Double Duty Apron

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know how much I get a kick out of my dear friend, Karen. We've been friends for 32 years now and we share quite a history together. Last week she shared a little tidbit of information on her blog that cracked me up and took me back to my childhood. It's pretty funny and "grody" at the same time and you need to read her blog entry before reading any further.... Really, you do.

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Well, after reading that post and wiping away the tears of laughter my hubs and I had a moment of inspiration. Connor was minorly disgusted but majorly amused by what she shared and wanted to create a little something for our wonderful friend.

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It all started with a trip to the store to purchase an apron and a couple of dish towels.

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Then I got busy with my sweet sewing machine.

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To create a little number that Karen could wear with pride to help aid in the drying and cleaning of goblets of her own. :)

It's says "You wash... I'll dry"

and has strategically placed dish towels sewn onto the front of the apron.
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We agonized over what shape the towels "patches" should be and resigned to leaving them square instead of round to keep it a subtle inside joke. After all, we don't want Karen to be embarrassed while wearing such a lovely fashion statement.

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Of course, It's all in the name of fun. I love a good practical joke and I know Karen does too.

Here's to happy days filled with drying/dusting in Karen's future!

Happy 12th NOLAN!

Today my baby turns twelve.

First of all who pushed the fast forward button? And second of all, how on earth is my baby twelve?

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When I think back to the day I met him 12 years ago, I remember how little he was when he arrived. I was so used to having a toddler in the house that this little tiny baby boy was just that...tiny. Tiny and snuggable!

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Now he is not tiny. He's even bigger today that his "once a toddler" older brother. Nolan has always seemed to big bigger and older than his age from the get go. Hard for a mama to take because he went from newborn to kid in no time flat.

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Nicholas was soooooo excited to hear that he had a little brother that day. My parents were babysitting him and they told him that it's fun to have a little brother because you can play basketball together some time. That stuck with Nick...because upon entering the hospital to meet Nolan he ran through the halls saying "hoops hoops hoops!" He was a little disappointed to see that his brother was a lump the size of a loaf of bread. Not what he had hoped for. But he loved Nolan from day one and gave him kisses all of the time. With his minor speech impediment he lovingly referred to Nolan as "Baby Dolan".

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(Nolan was our hood ornament while rafting down the Deschutes in Oregon. Poor kid had nothing to hold on to!)

(Nolan's 3rd birthday... love that grin!)

(Nolan age 8 with one of his many hats... this one came from Leavenworth and is a fave.)




(Christmas morning where he was super thrilled to see Santa brought him the slippers he asked for! I think he was five.)
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Nolan has been such a treat! He's known for being very laid back and just kinda goes with the flow of life. I think what I love most about this kid is that he doesn't care one bit what people think of him. He is who he is and if you think he's crazy well then so be it. I wish I could've been like that as a kid. He loves to be silly and loves to say silly things and I hope that never changes!
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Happy Birthday Nolan! You are loved more than you know and I hope you have such a wonderful year being twelve!

Meet My Uncle Al...

This jovial guy sitting in the beach chair is my Uncle Al. He is one of the best natured people I have ever met. He almost always has a smile on his face, a joke to tell, and a positive attitude to share. Connor and I absolutely love spending time with him and we feel grateful that my Aunt Linda married such a wonderful man. Besides being such a fun person to be around, he is by far, one of the most creative people I know. He loves to build things. All kinds of things. He tinkers away in his garage shop making the most wonderful treasures all. of. the. time. From beautiful bird houses, drift wood people, homemade valentine boxes, and amazing intricate geared automatons... the list goes on and on.

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But take a look at what this talented guy did for Connor and myself recently.

He took some of these nasty old fence boards (that we replaced a couple years ago :)) and turned them into works of art!



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Look at this! I know I've posted about it before, but I love this garden bench that he created for me for Christmas last year. He designed it to look like a large stuffed sofa which I can only imagine is very difficult when you're working with wood. It was meant to live outside in our garden, but Connor and I can't stand the thought of it getting all gross in the soggy weather and getting full of spiders. So it lives in our entry way! I love it!!

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And just take a gander at this beauty! He made this unbelievable bird house out of that same nasty fence! This was Connor's Christmas present from Al this year and let me tell you, we are beyond happy that Al drew his name in the family drawing! :) It is stunning.

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He does such amazing work with everything he makes. He has even had the opportunity to sell some of his gems in some local artisan shops near his home. I wish I had just a smidgen of his creativity and imagination.

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But for now I'll just be happy with the notion that I have the most creative and imaginative Uncle around!

Reading, Writing, and Creating Fabulous Things Out Of Wood...

OK... get ready for a little bragging.

Not only is my kid, Nick, a stellar student in Middle School... He also is a rock star when it comes to creating cool things in shop class.

Take a look for yourself-

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Project number one is this adorable wooden basket that he made for yours truly! It is now living on our kitchen table.

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I mentioned project number two during my Christmas post, but it is so nice I'll mention it twice!
Connor's been trying to think of the perfect location to hang it up in the backyard, some lucky bird is gonna call it home soon.

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And take a looksy at project number three! Is that not the most beautiful cutting board? Seriously, my kid made that? He's a master! :)

I love it, and I love that he is so thoughtful as to give all of his creations to us as gifts. He's been slaving away all school year on these items only to give them to us when he's done. I will find it hard to actually cut on this bad boy for the first time because I don't want to ruin it, but I know it's meant to be used and I guarantee it will be used for years and years to come!

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Thank you Nicholas for all of these heartfelt gifts. You did such a wonderful job and it's obvious you spent a lot of time and worked really hard perfecting each one. Another example of how you are a great student and a thoughtful kid. I love you kiddo!

Feeling...

Feeling a little crummy with a winter cold bug settling into my head and chest...
Feeling a little anxious because Nick is currently up on the ski slopes with his ski club from school...
Feeling like I need to be less overprotective and not worry so dang much...
Feeling happy about what this upcoming weekend has in store for a happy Anniversary couple...
Feeling excited about a little surprise trip in the month of March that we just booked on-line today...
Feeling content to sit on the couch with Nolan while we watch "Winter Wipeout" together...
Feeling sad about an old co-worker and friend who lost his battle with Alzheimer's yesterday...
Feeling renewed to have a brand spanking new year ahead to tackle with lots of gusto and new experiences...

Lots of emotions going on in this here head of mine today...