cute ideas

Here's another website called The House of Smiths- great ideas!

gussied

Check out http://www.shopgussied.com/-- love the cuffs! fabrics!

my day off

As you know Mondays are my day off. That is the benefit of my long 10 hour days. Totally worth it! Some Mondays I am very organized and know exactly what I am going to tackle. Other Mondays, I may go out for coffee with someone, clean, catch up on laundry or just try to finish my last 100 pages of my book club book.

Evan has not had a job for a few months, and is willing to help out for an allowance. Funny....he never wanted to do that when he was working. On Saturday he did a fall chore I don't like to do anymore. Clean the front porch. He vacuumed, scrubbed the window sills and floor. He took everything out.....which left me a clean, blank palette. Watch out!

My porch floor has been many colors. The walls of the porch have, for the most part, been khaki. I try to paint the floor every year or every other year. It had been a medium green color. I don't really love green, never have. Grandma Bea said she never liked green either, must be taking after my Leo cohort. Although, I have a great green in my hall right now. Anyways, the porch needed a new color. So off I went to get my gallon of paint, while chore boy made my porch shine.

I have always loved black. It's striking and hip. The porch floor is now black. And, I must say its the best color that has been on the floor in 13 years. So today, my Monday off, I am working on "staging" it. Eliminating old pieces, refurbishing some things and giving it a new look for winter basically for free.

I had an old trunk of, Mom told me today, Great Grandpa Peter's, in the basement. I painted that black. Found an old 1/2 filled quart of red paint, and used that to give the front door and old rocker a new look. Since we are still in the Halloween season, I painted a fake pumpkin black to go with the theme. Right now there are only a few things out there. But I like it. We don't sit out there in the winter....so less is more.

One more idea, I got from our Mother today....she mentioned finding a picture of our "pumpkins", Evan and Emma, on their first Halloween. That made think...wouldn't it be cute to display an old picture of the kids in their Halloween costumes, as decoration for Halloween. I dug up a couple and now have them displayed on the trunk.

...this Monday has been a successful one...what can I paint next?!
love, k:)


wait for it....will be posting my before and after pic

gorgeous

Love the picture of Emma....simply Emma, just the way we like her. No props, no crazy colored bedazzled outfit....beautiful.
 love k :)

favorite Senior picture!

"too many girls, not enough slow dances..."

- Peter Green, after he got home from the Homecoming Dance.  Emma said he never left the dance floor!

Sounds like his cousin, Evan....

H

senior girls on senior night/last home meet...

and I feel the tears already...

her season still has a month to go, but it's her last meet in her pool.  Wish you all could see her tonight!
Heidi

Emma's last meet at EHS...is today.

the colors

                                              

This picture was taken outside on the patio at Sebastian Joes, our favorite ice cream spot. I loved the colors and the lighting. This has been the best last

couple of weeks for fall. It is almost hot! Shorts are on, doors are open and life is good! love, k:)

Beautiful

Between your beautiful fall pictures of trees, flowers and apples....I can't have a hard time choosing my favorite! Your house is always so festive and beautiful. I know this is your favorite time of year! love, K

go irish!

H a p p y B i r t h d a y B a m b i !

 This is my friend, Kim, aka Bambi (when we are in Chicago), and TODAY  is her birthday.  Kim is a faithful reader of SistersDish.  Kim is my friend, and as she wrote in response to my b-day email to her today, "that makes me laugh until my sides hurt."  She and Rich (her soon to be General hubby) took Chris into their home every single night for dinner when he was at Fort Knox and I was working in Chicago during our second year of marriage!  We were INSTANT friends when we met...have been ever since and have enjoyed many great weekends in Chicago in the fall...we are completely delinquent in that tradition, but will resume when the economy does!

Kim, just took a quick gander at our "Chicago" book...my gift to you today is some quotes that hopefully will get your sides hurting today!!!  Have a great day!  love, Heidi

"They say if you love something, set it free or burn it down" - Chris

Most common heard phrase of the weekend, "I'm sorry, we're all out of that today."  As in potatoes, walleye...

"If you could see anyone in concert, who would it be?"  Chris - "AC/DC"   Rich - "Barry Manilow"

"Are you sure he's not gay?" - Heidi

"Do you know how to make a sea breeze?"  ah, no.  "ok, just make it pink" - Heidi

"Is this a lesbian hotel?" - Kim

"We're the only two women in Chicago wearing color." - Heidi

"Wire baskets with wheels are the vehicle of choice for the homeless in Chicago and mothers from Madison, WI" - one of us

"Japanese businessmen think we're hot!" - Kim

"There's a potato famine in the midwest" - Rich

"There is also a walleye shortage" - Chris

"If we get divorced, who gets Chris and Heidi?"  - Rich

"There's a BIG difference between a malt and a milkshake!"  - Chris

Burgers DO come topped with ribs.

"It IS possible for Heidi to fall asleep anywhere - even when surrounded by 500 clapping/laughing people."  - Kim

It's impossible to order a margarita or a grasshopper in Chicago due to the "Great Blender Shortage of 2007."

"Even when Chris says he doesn't want ice cream, he really wants to scoops of chocolate!"

BWOTY!!!!!

Pappa Al Pomodoro soup by Kris

My dear friend, Kris, had our friend Maura and me join her for lunch on her patio yesterday.  She made this Barefoot Contessa recipe for the most delicious soup!  It looked just like this and it tasted soooo good...with homemade croutons and crispy pancetta. 

Kris and I have been friends for a long time, Maura even longer....both have daughters at St. Mary's in Notre Dame...so I connected them a few years ago.  We all needed to TALK yesterday and it was great to be in the company of these two women on a beautiful autumn day in Madison...the leaves seemed to have changed overnight and Maple Bluff was at her prettiest!  The forecast is amazing...sunny and 70's for 10 days...we have been blessed with a perfect fall...much deserved and makes Jan/Feb/Mar in WI tolerable.  Today, after I get some paperwork done, I have plans to spend all day in my yard/garden...transplanting, trimming, mowing, etc....can't wait!  Then off to a swim meet in beautiful Monroe, WI!  The drive south will be gorgeous today!

It's also Homecoming week at EHS...full of fun...powder puff football for senior girls (and Em - she decided to do it! :O ), band concerts, dress up days and lots of fun!  We'll go to the football game on Friday night - Emma will play in the pep band....so far, Peter has not asked anyone to the dance and will probably go to the game with the guys.  Emma is getting excited for the dance!  We still need to buy shoes.

Have some girlfriends over for lunch!  It was so much more fun than going out to lunch - I am going to follow Kris' lead and have her and Maura over for lunch soon! 

Enjoy your day, Sissy!  xoxoxo, Heidi

profile pic

...by the way, just noticed the profile pic you posted of us...I'm guessing that is our bedroom in the Main St. house...two little waifs...looked like twins...glad we had/have eachother!  Heidi

wish i was...

 I am posting a pic of the apples and one of the pies that I've made this fall...seems like apple pies appear in my house when I'm a little stressed...you and I inheirited the gene that causes us to cook, bake and eat when stressed!  Wish I was someone that didn't do those things when stressed...not good!  Cooking and baking definitely translates into showing love for me...Grandma Veronica's pies were a always a gesture of her love, and Grandpa Claude's chicken,  so was coming home from college to Dad's mac and cheese or anything Mom cooked and baked and was ready when we walked into the house!  Grandma Bea's smorgasbords - always with a Norwegian nod - were her gestures of love too...remember how we would get to her house, so hungry, and she hadn't started cooking??!  Looking back, she probably just wanted us to be with her longer...

But, all is headed in the right direction...right??  There are so many wonderful people and "things" in my/your life...that is why lifestuff can fill up the worry list...but as of this week,  the list is decreasing in size...at least it appears to be!  Gorgeous week ahead...sunny and 70's every day!

Heidi