night! thanks, alysia!
at wide open spaces, amber listed her faves which includes a superb list. my favorite is: "Just the necessities, neatly organized. Whenever I start coveting a new kitchen or crafting tool, I go organize a closet or drawer. I get the instant gratification of seeing everything lined up in its place, looking back at me, and I feel much better. I think this rule also governs my favorite foods. I love fresh, simple foods. Like sparkling water and a slice of black bread with cheese."
freshly picked tomatoes by krickelin-krickelin
fall images from like a butterfly in your house
That's it for now! The weekend is almost here. I have two plans: a game night with friends and church on Sunday. Ooohh and most likely a nap on Sunday afternoon.
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I had some fun with photos in the last post..but didn't realize the photos would be like Cinderella and *POOF* would disappear after a few hours. The photos have been replaced..if you'd like to see them in context of the accompanying story!
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So the poor guy who was rude to me after our blind date has had a not-so-good week. His car broke down, and here's what he picked up at the rental car agency:
Then he met another blind date at the museum....
Seems everywhere he turned, there I was.
But I wasn't really in any of those places, of course. I was dressed up and on my way to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra for a fun evening!
A happy ending indeed.
The End.
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Glimpses of my niece + nephews as they played outside at Gramma's house on Saturday.
On Saturday while Gramma ran errands, it was time for "Okay, kids, let's go outside and pretend the trees are our forts while your mama and papa stage the house and photograph it so it can be sold!" (My mom is retiring and moving two hours away to live near these grandkids!)
So we played outside and Mimo showed me her house.... "It's THIS big!" She's certainly her organized mother's daughter, as she quickly categorized the areas in the stone circle as the rooms in her house and then promptly hung up her pail and shovels as "kitchen items" on the branches. Neat and tidy - that was her house. She made "soup" from sand and branches in the pail and found a rock to cover it while it "cooked".
When do we move from that imagination into office-drudgery and running errands?
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"Eye of the Tiger" has been in my head since hearing the kids from PS22 singing it yesterday.
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My brother Jay and his family are staying in my mom's small home for another month or so until they move to their new house in Appleton. So it's one big happy family! I was there over the weekend - while they were shopping online, playing (the kids), and playing cards. Documented it because they're all so darn cute!
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Welcome to our world, little Bailey. My friends Stephanie and Andrew had a little girl this past weekend. Wish I could fly to Hawaii and shower kisses on this new little one. She's beautiful.
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Friday night was the first warm evening in a long while as winter has continued to linger. My friendKirsten dropped in to hang out on my deck and later watch the week's episode of The Office. I'd just placed the tray down on the table when she arrived, so a quick snapshot was taken to share with you.
HELLOOOO down there! It's Kirsten! She just bought a new Honda Civic which I call the "hotter, younger cousin" of my car (which you can see on the left), an older Honda Civic.
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family friday. that has a ring to it! I have photos from Easter Sunday and the day before (moving day for my brother Jay and his family) to share with you. All the Easter photos are at my brother Randy's house...before they move to a new house in May. All this moving around......but I'm staying put. For now.
My nephew Caleb on the moving truck. To me, the bed looks suspended - as if it were a piece of art.
The big hit of the day on Easter was bubbles.
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Sonic Sunday: took two "Sonic virgins" and one Sonic fan to the latest Sonic to arrive in Wisconsin. How to survive an hour long wait in a line of cars snaking around a building to be allowed to enter the drive-thru lane or a drive-in stall? Drink lots of sugar, entertain the driver, and take loads of photos.
Loving the "heavenly light" illuminating Molly as she enjoys her first ever Sonic sandwich.
Worth the drive, the wait, and the nap after lunch!
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Saturday's trip to IKEA was an all-day affair....lingering on all levels of IKEA's store, enjoying lunch there, meandering over to the Container Store, stopping for dinner at the oasis above the freeway on the way home.
Above is one of the model rooms I liked. However, it's not as practical as these other rooms:
Tilt your head to the right to enjoy this kitchen Elena called "her" kitchen. I liked it too.
Combine the kitchen above with this living/dining area, and it would be one happy apartment. Wait, that doesn't make sense. Maybe cheerful in colors. Or the apartment dweller would be happy. That's probably it!
I do love this dining area. Wouldn't have thought of the yellow chairs but they're so pretty! Maybe I should have bought some.
Elena: WHY DO ALL THESE NAPKIN HOLDERS SAY "MEAT BALL WILL KEEP NAPKINS IN PLACE???"
Me: Oh, that actually says METAL ball.
$5 for the napkin holder. Shoulda bought that too!
Here's the room we couldn't get Mimo to leave behind. Look at that long work surface and all those cubbies! Could be used as a doll house or for play cooking or keeping house.
We found a lot to buy.
Mimo spent the trip home playing games on my iPod Touch and talking to Elena.
(Is this where I say "When I was four, there were no home computers or cordless phones or ipods or digital cameras."?? I believe the music of the day when I was four was played on eight track tapes or cassette tapes. Either way, it's pretty impressive how adept children are now at technology. Before Mimo's little brother Hudson was one, he'd reach after I took his photo to see what the picture looked like on the back of the digital camera.)
To see all the photos from the day, click here to see the facebook album. The album should be viewable even if you don't have a facebook account.
So the day was a happy one. We spent money, laughed a lot, and brought back items to cozy up our homes.
The End.
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Here's Kalette (she's one of my junior high girls) .....we played cards and drank yummy beverages and took over a table for a few hours Sunday afternoon. Taught K how to play "shanghai rummy" and we played two full games - a fun way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Speaking of "documenting", here's the same photo transformed at this site. Looks to me like this was clipped from an old, old newspaper instead of snapped Sunday.
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small IKEA bowls to add a pop of color to my office.
niece mimosa napping on Sunday. this was mimo's first sleepover at my house and her brother caleb's fifth time. we watched Mulan, ate pizza, made smoothies, napped, played and went to church together.
mimo with Hulk hands. this was at a family barbecue in honor of Mimo's mom's 30th birthday and did I get a photo of the birthday girl? No...I did not...because I was holding little one year old Hudson who watched his mom get sung to around her birthday cake. Sorry Maya....but here's a photo of your daughter!
Hope you had a great holiday weekend!!
~s.
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Shawn (nephew) turned five yesterday but the party at the children's pizza place was on Sunday. As we arrived, he got to hang out with the mascot during a "show".
Then I visited my brother Jay's house to see the family's new dog. Emma is an 18-month old golden retriever. Adorable. I think if I ever live where I can have a dog, I'd like a mix of a golden retriever + sheltie. (We figured out that the dog we grew up with was a mix of golden retriever, sheltie, poodle (very slight) and cocker spaniel. We knew he was a mix - never knew a mix of what though.)
Meet Emma:
(photo above by Mimosa, age 3. Below photos by Sunny)
Love this photo Mimo took accidentally.
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Tonight is Katy's opening night! She's in Mikado! I so wish I were in the Bay Area for a visit so I could go hear her sing!! (She is one of the girls who flew to Vegas in June to help me celebrate a birthday!) Before I moved to Wisconsin, I was able to hear Katy in her Senior Recital at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and she was phenomenal. Beautiful voice.
Congratulations, Katy!!!
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Went to the baseball game last night - Brewers vs. Braves - with Youth Guy, Tech Guy + Katie. We paid attention - most of the night, but as you'll see, our attention wandered at times. We did cheer the Brewers on to a 3-2 win!
texting...........grading algebra exams..............reading a novel. exciting game!
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Wednesday was my nephew Hudson's first birthday. Thus a birthday dinner of pizza with family.
Drove way too fast to arrive at church in time to meet with my junior high girls. Surprise! (or I'd just forgotten!)..a pizza party was given to the junior high kids (boys and girls) for their service project of giving to the homeless in April. Couldn't settle anyone down to have a serious discussion so they got out early.
Here's the night.
Pizza Party #1.
PIZZA PARTY #2
Jessy is moving away this summer. She doesn't look that sad!
Ya know...if you make that face often enough... it'll freeze that way. Are ya payin' attention, Youth Guy Bryan Roe???
One more week with these girls until the fall. KC is the sixth grader with the soda bottle who looks sad. She was injured in the mosh pit of the concert at church Friday night - when she headbanged too much.
KC's doctor told her that her headbanging days are over. Nice to hear at age 12. She can tell her grandkids one day, "So I used to headbang! No, really! Why are there no photos of me doing that? Because my Headbanging Years were from the ages of 10 to 12. I had to retire early because of an injury."
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Here are carolyna, jenny, elly and erin. They moved to town a few months ago, and I'm just getting to know them. I never had a sister much less four of them, but I feel like I do now. They are world unto themselves. They do everything together, finish each other sentences or just say one word and the others fall on the floor laughing.
Random bursts of songs with hand motions, lines from The Office, inside jokes, lyrics - all are fair game.
Our conversations can mainly consist of Facebook, The Office, movies, Facebook, and friends. Did I mention facebook? These girls have the most creative facebook statuses on the planet and they are talented artists, muscians, singers, bakers, and sewers (sewing artists?!).
Girls Nights are more fun with them around until they welcome you with a shouted "Get outta my house!!!" and giggle with glee.
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kathryn holding a friend's baby, Ben.
Meet Kathryn!
by the way, if you're rendered speechless as you gaze at the photo, you're in good company. all kathryn and I could say as we looked at the photo this afternoon was "woah" then *SILENCE*. and another "woah".
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if you convince yourself monday is a GREAT day...perhaps it will be great!
the weekend was full of family + friend time. friday night, took my nephew to dinner (five guys burgers and fries) and then to an arcade for the night. we played laser tag. I lost... 58 to 8! (no photos...too busy running around playing games).
saturday - left town for an aunt's 70th birthday party and went through a drive-thru to get a bottle of water. absentmindedly heard the woman in the car ahead of me order four value meals: three of them being chicken nugget meals. I glanced down at her bumper sticker and saw that it said "got organic?". (click photo for larger view). Not sure how organic chicken mcnuggets are.
I then went to the party for my aunt. Took a photo of the cake - and the camera angle has the cake reading "Happy 10th!" which delighted my aunt!
a little cousin - ciara
flowers for the birthday girl
a photo of my aunt and uncle that I'd never seen. awwww
my cousin angie
angie and I snuck away from the party for awhile to tour her new-to-them, older house that she and her newlywed husband have turned into a modern country home. angie favors the industrial chic look that I love too..the mix of old + new, worn + shiny.
love this kettle!
she got this dresser for ten dollars at a rummage sale!
the jars are another rummage sale find.
raced back into town for a farewell event for a family at church. then had a mini-photoshoot with joe and hannah in front of a sign for the latest sermon series from our pastor... "rock, paper, scissors".
[in the service yesterday, we all had to stand up, play rock/paper/scissors with the people around us (best two out of three) for two competitions..and the winners remained standing. I ended up a "winner" so twice during the service, the winners were called up to the stage to be part of the message illustrations. he said we didn't have to be interviewed, so we all breathed a sigh of relief.
what the pastor did NOT tell us was that we were to turn around, lean down and place our hands on the stage, and have our backsides to the rest of the congregation while we pushed on the edge of the stage! Forty of us - kids and adults - had our backsides to the people watching us. the women on either side of me and I were joking about being on camera like this. the pastor was illustrating that you can't knock over a [cardboard] rock house if you push on the solid foundation the house is built on. the second time on stage, we had to shake the wagon the "bricks" were on so that it fell off. that was a better trip to the stage.]
pretty full weekend. how was yours?
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My nephew Devin snapped this photo of Hudson, his little cousin, at Easter dinner yesterday.
The day was unusual (multiple church services + lots of family time + weird snow).
Two church services (I went to the "upstairs church" service in the main sanctuary then attended the youth service) + lunch with family + dinner with friends while we watched "Reign Over Me" (an excellent movie with Adam Sandler in a serious role, Don Cheadle and Liv Tyler). We took a quick Starbucks break and headed out to find a rain-like snow coming down. The roads weren't slippery but the snow was coming at the car and it seemed we were driving into stars in space! At least the quest for chai lattes was successful.
Since I'm feeling just great this week, my goal is to get two closets cleared out. Here's the photo that is inspiring the urge to organize:
I had a basket full of magazines...and every glance at that basket stressed me out just a little. So the magazines were replaced by a few books, with the result being a look I'm going for in the entire apartment: a few functional and well loved items surrounded by empty space in the container or on the shelf.
How was your Easter weekend?
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what's a girl to do when she's been sick and cannot complete sentences? post video of her niece and nephews, of course! Thanks for letting me indulge in some cuteness overload:
Here's Hudson....age 10 months:
and Mimosa, age 3:
and Caleb, age 10
It was funny to hear Mimo on Saturday as I toured their newly renovated home [of which I will be posting BEFORE and AFTER photos of because the home is so pretty now!] because she has my "talent" for narrating what is happening in a room and joining in any ol' conversation.
Thanks for the indulgence. I'll be back soon with plenty to write about!
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First ferris wheel ride for my niece mimo (center), and it's inside an amusement center.
Caleb was enjoying it as well if their faces are any indication!
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I love the K family! They spent the middle portion of their Saturday at my apartment putting up shelves, assembling a table and some boxes, hanging artwork on the walls and keeping me company.
This photo sums it up...(click photo for larger version & to read the text)
As the the official photographer....it's my duty to bring you more photos from the afternoon:
G jumping on the couch to make sure the slipcover fit perfectly.
S posing again. "Take MY picture..... Can I SEE it????"
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Friday was a great night. I was immersed in a family night at Carol & Kent's home - along with their four kids and a guest - A (above right) had her best friend over for a slumber party - a first for A. It was fun being one of the kids - and romping around the house, taking crazy photos..but in the end, this photo was my favorite. I think it's because the girls looked so relaxed!
The middle part of the weekend was crazy busy at church - helping with a new software program being used during the services - and then Sunday night during the Super Bowl, I saw the movie "Over Her Dead Body" with a friend. I went to spend time with the friend but ended up really liking the movie. At one point I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. good times, indeed.
UPDATE: Just heard a story from this weekend that shows little Mimo (age 3) is like her auntie. Mimo asked if she could [pretend] call her friend... "Hello, Zoe. Want to meet me at Starbucks? OK, I'll see you there. Bye".
Later she was playing Starbucks and was the barista with a purple apron on who took coffee orders and made them to order. Gramma's order was pretty intense.... a triple, grande, non-fat, no whip, sugar free latte with foam for here but Mimo made the drink perfectly. Guess it helps when your ingredients include a set of plastic fruit and a little teacup.
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Meet...Rachel! She works in the office when she's on break from school. She does a little of this and a little of that...and dates a certain college student named Matthew.
I spotted her "ring" and zoomed in for a closer look...
Coworker A came along and whistled at the size of the "ring", saying "Someone is dating a guy with BIG BUCKS!!"
I said with all the seriousness I could muster, "He WORKS at DENNYS!"
Apparently that one line won a comedy award in the office today. thankyouverymuch
Coworker B mentioned a friend who is out driving in the snowstorm and called in to say with alarm, "My little red thingy is blinking!!!" to which Coworker A replies, "Sounds like a medical problem to me! Have you checked with your doctor?" while Coworker B thought it sounded kinky. I think it sounded silly. But that's just me.
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what a week and it's only tuesday. I was without a car for three days last week as a friend's husband did some preventative maintenance on my car..replacing some belts, a water pump, the timing belt and a motor mount something-or-other. I pick up the car Saturday and drive it for 48 hours. As I'm getting on the freeway Monday night, the car loses power.
I call the office and someone was there to come by, pick me up, call a towing company for me (head hanging low, I'd answer with "I will be soon!" when people would ask if I'm a member of AAA), call the guy who fixed my car, then when he can't fix it, we pull it behind the work SUV I'm driving - to the mechanic. I wait all morning to hear from him, and the moment I leave for lunch, the mechanic calls to let me know my car needed a new "ignition coil". I return the call in the afternoon and authorize the repair. I pick up the car after work and then evaluate money spent in the last 72 hours (and none of it for fun things like manicures or girl movies like "27 Dresses" or "Mad Money").
preventative maintenance + replacing a broken part = $400
towing = $100
new ignition coil = $250
December repairs/oil change = $200
Total Car Repair Costs for December and January = $950
I'm thinkin' it's time to put money aside for a new-to-me car - a Toyota RAV4 perhaps. Curious what Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will bring!?!
{had to get this photo of nephew C "driving"! nice city!}
Meanwhile, I'm in the middle of watching American Idol. What an amusing start to the season! Guy wearing a cape, singers shrieking songs, girl sells horse to finance trip to audition..... And they're being nice this year. Walking out with a young, distraught girl with Simon talking about kittens and dogs with the girl; being kind to the guy from Egypt who loves America, American girls and the BeeGees.
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An invitation arrived this week to celebrate a boy's birthday at "World o' Fun". Tables were reserved, party packages were chosen, and the afternoon cleared in calendars.
On Saturday, picked up Niece (3) and Nephew (just turned 10) to go to World o' Fun for The Boy's birthday. Did I mention The boy is in his mid-thirties? I didn't. Oops. Now you know.
Niece, Nephew and I leave a quiet, wintry afternoon and enter into a world of screaming (in fun and out of frustration) kids, shouting parents ("hey! get back here...right now!!! no, don't stick that up your nose!" sigh), employees ("do you have a wristband for that and a ticket for this?"), friends greeting one another (got to really meet The Boy's Girlfriend for the first time and some of our friends whom I haven't seen in months), and the machines doing all their bells + whistles to attract attention to the kids ("pick me! play ME!!").
Did I mention I had a headache before entering this World o' Fun?
Here's the Birthday Boy as he collected the tickets he won in the 30-second-booth where you grab as many tickets as you can.
Took a turn to watch the empty table - which held purses and bags - and to wait for the delivery of the pizza to the table. [felt a bit like my mom must have when the family would go to an amusement park. three kids and dad take off for the best roller coaster and leave mom with the bags on a bench. her "job" was to watch us while we were in line for two hours and wave whenever we'd randomly turn around and go "hi mom!"]
Then I followed around Niece as she made a friend, Lori's nephew Blonde Boy (BB), also age three. The two of them were best friends forever (at least, for the afternoon) and followed each other around the play land and the game area. (BB told Niece you have to be "vewwy, vewwy cayhrfuwl" (as he nodded and held a play gun that looked kinda real - black and silver and heavy-looking)).
We played a few games, collected a few tickets, and then they gazed in wonder at the Prize Case. Both walked away with their prizes - a purple, inflatable fist on a handle for him, and a pink, inflatable fist on a handle for her .
After a full four hours in this screaming room, uh, world of fun, it was time to go. Dropped off the kids at home and made a beeline for a cafe where I could sip a hot beverage, read a good magazine and enjoy the silence. (hhmm...silence seemed to be a goal this week).
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here's my niece wrapped in my scarf....being all cute.
and here's her little brother..... as he meets his new teddy bear.
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