an evening with oscar ~

pete is off to dallas the kids have been tucked into bed and are sleeping soundly, digger is in the office under my desk snoring and irish and i have been chillax'in on couch for nearly two hours. (thanks jen-i stole that one from you!)

over the course of the last two hours i've enjoyed a glass of artizen, i've eaten a half a bag of raddishes and i cried as i listened to the lyrics of falling slowly by glen hansard and marketa irglova.

i must admit i was was pulling for ellen page for best actress but was not disappointed when the award went to marion cotillard. ellen is full of greatness and she had plenty of good years ahead of her. she intrigues me. she seems to have a very wise old sole.

what fun!

earlier this week kate, meme and i managed to sneak out for a bit and take in movie at the asheville pizza and brewing company. this movie delighted us all and left us tapping our toes all the way home. "how dose she know" i am still singing it. i am thinking that the easter bunny may have to bring a copy of this movie to be enjoyed a gazillion times more.

amy adams - she is undeniable adorable!

chil-laxin'

kater has been fighting a bug all week so we've been taking it slow.

the bad news today was that we had to postpone our trip over to mooresville to check in on baby andrew. but the good news was that this change in our schedule allowed the kids and i an opportunity to crawl into "mika's" bed and enjoy a good snuggle and long afternoon nap. ahhhhhh!

plum shimmer #9

visions from iowa ~

as iowa continues to get dumped on two of my favorite men venture out to spend some quality father-son time. this is my “little” brother eric (I love saying that) and his son the incredibly adorable austin. keep warm up there - we love you guys!

i miss you!

this is louise and the youngest of her three gorgeous children; brendan. she and i met and became fast freinds while we were both living and working in atlanta. louise and her family now live in minnesota and the last time we actaully saw eachother was when the little guy above was a new born. my kids and i were in iowa and she packed up her kiddos and came all the way to solon for a quick visist.

the miles between us are vast and the visists are rare if ever however i feel like i carry her with me where ever i go. one of these days she and i will find time to get away and catch up on the last 10 or so years but until then i'll continue to peek in at her blog from time to time and chat ocassionally.

friendship is a beautiful thing. when it is real and shared geninuely it is indistructable despite the obstacles our busy lives may present.

lucky girls~

on the eve of pete’s next trip he delighted both kate I with bouquets of fresh flowers. bells of ireland, stargazer lilies, calla lilies, and even a peony. so many of my favorites. all hand-picked by pete just left to a professional to arrange. hurry home babe, we’ll miss you!

pretty in pink~

this is no ordinary pink sweater our little kater is looking darling in. this gorgeous little number arrived yesterday from sunny florida. yes this little number was hand knit with love by the fabulously talented great grandma roe. today kate insisted on wearing it to school in lieu of her jacket. how could we say no. way to go grandma roe. you hit a home run with this one. thanks for thinking of our kater.

we've got a winner!

this was my first attempt at applique

& frankly my effort best yet.

kater was tickled with it.

i'll try it again tomorrow...

here it is girls. the pucker and the knot that got the best of me and this shirt. turns out that i needed to change my needle. tomorrow if time allows i'll tear it off and start again.

fun with friends

The big day finally arrived Saturday as Kate's friends joined us at home for her first official play date. Henry, Wesley, Taylor, Krista, and Hannah arrived shortly before lunch much to the delight of Kate and Trey. After racing through the house to get the lay of the land, they settled into the dining room to build all manners of creatures with clay. Once the clay creatures hit the oven to bake, the kids descended on the kitchen for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and lots of good snacks. Trey provided the entertainment throughout lunch - as Kate said, "he was hilarious". With a full tank of gas they headed outside to drive tractors, play football, and race bikes. Digger joined in the fun, and everyone escaped without injury despite several crashes. They reconvened in the kitchen for strawberry cake and a misguided attempt at a volcano science project. Kate can't wait to do it again!

ouch!

with a huff and a puff mother nature

blew the tree down

a lofty goal for a lazy sunday

the piles on my desk! i really need to take some time today to get myself organized before i start another week. perhaps then irish will find it a little less inviting.

happy, happy...

birthday dear melanie!

my recent download

waiting with great anticipation

their excitement can be infectious and in this case was it was also heartwarming. above the kids anxiously await the arrival of meme and gaw for dinner.

kates BIG adventure

guess who was taken to lunch is this today?

kate and a handful of other children from oakley

as a reward for thier recent fundraising efforts.

i can't wait to hear the stories.

artful applique...

i may have been a bit over zealous attending an applique class prior to learning how to use the new janome. fortuatnely for me i was surrounded by group of talented and very patient women. i can tell i am going to have a lot of fun once i get to know my machine a bit better. and that will happen. we are already exploring our class options.

i'd show you what i've done but my USB cord is MIA again. the pictures above are just a sampling of what heather has accomplished since last weekend. yes - heather is an over achiever!

and furthermore if you like what you see here and would like a more "professional" version (no offense heather) check out the website of our instructors. our applique masters.

http://www.olliekate.etsy.com/

found a last~

as my mother can attest to i have been searching for a teapot to call my own for quite some time. after a long hunt i am pleased to announce that i have found it. it spoke to me. great handle. cool blue knobie. holds 60 ounces. tea anyone?

VICTORY

go giants!

yummy for my tummy!

i typically try to avoid all of these over packaged little snacks. however this evening we are taking the kids to the veggie tales movie and i wanted to find something fun and yummy that we could sneak into the thater with us and share with our friends. i arrived home from the store famoushed and decided iwould try one for myself. you know... to make sure thay they were suitable for the kids. what a taste sensation! and a mere 100 calories. i am loving that!

my sweet janome

the consumption challenge is over and i am the proud new owner of this beauty. i'll be washing fabic tonight and probably into tomorrow as i prepare for my class. so many fun ideas running through my brain. time to let the magic begin!