love the shape of these...

color and shape perfection!  peter and i found these on one of our antique outings this summer...i love it that i have a partner in crime!  he's not interested in pottery or dishware, but is educating himself on history by finding things that interest him and finding out what they are worth...knives, military items, etc.  we're looking forward to our visit to le claire, iowa this week to check out american pickers' store with the family!

i love it that peter and i have a hobby together.  he's my buddy - heidi

so vintage

Another find on Etsy by treasureagain. They sell frogs for the top of mason jars pretty cheap- 5 handmade for $15. They also make solar lights that screw on to them, and sell flicker lights. I love this idea for our porches or hanging in the backyard for a party. I think I could make the frogs, easy with wire. I don't think I could do the solar lights, but I have seen stores carry the flicker lights during xmas. Might need to stock up this year for next summer. k:)




             

hb fabrics

Ran across HB Fabrics on Etsy- LOVE IT!! Even if you are not a sewer, this is a place for fabric! Great prints and good prices. You could make a pillow cover using fabric glue, or cover a chair pad. Worth checking out! k:)

uniform debate

School is fast approaching, whether they like it or not. Evan has always worn uniforms. Lily wore them briefly, then didn't for 2 years. This year she is going to a new middle school where they wear them, and will be for the next 4 years. I know you have fought for uniforms at Emma and Peters school. I don't see what the big deal is. If parents only knew how much easier and cheaper it is to buy uniforms, they would go for it.

I also believe it puts all the kids on a level playing field. Everyone, for the most part, looks the same. Oh yes, you will have the girls wearing their skirts really high, and wearing tight pants, but for the most part they pretty much all look similar, especially the boys. Boys who may be thought of as being geeky, because of the clothes they wear, now look like everyone else. I just think it is a good thing. k:)
                                         

entertaining

I think you either love or hate "reality" tv. I enjoy it, it's entertaining. I don't idolize any of them. Most of them are either highly medicated or need to be. I admit I get to addicted to them. I have to watch them, if I miss an episode, I stay up late and watch it when it replays. So, they did their job with me, they sucked me in. My favorites right now are any "Housewives", Flipping Out, Bachelorette (which I have missed many episodes), Giulianna and Bill and any cooking shows. Other shows that I love that are not right now are Project Runway, Top Chef, Top Model and Rachel Zoe. k:)

agreed!

I am in total agreement with you on entitlement. I think if you work hard you deserve to be rewarded. You should never assume you are entitled to something because of your color or background.

Love your flowers sissy! Wow- what a garden! I need some tips from you. Remember when you came here the summer we moved into our house. You helped me make the beds and plant. I tend to have a lot of boring perennials. I need to spruce it up next year, or start this fall. We are in desperate need of grass repair. Crabgrass, creeping charlie and other weeds have taken over.

entitlement...

it's a nasty word to most...to some it's probably empowering.  I, personally, think it's a very skewed view of one's self and one's family.  I've seen a lot of it lately and it's divisive.  To feel entitled to something inherently means you don't feel you need to earn or work for it...you just deserve it because of the color of your skin, or your social class (white, brown, black, purple, upper, middle or lower or even lower).  Acceptance into a university, being awarded a grant or being offered a job should be colorblind.  Heidi

fleeting hours and days...

Right now, just before 9 am, Emma is back in bed after practice.  Peter is still asleep (since we put a fan in his room this summer, he sleeps in!), laundry done, house picked up, George walked and fed and Charlie napping too.  I will have 2+ hours of quiet in my office.  I LOVE right now.  Especially knowing that All City Swim on Thursday & Saturday marks the "end" of summer...a flurry of cousin/Papa/GJ fun next week, then Peter leaves with them to head to FL for 10 days...home just in time for his official last day of summer vacation on the 16th. 

Once again, this summer FLEW by...in a blink!  Next week and the week after will still be summer vacation...it will include Captain's practices for Emma then hs practices beginning on the 9th, but we'll get in some dinners with friends, more cousin time and hopefully some time just enjoying the pool.  We also need to get senior pictures done, school shopping, deck washing and a new resume for me!   I'm thinking of a new garden in the front as well...someplace to put perennials that must be divided this year.  This summer has been HOT, but it definitely has been S U M M E R T I M E...long live summer!

I am counting my blessings and there are too many to count!

Heidi

bits from my garden...

aaaahhhh!

What a difference a day makes! We couldn't take it any longer, the heat was making us crazy. We bought a new air conditioner!!
Our thermostat on Monday night was 93- I took 2 cold showers and woke up sick. The kids did better than Steve and I. Although Lily did sleep with an ice pack.
We hunted all over for one, and found the last one at a Home Depot. It's a big one, 14,000 BTU's, and thought it might not even fit. But it did......and now we are in heaven. It actually feels like central air in here! Today we will spend the day inside....comfortably.
love, k:)

                                             

a week we'll remember...

We don't get to the 90's every summer...maybe 1-2 days/year...not this year!  Couple the 90's with high humidity and the heat index is soaring this week, with no relief in store until the weekend/early next week.  Your heat index yesterday in St. Paul was 115...that's what we'll have today. 

I remember a summer when Emma was a baby or toddler ('94 or '95)...hot like this.  I remember being as white as winter that summer...was so worried as a first time Mom about sun/heat damage to my baby!

Another one, I believe, was in 1988.  I stayed in Madison for the summer in a gorgeous studio on Mansion Hill...with no a/c.  I worked in a Senator's office in the evenings doing data entry so I was cool from 6-10.  During the day, yes even in the heat, I sunned at James Madison Park, then came home and took cold showers.  Since I didn't pay for water, I would run the shower on cold and set a fan in front of it, pointing out of the bathroom, where I would sit for hours reading or talking on the phone.  I also froze cooler packs over and over, putting them in bed with me at night.  That heat wave lasted about a week as well.

This week, central a/c is my all time favorite invention...however,, the anticipated bill is not!  Luckily, we don't have a lot on the calendar...Peter's baseball summer season is over (thank God!) and Emma is in her taper.  She's down to one early a.m. practice/day.  She's babysitting a lot and Peter just spent the last two days with his buddy, Michael.  I have a few meetings this week...all good for networking.  Thinking of stepping away from politics and definitely exploring other options. 

George does not fare well in this heat....shedding like a crazy dog and takes VERY short walks.  He has proven to me that he can "hold it" for a very long time, avoiding "let's go outside, George" like the plague.  He prefers a cool 71 setting on the a/c.  Charlie, on the other hand, can't get enough of this heat...spends 5 hours at a time sprawled on porch, soaking it all in...why do cats love this weather?  He doesn't even pant!

One thing I've been doing is setting up my sprinkler near the bushes/bird bath/bird feeder...the birds go absolutely crazy...flying in and out of the water...sitting right in the middle of the cool spray.  At one point, yesterday, I counted 25 birds flying for joy!  I try to do this 4-5/day for 10 minutes or so.

Hang in there, Sissy.  I know your a/c is not the best.  Send the kids off to the grandparents today, spend the day at the book store, sipping iced tea and reading every magazine on the rack! 

Heidi

a year from now...

we will have 18 year olds.....scarey....exciting.....suddenly feeling middle age.

Glad Emma had a great bday, wish we could have been there. We will celebrate her 18th with her...let's make that a goal that we are always together on the kids 18th birthdays! That is a big one!

whew!

I am so glad it's over. Not sure when we will offically go back to work yet, probably some time next week. In the beginning I had hoped it would be the 18th, so we would get a paycheck 2 weeks later. I can't say I am happy.....I am mad this happened...

Dayton basically agreed to what the Republicans wanted. So my question is....what was the point? Why did this have to happen if you agreed in the end. Very frustrating. Now you have a lot of unhappy state workers barely able to pay their bills because we were forced to be laid off for 2 weeks. It will take me awhile to recover. They will never know for sure just how much this affected the state. Not a good way to start your 4 years.

But, I will try to enjoy my last days off....I will be spending most of it indoors....it's going to be hot the next 5 days!  But it's summer....enjoy it!!! I am going out with my sister in laws tonight for a cheap drink and long conversation....just what I needed.
love,k:)

happy for you, sissy!

...back to the job you enjoy!  make the most of your last two days off...get to the pool, go to the lake, have a picnic and jump for JOY !  love your sis

17 yesterday...

Emma with her besties...Karen and Meagan.  They surprised her with lunch at Picnic Point...she had such a good time.  Then Papa and GranJan joined us for dinner on the porch...made it very special because they're not usually around for her birthday.  She got lots of phone calls and oodles of FB posts.  All she wanted was a flip video camera "to record her entire Senior year."  We gave it to her at breakfast - our family b-day/first day/last day of school tradition - at the Coppertop.  She loved it as she ate her "bagel with butter and two cream cheeses, a hot chocolate and a side of hash browns"...the only breakfast she ever orders there!

Can't believe she is 17...just like Evan.  Unreal. 
She is happy happy happy~looking forward to another great Emma (and Peter!) year!  Heidi

projects and harry potty

Yes, as I am a bit underemployed as well, projects are a wonderful way to accomplish "something."  My projects are more along the line of organizing the swim season for Emma's team, working on my Blessings in Tanzania labor of love...you know...unpaid, but fun, busy work!  If you finish your list this week, you'll feel awesome!

Harry P...Chris and Emma read all of the books and we own all of the movies.  Chris, Emma and Peter LOVE the movies...I've lost interest.  Emma already has tickets for Friday.  I think those books have been wonderful for encouraging children to read, but they don't get me interested.

Just finished The Paris Wife...a book about Ernest Hemmingway's first wife, Hadley and their life before he was famous.  Interesting and sad.  Now I need a new, good book!!!  love, Heidi

the last one

                        
Ok, I can admit I have enjoyed the Harry Potter movies. Evan read all the books and went to most of the movies. He has not seen the last few-he doesn't know what he is missing. Lily has now stepped up to be the biggest fan in our house- she caught on a couple of movies ago, and now is loving them. She has not read the books....yet. She has dug out Evan's old HP legos and has added some on her own.

I took her to the last one, part 1. It was a little dark, but she was not scared. We have rented it since, gearing up for part 2. We are looking forward to the last one. We may try to talk Evan into going with us. It's kind of sad this to will end, especially when our kids have grown up with it.
love, K:)

projects

                  


This week is project week. No job, Lily at camp all day..and lots of time = project time. These projects however have to be free, so I need to be creative. So far this is my list-
1. Clean basement
2. Weed and work on yard
3. Clean closets

If this continues much longer....looking for a job will be on the top of the list.
Also, looking forward to spending time with my Evan a couple days this week. Mom- Son Day.

well done!

200 posts with the one below!

Katy Perry and fishing

The house is full of excitement...today is the Katy Perry concert at Summerfest in Milwaukee!  Emma is taking her cousin Anna (visiting from VA!), her friend Max and another boy, Eric aka Maddog (swim team friend who loves KP).  I will be driving them so they don't need to deal with parking, but mainly because I want to insure that the trip will be safe (too much excitement does not mix well with driving on the interstate).  Emma is going to be 17 ("only comes once in lifetime, but don't it just fly by, wild and free") next week and this is how she wants to celebrate.  They had a blast yesterday shopping for the perfect 80's outfits (why, I am still unsure...) and blasting all songs KP.

Going to be a late night, but FUN!

Spent a great summer day with my SnL Sue yesterday when she dropped off Miss Anna....the four of us lunched, wandered Hilldale then the girls were off to shop on their own.  Sue and I gabbed all afternoon on the porch, sipping iced tea and catching up.  With them in VA now, we don't get to do this as often as we used to and it was so nice!  She's visiting with her folks in East Troy while Anna is here and the Green men are up North fishing.

Chris, Adam, Peter, Alex and Jeremy are at Adam's cabin fishing this week.  Peter got the first fish and they have all since caught many more...they've seen a bear, many deer and have spent a lot of time boating and sitting around the fire pit....photos to come!

Lots of good family time in July!  The kids are never happier than when they are with their cousins!!!  Last week was great - what summer is all about.

Heidi

shutdown

I only have a few comments on MN Government shutdown, then I will keep it to myself.

Dayton as a Governor is a joke. He is lost, and now has shutdown MN and my job. He has a job. The job does not involve making people struggle. The job is to stand by your promises. He is a disgrace and I am irrated with it all.

I think most people knew this was going to happen. People were still holding on to the hope that it wouldn't until the last hour. Dayton threw in the towel early, I am sure so he could get on with his holiday weekend.

Don't worry about us.....we are just the ones who bring in the revenue.
 k:)

coming home

 Taking the bridge over the Mississippi to La Crosse brings back oodles and oodles of memories. All good ones! We are all happy to be here to see family, laugh a lot and make new memories.

Nothing replaces your childhood. You can either dwell on the bad stuff, or move on and remember the fun times. I loved living here and I had a great child hood. Driving over the bridge brings it all back. 

Not very many people can say they loved High School. I LOVED HIGH SCHOOL! I probably had too much fun...but it was great. I enjoyed moving away and going to college. But my fondest memories of my youth are stuck in La Crosse.

Not only do I have so many  great memories here, but my kids feel the same way. They feel at home here, and love to come. Memories of the river, Norseman Drive, Grandad's Bluff, friends and family.

It's good to be back! love, k :)