I mentioned awhile ago in a post called Talk About Love that my brother and sister-in-law had successfully navigated the Russian adoption system. The outcome is that a big house in the Denver suburbs is now overflowing with family, love, joy, and adventures. It's hard to believe these two little boys were living in a very poor, rural Russian orphanage only a few months ago.
In an act of closure and appreciation, my brother put together a video documenting their journey that is so sweet and beautiful that I just ha...
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I have an incredibly crappy history of epic fails when it comes to giving gifts to my husband. He is impossible to shop for. I mean, IMPOSSIBLE. He will not tell me what he wants, leaving me guessing. I've been guessing and failing for the past 6 1/2 years.
One year I bought him a set of really nice wireless headphones. We lived in an apartment and Sophia's bedroom was right off the living room. So when she went to bed, he couldn't listen to his beloved collection of old punk vinyl. I knew he was missing that, thu...
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Feeling kind of festive, enjoying a relaxed Sunday morning, just wandered around and took some shots of my favorite scenes from around the house. Sophia is at her dad's house and we miss her. I'll add more pics with her in them when she gets back. Autumn is down in Texas doing what working college freshmen do. We miss her, too.
This is an automaton music box my Aunt Patty gave me several years ago for Christmas. As the music plays, all the characters dance around and play their musical instruments.
When...
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Holiday contest for ideas!
I recently picked up a vintage Elf to start the "Elf on the Shelf" tradition with my kids. I've seen a few posts from around the web with tons of cute ideas for how to place him around the house. I think Dave and I will have as much fun cooking up ideas for where to place him as the kids will when they discover his nightly activities each morning.
This is the cute little guy I picked up at my favorite antique mall for $6. Love that he's teal and green. He fits r...
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Sophia and I took Will out for his first round of trick-or-treating this afternoon. She's been coaching him how how to say it for the past week or so, like the fantastic big sister she is. He toddled after her, climbing up stairs, announcing "tree a tree" and giving a polite "tee you" when the homeowners dropped a piece of candy in his little bucket.
When Dave got home he took the kids out for a second round, then a longer run with just Sophia so I could stay here and greet the trick-or-treaters. I mad...
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I remember going to the hospital the day my brother was born even though I'm only a couple years older. He was born in a 1 story hospital in Palacios, Texas. I wasn't allowed inside, so my dad took me around to the window of the room he was in so I could peek inside. My stepmother (very small on the "step" part...she cared for me as an infant) got a doll for me so I could mirror her activities as she cared for him. I named the doll Christopher after my baby brother.
I've always been very close to my brothers. They...
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Will, Dave, and I loaded up and headed out to an area flea market this morning. I've been nursing a bug to not just sell new stuff in my shop, but to find cool vintage stuff to re-purpose and craft into some new little thing. Today my laser beam focus was on silver plate. I want to make an assortment of flattened and stamped spoons for the spring gardening boom over the winter.
So Will and I got ready to go while Dave was in the shower. Will was feeling his Hemingway look today.
I brought home a h...
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The summer is always a busy time for us. Chicago keeps us locked indoors for so long during the winter months, that it's hard to get me to stay inside very long once things warm up.
Here are the broad strokes:
We went to Texas to visit family.
Sophia turned 10 and got her ears pierced.
Will turned 2.
We got the Yellowstone camper and have been fixing it up.
I got hi...
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