• Family,  Friends,  Sports

    Warrior Dash!

    June 12, 2012

    This past weekend, Mike and his buddy Jeff ran together in Omaha's Warrior Dash. The day was extremely windy and hot, leaving me to wonder how those who survived the Dust Bowl did it with their sanity intact. But nothing would deter these two – and 20,000 others – from embarking on this much-anticipated race.

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    Here we go!

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    Here they are, in line for a drink of water before heading to the start line…

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    Minutes after wishing them luck and watching them disappear into the crowd of contestants, they returned and told us that despite the fright it may cause, the heat had forced them to come to this critical decision: they needed to run shirtless.

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    You go, boys.

    The race was supposed to take around an hour or so to complete, and involved 1.5 miles of running up and down steep hills, and then leading into another 2 miles of challenging obstacles, including climbing 15' walls, swimming through a lake, hurdling fire pits, and wading waste-high through thick mud. Just to name a few.

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    Once they took off, Soph and I desperately sought a shady place to sit, but there was none to be found. With dirt in our teeth, grit on our faces, and hot sun on our necks, we roamed the grounds, hoping the boys could break all records and complete the race in about 6 minutes tops. 

    Eventually, we found a place to purchase some lunch, and discovered that there was a shady place to have a picnic after all…

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    This was the view from where we lunched:

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    And these were my once-white tennis shoes:

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    After eating, we decided to head over to where the finish line was, hoping to catch Mike and Jeff cross in. We were there about 2 minutes before they came into view. (Thank goodness we got there when we did; it only took them about 44 minutes to complete the race!)

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    Soph wouldn't pose with her dad until he promised not to touch her…

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    After receiving their medals, they headed over to the Warrior Wash, which was an area where a truck stood, rigged with a huge water hose. Everyone massed together to be hosed off, and I imagine Mike probably did his best Charlton Heston imitation (in Planet of the Apes) when it happened. Just sayin'.

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    This was where one could leave their shoes if they didn't want to wear them back home…

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    But of course, the boys decided to keep their shoes on. And their wives had no idea why.

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    Btw, the above photo was taken after their shower.

    Here they are with their race shirts back on, celebrating their victory over the course…

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    Jeff decided to check if the medals were real gold, and Mike just wanted to bite something.

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    Then, in true warrior fashion, they started chewing on their turkey legs…

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    And in true juvenile fashion, they started sparring with them…

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    They thought it would be good to show off their sponsor's tee shirts…

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    And since their sponsor was a martial arts school, they started making those "hy-YAH" noises and kicking the air…

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    Once they calmed down, we headed for home. And all the while, Mike insisted I would love running the race with him next year. But I'll leave that to these two hooligans.

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    Next goal: The Tough Mudder 2013!

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  • Stitching

    From Holland with Love

    June 6, 2012

    Dutch Beauty has returned to me, and I am incredibly happy with her. When I crawled into bed last night, I sat for quite a while just looking up at it and marveling that such a young girl (by today's standards) would have stitched something so astounding. Was it expected of her to do so? Did she start out with the intentions of creating something this large, or did she simply have trouble finding a stopping point? Could she not settle on just one pattern, but wanted to incorporate many? (Yes, they had cross stitch patterns back then!) I'm sure if she knew I copied her masterpiece, she would laugh and say, "Oh, that old thing?" 😉

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    The barrel distortion of my lens made the frame look bowed in the above photo, but in real life it is not! Thank you, Julie, at Reflections Framing and Stitching for choosing such a gorgeous moulding for it! (Maryann and Julie and Connie are all such sweet ladies. and I'm thrilled that we once again have a lovely cross stitch shop here.)

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    This sampler is a mirrored pattern, which made the work a bit tedious at times. But in the end, it was worth all of the exasperated sighs and exclamations of, "This again?"

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    Believe it or not, my bed is king-sized. The way everything fits so snugly into the photo gives it the appearance of being much smaller than it is, but trust me, it's pretty overwhelming when I walk into my bedroom!

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    I cannot believe it's finished! And now I want to stitch my guts out. 🙂

    And guess what else I got back this week! 

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    Thank you to Jill Rensel for such a lovely job on my (The Primitive Needle) A&E! I loved the original color scheme Lisa designed it in, and when I saw the way Shepherd's Bush had changed the colors, I couldn't believe it was the same sampler! Tina and Teri did a beautiful conversion to their signature soft palette, and as much as I wanted to use it, I knew that it wouldn't quite fit in with this particular wall of color. So I opted for keeping the majority of the primitive colors Lisa used, while switching out a few to more vibrant hues in an effort to keep up with the other Edens. (To the left is Frances Eden, and underneath is Paradise Lost.)(Would you believe that it just now occurred to me that Frances Eden's last name is Eden? Am I the only one who didn't notice the coincidence?)

    I'm off to do a little weeding (Mom, quit snickering… okay, a lot of weeding!), and then perhaps take a walk around the lake. But when I get back, I do believe I'll stitch until I can stand it no more. 🙂

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  • Family

    Memorial Day Cookout

    June 4, 2012

    Every time we pull out of my parents' driveway after enjoying one of their cookouts, Mike always says the same thing: "I always have the best time at your parents' house."  It really is so fun to get together with them, and I'm sad that for this one, the older girls had to miss out. (Sophie, on the other hand, wasn't too upset about it.)

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    I made a fresh pear cobbler, and Mom made homemade ice cream to go with it…

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    As usual, Mom has the prettiest things sitting around on the deck my dad built for her…

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    The milk jars are actually tea lite holders…

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    The weather was perfect, and looking out into the yard was almost inspiring enough to get my own yard in shape. Almost.

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    This is Sophie's favorite part of her Meems' and Pops' garden:

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    And this was Major's, when he used to romp around and drink it dry:

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    Mom's newest addition to a tree (you can find all sorts of little things hidden in the trees here):

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    (Mike was content with his marshmallows, but when he finds out there were photos taken that he wasn't included in, I'm sure he'll be sore over it.)

    I wish I had been able to get a better photo of these two trying to get the fire started for the marshmallows, but I do like looking at this one and remembering how much fun Soph had helping out her Pops…

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    My dad is a quiet man, and would usually rather observe than verbalize (and that's actually something I love about him; he's very comforting to be around)…

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    This one, on the other hand, would prefer to verbalize…

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    Ah, here's the marshmallow man!

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    This may be too charred for some people, but I love them this way!

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    We also played the usual ladder ball and bean bag toss, which is always so much fun. (Btw, I've had a few people ask me about ladder ball.. you can find a whole set for under $20.00 at Wal-Mart, along with several other lawn games.)

    I hope you all had a really nice Memorial Day weekend. As usual, when we spend an evening at my parents' home, we certainly did.

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  • Home

    Lately.

    May 30, 2012

    Here are just a few moments from recent days…

    These wild thistles that grow behind my house, next to a busy street, were a pretty spot in the overcast gloom today.

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    I passed by Sabrina's room and got excited that she'll finally be home from school this Friday. I've missed my girl.

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    I also miss my Bre, who left to start her new life in a new town with little Tilly.

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    When I painted my bedroom recently, I also painted my bathroom, so I decided to have some fun and add a few new accessories.

    I absolutely love handmade soaps, and I found these on Etsy.

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    I also found a lovely blue vintage Ball jar with a glass lid…

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    I got this wire bread basket at Kohl's, but decided to use it for fluffy wash cloths instead of bread.

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    Here's a new handsoap I got a Trader Joe's. Its fragrance reminds me of hotel soap.. it leaves such a clean smell on my hands, and I love it.

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    I found this tiny cloche at Hobby Lobby, and it sits on the side of my bathtub now.

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    I'd like to put this one in a cloche!

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    But Tasha's a sweetheart. Poor, friendless Tasha.

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    If you've been checking my mom's blog lately, you know she and my dad were the proud grandparents of 4 baby cardinals this spring. However, these little creatures weren't meant to grow to adulthood, as none of them made it past this downy phase…

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    Spring brought lots of beauty with it, as usual…

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    And I have no idea what this plant is, but I do remember putting it in the ground last year… I'm glad it was nice enough to return! I think those tiny pink flowers are so sweet…

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    Here's another welcome visitor to the back yard… Mom doesn't much care for the mourning doves bc they kick her mulch out of place. But even though they do that to my landscape as well, I think they're charming little creatures.

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    Speaking of Mom, look at this restaurantware she surprised me with! I love the feel of diner-style coffee cups, and this one was from the Coronado Hotel in California…

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    When Bre moved back into her room, I moved out my fledgeling collection of Colonial-style accessories. And now that those accessories are settled in my dining room – and she's moved back out – I decided I needed some new accessories in the room. So Mom and I headed to Weathered and Worn and we each picked up these candleabras (mine is red, while hers is black) and battery-powered candles. I love these candles bc they've got built-in timers in them; every night they come on at the same time, and stay on for 6 hours before turning back off again.

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    I'll leave you with one more thing I added to the bedroom. Thanks to Miss Tanya (The Scarlett House) and her powers of persuasion, I bought my first antique sampler, and I'm ever-so-in-love with it.

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    I wish so badly I could sit here and blog more. I miss hearing from you all and sharing little things that happen here in this crazy house of mine. Truth be told, though, I just can't sit here like I used to, thanks to some hip pain issues I've been experiencing for a while now. And what stitching I get done is actually done standing up at the kitchen counter! Yes, it can be done, and isn't nearly as uncomfortable as one would imagine. 🙂 (As a matter of fact, I stitched nearly all of The Flood standing up!) 

    And as for stitching, I've been working away on models, as well as doling others out to some very sweet model stitchers. 🙂 I'm going to pick up a Halloween-themed one tomorrow (thank you, Connie!), and have two others (Salem Sisters 3 and Vexation Sampler) that are being worked on (thank you, Rindy and Karen!).

    My little Sophie would like to borrow my computer now, so I suppose I'll get off of here and let the dogs out before heading to bed early.

    It was fun visiting with you all. I've missed you!

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  • Family

    It’s Good to Be Twelve.

    May 23, 2012

    I remember turning twelve. It seemed so old compared to eleven… My sweet Joonbug celebrated her birthday yesterday by inviting over her Meems and Pops and having a cookout here at home. She loves birthdays, no matter whose they are, and we did our best to make hers as special as she makes others'. (If it's your birthday, just let Sophie know and she'll be in a good mood all day – I'm not even kidding.)

    She's just too much fun to buy for (as Bre can attest… she pretty much broke the bank bc she couldn't stop adding to the pile when shopping for Sophie in Aeropostale). 

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    Bean couldn't be with us bc she's taking a field course out in western Nebraska, but before she left, she presented Sophie with a new version of her old cell phone, which was quite exciting for Soph! Of course, Big Papa gets to deal with the data plan upgrade, but he did agree to it. It doesn't really matter that he was engrossed in a video game when the idea was presented, does it? (jk!)

    Speaking of Big Papa, he taught the birthday girl all about the art of grilling…

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    (Btw, those are my "Sweeters" on the top grill rack, as Mike calls them. They're sweet potatoes with all sorts of goodies sprinkled on top).

    This was Mike's plate.. I always thought his mustard technique for hot dogs was interesting (which is evidence for why I don't pick him for my team when playing Pictionary)…

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    Time for the bean bag toss, which was one of Mike's gifts to Soph…

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    I love this picture of these two…

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    We also played Ladder Ball, which is always fun!

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    One of Sophie's very favorite television shows is Cupcake Wars on The Learning Channel, so instead of a traditional cake, we surprised her with various gourmet cupcakes. (And for fun, since she's a Toy Story fan, I got her a miniature Buzz Lightyear cake.)

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    Sophie loved all of her presents, and she was especially glad her grandparents came over. Not that they would have missed it. 😉

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    I do have to interject, however, that her little brother got on her nerves a bit:

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    Especially when he took her prized earrings that were laying nearby and placed them in the bored-out eyes of the ice cream man he had created. This did not go over well with the birthday girl, and I reminded her that men are boys too, and they require much patience at times.

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    Sophie, you are amazing. And we're so very happy you were born. We love you!

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    P.S. This morning she said to me, "I'm starting to feel twelve now." And since today is the last day of school, she added, "And can you believe at 3:00 today, I'll be a seventh grader?"

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  • Home,  Stitching

    A Fresh Look

    May 8, 2012

    A couple of weeks ago I decided that I was tired of the green walls in my bedroom. So after trying out several swatches of different colors (everything from mustard to colonial blue), I decided to visit the Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer, and finally found a color that I couldn't live without: Crystal Clear. Also known as NPI 511.

    Here's a picture of Tilly, perched on a favorite spot in front of my window, with one of the old green walls behind her:

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    And here's a picture of the new paint over my headboard, silently waiting for Dutch Beauty to return home from the framer:

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    Btw, I purchased a new bedspread as well.. it's called the Martha Washington's Choice, and I absolutely love it! It looks like it has sampler motifs on it…

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    I didn't want any shams or throw pillows or neck rolls this time. I'm converting to utter simplicity, so I wanted just a bedspread, and nothing else. So far, I'm very happy with it, although I've threatened Mike with complete despair for the rest of his days if he dares to lay his sweaty, fresh-from-the-gym self on top of it for an afternoon snooze.

    Before I painted, I was planning on having Adam & Eve samplers hung over the bed. But I've since changed my mind, and have moved the A&E's to the bathroom. It's not like I have many; I only have Frances Eden and Paradise Lost there so far, but since my mother would need smelling salts if she saw that I wasn't working in odd numbers, I decided to add a third A&E to the mix…

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    This is A&E by The Primitive Needle. I kept most of the primitive color palette, but did change out a few of the colors to keep it as bright as Frances and Paradise. Of course, one of the colors added was NPI 511. 😉

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    I also changed the color NPI 775 to NPI 223, and stitched the deer and squirrel in colors from the chart's original NPI list, but not in dark brown, as the chart symbol indicated.

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    It's stitched on 35-ct. Weeks Dye Works Parchment, and I left off the straight-edge border, as I'd like to have the mats or frame come right up on the edge, where the border would have been.

    That's about all I've been up to this past week! I suppose I've had enough fun lollygagging, so it's time to get back to model stitching. Although, the living room could sure use a fresh coat of paint…

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  • Ramblings

    Curio

    May 2, 2012

    My great-grandparents' dining room suite is mine now, and I love every piece of it. Especially the tea cart, which houses my collection of Majesty magazines (given to me by my mother), and the china cabinet, which is used for everything but china.

    I love how comfortable the room feels at night when the little light inside the cabinet is turned on, and everything glows softly. Like the favorite fabrics that I can't bear to cut into, and the lonely Colonial figure, purchased at a vintage-and-antique shop, even though his mate was missing.

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    The photograph of my beautiful grandmother (btw, my "Beedie's Garden" pattern was designed for her)…

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    The little Dutch shoes that my sweet friend Karin recently sent to me…

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    Earlier this year, I spotted this adorable couple at my favorite country shop, Weathered and Worn…

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    Isn't he wonderful? I love his shoes! He looks like Ben Franklin to me.

    And his lovely wife…

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    Of course, you-know-who is always into everything, so this doesn't surprise me in the least…

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    (I'll miss her when she moves, despite her silent-yet-intrusive self.)

    I love my china cabinet. And I'm fairly certain that my great-grandparents, Ola and JC, had no idea that this is how their china cabinet would spend its retirement, some 50 years after they purchased it.

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  • Crazy Kids

    99-Cent Couture

    April 18, 2012

    Sabrina loves making her own costumes for all the themed parties she attends in college, and her favorite place to get the materials is at thrift stores. Basically, she re-purposes once-loved outfits, usually of the '80's persuasion.

    Recently she acquired another one of these garments – one that was a size 16 (she's a size 0) jacket and skirt, with a wild pattern on it that involved ships and anchors and compasses. It was a hilarious success at the party she attended, and everyone thought she was fibbing when she said she only paid .99 cents for it (she even got a few questions asking if it was "a Ralph Lauren," at which she laughed and replied, "No, it's from the Good Will!").

    Fast forward to last weekend, when she was asked to attend a fraternity's formal dance with a good friend of hers (she's no longer dating Joey, btw). She said she'd go, and jokingly told her friend that she would wear the nautical-style costume she had purchased, and he could wear the jacket so that they'd match. He agreed. She backpeddaled. He insisted, saying, "You only live once."

    And so the pair wore the most informal formal attire in the history of Beta's formal dances, and they were formally the smash of the party.

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    I just about died laughing when she sent me these photos! The one above was taken in the lobby of Beta's house.

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    Her friend, known as Hugh Heffner on this night, was very ill with a fever, but he was a good sport. And Btw, my mom altered the size-16 skirt so that it would fit Sabrina properly as a dress, and I think it turned out so cute!

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    I don't post many candid photos of Sabrina on here, but I just had to show this one that she sent to me as well. This is the Sabrina I know and love: the silly, sweet girl who loves to have fun and doesn't care what she looks like in the process. If there's anyone who truly lives by the mantra "you only live once," it's her. (But thankfully, she doesn't take it so far as to shorten my life!)

    Bean, you both looked fantastic, and I'm so glad you had a great time!

    Even though you're ill with a fever now. 😉

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  • Family,  Hodgepodge Cottage

    New and News from Bre!

    April 16, 2012

    Bre has been so busy with her Hodgepodge Cottage designs lately, and I wanted to take a quick moment to share her newest releases with you all! She's got them coming out during the online Needlework Show on April 19th, and I couldn't be more proud of her. And to think, it all started with my grounding her as a teenager and making her learn to stitch while she worried away the hours…

    Here is Cat and Mouse:

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    A Lucky Home…

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    And finally, A Warm Heart Welcome…

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    I just love these sweet little designs (although I may be partial to the designer). 🙂

    You can find them on the Kelmscott Designs page during the online show. You can also get more information about Bre's designs on her Hodgepodge Cottage Facebook page.

    In other news, my Bre has accepted a job. A real, grown-up job! She'll be moving away from home soon, as she has accepted a graphic artist position for a marketing consultant several hours away. I'm so very proud of her, and so happy… although that first night she's away, I know it will hit me hard. It's going to be quite different from her being only an hour away at college, but I know that even if it's going to be difficult for me, she's ready for it. I couldn't be happier for her.

    I love how she worded it on one of her Facebook posts: "…I'll be moving into my own home, and it can really be the Hodgepodge COTTAGE!" Okay, now I'm jealous, bc I always wanted to name my home. I'll have to come up with something cool. (And no, Mom, I can't use Greatest Show on Earth bc it's already taken. And quit calling my house a circus.)

    Btw, when she was getting ready for her interview, I took a few photos of her fixing her hair in the mirror before she stepped out the door. My girls are pretty used to me getting in their space and taking a ridiculous amount of photos, so they rarely look at me unless I tell them to. I can't help it though.. I just love all those in-between moments that actually never get posted on the blog bc my girls would be embarrassed. 🙂 But all those little in-betweens are the cream in the Oreo, imvho, and I love every one.

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    Looky-here, Bre!

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    And then it was time for her to leave…

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    I love my girl. 

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