The Crafts

I began my blog three years ago, shortly after Kate's first birthday, with the intention of keeping long distance family up to speed on Kate's cuteness. Around that same time I immersed myself into the world of stay-at-home moms; joining mom's groups,library story hour and frequenting parks. I soon learned that many of my new mom friends had blogs, too. Shortly after that, I learned there is an entire blogging world out there I never knew existed...and I was hooked. Actually, not just hooked, almost obsessed. There are so many incredibly, talented blogging women with with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of followers and comments. I thought, if I were to become more creative then perhaps my blog could be popular, too. But what I discovered is that: I'm not  an amazing decorator. I don't  take beautiful photographs. I really have no  inspirational words on motherhood. I am not  a super, creative writer.   (Read the birth story of this woman's second child. It

Stepping outside this week you might feel a slight hint of warm, yet a jacket is still needed. The grass is beginning to green however the buds on the trees are nearly invisible. The sun wants to shine but the leftover clouds of winter linger. Kids aren't much different. They want to be big yet their little bodies hold them back from hanging upside down on the monkey bars. Each day I see a new sign of spring and each day I witness my little girls growing before my eyes. I bought Kate her first 'big girl' bike today. Her face lit up when she saw the bike peeking out from the backseat. Despite the misting and gloomy skies, she was determined to give her new bike a whirl. Kate is a girl overflowing with self confidence. She wants to be the winner, the first in line, the first to finish, the best at every thing she tries, sees or does. I'm shy to share this but she actually calls herself, "the best girl ever." Sometimes I wish she would show a wee bit more hu

Warning: Endless sugar + hours in the car may = childhood insanity. Warning: Severe boredom may directly result in the consumption of body parts. \ ...and shoes... You will get into trouble unless a cute smile is immediately applied. Warning: Being strapped in a car seat for more than two hours may cause deliriousness, resulting in a reenactment of Michael Jackson's glove ensemble and dancing...in all pink, of course. You may also suffer from a loss of memory, inhibiting your mind to recall if hats are to be worn on the head or  feet. Warning: The announcement of outdoor activity after sugar and car rides may cause a child to select a very bad outfit. Please allow 24 hours before operating a motor vehicle after mass consumption of sugar. And never, ever, ever leave your vehicle unattended with sugar addicts in it's presence for they may take over...and look really sweet while doing so.

A short while back I posted that Matt's dad, Mike, retired  earlier this month. Early April brought sunshine, warm breezes and budding trees so I think the switch was probably quite fun for Mike. The end of April, however, has brought bone chilling, wet weather. I can't say for sure but I imagine Mike, and the rest of us, were enjoying ourselves a bit more a fews weeks ago. One fantastic spring day last week Mike and LeAnn took the girls for the morning. I must say, I decided that retirement is my new favorite thing. CJ and Grandpa four wheeling... While the girls soaked up some sun with their Grandparents, I took myself out for a mid-morning jog with my iPod followed by a long, hot shower. Afterwards I was honestly quite dumbfounded with what to do next. I sure as heck didn't want to clean or organize or anything dull like that. Rather I retreated to my 'sewing room' and lost myself. When I finally reemerged I was amazed to find the clock telling me 3 whole hou

So after consuming mass quantities of food  from Sri Lanka, Puerto Rico, Japan, Nepal, Africa, etc, and after playing a sweat-inducing game of laser tag , we made our way to CY's House of Trivia. CY's House is a trivia contest set up on the floor of Hilton Coliseum. Let me provide you with a sample of questions from this year's CY's House. And if you know the answer to any or all, please leave them in the comments section! Who sang the song, "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting?" How many times zones are in the United States? What year did the United States initiate daylight savings? What is the name of the detective agency in the 80's television hit, "Moon Lighting?" Which A-list actress got her start in the movie, "Mystic Pizza?" The night includes eight rounds of trivia and a Cyclone 'celebrity' for each round. In past years we've been paired with Johnny Orr, Paul Rhodes and other people that Matt thinks are super cool

For those who are not ISU grads or for those who don't live with a spouse who is crazy for ISU in every form possible then you may have not known that it was VEISHEA this past week. And yes, I spelled it right. My husband is probably bursting at the seams with pride for his wife right now. Matt and I made our annual VEISHEA trip to Ames this weekend. This year, however, we brought along a guest...my little sis, Lindsay. Isn't she the prettiest! Lindsay devouring a little Egyptian entree. VEISHEA 2010 Matt and I discovered an exotic food wonderland. Scratch that... I discovered an exotic food wonderland, Matt prefers bratwurst and cookies. I LOVE trying foods from all over the world. My taste buds sing at the prospect of eating Indian and Thai foods.  In fact, my stomach is growing as I type. So after finding and loving the International Food Fair during VEISHEA of 2010, I knew I had to return for the 2011 Fair.  Lindsay craves ethnic foods as much as me. I'm not sure wh

The girls had a wee bit of a meltdown Thursday afternoon... at the exact same time. If you look closely at CJ you'll notice a giant spit bubble but behind that is a combination of dirt, sand and rocks on her tongue. Yes, she is crying because she wanted to eat more. Kate is smiling but if you look closer at her, you'll notice the streaming tears and snot. She found her Barbie coloring book in the outdoor recycle bin. She NEVER looks in the recycle bin. Oh, of all the times for her to start. So my girls are sobbing and what do I do? Take pictures, of course. The moment was too funny not to snap a couple of quick pics. I figured it was better for me to chuckle on the inside than be grumpy at them on the outside. I gave them lots of cuddles afterwards. Matt and I think the above photo is so funny that we've been trying to think up fun captions to go with it. Matt's says it's as if CJ is watching Curious George murder Clifford the Big Red Dog. I can't leave