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!
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. 
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!
this was my first attempt at applique 
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.
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! 
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.
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. 
kate and a handful of other children from oakley 
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. 
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?
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!
