a collection of memories that are near and dear to us.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

keeping warm on a cold morning in asheville





so i admit we've been completely spoiled up until this point. spending countless hours playing outdoors in t-shorts and flip flops. we've even played int he sprinkler a time or two. but not today. this morning we woke to a freezing house. not "freezing" literally nor even freezing by our beloved maine folk but freezing by our standards. i was shcoked when i saw that the thermostat read 58 degrees. so needless to say there was a little extra snuggling taking place around here this morning.

you've got to start somewhere...


as they say when it rains it stores. we've been talking a lot about getting a rain barrel because WHY SHOULDN'T we be harvesting rain water? so yesterday morning before i had to go to work trey and i enjoyed an hour or so of reading on the front porch while we watched it rain. as those of you that know him well could have probably guessed it didn't take long for him to break free. the rain was just too inviting. no longer could he sit back and watch. he wanted to get started with his harvesting efforts.

who says???


playing dress-up is just from girls? notice we eve have our nails painted. this is gillian or as she prefers to be called "g." she is the darling little sister of kate's good buddy maris. they live just down the hill from us. trey and g enjoy one another just as kate and maris do. both families are totally loving this bond that all the kids seems to share. makes kid swaps all the more merry!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

baby andrew is growing fast~





i am a bit biased i admit because i love his mommy dearly but come on. is he not just adorable. it is hard to believe he has already surpassed the 3 month mark. melanie went back to work this week but has been afforded the luxury of have an amazing sister to leave him with.
i hope to make it over to mooresville in may so i can get in a few more squeezes before he's running circles around his old auntie sarah.

asheville, a little sweeter every day!


last night i had a great dinner with an amazing group of well-read, politically charged, crafty women at a small local Italian eatery. food was good. wine was good. company and conversation were great. just when i thought the evening was about to end a suggestion was made to grab desert a the French Broad Chocolate something... nothing more need be said. i was in! and truly, like icing on a cake the French Broad Luscious Chocolates completely made the night.

as we drove up the sweet smell of chocolate waifed through the air. i am fairly certain i experience love at first sight. if not love it was something spectacular. an old brick factory of some sort that had been rehabbed and thoroughly painted in one of my favorite color schemes; robins egg blue and chocolate brown. old leather chairs, comfy and incredibly inviting sofas filled the space. as i made my way to the counter all i could think was ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!!?

handcrafted organic artisanal chocolates and pastries. truffles galore. flavor combinations to tickle every palate. their signature liquid truffle hot sipping chocolates, local draught beer, small-production wines, locally roasted French press coffee, organic loose-leaf teas, locally made ice cream, a collection of small production artisanal chocolate bars…plus mellow music, and wireless internet. think they'd mind if i set my office up there? i could eat my way through rent.

a sacred space for chocophiles...

anyhow i can't wait to share this little piece of heaven with you all!

one of these things is not like the other...


remember that jingle? well this just had me laughing this morning so i thought i'd share. above aunt Allyson and her co-worker gal pal are donning the infamous duck mug trademark of the shrinking olsen twins. enjoy!
gorgeous day here today. working this morning. will pick trey up and play at the park until it's time to fetch kater. home to do a little homework and then back outside to play some more. may be another sprinkler day. i need to get a few more things in the ground so i can get started on the mulch. arrrgh! where are meme and gaw when we need them?? then to dance. home for dinner, baths, books and bed. once the kiddos are tucked in pete and i have called a date night. 9pm a new episode of grey's followed by a candle lit chat on the front porch. so much to look forward to on this gorgeous day!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

this caught my eye

the new Chevy Tahoe hybrid...
isn't that an oxymoron?

Monday, April 21, 2008

i mean REALLY!

check out these cutie-pa-tuties (sp?)
our neices ella and molly
oh how they make me smile

Sunday, April 20, 2008

what a weekend


so many good things happening in and around asheville. we started the weekend off by playing outside for hours after school on friday. from there i had the privilege of spending the remainder of the evening with a great friend. we indulged in a pedicure - and somehow probably through osmosis my inability to pick out an attractive toe color rubbed off on her. from there we enjoyed a quiet dinner at a charming little cafe and over a bottle of wine we caught up on the happens of the past week and made plans for our SITC (sex in the city) night out.
saturday morning pete and the kids treated me to breakfast in bed; pancakes, fresh berries, and fresh brewed coffee. this only happens about once a year so needless to say i was quite tickled. from there pete took off with a friend and hit the bike trails. the kids and i enjoyed the fresh air and played in the rain. swim lessons, a trip to the nursery, lunch at moe's and then home for a quick nap before we set off to help ricky celebrate his 6th. once again kate was the only little girl at the party but that didn't stop her from shinning. at this age it is all so innocent and they are all just pals. kate was taught how to tango and the mambo and let ricky swirl and dip her. i am not which of them felt more special, kate or ricky.
today was crazy. trey was up early and pete took off. taking the kids to church proved to be a bit more then we may have been ready for. kate was enjoying the children's chapel but i had to pull her out because trey just couldn't keep his voice down. but what 2 year can? i did however enjoy the 10 minutes he sat quietly on my lap. from there we grabbed a quick lunch, then groceries, then shoes shopping for kater. she needed some new sneaks and a pair of pretty shoes as she would call them. after a quick nap we grabbed some bags and hit the road. in honor of EARTH DAY we walked through the neighborhood and picked up trash. we played in the meadow and met some new neighbors before retuning home for dinner, baths books and bed.
nothing spectacular nor grand about this weekend yet it is one that leaves me feeling very full and very satisfied. so many precious moments - so many lesson learned.

hello sunshine~

morning came much too quickly this am. pete was up early and off to Cleveland but i had hoped the kids would sleep in after being at a birthday party until after 9 last night.
but no such luck. trey was up bright and early. i couldn't even talk him into crawling in bed with me for a good snuggle. he was ready to go!
i opened the front door to let digger out and headed back to the kitchen to start some coffee. minutes later when i went to find trey this is where i found him...
it was a precious little moment. so gald i was able to capture it.

fridays are so much fun



on friday mornings after we drop kate off and before i start work trey and i have a standing date. it is one of my favorite hours of the week. we used to hurry home only to clean the kitchen and put away laundry but some time last month i gave up those responsibilities and decided to devote that time to my trey.
this past friday we built a castle out of blocks and played kitty. i crawled around on my hands and knees and allowed him to brush my hair and feed me imaginary kitty treats. for that hour all was good and all was well.

rub - a - dub - dub two roes in the tub



Friday, April 18, 2008

You know you're from Iowa if...

This was forwarded to me yesterday from my younger brother, who still lives in Iowa. I had to laugh.

Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Iowa.


If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Iowa.
If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Iowa.
If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Iowa.
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Iowa.
If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of DES MOINES for the weekend, you live in Iowa.
If you measure distance in squares of farm land, you live in Iowa.
If you know several people who have hit a cow more than once, you live in Iowa.
If you have gone from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you live in Iowa.
If you can drive 70 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Iowa.
If you install security lights on your house and garage,but leave both unlocked, you live in Iowa.
If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife know show to use them, you live in Iowa.
If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Iowa.
If the I-80 speed limit is 70 mph -- you're going 90 and everybody is passing you, you live in Iowa.
If driving is better in the winter because the pot holes are filled with snow, you live in Iowa.
If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Iowa.
If you have more hours on your lawn mower, and snow blower than miles on your car, you live in Iowa.
If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly', you live in Iowa.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

why not?

a baker i AM NOT. i don't think i have the patience for it. however i have to admit i have always had a difficult time walking away from a challenge. and that is how i am choosing to look at this situation, as a challenge.

"creative and easy birthday cakes" was the alluring head line that caught my eye. i was curious and now i am committed. probably won't wait for one of the kids birthday's may just take it on as a fun thing to do when dad is away. it certainly is rocket science or a complicated mathematical equation that could unlock the unleashed power of momentum but i am a bit in awe.

www.familyfun.com

Monday, April 14, 2008

the best of buds...






a blast from our not so distant past ~




incredibly sorry to have missed this one. our friends back in mooresville hosted (what I am hoping will be an annual) 80's party this past weekend. looking for to 2009!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

our motley crew



just having a little fun while pete was in ny spending some much needed time with his dad. things are looking up and we are all feeling a great deal of relief and gaw continues to improve! won't be long and the great plank challenge will be on. can't wait!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

blister sisters reunite~

a well deserved toast
to good times, good friends and finding a cure for breast cancer



i sure missed my tent mate!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

day #5 sea world

mika connecting with nature

the dolphin arena & show



ELMO - a super surprise


potty break - time to be silly



trey, out for the count


guess who now wants to be a dolphin trainer?

time for the SHAMU show and he is still out

SHAMU the 43rd