Ever since reading an article that says birds have a 60% better chance of making it through the winter with help from people, our new family hobby is taking care of the birds who stay around our area.We've been reading up on how to attract wild birds to our backyard and learning how to help them survive our Chicago winters. We got a heated bird bath to provide water and have hung a few different types of feeders. We put out thistle, suet, black oil sunflower, and a general wild bird mix. Birds especially need suet fo...
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My favorite moment today., originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.Sophia reads some of the books Uncle Chris and Aunt Lara sent for Christmas to her little brother.Will: 3 months, 3 weeks, & 4 days old.Sophia: 8 1/2 years old.
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UPDATE: We have a winner! Marcia Koenig claim your prize! (You guys should check out Marcia's volunteer project. Truly awe-inspiring.We're settling in for a long, cold winter. Just for fun and to celebrate the turn of a new decade, I'm doing a giveaway from our online shop, LetsPicnic.com. One winner will be selected from the comments at random to win this cute insulated lunch tote. You'll get to pick your color and it comes fully decked out in flatware and a cloth napkin. We'll ship it to you anywhere ...
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"Shelter Bloggers Rule!There are awards for all sorts of blogs, but no one ever pays enough attention to the shelter blogs, so we started The Homies. It's our way of surveying the blogosphere each year for the best new home design blogs and sharing what we find. It's not so much a competition as a celebration of the richness and awesomeness of shelter bloggers around the world. Join us, share your favorites and check out the ones you don't know. There are five categories and none of our blogs or past winners are elig...
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House Stalking, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.A while ago Sophia and I toured this home during an open house. At the time we just weren't in any position to make the move. Growing up in Houston, there are tons of gorgeous old Craftsman bungalows, so that was always at the top of my dream house list. The perfect place would be walking distance to the train, have a front porch, fireplace, upstairs, 2+ bathrooms, at least 3 bedrooms, a full basement, fenced in yard, recently updated kitchen...and this place ...
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The tinsel tree found at the French Market in Savannah, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.
Merry Christmas!
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A happy baby waking up from a nap., originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.
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Stupid icy sidewalk. Poor Dave tried to fold his foot backward.
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Uhm, why hello there! Merry Christmas! This guy was spying on me this afternoon while thumbing his nose at our cat. It's like he knew the glass was there and Georgie couldn't do crap about it. Then he started raiding our new bird feeder. Jerk.
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My mother gave me my grandmother's china years ago. While it is quite lovely, it's not what I would have picked out on my own. Don't get me wrong, it's a treasured heirloom, but I felt a little pang of wanting to start my own set. So when my husband and I got married last year, I looked at the Lenox Chirp pattern at Field's in Chicago longingly knowing there was no way in the world I could justify it. I have a full set of china for 12 and the Chirp pattern is pricey at about $1,200.00 for the same number of place set...
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Warm inside, snowy outside Finally sitting up well enough to play in the high chair. Napping with Daddy
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Just about 1 year ago I was barely pregnant with our sweet little baby Will. Autumn was here and heard me squeal with happiness when I saw the positive result on the test stick, so she was the first one to find out. We called Dave, who was at his grandparents' home downstate. It's been a year of wide contrasts. Some true heartbreak offset by the miracle of a new baby. I've learned how deep and special friendship can be, that I have more love and patience than I ever knew as a mother, and that truly knowing who ...
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Testing out the new Flip Video with Baby Will, originally uploaded by Alana Waters-Piper.
Will puts his own punctuation mark at the end.
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Last night Baby Will was a little restless at bedtime. So we settled into our big, soft, brown chenille glider, parked in front of the Christmas tree. I softly sang "O Holy Night" to him over and over, each time watching his little eyelids get heavier and heavier. There was something about the room, warmly bathed in the festive glow of the tree lights, the soft gliding, and this little baby falling asleep in my arms as I sang to him that was so fulfilling and perfect. Not a worry in the world, completely content to h...
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While waiting to see the doctor this past Thursday I just couldn't help but laugh at just how inappropriate this sight could be under the right circumstances.
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Will wore himself out playing this morning.
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Note to Grandma & Grandpa Geber: Click each photo for the full size image to print out. 
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I love this Christmas idea from OhDeeDoh. —The notion that you should only gift 4 things. Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.
Our kids have too much stuff. They need more basics, less filler. Expensive does not mean fantastic gift. This year we're giving 4 meaningful gifts, all relevant, grounded, and simple. I just can't stand the idea of buying stuff just for the sake of buying stuff. I'm tired of losing touch with the emotional depth of the season because of the...
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