The Crafts

I've been a grump lately. Sure, I could blame the girls or a lack of running or the end of summer but...yah, actually I'll blame all of those things. The girls and I haven't been getting along all that well. Kate is exploring a rebellious, independent phase, Claudia is  entering  stuck in a screaming phase and I am lodged in between. This to shall pass...this too shall pass...this too...  ************************* This may sound drastic, dramatic or what have you, but I have banned myself from ever shopping at Walmart again. We've all heard my Walmart saga...lost keys, bathroom emergencies, weird she-males who try to poke at my babies while I'm examining the Gala apple selection... Walmart and I have broken up forever.  I am a liberated woman. Run away CJ... ************** Whether Dina likes it or not, I'm seeing small signs that cooler weather is on the horizon. The freezer door to old man winter will soon be propped ...

Happy 2nd birthday to my spunky, independent, wild, stubborn, fun-lovin' Claudia. You are just like your mother. Heaven help us!!

My mom likes to measure life in five year increments.  Look at your life five years ago today and you will realize how much things have changed. Five years ago Matt and I were living in a two bedroom ranch with no kids, two incomes and nothing but time on our hands. Today we live our 'dream' house with two sweet, little girls, one teenager, one income and no time on our hands. Sure some things are still the same. My hair continues to live in a state of growing out or chopping off,  my precious, silver Dodge Stratus, a.k.a. Rammy, is still my favorite car, Matt will always live and breathe all things ISU, CBS's Survivor is still on the air, but most of life has changed. And most of that change is for the best. Looking back in five year increments is comforting really. When I struggle to teach good behavior to feisty kids I look back and think, thank God I have kids to teach. Or thank God they won't be stuck in this same running and screaming phase five years from now...

Kate is trying to tell me something. Something I already know. Something I'm reminded of each and every time I pass my running shoes. I haven't run in almost a week. Come on lady! Get your act together! Yep, I'm pretty sure that is what she is trying to tell me here with my Garmin on her wrist and her 'running sunglasses' on her head. ********************* In other news we've been having fun with Dina around here lately. We sampled some treats Dina hauled overseas...juicy, plump dates. They are delicious.  And I learned from Dina that they are the first food consumed after a day of fasting during the month of Ramadan.  Kate was a little uncertain at first. Like a puppy she licked, she sniffed and then gobbled them up.   Wednesday was the first day of school for both Dina and Kate. Here are their first day of school pics... Boy oh boy, Kate is tall for a four year old. Notic e a pink skirt beneath the pink dress in...

Like you, I look forward to vacation. Months in advance I create a mental packing list and tuck it away until it's time to really get serious about filling that suitcase. I dream of things we'll do, foods we'll eat; I'll plan for rest and instead stay up late and wake with the sun. Not just because my almost two year old dislikes sleep but because there is so much to look forward to on vacation. The opposite holds true when that last day of vacation arrives. My eyes crack open with a little less ease and that mental packing list is crumbled up and tossed in the trash because it is officially time to return to reality. I like vacation.  I'm a beach girl at heart.  My skin begs for hot sun, sand in my toes and a cold margarita in my hand...or an iced coffee.  A girl's gotta cool off somehow. Laying back and putting up my feet...that's how I roll. But really those moments of relaxtion are just that...moments; because in between slathering coconut sunscre...

This morning begins our return to routine...kind of. Sunday we returned from vacation, unpacked and then drove straight to the airport to await Dina's arrival. We waited, then waited some more and then we...oh wait, nope...we continued to wait. But all that waiting was worth it. Dina finally arrived, we ate a very quick supper and crashed into bed. A couple of pics from our Clear Lake vacation. The girls weren't all that interested in sitting for a picture. We had a fantastic time away on vacation. I have plenty of pictures to share but I'm going to put that on hold until tomorrow. The girls and I are excited to spend some time with Kate's 'new big sister.'

The countdown is on... ...to school... ...to Dina's arrival... ...to election day... ...to our Florida getaway... So, so, so much to look forward to. And to get nervous for! CJ is obviously relaxed about it all. Must get back to planning...

We traveled. Some cried. Most laughed. All are tired. Those four short phrases wrap up this past Saturday. Thankfully the crying was done by the guests under 5. I thought about crying on the way home, but I was laughing too hard at the ridiculous sobbing coming from the backseat. Err...let me back up, eh? In addition to celebrating my mom's birthday we traveled to Winfield, IA to visit family. My cousin, Angela, and her boyfriend traveled from LA to make a rare Iowa appearance and we had to say hello. (Angela is writing a hilarious book about her experiences as a private jet attendant. Just wait til you read her celebrity stories.) This picture was Kate's handiwork. She ran around the party taking random pictures. Most were shots of people's knees and noses but every now and again she caught a good one. I am convinced my aunt and uncle's house is home to My Little Ponies and Care Bears because we saw not one, not two but three rainbows. One was a double rainbow! (Ha...

My mind was (and still is) swimming with a million thoughts this weekend. Thoughts of everything from grocery shopping lists to pedicures to Kuwaiti teenagers. Now that's a broad spectrum, don't ya think? A large portion of Saturday was spent hanging out with family to celebrate my mom's birthday and other things. Some of us chipped in and bought my mom a nook. I was feeling creative. I didn't want to simply wrap it, so I decided to hollow out a book and hide the nook inside. The hallowed out book was supposed to look something like this... But wouldn't you know, hallowing out a book is no simple task. I sweated, I swore, I almost lost a finger...and then I gave up. This is what my hallowed out book looked like. And I had about 200 more pages to go before the nook would fit snugly inside. I abandoned ship and instead wrapped a book jacket around the nook. See...peek-a-boo! You thought we were giving you a "Freakonomics" book but, tee hee, it's re...