In Other Words

Only in the Northwoods...

I love mid-west living...really, I do.  It's just that at this time of year the weather is so unpredictable.  One never quite knows what to expect in March and April.

Take for example two shoots from the past week.  The top image was taken last Sunday..just a little over one week ago.  It was so cold that day that I actually got a little bit of frostbite on my hand!  (When will I learn to wear gloves?!!)  This couple was so cute and so in love...we actually had a lot of fun despite the cold weather.  It just took me FOREVER to warm up from that session.  I think I actually slept in two shirts, flannel pants and wool socks that night!

Yesterday I had a shoot with this beautiful young lady and it was a tropical 81 degrees!!  The shoot lasted about 4 hours and by the end I was a sweaty mess.  I came home last night and wanted nothing but to sit on the front porch eating popsicles!

What a difference a week can make, eh?!  I was so excited about the balmy weather yesterday that I pulled out all the summer wear this morning (short sleeve shirts, shorts, sandals, etc...).  My excitement came to a screeching halt when I heard the weather forcast...highs this weekend=40 degrees.  Ugh!  I guess I won't pack the winter coats just yet.

Happy Tuesday! 

Good friends...

Good friends...what would we do without them?!  As you all know the last few weeks have been tough for me.  Last week I was feeling emotionally drained and a bit overwhelmed as I worked my tail off to get caught up from being gone.  By Friday I was feeling exhausted and in need of a major break. 

Saturday morning I started my weekend cleaning routine when the phone rang.  My friend Jenny was calling to ask if I could join her for a day of scrapbooking.  Oh, how I wanted to go.  I got on the horn with babysitters but I knew it was going to be a long shot finding someone available on such short notice.  After 3 or 4 unsuccessfull calls, I gave up.  I called Jenny back to tell her that it wouldn't work, but to try me again next time.  I was almost in tears because a day of scrapbooking seemed to be exactly what I needed. 

About an hour later, Jenny called back and told me to load up my supplies and meet her at the scrapbooking store.    She called one of her students who was willing to come out and watch the kids for the day.  I couldn't believe it!  The sitter showed up and the kids fell in love with her in the first 5-minutes.  So much so that not one tear was shed as I was walking out the door.

I stopped for a coffee on the way to the scrapbook store and totally enjoyed being spontaneous...what a treat!  Jenny and I had a great time scrapbooking and chatting.  The hours flew by, but I enjoyed every second.  What a blessing it is to have good friends...friends that know exactly how and when to help. 

Thank you Jenny!

(O.k..so you'll need to excuse the HORRIBLE image quality here!  I don't own a scanner and photographing 12x12 pieces of paper is no easy task. Ha!)

 

A tribute...

I've been away from my blog AGAIN.  But, this time for good reason.  My dear grandmother passed away last Saturday.  Needless to say it's been a sad time here.  Two funerals in less than a week...kinda' hard on the heart. 

We journeyed safely to Kansas (a whopping 16-hour drive) for my Grandma's funeral.  Although it was a haul, I am so happy we were able to go.  Reminiscing with my family about Grandma and all that she was to each of us...it was a little piece of comfort for my aching heart.

How I loved listening to the stories of my Grandma loading the neighborhood kids in her car and driving them to the outdoor pool.  Or sharing one of my favorite memories of playing Skip-Bo for hours with Grandma.  (This is the Grandma who was NOT afraid to beat her grandkids at a game of cards...she was always in it to win!) 

What I remember most about my dear Grandma though is her baking ability.  Boy could she cook and she loved sharing her passion for food with me.  Whenever she came to visit there was always at least a full day of cooking activities planned.  Sometimes we made pies, other times cookies, but my all-time favorite was lefse making days.  Oh, how I loved making lefse (o.k...so I enjoyed eating it more than baking, but it was fun regardless!). 

On the way home I got to thinking about how much I love baking.  I bet a huge part of that comes from Grandma.  I'm so glad she took the time to teach me the fine art of baking.  It's something I can pass along to my children...one generation to the next.

It also made me think that it's about time I launch my recipe blog.  It's something I've wanted to do for many moons....I just couldn't find the time.   Well, there's no better time than now, eh?!

So..be sure to visit my new recipe blog: In Other Words: The Yummy Stuff

Thanks! 

Boyhood...

It's official.  My son has completed the rite of passage into boyhood.   If you'll take just a moment and look at the images I posted above I have no doubt you'll know which method he used to journey into this phase known as boyhood. 

That's right, my friends, a Lite Brite peg up the nose.

My husband and I were in the kitchen cleaning up our dinner mess when we heard our oldest son crying (scratch that)...SCREAMING up in his bedroom. We ran up the stairs practically tripping over one another to find him with his hand covering his nose.  He was in such a panic I didn't know if he fell, knocked out a tooth, I had NO idea.  My husband took one look at the scene, turned to me as says with total confidence "He has a Lite Brite stuck in his nose.". 

Now, you must understand.  I was raised in a home with mostly girls.  My mom, my older sister, myself, and my poor dad.  Inserting foreign objects in noses was virtually unheard of in my house growing up.  My husband on the other hand...he grew up in a home with 5 boys (no, that is not a typo).  My husband is the oldest of FIVE boys.  Is it any wonder that when he stumbled into our son's room he was able to analyze, process, and diagnose the problem within seconds.

This is EXACTLY the type of thing I imagined back when I was pregnant and learned we were having a boy.  I even remember driving home from the ultrasound and asking my husband if he wanted to take dibs on what object the ER doc would be pulling out of his nose someday.  His guess was a pea, my guess a rock.  O.k...so we were both wrong.  It was a Lite Brite peg! 

It seems fitting that this happened just days before his 4th birthday.  I take it as a sign that he is venturing into boyhood.  If this is the beginning, goodness knows I'll be ready for a vacation when he leaves for college.

Cheers!