Everyone Needs a Fairy Godmother

And Izzy's is amazing.

Here's my sweetie on her Baptism Day, in the arms of her Godfather Eddy.

And in Auntie Trish's arms too....My big "sister" drove down for the day yesterday.

She arrived Mary Poppins style...

bags overflowing with tutus,

hats,

flowers,

stuffed animals,

and an antique buggy,

all for an hour and a half long (at least!) photo shoot with my girls...

they laughed and played dress-up all through the yard,

and then came in from the heat to cuddle.

Izzy brought out her special China storybook and read it to Auntie Trish,

Sweetest thing ever.

One day is never enough to be together...

She is my kindred spirit,

met at a neighborhood crop,

and she moved away a year later.

Not fair.

I miss her every day.

We scrounged at Goodwill together too,

and did quite well....

Can't wait to do it again.....

Julie

p.s. The chair....is in our living room near the canoe window seat. I found it while out for a run...popped into a furniture store here in town. I overheard a man saying to his wife, "That is the ugliest chair I have ever seen." I was thrilled...as it had my name all over it. We got it for a steal, as apparently everyone else thought it was the ugliest chair too. Down filled Woolrich cushions and leather arms...so comfy...and it works in this room....

Needing a Getaway

I could use a getaway about now....

a little time to breathe before the kids are home for the Summer.

This is where I'd head....Door County, Wisconsin.

It's like a little New England in the Midwest.

Ever been here?

We go about 4 times a year....it's the perfect getaway....

Here's where I'd love to stay, right on the shore....

Here is the full listing with info. on how to book a stay...

http://www.vrbo.com/224661Isn't this gorgeous?

3 Bedrooms,

2 Baths,

would be fun to head here with two other couples,

or 5 other girls....

Not to far from fun little shops and awesome restaurants....

Luxury condo,

Right down by the water and a restaurant too...

Away from the hustle and bustle,

and here I would even get a good night sleep....

Time to put it on the calendar and come up with a plan.

I'm needing something to look forward to!!

The Best Things in Life

Are Free!

I couldn't leave it on the curb.

It had my name on it.

Ok not really.

Isn't it awesome?!

Mark said he would have sped up if he had seen it.

Good thing he wasn't driving.

I had 26 minutes to get across town,

change clothes,

put on some makeup,

and pick up Linnea before a track meet.

This little gem caused my heart to skip a beat, and life came to a screeching halt.

Sofi and Izzy were troopers...

they know the routine.

They cheered me on as I hoisted it into the back of the minivan.

In my haste of reassembling it I put the drawer in wrong.

Poor Mark going to have to help me fix that.

Infinite possibilities, don't you think?

The knobs are awesome.

Love the little doors down below.

Why do my crazy finds cause my heart to skip a beat?

Now to find a home for it....

in the gazebo?

playhouse? (doesn't really fit in with the girls' lime green and aqua dream..)

art studio?

laundry room?

Wish I could put it on the main level....

Give me your two cents!

-Julie

Flying

Two more birds for the "Birdland" show...

Love this little chickadee....

Who knew Carol Burnett and Maya Angelou could be friends....

Love these quotes....

sorry for the bad pic.
-Julie

McCalls Easy is an Oxymoron

Here's Zippy and her new costume.

She's off at Clowntown in Ohio this weekend...

learning more tricks for her nursing home visits.

She's hoping to come home with a wig

and some balloon making knowledge.

Flew in a 4 seater from IL to OH...

what a thrill for my now 11 year old!

Making this outfit was painful.

So outside of my element.

My sewing machine is not my friend.

I don't understand patterns.

I tried.

I spent hours trying to rethread the bobbin

and make the tension right.

When you have to rethread the needle after every seam,

something is wrong....

right?!

The inside of her costume looks like a thread warzone.

I told her to take it off and make sure nobody sees it.

The polka dots are iron on...

and they kept falling off.

I'm sure she'll come home with a red jumper,

and I'll have to sew them on.

The pattern said it was an easy one,

it wasn't.

I finally let my commonsense and creativity go to work....

I'm saving the pattern for future birds and creations.

Pretty neat paper.

With a ridiculous language on it.

Tried to have the lady's at Joann's Fabrics help me...

NONE of them sew with a pattern.

Really?!

I finished it with 28 minutes to spare.

Not bad, huh?

Bye Bye Birdies

and thanks for the amazing journey....

What a fun night we had at the opening of "Birdland" last night!

Enjoy your new homes...

I'll be making more of your little friends...

and hope to sell a few more down at "Birdland."

-Julie

Driving In My Car

Just synced my iphone,

that's a word isn't it?

Found this pic on it.

Pretty sure Sofi took it from the way back...

and I had no idea.

Izzy has the green pants.

The lime green polka dot ribbon is definitely Linnea.

That's all she wears.

Lime green or polka dots.

When you find both together,

she's even happier.

Love it.

The iphone that is.

Pretty sure it's the most amazing invention EVER.

Changed my life.

I can now multitask from anywhere.

And since I've been living in my car this Spring,

it's helped immensely.

I even started decorating it.

The car that is.

Found a little picnic basket and tucked it between the front seat.

It's my emergency kit.

Hand sanitizer.

Band-aids.

Kleenex.

Gum (for when the jaw gets really tense while driving around),

and a little stash of chocolate.

I know,

I was trying to cut back on sugar.

I have.

But the "experts" all say some dark chocolate is good for the heart.

So I'm listening to them.

No one is allowed in my emergency kit.

Driving around all day has its perks.

Found this.

My dear husband would have left it curbside.

Not me.

It was no small feat to get it into the car with 4 minutes to spare prior to kindergarten pick-up.

I did it.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it.

Garden?

Playhouse?

Art studio?

Infinite possibilities.

Thoughts?

I'm pretty sure the art of curbside junking is genetic.

Learned it from this guy right here.

When he's riding shot-gun,

count on quick turns to alleys and neighborhoods never seen.

We've done well on his last two visits.

Hoping to pass the genetic traint on to at least one of my girls.

I think it's working!

-Julie

Tantrums and Explosions

Today is a new day.

Repeat.

Today is a new day.

Yesterday everything just seemed off.

My not to be named six year old had tantrums for the better part of the day.

Not typical.

Hope she's not getting sick.

A baked potato exploded in the oven.

Yes, I even poked it.

What a mess.

Took a pic.

Tried to post it.

Can't.

Didn't have the cf card in the camera.

Lovely.

Coffee pot exploded during my efforts to make 1/2 a pot.

Here's my cup.

Fabulous.

Today is a new day.

Off to make a pot.

Praying for no explosions today,

and no tantrums in 2 hours when my dear child comes home from school....

Wish me luck!

-Julie

Cleaning Again

Found this little gem at a recent garage sale....

made for a perfect little cleaning project with the girls,

who lost interest after about 5 minutes of sorting.

Oh well,

I had fun.

Much more fun than cleaning the toilet or washing a sink full of dishes....

Still organized, useful, and it makes me smile!

-Julie

A Little Happy in the Chaos

In the chaos of our busy household,

this makes me happy.

I put it together last week while I was "cleaning."

Two Summers as a housekeeper,

a year or two cleaning the campus hotel at College,

and I really don't like to clean.

I do it.

I've learned shortcuts over the years,

and this is one of them.

Declutter,

clean quick,

and add some flowers and something that makes me smile.

After I clean,

it will all quickly become dirty again.

This is what I made last week while "cleaning."

Dad's old toolbox, stuffed on a shelf in the garage,

three jars,

miss-matched silverware,

and some favorite plates.

Done.

Five days later it's still clean and organized,

and puts a smile on my face,

even in the midst of a dirty sink full of dishes.