tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76080023009715841962024-03-19T04:56:39.139-05:00peter mariepeter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.comBlogger526125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-13766618735964249362012-05-14T10:48:00.001-05:002012-05-14T10:48:49.975-05:00Mother's Day 2012<div style="text-align: center;">
Mother's Day was so delightful! The weather was absolutely perfect so we packed a picnic and headed over to the Art Center and ate back behind by the rose gardens.</div>
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The kids got pb&j and fruit while RJ and I got some amazing cheese from our new favorite store: The Cheese Shop. We also enjoyed some prosciutto and a loaf of ciabatta bread. Now that's my kind of picnic food!</div>
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Henry got a little bored waiting for us to finish up so he ran laps around us. </div>
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Harper girl.</div>
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Henry boy.</div>
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This boy is a serious mama's boy...and I love it. It makes me feel a bit smothered at times, but I know it's something I will miss when he's older and way too cool for me.</div>
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The roses have started to bloom. It was so beautiful!</div>
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Thanks to my sweet family for making Mother's Day so special this year. Oy! I love 'em.</div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-33215148523250235302012-03-26T10:16:00.002-05:002012-03-26T10:16:43.450-05:00Harper Bloom is 3<div style="text-align: center;">
Harpe's THIRD birthday was last Friday. I can't believe this sweet little thing is already 3!!</div>
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Her big "Dora" birthday party is this coming weekend, but this weekend we went up to RJ's parent's and had a fun little party for her. We had an awesome time!</div>
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She's been excited for her birthday for months so I'm actually glad we are spreading it out over 2 weekends because it makes me sad that it's over! What will she talk about once her "Dora party" is done?</div>
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Of course both kids enjoyed the yummy cupcakes. </div>
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Then we opened a few presents. She got some cute dress up clothes from grandma and grandpa. She loved it!</div>
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Oh, Harper Bloom. You have brought so many laughs and blessings into our lives. You have entered that hilarious toddler stage where pretty much everything you say makes us laugh. You are goofy, <i>feisty</i>, sweet, loving, daring, and just plain ol' precious. Your best friends are boys. Cute boys. Oy. Already praying about that one. </div>
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You are so sensitive and so cuddly. Just telling you "no" breaks your sweet little heart and you just want to cuddle. I love that. I will for sure miss that. </div>
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I so look forward to the years ahead of getting to know you even more. </div>
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You're my baby girl! </div>
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We love you and are <i>so </i>beyond thankful that God created you. </div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-79711532296403441462012-03-05T14:31:00.002-06:002012-03-06T14:00:24.578-06:00Big Girl Room<div style="text-align: center;">
Long time, no blog. I know! So much has happened and so much is currently happening that I don't even know where to begin, so I'll start with a really no-brainer post like Harper's big girl room. Okay? </div>
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Okay.</div>
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Since my little girl is almost 3 now, she was ready for a new room. And I was really ready to finally put up all the vintage treasures I've been collecting for the last 6 months. </div>
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I painted the walls white. And I love it! </div>
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The ceiling got a coat of a dirty yellow with little scallops all along the top: </div>
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Literally, the only thing that is <b>new</b>, <i>new </i>is the bed skirt and the pink paint. Everything else is from garage sales, goodwill, online garage sales (facebook) and thrift stores.</div>
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Now that, my friends, is being green.</div>
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When I was little I used to love playing with nik naks. My sister had a bunch of them on her bookshelf and I always snuck in there to play. I loved it! So that was my inspiration for Harper. I wanted there to be lots of little treasures for her to look at and play with as she gets older that are special only to her room. </div>
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And yes. I'll admit it. This is my dream room too.</div>
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This clown is my favorite ($5!!) find. Although I'm pretty sure his eyes are looking in different directions every time I go in there.</div>
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Below is another ($5!!) find. The kids have already loved playing with the little dolls and clothes.</div>
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Gumball machine from Goodwill.</div>
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This dresser was already in her room and I painted it "Perfect Strawberry". It ended up being more hot pink than I was expecting. It took me about 5 days to like it, but now I really love it. I distressed it a bit too.</div>
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The headboard came from a friend's garage sale that I also painted and distressed. That crazy beautiful quilt was $4 at a garage sale, and some pillow-y goodness thanks to goodwill and a friend's swap event.</div>
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The curtains also survived from the nursery. They're super sweet.</div>
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My first bunting project. I'm kind of addicted now. I got the lamp at Goodwill and RJ rewired it for me. </div>
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This "Bloom" plate also survived from the nursery.</div>
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Sweet red chair and a cradle for her babies.</div>
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I got this chalkboard/dry erase board for $5 off of a facebook swap group. Excellent!</div>
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This wall below is the only part I'm not loving. I just can't decide. </div>
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However, I loooove this little lady on the wall for all her niks and naks. So cute!</div>
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That's all for now. Thanks for visiting! Now on to some major life stuff for me so I best be going. Have a great week, all!</div>
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<a href="http://kammyskorner.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff438/kammyskorner/TtoTKammyKorner.jpg" /></a></div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-52327235428619780932012-01-31T11:22:00.002-06:002012-01-31T11:22:21.164-06:00Thrift Shopping 101<div style="text-align: center;">
Since I'm a dork and don't really feel like uploading pictures, I got the silly idea to do a little Thrift Shopping 101 course. I'll put all my tips and you can leave your tips in the comments!</div>
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I hear a lot of people say they don't have time to search through everything at thrift stores...especially when it comes to clothing. Well, since I'm <i>slightly </i>obsessed with buying used clothes I've learned some things to speed up the process to show that, yes, you can shop at a thrift store quickly AND efficiently!</div>
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I've had periods in my life where I'll go to Goodwill once a week when I'm really</div>
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looking for things for the me or the kids. Lately it's been more like once a month. One thing that I</div>
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always check out is their jeans. Of the 3 pairs of jeans I <i>actually wear</i> 2 are from Goodwill. Nice jeans from Goodwill? You bet! Here's the trick: do not spend your precious minutes looking through every single pair and looking at every single size. It will wear you out, completely frustrate you, and you'll just stop and leave empty handed. The best way to shop for jeans is to use your pretty little eyes and look only for the type of denim you like. Don't like acid wash? Then don't waste your time looking at it! I spend just a few minutes each time looking only at the shade of denim, then only <i>if</i> I like the shade of denim do I look at the tag, and only <i>if</i> it's my size do I try them on. And yes, you do need to try them on. No returns, people.</div>
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I don't find jeans very often that work for me, but I at least don't waste a lot of time looking at them. And when you do find a pair for under $6? Well, I'd say it's worth it! I've heard once you try on a designer pair of jeans you'll never go back so I'd like to declare here and now I will never try on a designer pair of jeans.</div>
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Over and Out.</div>
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Unless I find them at Goodwill, that is. :)</div>
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Now when it comes to tops, I have the same approach. Most goodwills are organized by color which is pretty handy. I don't care for red tops so I don't look at the red shirts. Pretty obvious, I suppose. I also don't shop at Goodwill or other thrift stores for just a plain ol' shirt but more for something unique or vintage. I don't generally buy a Target brand shirt at Goodwill because you're not saving much money. I have found some awesome tops that are super unique, high end brands, or vintage and they are under $4. Pretty sweet. </div>
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Again, just look through everything quickly and those funky prints will pop right out. Try things on to make sure they fit and sadly if they don't, you must put it back. I passed up an amazing $7 denim blazer at a thrift store the other day because it was too tight in the arms. That's the one big bummer about second-hand is that they don't have other sizes in the back. It's a bummer because I'm still thinking about that silly blazer and wondering if I could maybe fit into it someday. </div>
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No, Abby. No!</div>
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Walk away.</div>
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Shoes? Eh. I never have luck with shoes because I have enormous feet. I look every now and then but generally don't waste my time.</div>
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Kids clothes. Same thing...look for uniqueness and then check out the size. I rarely find things for Henry at thrift stores because boys are pretty hard on their clothes. I do find things for Harper though. Did I ever tell you about the time I found NINE vintage little girl dresses all lined up in a row? I nearly hyperventilated and prompted to quickly grab <i>everysingleoneofthem</i>. At $1.69 it's a pretty good deal.</div>
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House wares. I usually have an on-going list in my head of things I need for the house yet can't justify buying them full price at the store. For example, I made french onion soup over the weekend and I don't have crock soup bowls. Do I need them? Not necessarily, but it's something I will be keeping a look out for when I'm thrifting. </div>
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Always remember when looking through tacky, outdated decor, that things can be spray painted and turn into a super fun piece for your home. </div>
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I also like to look through their plates for upcoming plate stand projects. </div>
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Generally going through the housewares section is pretty quick. Everything is laid out so you don't have to dig and you either like it or you don't. And then move on.</div>
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That's all I can think of for now, but hope it shows you that you can be in and out of a thrift store quickly and efficiently. Of course I enjoy going every now and then by myself and literally looking through every single rack for fun, but honestly on those days I don't have any more success than the days when I quickly scan over everything. </div>
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Thrifting is fun, a great way to "save" money (I mean, you're still spending money so are you technically saving money?) and it's just the thrill of the hunt. </div>
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Oh!! My best tip of all? If your children are with you, put them in the cart and go straight to the book section and let them pick out a few books to look at while you shop and then before you leave you put them back. Works like a charm every single time and I've done it enough that they've never gotten upset when we have to put them back.</div>
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What thrift store tips do you have? Please share!</div>
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Now go shopping!!</div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-48578570020207658522012-01-14T09:45:00.001-06:002012-01-17T07:28:16.843-06:00Penny Table<div style="text-align: center;">
So I saw on Pinterest, of course, a picture of a penny covered floor and loved it. Then saw someone do that on a table top and super loved it. So I got to work on this awesome sofa table a friend picked up for me off the side of the road a few years ago. At first it was black. Then this summer I painted it the same green as our kitchen island. Then last week I painted it this (slightly obnoxious) blue with a $5 gallon of paint I got at the Habitat Restore....and covered it with about $10 worth of pennies:</div>
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I used the E6000 glue I had to stick them all down and am now in the process of poly, poly, poly. I used to have a textured wall paper on top, but when I went to move the tray the other day to paint it blue, a lot of the wall paper ripped off with the tray. I super love how it turned out and I really love that you won't be able to see any wear and tear that usually comes from a painted table top. </div>
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But the (slightly obnoxious) blue color just seemed to perfect and nice next to some beat up old pennies so I distressed the table like crazy. I sanded, rubbed on a lighter green, painted on areas of brown and rubbed that in, and sanded some more. Since the table had 3 layers of colors, it ended up with lots of colors showing through. I kind of wish I had added some shots of red here and that that would poke through...maybe I still will.</div>
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And here's the finished piece! </div>
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Covering the table with pennies was a little time consuming, but it was certainly easy and the distressing was kind of a stress re-leaser so I would say it was a quite enjoyable project. </div>
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Happy Saturday!<br />
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<a href="http://kammyskorner.blogspot.com/"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff438/kammyskorner/TtoTKammyKorner.jpg" /></a></div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-70515296467704870442012-01-06T17:13:00.001-06:002012-01-06T17:13:42.845-06:00<div style="text-align: center;">
I've wondered how much longer it takes those big time food bloggers to prepare a meal when they are taking pictures of every single possible step of the process. I was going to try and do that for fun, but after a few photos I gave up. They must have a 3rd hand to take photos and cook? Or an assistant? Or lots of fancy equipment? All of the above? </div>
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Anyways, here's the recipe and RJ and I loved it! The kids? Well, they ate it...eventually.</div>
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I got this package of grain-y goodness from Target the other day. It was about $6, I think, but will probably last a good 4-5 meals so not too shabby.</div>
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Saute an onion (sliced or diced) in some olive oil until nice and soft.</div>
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Add a cup of grain-y goodness (the recipe called for plain quinoa, which would also be delicious!) and toast it in the pan for about 2 minutes.</div>
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Add 2 cups of chicken broth (I was out so just used water) and 1/8 tsp of black pepper and red pepper flakes. (is anyone that exact when it comes to their seasonings? I'm not.) </div>
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Cover and let simmer for about 15-20 or until all liquid is absorbed and grains are cooked.</div>
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Then add 4 cups of roughly chopped, fresh spinach. Cover again until spinach is wilted. Add a touch of salt of pepper if needed and enjoy!</div>
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I also did a side of sauteed carrots because I'm obsessed with carrots lately. Roasted or sauteed...I love 'em.</div>
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Serve up on a fancy, shmancy paper plate and eat away!</div>
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This was so yummy! I can't wait to make it again. The recipe is from <a href="http://weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeId=146341" style="color: #3d85c6;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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We haven't been eating healthy at all the last couple of months with traveling and holiday parties, so it felt good to finally give the fam something healthy. And tonight? We're having pepperoni pizza. I made the dough from scratch...that makes it healthy, right?!</div>
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Have a great weekend!!</div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-65526478606479469522012-01-05T10:36:00.001-06:002012-01-10T08:06:20.153-06:00DIY Plate Stand<div style="text-align: center;">
I saw this on Pinterest a while ago and have had it in my mind to do it with some of the many dishes I had collected for the plate collage I wanted to do yet changed my mind. </div>
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So I took these 3 goodies...aren't they beautiful plates?!</div>
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The best place to get plates is either at garage sale (can't wait for spring!) or a nicer thrift store. The top two I got in the basement of "Found Things" in the East Village and pretty sure they were $2 and $3 dollars. The bottom one I got at a garage sale. I've looked at Goodwill and as much as I love that place, they very very rarely have cool plates. They mostly have plates with little teddy bears and ducks and hearts.</div>
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Then you can either use little candle stick holders like this one up front (I got that one at Hobby Lobby for $2.99) and the other 3 things I already had at home. This is the part of the project that Goodwill would be perfect for but I just couldn't find any when I went. I'm sure there will be lots of little goodies like these at garage sales too!</div>
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I asked a gal at Hobby Lobby what type of glue to use and she suggested this. The overall piece seems pretty sturdy but I'm still very careful with it. </div>
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I tested it out with the little white vases first and I loved it, but it made it too tall.</div>
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But this combo I absolutely looooved:</div>
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The trickiest part is getting everything centered, otherwise it is super easy and super smelly. Once you have it glued get it out in your garage or porch...my super sensitive nose was going crazy.</div>
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This is one I made for sister-in-law for Christmas and I added a little drawer pull on the top which added a touch of funk to it and you can usually find them on sale at Hobby Lobby at some time during the month. </div>
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So there's a little DIY for your Thursday! Now go through your cupboards and pull out some pretty plates and get busy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Linking up to<a href="http://kammyskorner.blogspot.com/2012/01/trash-2-treasure-tuesday-14.html" style="color: #3d85c6;" target="_blank"> Kammy's Korner Trash 2 Treasures Tuesday's</a>!!!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://kammyskorner.blogspot.com%22%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://i1235.p" target="_blank"></a></div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-56469402079513343412012-01-05T09:57:00.000-06:002012-01-05T09:57:00.450-06:00<div style="text-align: center;">
Henry got to invite a few friends over for a little party for his birthday. I wasn't ready for a school-friends party yet...having a boy who has a birthday in the winter = indoor party with lots of boys = that's just not gonna work out quite yet. So I convinced him that it would be much more fun to just invite a few friends over instead and he was super excited. I made little canvases for our guests (you can buy a 10-pack of 8x10 canves at Michael's for $20 and I used a 50% off coupon. It's a cheap way to have lots of fun!) </div>
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Millie and Ruby were the 2 girls he chose to invite. He wants to marry both of them and I'm hopeful that he actually will get to marry either one of them. </div>
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But of course the painting only took about 15 minutes and I didn't have much else planned, but found a Bingo game I had bought at Target a long time ago and the kids loved it. It was so adorable how quietly they sat and played. </div>
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Of course he got lots of fun presents too. He's got toys to keep him entertained for a long time and got a ton of crafts projects to keep us busy for a long time too!</div>
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Life feels back to normal now except for the fact that I have a 5 YEAR old. I can not believe he is already 5! His personality stretches us...in good and bad ways....but I love that about him. When I see how particular he is about the rules and how particular he is about <i>everything</i> and how intense he is and how loving he is and how sensitive he is and how absolutely crazy he is, I know it's the kind of traits that will make him into a fantastic young man. I pray that he will be a great leader someday. I pray that he will also learn to relax a bit and not sweat the small stuff so much. :) He certainly did not get any "laid back"ness from his dad and I. </div>
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Henry Dean, I love you so much! You are simply my favorite little man of all time. </div>
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I am so thankful that God created you so uniquely and surprised us so much with your personality. Now promise me your days of being a major momma's boy are not even <i>close </i>to being over. Promise you will want me to cuddle with you at bedtime and and be over the moon excited <i>every </i>single time you see me. Okay? Okay.</div>
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<br /></div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-24415954650700584942012-01-03T11:51:00.001-06:002012-01-03T12:09:40.924-06:00<div style="text-align: center;">
Christmas 2011 was great.</div>
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We did a few crafts: </div>
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Opened a few presents:</div>
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I even got some super fun gifts...all from the East Village.</div>
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RJ is goooood.</div>
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I especially love this Des Moines print!!!</div>
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I got RJ a donut maker so we put it to work right away. </div>
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For our family Christmas meal I made homemade baguettes. They need some more practice, but were pretty yummy!</div>
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And a roast with olives and tomatoes:</div>
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Aaannnnd mashed potaters and roasted carrots:</div>
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It was a delightful weekend just the 4 of us! We saw RJ's family the weekend before and then my family for New Year's. I didn't really take any pictures, but did get this super sweet one of my nephew David. Isn't he squeezable?!</div>
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Now we're getting-ready-for-a-birthday mode. (I can't believe he is going to be FIVE) </div>
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Have a great week!</div>
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<br />peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-64203794943380903112011-12-21T07:12:00.000-06:002011-12-21T07:12:14.232-06:00Wordless Wednesday<div style="text-align: center;">
Thanks to *instagram* I may never use my regular camera again. </div>
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Or write a real-deal blog post again. </div>
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It's just too easy! </div>
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Happy December, everyone!</div>
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<br />peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-37397462258630374292011-12-12T10:13:00.002-06:002011-12-12T10:13:48.952-06:00Decemeber via pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-10598865863778362802011-11-28T15:31:00.001-06:002011-11-28T18:24:56.356-06:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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Thanksgiving 2011 was a lot of fun and full of family. My side of the family was at our house for Thanksgiving meal. My brother and his family stayed at Embassy Suites so the kids got to go swimming while my mom and I worked on the meal. I've hosted Thanksgiving 3 times since we've been in this house and I absolutely love doing it. </div>
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Having the island was incredibly handy. All the big kids sat there for the meal:</div>
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And the little girls sat at a little table. I don't think the little girls ate anything, but they were sure having fun together.</div>
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I did a horrible job of taking photos, but it was just really, really fun. My family left on Friday and then on Saturday and Sunday we spent time with RJ's side. More cousin time, bowling, eating out, and having fun. </div>
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I had won a $25 gift card to spend for Small Business Saturday so we went down to the East Village. It was hard to decide, but I spent my money at Domestica on 2 uber funky oven mits (mine were getting so old) and a little card to frame and put above our coffee station in the kitchen:</div>
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How fun, eh? </div>
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One of these years I'm going to give a very good try to buy only local. I already blew it this year since our presents for the kids are all bought and are from the big chains. It's so hard to resist Target! And the mall! And the sales! And the mall!!! But let's face it, they don't even hold a candle to the uniqueness and one-of-a-kind-ness you can find at a locally owned store. </div>
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Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and enjoy the anticipation of Christmas this week!</div>
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<br /></div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-20017373974865726202011-11-22T08:51:00.001-06:002011-11-22T09:35:06.635-06:00Catch up<div style="text-align: center;">
Back up a couple of weekends when I went up to Northwest Iowa for my craft show. The night before I painted a mural and delivered a painting for a gal my mom works with who is having her first baby:</div>
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I haven't done a mural for a while so it was a lot of fun.</div>
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Bright and early the next morning was the craft show. Here is my table that was JAM packed full of stuff. I went a little overboard....couldn't help myself. My mom helped me and we got to play with my nephew David for most of the day. It was great and I sold a ton of stuff!</div>
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Then it was time for RJ's birthday and time for my yearly chocolate cake. This year's was a winner. I used my usual chocolate cake <a href="http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/4754/Black%20Magic%20Cake.aspx" style="color: #45818e;" target="_blank">recipe</a>. (trust me, it's the best) And my new favorite buttercream <a href="http://insidebrucrewlife.blogspot.com/2011/09/salted-caramel-mocha-brownie-cups.html" target="_blank">frosting</a>. (really trust me on this one, it's the best thing I've ever eaten!) </div>
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I made a two layer cake and put chocolate chips in the middle....and then forgot to take a picture of the final product, but just trust me. It's yummy!!!</div>
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We had a fun date night on Saturday celebrating RJ's birthday.</div>
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He's simply the best. </div>
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So you live close to a Dollar Tree? I don't. And I have to say I am kind of glad because I would probably spend all my dollars there all the time. This little project came with paint and 2 Toy Story pictures. A good hour of project time for a buck? You bet!</div>
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We are hosting Thanksgiving this year and I can not wait! I think I saw an idea similar to this on Pinterest (of course) but grabbed a few branches from outside and spray painted them white and put them in a vase. Then cut out leaves from construction paper and old book pages to get this cute lil' thing:</div>
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Then on the leaves we can write things we are thankful for. Of course this one by Henry is my favorite. </div>
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Here's to a thankful Thanksgiving 2011!</div>
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<br />peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-32008771229736010252011-11-09T18:20:00.003-06:002011-11-09T18:20:42.792-06:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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Maybe it's because I adore my friend, Alisa. (the photographer) </div>
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And maybe it's because I adore my little family. (love them)</div>
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But I'm pretty positive these are the best photos. </div>
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Like, ever.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNu0aFx1pSoLaCDhyphenhyphenqMogKyHJxKSZNrEOT7eE4dCTi_RrxYXgJGnBdM6Twj7MiVl2cdatvM9270TXnI07aygIx2_MV4Z8kgTaMmGX7VNHc8oTuDc_sRvg-PBsJDIbchI0S7_bTxvc_5A/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNu0aFx1pSoLaCDhyphenhyphenqMogKyHJxKSZNrEOT7eE4dCTi_RrxYXgJGnBdM6Twj7MiVl2cdatvM9270TXnI07aygIx2_MV4Z8kgTaMmGX7VNHc8oTuDc_sRvg-PBsJDIbchI0S7_bTxvc_5A/s640/Charlton+Family+2011-67.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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I would post all 94 of them just so you could see every single possible face Harper made that day, but I'll hold back a bit. She was kind of a stinker that day, but Alisa still managed to get some beautiful shots of both kids!</div>
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This family one is my absolute favorite.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_6wd5vfL3XWrSOchThzoTNhWd5VOnErydtMhF2ib6dViTMm9ucPfXIOD7d2gkl8d6ZdMwOrOab75KuA-ur3PJ6EB9Igu4h5eAhz6qFb-0N8Pi2k0l8lKS0RRisnmj2zr41kN_ux2Gqk/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_6wd5vfL3XWrSOchThzoTNhWd5VOnErydtMhF2ib6dViTMm9ucPfXIOD7d2gkl8d6ZdMwOrOab75KuA-ur3PJ6EB9Igu4h5eAhz6qFb-0N8Pi2k0l8lKS0RRisnmj2zr41kN_ux2Gqk/s640/Charlton+Family+2011-71.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsG1a2A6-Zi5eFw2RWsxy3UTU0ftk4SFVYfU8_IurmD8ArF0Fx3n1GmagJrx8qyVwmqjKF7b2AExnQumx8XmwKz0eqwX3NDBj6PBHHZSbSauK0OZ_zIXlo7NkuV7pFFN167qx3gSv2FU/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsG1a2A6-Zi5eFw2RWsxy3UTU0ftk4SFVYfU8_IurmD8ArF0Fx3n1GmagJrx8qyVwmqjKF7b2AExnQumx8XmwKz0eqwX3NDBj6PBHHZSbSauK0OZ_zIXlo7NkuV7pFFN167qx3gSv2FU/s640/Charlton+Family+2011-74.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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No, <i>this </i>one is my absolute favorite. We probably won't be getting family photos done again for a few years. And we certainly won't be wearing clothes this matchy again for a long time. So I really wanted a family portrait to be more of a piece of art. Something that would last years and not look dated. </div>
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Enter: this photo below:</div>
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Alisa, you did it perfectly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjcl5cLQDIfGm2yU1baJgBBXTEPvTO_yEElBNC8uT94VLw9bSrGw7pyncb-31EpSzHj1n5Za-yKi_QIzcgrhROZVcnuvcVUHHqd-EzGIAxfcQ1Zls2SoIpHZrddYat5YNlQcNnscd3v0/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjcl5cLQDIfGm2yU1baJgBBXTEPvTO_yEElBNC8uT94VLw9bSrGw7pyncb-31EpSzHj1n5Za-yKi_QIzcgrhROZVcnuvcVUHHqd-EzGIAxfcQ1Zls2SoIpHZrddYat5YNlQcNnscd3v0/s640/Charlton+Family+2011-76.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_18ngx_AO1E-cI8dowBIz2ZFLBqUpICfT82WNV-1PlhT_GGkih794VNn7RldHkS0y0WqGFZUCUnsPsb1g0012NVSufp_x3_88hwKPhse5ShSDuaQnJg3nV7zrFsXas5L0eeH0PWyLJpE/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_18ngx_AO1E-cI8dowBIz2ZFLBqUpICfT82WNV-1PlhT_GGkih794VNn7RldHkS0y0WqGFZUCUnsPsb1g0012NVSufp_x3_88hwKPhse5ShSDuaQnJg3nV7zrFsXas5L0eeH0PWyLJpE/s400/Charlton+Family+2011-78.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This one will make me cry in a few years.</div>
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Or maybe it already does.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm07usHHTHHx1GGYS3Roy620yZKk66V6bOnXGcRRzkyBBbusBU6lslepRJAG1MWF2koVtgeQInNxlPzhHAnHAYjni_tNOq8hcfh1PYrR6F3EgbHHeHDDglPPwL0-z6OE0AVSXVBKMvwUw/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-79.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm07usHHTHHx1GGYS3Roy620yZKk66V6bOnXGcRRzkyBBbusBU6lslepRJAG1MWF2koVtgeQInNxlPzhHAnHAYjni_tNOq8hcfh1PYrR6F3EgbHHeHDDglPPwL0-z6OE0AVSXVBKMvwUw/s400/Charlton+Family+2011-79.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I love this. I love how Henry has his eyes covered and Harper is all curled up.</div>
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And then there's my RJ.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwzJ-s9BjnUHnz2ikO81xJ27-hHQ2iu51MakwODbkh5L1lxVVrTBkaPV2_s1Y6NeGg3eJntdT-8bQiX_qmFSlD5rPZsPLm2eV3MbTIcuHoXADbcgZWjwx9npPBoyW2FNxEIGRM_PF4WU/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUwzJ-s9BjnUHnz2ikO81xJ27-hHQ2iu51MakwODbkh5L1lxVVrTBkaPV2_s1Y6NeGg3eJntdT-8bQiX_qmFSlD5rPZsPLm2eV3MbTIcuHoXADbcgZWjwx9npPBoyW2FNxEIGRM_PF4WU/s640/Charlton+Family+2011-80.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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My boy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QhZdH1RVaPXReKf8Q2O62FPYn_vbNIS6ObJTBjZ7H4T__ti3MoViTzHDevDr3beefGJnbWNekSeQAdv0V3AYjCRHrsxfL4J-QxvYR1iS44SkAvxFrL5yDt7FdJ9yP9S7mCZwQRB5u8E/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-86.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QhZdH1RVaPXReKf8Q2O62FPYn_vbNIS6ObJTBjZ7H4T__ti3MoViTzHDevDr3beefGJnbWNekSeQAdv0V3AYjCRHrsxfL4J-QxvYR1iS44SkAvxFrL5yDt7FdJ9yP9S7mCZwQRB5u8E/s640/Charlton+Family+2011-86.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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Sweet, baby girl.</div>
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Funny.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc7UVzWlyj_Gw-L62yrQJxNI7dEEyfVgkoGGhT6NYnXoEf-wdITw22R0i5iNaZ2cIA3Hz8V_Y6cqhQY-yYVEBIEDXG7yxHNzJ6HUFCRcU8RuGHGqo9OddyPcSkJFwbvHGWA8RzM0f2SM/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc7UVzWlyj_Gw-L62yrQJxNI7dEEyfVgkoGGhT6NYnXoEf-wdITw22R0i5iNaZ2cIA3Hz8V_Y6cqhQY-yYVEBIEDXG7yxHNzJ6HUFCRcU8RuGHGqo9OddyPcSkJFwbvHGWA8RzM0f2SM/s400/Charlton+Family+2011-90.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Classic.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GgMrB-HVu61qK48bxV4T298IlgHPAXPjsfJ93UnVrbFIb8TpxInzBSvV8J5hJWBVfJUB-DtPmCYJCx2h3iOI3PNyCSKGB2YawHIJlc2vIIm-qro9NSfacjePGM8foZoUkaE501YGPu0/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GgMrB-HVu61qK48bxV4T298IlgHPAXPjsfJ93UnVrbFIb8TpxInzBSvV8J5hJWBVfJUB-DtPmCYJCx2h3iOI3PNyCSKGB2YawHIJlc2vIIm-qro9NSfacjePGM8foZoUkaE501YGPu0/s400/Charlton+Family+2011-25.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXiQo2hUoCNfsBbwzQU5D9aU6d6zfjhWwxCAN9h7670m0P5kiRcIO0DNHZspN0-OV4GVSZnHjrjXPKgXuMUWSGTZsvR6416Vo7f0iqan9DE70z3aPELehaOgZZnsWnTTEWYMyEgJ3Dt4/s1600/Charlton+Family+2011-94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXiQo2hUoCNfsBbwzQU5D9aU6d6zfjhWwxCAN9h7670m0P5kiRcIO0DNHZspN0-OV4GVSZnHjrjXPKgXuMUWSGTZsvR6416Vo7f0iqan9DE70z3aPELehaOgZZnsWnTTEWYMyEgJ3Dt4/s400/Charlton+Family+2011-94.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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And sweet.</div>
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Thanks, Alisa. They are a treasure!</div>
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<br />peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-36023442977189195332011-11-07T11:18:00.000-06:002011-11-07T11:18:14.413-06:00Fall Vacation '11<div style="text-align: center;">
I've got a super sweet and content baby hanging out at our house today (he's the best, Julie!) and he's taking a nap right now, so here we go!</div>
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So we went out with RJ's parents to see RJ's brother and his cute family. There is a family that offers 2 (of their 3) lake houses for <i>free </i>to the staff at the Moody flight school where his brother works. Pretty sweet. </div>
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This was our view every day right off of Lake Coeur d' Alene.</div>
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The boys took the kids out on the canoe. It was in the 40s most of the week so kind of chilly, but still nice enough to play outside. The leaves had just started to turn brilliant colors so it was absolutely beautiful!</div>
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We didn't have a tv and basically had no Internet connection the whole time so there was tons of game playing and puzzle putting-togtherness going on. We did have a little dvd player so the kids got to watch a cartoon here and there. I didn't miss the tv, but I have to admit I missed the Internet a bit. However, I ended up being so thankful it worked out that way. So refreshing!!</div>
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Here's a shot straight from the deck on a beautiful evening.</div>
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Here is the adorable cabin the families with kids stayed in.</div>
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And the red cabin is where the grandparents got to stay...so they could escape some of the noise and early mornings. :)</div>
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Harper and her cousin Simon had so much fun together. They are just a couple of weeks apart.</div>
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The caretaker told us they had seen a "baby" moose around and one morning we got to see it! RJ took the camera and got some shots at a safe distance, of course.</div>
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Another beautiful morning. Just couldn't get enough of that view!</div>
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A shot looking down at our cabin.</div>
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We did tons of hiking and walking. The hills were crazy steep.</div>
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The 3 little cousins.</div>
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Sorry, RJ, but I love this picture...</div>
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Such a cute cabin, eh?</div>
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(sorry for the random order of these)</div>
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Harper with her grandpa looking up at me on the deck.</div>
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We (the men) built a few fires down by the water.</div>
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And we ate marshmallows.</div>
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And s'mores.</div>
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Since we were there for Halloween, we let the kids dress up and we just did a little trick-or-treating at the cabin.</div>
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We just sat in chairs and they went around to each of us. They had a blast. </div>
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This little costume is probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. I got it for $2 last year at Target. </div>
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I want to frame it.</div>
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More time out on the canoe.</div>
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Somehow Henry has gone his entire little life without bowling. He had so much fun and it was so cute to watch how animated he was with it. </div>
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Henry and Sophia were best buds the whole time. </div>
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A little dvd break.</div>
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All the kids together. The leaves were amazing!</div>
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And that was our trip. It was so much fun. Definitely ranks up there with my favorite vacations.</div>
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We flew back to Minneapolis and spent a couple of days with RJ's aunt and uncle. We got to sneak away for a little lunch date and go on a double date with RJ's cousin and girlfriend. Then Saturday was time to see my family. My cousin Elyse got married that night in a beautiful, old church in St. Paul and then the rehearsal was at the Minnesota History Center. I didn't have much space left on my camera for more pictures, but this is the dance floor with the capital in the background. </div>
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It was a beauty of a night, for sure.</div>
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It was so fun ending the week seeing my mom's lovely family. We rarely get together anymore so there is lots to catch up on when we do. </div>
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And that's all. If you made it all the way through, congratulations! </div>
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Now it's back to normal life. It feels good to be home. :) </div>
<br />peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-61988289526044301982011-11-06T21:33:00.004-06:002011-11-06T21:34:00.058-06:00<div style="text-align: center;">
I really want to blog about our last couple of weeks and upload a boat-load of pictures, but that will have to wait. We left for Minneapolis last Wednesday morning, to Spokane, WA Thursday morning via airplane, drove an hour east to Coeur d' Alene, ID and spent the entire week in a <i>crazy </i>beautiful cabin on a lake, came back to Minneapolis at midnight Thursday, spent a couple of days with RJ's aunt, spent some time with my family and then went to my cousin's <i>crazy </i><b>beautiful </b>wedding on Saturday in St. Paul, and FINALLY came home today. That was a l-o-n-g time to be gone. It was awesome! Yet I am so glad to be home. </div>
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And since I don't have time to do much else, here are a couple of photos from my amazingly talented friend, Alisa. The rest are on their way to my house and I can not wait to see them. She seriously made my family picture dreams come true! And considering we don't get our family photos taken often (aka: every 3 years or so) my hopes were high and of course she went beyond what I was hoping for. </div>
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And I've only seen about 4 pictures. </div>
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Craft show this weekend. Probably won't sleep much, but that's fun every now and then, right? </div>
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Right!!</div>
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<br /></div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-45715998454696497102011-10-06T11:51:00.001-05:002011-10-06T11:51:28.214-05:00Button Hole<div style="text-align: center;">
Another of my recent projects are some little girl dresses. They are apron knot dresses and I got the pattern off of Etsy from Little Lizard King. I made a dress for Harper last Spring so already had the pattern and have loads of scrap fabric and vintage dresses, so....</div>
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This first one has the bodice from an old table cloth of mine, the skirt is from a skirt of mine I got at a consignment store in Maine but I hated the way it fit me, and apron has an applique that is made up of old and new fabrics.</div>
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This dress:</div>
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bodice again from the table cloth, the skirt is from a vintage girls dress, and the pocket is from a vintage "house coat". </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Y8szYZ5rHNMe8LKp1GJBjEC9FfqQdkjA_Ff-8KT6HYkQvvRj5Kx5bzTZx7GWOoYhE2u3ndAuWLNAI1Qtsopr8lp5ulOq5T170oXaQDh4ftAuq9SQq3c_LtKdeZYGv-zTKgBXmtKEgQU/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Y8szYZ5rHNMe8LKp1GJBjEC9FfqQdkjA_Ff-8KT6HYkQvvRj5Kx5bzTZx7GWOoYhE2u3ndAuWLNAI1Qtsopr8lp5ulOq5T170oXaQDh4ftAuq9SQq3c_LtKdeZYGv-zTKgBXmtKEgQU/s640/003.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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The straps will go through button holes in the front and then you tie a knot. </div>
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The problem I have is that I can not for the life of me figure out my button hole attachment, so if you have a sewing machine I'll probably be bugging you for help.</div>
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Hoping to make about 5 or 6 of these dresses for the craft show.</div>
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And if they don't sell......lucky Harper!</div>
peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-1531821497172596132011-10-04T14:44:00.000-05:002011-10-05T05:39:22.048-05:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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My kids have been eating grilled cheese sandwiches like crazy for lunch lately. Pretty much every day. Not because they love them, but because sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. But finally! Yesterday was the day to go grocery shopping. Big time Costco grocery shopping, to be exact. I thought I'd try something fun and healthy for the kids for their lunch instead of "grilled cheese, again?!!?" sandwiches. Henry loved it...Harper...well, we'll work on it. </div>
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A yogurt, flax seed, frozen berries, and spinach smoothie.</div>
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I had to add a little milk too, or you could add juice if you have some.</div>
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It was tasty! </div>
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I just started a "challenge" at Farrell's on Monday and it's 8 weeks long. It's similar to when I did my first 10 week challenge, but it's based on points. All different ways to get points throughout the 8 weeks and the winner gets money! And maybe a new pants size!!</div>
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You get 6 points per week for nutrition. If you mess up once, you get zero points. And you can't eat out. Ever. Not even at Subway. </div>
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Brutal!</div>
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But I still will have my Fun Day. Oh, thank you, Fun Day.</div>
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Anyways, here is my latest project:</div>
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I got a little stack of these hoops at a garage sale so I'm going to make a few of these thingies for a craft show I'm doing in Nov. </div>
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Thoughts? Too weird? Not weird enough? Not cute enough? Too cutesy?</div>
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I still need to paint the frame. </div>
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I need your help because my poor husband gets a little burned out when I force him to critique my work all the time. </div>
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Well regardless, it was fun to do and I can't wait to do a few more!</div>
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Hope you all have a great Tuesday!</div>
peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-61464752917571458892011-10-03T14:56:00.003-05:002011-10-03T14:58:06.894-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a wonderful weekend!</div>
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Friday we got a Hot N' Ready and went to Raccoon River park and ran around, played, gathered sticks and leaves, and enjoyed the crazy beautiful weather. </div>
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I'm not liking how old my children are looking....</div>
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I was so proud of my Henry-boy. My (overly) cautious first born is getting more and more brave and daring. </div>
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On Saturday after waiting for RJ to get home from working, we went over to the Art Center area and ran around and walked. Of course we had to dodge the 8 (kid you not) photographers and their subjects. It's that time of year, I suppose. </div>
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I always thought those were antlers on top of them there deer, but apparently they are small dogs. Who knew? </div>
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Our beauty of an art center. Folks, we may not live in a <i>big </i>city, but we've got some pretty great art!</div>
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Then there is this beauty:</div>
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I went to some garage sales on Friday and they were crazy Pinterest inspiring sales. I had to try really really hard not to go crazy, but I did walk away with this beautifully tacky owl for $1. She's about 10" tall and I can't decide if I should leave her gold (I have a strange love for tacky, tacky things) or spray paint it a solid color. What a tough decision, eh? </div>
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And bless my sweet husband...Henry has been talking about making a "paper oven" for a few days now and had this big idea of how to do it and what he wanted to do with it when he was done, so RJ helped him make his dreams come true. </div>
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It was just a lovely, family weekend. This weather is top-notch!</div>
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The kids have been so fun lately, and I seem to have snapped out of my 2 month long bad mood. Don't tell me you didn't notice. :) </div>
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Hope you all have a gorgeous Monday!</div>
<span id="goog_14571516"></span><span id="goog_14571517"></span>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-50585946066723997032011-09-29T08:50:00.002-05:002011-09-29T08:50:38.123-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't been taking many pictures lately and not a whole lot of exciting things are going on to blog about. School is still going really well for Henry and it's cute to see him interact with his little buddies and give them hugs when he leaves. Harper is having fun with me during the afternoons, but lately we've both been napping. Getting up at 5:15 every morning for Farrell's is starting to wipe me out and now that it's so dark in the morning it makes it harder for some reason. The time change can't come soon enough!! </div>
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So since I don't have any pictures I thought I'd share some recipes I used a few weeks ago. Mostly so I can use them again. They were super yummy! And one is kind of my first official recipe I <i>sort</i> of made up. Follow?</div>
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Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Kale Soup<br />
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*Recipe from Cooking Light<br />
<ul>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">2 tablespoons</span>
<span itemprop="name"> olive oil</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">4 cups</span>
<span itemprop="name"> chopped onion (about 2 large)</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">1 teaspoon</span>
<span itemprop="name"> salt, divided</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">1/2 teaspoon</span>
<span itemprop="name"> crushed red pepper</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">6 </span>
<span itemprop="name"> garlic cloves, thinly sliced</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">1 pound</span>
<span itemprop="name"> sweet turkey Italian sausage</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">8 cups</span>
<span itemprop="name"> coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato (about 2 1/4 pounds)</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">5 cups</span>
<span itemprop="name"> water</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">4 cups</span>
<span itemprop="name"> fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">1 </span>
<span itemprop="name"> (16-ounce) package prewashed torn kale</span>
<span itemprop="preparation"> </span>
</li>
<li itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient">
<span itemprop="amount">1 </span>
<span itemprop="name"> (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained</span></li>
</ul>
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Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5
minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute.
Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until
sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add potato, 5 cups
water, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes.
Gradually add kale; cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining
1/2 teaspoon salt and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. * I also added a touch of cream at the end. Cuz it never hurts.This soup was so yummy and really hit the spot when it was chilly a few weeks ago. Before it got hot again. And then got cold again. And then hot. <br />
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Angel Food Cake with peaches and basil</div>
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I <i>kind </i>of made this recipe up with some inspiration from <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grilled_peaches_angel_food_cake_with_red_wine_sauce.html" style="color: #cc0000;">here</a>. I made my angel food cake via Alton Brown's recipe, and I have to say...now that I've done it quite a few times it's gotten easy and I don't have a problem with them "falling" anymore. It was worth the perseverance! Especially since it is my husband's favorite dessert.<br />
Then for the topping:<br />
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1 cup red fruity wine (I just used a Merlot that was on sale)<br />
1 cup orange juice<br />
1-2 tbl sugar<br />
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*let that come to a boil and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until it's nice and reduced to about 1/2 cup.<br />
In the meantime, peel and cut 6 peaches and cook in a saute pan with a couple of tbl of sugar and let it get all yummy. Yummy. Yummy.<br />
Once you liquid is reduced, add it to the peaches and let it all blend together for a few minutes at a simmer. Slice your angel food cake, pour on some of the topping (or a lot! Cuz it's yummy) and top with basil. I know. It sounds weird, but it's really good and refreshing. I had heard a lot about combining strawberries and basil so thought this would work too. In fact, I made it for 2 different sets of company in the same weekend because RJ and I liked it so much.<br />
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Hope you are all having a good week! And hopefully I'll remember to take some more pictures so I can document Fall 2011 for my little family before it's gone. I love fall!! But it goes so fast.<br />
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<br />peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-10171202623795932011-09-14T09:26:00.000-05:002011-09-14T09:26:17.181-05:00Kitchen Remodel 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay, I already put these on facebook, but now I need to document it in thee ol' blog. </div>
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So here is a before of the wall: </div>
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The "middle" phase with the wall gone:</div>
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And the <i>after</i>:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMVIN1JYuGlFewE072TZoi7hrmWikn1qXuCrdd0GVaY6jVstgCy7HTpurlYAUAFWgLGMzjeSmTAv_SzEZCbLnBoHP0XRh57oC2yzTdTODhq8h2VbXjjJtHWGwWT6c5v61-hfOX2UbnBI/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMVIN1JYuGlFewE072TZoi7hrmWikn1qXuCrdd0GVaY6jVstgCy7HTpurlYAUAFWgLGMzjeSmTAv_SzEZCbLnBoHP0XRh57oC2yzTdTODhq8h2VbXjjJtHWGwWT6c5v61-hfOX2UbnBI/s640/011.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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I think the stools are one of my favorite pieces in the kitchen. They are vintage and we found them on Craigslist for a really good price. </div>
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I used the tutorial of turning mini blinds into roman shades (it's all over pinterest) for all the windows. It was super easy and so, so, so, much cheaper than if I had bought them in a store. </div>
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We also took out our old chandelier (which I loved) but there was just too much light going on. So I got that lamp shade at Target (for under $4!) and a lamp base and hung it up. So if it looks like we have a lamp hanging upside down on the ceiling....we do. </div>
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Here is a close up of the pictures I found at a thrift store. I was pumped when I found them!...until I saw the price was $40 for the set. Without me even asking, the lady said she would sell them to me for $20 total. SOLD.</div>
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This island. You can see my $1 vintage aprons and the "Attention" bulletin board I got at a garage sale for a whole quarter. And my lovely pot hanging rack my awesome friend Julie made. </div>
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Notice all the trim work? It took RJ about 800 nails, but he did such a great job and I love it.</div>
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Just another view and you can see the clock I got at a garage sale for just $10. I was going to paint it, but I'm resisting the urge. For now.</div>
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Shelving:</div>
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Another view from the dining room:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QXV_BoTa491RoZGncbsUWO0WPQm6e9zX5Ei3v9bXsYYDqWJdV5rdPrlYv4WfFpKhmc5JsBWyqe_1V79G3ow-2SuWZM7T1mxGzAg9GPPcYYSLdg20HF0K3BnvdF7QysojrZ-vR3r-2eo/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5QXV_BoTa491RoZGncbsUWO0WPQm6e9zX5Ei3v9bXsYYDqWJdV5rdPrlYv4WfFpKhmc5JsBWyqe_1V79G3ow-2SuWZM7T1mxGzAg9GPPcYYSLdg20HF0K3BnvdF7QysojrZ-vR3r-2eo/s640/019.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's a close up of the back splash. These are the tops to little metal shelves from IKEA. We just screwed them into the wall. When we got to the check out the lady asked what in the world we were going to do with all those shelves and when we told her she was sure to mention that we can always return it. Guess she didn't see our vision.</div>
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RJ's shiny "coffee station":</div>
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And this sign is from a coffee shop over in Urbandale. They had one hanging up and I asked if they had any more and she just let me have one. For free. </div>
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Combine that with a frame I got for nine CENTS at the Goodwill outlet and here ya go:</div>
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Okay, enough already, I know! I will try to not utter another word about our kitchen and get back to the much more important things in life. Phew. Glad that remodel is over and done with!</div>
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Have a good week!</div>
peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-60003711826332109332011-09-09T07:42:00.003-05:002011-09-09T07:42:48.745-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An early morning with my boy. </div>
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So thankful he has Fridays off! He is loving school, but it is wearing him out....</div>
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so naturally, he wakes up at 6 am...</div>
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I woke up to go to Farrell's, but my stomach was giving me some pains so I stayed home and watched "The Littles" with this guy. </div>
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With the lamp on because it was still dark outside...</div>
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I am really enjoying my afternoons with Harper. When the two of them are together it's lots of yelling, screaming, and fighting. But when she is by herself, she's pure sweetness. She stopped napping (what?! She's only 2 1/2) but it doesn't seem to affect her at all so she gets to hang out with me while Henry is away. Perfect. </div>
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So our first week of preschool went great! Henry is tired, but loves it. </div>
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And I am loving it too. </div>
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Hope you all have a lovely weekend!</div>
peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-6355451677474878592011-09-07T07:56:00.000-05:002011-09-07T07:56:41.121-05:00<div style="text-align: center;">First Day of Preschool was a success!</div><div style="text-align: center;">He was so excited and I was so antsy. RJ came home for lunch and then we decided to all walk to the church together. It was a perfect day for a walk and it only takes 20 minutes to get there. </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Oh, my little boy! Can't believe how old he is. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">He has been SO excited about wearing his new Spider Man shirt. Along with his Spider Man shoes. And undies. I'm not a huge fan of girl-character shirts, but boy ones? </div><div style="text-align: center;">Love.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">We went into the class with him and he looked at a few toys, I gave him a hug, and he was off. Waved at us from across the room and obviously wanted us to just go. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Broke my heart a little, but I was proud of him for being so confident. </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Time went super fast and it was time to pick him up again. We went to Beaverdale Confections for a treat. I let him pick whatever he wanted and he chose cotton candy Dip N' Dots. And a sucker. I would have bought 20 suckers if he asked. Don't judge. My love language is gift giving...I can't help myself!</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I handled it all better than I thought I would and then when I went to pick him up and all us moms were in the hallway he ran out and yelled "mommy!" in his sweet little voice. There was a collective "aaaaahhhhh" from all the moms and I nearly lost it. I told him he'd get to go back tomorrow and he couldn't believe it....he is pumped!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">So that's our Preschool 2011 experience. 2 thumbs up for sure!</div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-84496235329165174892011-09-06T09:56:00.000-05:002011-09-06T09:56:10.784-05:00Labor Day Weekend<div style="text-align: center;">Don't ya just love long weekends? Especially one with such <i>perfect </i>weather!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We had a pretty low key time at home and playing. </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Sunday afternoon we went downtown to watch the "elite" in the Hy-Vee triathalon. We watched them swim for a bit and then walked down to the East Village to look at a craft show and watch some of the biking portion of the race. C-r-a-z-y how fast they were going. </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Diving into a river and swimming around is kind of my worst nightmare.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Harper was mostly concerned about making sure her baby had a good view.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Monday we just ran some errands and hung out as a family. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It was a lovely weekend. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We got a couple more finishing touches done on the kitchen. I had my <a href="http://kistenmacherkarpentry.blogspot.com/" style="color: #6fa8dc;">friend </a>custom make me a pot rack and I loooove how it turned out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I finished sewing the top flap for the curtains:</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">RJ put up a shelf above the window and I put up my apothecary jars. They were cute holding my baking goods, but were getting in the way. They are much prettier up here!</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">We did this last week, but we put up hooks to display my vintage aprons.</div><div style="text-align: center;">(which I got for $1 a piece at a thrift store!) </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I keep trying to take pictures of the whole kitchen to show, but it just doesn't look good in photos. You'll just have to stop over to see it for yourself...and I'll keep trying new angles and see if I can get some good photos so I can stop talking about our kitchen already. Seriously!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Henry starts school this afternoon. Lots of emotions going on here, but he is SUPER excited....I'm a bit nervous. Ahhhhh!!!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608002300971584196.post-56693029937138669402011-09-02T08:13:00.000-05:002011-09-02T08:13:43.413-05:00<div style="text-align: center;">I had planned a really fun date night with RJ as a surprise "thank you" for all his kitchen work. We haven't been out since our vacation so I was SO ready for someone else to cook for me! and to spend some one-on-one with my man. Plans changed because Harper's nose was a little too snotty and I didn't want to bring her to someone else's house so we decided to all go out together to Jethro's. RJ and I split some wings...I had been craving them for months and they did not disappoint. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It ended up being exactly what I needed. A good family night! Harper has been a little....feisty....lately and there has been lots of screaming/irrational melt downs/your typical, hair-pulling, girly attitude. We had been in such a good season of her life for the past 8 months or so, so I suppose she is due for a new phase. And then last night I was blessed with sweet behavior and the chance to just sit in a loud restaurant and observe. Don't you love those moments? The moments of kind of taking a step back and admiring your family and being blown over with thankfulness? </div><div style="text-align: center;">We have so many (really, so many) days of no-where-near-perfectness. And there are so many moments where I day dream about our kids being a little bit older so we can enjoy activities more as a family and not worry about sippy cups and diapers. But then there are those sprinklings of moments like I had last night where I want time to stop. Henry colored a Buzz Lightyear picture, wrote the work "toy" without me having to show him how, and Harper was feeding her baby a bottle and dancing her around. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Of course today is a new day. Harper is still sleeping so the world still seems lovely and peaceful (ha!) and I'm sure even within the next 30 minutes someone will yell, someone will demand milk, there will be some (or lots) of crying, but seriously, I am so thankful for my little family.I am so undeserving, but am <i>so </i>thankful. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I love 'em. </span></div>peter mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17564623535997644232noreply@blogger.com3