simply sarah card

new beginnings

2011-09-14T09:57:00.002-05:00

Hello?

(tapping on screen)

Are you there?

(more tapping)

It's me...

Sarah.

You know... of simply sarah card

It's been a while, I know, many of you have been asking where I have gone and when I'll be back, so I thought now would be a good time to fill you in. I've spent these past few ~~days~~, ~~weeks~~, ~~months~~, darn near a year working on ME. I needed change. I needed God. I needed to search my soul. (I'm sure I've mentioned it a time, or two.) I needed to find that thing.

Having three (sometimes four, if you count my husband) boys can be draining on a person. I spend so much of my days giving them every ounce of me. Whether it's cooking, cleaning, playing, dancing, singing, yelling, fighting, laughing or crying, they get all of me. And I have come to realize that they can't get the best of what I have to offer if I don't take time for me. To nourish my soul and do what brings me JOY. I had a life before them and I will have a life after their time with me is through, and I need to feed the soul of that life during the in between.

Darn it. Now I'm crying.

I'm here to share that I have found that thing. The something that I had lost. The something that I honestly didn't realize I once had until recently. The lighter to the fire within me. It was there all these years (I'm talking like I'm a hundred) but it was just smoldering, waiting for a gentle breeze of air to help it along, and make it a firey blaze.

When I was a young girl (eighty-nine years ago, HA!) I had a thing for taking pictures. My childhood bestie and I would buy roll after roll of 35mm film so we could take pictures of each other modeling in trees, in front of buildings and around town (usually on roller-blades). We even spent the dough to have the film developed at a high-end lab... aka K-Mart, where I would later work, but that's another story. And it's not that great so I won't go there.

Anyway... back then I thought it was just taking pictures. I guess in the grown-up world it's called photography. And this, my friends, is what I have to share with you:

I am a photographer.
A REAL photographer, being paid for my work.

I bought the gear (and almost threw up when I hit "checkout").
I have researched and learned and read until my eyes were bleeding. (I don't know if that can really happen, but it sure feels like it.)
I have taken classes. AMAZING classes.
I have attended workshops. AMAZING workshops.
I have practiced. And practiced. And practiced s'more.
I can't say I'm coming out of the gate perfect... but truly, I hope to never be perfect. I have come to believe that if you're perfect you'll never keep trying and if you're not trying you'll never grow. And that just goes with the saying I love that, "If we don't grow, we won't change. And if we don't change, we aren't really living." - Gail Sheehy

So they way I see it, is the only thing that would be perfect is having the people I photograph believe that my work is a documentation of the real them. Who they are. What they represent. Where they are in life at that moment the shutter closed.

I am Sarah Card Photography.

And I'm documenting life.

And so, with tears in my eyes, again, I'm also here to say that 'The Card Family Blog' will no longer exist. (I'll keep the 'ol blog up so when there is nothing better to do, and you have already visited the new blog, you can revisit the past times... trust me, I'm going to!)

You can keep up with me, the business and the entire Card Fam at the new blog HERE.
www.sarahcardphotography.com/blog

What's that? You want to see my website, too? OK! HERE IT IS. www.sarahcardphotography.com
And if you're a social networking type, HERE is the facebook page. You should 'LIKE' it!
www.facebook.com/sarahcardphotography

For those of you who don't continue to follow, God bless you. Thank you for each and every comment you have shared with me along the way. Thank you for opening yourself and your blog up to others. Farewell i-net friends. For those of you who are stickin' with me... Let the FUN BEGIN! ...and God bless you, too! I love you!

Neglected | Not Forgotten

2011-05-09T13:26:00.001-05:00

One would think I have forgotten all about this here little old blog... but forgotten I have not. I'll admit to neglected, mmmmk? But not forgotten. I do have valid reasons, with the biggest being the lack of a computer. Sullivan threw my cell phone and it hit my laptop in the screen and BLAM! Gone! In the blink of an eye...
It happened about a month ago (I'll explain the other two months of being MIA later) and I haven't done anything to replace it until this weekend. I ordered a big 'ol desktop and it will be here Wednesday. (So I'm told... could be Thursday, or Friday for that matter, which would make me sad, but what is a girl to do?)
So anyway... Hopefully y'all are still hangin' around these parts. I'll be back soon.

Boy, have I missed you...

before & after

2011-02-24T15:50:00.000-06:00

The day came.

It made me a little sad...

before

But how could this face not make you

INCREDIBLY

H A P P Y ? !

after

Lookin' good, buddy!
I love you and your new 'do!

snow day

2011-02-21T13:03:00.000-06:00

Mother Nature took a massive dump on us yesterday, and I'm not very happy about it.
I was diggin' the 4o* temps she so kindly graced us with last week.
13 inches, people. THIRTEEN inches. And it's still snowing.
Not to mention highs hovering around twenty all week.

Now that I got that off my chest I will go on to make the most of this snow day.
We have plans of hot chocolate, comfy clothes, shoveling, books, homemade soup for lunch, puzzles, a nap, trains and spaghetti with meatballs for dinner. Follow that with a movie and popcorn on the couch and I'd say this snow day isn't turning out to be so bad after all!

Warm blessings to you!

brotherly love | hair twirling

2011-02-18T13:55:00.000-06:00

My children have a thing for hair. All three of them.
They all love to run their fingers through hair. And it's not just my hair.
It's anyone's hair. They do it to their grandmas and their aunties, their babysitters and our friends. I had never seen them do it to one another until a couple of days ago...

We laughed so hard when Drake and Jackson were sitting on the couch while Jackson played Webkins on the laptop. Drake's hand made its way to Jackson's hair.
It was just one of those little moments...

Their future girlfriends are either going to love it or hate it...

And speaking of hair: We are getting so close to chopping Drake's off. It's just not doing anything anymore, as seen in the above images. UGH! Tears will be 'a rollin' that day!

making changes | journal entry

2011-02-18T13:20:00.000-06:00

I'm going to start using my blog as more of a journal for some of my posts. A place to spill everyday things, goals, happenings, thoughts, ideas, etc... The content won't necessarily knock you socks off, but maybe you'll find a little inspiration here and there: And so...

Change is hard. But change is oh so necessary.
Recently I came across these two quotes and I can't get them out of my head:

"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them." - Denis Waitley

and

"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living." - Gail Sheehy

A while back this was in one of my posts:

I need to take some time to do a little

self-re-vamping,

God-listening,

soul-searching,

home-re-organizing,

family-time-spending,

friend-catch-uping,

book-reading,

life-re-directing.

And here's where I'm at with some of them:

self-re-vamping: I have always been very blessed when it comes to the size and shape of my body. I have never really had to work INTENSELY to keep it in good form. However, after birthing three kids, a body changes. Since I was pregnant with Sullivan, nearly two years ago, I haven't done diddly to maintain my physique. My body naturally lost the baby weight and I jumped back into my pre-baby clothes in no time, yet I don't feel the same. Along the way I lost pretty much all of my muscle (except in my arms because I'm constantly lifting kids!). And to be honest it's eating at me. SO. Instead of accepting conditions the way they are, I am accepting responsibility and doing something to change it! I've started working out to Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred. I love the short intervals, changing from cardio to strength to abs and repeating. I feel like it's a good mix and a good starting point.

Along those same lines... I've been super-duper annoyed with my skin. I have a constant break-out of acne. Some days I wonder if I've hit puberty in my late twenties?! (I've never had acne in my life other than when I was pregnant, so you can imagine the frustration to have it now!) One of my favorite bloggers shared this link and it was like a light bulb went off. Duh! You are what you eat. No wonder! I have come to realize that I have been eating a terrible diet. Really. And I'm willing to bet it's the source of this acne. It's not that I'm indulging in all things nasty, I've just been on a long streak of skipping breakfast in a rush to get the kids out the door, having a piece of chocolate for lunch because it's fast and delicious and then eating too much for dinner, even though it's generally healthy, aside from the occasional pizza or Chinese take-out. It all makes sense. I'm not eating enough of the good stuff my body needs. SO. Instead of accepting conditions the way they are, I am accepting responsibility and doing something to change it!

home-re-organizing: Considering the fact that we are in search of a buyer for our house, it's safe to say that the actual home-re-organizing is done. Every closet was cleaned out and organized, ever cabinet was wiped clean, and every corner is free from cobwebs. However, once spring rolls around and snow melts away there is another long list waiting to be tackled. Not to mention the day-to-day stuff, calendars, budgets, school stuff, business stuff: that all need an elephant size amount of help. But hey! We've made a dent and that is what matters!

book-reading: The most important thing to say here is that through being a part of two spiritual studies at two different churches, I am reading the Bible more now than I have in the past 10 years. Talk about a book!

*On a side note, I am looking forward to our time at the lake this summer, which is where I get to lay on the dock next to the crystal clear water and read mushy-lovey stories!

life-re-directing: I have a pretty good idea of the wife-mom-daughter-sister-friend I want to be and wife-mom-daughter-sister-friend I need to be, and I feel like I am well on my way. For me this is the first step to re-directing our lives so I'm calling it progress... continual steps in the right direction.

As for the rest of them, they are coming along... For each of them I have ideas, but change is hard so we're taking it one thing at a time.

They are all things that will be forever evolving, so while it's easy to say "I did it!" in one area, I have to keep telling my self that I can never stop 'doing it'. I will always need to change so I can grow. Because if we don't change, we don't grow. And if we don't grow we aren't really living.

Words to live by.

gettin' my God on

2011-02-07T11:06:00.000-06:00

I'm a Christian. I'm proud to be.
I've always been a Christian, but as of late it resonates at a different level.
Maybe it's because I've 'grown up', or because I'm a mom.
Or maybe because I'm becoming the woman God needs me to be to use me for good.
I don't know for sure, but it's cool.

Growing up I went to Sunday School, Confirmation and Church. I was an acolyte, I read scriptures, served communion, worked in the nursery and eventually taught Sunday School. I was pretty involved for being part of the youth at our church, but looking back it seems almost as if it was a going through the motions kind of thing, because now, everything seems so much more REAL.

Three years ago I started going to SAMmy's (Strength Among Moms Ministry) as a way to meet other moms and to get a little spiritual inspiration each week and it lit a fire. Or should I say re-ignited a flame that had kind of died off.
I LOVED it.
Wednesday soon became my favorite day of the week during the school year.
But as all good things must come to an end, this did too. Drake started preschool at our church and has class on Monday and Wednesday mornings, which meant I could no longer attend SAMmy's.

All year I have had this void. Something has been missing. And that something is the time I spent focusing on my relationship with God and with other moms who had a close relationship with God.

To try and fill that void I joined a Mom's Group at another church in town where a small group of women are doing a Bible study on the book of Esther.
BINGO!
This is exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. The women are great, the study is great and the snacks are great! (Sheila brought in homemade cherry-white chocolate scones on Friday and they were the bomb diggity!)

As much as I enjoy the group the void is still not completely filled. So after many-a-conversations with two of my best gal pals, we are starting a Beth Moore book study in our church! The book is So Long, Insecurity and I cannot wait to be a part of this! What better way to grow closer to God, than to co-lead a small group of women who desire the same darn thing!

...now all I have to do is learn how to pray outloud! {God help me!}

If you live in my neck of the woods and are interested in the book study you are MORE THAN WELCOME to join us! Here are the details:

BLESSINGS!

on the mend

2011-02-03T14:57:00.001-06:00

Today, is a quiet day.
A super duper lazy, stay in jammies, don't leave the couch kind of day.
Jackson is at school. Casey and Sullivan are at my parents.
Drake and I are hangin' together at home.

Resting, sipping juice and watching the tube.

Here is a glimpse at our day yesterday...

Getting ready to head to the OR

Being wheeled down the hall with Baby Drake.

So sad to look at, but also cute.. those little fingers all wrapped up.

His eyes say it all.


I'm so thankful that he is finally on the mend! I'm linking up with Emily for {embrace the camera} Click HERE to see more!

just got the call | preparing

2011-02-01T13:38:00.000-06:00

inhale....

exhale....

repeat.

Tomorrow is the big day. Drake has his surgery.
I just got the call from the hospital and he is scheduled for 7:30 a.m.,
which means we need to arrive at 6:30 a.m.,
which means we need to leave our house at 5:45 a.m.,
which means I have to get up at 5 a.m..

HAVE I EVER MENTIONED
I AM NOT
A MORNING PERSON?!

{Bring on the coffee!!}

I'm feeling pretty good about the procedure itself.
It's quick; like 20 minutes, quick.
I am, however, becoming a little nervous about the aftermath.
I'm sorta freaking myself out with all the 'what if' questions, mostly
'what if he gets a fever...'
Fevers for Drake mean the possibility of a seizure and the thought scares the crap outta me.

***

It's never easy to watch your child be uncomfortable and not be able to do much of anything in way of making it better.

There is no place to put a band-aid and gently kiss the 'owie'.
There is no way to say 'this is a good thing' and have him understand.
And there is not the option of distracting him with treats and candy because he won't be able to eat it!

So, today, I am preparing.
I'm preparing for the tears that will slide down my cheeks as they wheel him away.
I'm preparing for the tears that will slide down his cheeks when he doesn't understand why he is in pain.
I'm preparing his big brother to be extra gentle to him.
I'm preparing a couple of meals so all I have to do is throw them in the oven at dinnertime. And I'm preparing for a couple of long days and nights ahead.

Tomorrow, I am turning it over to God.
I'll be praying.
I'll be praying for a smooth procedure.
I'll be praying for a quick recovery.
I'll be praying for good rest.
And I'll be praying for awesome results.

Join me tomorrow, won't you?

L to the O to the L | embrace the camera

2011-01-27T14:16:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Drake's 3rd birthday (more pictures coming...) and I literally

LAUGHED OUT LOUD

when I finally uploaded them to computer and saw this:

My M-I-L would absolutely KILL me if she saw this, so hopefully she's not reading today's post!
I ask myself, "WHAT IS SHE DOING?!"

You can bet we enjoyed every last bit of this ~~homemade~~ deliciousness!

Drake usually doesn't make a big fuss about gifts and such,

but you get a group of people singing to JUST HIM and look out!

He loves, loves, loves being sang to!

...so we did it a couple times!

I'm still in disbelief that this little turkey is already 3!

...that means the baby is almost 1!

And I'm SO NOT READY for that day!

I'm {embracing} with Emily, today!

Check it out here:

innocent wonder | i heart faces

2011-01-25T15:19:00.000-06:00

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?

And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says

"Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."

- Lewis Carroll

tonsils, shmonsils | take 'em out already!

2011-01-24T14:50:00.001-06:00

I'm sharing a little frustration today.

Sorry if I'm adding a dab of drab your already drab Monday, but,

thanks for 'listening' anyway!

For the past year (or even longer) our pediatrician has been keeping an eye on Drake's tonsils. At his two year well-check they were quite enlarged, but weren't causing any 'major' problems, like frequent ear infections or strep throat , so we just decided to see where it went.

Well... Let me tell you where it went.

(As I find myself hitting each key harder than the last because

I realize we have let it go to a bad place.)

So... Over the past year while Drake has been learning to speak more and more we noticed that he wasn't speaking clearly. It's not that he can't speak clearly, because he can, but only about three to five syllables at a time. Anything more than that comes out like mumbo-jumbo. Complete garble. Everyone looks to me to be his translator, and I, his own mother, don't even have a clue what he's saying most of the time, other than through context of what he is doing. We all just nod our head and say, "Yeah buddy, I know." and "You're right!" and "Oh, really?!" How frustrating must it be for him to know exactly what he wants to say, only to have people look at him like, W. T. F? (Insert frank for the F if you don't like swear words.)

Next point. His breath.

DISGUSTING.

People close to us (mostly the grandmas and aunties) always say, "Ewww. His breath stinks." or "He has 'sick' breath." And he's not even sick. The kid never gets sick. So I'm always like, "Yeah, I know. ...weird." But I didn't know why and I didn't know how to make it go away. We brush his teeth, but with 'training toothpaste' and that doesn't do sh*t for bad breath.

So he's the smelly kid in class.

Now let me tell you about his sleeping and snoring. He has always snored a little, but now he sounds like a freight train coming through the wall in the middle of the night. And as of late you can add stopping breathing and gasping for air to the mix.

(What the h-e-double hockey sticks kind of parents are we to not pay closer attention?!)

He's obviously not sleeping well because he's waking up crabby and with circles under his beautiful blue eyes.

Makes me so sad.

I should also mention his decline in appetite, too, just so we're not leaving anything out. Drake has always been a kid who eats

ANYTHING and EVERYTHING.

For real.

However, over the past two months there has been a huge change in the way he eats. The only things he'll eat with out choking on (which he just did at a restaurant yesterday) or spitting out are mostly soft, easily chewed and swallowed foods and a TON of fluids.

I'm serious.

And I didn't even give thought to his tonsils when this started, I just figured he was going through a phase.

(Some phase...)

So where we're at...

Our pediatrician, who we LOVE, referred Drake to an Audiologist, Ear Nose & Throat Specialist and Speech Pathologist.

FUN, eh?!

Despite missing signals at low decibels, the audiologist ruled out a hearing problem and is pretty confident that the little issue would be resolved by an adenotonsillectomy. (Having his tonsils and adenoids removed.) She doesn't think his hearing has anything to do with his speech, which is the best news ever!

The Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist deemed him 'the perfect candidate' for the above said procedure. He also shared with us that bad breath, poor eating and poor sleeping habits can be a direct result of enlarged tonsils and adenoids.
Oh, and did I mention that his tonsils are now so enlarged that his passageway is about the size of nickel... and that's being generous. And who knows how blocked his nasal passageway is. The doctor didn't waste time doing an x-ray to see his adenoids because he pretty much guarantees they are the source of most of these problems based on the size of his tonsils.

Where we're headed...

We meet with the Speech Pathologist this Wednesday, where she will hopefully be able to differentiate whether the muffled speech is coming from the dang tonsils and adenoids, or if it truly is a motor issue that will require regular sessions with a therapist to help correct the problem. We're praying that it's not the latter of the two, but have full belief that he can be helped regardless!

And, I have never looked more forward to one of my kids being knocked out, than I am for next Wednesday when Drake will undergo the adenotonsillectomy.

I just cannot wait to see how he feels a couple days post-op.

I look forward to his cheerful wake-ups in the morning,

to his appetite returning so he will once again be able to eat his favorite things,

to his breath not being as rancid so we can kiss his face off without gagging ourselves.

Oh, could next week please get here a little quicker?!

Ummm... so I guess that's about it.

We're not too worried about the surgery... We went through the same thing with Jackson when he was two and half, so we know it's a GOOD THING, it's all just a little
nerve-wracking.

THANKS for letting me spill.
Or should I say thanks for reading what I spilled!

chicken wraps | dinner

2011-01-20T16:14:00.000-06:00

If you've been to my house for dinner in the winter, chances are I made this FABULOUS meal for you. Not only is it EASY, PEASY to make, it's also easy on the eye. And it leaves you feeling all warm and cozy. This is one of our absolute favorites!

Ingredients:
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts (or more, depending on how many mouths you're feeding)
1 pkg. dried beef
4 slices of bacon (the same as the number of chicken breasts)
1 8 oz. tub of sour cream
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
a couple dashes of garlic salt
a few dashes of minced onion

Directions:
Preheat oven to 275*
Mix sour cream, chicken soup and seasons, set aside.
Open up chicken breasts and fold two pieces of dried beef into each one. (Sometimes I pound the chicken breasts just to make sure they are all of even thickness.)
Wrap a piece of bacon around the folded chicken breasts.
Place chicken in glass baking dish/pan. (You don't have to grease it.)
Pour sour cream mixture over the chicken breasts.
Bake for 3 - 3 1/2 hours.

Approx. 10 minutes before baking is done steam up some rice and veggies (we like to use broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) and serve the chicken breasts on top. Heck, throw some twisty breadsticks in the oven while you're at it... they're great for dipping in the extra sauce!

...Enjoy!

dreaming of housey stuff

2011-01-19T14:50:00.000-06:00

We are getting closer and closer to making our dream come true.

And with that dream, about a 100 million other little bitty 'dreams' are coming into play...

We had three (3!) showings in the past week.

One on Friday, one on Saturday and one on Monday.

C-R-A-Z-Y-!

Some folks put their house on the market and get three showings in six months.

...and we're not even 'on the market'... just for sale by owner.

If nothing becomes of those three showings, I'm ok with it.

We have another plan in store, and to be honest, I'm actually more excited about seeing how this plan plays out.

(It's bringing out the old Realtor in me, and it's kinda fun!)

Back to the dreams. Every night, I swear, like 10 times a night something about the new house pops into my mind and I can't get it out until I wake up in the morning, find it online, copy and paste it, and put into my 'new house folder'.

I'm dreaming of a palette of muted hews of whites, creams, grays and browns with little pops of color here and there...

Bright and airy,
bold and beautiful,
quiet and cozy,
yet makes a statement.

I can picture it in my mind, but can't put it into the right words.

I'm dreaming of a purple velvet tufted ottoman.

Just one. For me.

To rest my feet on while I'm all cozied up, enjoying a good read.

I'm dreaming of dark (but not too dark) wood floors.

Cream and white tile.

And plush carpet.

I'm dreaming of unique furniture and pieces that will make this new house
anything but ordinary.

Like this.

This.

And this.

I'm dreaming of throw pillows.

And area Rugs.

And I'm dreaming of paint colors.

Ooooooooh, paint colors!

I better not even go there or I'll lose an entire afternoon searching for just the right hews.

Can you tell I've got a certain something on my mind?
24.7

What have you been dreaming of lately?

old house | new house

2011-01-14T21:41:00.000-06:00

So, a while ago I posted that I had this big surprise. Then I felt like I was going a little crazy and I needed to step back from the blog and other things for a while, leaving you all hangin'. And then I rather abruptly posted to 'buy our house, it's for sale', (which was supposed to be the surprise) leaving y'all hangin' again, and probably a little confused.

And even though I really don't have time to be sitting here typing right now, I'm going to, because I can't get my mind off any of this.

(Plus I don't feel like dusting, again.)

WARNING: If you're a picture person, you'll be disappointed to know there aren't any in this post. My apologies!

The story begins when I was a young girl. On gorgeous sunny days, and probably on cloudy, rainy ones, too, my sister and I would go riding bike all through the neighborhood. Our house was on 'the other side of Broadway' and at the time we weren't allowed to cross Broadway so we had no choice but to ride down to the old Golf Course Country Club that was at the far end of Elm Avenue. It was a grand old house with an in-ground pool that sat empty and had trees growing from it with an old bath tub at the bottom. We always wished they would fill that baby up, but alas, that would never happen and the grand old Club House would end up burning to the ground.

So sad.

Anyway.... On our way back towards home we would make the turn onto Golf View Drive, just so we could ride a little longer. All the while we would point at different houses and say, "That's my house." and, "I like that one." I recall saying that to a couple different houses, but mostly to one specific house. It was a light sage-y green with cream brick around the bottom (all the way around, not just on the front). It had these cool roof lines, green glass windows on the garage and this big, park-like yard. There was just something about it.

I wanted it.

On more than one occasion I told my parents that,

"Someday I'm going to live in that house."

Enter current time:

In October, on a perfect fall evening, we were at our friends' house, which happens to be three houses down from the aforementioned green house. The four of us were sitting around a crackling, warm fire when Casey nonchalantly asked if 'our house' was for sale yet.

And guess what?!

It wasn't.

...But it was going to be in the coming year.

I had all I could do to not run over there and bang on the door at ten o'clock and tell them we wanted to see it!

My stomach was turning. And so was Casey's, because along the way he, too, developed a love for this house. And what's crazy is that neither of us had ever seen the inside.

Back to the story...

On our way home that night Casey and I agreed that we should go to the house in the morning to introduce ourselves and let them know, that when the time came, we would love to see the house, if they could please call and let us know. Approximately four short hours later we received a phone call. They wanted to know if we would be interested in seeing it.

And we did.

That day!

It was all the house, and more, than I envisioned it to be. With beautiful wooden beams sprawling across the vaulted ceilings, angled brick walls, cozy wood-burning fireplaces (yes, two!) and wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows in the great room, looking over that park-like yard, where the edge meets 200 acres of woodlands with a creek trickling it's way through...

Yeah...

It's definitely all the house I envisioned it to be.

We went home with a lump in our throats, saying, "Now what?"

It was only 7 years ago that we chose this beautiful lot and built our beautiful house. This is the only place our three children have ever known to call home. Everything is new and fresh and clean and cozy. We have the best neighbors in the world.

How could we possibly give this up?

After MANY conversations, thoughts and ideas, we decided we would take a stab at selling our humble little abode to pursue the possibility of making a childhood dream come true.

And here we are...

Every square inch of our home is spotless. Every drawer and cupboard has been organized and wiped out. Every room has been set just so. Ready and waiting for someone new to come in and make it their home. A place where they will make their memories... opening gifts on Christmas morning, celebrating the turning of another year. A place where together they will laugh, cry and love.

It brings tears to my eyes to imagine not being here.

But at the same time it brings joy to my heart to picture our lives there.

I envision opening gifts on Christmas morning, with a fire glowing by our side.

I envision celebrating birthdays with balloons and streamers draped from the beams, hugging the room with cheerful color.

And I can only dream of the memories that will be made, the laughing, crying and loving.

There is so much emotion wrapped up in the possibility of saying goodbye to our

'old house that is new'

and hello to the

'new house that is old.'

monday moment | christmas eve

2011-01-10T19:27:00.000-06:00

You know those moments when you wish time would just stand still?

On Christmas Eve we were sledding at my grandparent's, up at the cabin and I can't count on my fingers the number of times I closed my eyes, even for a second, and wished time would

just.

stand.

s t i l l .

To stop moving and going so fast, making me feel like I'm going to miss something.

To pause so I can have my eyes open for all of it, and not miss anything in a blink.

To freeze so they would be just the way they are RIGHT NOW, for just a while longer.

To wait for me to take a million pictures so I can document
every precious smile and every silly face they make.

I love watching our boys growing and changing and becoming...
But I would also love for them to stay
{just the way they are now}
so I could soak them up like this for just a little bit longer.

They grow up way too fast...

number two is three | embrace the camera

2011-01-06T17:47:00.000-06:00

Boy number two is now three...
TODAY!

I really can't believe it. I can close my eyes and remember the exact moment his tiny little body met mine on the outside for the first time.
It was 4:07 p.m. on Sunday, January 6th, the year 2008.

Drake David Card
5 pounds 15 ounces
19.5 inches long

His head was full of dark brown hair and his eyes were a deep dark blue. I was instantly in love, for the third time. Something I didn't even know was possible. Everyday that love grows for my free-spirited, happy-go-lucky, high-on-life little boy who is no longer a little baby.

A boy whose eyes are as blue as the sky on a perfectly clear summer day, that will pierce right through you and force a smile on your face, whether you want it or not. He has hair that most girls dream of; long and blonde with natural highlights and gentle curls.
He is a looker, there is no doubt about it.

Drake has a heart on fire for life. He lights up a room the second he walks in. He is like a magnet and people are drawn to him. I look down the road and picture the guy that everyone likes... girls will want him and guys will want to be him type of thing.
Lord help us!
He soaks in every moment and shares his excitement for the little things. He is quick to share with others and even quicker to help a person out. He is kind and polite beyond his years. He is quiet yet makes a statement and is undoubtedly one-of-a-kind.

With him, I have so much fun.
We laugh. We hug. We play baseball. We snuggle. We watch Thomas. We play hockey. We cry. We swing. We slide. We eat snacks. We read books. We play basketball. We tickle. We wrestle. We rest. We golf. We dance. We sing. We joke. We make funny faces.
We love.

I LOVE YOU DRAKE!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY YOU LITTLE TURKEY!

I'm embracing the camera today with Emily, you should too!

2010 | the end

2010-12-31T20:08:00.001-06:00

The house is quiet. We're all in comfy clothes and being lazy, and we're loving it. We have snacks and games and movies planned for the night.

A New Year's Eve celebration, for a party of five.

Casey, Sarah, Jackson, Drake and Sullivan.

Just US.

We're talking about all the things we are looking forward to. And we're talking about all the blessings of the outgoing year. We have goals and ideas and dreams, and we have plans and ways to make them happen.

The fireplace is glowing. The tree lights are on for the last time.
Tomorrow it will come down and mark the beginning of a brand new year.

2011
twenty eleven
two thousand and eleven

Sounds kind of crazy, eh?

Happy New Year to YOU and YOUR LOVED ONES.

Our hearts are full. Our hearts are happy. And I hope yours is too!

God bless!

sledding | embrace the camera

2010-12-30T10:13:00.002-06:00

One-on-one time with this guy doesn't happen often enough.
His energy and passion amazes me. Every time I take the time to notice it.
I love him.

From the looks on our faces you know something bad is about to happen...

...told ya so!
And we were only half way down the hill!

A good sledder gets back up and goes after the sled to finish the run.
...I'm not a 'good sledder'.

So I watched...

Then had to look away.

Then looked again to make sure he was ok.
And he was.

So we got back up and did it again.

...and again...

...and again!


We just couldn't get enough!

And just when he thought it would be cute to give his sweet and innocent momma a push...

...she did this!!
And drug his 'lil behind

all

the

way

down!

He wasn't thrilled.

But he couldn't stop smiling!


Did I mention that we had fun?! ...and that I love him. I'm participating in Emily's {embrace the camera} linky party! CLICK HERE to join in!

this crazy mug

2010-12-28T16:22:00.000-06:00

The front tooth finally came out.

Let's hope the new one comes in quickly!!

happy holidays | God is good

2010-12-28T15:49:00.002-06:00

I was super excited when I got a last minute babysitter this morning so I could run some quick errands. I'm talkin' super quick. I had three hours, in which one would be spent in the car driving to and fro.

First stop, Sam's Club. Two exchanges, three purchases, voila! Outta there...

Second stop, Play It Again Sports. Hockey skates sharpened. Outta there...

Third stop, the Mall. Two stores and outta there...

Numero uno. I received a Yankee Candle from Cy, my B-I-L, for Christmas, and I didn't tell him this, but the thing stunk! The scent was Christmas Cookie, and I'm sorry if you burn it all day long in your house and you loooove it, but I do not. So, anyway. I went into Yankee Candle to exchange the nastiness for something with a better aroma. While there, the sales clerk informed me that they had a special and I could get TWO of these bad boys, and get $2.10 in return since the B-I-L was so foolish and paid full price for the one candle.

Boo-to-the-ya! Booya!!

I decided on Winter Wonderland and Sparkling Cinnamon.

MMmmmmm!

Photos courtesy of Yankee Candle

Numero dos, Hallmark. I needed to get a card and some low-class chocolates (only because I didn't have time to go to Legacy) for a friend who is on my mind like crazy right now. I found the perfect card and the ok chocolates and paid for them, not forgetting to use my Gold Crown Points card. (This comes into play later, so I had to mention it.)

In a flash I was off to the food court to grab a giant slice of sbarro pizza. (Healthy, I know.) With just a handfull of minutes before I had to be on my way, I inhaled the last bite and realized I had forgotten my candles on the counter at Hallmark. UGH!

So there I went, running and cussing back to the store, only to get there and have this conversation with the adorable granny working:

ME: Hiiii! I was just here and forgot my candles on the counter.

GRANNY: Oh, dear. The gal who was behind you said she was your mother and that she would take them and give them to you.

ME: But I'm here alone. I came in alone and I left alone. I'm not with my mother.

GRANNY: Oh, no! I'm so sorry. She was an older woman, and she was pushing an old lady in a wheelchair, and I believed her. I'm so sorry.

ME: It's O.K. Do you know which way she went? (What was I going to do? Really? Go running through the mall in boots with two inch heels to chase an old 'coot who stole my goods?)

GRANNY: I'm really so sorry. I just don't know what to say...

ME: It's ok. Thank you anyway...

As much as I wanted to go on a hunt after those women, I couldn't... I was in a major time crunch, and I had no other option than to go home with my tail between my legs. Defeated.

I got in my car and quickly googled the number for Oakwood Mall Security on my phone and asked if anything had been turned in. The answer, of course, was no. So I called my sister and let her hear it! She suggested I call the store and see if the thief used a credit card to make her purchase so we would at least have a name, so I did just that. Like all good bandits, she covered her tracks and paid with cash.

DAG-NABBIT!

A loss is a loss. And I lost.

OK, NOW YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS... BUT AS I WAS SITTING HERE HACKING OUT THIS POST ON MY LAPTOP, IN MY OVERSIZED CHAIR, SNUGGLED UP UNDER THE SUNSHINE, IN THE FRONT WINDOW OF MY LIVING ROOM, SULKING ABOUT THE AFTERNOON'S MISHAP, I RECEIVED A CALL. FROM HALLMARK. IT WAS MARY. A.K.A. GRANNY. SHE FOUND MY CANDLES!!!!

Here is how our conversation went this time around:

GRANNY: Sarah, I'm so glad you used your Gold Crown card today, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to look you up. I found your candles!

ME: What?! Oh my goodness! That's wonderful! Where did you find them?!

GRANNY: Hold on one second, will you please?

ME: Yes, of course.

GRANNY (To the customer at the counter.): You have to hear this. This is the sweetest story, someone stole her candles and I found them. Ok, Sarah, are you still there?

ME: Yes, I'm here.

GRANNY: Well, I had to go down to get the store's mail and I saw her. The old lady in the wheelchair. And there was your bag, hanging right there on the handle. I went right up to her and told her I was taking that bag because it did not belong to her or her 'daughter'. Then I hurried back to the store so I could call you. Isn't God just wonderful? He works his miracles every day.

ME: Yes, he certainly does! Thank you so much, Mary. (I really wanted to call her Granny) It was so kind of you to do this for me. Thank you.

GRANNY: Oh, I just had to. Now, will you be able to come get them?

ME: Well, I am back home now, but my sister works in Eau Claire and I will have her pick them up.

GRANNY: Ok, but I am going to ask for her i.d. What is her name?

The rest is history...

And you know, the funny thing is, that after I had gotten off the phone with my sister, I said a prayer. I asked God to bless these women who felt the need to take what was not theirs. I asked that they would have the means necessary to make such small purchases on their own. And I prayed that whoever was going to get these candles was going to enjoy the delicious aroma and feel cozy and warm inside.

I guess that 'whoever' is me, after all.

To that, I say, "Allelujah! God is good!"

Now, go out and get yourself a Hallmark Gold Crown Card (it's free!) if you don't already have one. How else are the granny's at Hallmark going to find you when you forget something on the counter?!

And will you please share with me how God has been good to you this holiday season?

why i don't bake...

2010-12-17T15:03:00.000-06:00

It should first be said that I love cookies, bars, scones and pastries of all sorts. The problem is I. DON'T. BAKE.

(I no longer own a cookie sheet. Ridiculous, I know.)

There are several reasons, but here are the main ones.

#1 It takes a lot of ingredients, measuring, following directions (to a T) and time (that I don't have).

#2 The things I attempt to bake NEVER turn out how they are supposed to. (Probably because of that whole following directions to a T thing.) I don't add ingredients in the correct order, I am usually missing at least one ingredient all together and I burn things...

#3 When there is a baked good in our house it lasts, like, 2 seconds. Tops. Therefore making the amount of time it took to bake it, seem wasted.

#4 It's a mess. At least when I bake, it's a mess. Baking creates a heap of dishes and surely something will spill at some point.

With that being said...

I have started attending a Mom's Group/Bible Study with a great group of moms at Alliance Church. And what, do you think, might be on the agenda for this morning's session? You guessed it...

A COOKIE EXCHANGE!!

In the worst way imaginable I wanted to go to the bakery and grab a few dozen giant sugar cookies decorated in the most adorable Christmas designs, but that wouldn't be right, so...

Being the ~~planner~~ procrastinator I am, I waited until yesterday to decide what to make. After scouring the internet for recipes and without half the ingredients necessary to attempt something really spectacular, I settled on the good 'ol peanut butter cookie, mostly because I had all 7 ingredients.

In picture form, this is

why I don't bake...

Yes. That is my laptop on the counter.
And yes. That is egg spilled next to it.

Double yes to flour being spilled all over the power cord.
I told you things get messy.

To fancy things up I thought I'd drizzle a little chocolate on top in a pretty swirl instead of the criss-cross-fork-mark thing.

FAIL.

One, I repeat, ONE turned out kinda-sorta decent.

I knew it was ugly, but when I offered Drake one and he said, "EEEEWWWWW!", I knew it was REALLY ugly. What two year old calls a cookie ugly?! There was no way I was bringing these awful cookies in for the other moms.

On to plan B.

Create a secret stash of chocolaty goodness in the center for a 'delicious surprise'.

Umm, FAIL.

I guess Hershey's Chocolate Syrup was not meant for this type of thing.

On to plan C.

Smush a dang chocolate chip (it's all I had) into the center and hope it turns out.

Well... cookies rise when they bake, so this is what I got.

A little silly looking, but since I don't appreciate peanut butter cookies without a little chocolate, I went with it.

Three dozen cookies later, I had these to offer my new friends.

After two failed attempts, Drake found one he couldn't keep his paws off of!

And guess what his favorite part was?

The lone chocolate chip on top.

He loved them so much he threw this hidious fit when I told him he couldn't have any more.

I shared this rather embarrassing and horrendous story with the Mom's Group clan and I was immediately voted out of the 'cheesecake baking event' later on in the year.

To that I say, "SHUCKY DARN" ...I'll just have to eat everyone else's!

***

I leave you with a picture of the baby.

it's beginning to look a lot like...

2010-12-14T11:18:00.000-06:00

Somewhere amidst the craziness of the past few weeks, I snuck in a little Christmas decorating. Without further adieu...

Aaaaah... THE TREE. There will be entire post about this tree, just know that it's very special!

The window over the kitchen sink has something new for each season...
I think this one is my favorite!

I have a thing for glitter covered snowflakes...
It's the one time of year glitter is allowed in my house, so go with it, k?

Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care...

More snowflakes catch your eye as you look out to the back yard.

These guys (and I say guys because they all have antlers) were handmade by my great-uncle.
Figures that everything, including decorations, are male in our house...

C is for Christmas. C is also for Card and Caring and Carolling.

It is bittersweet to know that this is the last time I will have decorated this house for Christmas.

I wonder what it will look like next year, under the 'direction' of someone new?

*tear

how i feel about | the snow storm

2010-12-13T15:30:00.000-06:00

It all started around midnight on Friday night. Twenty-four hours later we were burried twenty inches deep! Snowed in, my friends.

And although this snow ruined plans for a lot of people, I loved it. What better way to spend the entire day with the ones you love most? Dressed in the comfiest clothes we own, which may or may not have been the pajamas that were worn to dream in the night before, we spent the day together.

Casey and the boys shoveled. And shoveled. And shoveled some more. The more they shoveled, the harder it snowed. So they played. And played. And played some more. The more they played, the harder it snowed.

The smiles on their faces were delightful.

It reminded me of a night when I was young, and my sisters and I played on the 'snowhill' at the end of our dead-end street, late into the night because we knew there wouldn't be school the next day. Mom always said how dangerous it was, because the plow could come and he might not see us, but we played anyway.

I remember the smell of fresh snow in the air. The way it never really got dark because the snow was reflecting the glow of the street lights. The feel of rosy-red cheeks and snot dripping down my nose... (sorry.) I remember it like it was yesterday. (The snowy night, not the snot.) I had a pale purple jacket and gray snowpants. Mom made me wear a scarf around my face and tied it in the back so I couldn't get it undone.

I loved the way the snowflakes made their soft landing on my eyelashes. I hoped they would stay forever. I wanted that night to last forever, too.

And in my mind, on snowy lit nights, it does...

While the boys were outside and while Sullivan was counting sheep in his sleep, we (me and the mouse in my pocket) built the awesomest train track, ever! When the boys came in from the cold, they were so surprised and loved it. They had so much fun.

It made all the huffing and puffing and cussing that occurred during construction all worth it!

My sis (who got stuck at the top of our road and required assistance from three or four other people and a snowplow to get her out) and I, spent a good part of the day all cozied up in the living room, watching the wonderful sight through the picture window. We baked the yummiest (we'll pretend) chocolate chip cookies and we made a delicious dinner, to share with our neighbors.

I hope the boys will some day remember the smell of the fresh snow, how brisk the wind was and how heavy the shovels were. I hope they will remember the fun they had with each other, and with the neighbors. I hope they will remember the train tracks and the warm chocolate chip cookies. I hope they forget the dinner they didn't care for... But more than anything, I hope they remember how much love surrounded them.

I'd have to say Saturday was a more than a good day.

Like the snowy night from my childhood, it was a day I know I will never forget...

revamp | i'm here

2010-12-12T16:33:00.001-06:00

Helllooooo? Is there anyone out there? Anyone still hangin' around these parts? Anyone want to see how cute the kids are, listen to me rant and rave, watch me grow in faith, learn a new recipe, attempt some (simple) crafting, do a little soul searching, make some fun finds and decorate anything and everything? If you say "yes" I say "YAY!"

It may appear as though I up and went MIA for a long, LONG time, but really, I've been working on being more 'here'. In the now. Feeling the real. Living every moment. Just being. For the past month or two I've done a lot of thinking, dreaming, imagining and learning. I've spent time listening, searching and finding. And hardly any time wasting time. Which feels really good. I was had a strange void which led to this post. I didn't know where it was going to lead me or where it will continue to lead me, but something inside me has changed. And pretty abruptly. But without change where would we be? I'd still be sportin' tight rolled jeans, or pinning them for goodness sakes, and we all know how dead sexy that is! So, see, change is good.

Lately I find myself caring less about some things and much, MUCH more about other things. I have found inspiration in uncanny places and learned more about the person I am and want to be. (Deep, I know. But I have to share it so this whole revamp comes out 100% honest, real and ME.)

I've thought. And thought. And thought. Until thoughts wouldn't come. And then I thought I should share this all with you. So here I am, with a clear mind and a good idea of where I'm going. And I'd be happy to have you join me!

(I know posts are more fun with pictures, but I'm snowed in so I don't have ~~time~~ any excuses! ...next time.)

mugs | thankfulness

2010-11-25T10:25:00.000-06:00

I'm so incredibly, unbelievably, unexplainably thankful for:

And I'm grateful for so much more!

I'm wishing EVERYONE a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

P.S. I'm back... and it feels good!

Lots to come!

buy our house | it's for sale

2010-11-18T18:12:00.000-06:00

CLICK HERE!
...and spread the word!

I'll fill y'all in later!

For now... help us find a buyer so we can move into the house

I've admired since I was a little girl!

sanity | the search is on

2010-11-01T23:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry for my absence, friends. I really am.

Life is busy.
{ TOO BUSY }

I'm going to take a little hiatus from here.

And facebook, too.

And probably a couple other things.

But certainly not coffee - I just got a Keurig.

I need to take some time to do a little

self-re-vamping,

God-listening,

soul-searching,

home-re-organizing,

family-time-spending,

friend-catch-uping,

book-reading,

life-re-directing.

...but try not to worry!

I'll catch y'all up to speed first.

You MUST see the kids on Halloween.

You have to hear about my trip to Arizona.

(I leave Wednesday morning.)

And I have a secret to share... remember?!

Then I'll fade away for a bit to take care of these things weighing heavy on my heart.

(I just shed a tear, and I totally wasn't expecting to.)

I have no idea how long I'll be 'away'.

But I really hope you'll 'wait' for me to return.

I have some good ideas brewing and

I want to share them with you.

When the time is right.

If I knew how to make one those heart things, I would.

Instead I'll go with,

I [heart] you.

P.S.

In case you didn't know, it's NOVEMBER!

these three... | i love

2010-10-15T08:39:00.000-05:00

I'll be gone for half of the day today and the entire day tomorrow.

I'm going to have fun.

How could I not?

I'll be with my bf photographing a wedding.

I'm just really gonna miss these faces...

...somethin' fierce!

{ I love you guys! }

share the love | bring Elsabeth home

2010-10-13T17:31:00.000-05:00

I'm asking for your money.

Not for me, though.

For the

Anderson Crew.

They are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia.

Her name is Elsabeth.

{LOVE THAT!}

To bring her home they need to raise some funds.

$12,000ish to be somewhat exact.

I would LOVE to write that check for them, but I can't.

I feel like I can help, though,

and that is to participate in

share the love

week on Emily's blog.

We can all help.

So get to it.

CLICK HERE

to help bring Elsabeth home!

Who knows, you might even win some cool shtuff!

Then include the link in your next post so everyone else can help too!

shhhhhh | keeping a secret

2010-10-13T01:01:00.001-05:00

Hello bloggy blog. Watch'ya up to?

Me?
Funny you should ask....

I was feeling a wee bit on the getting-a-cold-side and I don't have time for a cold.

Not now.

Not next week.

Or the week after that.

Or even the week after that.

I have LOTS going on and there is not room for a cold on the calendar. (period.)

So I took meds.

I'm SO not a pill-popper, but in a desperate attempt to ward off a cold, I popped pills.

(OTC pills, silly.)

We're talking straight up cold medicine with acetaminophen.

Dumb-da-da-da-dumb.

I can not sleep after I've taken acetaminophen, so here I am...

WIDE AWAKE.

***

Since it's the middle of the night and it sorta feels all secretive to be tapping away on my laptop, I'm having all I can do to not push the keys that would spill our

~~little~~ BIG secret.

As much as I want to shout it from the rooftop, and blast it into a microphone, I just can't.

Not yet.

Hopefully soon.

***

It's getting me all giddy.

It's putting a (bigger) smile on my face.

It's adding a hop to my step.

***

You think you know what it is?

You don't.

So don't even try to guess.

Thanks.

(that's code for don't leave comments guessing)

***

I'm off to scour the good 'ol intranet

for some snazzy finds...

dash to the finish line | acorn dash

2010-10-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

Our school,

Oaklawn Elementary,

is such a an amazing school.

And what's even more amazing is our PTO.

At the end of last year they began organizing the first ever,

Acorn Dash,

a 5K and 1 mile fun run, to take place this fall.

Great concept, right?

School fundraiser AND promoting good health!

I love it.

Saturday morning was the big event.

{Let's put a little emphasis on the word BIG, shall we?}

The organizers went above and beyond the call of duty. The day included some of our university's athletes, the high school cheer team, a pedal cart course, a hool-a-hooping area and a LIVE BAND.

I mean, really. A live band?!

And they were good!

We had so much fun hanging out before the races started.

Visiting with friends.

Mingling with other families.

Playing with the kids.

Taking LOTS of shots at the Stout Hockey Players.

(It's only to be expected with our kids.)

Soaking up the gorgeous sunshine!

...all with live music rockin' out in the background.

Cole is one of Jackson's many, awesome buds!

A little pre-race 'stretching'.


Jackson totally got into it. He had a smile on his face the entire time.

Who runs with a smile on their face?!

Mother/Daughter team. Go Girls!!

Casey and I decided that next year we will both run the 5K with Jackson (and possibly die), and then walk the 1 mile with the little boys in the Burley.

I'm already looking forward to it.

(The event. Not the running part, running is not my thing...)

Back to the point...

Over 400

(yes, four hundred)

participants were registered and

over $12,000

(yes, twelve thousand)

dollars were raised!

Ummmmm...

AWESOME!!!

The Oaklawn Acorn Dash was the. talk. of. the. town.

WAY-TO-GO OAKLAWN!

YOU ROCK!!

lucky number seven | our anniversary

2010-10-07T16:56:00.002-05:00

Monday marked anniversary

number seven

for me and my oldest boy.

Through ups and downs,

around curves and swerves,

he is my

ROCK.

I love him.

...and his hot a**!

CLICK RIGHT HERE to learn more about my best friend!!
Did I mention she is a fab photographer?!
She snapped this and many others on Sunday... more to come!

automatic timer | embrace the camera

2010-10-07T14:51:00.001-05:00

beep

beep

beep

beep

beep

beep, beep, beep, beep,

beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep

click.

i like your class, superior

2010-10-01T09:19:00.003-05:00

Grab the tissues.

No really...

Grab the tissues. I'll wait.

A week ago Friday was our high school's Homecoming weekend, with all the hoop-la. The assembly to crown the queen, the parade and of course, the BIG GAME.

Speaking of the parade... we were there!

See?!

This guy could have cared less to be there. He was so good though... and so cute!

Grace (who should be a model) and Drake sat still for, like, two seconds.

The MYHA kids were part of the parade and threw out TONS of candy!

This is Rachel. She's my cousin. Isn't she beautiful?! She was on the court.

We were also at the game.

Our Menomonie Indians were playing the

Spartans from Superior.

See the helmet Drake is holding? He takes it with him everywhere... even to bed!

Since the game was a blowout, in our favor, and the two older boys couldn't sit still a minute longer, we left at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

We pulled into my parents to pick up the two little boys and my mom had the game on the radio. (AM radio. 880 AM... I'll never forget that channel after growing up listening to it every Friday night from September through October when we weren't at the game in person.)

The radio announcer, who was also a teacher of mine back in the day, was giving the play by play and I hear,

"a pass to Sam Kolden, and there he goes..."

"TOUCHDOWN MENOMONIE!"

Goose bumps covered my body.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

A smile grew across my face.

You see, Sam Kolden is the son of Steve and Peg.

In my years as the dance coach at the high school I got to know Steve very well, being he was the athletic director at the time.

I also got to know Sam, who is developmentally challenged. I enjoyed seeing him in his dad's office just as much as I enjoyed seeing my dance girls.

He made the day brighter just by being part of it.

As it turns out, our coach had approached the Superior coach and asked that his team allow #51 to catch a pass, and then not hit him too hard after. Their coach took it a step further and wanted to mark a moment in time that no one who was at that game would forget.

...EVER.

He wanted Sam to score a touchdown,

during the homecoming game,

of his senior year in high school.

I know... I'm crying too. It's ok.

I cry every time I think of it, hear of it or watch the news clips of it.

You can SEE IT HERE, or HERE or HERE.

What an amazing moment.

What an amazing story.

What an amazing memory.

What an amazing heart.

I like your class, Superior.

four wheels | for jackson

2010-09-29T06:58:00.000-05:00

A little over three years ago our little-at-the-time, Jackson, came to us and said he wanted a four wheeler.

(IS THIS KID CRAZY?!)

This is the same boy that had just received a big 'ol

John Deere Jeep

for his third birthday.

Did I mention it was big?

Casey and I did some mommy/daddy thinking and agreed that our kids wouldn't be deprived of cool stuff, nor would they be handed cool stuff on silver platters. With that, we told Jackson that if he REALLY wanted a four wheeler he was going to have to save his nickels and dimes and earn enough money to buy one for himself, 'cuz this was TOO COOL for these 'rents.

No wonder why he made so much money at garage sales... who could say no to that face?!

Well, the green camo four wheeler Jackson has been eyeing up for the better part of a year and a half, is now HIS.

HIS.

He bought it, not us.

He did chores.

He helped his g'parents.

He helped neighbors.

He cleared out his 'junk' at garage sales.

He sold cookies and popcorn.

He worked.

He earned.

He bought.

It's HIS.

He is proud. And we are proud.

In all its oil-chuggin', gas guzzlin' glory!

The proud owner!

The coolest thing about it is that yesterday morning when he woke up he goes, "Mom, I had the weirdest, craziest dream that I got my four wheeler!" ...followed by... "Too bad that's not happening anytime soon."

Low and behold, we made it happen.

While my dad took Jackson to hockey practice Casey and I went and picked it up and got it back to our house before Jackson got home.

We nonchalantly told him to go outside and show grandpa how well he's been shooting his bow,

and TA-DA!

There it was.

He was smiling from the inside, out.

He has a great smile!

WAY TO GO JACKSON!

We are proud of you.

SO PROUD.

And if you're wondering... he's already saving for a Jeep for when he turns 16!

...army green, of course!

...with a hard top for winter and a soft top for summer!

the perfect patch experience

2010-09-27T14:25:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna go ahead and let the pictures do the talking. All I'll say is if you're in our area, you need to go to the

Glenwood Orchard.

Like, HAVE to. For real.

We followed this up with a delish dinner at The Orchard restaraunt in Baldwin.

What an absolutely freaking perfect patch experience.

We LOVED it.

Every second it.

Now tell me about your trip to the patch, or apple orchard!

I'd like to hear about it.

random | embrace the camera

2010-09-23T11:22:00.001-05:00

Here is a completely random piece of goodness for ya.

And yes, there's a reason it's in black and white.

Haven't showered, yet.

And considering the, oh,

FOUR INCHES OF RAIN

we're getting today, it's probably not gonna happen.

I'm too lazy and too cozy in my comfies.

It's too blah outside, making me feel all blah inside.

Rain rain, go away. And don't come back another day.

We've had waaaaaay too much of you lately.

***

I love how the little turkey looks like he is taking care of his momma.

I also love the baby's facial expression.

They're mine.

***

Go {embrace the camera} people.
Your kids will thank you for it!

breathing deeper | fall is in the air

2010-09-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

Stop a second. Don't move.

Now take a deep breath.

Aaaaaaaaaah!

The air.

Crisp, clean, fresh air.

Fall is in the air.

And it feels oh-so-good!

(I should have mentioned you won't get the full effect unless you hike your lil booty outside first. You get what I'm sayin', though, right?)

We're planning trips to the

{apple} orchard

{pumpkin} patch and

{Marsolek's} land.

CANNOT WAIT.

Lissa and I are going to take turns shutter-buggin' each others' family pics so stay tuned.

(I have a feeling I'm on the better end of this deal.)

While you're waiting...

{go breathe in that fresh, fall air!}

my littlest love | embrace

2010-09-17T09:23:00.000-05:00

Sweet, sweet Sullivan.

You're seven months old.

You army crawl like a mad-man.

You smile ALL. THE. TIME.

You laugh at your big brothers.

You try to get all up in their business.

You learned how to 'talk' this week.

You also learned how to cry REALLY loud.

You are just a little peanut.

You are the sweetest baby boy.

You are also a little stinker.

You fight sleep more than any kid I know.

You still refuse to take cereal. Or anything.

You just love formula.

But DANG, you are CUTE.

WE LOVE YOU.

BIGGER THAN THE SKY!

***

Yeah, so yesterday was {embrace the camera} day.

And I missed it.

I was busy shopping and having lunch with one of my best friends.

I'm posting it for today, so sue me.

You can click on the button to see who was 'on time' and posted cute pics of them with their kiddies.

Peace!

summer penne with grilled chicken | dinner

2010-09-14T20:07:00.002-05:00

Talk about winner, winner, chicken dinner! This recipe is D. LISH. I found it online one day, copied and pasted it, and now I have no idea where it came from. So - if this is yours, thank you for sharing ...and thank me, for re-sharing! ...ENJOY!

1 pound penne rigate
1/2 pound zucchini, seeded and chopped
1/2 pound summer squash, seeded and chopped
1/4 pound sugar snap peas
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 pound boneless/skinless chicken breasts
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to box directions. Then set aside.
Bring chicken stock to a boil in a pot large enough to hold the veggies.
Add the veggies to the stock and steam for 3-4 minutes.
When the veggies are just tender, add the cooked penne and olive oil and toss until it's heated through.
Divide pasta into equal parts and serve over grilled chicken breasts. Top with Parm and basil.
Add salt n' peppa to taste.

Since the original recipe didn't call for chicken breasts, just know that you need to heat the grill and cook those babies up at some point before the rest is ready. I usually leave this up to my oldest boy. (Hope that helps!)

what's that you say?

2010-09-14T12:53:00.000-05:00

I was beginning to wonder if Sullivan were a mute. Really.

He's 7 months old and other than crying, all he would make for noises is a panting sound. Literally.

Like a dog. I would demonstrate for you, but that would be more than embarrassing.

So I'm not going to.

Worry no more.

Sweet, sweet Sullivan learned how to 'talk' yesterday.

And I love his sweet, sweet voice.

(hallelujah! no more panting!)

what's that you say? from Sarah Card on Vimeo.

While watching you must:

Ignore the sound of "Angels in the Outfield" ...Drake's addicted and he gets to watch it every morning. (and sometimes in the evening) I could regurgitate every line, if you wanted me to.

Pretend you didn't notice that our tv is on the floor. I am refinishing a buffet that will be home to the tv once it's done. (I actually haven't started it yet, but I'm gonna!)

And you should know:

This vid was taken before 9:30 a.m. so that's why we're in jammies. For real.

Sullivan said, "I love you, Momma!" ...in case you couldn't understand him.

Yay for the baby!!

Let's celebrate! Who wants cake?!

winner, winner, chicken dinner

2010-09-10T13:53:00.002-05:00

O.k. so I'm not having chicken for dinner, BUT I am the lucky winner!

YESSSSS!

If you're like me and you're addicted to reading blogs and such, you'll know that some peeps have linky parties. Well EMILY @ the anderson crew has a sweet linky party every Thursday called { embrace the camera }. I love the idea behind it, and therefore, I embrace. I also check out some of the other peeps that show up for the party. Yesterday I came across this doll of a gal, and entered her 'lil giveaway...

Low and behold - she declared MUAH as the winner!

{ THANK YOU CAREY!! }

What's the prize?

image from pen n paper flower

These my friends...

A. DOR. A. BLE. glass bottles that I can etch an even more adorable design on, and then set them out for all to see.

Awww... I can't wait!

I love being a winner!

Now have a good weekend!

P.S. I chopped my hair off!

daddy, baby and creepy thing

2010-09-09T11:32:00.000-05:00

This could have been a really good picture if...

#1 It would have been a little clearer.
#2 Casey had on a different shirt. (This one's not my favorite.)

#3 There wasn't a rather creepy looking sculptural thing hanging from the tree branch.


Mmmm, yep. Much better!

Make sure you embrace the camera today! Click on Emily's button below!

'two' much cuteness!

2010-09-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

I was down right giddy this past winter when Tami, the director of our church's preschool, told me they were starting a class for two year olds, called "Time for Twos!" Jackson had gone there for preschool and absolutely LOVED it, so of course Drake would be signed up!

Well, yesterday was the big day. Sort of. Parents were asked to stay the first day and it was only an hour, instead of two. But still. It was a big day!

Cool kid. I know...

I tried to get him to smile for me, but he insisted,

"No smile picture. I go school, my pack-pack."

Let me translate: You're not getting a picture of me smiling, so give it up. I'm going to school with my big brother's old back pack and I'm too busy to smile.


Drake went from one fun center to the next.

He absolutely ADORED Lightning, the class guinea pig.


And he certainly couldn't go outside without putting his 'pack-pack' on...

He could hardly stand waiting to get inside the play area where the slides are!

Oh the slides! By FAR his favorite part of the day!

Oh man, this is way 'two' much cuteness!

As hard as it is to believe my 'lil turkey is going to preschool. It's easy to believe he is going to do so awesome!

picture post | labor day weekend

2010-09-07T11:26:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, but he's freaking adorable.

The guys tossin' the frisbee.

Carter too!

The Gang: Jason, Gus, Brandon, Matthew and Casey

See what I mean? Freaking adorable!


Krista and I. She's lovely.

Pam. She's lovely.

Mr. Baer. Cool.

~~Good~~ GREAT times with ~~good~~ GREAT friends!

We enjoyed ourselves so much over the weekend at the Baer's cottage on Lower Long Lake in New Auburn. So much that we ended up staying two nights instead of just one. (Yay!) And I'm happy to report that all of the house work we wanted to get done waited for us to get home. Pheeewww!

In case you're wondering: Jackson & Drake went to the lake house with Grandpa & Grandma for the weekend, which is why their cute faces aren't in any of the pics. We missed them SO SO much!

corny goodness | a summer tradition

2010-09-03T10:07:00.001-05:00

August is the month to one of our favorite days of the year. It's up there with Christmas and the 4th of July, really. It's the day our entire family on my Dad's side gets together for the annual Corn Roast at my G'Ma & G'Pa's. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins... hardly anyone misses, and for good reason.

This is how it's done people. And don't you "eeeiwww" at the crispiness of the husks. That's what makes it good!

We gather 'round to devour fresh picked corn-on-the-cob like it's going out of style. Cob after cob, dozens of the good stuff is gobbled up, along with a TON of other summertime yumminess. Salads. Fruit. Pastas. Bars. Pies. BBQ's. Beans. Chips.

MMMMMMmmmmmmm!

This year, like most years, it was on a ~~beautiful~~ freakin' hot Sunday afternoon. I'm talkin' H-O-T!! So hot that we pulled out a tarp, held the garden hose over it, and sprayed the boys as they slid down the thing to cool off! They had so much fun.

Next year we're bringing more tarps!!

The man who started it all.

Gramps. He's awesome.

Grams. She's awesome.

The 'lil Turkey. He's awesome too.

After we were all stuffed to the gills we piled onto the 'ol manure spreader (gross, eh? naw, not really. It hasn't been used for that purpose in a couple decades.) for a tractor ride through the trails. We hadn't been in Grandpa's woods in so long. It was more beautiful than I remember it. Everything is so grown up and mature. Memories came flooding back to all of us.

Aaaaahh, memories.

I'm smiling at the thought.

My daddy-o on the johnny-popper.

We weren't ready to be done, so we went down the Harper Road.

..It's leaving me kinda speechless...


Looking back at Grandpa's hill, where the cabin is hidden behind the towering pines.


Our family is so cool we have a road named after us.

The Harper Rd. - Not much of a road, but it leads to this...

Heaven on Earth.

The afternoon was perfect. (Despite the G.D. mosquitos.) Or should I say evening? We were there until 8 o'clock, a.k.a. Grandpa's bedtime. heehee.

I'm already looking forward to next year's corny goodness!

What is your favorite summer family tradition?

interview with a 2nd grader

2010-09-02T10:54:00.002-05:00

So here it is... the first day of second grade. And - aaaaaah - a much quieter, relaxed household. Although, we miss our Jackson already. Especially Drake!

As Jackson was sitting at the counter eating breakfast this morning I was asking him questions about being back in school. It went something like this:

Muah:      How do you feel about being in 2nd grade?
Him: "Different. My body feels startled." (Probably because he actually had to "do" something when he woke up and not just eeeeease into the day.)

Muah:    What are you looking forward to the most?
Him:           "My new teacher. She seems awesome!"

Muah:     What are you not looking forward to?
Him:           "Dallas. He's such a ...uuuuuugh. I just don't like that kid. But even though he's in my class, it's still going to be a good year."

Muah:     What would you like to take for lunch today?
Him:           "A chicken, roast beef and cheese sandwich. On wheat bread though, it's healthier. I also want a vanilla yogurt, a peach and 10 pretzels. Well, make that 12. That way I can have some for the car ride home."

Muah:     What's the plan for recess?
Him:           "That's easy. Play with my buds.   Probably tag or football. I can't wait!"

Muah:     Who do you think you'll sit with at lunch?
Him:           "Ummm, the usual. Brigs, Holden, Cole. All the cool cats."

Muah:     Are you gonna miss your momma? (Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes.)
Him:           "Yea. And I'm going to miss the little stinks."   As he walked over to Sullivan in the high chair and kissed his forehead, and then wrapped his arms around his momma's hips and said "I love you, mom."

Man, I LOVE YOU, JACKSON. You have no idea!!

Happy first day of school, buddy!

Now it's time for you to {embrace the camera} Click on the button to get 'yoself linked up!

"my" girl | not so wordless wednesday

2010-09-01T10:58:00.002-05:00

She's here! She's here! No, she's not even mine, but she's as close as I'm gonna get to having a little girl, unless one of the siblings has a she-baby someday.

My cousin, Cody, welcomed his baby girl at 5:19 this morning. And I got to be there! (Well not IN THERE, but just down the hall.)

She is about as perfect as an angel could be.

And Cody is already the best daddy a little girl could ask for.

He is SO in love with her...

and that makes my heart happy!

Welcome to the world, Madison Marie!

We are so happy to have you be a part of our family!

You can consider this your warning little lady:

We are going to smooch your cute little face off every chance we get!

And we're gonna tickle those tiny little toes too!
You can bet on that!

We love you already!

so far today I have...

2010-08-30T15:24:00.000-05:00

went grocery shopping
cleaned out the fridge
tidied up the food cupboard
~~did the dishes~~
~~washed/folded/put away laundry~~
~~got some orders out the door~~
~~updated the website/blog~~
~~worked on the buffet~~
~~returned shoes to zappos~~
~~took a shower~~
caught up on my favorite blogs
fed the baby
changed the baby
held the baby
played with the baby
laughed at the baby

...at least I did the important things, right?! Maybe tomorrow I will actually get done what should have been done today... it could happen.

The Thought of Ice...

2010-08-19T09:44:00.001-05:00

~~Sounds heavenly.~~

Sounds like h-e-double hockey sticks if you ask me.

The thought of ice brings the thought of me. Headed to the rink. Twice a week.
With a two year old. And a baby.
Freezing our butts off.
But all for good reason.
We'll be cheering on our favorite player!

Hockey season... already?! Not quite yet. But it is just around the corner (as in, NEXT MONTH), and next week we will be registering the-one-and-only for his third year. It seems like we were just watching him step foot on ice for the first time, slip n' sliding all over the place... and now he's a 2nd yr. Mite.

In my best Joey Lawrence,

"WHOA!"

This was taken in Jackson's first season of hockey.
Just looking at it makes my body shiver and my phalanges numb.

Embrace it people. ...the camera that is!

You know what to do - or at least you should by now!

Things I've Learned

2010-08-16T11:04:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend I learned a few things. I'm sharing with you, even though I'm a touch crabby and not sure I should, but what the hay? Here goes:

#1 When you get cucumbers, onion and dill from your G'Ma and G'Pa's garden, don't wait too long to make them into pickles. WHAT A DING-DONG. I left the fresh produce on the counter for a day too long and now they are mush and I cannot do anything with them. I am sad. I really wanted to make me some pickles, but I was honestly too busy this weekend. And don't ask why I didn't put them in the fridge... that would have been too easy.

#2 Don't wait until 2 1/2 hours before your high-school reunion to decide what you're going to wear. And then don't think for one second you will find something 'really quick' at the mall. It just doesn't work that way.

#3 And while you're getting ready for said reunion, and all those insecurities come flooding back into your body and fill your eyes with tears and make you want to get into your jammies and stay home with your guy instead of seeing all the people who were once part of your life but are mostly memories to years past, DON'T fall victim. Go anyway. Because you will enjoy it.

#3 Owning a DSLR (camera) does NOT make one a photographer. There is MUCH, MUCH more to it than owning a piece of equipment. A thousand dollar camera gets you about 30% (and that's being generous) of a what a professional camera does and that's just the beginning. There's the all of the other equipment, software and talent that goes into proofing and editing every image. Don't get me wrong. I am one of the millions that owns a nice camera and I love it, and I love to take pictures of my kids, my family, my life, etc... but I leave it up to this cat to do all of our real pics! I guess what I'm trying to say is if you have the desire to be a photographer, do it right. Maybe take some classes, shadow a professional, learn the ropes and THEN market yourself.

In the world of photogs (and there are a TON) - you get what you pay for.

#4 All that being said: Don't bring your 'fancy-pants' camera to a wedding and pretend you are a photographer by following the contracted photographer around taking shots over their shoulder! Umm... annoying?! I saw it first hand yesterday and it drove me WILD. Sit your a** down like the rest of the guests and save your shutter-buggin' for after the ceremony to snap some shots of your friends and family for your scrapbook or blog. But for GOODNESS freakin' sakes DO NOT go and post your less-than-professional images on FACEBOOK being the first to share snapshots of the bride and groom. It's their wedding - leave it up to them and the actual photographer to share it. **deep breath Sarah - you're getting all revved up**

#5 If you're going to be an assistant to a photographer for a wedding DO NOT show up wearing heels. It's a long day and you'll end up with ginormous blisters. I'm talkin' dime size blisters that could fill a teaspoon each with... well you know. They're gross. And my feet hurt.

#6 When the opportunity arrises for you to go to bed at 9:30 p.m. and catch up on your zzzzzz's. DO IT. Don't stay up those two extra hours to finish a movie on tv. Chances are your baby will wake up more than usual and then your toddler will get you up nice and early in the morning, leaving you sleep deprived with bags and circles under your eyes. Nice way to start a Monday..... NOT!

#7 Opening the windows on Monday morning with fresh air making its way through the house will make up for the lack of sleep and put a gentle smile on your face. Especially with a warm cup of joe in your hand and Bon Iver playing in the background.

::

I hope my learning things has helped you learn things. Or at least got you thinking...

Time for a Quickie

2010-08-13T12:47:00.000-05:00

Not that, sicko. A QUICK BLOG POST.

Just busy as usual. In the next five or so hours I will accomplish the following.

Go visit G'Ma & G'Pa's to pick cucumbers, dill and onions from the garden. (Guess what I'm making?!) And drop off Jackson for a little hang time with the GreatG'rents.
Go to the paint store to pick up the 5 gallon bucket of paint I ordered so I can finish the basement project that was started over a year ago. (If you ever build a house, finish the basement immediately. Don't wait. It becomes a much bigger pain in the a** than it should be.)
Go to Menards to return the crap-paint I bought there on Tuesday. (I have never seen such a terrible product... I know better, too... I just wanted to burn up some rebate money we had. p.s. it was Grand Distinction - let that be a lesson learned w/o making the mistake yourself.)
Take the baby to his 6 month well-baby appointment. (Could someone tell me if he'll be getting shots today? UGH! I can never remember. Just wondering if I'll have a crab-apple for the BUSY weekend ahead...)
Go back to G'Ma & G'Pa's to pick up the-one-and-only.
Find a babysitter. (Nothin' like waiting til the last minute.)
Get lookin' hot for a date with my oldest boy!!
Enjoy a glass (or three) of wine!

BAM! I gotta go... I'm still in pajamas!

My Three Sons

2010-08-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

I love this picture for many reasons (well...3). Let me share...

#1 This day my last baby was born.

#2 This day made me a momma to three boys.

#3 This day meant I would never again have to be pregnant.

(I'm not a big fan of the pregnancy process.)

**A couple of sidenotes:
#1 I do realize that Jackson's hair was a little rediculous. He was 'growing out hockey hair' and his momma was too lazy in all of her pregnant glory to make a hair appointment and actually take him there to get it cut.
#2 Cookie bribery is perfectly appropriate when used to get a picture just hours after a baby is born. Any form of bribery is accepted just after a baby is born.

Today is Thursday and that means it's time to {EMBRACE the camera}

Get your mugs in front of the lens for once and give your munchkins a beautiful face to look at long after you're gone. (I just made that sound kind of sad, but it's the truth.)

Click the button to link up!

It Rained Last Night...

2010-08-11T08:57:00.000-05:00

It rained so much, so hard, so fast and for so long, that we woke up to this:

When life gives you puddles...

You jump in!!

...and swim for a while!

In the nearly seven years we have lived here, we have NEVER seen this! Neighborhood speculation says we got somewhere between 5 and 6 inches in a short period of time!

CRAZY!

Fabulous Friends = Fabulous Me

2010-07-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

I'm a believer in the old saying, "You are who your friends are."
And for a couple f reasons...
#1 Regardless of whether it's fair or not, people judge. They do. (You didn't know that? Well, now ya do.) In another's eyes you are the same 'type' of person as the people who you hang with.
Which, in turn makes reason
#2 A person (muah, for example) is naturally drawn to someone with similar interests.
You know, like - family, friends, faith, humor, ~~politics~~, and lookin' HOT.

{ You are who your friends are. }

With all that being said, I have some FABULOUS friends, so I guess that makes me fabulous? I dunno. I'll let you be the judge of that. In all sincerity, I really do make sure I surround myself and my family with wonderful people. And I've said it before, but it really amazes me how God puts the right people in your life at just the right time... and in the same token he lets other relationships fall by the wayside (in the best way possible).

Muah, Erin, Michelle Steph, Sheleen, Tina

On Wednesday night, I met up with a group of some of my closest friends for a birthday dinner and drinks at Zanzibar. I was going there thinking it was just going to be a fab night out with the gal pals and I show up (late, of course) only to find a gazillion gifts with MY NAME ON IT. How wonderful? These ladies are just the best. I am so humbled by their kindness. And I am so grateful they are part of my life.

{I LOVE YOU ALL!}

...and THANK YOU for being you...

He Makes My Heart Smile

2010-07-29T10:37:00.000-05:00

He packs a lot of passion is his not-so-little-anymore body...

...and it makes my heart smile.

Now it's your turn to {embrace the camera} Click on the button and get 'yoself linked up!

STRIKE ONE!

2010-07-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

Ooopsie-daisy! As fast as time flies and as busy as I have been, I seem to have forgotten to mention that the-one-and-only was in pitchball. Or maybe I mentioned it, but I never posted any pics. What's wrong with me?!

I finally brought the camera on Monday (the last real night of the season) to get some pics of our lil slugger and low and behold they were assigned to the 'grassy area' which means they didn't even have a REAL GAME, nor would they even be on a REAL DIAMOND. Makes for awesome pictures! Go figure!

Jackson is getting better and better at baseball, and really actually enjoyed it this year, versus being bored out of his gourd like the last three years! It probably helped that his team consisted of half of his hockey team and the other half classmates ;)

Without further adieu...

We'll pretend this was a HOMERUN! Look at that form!

Leading off the non-existent first base...

Apparently second base is in the absolute middle of nowhere?

Headin' to "third"

Rounding "third"... comin' home to Momma! hahaha - he'd kill me if he knew I wrote that!

We'll count this 'oopsie' as STRIKE ONE! Here's to better pics next year...

Rollin'

2010-07-25T10:40:00.002-05:00

* *

Rollin'

* *

Rollin' on the river...

(I don't know any other words to that song, but that's what came to mind when I think about our day yesterday.)

My oldest boy and I took the-one-and-only tubing down the Red Cedar River with some friends of ours and their oldest kiddos.

In the pictures you may notice that the water appears to be green. Your eyes aren't failing you, the water is indeed green.

On with it...

We dropped the tubes in the water around 12:30 p.m. and three hours later our pruney, wrinkley bodies reached our destination.

Jackson started out in a much smaller tube that happened to have a leak. 15 minutes in he was climbing aboard my floating device in a last ditch effort to remain above water.

Jim found the leaky spot and Kim offered up her gum to patch the hole. (Thought this trick only worked in the movies? Oh no, my friends, Jackson was back on his tiny tube in no time!)

(Speaking of my floating device - Fleet Farm pulled through and my $8.99 purchase ROCKED!) These long n' leans belong to muah. Just showing you my river furniture... sorta.

This is one of the many little waterfalls (more like run-off from the land) along the river. Regardless - it was still pretty.

Part of the crew... We all just hung out, snacked (peanuts were a BIG hit) and soaked up the rays!

(Literally. Half us came off the water a touch pink. Myself included. DUMB. The guy in the white shirt/white hat, Jim, he got it the worst! Poor guy - wonder how his limbs are feeling today!)

While the rest of us were tied together, Casey and Mark chose to be rebels and go on their own.

Sam-the-man left the comforts of his giant tube to snuggle up with his daddy for the last leg of the trip...

After our time on the water came to an end we spent the rest of the day on the Dahms' gorgeous property. Over 300 acres of trees, softly rolling land, riverfrontage, ponds, creeks, raspberry and blackberry bushes galore, horses, trails and fresh air! It was breathtaking, really. I wish I had taken the bean (Jackson's camera) with when we were on the Gator ride around the place. Words can't describe it.

We are looking forward to going back! (hint, hint, Joyce!)

The smell of 'dogs (hot dogs silly, not the four legged creatures) and burgers on the grill filled the air and we enjoyed some delicious chow.

The kids ran and laughed and played.

I just wanted to take one 'nice' picture of Jackson in front of the cool fence. No-can-do-buckeroo. He wanted to sit on TOP of the cool fence and flash a cheese-ball fake smile. Oh well...

Ever wondered what the inside of a clam shell looks like?

It's kinda gross.

I think this picture only begins to capture the tranquility and serenity...

We are so truly, honestly, entirely blessed to have friends that are willing to share their little pieces of heaven with us.

Enjoy your Sunday. We're kickin' back and relaxin' at home...

*On a sidenote: I have to give a 'plug' to the Argus Bean. Jackson received this camera for his 5th birthday and it is awesome people. (I used it all day yesterday so I could take pics on the river and not have to worry about it if it got a little wet.) Jackson takes it EVERYWHERE and doesn't have to be super careful with it. The thing has even gone through the wash (Really!) and came out working fine! Go buy one for your kiddo and then borrow it when you go tubing down the river!

Driving Me Crazy!

2010-07-22T11:43:00.000-05:00

Lately there has been one thing driving me absolutely crazy. Insane. Bonkers. Wild. Mad. Coo-Coo. CRAZY!

What? You ask. It's the way the older two boys DON'T get along.

When I was pregnant with #2, and even for the past two years I have always said how nice it was that Jackson and Drake were five years apart. Jackson was/is pretty self-sufficient and knows right-from-wrong... And Drake is my mild mannered, super-chill little turkey who never puts up a fuss. Well my friends, all that has changed.

Lately Jackson does things (intentionally) to get Drake's diaper in a bunch and make him squeal. So annoying. He is constantly picking on him, telling him to do things, he KNOWS he shouldn't and egging Drake on to misbehave. I. DON'T. GET. IT. It's like there is a little devil sitting on Jackson's shoulder telling him to do this stuff, because the Jackson I know, would never even think of it.

When we discipline Jackson for it, he cops this HUGE attitude and storms off. (God help me.) When we ignore the bad behavior and tend to Drake, he still cops the HUGE attitude and storms off. (God help me.) My oldest boy and I are at wit's end and we don't know what to do.

We realize we are at the next 'stage' of parenting with an adolescent in the house. The-One-and-Only is no longer a 'little boy', which means we need to alter our parenting techniques to find something fresh that will work, but until we figure out what that is, we are banging our heads into a brick wall. (And it hurts. All we get out of it is a blasted headache.) In fact - is it too early in the day for a shot of - - - oh, nevermind. That's not very mother-like.

Being that my closest mommy friends all have kids YOUNGER than Jackson, and therefore cannot offer me motherly advice this time around, I am turning to my bloggy friends... Have any tips for a momma that's going crazy?!

HEEEEELP!

Linky Party

2010-07-21T11:51:00.000-05:00

Alright friends... I apologize - but I'M STILL CRAZY BUSY! I thought it would 'slow down' a touch after the launch party. Not the case.

In honor of the recent launch party and because I have no time to write I am hosting my own linky party. To my own business - at several locations so you can find us EVERYWHERE!

WEBSITE 

BLOG

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

(I don't really 'get' twitter yet, so it will mostly consist of the status from facebook that gets forwarded on...)

I'm Tired.

2010-07-19T22:58:00.000-05:00

Like I promised to the blog earlier, I'm writing. It's still TODAY... just a little late in the day. Though it won't be much. You see, I'm tired. Really tired.

In preparation for the babybundles launch party this past weekend I ~~got a full 8 hours of sleep~~ pulled an all-nighter on Friday night. I hadn't done something so foolish since college. And I hope to never do it again. Ever.

With ~~three~~ four boys, catching up on sleep is IMPOSSIBLE. I think it's safe to say the rest of this week will include lazy mornings, easy dinners and early bedtimes. Aaaaaaah! Yep. That sounds good. In fact - I'm going to lay my heavy head on my waiting pillow and drift off into la-la land right now.

I'll take another stab at this tomorrow...

Dear Blog,

2010-07-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

I will write later. TODAY. I promise!

Love,

Numbers

2010-07-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

{Copied from the other blog to save time and energy!}

There are only 5 days until the first day of the launch party!

6 until the second...

I spent 10 hours on the computer today.  (Yes, I feel cross-eyed.)

I have 3 boys who need their momma.

And 1 husband who is doing his best to help me out.

My favorite number is 12.

Well.  It used to be 12.  I like the number 3 now, for my 3 boys!

I have 7 best friends that make me smile when I think of them. 

Tomorrow my older sis turns 30! (Sorry!)

And in 8 days I will be 28.

I will get about 5 hours of sleep tonight, and...

There are still 1,000,000 things I have to do!

Ciao!

Life at the Lake

2010-07-08T08:06:00.004-05:00

I broke the rules ok? The first two images follow the rules... the rest - not so much. But I couldn't resist posting them and I didn't have time to do two separate posts. (Don't come after me, Embrace Police!)

Just havin' a moment... I can smell the sunblock in his hair just looking at it.

The baby's first pontoon ride at the lake house. He loved it!

This barn is so close to the lake house, and it stands there so beautifully just waiting for someone to take some cute boy's picture.
I took care of that.

It doesn't get any more '4th' than this...

"I look at whaaater Momma."

Thomas and Jackson took Drake on his first paddleboat ride.
As you can see they didn't venture more than 5 ft. from shore but they had so much fun!

Jackson did NOT want to leave... he never does. But then again, neither do I!

Sullivan loved watching the waves crash into the rocks!

Have fun {embracing the camera} CLICK HERE to join in!

Week in Review

2010-07-07T09:03:00.001-05:00

More like MONTH in review! I will do my best to get you 'up to speed', but we have been so incredibly busy, I don't think I can sit here that long and actually hack it all out. I'll give you the nutshell version. (You'll be appreciative, I'm sure of it!)

THE-ONE-AND-ONLY is having a blast with his fishing class, put on by the school district as part of the summer school program. He and about 25 other kids go out on three-hour-long fishing excursions 7 of the 11 meetings and for the other four they learn about water ecology, fresh water fish, fishing techniques and so on. In other words EVERYTHING FISHING. The best part about it is that I won't have to put worms on hooks anymore - BONUS!

Jackson's pitchball season is also underway... this is his 4th year of some form of baseball, and so far has been his favorite! This momma's looking forward to some steamy, humid, hot, uncomfortable nights spent chasing a two year old and holding a 5 month old. ..........NOT! (Pitchball is ~~a little~~ boring for spectators.)

Did I mention swimming lessons? He's doing that too!

THE LITTLE TURKEY has found a love for the lake, whaaater as he calls it. He wanted to spend every waking moment in it at the lake house for the past week, which proved to be a challenge considering his will to wander. He loves to hang out around the shore and throw rocks and blow bubbles with his face in the water and splash, splash, splash! I can't say he's a huge fan of the waves that roll in from the passing boats, though!

Drake has also figured out how to push his big brother's buttons! (It's about time!) He knows just what to do to get Jackson all riled up and then just smile, with a look on his face that says, "TAKE THAT." It's pretty funny - for now anyway!

THE BABY is just so cute and still so little. He is such a good baby (thanking God for that) and shares the biggest smiles with everyone and anyone. He has mastered rolling over in both directions and has now discovered his voice... and loves to use it! And I love to hear it! He is also maneuvering his way around, and around, and around. YIKES - already? Stay put buddy. Momma's not ready for you to be mobile!

While Sullivan didn't actually get in the lake this time, he does love to sit next to it and just watch the other kids play and the waves dance about. Maybe next time we'll dunk his lil butt and see what he thinks.

MY OLDEST BOY has been working longer hours than usual for summer time. Some days I don't mind, some days I do. What's nice is that it's summer so the boys get to stay up a little later, which means Casey gets to spend a little more time with them. A good thing for all of us!

He didn't get to be at the lake as long as the rest of us, but he did manage to get 18 holes in while he was there. (Lucky for him, he has a nice wife that doesn't get her panties in a bunch over this sorta thing!)

He enjoys working with the kids at pitchball and chattin' with the other daddy-o's on the nights he gets there early enough!

ME? I can't even begin to tell you. I feel like a chicken runnin' around with its head cut off. Honestly. I shouldn't be sitting here writing all this because there are a million things waiting for me, but I wanted to take ~~ten~~ twenty to journal a little bit. I have been working really hard to get things ready for the babybundles launch party NEXT weekend! I'm sure the next week and a half will be a blur, but so worth it. I have so many emotions about the entire thing and I've just been praying to God that he will do his thang and provide!

I have a lot to share, but can't buy the time to get it all out. I will. Sometime. Hopefully soon. Maybe on July 19th? Nope - that won't work. I'll be painting Cy's (brother in law) new house. So maybe on the 20th. Yep. I'll plan on that for now...

***Worth Mentioning***

The basement is sooo close to being ready for paint.
I got my hair cut (5 inches off) and colored.
The new pontoon is awesome.
Life is good.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-30T12:54:00.000-05:00

I know... suppose to be 'wordless', but I feel like I have to explain myself. I have NO time on my hands lately. As in ZERO. ZILCH. NADA. NONE. (Just getting ready to launch a business, no biggy.) I will say something thoughtful sometime soon... when I actually have time to THINK! For now just look at my cute kids!

This one just melted my heart.

(My camera... Lissa's talent.)

:: Have a happy day! ::

2010-06-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Ian Miller

2010-06-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

Today my super-sweet, cousin & friend, Jill is getting married.

Her name will change. She will not.
Her heart will be on fire with love.
Her eyes will be aglow.
Her smile will never be bigger.
Her dress will be beautiful. (I'm sure of it!)
The day will be perfect. Because SHE deserves it.

I love this girl with all my heart... I wonder if she knows that? I hope so.

I can't wait to see her walk up the aisle.
I can't wait to see her hug her mom.
I can't wait to see her holding Ian's arm.
I can't wait to see them exchange vows.
I can't wait to hear the church bell.

What I wish is that her daddy could be here.
To give away his only daughter.
To watch her marry the one she loves.
To dance that special dance with her.
To smile and be proud of her.
To shed a tear of happiness...

...can't write anymore - I'm crying...

**A toast** To my amazing friend and her groom.

Welcome to the (CRAZY) family Ian!

Turkey-Lurkey Sandwiches

2010-06-24T10:36:00.000-05:00

Yum, Yum, Yummy, Yum, Yum. These turkey sammys are nothin' but yummy!

I've made them for get-togethers and for dinners at home. No matter the occasion or un-occasion, they fit the bill!

Ingredients:
6-7 lbs. of Turkey (I buy a couple fresh turkey breasts if I'm just making dinner for the fam.)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup diced onions
1 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
1 T basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:
Bake turkey. Shred it and put in a crock pot. (I skip the crock pot if I'm making it for dinner and just keep in a big pot on the stove.)
Sautay mushrooms and onions, add butter, flour, basil, salt and pepper
Stir until blended
Stir in chicken broth and whipping cream
Heat until bubbling, pour over turkey in the crock pot (or on the stove) and heat until hot.
Serve warm on fresh rolls! (I like to use hard rolls)

...Enjoy!

HOW NOT TO WRANGLE A WOODCHUCK!

2010-06-23T11:43:00.000-05:00

You read that correctly.

[HOW NOT TO WRANGLE A WOODCHUCK]

With construction back under way in the basement I have a man in the house during the day. Happens to be my cousin, Cody, who is smart, funny, good lookin' and single... any takers? He'd be a great catch! Anyway - back to the point of the post.

Having a man in the house during the day comes in handy for those times when you need a quick hand lifting something heavy, when you could use a little help with one of the kids or when your neighbor has a woodchuck stuck in her window well trying like h-e-double-hockey-sticks to get out.

Yep. A woodchuck.
Stuck in the window well.
Stinkin' up the place with its foul odor.
Being all crabby and hissing and making 'chuckchuckchuckchuck' noises.
A woodchuck.

Anywhoodle. My neighbor, Lori, called to see if there was any chance Cody was good at wrangling woodchucks. My answer: OF COURSE HE IS! He's super handy, surely he can figure something out.

So to the neighbors we go... (Camera in hand of course. Found out when I got over there, there was NO MEMORY CARD. Go figure - I ran home to get one... couldn't miss this!)

We all took a peek at the somewhat cute in it's own way critter, and Cody devises a plan.

He will use a rake and shovel to sandwich the rodent and fling it as far down the riverbank as possible, while running like mad in the opposite direction to save himself from being attacked by the rabid thing.

DIDN'T WORK. And I don't advise you try it. (Unless you want to be attacked by the rabid thing.)

So next Cody decides to go after it with just the shovel. A quick scoop and toss in one fluid motion; again, while running like made in the opposite direction.

DIDN'T WORK. And I don't advise you try it.

Finally we thought it'd be best to leave Mr. Woodchuck a safe exit. A ladder with a board makes a perfect ramp for a 'lil rodent to leave the premises under his own will when no one is watching. ...and that's just what he did!

After all that, I'm still wondering...
How much wood, would a woodchuck, chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?!

Daddy

2010-06-22T11:44:00.001-05:00

Waaaaaaay behind here people... but better late than never, right?!

Since Casey and Jackson were both fishing at the lake house this weekend, and weren't home for Father's Day, we couldn't really celebrate daddy's day. So in honor of my oldest boy I created a list of all the things he is to us.

And since I didn't want to post this w/o a picture of him and the three little boys that give him reason to celebrate the day in the first place, I had to wait until they got home (last night) to snap a pic of them. (Whew... long sentence, sorry!)

friend
goofball
~~handyman~~ (not so much)
sports fan
lawn mower man
garbage taker outer
laundry washer (sorta)
toilet scrubber
hunter
fisher
~~fahionable~~ (naw... not really)
caring
funny
window washer (slacking here...)
piggy-back-ride provider
UPS man (he looks REALLY good in brown)
cooker of the best homemade mac-n-cheese
hockey dad
pitchball dad
golfer
loving
lover (can I say that out loud?)
good lookin'
bedtime story reader
grill master
pontoon driver
~~coffee drinker~~ wait, that's me
son of God
husband
dad

We think you're the best at the last two and we love you lots!

Airplane Rides & Little Smiles

2010-06-18T09:38:00.001-05:00

(I'm a day late for embracing the camera... but then, I'm usually late for most things, so why stop now?!)

This is what my boys see when momma gives 'em an airplane ride!

Who doesn't love an airplane ride?! ...and yes, I made the-one-and-only take that while in flight!

Jackson also took this pic of me and the two little boys...

After several failed attempts at getting one of the four of us together, we gave up and then snapped one of just the two of us!

:: Much love to all my men! ::