Today...

a boring post! Not much happening in my little life today. Here's a silly picture just for fun. My friend Pam gave this to me on my last day of work before my maternity leave. I keep it in Owen's room on his vanity/dresser. It makes me smile. The other day I took it outside to what used to be my garden to practice the macro function on my camera. I just thought the pink and green were a nice contrast as well as the nature and not nature of my subject.

It seems that fall is here. Within the last week it seems that the trees are changing and the leaves are falling. The temperature has certainly dropped. Last night Morgan had to turn down the thermostat because he was too hot. It was all of 66˚ in the house! I had to turn it up today because Owen and I were having to huddle together to stay warm!
Tomorrow I am doing the Walk for Hope with my mom and sis, sponsored by the Alexandra House. It is an organization whose purpose is to end domestic violence for women, children, and families. Sunday my friend Harriet is Running the Twin Cities Marathon. Each year she raises money for Autism and runs the race. So if you are watching the marathon don't forget to watch for Harriet! One of my coworkers is also running the marathon again. So cheer for Don too! Perhaps next year I will run the 1/2 marathon. I guess I need to run more than one day a week though. Ugh!
Not much else happening in our little house. I'm working on an adoption announcement for my boss. She adopted her second daughter from China in May.

Scrapladyb @ 2P's posted this Challenge for today:

You are at the magazine stand, what three magazines are you going to purchase?
Hmm... that's tough. I can see myself standing at the magazine stand at B & N and it is huge. It would of course be in the craft/hobby section! Probaby one on digital photography or Photoshop or MAC World, one on scrapbooking. Perhaps Scrapbooks Etc. and one on sewing. I also like Real Simple lately. The ads in there are inspiring. What magazines would you pick??

Now it has come to that time of day which all SAHM's enjoy. Naptime! And I need one!

This makes me laugh!

That is Ludwig laying on his back! He hardly ever does it but when he does it makes me laugh out loud! He looks so silly. It's a little obscene really. Today my friend Michele came to visit. We had been chatting about dog behavior (she has a big dog named Roco) and I had told her that Ludwig sometimes does this. Not too long after I look over and there he is! So I grabbed the camera and caught him.
Something else that makes me smile is this card that Maggie gave me. It has a herd, sorry a flock, of sheep on the outside and one is wearing a bow tie. The outside says "Adding to my misery: no one here thinks I'm funny." The inside says "What is WRONG with these people?" I keep it on the bulletin board in the kitchen and whenever it catches my eye it makes me smile. I keep a lot of stuff like that around. Things to make me smile and to remind me of the people who I love and care about.

Soldiers...

In need. Steph over at 2P's found a website that is helping soldiers stationed over seas. Here is a link to the website called Anysoldier. Anyway, I searched for soldiers from MN and found a young girl named Taryn who is 20. She is stationed with several other girls. I would like to put together a package to send over there. If you are interested in helping out with this let me know and I can tell you what sorts of things we need to put in the package. Also, 3 of them are having birthdays in November. So I'd like to include some birthday related stuff and cards for them. Taryn's is the 4th. The day after mine. Another reason I choose her.
So, if you're interested let me know and I will get it organized. I did check out the website quite well. It is legit. I don't really have any strong political views but I don't like to be away from home and I know how difficult it is for me to sleep in a different bed, use a different bathroom and not have the choice of anything in my closet. I can't imagine how these young women must feel so I'd like to do something to help them be more comfortable. Thanks!

The first...

Wednesday Wondering! Yes Maggie, I miss the wondering!! So what I want you to think about is this...

WHAT makes you smile or laugh and WHY? I don't mean just a little smile like what you give a stranger in passing. I mean a BIG smile or laugh! Be specific. Owen makes me smile. But there are specific things he does that really make me smile or laugh out loud and I can't help it.

All of the Wednesday Wonderings will begin with a Who, What, Where, When, Why or How. The elements of a story. Life is a story too.

To share yours click the comment link below this post. You will be taken to a place to type in and then follow the directions to post it. If you have your own blog then post the link to your blog in the comments!

I'll post mine later... it's time for breakfast and somebaby is hungry!

I need to...

STOP eating the brownies! Morgan made brownies for my book club meeting on Sunday. They are the perfect combination of fudgy and cakey with chocolate chunks in them. I can't stop eating them! I was doing so well up until last week. I was keeping track of what I ate. Getting exercise. Feeling good. I'd lost a few pounds and felt good about that. Then last week...IT started! The first ONE in 14 months. I hadn't missed having them. (Do you know what I'm referring to yet??) Ugh! I felt awful. I had no energy. I was crabby. AND I had pulled a muscle in my back from carrying my Little Mister around. Well...my back is feeling better and IT has stopped but I'm still eating BAD stuff! Now, if you know me at all, you know my favorite food groups are chocolate and ice cream. Together they are better. So having these brownies in the house is just not good for me. Maybe I'll make Michele eat the rest tomorrow when she comes to visit. IF there are any left! Luckily I ate the rest of the Ben & Jerry's the other day! So that isn't around here to call my name. But my Little Mister is! Someone is hungry...

This is...

my favorite photo right now. I love to take pictures of flowers. Georgia O'Keeffe is my favorite artist. I am not a painter though. So I take pictures of them instead. I posted this photo a few posts back in its original format. I did a black & white conversion on it and a few filter layers to get it to look this way. I think I'm going to print and frame it. Someday I'd like to sell some stuff but I need to practice a lot more in order to do that.
This weekend was busy! Poor Owen always has a couple of rough days because we cram a lot into a weekend. Saturday we had to do some shopping. Morgan needed some new shirts and shoes for a couple of interviews he has this week. It would be a new position at SV but in something he is much more interested in. Communications. I don't quite understand what all the job entails but I think he really wants it and he definately needs a change. So please keep your fingers crossed for him and say a little prayer. Then we went to visit Morgan's brother and family to look at some hand-me-downs for Owen. My nephew Nathan had a bike accident a few weeks ago and got banged up pretty bad. He lost 3 teeth and looked all beat up. He was looking much better on Saturday. He is still missing the teeth but his face just looks so much better. Then we went to visit my Mom and Sissy. I got to see my first ever episode of Project Runway! What a neat show. I totally got sucked in. I wish we had cable. But then I'd be watching TV and not getting my work done. I also got the first page of Owen's baby book done on Saturday! I will post it sometime this week. I need to scan it in. I had laid it out a week or so ago and ended up taking it apart because it just was not working out. Then the printer ran out of ink and I had to wait for that to come so I could print the picture again!
Sunday we went to church and that is always during Owen's naptime and he doesn't nap during church anymore. He's too interested in what's going on. He was very good though and did not get cranky until we were at the shoe store (again!). Then I had book club and Owen wanted to visit Auntie Maggie. So he played with Maggie for a while and then he and Morgan went to the garage sale down the street and got some new outfits.
So today we are back to our normal routine. Eat, play, sleep. We are going to take a field trip to the craft store today. I need to get some yarn for a hat for Owen. I found a cute pattern and so I want to pick out some cute yarn for him. I also need to get some laundry done and upload some pictures to print and some other stuff I have already forgotten!
Oh! On Wednesdays I'm going to start posting some thought provoking questions for you to comment on! So stay tuned...

This quote...

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.-Dr. Edwin Land

I found today in a knitting book I got from the library yesterday. It has a pattern for a hat in it that I want to make for Owen. I didn't notice that quotes at first but there are several in it that resonate with me. The above one in particular.

I don't like to fail. I know that no one does. But I REALLY don't. I don't like not being good at something. Anything. If I try it I want to be good at it. The best. And I want to be good the first time. This is something I have to work on. All the time. Especially with my creative process. I give up if something is not coming easily to me. I don't know why. Well, I do know why. I am a perfectionist. I want everything to be perfect. Unrealistic, I know. But nonetheless, it's who I am. Sometimes it's a good thing. I am very detail oriented. I can be counted on to get stuff done and it will be done well. I can also procrastinate because of the fear and the "what if". What if I don't finish? What if it's not good? I have to learn to embrace the failure. It's what drives a person to work harder and try again. How many times did Thomas Edison try with the light bulb? We could still be in the dark if I had been him! It was 3000 filaments that he tested before he came up with one that was right. 3000! That's a lot of practice and a lot of work. I have to stop giving up so easily.
I admire that about my sister. Her persistence. She was persistent with our mom when she wanted something. She usually got it too. I just accepted "no" the first time. But she's also persistent with her creativity. She has an idea and works with it until she gets it right. She's always the person I go to when I have an idea I am stuggling with. She was always the person who could find whatever it was I was looking for but couldn't see. Usually it was right under my nose.
So I think I need to post this quote in my craft room. Then maybe I will be reminded to strive less for perfection and be more persistent.

Rainy days...

can sometimes make me down. So then I spend some time cleaning. And then I get irritated that I can't throw out all the things I want to. I hate to have clutter. I like things to be clean, simple, and pretty. I am really starting to subscribe to the philosophy that if it doesn't serve a purpose or have a use I don't want it. But then I come across things like this. Photographs take up space but they also serve to remind us of what we shouldn't forget. This is my Grandpa Ernie. My mom's dad. This picture was taken in December of 1957. I know because the original photo is dated. I love this picture because it's just silly. Who eats cake sitting on a toilet? And why??
He is the only Grandpa I ever knew. He and I were inseperable. Even when he and my Grandma moved up north I was torn between being with them and being at home and spent lots of time with them. I can't believe it will be nine years since he died. Some days I miss him terribly. I spent most of my life worrying about when he would die. But I didn't think it would actually happen. When it did I was devestated. I remember so many things about him like it was yesterday. Sometimes I am reminded of those things because they live on in my uncle. Last Christmas I noticed that my uncle smells the same way my Grandpa did. You know how people have their own scent? Well they have the same one. They also have the same handwriting and look a lot alike. The older my uncle gets the more he reminds me of my Grandpa. I like that. It makes me sad that Owen won't get to know my Grandpa. He is named after him. Owen Ernest. But I can show him pictures of tell him stories. And do things with Owen that my Grandpa and I used to do. I will show Owen how to use tools like my Grandpa showed me. And how to skip rocks and play pool and pinball. Hopefully I can teach him to make change. My Grandpa tried, and he was so patient, but I was just NOT good at math. Good thing I didn't have to teach math beyond 4th grade! I guess rainy days help remind us to clean and remember.

Blogger 9.21.06 (2 Peas) - How We Met...

This was the blog challenge from 2P's for today, posted by scrapladyb Blog about how you met your significant other. The circumstances...

Morgan and I were set up by his twin sister, Micah. She and her husband met on the internet and one day decided it would be fun to find someone for Morgan. So a searching they did go. She came across my profile on aol and decided to send me an IM. She and I chatted for a bit. We had some stuff in common. Then she began telling me about her twin brother who lived in Prescott, WI. (I was in Mpls at the time) He had just moved there not to long ago and she wanted to know if she could give him my number. I was a little leery but I thought what the heck!? I wasn't seeing anyone, I wasn't finding anyone, and working in a Catholic school with a bunch of women... my prospects were slim. So we met in St. Paul at a coffee shop one afternoon and hit it off. We were married a year and a half later and we've been married for 5 years now! How time flies.Here he is being Mr. Tough Guy. He's not. He's funny and kind and all of the things that I am not. That's what I love about him. He's also genuine. The Morgan you meet is exactly who he is. He doesn't pretend to be someone he isn't. He's the kind of person you can't help but like. He is a great husband and a wonderful father. Sometimes a girl just gets lucky I guess!

Lovin'...

the weather. Fall is my favorite season. The temperature is much more comfortable. There is a crispness in the air that is invigorating and the trees are so beautiful. Hopefully we will get a chance to take a drive sometime soon to see of trees.
It occurred to me yesterday that sometime in the fall the farmer's market will close! I won't be able to take pictures there! It has become my favorite place to photograph. I love all the rich colors of the food and wares and the interesting people there. Here is a layout I did with some of the photos I took at the market. Morgan took the larger picture. I will sometimes let him use the camera! He gets a little impatient with me and my picture taking.
I guess in the winter I will have to practice taking snow shots or just indoor stuff. Maybe I'll have to arrange my vegetables in pretty baskets. Although frozen veggies might be uncooperative!

Here is a digital layout I did yesterday of me & Owen on "NOT" the first day of school.
I took the photos with the PhotoBooth program on the computer. I love that feature. It's so fun. Owen likes to look at it. As you can see he smiles at it. I originally took the pictures to send to the girls at school so they could see how we were spending the day while they were working!
Speaking of Owen...yesterday he was not into napping. He started the day off by spitting up the entire contents of his bottle. 6 oz goes a long way when it's on the floor! Then he got cranky and just didn't nap well the rest of the day. He did the make some lady's day at Anchor Paper when we went out to get some new glitter colors and paper for Halloween cards. He was smiling and laughing at her. He's such a little charmer.
I got some great paper. It's shimmery! So now I just need to get some ideas! Whatever they are they will have glitter. This is the website for the glitter I use. I've had it for awhile and don't get it out often. Now it's out and I've got glitter all over the place!

Do you ever...

wonder? Someone on the 2P's site posted something like this. Her post was more about the What-if Game though. What if you had not done the things you'd done...what would your life be like now. I don't wonder about stuff like that. I do play the what if game but it's mostly when I'm worrying about something. I WONDER about stuff. I think it's a family trait. Like who was it that peeled back the tough, green skin of a walnut to find that there was a nut in there?? How many people died before the community or population of people decided something was poisonous and it shouldn't be eaten?? Who made up certain words? Like profanity? Who thought "Oh, if I mix some sudafed and some other nasty stuff I'll get something I can snort and get high"?!? Who thinks of stuff like that!? and WHY?? I'm also very curious about how things are made. I used to (okay, still do!) love the segments on Mr. Rogers where he would go and learn about how something was made. Not too long ago I happened to turn it on and he was showing how plastic toy balls are made. Very cool stuff. From that show alone I learned a lot! It fascinates me how people can know so much. And we all know different things. I know a lot about education, craft stuff, health and fitness. I don't know alot about history or math or engineering. Sometimes it seems like useless knowledge but sometimes that is the most interesting stuff. One of the things I miss most about working is seeing Maggie (my teaching partner) everyday. We used to wonder about stuff. She and I think a lot a like. So when I had a wonder I could always ask her about it. I can still ask her but the conversation isn't the same with e-mail.
When I first started stamping I wanted to know the whole process. How are stamps MADE. Well, I was lucky enough to get to work for a stamp company for a period of time and I got to make some! I even had a couple of designs made into stamps! Sometimes I think the process of how something is made is more enjoyable for me than the finished product. Maybe that's why I'm able to finish things I make for other people but my own personal projects just don't seem to get finished! Perhaps I'll commit myself to learning about my own creative process so I am better able to get some of my own projects finished. Or started. Like the pregnancy album I was working on. (Not done...no longer pregnant!) Owen's first year album. He's almost 5 months. I've got pictures. I've got ideas. I've got NO pages done! But first things first.... breakfast! The creative process can't run on an empty stomach.

Everything is better with...

glitter! I LOVE glitter. At the Scrapping Bee yesterday I was making cards. Just a few little Christmas cards. I was inspired by one I saw in a magazine and decided to try out some new rub-ons and some paper from a stack I had. Well they just didn't look quite done. When I got home I sat and looked at them for a while and then dug out the glitter that I haven't used in ages. It was just the thing. Morgan thought they were cute too and I have decided that everything is better with glitter. Or a little sparkle. I love sparkly things. After the Christmas cards I did a little doodling and this is what came about. The larger dots on the bottom are a brighter turquoise color. I think maybe I need to continue to experiment with some of the things I have stashed away. I tend to hoard stuff and not use it. I've decided that's silly. I'm not realizing my full potential as a creative person when I do that and I'm not exploring the full potential of the "stuff" either. While it's nice to have stuff on hand when I run out I can always find some more. I really need to get to work using some paper! I especially love to hoard paper. So if you need some paper let me know!

On another note... we went to the farmer's market before church today. I love going there on overcast days. It's the best time to take pictures. I see the market in a whole new way since I started bringing the camera. I think it has started bothering Morgan though. Now he knows how I felt when he was spending loads of time taking pictures when we would go places! The difference is I'm not using up film! I love my (oops!, our) little digital camera. No film. That's great. No film or developing costs and I can take a ton of pictures so I get good ones. They are sparse some days. Here are some of my favorites from today. I like taking pictures of peppers the best. I don't like to eat them. Just photograph them! They are shiny and bright (notice a theme here?) and just look so beautiful.

A trip to...

the Lake Harriet Rose Garden. Once a week Owen and I walk with Lori and Maggie, my teaching buddies. Yesterday we got there a bit early and went to the Rose Garden. It is one of my favorite places. I used to frequent it when I was still living in Minneapolis. I practiced using the macro function on the camera. I'm having a good time with this lately. The other day I took a bunch of shots of the plant climbing gnome. His name Sven. I don't know if that's a good name for a gnome but it fits him. I will post pictures of him some other time. I need to get Owen's bottle ready. He will be awake and ready for the day soon! We are having the furnace and duct work cleaned today. BIG day!

I like...

this mug. One of Morgan's coworkers gave it to me not long after I had Owen. It's just cute. In the morning it's a cute reminder that I am a mommy which is still INCREDIBLE to me. He is growing so fast. Yesterday I had to wash a bunch of his 3 month and 3-6 months clothes because the clothes he has been wearing are getting too small. Everyday he does something new and cute. Last night while getting ready for his bath I had all but his diaper off and just tickled his chest before handing him to Morgan in the tub and he let out this loud, funny giggle! So I did it again and he giggled again. This giggling is a recent development. Within the last several weeks. One evening he was giggling at my friend Nikki's husband like he had never giggled before. He was soo cute! It was quite awhile before he was giggling at me like that! So many things I want to record because he's growing so fast. One day he will sleep through the entire night and there will be no more late night feedings which will mean no more late night cuddles. Just me and Owen rocking and cuddling... But I will rock and cuddle all I can until that day. Here he was this morning while I was eating breakfast. He sat in his bouncy chair and bounced while I made breakfast and ate. Cooing, smiling, and babbling. It's so nice to be able to stay home with him. We don't have to rush out the door to daycare or work. We stay in our jammies until we are ready to get dressed not because we have to!
Well faithful blog reader (Miranda ;) ) I'm off to conjure up some creativity! I seemed to have lost it! So I'm using a magazine ad to inspire me this morning! I got out some drawing paper and some pastels and I'm going to see what can happen. I haven't drawn in a LONG time.

Isn't he...

Cute!?
I know I'm biased but he is darn cute! I just can't get enough of his smiling and giggling. He is getting stronger and stronger everyday. We had this tummy time session, mostly so I could take some photos, and he was smiling and rolling and just happy as could be. I never thought I would feel this way about being somebody's mommy. I can't believe he's 4 months old already.
Tonight we had rice cereal for the first time. Silly me. I thought this was going to be a "FIRST" event! So I was getting ready for some photos. Then I reread the directions and you just add a tablespoon of this flakey cereal to the bottle! I suppose it could have been a photo opp but truth be known Little O was not in a photo mood. He had been awake for awhile... for a ride in the new jogger... and suffered through mommy & daddy trying to adjust the jogger to go straight...which still does not! Argh! So after feeding him his regular bottle late, being up for a long time, and all the other stuff he was no longer in a photographable mood. So we got on some jammies, had our rice cereal bottle and a story and slipped off to dream land. Which is where I should be now!

Naptime...

is so peaceful! And something I thought would never actually happen most days. Today Owen went to sleep without fussing. He is a good night sleeper but for naps he usually fusses a bit. He seems to be over the trauma of his shots. He cried a lot on Tuesday. The nasty cry. He hasn't done that in ages and I thought there was something seriously wrong. Morgan did wake him up from his nap trying to move him and I think that may have just made him a bit mad. I'd be mad too!
Last night while we were eating... well I was eating. Owen was swinging. He was giggling like crazy. I don't know what sound is better than the giggle of your own child. Amazing. Everyday he reveals a little more of his sparkling personality. I'm biased, I know, but he is adorable and we adore him!

A Big Day...

Today I am not going back to school. It is the first time in 27 years that I have not had a first day of school as a student or a teacher. I don't feel bad about it. I just feel different. I love learning and I love teaching and I will continue to do both as a SAHM. Which leads to the other reason it is a big day. Owen is 4 months old! Wow! 4 months old! Everyday I am amazed by my little boy. I never thought I would feel the way I do about a child. My own child. I didn't think there would be a child of my own. Later today we go to the doctor for shots. I hate shots. It's worse to watch him get them than it is for me to get them. And I really don't like them for myself either. It will all be fine, I know, but I still don't like it.
Lastly, it's a big day because this is my first day writing on my first blog! I hope I can keep up with it because I'm not much of a journaler but I'm going to give it a whirl and see how it goes. So...here goes!