Minnesota Ventures!

Ready to Fish!

Every year when we pull away from our cabin in Minnesota, I'm always sad to know my kids will be a year older the next time we come.  It seems so far away when you are leaving, but passes so quickly each year.  As usual, we had a blast this year on our trip.  Despite some pretty hot and sticky days to start the week off, the kids played in the water from sun up to sun down.  Jack and Maren both fished this year, and Jack even saw Papa prepare the fish.  I enjoyed my morning runs along the lake roads and Craig got a chance to play a lot of golf with his Dad.  More than anything, the fun of Minnesota is getting to see all the family for a nice length of time.  We're already considering a two week stay next year!

Mommy Sells Bows

Could it be that I have too much time on my hands?  Those of you that know me, know I pretty much bred for bows.  When I found out I was having a girl three years ago, all I could think about were the bows I could put in her hair.  Perhaps that's why I've gotten a little itch to make them.  Visit me on Etsy and see just how much time I've been spending neglecting my housework and having a little fun....

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BowtiqueMama

I also have a new blog for Bowtique Mama; but bear with me, it is still under construction....

http://thebowtiquemama.blogspot.com/

Food for Thought

I recently had a speaker come to my MOPS group and give a presentation on having a "wining attitude."  It was a great reminder about how much your attitude affects what is going on around you.  I must admit that sometimes I do not possess this even when I know I should.  For example, the last few times I have had to go to the dentist, I have had the opportunity to bring both children with me.  My dentist, for lack of a better word, is old.  He's the sweetest man and although his hands shake while he checks my teeth; I stick with him despite my hour and half long visits, because I trust him and he's been my Grandma's dentist forever.  I admit that trying to keep your children happy and on their best behavior for that long while someone has you in a chair with your mouth occupied, is not always easy and sometimes I'm sour about it.  Imagine my surprise though when I recently attended Jack's preschool graduation.  Towards the close, they announced what each child had decided they would like to be when they grew up.  (This was a question I had never asked Jack, and was intrigued to have answered)  I heard the typical answers, "a superhero, Buzz Lightyear, a Basketball player, a princess, etc..)  Then came the moment to hear Jack's dream....."a dentist."  I admit that my eyes filled with tears.  Who knew?  All those times I have been grouchy about having to tote my kids along with me for my exam, and Jack has been sitting beside me taking in so much more than I knew.  Truly, a light bulb turned on in my brain.  Maybe the things we think are so hard, are often the things our children are learning and growing the most from.  From now on, I'm going to use this story to remind me how much a "wining attitude" affects an outcome.

Maren's Third Birthday!!

Can you believe my baby girl is three?  Oh goodness, it just keeps going faster and faster!  We celebrated at home with our cousins, nanas, and aunts and uncles.  As requested by Maren, we feasted on strawberry hello kitty cupcakes and hot dogs.  Maren was eager to open her presents, and we really couldn't get her to slow down and be polite about it.  Does that come with being three?  Some of the pictures are blurry and I apologize.  I somehow got the camera in the wrong setting and wish I would have realized it sooner.  None the less, it was a fun day....and, in Maren's own words, "Now I'm Free (three)!"

Mother's Day

It was such a treat to get to spend the day with my family on Mother's Day.  Aside from our brunch to take my mother and grandmother out, Craig and the kids spent the day at home with me treating me to a bunch of my favorites.  Jack and Craig left in the morning to get me one of my favorite treats, a strawberry doughnut.  After church, we took my mother and grandmother to Grandstreet Cafe for a nice brunch.  I sat on the couch and read a magazine during nap time (aaahhh) and then we picked up a pizza for dinner.  (No cooking the entire day, Wow!) Here are a few pictures from my fun day....

The kids and I before brunch

Nana Marsh, Grandma Do-Do, and Maren

Craig and I at brunch--(Jack took the picture!)

Nana, Grandma Do-Do, Jack, and Maren

my mother and grandmother

TLC

The time had come, and although I said I would never tackle painting the inside of our house again, looking at the filth on our walls was really getting to me.  A couple of months ago, probably inspired by getting new carpet, I came up with a "list" of all the projects lurking around our house and decided to take the bull by the horn.  I had "magic erasered" our walls to the last glint of color trying to get off crayon, scuffs, marks, and many other various things I couldn't even identify.  The only answer was repainting and as a stay-at-home mom, I decided it wasn't worth it to pay someone else to do it.  Thus began my trip up the extension ladder, for those of you who have seen my house, know the height of my walls.  I'm not completely done, but am starting to feel better that our walls are clean.  Here are some pictures from the process.  (I am somewhat impulsive and like to start on a project the minute I get the paint, so some of the "before" pictures were actually taken in the middle of the process.)

The Great Room: (repaint the room, touch up trim)

Before (again, got excited and forgot to take before pictures until I got the trim done)

Before

After- new color, CLEAN walls

After

Kitchen After

The trim before any work

Sanding and filling

More Filling and Sanding

After

After

Maren's Room-(repaint the walls, refinish bedroom furniture)

Completely forgot to take before photos, but here's the new green walls and furniture

No more cherry wood, a much more "girly" finish

The Formal Living Room-and basically the remaining interior walls, as all of our walls run together (repaint, update)

Formal Living Room- slightly before

Starting the Trim

After

After

Entry Hall- After

After

Girl's Trip

It's sad to say, but definitely true, it has been five years since my last "Girl's Trip."  It was beyond time to get away, and my mom and I decided to "hit" Vegas.  This was a fun destination considering I had been several times, and she had never been introduced to Sin City.  It was a blast and we both had a ball.  We enjoyed going to the spa, shopping, eating; and yes, even gambling.  My mother quickly found her favorite slot machine--The Maltese fortune.  This was a coveted machine for her, as she has two Maltese at home that she adores.  She also looked for patterns to help her gambling abilities; she was pretty sure if she took her shoes off, it would "payout."  She did have some big moments; however we stuck with nickel and penny slots, so even the big moments didn't qualify us for a high roller suite.  None the less, we had a lot of fun together!!!