The Crafts

I'm all about a rainy day indoors curled up on the couch, snug between my two girls while they watch a movie and I read a book. Oh, and you can't forget the popcorn...with extra butter. Rainy days rock, until it feels like you live in Seattle sans the good things like hippies and organic markets on every corner. This isn't Seattle. The sunshine of Iowa has my full permission to expose itself anytime now. So get it on it already. Now I guess I can't complain all that much because we did have a nice day last Thursday. It wasn't quite nice enough to warrant the garden hose but somehow my girls coaxed me into it. We also received a visit from a friendly police officer who offered police badge stickers to the girls. They thought they were pretty darn important after that. (Don't worry, it was a nice visit from the officer. We didn't do anything wrong... that I know of.) Last Friday was a big day for Kate. The day had finally arrived. Kinderg

Somebody bought themselves a new camera.  And that same somebody has been taking a whole lotta photos.  200 pics in a matter of hours. I'm obsessed.  I almost never edit my photos because it just adds time to an already short day. These photos are no exception.  They were not edited and they are tremendously better then what the old cameras was putting out. In the comment section of my last blog post, Megan recommended the Canon Powershot series and that just so happens to be what I purchased. It has a 20x zoom.  I'm in love. We went for a walk before bed last night so I could try out my new purchase. Kate settled herself into some grass and struck her best pose.  I even took pictures at breakfast. CJ was a little surprised by the flash here. I also dug out some long hidden toys so we could feign happy-playtime-togetherness. The camera has some bizarre features that I've never seen in the past, suc

Monday night I went on a mad hunt around the house. Missing were both television remotes, my camera cord and little did I know, a whole lot of various game pieces that made their way under the living room furniture. Just peering under the couch was like discovery Christmas in April. I found one remote and that was it, if you discount the game pieces, a couple of misplaced raisins and a tiara. Tuesday CJ appeared upstairs sans pants and unmentionables. When asked why she was without them she fessed up to having an accident but coincidentally could not remember where she placed the soiled clothing. So I began yet another hunt for one television remote, my missing camera cord and now urine soaked clothes.  I'm pleased to report CJ's clothing was discovered in her hamper. It was honestly the last placed I looked. I never thought for a moment she would have placed them in the proper location. I even checked all trash cans before I thought to look in her hamper.  I gue

As of the last month or so, I have been completely devoid of any mojo. I have stopped running and walking. I rarely take pictures or blog. I stopped reading books because I just haven't found any that interest me. I don't even watch television except Revenge with Dina and SNL with Matt. I'm almost never on the computer anymore. I quit reading a bunch of blogs. I don't play my favorite silly games likes Words With Friends and Draw Something, and I've let the laundry and cleaning slide. I sound like one big sack of nothing, don't I? I'm not entirely sure what has happened to me but I have lost all motivation for my favorite things. I could just keep all this boring, nonsensical stuff to myself but I'm hoping that writing about it will help me find my mojo for life again. I'm not sure how to restart my engine but I must figure out something. I want to figure it out. Starting tomorrow I will wake with the sun, like I used to, and get my butt outdoors

Hello goofy bike rider. Although it was awfully chilly out. Hello my little chalk artist. Hello pretty prom girl! Hello super silly prom girl. Hello wrinkly forehead. Ugh. Hello Team "Livin' on the Ejim."  It was another successful year of kickin' butt and takin' names at the Sixth Annual Cy's House of Trivia. Hello celebrity Cyclone, Scott Christopherson (sitting in the middle.)  Scott is a senior men's basketball player for Iowa State and Kate's favorite on the team.  Oh, and hello appropriately positioned arms hiding the baby belly. I won't be able to disguise it for long. Hello 1st place mid-way through the trivia contest. We finished 3rd out of 88 teams and we're all very proud of it! This was a tough  year of trivia. Hello dinner in the crock pot. I love Indian food.  We'll see how well it goes over with the rest of the family. And a big, jolly hello to nap time.  This cup o

This year the role of Easter bunny was played by the mister. Mama Bunny couldn't find time to shop without her baby bunnies so Papa had to step in. And I must say he did a nice job. He chose bath toys and silly string. As you may have guessed, silly string was a big hit. It was also a short lived hit. I think the girls sprayed themselves silly (pun intended) in about 3 minutes. And because we all like to share a good thing let me just tell you about this cake the girls and I made today. We had nothing but afternoon preschool planned. It was a sunny 30 degrees this morning and I wasn't about to dig out the winter coats. So we made a cake for no good reason other than filling empty time. I don't really like cake. Actually I like the flavors that are least popular such as banana and carrot. White and chocolate I can do without, really. But this morning we made chocolate because quite frankly, I didn't care. Again, I was killing time. So we made Julie Ulven&#

Similar to other holidays, the Crafts were busy traveling. But it is always good traveling. We catch up with family we don't see often and still find time to relax with those we talk with regularly. Holidays really are about family and we cram a lot of people into a short number of days.  If my job this weekend was to play the role of photographer then I would be fired. I did a rotten job of snapping pics. I did, however, catch a few of us dyeing Easter eggs. Not unlike other homes with small children, an organized activity such as coloring eggs typically results in tears and fits and spills. This year though I'd like to report that no one cried or fought and nothing was spilled. It was a blessed Easter miracle and I actually enjoyed dyeing eggs with the girls.  This was Dina's first year coloring eggs. I think she had some fun! Kate sported a backwards tank top and mismatched striped pants. She has her own fashion sense.  And Miss CJ sported a determi