The reason for Mother's Day, right here.

Mother's Day Hike

Mother's Day--aren't we all trying to build a nest that our babies (both young and grown) can feel safe in while they grown and learn, explore the world, experience new things.

And this man, how I love him so. Thanks to him for making me realize that I wanted to be a mother. Thanks to him for helping me try to become the best mother I can be to these two wonderful, curious, independent, kind, loving, smart, and just amazing children.

App love

I have a new app on my phone that I love--camera+ or something like that. One can do some amazing effects with it and make everyday phone photos a bit better. Here are two I took over the weekend and played with in the app. Love how they look, especially the one of Yaya. She is such a beautiful little girl. So much fun, so stubborn, so amazing. Bean--floors me daily with the things he know, wants to know, who he is becoming.

Couple of me--which are few and far between on this blog. I tweaked these as well in the app

First one is of me in Verberie, France in 1991. I was there doing archaeology on a Upper Palaeolithic site in a small town northeast of Paris. We stayed in an old hotel type place that had these great windows and shutters that really did just that. I often sat in this window after work, writing in my journal--probably pining away after some boy I had just met in England that I was smitten with.

I was all of 21, in love for the first time (or so I thought), first time away from home, out of the country, full of wonder at the world, ready to take on the world and all it had to offer. A lifetime ago. It is one of the few pictures of me I really like. There is a great cherry tree to the left that we would climb up after work and eat cherries off the tree until we were sick.


This is me now:

How much of that 21 year old girl is still there? I wonder daily...................

Piles and stacks

Piles and stacks of things around my life. Just thought they would be good together in a post.

Yaya and all her bracelets, the endless amount of towels I wash each week, playdoh--empty containers because always left out and dries out, and stacks of paper for book making projects at home

Cherry Trees 2011

Another year at the beautiful Athens/Ohio University cherry tree grove. My mom and dad came down for the weekend and we were able to show them the trees. My mom always seems to come the week before or a the week after they bloom. Gorgeous trees, once again. Thanks Mother Nature. I gave Bean my phone and he took a bunch of pics too. (Will show those in a series too)

They Draw & Cook--Very cute website

Life and the kids

Love this and "borrowed" from Valerie at Mamapedia Voices.

I try to not borrow too much from others writing and ideas, but I read this today and thought I would share. I deal with with on a daily basis when I come home to all the chaos. However, I must remember and accept that the chaos is what life is all about.

"So does it matter that our home isn’t ready for its Better Homes and Gardens photo shoot? I’ll admit, it bugs me sometimes. But then I remember. Home is where we lay our heads at night while the kids lie sleeping by the light of the filthy fish tank. Home is clutter, chaos, half-finished projects, and having to clear the kitchen table off before we can eat on it. Home is tiny shoes and socks strewn throughout the house. It’s finding strange objects, like green plastic pickles, in weird places like our bed or in my makeup bag. Home is fingerprints and noseprints on every glass surface there is and peanut butter streaks on the wall. Home is piles—I mean PILES—of library books and closets jammed with toys, games with broken boxes, and puzzles with missing pieces. It’s finding Play-Doh crumbs a week after you played with it. Home is blanket forts in the living room and responsibility charts on the wall. It’s hash marks on the closet door jam showing how big they’ve grown, and stools by the sink so they can reach. It’s all of this not-so-perfect-looking stuff and yet, that’s what makes it so great.

Our house will get decorated someday. For right now, it’s home."

Edible Book Festival 2011

We had our 3rd Annual Edible Book Festival at work today. Was fun, sparsely entered and attended but fun, none-the-less. These were my two entries from this year. "Cream Puff" the Magic Dragon and Cat in the Hat.

Dutch Creek Sunday

Cranes for Kids

Bean has been asking about how we can help those in Japan after the recent earthquake and tsunami. He is really concerned about the animals that have been affected or are lost or hurt due to the devastation. I promised him I will figure out a way we can help the animals as well. He is a safety superhero and it is his teams job to help animals is need or trouble. I will help him figure out how to help the animals.

I did come across this to help the kids affected by the disaster.
Cranes for Kids seemed like a great idea to get the kids involved and feel like they could make a difference without going to Japan in person.

We are going to start our cranes tonight and I will post our creations.

Dragons-R-Us

So, for some reason, when my kids graduated to real beds from their cribs, we just used the blankets we had laying around the house. For some unknown reason, we have an ungodly number of blankets around the house--piles of them. I suppose it is the accumulation of both M and my life together and also as single adults that combined households when we got together. And then, as you know, you never get rid of blankets--they are very useful.

Each kid sleeps with like three blankets piled on top of them. Why we didn't get them a comforter or duvet, I don't know. But seriously, have you priced a comforter later--way to pricey and I don't want to give in to the Disney thing either--no way!!! So, Bean does of have fleece blanket I made for him when he went into his big bed (he was about 2.5 at the time) that is a CARS blanket (yes I know a bit of disney crept in, but I made it for him so it doesn't count). Recently he asked me if he could have a new blanket, as he is not into Cars anymore and it is a little kid blanket. Other recent events surrounding this request include friends coming over and playing in his room. coincidence? Probably not, but okay, I will honor his request for something more grown up.

His latest obsession (Cars, dinosaurs, sharks are all out) is dragons. So how does one make a dragon blanket? And for damn sure I was not going to buy one. Ya know, that crafty homemaker in me is convinced that I can do better than any store bought crap!

So, I decided to make him a duvet cover for this bed. This is what I came up with. I still need to sew it onto a backing piece (so close, but I never seem to do it!). I think he will love it. He has not seen it yet--a glimpse of picture of it. So, I will let you know how he likes it.

And as M reminded me, I better get ready to do one for Yaya next. True, very true. (sigh)

Just pics I love.

out, out!

Got home yesterday from work, made a quick dinner and decided it was necessary to get the kids out of the house for a while. They are on spring break this week-which means they are home all day and need to be entertained all day. M is taking the first half of the week off and I am taking the rest of the week off. We headed out to Strouds--yes again, and had a lovely time.

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hummm, turning one year older

Well, here's what 41 looks like--well at least what is looks like on me.

As I venture into this next year, I am looking forward to changes, new opportunities, and new adventures.

Here, There, and Everywhere