tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-171854752024-03-05T14:14:51.726-05:00Tulipa MurilloTulipa Murillo: the musings of a wife and mom of threeNancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.comBlogger437125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-86735486733037574322017-01-14T12:28:00.002-05:002017-01-14T15:29:54.942-05:00Day 60So back in July of 2014, eighteen months before my fortieth birthday, I took to the blogshere and pronounced my plans to become FIT by FORTY. Well, it lasted for a a few months. I lost some weight. And then, just like everything else I've ever tried, I failed. And I continued to live life. Continued to follow a few of the things I learned back in the summer of 2014, but continued to gain weight, little by little. But now, on this last day that I am 40, as I sit in a coffee shop, drinking herbal tea (rather than a sweet latte and bakery case goodie), I figure it's time to update that 2.5 year-old self-challenge.<br />
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I could write pages and pages dedicated to My Weight Struggles. But I'm choosing to focus on more recent events, as I share today. Last summer, our family of five went on a glorious vacation to Maine. It was cold and beautiful and rainy and SO MUCH FUN! One day, we decided to hike up a mountain. For the first time ever on such an endeavor, our three kids BOLTED up the mountain and I could BARELY keep up. No longer were our children little. No longer did I have to lag behind with a tired and complaining little hiker. And I was struck with the reality that, if things continued the way they were, that this would be my reality. Eventually, I would spend future adventures, such as this, sitting on the park bench, waiting for my kids to finish their hike. And I was devasted. While things didn't change for me immediately, I regularly thought about this experience, wishing things were different.<br />
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Fast forward a few months. I went to my quarterly check in with my psychiatrist. I've been on a medication that treats my anxiety and depression for the better part of the last twenty years. My wonder drug, for which I am ever so grateful, has these two at the top of the list of side effects:<br />
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INCREASED APPETITE</div>
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and</div>
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DECREASED ENERGY</div>
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Because of those two side effects, my psychiatrist weighs me at EVERY appointment. And EVERY three months, my weight stays the same or goes up. For years, I had resigned myself to the fact that I was FAT and HAPPY. And I was ok with that. But at my appointment this past November, I mentioned my concern over my ever-increasing weight. Over the previous four years, I had been told that both my blood pressure and cholesterol levels were too high; that if I didn't change the way I was living, medicines would be in my future. Upon looking at the upward trend of my weight, my psychiatrist suggested that I switch medicines to something that didn't have these adverse side effects or that I could start taking an appetite suppresant. When I brought these ideas to Duncan, he balked, which reflected my feelings as well. Back in 2007, when I was required to change medicine during my pregnancy with Linus, things had NOT gone well. Actually, that is an understatement. It was horrible. And while the circumstances were different, neither Duncan nor I were interested in going through that again, at any level. And the thought of adding another medicine in an appetite suppressant was also unappealing. Providentailly, a few weeks prior, a friend had mentioned that she had been eating a version of a ketogenic diet and that it might help me in getting some weight off. Duncan brought this up again, as we were discussing my psychiatrist's suggestions. We decided it was worth looking into. So, the next day, I scheduled a consultation with my friend's doctor for the following week.</div>
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Upon hearing of the program, it sounded hard. I had no idea, really, how difficult it would be. Yet, I was ready to take the plunge and so I signed on. I'm not going to get into the details of the WHAT I've been doing exactly. I'm happy to share that with whomever would like to hear, but I'll save the average reader those boring details. <br />
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It is significant that I decided to start this program eight days before Thanksgiving. And a month before Christmas. It was not atypical for me to gain about ten pounds during this time of year. So, while it seemed like a terrible time to start such a process, it turned out to be the perfect time. During the first five weeks of changing the way I was eating, I attended more than half a dozen special meals and events which, in the past, would have been ALL ABOUT THE FOOD for me. This time around, it couldn't be about the food. Or at least the TASTE of the food. Rather, it needed to be about the people I was seeing, talking to, visiting with. And it wasn't always easy. Each event, as it came up, was handled differently. For some events, I ate before going or brought a snack that I knew I could eat. Other times, I spoke with the hosts ahead of time and was able to figure out something that would work for me. At all of the events, there were copious amounts of foods and drinks in which I could not partake. I had moments in which I felt sorry for myself. I had moments where I spent time looking at the foods I couldn't eat and admiring how nice they looked. I asked close friends if I could smell the red wine in their glass (mmmmmm). I've worked hard to make my relationship with food be a more healthy one. And I'm beginning to see the fruits of these efforts.<br />
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So here are the results:<br />
Today, I have been eating a variation of a ketogenic diet for 60 days. Since Nobember 16, 2016, I have lost over 31 pounds and nearly 25 inches. More importantly, I feel AMAZING! I have so much more energy, I've been able to start wearing some old, smaller clothes that have been in storage for at least six years, I am not hot all of the time anymore and I have a healthier relationship with food. Before these changes, Fridays meant looking forward to Pizza and Wine Night. The very first Friday night (it was Day 3) was depressing and torturous. Subsequent Fridays were difficult to get through, as well. However, the last two, Fridays, Days 52 and 59, have been different! No longer am I lamenting what I CAN'T do, but am genuinely excited about what I CAN do! This is huge.<br />
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So, while "Fit By Forty" was a big bust, I can say that today, on the eve of turning forty-one, on my last day of being forty, I AM ON MY WAY TO BEING FITTER AND HEALTHIER! And I couldn't be happier about it. I have never been able to stick to something like this before and I honestly believed that I was unable to get a handle on being healthier.<br />
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I attribute a few things to my success. Most importantly, I thank my Heavenly Father for giving me the ability to have self control and perseverence, which is beyond my ability as I rely on my own strength. Secondly, my sweet husband, decided to "do this with me through Thanksgiving" so as to be a support, and has continued on indefinitely, subsequently losing almost 30 pounds himself! Finally, several of my friends and loved ones have listened to and supported and cheered me on. There are so many. But two in particular have been invaluable... the one who sings songs to me (<i>Your Body's a Wonderland</i>) and the other who grinds salt to bring me when I have a headache. These examples are silly, but these two ladies, in particular, have held me up when I didn't think I could keep going. And have cheered me on all along the way.<br />
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By God's grace, I've changed the way I'm going to live the rest of the days He gives me here on Earth. <br />
Anyone want to go on a hike?</div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-79292255433024773112016-12-20T21:25:00.000-05:002016-12-20T22:49:13.847-05:00It Hurts<div style="text-align: center;">
I met Duncan 20 summers ago and immediately fell in love. He was funny and fun and flirtatious. Our last night at camp, after a long summer of getting to know each other, I shared with him that I really hoped we could stay in touch. Stay friends. 1995 was still the time of pre-internet-for-everyone-except-the-nerds, so it was up to pens, paper, and the USPS to keep us connected. So, I wrote him within a month or so of heading back to WVU. And I never heard from him. So a few weeks later, I wrote him again. </div>
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Nothing. </div>
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<i>It hurt.</i></div>
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And then as Thanksgiving neared, I decided to write him </div>
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THE LETTER. </div>
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The one where I bared my soul, expressing my undying love for him. I wrote it out, crossing off, rewording and cutting and making additions for a few days. Maybe even as long as a week. When I was happy with what it said, after I'd even had a few friends read it over, I copied it, neatly, on college ruled notebook paper. I sealed the addressed envelope and dropped it in a mailbox. </div>
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I waited to hear from him. </div>
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A letter. </div>
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Or better yet, a phone call. </div>
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And I never did.</div>
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<i>It hurt.</i></div>
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Three months later, I saw him at Jubilee. He seemed excited to see me. I kind of gave him the cold shoulder. He could tell my shoulder was cold. I asked if we could sit down and talk at some point during the weekend. He agreed.</div>
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When we sat down, I talked about how I'd hoped we'd stay in touch. How I'd tried but he hadn't. I wondered at whether or not he'd received my letters. He said he'd received both of them. </div>
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Both? </div>
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I'd sent him three letters. </div>
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But he claimed he'd not received the one in which I professed my undying love. </div>
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What?</div>
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The one in which I'd poured out my undying love for this man I was certain would be my husband? I'd spent so much time on it. And he'd never even gotten it? Honestly, I was incredulous. </div>
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Was he lying to me? </div>
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After that weekend, we didn't end up together, like some sort of Hollywood fairy tale, much to my dismay. I was still smitten. In fact, it was nearly two years until we even spoke again. And started talking. Then long-distance dating. And then local dating. And then broken up. And then ENGAGED! And then, finally, five years after meeting the man of my dreams, I got to marry him. </div>
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Not in my time frame, that's for sure. Had it been up to me, we would have been married by the summer of 1996. One year after we'd met. But life doesn't happen in my time frame.</div>
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The summer we got married, we were unpacking boxes, combining lives, learning how two could become one. </div>
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On one of those summer days, as I was going through a box, I noticed a book that had something stuck in between its pages. I flipped to the place in the book where this bulky thing was nestled. </div>
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I remember looking at it, realizing what it was and feeling as if I was dreaming.</div>
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I found THE LETTER of November 1995. Unopened. Stuck in this old book. </div>
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My sweet husband stuck this letter in a book...</div>
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absentmindedly?</div>
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feeling guilty about not responding to the first two he'd gotten from me?</div>
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not wanting to deal with it at that moment?</div>
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wanting to wait to read it in private?</div>
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Knowing my husband of nearly 15 years, I believe any of the these are possibilities as to why this letter, this most important letter, ended up stuck in a book and never opened.</div>
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Upon finding it, I was a mix of emotions.</div>
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Elation</div>
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Disbelief</div>
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Amusement</div>
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Annoyance</div>
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ME: "Should I open it?"</div>
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HIM: "No."</div>
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ME: "Why not?"<br />
HIM: "Because it represents a time in which I hurt you. My lack of action hurt you."</div>
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<i>So I threw it out. </i> </div>
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In the trash.</div>
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I have vague memories of what the letter contained. But, I don't remember it, word for word. If I had opened it. And saved it, and read and reread it, I would likely be able to recall what it said now. </div>
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But I didn't. </div>
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And I can't. </div>
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And I'm thankful.</div>
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I think about the letter, from time to time, marveling at how I could both spend hours pouring over its every pen stroke and yet be able to add it, unopened, to a trash can full of kitchen scraps.</div>
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I was able to do that, because the letter no longer represented reality. Its reality was a pining college girl, infatuated with a boy.</div>
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The reality of that summer day in 2000, when I found the letter, was a married woman who had promised "until we are parted by death."</div>
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I had already forgiven Duncan of those past hurts. There was no need to bring it all up again.</div>
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Along these lines, I'm continually asking myself if there's anything I'm holding onto, that I should dump in the trash. Any feelings of resentment or hurts that are stuck in that tucked-away book, stashed in that box full of junk.</div>
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It wouldn't be something I wrote unless I included a passage from the Bible. </div>
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This one is from the fifth chapter of Paul's 2nd letter to the Corinthians:</div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.<b><i> </i></b>The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God</span><span style="color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><i>The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">What beautiful truth. In Christ, I have been forgiven and I am able to forgive. I am able to let go, toss away the hurts and pains experienced in this life. Only because of Christ, His incarnation, His sinless life, the Perfect Sacrifice of His brutal death on my behalf, His resurrection, His ascension, and the fact that He is alive and seated at the right hand of the Father, at this very moment, is any of this a possiblity.</span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "trebuchet" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 25px;">To Him be ALL of the glory!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="footnotes" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: Trebuchet, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"></a><span class="mainfootnotes" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"></span></span></div>
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Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-54983936520359896092014-07-15T14:43:00.000-04:002014-07-15T15:23:01.055-04:0018 Months and Counting Down...<div style="text-align: center;">
It's started. I often feel crummy. I get winded when walking up the stairs. I lack energy. Getting off of the floor can be difficult. And this girl isn't getting any younger. </div>
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So, I was thinking...</div>
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Today is July 15, 2014. That means it is exactly 18 months, or a year and a half, until my 40th birthday. About three years ago, I resolved to get "Fit by Forty." Well, it ain't happened yet. Therefore, as this date approached (my half birthday, if you will), I have a renewed resolve. </div>
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I hearby resolve to "Get Fit" and will spend the next 18 months (and the God-given months to follow), getting and striving to remain "fit." </div>
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So if you see me, in person (or by email, text or FB message) please ask me about my resolve. Ask me how my plans are going. I've tried (and failed) at just about everything you've heard of and more. And I think I may have just encountered the BEST PLAN YET. (And no, it doesn't involve buying supplements or special products AT ALL. In involves FOOD and EXERCISE. Imagine that?!?!) </div>
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So, here goes, I guess.....<br />
(cringes as she pushes "publish")</div>
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<cringes as="" publish="" pushes="" she=""></cringes></div>
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<cringes as="" publish="" pushes="" she=""></cringes></div>
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<br />Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-71650793660739831342013-12-18T21:55:00.000-05:002013-12-18T22:32:36.432-05:00The Longest Year<br />
I don't believe in coincidences. Ever. God is purposeful in the most minute of details. So as I sat at my desk working this afternoon, just like I did one year ago today, and this song came on, I knew it wasn't by chance. Nor was it an accident. I recognized the voice as Nick Drake's but I can't say I'd ever really paid attention to it before. But today, it resonated with me. So I looked into the lyrics.<br />
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<i>A day once dawned from the ground</i></div>
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<i>Then the night she fell</i></div>
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<i>And the air was beautiful</i></div>
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<i>The night she fell all around.</i></div>
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<i>So look see the days</i></div>
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<i>The endless coloured ways</i></div>
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<i>And go play the game that you learnt</i></div>
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<i>From the morning.</i></div>
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<i>And now we rise</i></div>
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<i>And we are everywhere</i></div>
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<i>And now we rise from the ground</i></div>
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<i>And see she flies </i></div>
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<i>And she is everywhere </i></div>
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<i>See she flies all around </i></div>
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<i>So look see the sights </i></div>
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<i>The endless summer nights </i></div>
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<i>And go play the game that you learnt </i></div>
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<i>From the morning.</i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 30px;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 30px;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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Beautiful.</div>
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Here it is if you'd like to take a listen. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q2JjJPDz3EE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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And then I wondered about Nick Drake. </div>
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There are two of his songs with which I have more familiarity.</div>
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There's this one, that is on the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0333766/">Garden State</a> soundtrack. <br />
Love that movie. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QSlh8u8Nrig?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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And there's this one from the Volkswagen commercial from many years ago. Truth be told, this is where I first heard Drake's sumptuous voice. His voice made me want to hear more. So about the time this ad was out, we bought the album which contains this title track: <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Moon">Pink Moon</a></i>. </div>
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It takes my breath away.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BIOW9fLT9eY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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But today, as I thought about the man attached to such beautiful talent, I remembered a tiny bit of information about him. I knew that he was no longer alive, that he had died during the 70s. I also knew that he didn't have a huge body of work, since he was rather young when his life came to an end. And that was the sum total of what I knew. So I looked into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Drake">his life</a> on Wikipedia. Where else, right? And I was so moved by what I read. </div>
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Here's an excerpt:</div>
<br /><br /><b>Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake</b> (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) <i>was an English <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer-songwriter">singer-songwriter</a> and musician, known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime...<br />By 1972, he had recorded two more albums...neither sold more than 5,000 copies on initial release.<br />Drake's reluctance to perform live, or be interviewed, contributed to his lack of commercial success. There is no known footage of the adult Drake; he was only ever captured in still photographs and in home footage from his childhood.<br />Drake suffered from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_depression">depression</a>, particularly during the latter part of his young life. This was often reflected in his lyrics. On completion of his third album, 1972's Pink Moon, he withdrew from both live performance and recording, retreating to his parents' home in rural Warwickshire. On 25 November 1974, Drake died from an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overdose">overdose</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amitriptyline">amitriptyline</a>, a prescribed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant">antidepressant</a>; he was 26 years old. Whether his death was an accident or suicide has never been resolved.</i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
How tragic. How sad. And here I am, nearly forty years later, mourning a man whose entire life on Earth existed before I was even a glimmer in my mother's eye. And his music, his life's work, is ministering to my soul. </div>
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Since I've made the decision to speak loudly about my struggles with mental illness, and to advocate for the much-needed conversation on this topic, I've been contacted by numerous people, both in person and online:</div>
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"Thanks for sharing your story." </div>
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"I've struggled for the last 10 years." </div>
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"I have two family members who struggle and won't get help."</div>
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"I'm afraid to tell my family about my struggles."</div>
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If anything, these words, and others like them, have strengthened my resolve to keep talking. </div>
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One year ago, today, was the last full day my nephew, Derek, lived on earth. He died in a car accident sometime in the early morning hours of last December 19th. As this first anniversary of his death comes, and goes, I've chosen a Nick Drake song that I found today in Derek's memory.</div>
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And I don't believe it was a coincidence that I found it. </div>
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Today.</div>
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'Cello Song</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">Strange face, with your eyes</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">So pale and sincere.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">Underneath you know well</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">You have nothing to fear.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">For the dreams that came to you when so young</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">Told of a life</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">Where spring is sprung.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">You would seem so frail</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">In the cold of the night</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">When the armies of emotion</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">Go out to fight.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">But while the earth sinks to its grave</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">You sail to the sky</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">On the crest of a wave.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">So forget this cruel world</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">Where I belong</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21.328125px; text-align: left;">I'll just sit and wait</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; 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Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-77198071658050377892013-10-31T22:11:00.000-04:002013-11-03T20:12:03.389-05:00On Living With Mental Illness<span style="color: purple;">Edited to change some of the time-related details. Upon thinking, I realized I had gotten some of the details wrong. The incorrect information is crossed out and correct information follows in purple text. </span><br />
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Mental and Illness.<br />
Dirty words? <br />
Taboo?<br />
TMI?<br />
When someone struggles with what goes on in their head--irrational, obsessive, continuous, delusional--they might be called "crazy." I prefer to avoid that term. Mental and Illness. NOT dirty words. Rather, a painful reality for so many.<br />
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Looking back, I can see that I've always struggled with irrational thought patterns, (perhaps that ulcer in second grade provides a clue?) an obsessive and continuous cycle of the anxiety-producing element <i>du jour. </i>For me, the <b><i>what</i></b> doesn't really matter, since it has changed over the years--morphed into something apropos for the time. But the obsessive cycle is there. As well as the lows. And the depression.<br />
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And now, it is all dulled by paroxetine hydrochloride. <br />
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My wonder drug. <br />
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It causes "increased appetite and decreased energy," which means a 40 pound weight gain over the last <strike>four</strike> <span style="color: purple;">five and a half</span> years, since I've been taking it. Again. (Which is another tale for another time.) But it gives new and beautiful meaning, to the phrase "fat and happy." The dimming of the cycle of lies is a blessing. The quieting of my mind allows me to focus on the here and now, rather than the constant, exhausting cycle of <i><b>what-ifs</b></i>.<br />
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I've always been open about my struggles, since they came to the surface back in <strike>1997</strike> <span style="color: purple;">1996</span>. </div>
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My breaking point. </div>
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That's when, while I was never suicidal, I paraphrased Paul's words as my own mantra:<i> for to me to live is Jesus Christ, but to die would be SO much better.</i> I fortunately didn't get to the point where I was ready to take my own life, but I did wonder how I would live life the way I felt. That I couldn't imagine a life full of what I was feeling and thinking. That life ending, just being over, would be far better. Yeah, I get it. It was a rather hopeless outlook. </div>
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But I talked to others, my parents and close friends, and was advised to see a psychiatrist. I will forever be grateful to Dr. Morgan. He was the one who first put me on Paxil in December of <strike>1997</strike> <span style="color: purple;">1996</span>. And within a month I felt relief. It was amazing. The loop of lies running through my head? Constantly? It was dimmed. It offered sweet relief that allowed me to enjoy life and those I love once more. <br />
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Today isn't just a random day in which I've chosen to share my struggles so publicly. Rather I am sharing them exactly one year after someone I love very much attempted to take his own life. I know he struggled, for years, with what went on inside of his head. But, I won't pretend to know what he went through leading up to and in the late night hours of October 31, 2012 and the early morning hours of November 1, 2012. I do know that, for whatever reason, he changed his mind and sought help. He didn't succeed in taking his own life, one year ago. And for that, I'll always be grateful.<br />
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In the week or so after, I obeyed a gnawing feeling I had to share with him a bit about my own struggles. And in Whom I find comfort. And to let him know how I loved him and was so proud of who he was. I'll always be thankful for heeding the prompting I felt to share with him, since he only lived on Earth for another six weeks after November 1st.<br />
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So, I become vulnerable in his memory. I choose to shout it from the roof tops, on this day, (or, at least, from my corner of the interwebs) that: </div>
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I AM MENTALLY ILL! I AM MEDICATED! I VISIT MY PSYCHIATRIST FOUR TIMES A YEAR! I'VE GONE THROUGH COUNSELING AND WILL GO BACK IF MY STRUGGLES OVERTAKE ME IN THE FUTURE!<br />
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I refuse to be silent, or even quiet, any longer. If we pay attention to the seeming-epidemic status of "active shooter" situations in our nation, we will see that this is NOT a gun issue. It is a mental health issue. Or if we took some time to build relationships with the homeless community in our areas, we would see that all too often, their reality is not laziness, but rather some variety of mental illness. </div>
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The stigma must be lifted. We must talk about it. People must feel free to seek treatment, and must be open to hearing that they need treatment. If someone has cancer, is there a stigma attached to chemotherapy? If someone has a strep infection, is there a stigma attached to taking antibiotics?<br />
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Mental illness: illness of the mind. Yes, it is different than cancer or strep, but it is an illness, all the same. It requires work to "cure" it. Ok, so curing is unlikely. But I'm proof that life can become better, good even, with work and time. And, yes, for some, even medication. Doctors, therapists, and medications. These are NOT additional dirty words. These are the tools that can be used to re-fashion the brains of the ill. And I'm grateful that they exist. Because even though I still long for the hope of heaven, where there is no more suffering or sickness, I am able to find joy and hope in THIS world. In HIS creation. If it weren't for these tools, I'm not sure I could get to such a place. </div>
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May I challenge you to live gently with those in your life? We never know what battles someone may be fighting inside of themselves. And if you, or someone you love, struggles with mental illness, TALK about it. Do your part to add to our society's conversation. And perhaps, little by little, we can erase the stigma.</div>
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Gonna go take my medicine now. Just like I do every night before I go to bed. With gratitude.</div>
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Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-35870540275960453242013-09-08T14:21:00.002-04:002013-09-08T14:21:53.134-04:00Two Years and Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's hard to believe that it's been more than two years since I've posted anything on this blog. While I'm sad that this has dropped down on the list of priorities, I'm delighted at the record we have of the years when our three were little bitties. </div>
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Life now is full and good and.....did I already mention full? Just thought I'd blow the dust off the old blog, for just a few minutes. And share the earlier years with new friends. And old ones too. </div>
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Who knows? Maybe I'll try to post now and again, again. </div>
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Stranger things have happened, I'm sure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTY0Mxc1L5nZ49vW1H3Uwp-cIaZ16B959Z4UJ8hzmWV7OZJ1VQFcphE5xiG6rDZrm8I5VhYuBCLneBwHdbSSWGH89Ou6YlvA-skt8f3nTzQCkB8-LPa7BJ4MdDPjaSFnibUyOdA/s1600/IMG_1512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTY0Mxc1L5nZ49vW1H3Uwp-cIaZ16B959Z4UJ8hzmWV7OZJ1VQFcphE5xiG6rDZrm8I5VhYuBCLneBwHdbSSWGH89Ou6YlvA-skt8f3nTzQCkB8-LPa7BJ4MdDPjaSFnibUyOdA/s1600/IMG_1512.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1949739343"></span><span id="goog_1949739344"></span><br />Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-85477849501953875472011-08-29T05:59:00.001-04:002011-08-29T05:59:00.518-04:00Linus Victory Turns Four<div style="text-align: center;">It's hard to believe, that four years ago, on this day, I experienced the most terrifying day of my life thus far. It wasn't tragic and the outcome has been wonderful. But I must say that I am honestly not "over" that day. Hence, unless the Lord wills otherwise, Linus is our number LAST child. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">And we are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us beyond measure, with a boy who is</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">silly...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFHGS-BiVjMR8NnX8SScsWNZvhuSI76C_YtK2F7tMD573KEC62K_dLGzsrL5Ydr589JCjPBjUhyphenhyphen6UOo2YqxTn3Lp8r0Xgj6EX_DO8bdnXSVOoH_hJqgAmZImH0qdvrf85dKN1QQ/s1600/IMG_3031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFHGS-BiVjMR8NnX8SScsWNZvhuSI76C_YtK2F7tMD573KEC62K_dLGzsrL5Ydr589JCjPBjUhyphenhyphen6UOo2YqxTn3Lp8r0Xgj6EX_DO8bdnXSVOoH_hJqgAmZImH0qdvrf85dKN1QQ/s320/IMG_3031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and handsome...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrp5HIf99TdvAyPcOx__wvlCdwrObQ5yoeE7dFmsit667JT73krmbebvc2Qr6UQJAcbvoXUyW1TVPd7GvefYjpHuS9f3nIGbyVExCQVAMdMaObZDA0kdH8GRvTO4jccdKGbAKQRQ/s1600/IMG_3073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrp5HIf99TdvAyPcOx__wvlCdwrObQ5yoeE7dFmsit667JT73krmbebvc2Qr6UQJAcbvoXUyW1TVPd7GvefYjpHuS9f3nIGbyVExCQVAMdMaObZDA0kdH8GRvTO4jccdKGbAKQRQ/s320/IMG_3073.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and strong...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P5beWosYAx_5OnNpEo2pOoQYqjHHsqg_LM5Fk_ScqueKyWXn6Kdd6ph7Px1CKBwUIvqdIp3jbd0qK_R6kxK2e3e7iJOnr3JcbjodrLeQVr00qNaWtD8rIf9QDPBFivj6zv1O0w/s1600/IMG_3320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3P5beWosYAx_5OnNpEo2pOoQYqjHHsqg_LM5Fk_ScqueKyWXn6Kdd6ph7Px1CKBwUIvqdIp3jbd0qK_R6kxK2e3e7iJOnr3JcbjodrLeQVr00qNaWtD8rIf9QDPBFivj6zv1O0w/s320/IMG_3320.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and daring, even when he's scared.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmzlyDfC06iCNxXLKL6ctmGe9DWZExVUK0r_d9YdcOYvlhgNZuPQHlJwaVWJd1ROVN1mwv9mAo9rt3cuLBE7P7N_dR7FwA-MQEboChVu4hro-kYXgR2_D0x7b6DBK4AA-He1tpg/s1600/IMG_9539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmzlyDfC06iCNxXLKL6ctmGe9DWZExVUK0r_d9YdcOYvlhgNZuPQHlJwaVWJd1ROVN1mwv9mAo9rt3cuLBE7P7N_dR7FwA-MQEboChVu4hro-kYXgR2_D0x7b6DBK4AA-He1tpg/s320/IMG_9539.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did I mention silly?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2Qs5BT25SMG2F8_zEvYudW9wneSERRvuh3gK6P9fYVSh7XPcd6BtMdIXmTDz7lpp_l2sbJ2PLs1bzvJ56Pc5zIp4siXerEO7DT2KcVEt4yjl5N6VlHlWmVwLX6HsTvHIjVHnfw/s1600/IMG_9581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2Qs5BT25SMG2F8_zEvYudW9wneSERRvuh3gK6P9fYVSh7XPcd6BtMdIXmTDz7lpp_l2sbJ2PLs1bzvJ56Pc5zIp4siXerEO7DT2KcVEt4yjl5N6VlHlWmVwLX6HsTvHIjVHnfw/s320/IMG_9581.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or handsome? And growing!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">I know many of you that are reading this, walked and prayed through that experience with us. And for that I am so grateful. I know even more of you know and love our little boy nearly as much as his momma and daddy. For those who'd like, I've included the links to the story of my pregnancy with and delivery of our sweet, sweet Linus Victory. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nancylynn15.blogspot.com/2008/04/part-1-pregnancy-and-birth-story-three.html">Part One </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nancylynn15.blogspot.com/2008/04/part-2-pregnancy-and-birth-story-three.html">Part Two</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nancylynn15.blogspot.com/2008/04/part-3-birth-story-3-linus-victory.html"> Part Three</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nancylynn15.blogspot.com/2008/06/part-4-birth-story-linus-victory.html"> Part Four</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Fourth Birthday, sweet boy! We love you SO much and look forward to watching you grow and learn and develop into the man that God wants you to be!</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-74865019758732026032011-08-24T16:55:00.000-04:002011-08-24T16:55:43.261-04:00Dear Blog,<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I do really love you. It's true. And I desire to update you on a regular basis. But obviously, it's just not happening. You see, the truth is that I've become keenly aware of the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day. And I have to be careful about how I use them. And there are these three little people (and their daddy) that are a priority for me. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'd much rather spend time with them doing things like this... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBuWWvPQQXnft3JIXa5TmFl2yoaRf8Xa7lZwTDenyDtHhNPHHuyn25UhDgLwvsOOs6u5GudsI4cFQRWJvCRu7EAGrGtjm9D7FeP0L-K_Va1wxlTaBOUSpzmQaE9hUbXQr7zncMg/s1600/IMG_9549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBuWWvPQQXnft3JIXa5TmFl2yoaRf8Xa7lZwTDenyDtHhNPHHuyn25UhDgLwvsOOs6u5GudsI4cFQRWJvCRu7EAGrGtjm9D7FeP0L-K_Va1wxlTaBOUSpzmQaE9hUbXQr7zncMg/s320/IMG_9549.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...and this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HCKQiDI0iLWs7P_uzkea0I1XZmkJxVJ-KgV3HG5m0Pd2KVqDbOVCKQSHPokYEHf3NteEq5lj89WM_b8VXLoPgpmCTSH8eLwRfF-iRo85ndymsAR6iFOFbELw9A4Lc0GRigQAMw/s1600/IMG_9550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HCKQiDI0iLWs7P_uzkea0I1XZmkJxVJ-KgV3HG5m0Pd2KVqDbOVCKQSHPokYEHf3NteEq5lj89WM_b8VXLoPgpmCTSH8eLwRfF-iRo85ndymsAR6iFOFbELw9A4Lc0GRigQAMw/s320/IMG_9550.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">And watch them play follow the leader... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF8Y1HfFCqD5ASprEGglmX7EGjcR2af21n3kBOk0-HH3r2Oeiwf7ySMLf9SCXsHIab1g5MFfThbIvDe75Fhmya2XWCbmEpzZuMcLFV4zXv1HvKMJhOpJmLFJJnBHHURJqwkZnmQ/s1600/IMG_9554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXF8Y1HfFCqD5ASprEGglmX7EGjcR2af21n3kBOk0-HH3r2Oeiwf7ySMLf9SCXsHIab1g5MFfThbIvDe75Fhmya2XWCbmEpzZuMcLFV4zXv1HvKMJhOpJmLFJJnBHHURJqwkZnmQ/s320/IMG_9554.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...and enjoy people movers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj8yrBLYkWQNa5AXkuYOfaLEaQ07rEYTgk0spcvXegjqAwPltH4O5FM89bHW3p2qf-UL_1tYimXQECW5Vhl2DWK0WPn82Wdok8xDYj4gYCyK1cKZJ4LzIuxRafsH0ijS8SU-w8Q/s1600/IMG_9556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtj8yrBLYkWQNa5AXkuYOfaLEaQ07rEYTgk0spcvXegjqAwPltH4O5FM89bHW3p2qf-UL_1tYimXQECW5Vhl2DWK0WPn82Wdok8xDYj4gYCyK1cKZJ4LzIuxRafsH0ijS8SU-w8Q/s320/IMG_9556.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'd rather eat really expensive, fancy desserts, like Napoleons and eclairs, with them at the Pavilion Cafe</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXtDp8FhEmDF-IaMNDOQhSSL9C7hpXaxVuyHFVGWsBIgJp2jmg9wqiAJY-mySmxzWVJCEyMQsq2BFD3acKYEJkcnhf37VMxkidboQSXXdZcddDu_GdCtJFH6eD3xNjrxXt1yjbg/s1600/IMG_9563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXtDp8FhEmDF-IaMNDOQhSSL9C7hpXaxVuyHFVGWsBIgJp2jmg9wqiAJY-mySmxzWVJCEyMQsq2BFD3acKYEJkcnhf37VMxkidboQSXXdZcddDu_GdCtJFH6eD3xNjrxXt1yjbg/s320/IMG_9563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">while I drink coffee, of course.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR_CzVRioIbi4WXcShzj-CB3BR6LB0Nv0eRaScv6fvXqWsZgumWOCEBsPzJZ8rh00_aiPnoiz3PZSQwP5PO8Lpz1CDst3y-KMvOAcWBIYRF6BlJ-C0_0n8k66DYFOqt4Fth2AzQ/s1600/IMG_9565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHR_CzVRioIbi4WXcShzj-CB3BR6LB0Nv0eRaScv6fvXqWsZgumWOCEBsPzJZ8rh00_aiPnoiz3PZSQwP5PO8Lpz1CDst3y-KMvOAcWBIYRF6BlJ-C0_0n8k66DYFOqt4Fth2AzQ/s320/IMG_9565.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I'd rather see them enjoy watching (and almost fall) into fountains...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUSGhuv44cXO-8bposmMRlcpasQhyO_Ft5YHc_WcT22zRdPsKLrH_kCI1cYrzMTPOfAvT4e2vHWMQBdDp3wvQo74f-SftWTm9IOuMSqVisR8d4ALMfLHQHiEUc-mMQfgaTljxPw/s1600/IMG_9567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUSGhuv44cXO-8bposmMRlcpasQhyO_Ft5YHc_WcT22zRdPsKLrH_kCI1cYrzMTPOfAvT4e2vHWMQBdDp3wvQo74f-SftWTm9IOuMSqVisR8d4ALMfLHQHiEUc-mMQfgaTljxPw/s320/IMG_9567.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...and be outside when the sky looks like this... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTKWcdBjEqafH5EDc5y4g94vh8nDlC8MMX_xy_HHoRK1c51XzIdAQLhiYMBjZuLq7sT53XeCgiJBugaVcZyhmpjawBTKz9Ty4ZsnZKaYgTxlCwhGlxW0oau8uoQQDwESSAR5VhA/s1600/IMG_9572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTKWcdBjEqafH5EDc5y4g94vh8nDlC8MMX_xy_HHoRK1c51XzIdAQLhiYMBjZuLq7sT53XeCgiJBugaVcZyhmpjawBTKz9Ty4ZsnZKaYgTxlCwhGlxW0oau8uoQQDwESSAR5VhA/s320/IMG_9572.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...and pretend to be tigers... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BLxLgNfnkFWHyYG0ZFkY2yBrbBfbiLrkZ-XtfW0bDaovzRT9Z5qEQ_ZgmmTBBV6AnwKTuSWS6OV8H4K-XjyaGrIur1SWkqhevxNQ0CWtFxcDNXzYPUh_VSmlEnF6FUD3n5bfpQ/s1600/IMG_9574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6BLxLgNfnkFWHyYG0ZFkY2yBrbBfbiLrkZ-XtfW0bDaovzRT9Z5qEQ_ZgmmTBBV6AnwKTuSWS6OV8H4K-XjyaGrIur1SWkqhevxNQ0CWtFxcDNXzYPUh_VSmlEnF6FUD3n5bfpQ/s320/IMG_9574.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">...and learn about mammals.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9pzHOFtv2Wgd8r1EH70y7J957q97zFRwoqr1gbz4N5B2J5cDx3gq69DZJE2kRS7ITrJwxrRl2LUS3cXqCPaO7sgBqMNBrLpAbHRTW0iydzjv7XYOQH19kdRSI1HK-3gFcDcKyQ/s1600/IMG_9575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9pzHOFtv2Wgd8r1EH70y7J957q97zFRwoqr1gbz4N5B2J5cDx3gq69DZJE2kRS7ITrJwxrRl2LUS3cXqCPaO7sgBqMNBrLpAbHRTW0iydzjv7XYOQH19kdRSI1HK-3gFcDcKyQ/s320/IMG_9575.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">O.K. so I'd rather <b><i>not </i></b>experience any more earthquakes with them, while exploring DC, or anywhere, for that matter. But I was glad we were together for the experience, that's for sure! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZ3Xnk2ZneR1LMSfZ_1ZCf60VAbbC8f9yY7W-vSvRYWn8cn7twe7DBEtRqGiwGia6EhwzUUX_udvu0FR45ZDX3r7JEKXSYjKOrGct_z26hV_gBP5Y-PFNFqN_yxa8o4jTy-KGzw/s1600/IMG_9576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZ3Xnk2ZneR1LMSfZ_1ZCf60VAbbC8f9yY7W-vSvRYWn8cn7twe7DBEtRqGiwGia6EhwzUUX_udvu0FR45ZDX3r7JEKXSYjKOrGct_z26hV_gBP5Y-PFNFqN_yxa8o4jTy-KGzw/s320/IMG_9576.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I'd rather see helicopters circling the Washington Monument with them, though. That part was cool. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdpfH0-o9WR0udXGtNJmRq59HWSP08U2kBs3KK_soKjtgVNGOoCI-44GRShts-LsrbVakRhkryp826kowLnL6BQyVOqBYZnT1CNaJ4Idv7UJQD1CAhyphenhyphene94SmFAqTYIQWDUj9TVg/s1600/IMG_9580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdpfH0-o9WR0udXGtNJmRq59HWSP08U2kBs3KK_soKjtgVNGOoCI-44GRShts-LsrbVakRhkryp826kowLnL6BQyVOqBYZnT1CNaJ4Idv7UJQD1CAhyphenhyphene94SmFAqTYIQWDUj9TVg/s320/IMG_9580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">So you see, bloggy, my dear, you've been dropped waaaaaaaay down to the bottom of the priority list. (As if you didn't already know.) I'd much rather live life and make memories than document every last detail. <br />
And I love my family more than you. <br />
There. <br />
I said it. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I will update you, when inspired to do so and when there is time. And I WILL NOT feel guilty for neglecting you. It won't matter much to me, in 11 or so years, when Amelie turns 18, that you've been neglected. It would matter, however, if she or Violet or Linus had lacked attention from me, because of you. I've learned this lesson the hard way and I'm just trying to be honest here. So, I'll see you around, Tulipa Murillo. <br />
Eventually.</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-30749279630184837222011-06-17T09:30:00.001-04:002011-06-17T12:44:12.152-04:00Edited**: What is another way to say...<div style="text-align: center;">347,133,600 seconds?</div><div style="text-align: center;">5,785,560 minutes?</div><div style="text-align: center;">96,426 hours?</div><div style="text-align: center;">4,019 days? </div><div style="text-align: center;">574 weeks?</div><div style="text-align: center;">132 months? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNELc487xRR9ybBW7Zsi_t0pLXvTBKs2FdX7CLRXJfvS6eucxnCF7ux_KQCUl3UPPW3mjP_5RjbDRqgsB6q5EPKuTfFB77t_PZBZaQQT6Q8rE5FmgbfJK2NxRTR4lHsgd0webTOg/s1600/IMG_9270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNELc487xRR9ybBW7Zsi_t0pLXvTBKs2FdX7CLRXJfvS6eucxnCF7ux_KQCUl3UPPW3mjP_5RjbDRqgsB6q5EPKuTfFB77t_PZBZaQQT6Q8rE5FmgbfJK2NxRTR4lHsgd0webTOg/s320/IMG_9270.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">That'd be 11 years. </div><div style="text-align: center;">11 years of being married to the man of my dreams. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Sure, there here have been challenges and bumps along the way. But there has been far more love and laughter, for which I am ever so grateful.</div><div style="text-align: center;">It's been, by far, the best 347,133,600 seconds of my life. </div><div style="text-align: center;">And here's to millions more...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">** <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix">Rachel</a> <strike>included at tad bit of self-promotion</strike> asked a great question in her comment: </div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">"Where'd you get those awesome charms?!?!"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Great question, Rachel! </div><div style="text-align: center;">I <i>meant</i> to include that tidbit of info in my original post, so I'll add it now. My good friend, <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix"><i>Rachel</i></a>, is a <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix">Stella and Dot</a> stylist. And I bought these adorable little charms from her a few months back. I <i>LOVE</i> them! <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix">Stella and Dot</a> has some beautiful pieces! And fortunately, for our anniversary, Duncan gave me a gift certificate for <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix">Stella and Dot</a>, so I can buy <i>MORE</i> beautiful jewelry from <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix">Rachel</a>!! You see, Duncan often looks to the list of traditional and modern anniversary gifts to decide what to get me. He says it's because he's not creative. But I think it proves him to be <i>very </i>creative. And the eleventh anniversary happens to be steel or costume jewelery. Hence the gift certificate for <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix">Stella and Dot</a>! (He said he thought I'd like that better than one to <a href="http://www.claires.com/">Claire's</a>. I think he's right.) So, why not check out <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix">Rachel's site</a>? She's awesome. (How was that,<a href="http://www.stelladot.com/sites/rachelfix"> Rachel</a>=P?)</div></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-5593040305231108932011-06-08T23:18:00.000-04:002011-06-08T23:18:31.752-04:00Plattor<div style="text-align: center;">When I Googled "plattor," all of the search results were in Swedish. When I tried "plattor swedish pancakes," the first result was an online recipe that my cousin had created. Does Google know that she's my cousin? Or are my family members the only ones that call these tasty treats by this name? <a href="http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1548794-Plattor">Lorna's recipe</a> is the same one I use. We have these about once a month. And on a recent occasion, Amelie learned how to make them. Hot stove, cast iron, and all! She's such a big girl, I can hardly even stand it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB64TG2k5DfiObiMGc3bitJH2pfayOUP4dBiQLZ8N1B5wMFQpjnhyjMVK1Tqusvt1SI_nFWwV-Ecr1GI-nWyVHymDNy8hGL82CQSnwdME4BhcKkG9XaGAVFHPNNwp9_ezZE-vDA/s1600/IMG_9001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB64TG2k5DfiObiMGc3bitJH2pfayOUP4dBiQLZ8N1B5wMFQpjnhyjMVK1Tqusvt1SI_nFWwV-Ecr1GI-nWyVHymDNy8hGL82CQSnwdME4BhcKkG9XaGAVFHPNNwp9_ezZE-vDA/s320/IMG_9001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">And as with most things fine motor, she was an instant expert.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sJLRncQTofOSX-kvXAiippbRHYAAs8ysumknmkIMzDd-4mfoQu21N6nJ2XbQ_uAUUC8Ik2n0S_ELV-KWis_6-779mXh3SpmC8Di8Lmc4rAhRqZ9uJ2mKo06tbl10owN3_iXI_Q/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4sJLRncQTofOSX-kvXAiippbRHYAAs8ysumknmkIMzDd-4mfoQu21N6nJ2XbQ_uAUUC8Ik2n0S_ELV-KWis_6-779mXh3SpmC8Di8Lmc4rAhRqZ9uJ2mKo06tbl10owN3_iXI_Q/s320/IMG_9002.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, and where have I been since March, when I last posted? I've been living life. That's where. And now that school is out and life is a tad slower, I hope to catch up a bit here, in the next month or so. Unless life gets in the way, that is.</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-73258229900319094762011-03-15T09:59:00.000-04:002011-03-15T09:59:41.219-04:00Violet Turns Five!!<div style="text-align: center;">The focal point of any birthday, around here, is The Cake. Each person gets to choose what they want on their cake. And then Mommy does her best to accommodate any and all requests. It is often a topic of conversation for months prior on one's birthday. In fact, it's not unusual to discuss what you want on your cake, next year, the day after your most recent birthday. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Consequently, the night before any birthday involves much preparation. Here's a bit of what the scene may look like: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9DwSWfPJg9O2BhqTdMfUxeXLCe4y-8QNSec6CuR5H56lHyC_YD6lo8lMb4IVwtO_bE7nqvyAEl6gMJ56MoKJU6vIrd8fDatB8WHlZzTBBuZyP4AMcgXVTl6f09bJcgFOXSs45A/s1600/IMG_8418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9DwSWfPJg9O2BhqTdMfUxeXLCe4y-8QNSec6CuR5H56lHyC_YD6lo8lMb4IVwtO_bE7nqvyAEl6gMJ56MoKJU6vIrd8fDatB8WHlZzTBBuZyP4AMcgXVTl6f09bJcgFOXSs45A/s320/IMG_8418.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-G4uDWatqzSQ95wM_Cj7GPSKHk2MGj7sDU49zVrCUb1l3Y2UKF9kPIyvl1R9DkBFeO9ymxTNMsv1rxwC04HWAOIfvv-c-wvUQKR1hejrxXQOxbSsgQjoVIrzOB6A23lhC1DuuKQ/s1600/IMG_8425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-G4uDWatqzSQ95wM_Cj7GPSKHk2MGj7sDU49zVrCUb1l3Y2UKF9kPIyvl1R9DkBFeO9ymxTNMsv1rxwC04HWAOIfvv-c-wvUQKR1hejrxXQOxbSsgQjoVIrzOB6A23lhC1DuuKQ/s320/IMG_8425.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEq-_hRqapn7HyFgtsDb5Tfbf3SQUdn5dRfCvNzqCOvb_qoAYzmHzkk60nH4__BFtv4jF13FV4nsZyVGgq4OPVS3VApA4ag3rEKPBl03R9o25VA8QOXnx8YBZ_X-IH6SHms4gZg/s1600/IMG_8433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEq-_hRqapn7HyFgtsDb5Tfbf3SQUdn5dRfCvNzqCOvb_qoAYzmHzkk60nH4__BFtv4jF13FV4nsZyVGgq4OPVS3VApA4ag3rEKPBl03R9o25VA8QOXnx8YBZ_X-IH6SHms4gZg/s320/IMG_8433.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1nBwbdHECkTm_r_fw72NXXdMAWjJnXl3FO_mFpSG6yMgRTU1A91AGLD6qd55V_WTbDlJ-F_h0-93m0CHIhBK26dWOSKmxKUFrd8S0LLFrUlPL8xkKCCH4CMILES74gcRYXj4lQ/s1600/IMG_8434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ1nBwbdHECkTm_r_fw72NXXdMAWjJnXl3FO_mFpSG6yMgRTU1A91AGLD6qd55V_WTbDlJ-F_h0-93m0CHIhBK26dWOSKmxKUFrd8S0LLFrUlPL8xkKCCH4CMILES74gcRYXj4lQ/s320/IMG_8434.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Each cake also includes the name and age of the birthday girl or boy. I got a bit carried away with this one (since the requests were numerous..."a garden and a fence and the sky and a sun and some clouds..." ...you get the picture) so I had to be creative. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rOFOTw9oFJ9N14gMEVR0z2lj1AaOcAvyvhlDn4q4yhobCxzW2v3nueTOS01a6pGnuc79SkgjWW2-6OAEEDdUv5_WLH5tRdfq3cw1UYeu06cUUaHM2ohUAxOTg3UcjSrX3yOGtQ/s1600/IMG_8437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0rOFOTw9oFJ9N14gMEVR0z2lj1AaOcAvyvhlDn4q4yhobCxzW2v3nueTOS01a6pGnuc79SkgjWW2-6OAEEDdUv5_WLH5tRdfq3cw1UYeu06cUUaHM2ohUAxOTg3UcjSrX3yOGtQ/s320/IMG_8437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigJkZUvWzaLT8JJe8DFE5MxJ92VVxgho1E217QQ6l3PU7f-VLuXDlGDws5Iyy-t1u4-8eSjmPIIGegmPUo7ijdbEDUYIWqBOeFSQpptV1Gfz-jMWsM6h61lDNgNMGPt0aspfD4A/s1600/IMG_8441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigJkZUvWzaLT8JJe8DFE5MxJ92VVxgho1E217QQ6l3PU7f-VLuXDlGDws5Iyy-t1u4-8eSjmPIIGegmPUo7ijdbEDUYIWqBOeFSQpptV1Gfz-jMWsM6h61lDNgNMGPt0aspfD4A/s320/IMG_8441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The other tradition is presents on the couch when you wake up. I grew up with this and I love it. Kind of like your very own Christmas morning.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7nr07A07eLRx2HZSF3dMThALzp_jOyKsQdN7fj6TiYSYqwVKastASFc5QcMXy_nvxOVRHiXglVpE0HVUpNklDFN8VSdMHey3Ok5rCuGbTDheR6aco3H6JeEftw4A8WnhGcViHQ/s1600/IMG_8445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7nr07A07eLRx2HZSF3dMThALzp_jOyKsQdN7fj6TiYSYqwVKastASFc5QcMXy_nvxOVRHiXglVpE0HVUpNklDFN8VSdMHey3Ok5rCuGbTDheR6aco3H6JeEftw4A8WnhGcViHQ/s320/IMG_8445.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cake inspection usually happens first thing. This one met with approval, I fairly certain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1tsBhyphenhyphenWdDK8Bc2I0wqbF73JacILwvO3iyVlCrsUGpO10GS8ZNXREPlHnFNoc8TSN-5PAuSFKJqKCa3eQpMrSavT94AsP22e6_zd8MPr3piTRElroxIpI8cSOHtz807hkLLTMEw/s1600/IMG_8446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1tsBhyphenhyphenWdDK8Bc2I0wqbF73JacILwvO3iyVlCrsUGpO10GS8ZNXREPlHnFNoc8TSN-5PAuSFKJqKCa3eQpMrSavT94AsP22e6_zd8MPr3piTRElroxIpI8cSOHtz807hkLLTMEw/s320/IMG_8446.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Cheese!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPp5hE9HjgD3eVPTGfoYKiSIYHiN6TPBwXjCrRgLoquJKQZq83_AE68XnR_sNzd4z4Zp0W5LmMhF-lQNFZQMyZ2I8J9qLCfkEzNQgbfDIsSXFy4VryYX-UfbnlFavXQydU5bIV2Q/s1600/IMG_8447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPp5hE9HjgD3eVPTGfoYKiSIYHiN6TPBwXjCrRgLoquJKQZq83_AE68XnR_sNzd4z4Zp0W5LmMhF-lQNFZQMyZ2I8J9qLCfkEzNQgbfDIsSXFy4VryYX-UfbnlFavXQydU5bIV2Q/s320/IMG_8447.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Since this was a school morning for Amelie, we were a bit pressed for time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAo9GX7FO5KeRqjW9LsYJHpZkF3xjPu8ig1VjdH-gdv2kD4cIlSJR_6gWLM2RDBvvLSg8kdBTu7zyeSfa0bkfD93vpLYHkCv8Kp_bgYGcm3eF9TFYvOwMt7LGO3yftNbpW6lIJyg/s1600/IMG_8448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAo9GX7FO5KeRqjW9LsYJHpZkF3xjPu8ig1VjdH-gdv2kD4cIlSJR_6gWLM2RDBvvLSg8kdBTu7zyeSfa0bkfD93vpLYHkCv8Kp_bgYGcm3eF9TFYvOwMt7LGO3yftNbpW6lIJyg/s320/IMG_8448.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">But Violet managed to open all of her gifts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ot5ImA6cDeP4BAW1bSDIvHmnrHpMGcJcCbj5xKri8xAd1OBXDXm7mOrpSpWDpIy2GpUFI3-UDmQ5tpXy8hJnDhENDSAAKKudoYsD2mcTVzfVD-M4_RWkEZ-NO_rNYDbTfMXVuQ/s1600/IMG_8450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ot5ImA6cDeP4BAW1bSDIvHmnrHpMGcJcCbj5xKri8xAd1OBXDXm7mOrpSpWDpIy2GpUFI3-UDmQ5tpXy8hJnDhENDSAAKKudoYsD2mcTVzfVD-M4_RWkEZ-NO_rNYDbTfMXVuQ/s320/IMG_8450.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9Sxl0AUyG5owXFT3JnrZyc48FiwOm78qDfuT92CC0vj_j2haBq83bH92hJ8D-UcKESo1Q8uuIlDwjMKWxHLgeF6HtKaRBoPJerwrgGZuuxdCgdJYf9og98f9ZrG6dtWPdtAKmQ/s1600/IMG_8451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj9Sxl0AUyG5owXFT3JnrZyc48FiwOm78qDfuT92CC0vj_j2haBq83bH92hJ8D-UcKESo1Q8uuIlDwjMKWxHLgeF6HtKaRBoPJerwrgGZuuxdCgdJYf9og98f9ZrG6dtWPdtAKmQ/s320/IMG_8451.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Violet's birthday was on a Wednesday this year. On Wednesdays, I do morning carpool and stay for Amelie's cello lesson. Violet nearly always comes along, but it's not her favorite time of the week. So, very kindly, our frieghbors invited Violet over to play (which allowed her to stay at home a little extra, while Daddy got ready for work, when she could play with her new stuff). Then she got to play with her good friend, Lucy. After cello, Linus had a Playmobil playdate with his buddy, Rock, which lasted through lunch. So Violet and I got to have lunch out and head to her ballet class. After ballet, we picked up Linus and headed home for a nap. A nap? On her fifth birthday? Yup. Violet is my sleepy one. And, as she protested, I reminded her that she didn't want to be a grumpy birthday girl at her birthday dinner. She conceded, but sticking her thumb into her mouth.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The garden cake. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBjqCLANllFxYvp8MRgE51_iljS7jQt55gwS3sDkKzVufJMv404v5PKydB1gfAS00P67Qiu4idAZyrApq8I7BZLyrdB3Jtl14B0zQe_wdmKp6MORFzDTUJ_XzmwnXWbhTw_ctDA/s1600/IMG_8465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBjqCLANllFxYvp8MRgE51_iljS7jQt55gwS3sDkKzVufJMv404v5PKydB1gfAS00P67Qiu4idAZyrApq8I7BZLyrdB3Jtl14B0zQe_wdmKp6MORFzDTUJ_XzmwnXWbhTw_ctDA/s320/IMG_8465.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Birthday dinner involved Aunt Carol, and Bowie Grandma and Grandpa coming over. Violet chose "chicken"(steak), noodles and cut up veggies for her birthday dinner.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeOY_zA2kuqo77N7kW2kwSxE0_61ce63ki5UnGR-unm2WQ1Ozo8hKR84UcH6K_9MHFFRumlcRfMREPGOnpXmqmSZ3EkbJeHQ72YSOkJ2BT1gPOd51TprUGXxT5IJ2UlI1Japahg/s1600/IMG_8466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeOY_zA2kuqo77N7kW2kwSxE0_61ce63ki5UnGR-unm2WQ1Ozo8hKR84UcH6K_9MHFFRumlcRfMREPGOnpXmqmSZ3EkbJeHQ72YSOkJ2BT1gPOd51TprUGXxT5IJ2UlI1Japahg/s320/IMG_8466.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Grandpa and Linus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXN8REu-iO4h2sdS-qAFIxwz7nyiKCCxUUZ7qsO6lbo9NaYu0TPWSzWBsoL_DY7afMMcTNbkoQF1mkx-XGNWuavQdWLDg7le4CTwOECIYuuCPisU_A6RmyNdNd0JkPngifCP0VQ/s1600/IMG_8467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXN8REu-iO4h2sdS-qAFIxwz7nyiKCCxUUZ7qsO6lbo9NaYu0TPWSzWBsoL_DY7afMMcTNbkoQF1mkx-XGNWuavQdWLDg7le4CTwOECIYuuCPisU_A6RmyNdNd0JkPngifCP0VQ/s320/IMG_8467.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Linus, Grandma, and Amelie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS3tC6m9DiZxhdMzcq4LX7PeK9XXwSCV7PeRz-7M37Htj4OOtYvPJ9K1cm-zlNb90wLvsMppT-k-kkeIqigUITHCC3ncM_tJJA6saLK-AFWzkbBJZh47bxRUPrFlFZSN3TQreWg/s1600/IMG_8471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS3tC6m9DiZxhdMzcq4LX7PeK9XXwSCV7PeRz-7M37Htj4OOtYvPJ9K1cm-zlNb90wLvsMppT-k-kkeIqigUITHCC3ncM_tJJA6saLK-AFWzkbBJZh47bxRUPrFlFZSN3TQreWg/s320/IMG_8471.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Aunt Carol and Violet</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlNU4XUjBNyvueDlqCt1Uk8DyivgEpa-uJDqLSRt_p7KiR8uXhyphenhyphenAgSjBW5PZBGNfwkFw_Ql8cSXhAzxInplKSMbQtXd_676f7s8fYtBWgDVKuRkcOsmrMT6kXmCtpgq5R3Jlo8Q/s1600/IMG_8472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlNU4XUjBNyvueDlqCt1Uk8DyivgEpa-uJDqLSRt_p7KiR8uXhyphenhyphenAgSjBW5PZBGNfwkFw_Ql8cSXhAzxInplKSMbQtXd_676f7s8fYtBWgDVKuRkcOsmrMT6kXmCtpgq5R3Jlo8Q/s320/IMG_8472.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Approval, yes?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabae_DIoplm-znS0_v5c0OIVrwU4g-XDL_BdvHozRh0T6C66JBU2prFjDQXPT-4kU-P0sM3FsnwCP-8_6gn4fRYIoGbQijrpaOK8KaXUUNrq34E2uDVmaZgYG0jZD-st115u7gQ/s1600/IMG_8475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabae_DIoplm-znS0_v5c0OIVrwU4g-XDL_BdvHozRh0T6C66JBU2prFjDQXPT-4kU-P0sM3FsnwCP-8_6gn4fRYIoGbQijrpaOK8KaXUUNrq34E2uDVmaZgYG0jZD-st115u7gQ/s320/IMG_8475.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday, Sweet Violet Ella!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnoKHBGTgxxg8lL-RKglB0u4sqLZ4Rp8YzLkLL2qJ8xO6KFVhG4ALc4Y9TgPaeTt8mRdhIX5jzbTW-IDpdYr2Bz1nGu6NchzT86JjE9fwsHUzk8ae0zxTPRHCBhP-73wT-APPew/s1600/IMG_8478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnoKHBGTgxxg8lL-RKglB0u4sqLZ4Rp8YzLkLL2qJ8xO6KFVhG4ALc4Y9TgPaeTt8mRdhIX5jzbTW-IDpdYr2Bz1nGu6NchzT86JjE9fwsHUzk8ae0zxTPRHCBhP-73wT-APPew/s320/IMG_8478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We love you and, Lord willing, look forward to many, many, many more birthdays!!!</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-90852665652291529152011-03-14T10:11:00.000-04:002011-03-14T10:11:59.350-04:00Violet's Garden Party<div style="text-align: center;">Back at the end of January, Violet celebrated her upcoming fifth birthday with a few friends. She wanted a reprise of her first birthday, with a garden theme. So a (very simple) garden party is what she got! </div><div style="text-align: center;">To begin, Violet and her guests decorated <strike>styrofoam cups</strike> flower pots that had been previously personalized.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PmC5SelLzDc0ywN5LguZi2d6Lz5KoqLg0BEXIoGTWg2imLMJ9a8t1AdYXCpARU4rPUoOBdytBUK0szCbHSzSzdEgiXB_ryVAIc1YLrghmeWU_jmhMlEnVNfe64PbM85vtASOkw/s1600/IMG_8355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PmC5SelLzDc0ywN5LguZi2d6Lz5KoqLg0BEXIoGTWg2imLMJ9a8t1AdYXCpARU4rPUoOBdytBUK0szCbHSzSzdEgiXB_ryVAIc1YLrghmeWU_jmhMlEnVNfe64PbM85vtASOkw/s320/IMG_8355.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">After they were decorated, we planted three kidney beans in each, so each party guest could experience a growing beanstalk over the coming weeks.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRfhQBofHsmDqX-5NFLAHq7zgDNONTESNyRFjyejZIT3oXehwh9wRx-8VaMACEvjbVPI26ASpNfsaf-tL61sGSGy5lEnddXtfBOuEIRuSCP01je9avFIJ4v-pWTxguj1oJ_e9mw/s1600/IMG_8381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRfhQBofHsmDqX-5NFLAHq7zgDNONTESNyRFjyejZIT3oXehwh9wRx-8VaMACEvjbVPI26ASpNfsaf-tL61sGSGy5lEnddXtfBOuEIRuSCP01je9avFIJ4v-pWTxguj1oJ_e9mw/s320/IMG_8381.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Violet, the fruititarian, snuck some strawberries before it was time to eat. Being that it was her birthday and all, I let her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHB-qhjHJ1gUvjbT2uEEqfS5tzdhEL2mzSsxxTuipWxzbxB9GcvuUJqQsBaEPOXhAfhsWH3LzvtIBlu9Q9VguAL0S_Ce5ePpgKHBzhMOLw5qNjfWLEznDvGbbjIzhVrWy9N_HKg/s1600/IMG_8370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHB-qhjHJ1gUvjbT2uEEqfS5tzdhEL2mzSsxxTuipWxzbxB9GcvuUJqQsBaEPOXhAfhsWH3LzvtIBlu9Q9VguAL0S_Ce5ePpgKHBzhMOLw5qNjfWLEznDvGbbjIzhVrWy9N_HKg/s320/IMG_8370.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">We played "Pin the Bumble Bee on the Flower." Amelie, Violet and Linus decorated the flower themselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3Bl8egQcp5gH8iHy_T0UCgmPjV_e3ciHDfjINXHkXr99GqajRsfpY2CfADk9LzVWg9DLMPVBALFVbLFGQaUVbqYzJTcmaTcb9F2VxSkp94H8iTIW8CQiq1E7hrlWcS4-669BAA/s1600/IMG_8385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3Bl8egQcp5gH8iHy_T0UCgmPjV_e3ciHDfjINXHkXr99GqajRsfpY2CfADk9LzVWg9DLMPVBALFVbLFGQaUVbqYzJTcmaTcb9F2VxSkp94H8iTIW8CQiq1E7hrlWcS4-669BAA/s320/IMG_8385.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Bet you never would have guessed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTEOy41o5fRhYPSfaYBCJbZwuBF1lpJ4AK4npuWv428qsXaFaNKboPHj4B4i6FjcUnP1AipAAMuKeyBFRR0U62Zl4a9m4PNNrXfpGf0NNnMOVWILhRf8u_RMUSPbjpEwcfH82Aw/s1600/IMG_8386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTEOy41o5fRhYPSfaYBCJbZwuBF1lpJ4AK4npuWv428qsXaFaNKboPHj4B4i6FjcUnP1AipAAMuKeyBFRR0U62Zl4a9m4PNNrXfpGf0NNnMOVWILhRf8u_RMUSPbjpEwcfH82Aw/s320/IMG_8386.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Time to eat! Pizza (thanks to Papa Johns), berries and veggies were on the menu.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9D8Xo-tpLsO3sUm4XuabuM93thStda7IPba_3LGquE97vfUpgAC8TnhGRkUHE5NPazXeD4sZJkxO7qO5v_8JeA5qHvxLHQgxmMyDOQTw1UKjVXddf1hjDgBH7gmkJCL88To4QHA/s1600/IMG_8388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9D8Xo-tpLsO3sUm4XuabuM93thStda7IPba_3LGquE97vfUpgAC8TnhGRkUHE5NPazXeD4sZJkxO7qO5v_8JeA5qHvxLHQgxmMyDOQTw1UKjVXddf1hjDgBH7gmkJCL88To4QHA/s320/IMG_8388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The Big Kids: William and Amelie</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3psT6DdW-ZGLspmfCYrJZfivzN-HRStQcaPcM4mQ9w7WHXwurlje1qPMw7ABx1-SkwyzyI1YCTbzIr87_SucwqqaCROv2_lDgp0G8g0apmnoVLpodYmstnhgUGTsyjn90C7urLg/s1600/IMG_8390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3psT6DdW-ZGLspmfCYrJZfivzN-HRStQcaPcM4mQ9w7WHXwurlje1qPMw7ABx1-SkwyzyI1YCTbzIr87_SucwqqaCROv2_lDgp0G8g0apmnoVLpodYmstnhgUGTsyjn90C7urLg/s320/IMG_8390.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Rock and Lucy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wm9gDmqgq1NY9phXKFN-OaFP03tCP_bfpZitTK4nPQpU0iaVGx4rQs58KvcHcHgGh2zRwOEz8J_nf10VA90oLjE6YHCOY5zvo8a8KWyk4tndhCwj9ILzyctT4ajPPCgE8Bm9IQ/s1600/IMG_8392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wm9gDmqgq1NY9phXKFN-OaFP03tCP_bfpZitTK4nPQpU0iaVGx4rQs58KvcHcHgGh2zRwOEz8J_nf10VA90oLjE6YHCOY5zvo8a8KWyk4tndhCwj9ILzyctT4ajPPCgE8Bm9IQ/s320/IMG_8392.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Violet is excited. Can you tell?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3s0XV54JNJPvKwcnoSBIUeKJMEwn5Tqj4yCkJ_2WB943b6zug4Oc2iyOWYh8XjREp-A0x5IL73cT89a1CBoKWFNYQhGo5nlAVMLnknpuoAPXIfyXz98MSHTShyRpcjM9XeaCKQ/s1600/IMG_8394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3s0XV54JNJPvKwcnoSBIUeKJMEwn5Tqj4yCkJ_2WB943b6zug4Oc2iyOWYh8XjREp-A0x5IL73cT89a1CBoKWFNYQhGo5nlAVMLnknpuoAPXIfyXz98MSHTShyRpcjM9XeaCKQ/s320/IMG_8394.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Calico Critters!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAq2uQ7FN3Y5AYOozIQhe4pWbtNOkOhx5YnpwyxWYn3XdQbSlLcwU7uH0cdI5lcOxYEOI_ej1RsOm3jpI1c5svPB2I9R-lRj34rkjT4821yJ0-95w7dEbWkXADy9vk6yjwNr-dw/s1600/IMG_8396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAq2uQ7FN3Y5AYOozIQhe4pWbtNOkOhx5YnpwyxWYn3XdQbSlLcwU7uH0cdI5lcOxYEOI_ej1RsOm3jpI1c5svPB2I9R-lRj34rkjT4821yJ0-95w7dEbWkXADy9vk6yjwNr-dw/s320/IMG_8396.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Strawberry Shortcake!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzvuH0Mjjy_4P_wzbuen0dpJmSW3Dzwkcg-EwXBkDEYJ9_mP38bbDzkMlcAxOflFUArNpH4zWERDac5ODylPPc_5lINT_z6Q9CO-C5O_l4MSKmLSRptzhdc67qKR9koeVknx5SQ/s1600/IMG_8400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzvuH0Mjjy_4P_wzbuen0dpJmSW3Dzwkcg-EwXBkDEYJ9_mP38bbDzkMlcAxOflFUArNpH4zWERDac5ODylPPc_5lINT_z6Q9CO-C5O_l4MSKmLSRptzhdc67qKR9koeVknx5SQ/s320/IMG_8400.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">A beautiful, purple, twirly dress</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaC0TYWlLyogR85TqWdXRH_sFhS9A2FzHRL6LzxCj2e9x7oLZZeczSbp-3k0ong12UozDCXPumUx8aEh8j1_NJex0e_pXunZGKI_WiuikTxefEqYFSqtzcnLQEaraDC9scUai4Q/s1600/IMG_8402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaC0TYWlLyogR85TqWdXRH_sFhS9A2FzHRL6LzxCj2e9x7oLZZeczSbp-3k0ong12UozDCXPumUx8aEh8j1_NJex0e_pXunZGKI_WiuikTxefEqYFSqtzcnLQEaraDC9scUai4Q/s320/IMG_8402.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">"Violet" cupcakes--purple petals and yellow centers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtE9Ok8VENox7MJY35qK06Wyf4kkz6TNvDXQh1JexSuT3WcLmdN6pXjKh4CeVjnBAFW0u6i1HZWuMlakMZ8p0vCjuSgnIluF6Ub-lFJtWt5MFPyrr5xe2oSFvuBY46hD5w0Nzxg/s1600/IMG_8377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtE9Ok8VENox7MJY35qK06Wyf4kkz6TNvDXQh1JexSuT3WcLmdN6pXjKh4CeVjnBAFW0u6i1HZWuMlakMZ8p0vCjuSgnIluF6Ub-lFJtWt5MFPyrr5xe2oSFvuBY46hD5w0Nzxg/s320/IMG_8377.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Violet was quite pleased with them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnlAoeR4Av6qry_iB6pmdsbn4nNb4aMI01wcOfGYWkyQOMH3vXEtSIQVN1reKSFdiqEtKv1je1RaeHCf3rz1yyfg-54_h4s2Ayi3NaVSHbvCNFLLkyrtvbG7Ow2cm-wRY2Oa6Bw/s1600/IMG_8405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnlAoeR4Av6qry_iB6pmdsbn4nNb4aMI01wcOfGYWkyQOMH3vXEtSIQVN1reKSFdiqEtKv1je1RaeHCf3rz1yyfg-54_h4s2Ayi3NaVSHbvCNFLLkyrtvbG7Ow2cm-wRY2Oa6Bw/s320/IMG_8405.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm a simple kid's party advocate. And this smile confirms my feelings about simplicity!</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-28954429115003328372011-03-02T11:41:00.000-05:002011-03-02T11:41:13.228-05:00We're Really Very ODD Around Here Lately<div style="text-align: center;">We returned from our Seattle trip yesterday and the blog posts are <i>swirling</i> around in my head. (Not to mention the girls' birthday posts!) But the mountain of laundry needs some attention, among other things. So in the meantime...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We went to <a href="http://www.menchies.com/">Menchie's</a> back on Amelie's birthday. And while we were eating our froyo, I realized how very <i><b>odd</b></i> we are these days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcN99tp0zO5G-QuQoonT7Bs8YoMp6w4iJGAcc1EdZFMG5iQRzUIIoiodMhhD_8GiN4V0LwP8suzsm8N6lrDGXswaI9gx4qsDyFAdJp0Y6nYeqq_TdlJZtOe2gH6J2Ukj9oSpKWwg/s1600/IMG_8694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcN99tp0zO5G-QuQoonT7Bs8YoMp6w4iJGAcc1EdZFMG5iQRzUIIoiodMhhD_8GiN4V0LwP8suzsm8N6lrDGXswaI9gx4qsDyFAdJp0Y6nYeqq_TdlJZtOe2gH6J2Ukj9oSpKWwg/s320/IMG_8694.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">These cuties are the 7-3-and-5 kind of <i><b>odd</b></i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RrMaaaAgv7WfGrRXYIzcI0SQW-mamTz3s8zhMDvoCn2tWPTzJCDv7O21y00En-CLJuY2YsvRjmM0OMART-QbvbWO9lAH9cBERh9ecgohNmWv6-h-znNNeu2KE-eTLzjozRA2NQ/s1600/IMG_8695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RrMaaaAgv7WfGrRXYIzcI0SQW-mamTz3s8zhMDvoCn2tWPTzJCDv7O21y00En-CLJuY2YsvRjmM0OMART-QbvbWO9lAH9cBERh9ecgohNmWv6-h-znNNeu2KE-eTLzjozRA2NQ/s320/IMG_8695.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Or is that the 7-5-and-3 kind of <i><b>odd</b></i>?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTZVq2N1kCt-F2ql5v7q4wFNYWXn8_HXOIH5JXEKdjbp4UijxlrzZEkzIwjM6b44Dx-Ph4MM_uVVRhi_NKGCJZ8XMXqGD-rJunOZynee9dgJUObvWd5-oAWMH6HjDuA9AG_GujA/s1600/IMG_8696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTZVq2N1kCt-F2ql5v7q4wFNYWXn8_HXOIH5JXEKdjbp4UijxlrzZEkzIwjM6b44Dx-Ph4MM_uVVRhi_NKGCJZ8XMXqGD-rJunOZynee9dgJUObvWd5-oAWMH6HjDuA9AG_GujA/s320/IMG_8696.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Or how 'bout the 3-5-and-7 kind of <i><b>odd</b></i>?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5dzS3Vch_ngsNDg-vKFpaRX_Xf80JzgZpJwSiaHOMzGQDzvay68gTVEWIOV17w6vWp4l3iMshVMWeZMjDzx3OspRBg2wjNWIpVpZc4k6sU9jYF9tqFqqzXKi3ZB5n_DiAJNuAQ/s1600/IMG_8697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh5dzS3Vch_ngsNDg-vKFpaRX_Xf80JzgZpJwSiaHOMzGQDzvay68gTVEWIOV17w6vWp4l3iMshVMWeZMjDzx3OspRBg2wjNWIpVpZc4k6sU9jYF9tqFqqzXKi3ZB5n_DiAJNuAQ/s320/IMG_8697.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">No matter their order, they are such blessings!</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-2405652402933720462011-02-21T07:48:00.000-05:002011-02-21T07:48:43.126-05:00Ready for the Week<div style="text-align: center;">Always my dream....to have every piece of Amelie's uniform clean and ready on Sunday night...so rare I had to capture it on...jpg.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjU-XWho6xTbJRyZ-TjhMTym0zI-2SKcHfR28sSYT_B-NnWHaSPKBEY033p0813FmfRDEvI6XCjvk7d7zOa62OYHsJ9B545NDhLeQRP0_gz2fgxfCnvl1XmXb6jm6oQcSnoKgqg/s1600/IMG_8551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjU-XWho6xTbJRyZ-TjhMTym0zI-2SKcHfR28sSYT_B-NnWHaSPKBEY033p0813FmfRDEvI6XCjvk7d7zOa62OYHsJ9B545NDhLeQRP0_gz2fgxfCnvl1XmXb6jm6oQcSnoKgqg/s320/IMG_8551.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-16322424380530449752011-02-15T09:03:00.000-05:002011-02-15T09:03:31.608-05:00Happy Valentine's Day: Dinner<div style="text-align: center;">We finished our day with a fancy "are-Grandma-and-Grandpa-coming-over?" dinner. Based on that question that was actually asked as we were setting the table, I've decided that our family-of-five needs to eat in the dining room more often. Just 'cause.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Violet and Linus and I worked on these decorations in the morning.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwc-O1AfNwg9OQdiSJYielhmmoHe870W_hFzfNii6Z06TmJu_GpZpx-Befou_DFuudzBQbBQ964v0tutaQmPVI9Jqi-zhUzqhDvF-Q53dYjE1Z-iAV1fsOLbAoIyccCyxFFg6beA/s1600/IMG_8567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwc-O1AfNwg9OQdiSJYielhmmoHe870W_hFzfNii6Z06TmJu_GpZpx-Befou_DFuudzBQbBQ964v0tutaQmPVI9Jqi-zhUzqhDvF-Q53dYjE1Z-iAV1fsOLbAoIyccCyxFFg6beA/s320/IMG_8567.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are my cute little decorators waiting for dinner to begin.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghO4F8Vz3Op5pFxGVnn7-LJdmt8Rr0pVGka3VKbWxpDYkFt8PFET72S5wG_uk9Nq24TT6WyLvrXwmdhev4OY6hOoJfk8I4gBMFeM3-CIx36lpIgRI2589wmSuCnxMcUTkHdkQhMw/s1600/IMG_8568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghO4F8Vz3Op5pFxGVnn7-LJdmt8Rr0pVGka3VKbWxpDYkFt8PFET72S5wG_uk9Nq24TT6WyLvrXwmdhev4OY6hOoJfk8I4gBMFeM3-CIx36lpIgRI2589wmSuCnxMcUTkHdkQhMw/s320/IMG_8568.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I made a heart-shaped meatloaf. Daddy's favorite.(The meatloaf. Not the heart-shaped part. Although I think he got a kick out of that too.) It was served with mini ravioli, broccoli, and carrot and pepper sticks. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHiXVmts1hCktjtL9lY-_4imCtS-yE12vzEcw6EsBUSGs6dqfBBl4zJKTp3kOhu5cV6wo9Cu2RrgdIWKLdW3-tsZrGh-OXPWD4piWolTO3q9rsk0MNvwd1MxOHkOoas9KaZocSQ/s1600/IMG_8566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHiXVmts1hCktjtL9lY-_4imCtS-yE12vzEcw6EsBUSGs6dqfBBl4zJKTp3kOhu5cV6wo9Cu2RrgdIWKLdW3-tsZrGh-OXPWD4piWolTO3q9rsk0MNvwd1MxOHkOoas9KaZocSQ/s320/IMG_8566.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">My cute helpers and I made this dessert too. Here's <a href="http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/eat-your-heart-out-825209/">the recipe</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbKKi9U7cXxieJ2uSodUUgO9pw74DcMWwjCQzvu7tPCuvmXbV_MJrklrWV6ks0c6FZmmPTsLMzyTmvLGyuPEyOhQHFrjN-PFGu6MtvNrxujpytewLI0XklGdGj7BGhmAhb-DoAg/s1600/IMG_8570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbKKi9U7cXxieJ2uSodUUgO9pw74DcMWwjCQzvu7tPCuvmXbV_MJrklrWV6ks0c6FZmmPTsLMzyTmvLGyuPEyOhQHFrjN-PFGu6MtvNrxujpytewLI0XklGdGj7BGhmAhb-DoAg/s320/IMG_8570.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hope you had a fabulous Valentine's Day too!</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-52048979926273395272011-02-14T12:47:00.000-05:002011-02-14T12:47:52.016-05:00Happy Valentine's Day: Lunch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3c06QOkT6clE6SneGtZCbw1uNezNcIbBW19B-SbkteR7G3FtaEpCin72C5UmUaOHNtspFZ45Zb98HpADqN0LccnK6Ku69fs8fl-m40tZw1ygLqkByapJQ5HlcXsAtn20mh6juA/s1600/IMG_8564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3c06QOkT6clE6SneGtZCbw1uNezNcIbBW19B-SbkteR7G3FtaEpCin72C5UmUaOHNtspFZ45Zb98HpADqN0LccnK6Ku69fs8fl-m40tZw1ygLqkByapJQ5HlcXsAtn20mh6juA/s320/IMG_8564.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mZLdp5TSJ1oFVYL_jc638qT6uJdl7eh5o_K0ABn8_eRMuHIIaPLQnuVXHgAVGlsolXN_Qn7raCEy-oqw5Vi7lpQRJ8oyjbv9sr7aqrOy0DctbkluUPfeSPeS40aNqr0nQ6C9AQ/s1600/IMG_8565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mZLdp5TSJ1oFVYL_jc638qT6uJdl7eh5o_K0ABn8_eRMuHIIaPLQnuVXHgAVGlsolXN_Qn7raCEy-oqw5Vi7lpQRJ8oyjbv9sr7aqrOy0DctbkluUPfeSPeS40aNqr0nQ6C9AQ/s320/IMG_8565.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-6068799221987947062011-02-14T09:02:00.000-05:002011-02-14T09:02:31.799-05:00Happy Valentine's Day: Breakfast<div style="text-align: center;">Valentine's Day is a family affair around these parts. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Apple and pancake hearts was how we started our day! </div><i></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BjH2vzldAdoDZFYiKwuleQGoPHoNoecevDs_b4UFIprtNqp13g_a8WcswrVrI9pTjAF5n2ZXliBCZE-Zyp3gJhPAxXZZy-tP9t_wIJDLDD2EEQq5gl7XyIUaW2ZH99L7ULtmwg/s1600/IMG_8553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BjH2vzldAdoDZFYiKwuleQGoPHoNoecevDs_b4UFIprtNqp13g_a8WcswrVrI9pTjAF5n2ZXliBCZE-Zyp3gJhPAxXZZy-tP9t_wIJDLDD2EEQq5gl7XyIUaW2ZH99L7ULtmwg/s320/IMG_8553.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTZH50VglFT-n_g1XUPSR5eSmVP3hO39RMuKkgZnFI4xXOpg7eFGommiTgQgYM4LqLN5o8f1_68PRyN3Kbj-1eCiusJa_DpnPnQ5AGwe_gQQmQuaRnZEFqd118f9ZrsWbcMmVNA/s1600/IMG_8554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTZH50VglFT-n_g1XUPSR5eSmVP3hO39RMuKkgZnFI4xXOpg7eFGommiTgQgYM4LqLN5o8f1_68PRyN3Kbj-1eCiusJa_DpnPnQ5AGwe_gQQmQuaRnZEFqd118f9ZrsWbcMmVNA/s320/IMG_8554.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42rhx9Rosw73A54tQVrbINN-Gv2BQhCTEh5Z3xFoHREnVQLaHd9s7R0w1E0hAm-e6SnMs1AHsyaOxa2TAgHYtWD3IkaxHfWwRsVpB5IGXX3cdMo3hHLhaWZBrNdm9tp7Kh1FL_Q/s1600/IMG_8556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42rhx9Rosw73A54tQVrbINN-Gv2BQhCTEh5Z3xFoHREnVQLaHd9s7R0w1E0hAm-e6SnMs1AHsyaOxa2TAgHYtWD3IkaxHfWwRsVpB5IGXX3cdMo3hHLhaWZBrNdm9tp7Kh1FL_Q/s320/IMG_8556.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjT8B3OpwQtr2_emwzZhC09i0UgfUS-HKHow5Uuzps6Fmlb7csy3fCbM9Vz3MVcg_0RCK0TZXED-IRo_uqCV-yqsy8lgFMTOBkXPzeWDSn4tjPle6ytlp69BCnWsoJwbjIgs8NA/s1600/IMG_8557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjT8B3OpwQtr2_emwzZhC09i0UgfUS-HKHow5Uuzps6Fmlb7csy3fCbM9Vz3MVcg_0RCK0TZXED-IRo_uqCV-yqsy8lgFMTOBkXPzeWDSn4tjPle6ytlp69BCnWsoJwbjIgs8NA/s320/IMG_8557.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-4560845924324278952011-01-17T09:17:00.000-05:002011-01-17T09:17:22.844-05:0035: It just keeps getting better!<div style="text-align: center;">I turned 35 this past Saturday. The kids were SO excited about my birthday and did a pretty good job of keeping secrets. I was awoken to presents on the couch: a family tradition. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here I am with three of the greatest gifts God has ever given me!!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVKrTkl4gYWlL-8NfqNnRYwmlMtaNWL-5zzDHhA4SXt417oDJd7o9nyQ51TEemuO87Ao16_r5mWX80ZtP7f_rQbMhIWMhSwTvsmgAAM9yWFS-6wdRgNHa702pw2Wqml6i86fWvw/s1600/IMG_8287.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVKrTkl4gYWlL-8NfqNnRYwmlMtaNWL-5zzDHhA4SXt417oDJd7o9nyQ51TEemuO87Ao16_r5mWX80ZtP7f_rQbMhIWMhSwTvsmgAAM9yWFS-6wdRgNHa702pw2Wqml6i86fWvw/s320/IMG_8287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">After presents, we headed to <a href="http://www.silverdiner.com/">Silver Diner</a> in Laurel for breakfast. To all of you locals: if you've never been there or haven't been in a while, you need to check it out! We had a wonderful time at breakfast...can't you tell?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnxVdIfgj3ZWgggtRjBtup-AGs_JNdkCuiOpupVwIQhOEsKIRur2V1-82GCkemO8LNJsuZ5jN9_gq3AIH4pW_utVwAB_rEuQ81_wUld2jqvfIZ8j_5lOtx2uilbUgU_8LM2Cvrg/s1600/IMG_8298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnxVdIfgj3ZWgggtRjBtup-AGs_JNdkCuiOpupVwIQhOEsKIRur2V1-82GCkemO8LNJsuZ5jN9_gq3AIH4pW_utVwAB_rEuQ81_wUld2jqvfIZ8j_5lOtx2uilbUgU_8LM2Cvrg/s320/IMG_8298.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Violet's dirty face should say it all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EiMCRdGr8JeL7TAGHitZrGdlpt_tNj3isGhywhV16ft6P1kVpH-PTil9TrRU4b0kWylqgAkZWr9uMMLUoQP0hWDZ0oVziJwkKgNAzQe3Ib1Xnw7V-vl5muFqMK29xoOjoF8DNg/s1600/IMG_8299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EiMCRdGr8JeL7TAGHitZrGdlpt_tNj3isGhywhV16ft6P1kVpH-PTil9TrRU4b0kWylqgAkZWr9uMMLUoQP0hWDZ0oVziJwkKgNAzQe3Ib1Xnw7V-vl5muFqMK29xoOjoF8DNg/s320/IMG_8299.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Back at home, these three cuties and their daddy decorated my cake.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tnQPrFy1IyYOg13lTlZ7MnqBEXev5ayNnh7YVTX8WQTpaKe0jjizdvnEErOXVqJoTeDwZiQZaWLql2Sux4PWo2-eD4Z-nT_-iYUIFBYuz14AzFbLLPistOfkHHyq14rb06Y3EQ/s1600/IMG_8315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tnQPrFy1IyYOg13lTlZ7MnqBEXev5ayNnh7YVTX8WQTpaKe0jjizdvnEErOXVqJoTeDwZiQZaWLql2Sux4PWo2-eD4Z-nT_-iYUIFBYuz14AzFbLLPistOfkHHyq14rb06Y3EQ/s320/IMG_8315.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I assured Duncan that this is what the counter looks like after I've made homemade butter cream, as well. It's not a neat and tidy job!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix9Q1cIKMSUnlqG6S3JzXmtAjgVBY1GxHl33NF_fKTW4lMe4HisoVBQY74V7FToPPC_th8OM9r3ZW5l7LiUcO4s2jwjiOKad9RR8TzH0tgeJGyjMR4FFWxmwKhuZaXcVEr5oK5A/s1600/IMG_8316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix9Q1cIKMSUnlqG6S3JzXmtAjgVBY1GxHl33NF_fKTW4lMe4HisoVBQY74V7FToPPC_th8OM9r3ZW5l7LiUcO4s2jwjiOKad9RR8TzH0tgeJGyjMR4FFWxmwKhuZaXcVEr5oK5A/s400/IMG_8316.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I even caught this cutie sampling the frosting!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfghy7AoD_a7vjctwb-a1xt116ohuRMct3mB_VIzaydZ5BpIo9_N8nwdG1XbNLtwqWoZjjGQQySttNl2lwocXQ7GhTX76rdBBUbd39kX-P9xWO7yWDY1t0RJF5SyehDRKvz6uyA/s1600/IMG_8319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfghy7AoD_a7vjctwb-a1xt116ohuRMct3mB_VIzaydZ5BpIo9_N8nwdG1XbNLtwqWoZjjGQQySttNl2lwocXQ7GhTX76rdBBUbd39kX-P9xWO7yWDY1t0RJF5SyehDRKvz6uyA/s320/IMG_8319.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Here we are with the masterpiece!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ui8CxibNsfXsDTfObrfCA8DnLILLNS3bGysqWIF1NObSyjafXDIIuoU9SMzIn5-bKREqUGswkq7EsbbdJxK6B49zQcuC5WcRK90fxYCljV-QgRqeKXbEVtNrqzC0wBRcm14MCg/s1600/IMG_8306.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ui8CxibNsfXsDTfObrfCA8DnLILLNS3bGysqWIF1NObSyjafXDIIuoU9SMzIn5-bKREqUGswkq7EsbbdJxK6B49zQcuC5WcRK90fxYCljV-QgRqeKXbEVtNrqzC0wBRcm14MCg/s320/IMG_8306.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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What is this masterpiece, you ask? Well there was much discussion as to what picture I should have on my cake. (After all, birthdays around here are all about the picture that Mommy puts on your cake!) It was asked which was my favorite princess. (Snow White, of course. Is there any other?) But then it was brought up that I love the Little House series of books. So there was quite a dilemma...one that wasn't solved until just before the decorating occurred...but I, the peacemaker, decided to ask for... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2jhHdr-vwRfZNgRhBBeHB-7IWrSarhrut17U_xXtsRbTnvckj2SnDyZj9Y3wkBJYAjO5mkUMBYuL1ESzKabj5q9EuclCZCGBW1YWPmsk4l-X0SlQdQwrUGYUgNOS1Q7EMRyl9A/s1600/IMG_8322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2jhHdr-vwRfZNgRhBBeHB-7IWrSarhrut17U_xXtsRbTnvckj2SnDyZj9Y3wkBJYAjO5mkUMBYuL1ESzKabj5q9EuclCZCGBW1YWPmsk4l-X0SlQdQwrUGYUgNOS1Q7EMRyl9A/s320/IMG_8322.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snow White on the Prairie! </div><div style="text-align: center;">Perfection, no? </div><div style="text-align: center;">I think she looks perfect standing in the doorway of her very own Log Cabin on the Prairie!</div><div style="text-align: center;">And please note: the M and Ms are "m" side up--for Mommy, of course! Such attention to detail!! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYBTyZWflYJBAf9yzihA7eM-2NQgOa5FJ6NC6qNlxb3B3SXK3b8mFrxRW1t2wsy6F6pBXDHOPYx91ojx56a83e6jAcZgBgvNkxRICkzgSkcDiAcukeiGJhVcZ5rOoOToGAgYH5A/s1600/IMG_8323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYBTyZWflYJBAf9yzihA7eM-2NQgOa5FJ6NC6qNlxb3B3SXK3b8mFrxRW1t2wsy6F6pBXDHOPYx91ojx56a83e6jAcZgBgvNkxRICkzgSkcDiAcukeiGJhVcZ5rOoOToGAgYH5A/s320/IMG_8323.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
It was delicious, but even better, filled with lots and lots of love. I'm so thankful for children who want to make my day (and cake!) special and for a husband that makes it happen.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Life just keeps getting better, folks! </div><div style="text-align: center;">Even if my age now rounds up to 40, who cares when life is this good?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-48671756034752598332010-12-03T05:48:00.005-05:002010-12-03T05:48:00.544-05:00Premature Teenager<div style="text-align: center;">-one "ipod" with ear buds (Duncan's old PDA)</div><div style="text-align: center;">-one baby<strike>doll</strike> to babysit<strike></strike></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strike>-</strike>one netbook under the fingertips</div><div style="text-align: center;">-one six year-old trying to </div><div style="text-align: center;">FREAK ME OUT!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1t8k1YWJJAOQZt91YTvvJJo9n3FnhUTpLpMEaQf4ouDRflXSDJ3SghrpO_TSTRDBWAs5AcEtVya1i-fWkQ_l4FONhfJtmXvBRwKeAk9aaQAbjpivERLH44G3pyWYNT87_VjT8Q/s1600/IMG_7108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1t8k1YWJJAOQZt91YTvvJJo9n3FnhUTpLpMEaQf4ouDRflXSDJ3SghrpO_TSTRDBWAs5AcEtVya1i-fWkQ_l4FONhfJtmXvBRwKeAk9aaQAbjpivERLH44G3pyWYNT87_VjT8Q/s320/IMG_7108.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Please slow down the clock, dear Lord! </div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-70071812597729093112010-12-02T10:22:00.002-05:002010-12-02T11:10:24.219-05:00Flashback to Homemade Summer: Corn Tortillas<div style="text-align: center;">What's needed? </div><div style="text-align: center;">masa harina (corn flour)</div><div style="text-align: center;">water</div><div style="text-align: center;">salt</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">That's it. Oh, a tortilla press would be nice (although you can just use a rolling pin) and a dry skillet is a must. I use my non-stick griddle, so as to cook five or six tortillas at a time.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C3zFf9sU_ZeOdg9o6wWWdFB_dxUj6m0xuFZ8PjFIKVg0Vjuf_HF0DbhEYAC6L94g5lhDc5P5-xZEQJJQaTFn4t43UikLw9D0rwmBGY3xTaDIcsjPAuL0xjnEyOwD1FeLJqtQTQ/s1600/IMG_7078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C3zFf9sU_ZeOdg9o6wWWdFB_dxUj6m0xuFZ8PjFIKVg0Vjuf_HF0DbhEYAC6L94g5lhDc5P5-xZEQJJQaTFn4t43UikLw9D0rwmBGY3xTaDIcsjPAuL0xjnEyOwD1FeLJqtQTQ/s400/IMG_7078.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Once you mix the ingredients, you cover the dough and let it sit for an hour or so before working with it.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqfkx5LarhArizhKuSl3XNuzRckiFfI7nvwCpbKMk_6bTKNgc1yQYCDj3rpd9Lw9hLakR1okiMQzukWIsvuPMm5FjX894_6pvHL2fgJ_JbMoiR6UsT_6Oy3Kna0GvGUOjYJoiPg/s1600/IMG_7085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqfkx5LarhArizhKuSl3XNuzRckiFfI7nvwCpbKMk_6bTKNgc1yQYCDj3rpd9Lw9hLakR1okiMQzukWIsvuPMm5FjX894_6pvHL2fgJ_JbMoiR6UsT_6Oy3Kna0GvGUOjYJoiPg/s320/IMG_7085.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I follow the recipe on the <a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/">Bob's Red Mill</a> masa harina bag. Pay no attention to the hammy ham.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsjhOw2NCnzegJH_jX-l2f3KmyfSd7Dr9VvDb_4HLkl6ZT4cboWLBi-rcJQDHe4tgM42JiuYB5uwszErCs5169uep1IaMItYUT0sPZZfA3c4hEU-fIedWf1_YXK1sUQFpnQCR9Q/s1600/IMG_7086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsjhOw2NCnzegJH_jX-l2f3KmyfSd7Dr9VvDb_4HLkl6ZT4cboWLBi-rcJQDHe4tgM42JiuYB5uwszErCs5169uep1IaMItYUT0sPZZfA3c4hEU-fIedWf1_YXK1sUQFpnQCR9Q/s320/IMG_7086.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's my tortilla press. I got if from <a href="http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/search/search.aspx/tortilla-press/?sstr=tortilla+press&dim=1&nty=1&">Bed, Bath, and Beyond</a>.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlX95ALQxGw8BGgeE4vbioTXw9MT-75QzAK45vofnDfNoVablegVps0nxj1IBn-N5gWmpTGVBbY-Z1mDe5MHueqelLST21JbY60Hx63TbJxJsJk8AvWTxJSQVqryi1IXNFR0S2JA/s1600/IMG_7093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlX95ALQxGw8BGgeE4vbioTXw9MT-75QzAK45vofnDfNoVablegVps0nxj1IBn-N5gWmpTGVBbY-Z1mDe5MHueqelLST21JbY60Hx63TbJxJsJk8AvWTxJSQVqryi1IXNFR0S2JA/s320/IMG_7093.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">You line the press with plastic wrap or waxed paper. I find the plastic wrap to be more durable. Place the ball of dough near to the hinge... </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVGaay6HFEEgZVGWeVWGXTMFwtSogdihVA5HIwH_yLGw31PDmHStPjIOoapvdw3PSb6GK5sHwPqSA5Ybu7jiC-nNVuHB4-SQ9RPhgYzz_b0HdsHTeYRy4klW8XgBIlM8qFoAjeA/s1600/IMG_7094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVGaay6HFEEgZVGWeVWGXTMFwtSogdihVA5HIwH_yLGw31PDmHStPjIOoapvdw3PSb6GK5sHwPqSA5Ybu7jiC-nNVuHB4-SQ9RPhgYzz_b0HdsHTeYRy4klW8XgBIlM8qFoAjeA/s320/IMG_7094.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">and when it's pressed, it will look like...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIkGGNTCU49-PPzS3c5pUEfsGQ7acM0pMjhxDmfxvfsvxFY4uGhOKbf3WX5-QpZp9EsH9Y_-Zw6Vmd2VLIwSx1eARhJnL1NhdQPV18oiA6OHiL2peqh8SdBdOkKvmkluOADQNtQ/s1600/IMG_7095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvIkGGNTCU49-PPzS3c5pUEfsGQ7acM0pMjhxDmfxvfsvxFY4uGhOKbf3WX5-QpZp9EsH9Y_-Zw6Vmd2VLIwSx1eARhJnL1NhdQPV18oiA6OHiL2peqh8SdBdOkKvmkluOADQNtQ/s320/IMG_7095.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">this!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_7NWFiQhckMc0g2dleGTtOqZH6rRBEAxoDbWJyMdELihJqLlfOBkMVNaEAMxmwUcRE-izY0Pzph0-yZvY5SueVi7DmuRPtm0p_WO3SW5Iw9ydk-1B0a3QRpSUDA4b7hN9Bw3xA/s1600/IMG_7096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_7NWFiQhckMc0g2dleGTtOqZH6rRBEAxoDbWJyMdELihJqLlfOBkMVNaEAMxmwUcRE-izY0Pzph0-yZvY5SueVi7DmuRPtm0p_WO3SW5Iw9ydk-1B0a3QRpSUDA4b7hN9Bw3xA/s320/IMG_7096.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAznEO3jYfu-d6wDegfXfRyHVGvTNyyvEydghWP3Neqgstqw0dwW_EK0KkoBrWhf8nssJgGjpH2vK6XuBkGANckPohYQwr0Fe0hs8tS1547KWTOqTm3XScMFZdgEj6dTU0tPvFqQ/s1600/IMG_7097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAznEO3jYfu-d6wDegfXfRyHVGvTNyyvEydghWP3Neqgstqw0dwW_EK0KkoBrWhf8nssJgGjpH2vK6XuBkGANckPohYQwr0Fe0hs8tS1547KWTOqTm3XScMFZdgEj6dTU0tPvFqQ/s320/IMG_7097.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g-IX5YVsTG2rfkXCzcbYn5KKz4vy7tCN1O7hLMB7p31j0YuygJH1IPfH1B9dC9IcMh7m7aQuW3OkPsYUmEqXVMLT3_a3N_uplavxxuLJbt2HaYU2SUfmJBvjR1aaBDgdhyphenhyphenvcPA/s1600/IMG_7101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3g-IX5YVsTG2rfkXCzcbYn5KKz4vy7tCN1O7hLMB7p31j0YuygJH1IPfH1B9dC9IcMh7m7aQuW3OkPsYUmEqXVMLT3_a3N_uplavxxuLJbt2HaYU2SUfmJBvjR1aaBDgdhyphenhyphenvcPA/s320/IMG_7101.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strike>Itty, bitty sumertime</strike> Amelie likes our homemade corn tortillas, can you tell? She's also quite the ham bone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZI4IlT4ijdfYe6h0T3HAKo5feBCAgITRoSZm90HNH5MJCy-3GVB8mV6PYQaZof2G5qISAfie-aDIcpaCSgEZuxrSvoA4iQJOIsWmbFy8occty-f8Hvc8MFEkIswN8rI-8WVEFQ/s1600/IMG_7102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZI4IlT4ijdfYe6h0T3HAKo5feBCAgITRoSZm90HNH5MJCy-3GVB8mV6PYQaZof2G5qISAfie-aDIcpaCSgEZuxrSvoA4iQJOIsWmbFy8occty-f8Hvc8MFEkIswN8rI-8WVEFQ/s320/IMG_7102.JPG" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Duncan claimed he didn't like corn tortillas. Until he had these. Fresh off the griddle. Suuuuuuuuper yum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They don't last very long (duh--no preservatives). So make sure to use any leftovers within a week or so of making them. </div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-1348268964717658022010-12-01T05:04:00.002-05:002010-12-01T05:04:00.606-05:00Anastasia Mansion<div style="text-align: center;">The day before Thanksgiving, Ducky (Duncan's sweet momma) took us girls to tea!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvf39MWmdS_PwpnKjDA-WVHzMZuH9piLNRpofXXHPC-L5NfQaW8fdb0DSrjh0nQrSLAMsiESdiACOHjklNt4Yr_qndXQq6Mq-sXFK-RYH8e5eRzt6e6wJ4LJ4oCSWONTr6Px9vXQ/s1600/IMG_8020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvf39MWmdS_PwpnKjDA-WVHzMZuH9piLNRpofXXHPC-L5NfQaW8fdb0DSrjh0nQrSLAMsiESdiACOHjklNt4Yr_qndXQq6Mq-sXFK-RYH8e5eRzt6e6wJ4LJ4oCSWONTr6Px9vXQ/s320/IMG_8020.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We girls got dressed up, grabbed our bears, and headed to the beautiful, Victorian Anastasia Mansion!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIq-0ZFQJkEjfzKdUAffyQm2k16qbaJ2ijRZvcwsvXbhdZLXuwprV2aNMC-7q3Q5VP2YDl2C-G9r0qrUZmlBSQdWTyUod75zeEUX_7lQd8gCL8qWDofVpqLSfMJpwbdL4qhEb1YA/s1600/IMG_8021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIq-0ZFQJkEjfzKdUAffyQm2k16qbaJ2ijRZvcwsvXbhdZLXuwprV2aNMC-7q3Q5VP2YDl2C-G9r0qrUZmlBSQdWTyUod75zeEUX_7lQd8gCL8qWDofVpqLSfMJpwbdL4qhEb1YA/s320/IMG_8021.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Anticipating the goodies!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTnDpR6iWB4OYLYInzZRukmnNp-bGtOabamaSFdETEqMRPII1S5Ws41_92XALa0mkv42P5XvAnM80qOZ6fZ-nPSNLHopQClRmRZNkkaUGDIKPjVIgtVqLijfNF6EbyW9cezzaaw/s1600/IMG_8023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTnDpR6iWB4OYLYInzZRukmnNp-bGtOabamaSFdETEqMRPII1S5Ws41_92XALa0mkv42P5XvAnM80qOZ6fZ-nPSNLHopQClRmRZNkkaUGDIKPjVIgtVqLijfNF6EbyW9cezzaaw/s320/IMG_8023.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Each girl got her very own teapot, filled to the brim, with...</div><div style="text-align: center;">LEMONDADE!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HWUeur_hTXMONq6PxQR9xmeYP63amj-iLqtW8H3QBeczjrMBPJmuqYq-VUNDrJ0u2K80UXNg3_3rwqpmAfAVgw7rHcbYIJZ8411fL-x7gBl2XReVtkkqouccUOOWDNw9S6G70A/s1600/IMG_8024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7HWUeur_hTXMONq6PxQR9xmeYP63amj-iLqtW8H3QBeczjrMBPJmuqYq-VUNDrJ0u2K80UXNg3_3rwqpmAfAVgw7rHcbYIJZ8411fL-x7gBl2XReVtkkqouccUOOWDNw9S6G70A/s320/IMG_8024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We love our Ducky!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxv5PKJGQR7focoPmis3Ge2HGRmd5BZp2VKndD9KI6S7EqeS_k4gZjwuVYU5K6HdWcaKXpflvj3mb5fiLfcyO6BFDnGAbQySUuQcIeXyQrTwWujpKzmUTx4wBX8zAHAgx2sJLEA/s1600/IMG_8027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxv5PKJGQR7focoPmis3Ge2HGRmd5BZp2VKndD9KI6S7EqeS_k4gZjwuVYU5K6HdWcaKXpflvj3mb5fiLfcyO6BFDnGAbQySUuQcIeXyQrTwWujpKzmUTx4wBX8zAHAgx2sJLEA/s320/IMG_8027.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yummy treats!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkQDDF2Ze6nonpAxtLr5liNElEaIGoiMmedSoHNsol9nDYlRH1jeQPxeqsJc1C8f2AMpR85MSuKMSR3MeKRTnp0SbI_evVODbJbaHRKtE6pWLLOFRv4BT8rgMTUNBhyphenhyphenFHGNCX9g/s1600/IMG_8025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkQDDF2Ze6nonpAxtLr5liNElEaIGoiMmedSoHNsol9nDYlRH1jeQPxeqsJc1C8f2AMpR85MSuKMSR3MeKRTnp0SbI_evVODbJbaHRKtE6pWLLOFRv4BT8rgMTUNBhyphenhyphenFHGNCX9g/s320/IMG_8025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me and my sweet girls.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYqUNTyVXj8I6UevDOjtpn50IMv5fgFwWs_7Lf2vjulkV-P3MSEMEVrN1R-WZ-uoeN1vY3K6A4eJDFyPsyytlHYTUtYAE-BEitd_85cGhA2o2zsb1GGxRb61E0oJEj-3UIDih6g/s1600/IMG_8030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYqUNTyVXj8I6UevDOjtpn50IMv5fgFwWs_7Lf2vjulkV-P3MSEMEVrN1R-WZ-uoeN1vY3K6A4eJDFyPsyytlHYTUtYAE-BEitd_85cGhA2o2zsb1GGxRb61E0oJEj-3UIDih6g/s320/IMG_8030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me and my sweet MIL.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_YyxGN83BnpbgaTJ4hlYaqqyI3KmkbqkPrV0Fu4NevsQ-JHcE-v-dEhffdezLLht1X-udSSwv_Y-SPS0Rgex0zuu2Re9ZOuCcOTvBxq8_g85EfQ0-USKcLXD5E7ElNvzIS-NbQ/s1600/IMG_8032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_YyxGN83BnpbgaTJ4hlYaqqyI3KmkbqkPrV0Fu4NevsQ-JHcE-v-dEhffdezLLht1X-udSSwv_Y-SPS0Rgex0zuu2Re9ZOuCcOTvBxq8_g85EfQ0-USKcLXD5E7ElNvzIS-NbQ/s320/IMG_8032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I call this one, "All Done with Manners and Decorum"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAO0eWQsja8SY7GtGShFFKneEHRzqq9DUx75nmZTMuY7lasu-YxY608S1HmjVAbyGwdZj827hdO0xmaFnhTBS6j5hRjAJFRGkJ1SdE-O1gQmbSKi61QCNzAC6hnqNf-zIzuAQtg/s1600/IMG_8033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAO0eWQsja8SY7GtGShFFKneEHRzqq9DUx75nmZTMuY7lasu-YxY608S1HmjVAbyGwdZj827hdO0xmaFnhTBS6j5hRjAJFRGkJ1SdE-O1gQmbSKi61QCNzAC6hnqNf-zIzuAQtg/s320/IMG_8033.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">After tea, those of us that were antsy, walked around the mansion and took pictures with the mantles and such.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitcni_kzPEsKDwTx3iweOtG09gotylDE9H7_CT8d5jXzP8nwkniplKhcrZRjc8kT6rs1_hj1aJIDGmMSgIolIwdT3CsgqwEaKUV7NSls7UlMOWMJNAvwSflLtfRY6xTYfV796IQ/s1600/IMG_8034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitcni_kzPEsKDwTx3iweOtG09gotylDE9H7_CT8d5jXzP8nwkniplKhcrZRjc8kT6rs1_hj1aJIDGmMSgIolIwdT3CsgqwEaKUV7NSls7UlMOWMJNAvwSflLtfRY6xTYfV796IQ/s320/IMG_8034.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Violet took a liking to this Victorian Doll.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3-aYEk7JlVCfcYQMJhSFVjZgTV4iV_5-ktA_vRlVq3T5WOupeOqZkNZkMSuQnXqk3g_IZLDClnpQMEn9ZK7drUX7JeYifo7gGbHlt2E-0NK-7hefsNn5ni-NZksTmFNjkkbW2w/s1600/IMG_8037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3-aYEk7JlVCfcYQMJhSFVjZgTV4iV_5-ktA_vRlVq3T5WOupeOqZkNZkMSuQnXqk3g_IZLDClnpQMEn9ZK7drUX7JeYifo7gGbHlt2E-0NK-7hefsNn5ni-NZksTmFNjkkbW2w/s320/IMG_8037.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I LOVED the purple mantle! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwwrKI4DuMs6sUgh6OXT4gGnbEyB2RrQ3WJyNN4JENRAS5_h3sB1TsmoXQdqR_upPb6ogrG9632iPkHY0qX43wZV6HzQ9NuLtTsjXVA7tS1aGSbiH4afJM2pPxqSQjvZvRp2wHA/s1600/IMG_8041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwwrKI4DuMs6sUgh6OXT4gGnbEyB2RrQ3WJyNN4JENRAS5_h3sB1TsmoXQdqR_upPb6ogrG9632iPkHY0qX43wZV6HzQ9NuLtTsjXVA7tS1aGSbiH4afJM2pPxqSQjvZvRp2wHA/s320/IMG_8041.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Being penguins under the penguin mantle.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jXkY_A0shxwlifnW-4BdoMAvIrJjpQqJMiv4LCpCns3QRmyOEENewt_whfOj_dwBsy-MzUT6SiVSjUBCC_IUq34YzK6mvDPHGGrxZrt8D2Rptag837CN-PLDiS_8sZ9PUk5gNQ/s1600/IMG_8042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jXkY_A0shxwlifnW-4BdoMAvIrJjpQqJMiv4LCpCns3QRmyOEENewt_whfOj_dwBsy-MzUT6SiVSjUBCC_IUq34YzK6mvDPHGGrxZrt8D2Rptag837CN-PLDiS_8sZ9PUk5gNQ/s320/IMG_8042.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Trying on tea hats!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRm9ei0MLFb7f2r3sM8h0JnOOj8gVAQMzTbVgFKlfCBapD5GzyAK5e3QAA3BHAxX1QexZl_-FnPLu4gYdAIs6cBqtFTb67AcOpHkzcJH4qDtr6386kCNtAp40ag0iSpcavdN1E_g/s1600/IMG_8043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRm9ei0MLFb7f2r3sM8h0JnOOj8gVAQMzTbVgFKlfCBapD5GzyAK5e3QAA3BHAxX1QexZl_-FnPLu4gYdAIs6cBqtFTb67AcOpHkzcJH4qDtr6386kCNtAp40ag0iSpcavdN1E_g/s320/IMG_8043.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHSMsBnOnS-xfDcyigcElqx8G5aq9aK3lcVCQCa-L39W3JCAcddLvltb0R0hohL-g8EVfTb1-r2812VKaOUdTe8pB5rcC3s3UYs0ByIv3zVbSlDu0rwobrxtbsfOrMg3g7Z-cKA/s1600/IMG_8044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHSMsBnOnS-xfDcyigcElqx8G5aq9aK3lcVCQCa-L39W3JCAcddLvltb0R0hohL-g8EVfTb1-r2812VKaOUdTe8pB5rcC3s3UYs0ByIv3zVbSlDu0rwobrxtbsfOrMg3g7Z-cKA/s320/IMG_8044.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">If one is good, two must be better, right?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMmWGuZZWJ73-Wq1cxf5MGHjVraF4vYW5qIAQRqH3WgVnCrwVsXrb3wYZny6cYGKGftpRhpBsEhI078TqaziKz7dCAzbechPtFYWCc9C3R15mOtHYdXA-Q7VTTjoWc6qWFM7DSA/s1600/IMG_8045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMmWGuZZWJ73-Wq1cxf5MGHjVraF4vYW5qIAQRqH3WgVnCrwVsXrb3wYZny6cYGKGftpRhpBsEhI078TqaziKz7dCAzbechPtFYWCc9C3R15mOtHYdXA-Q7VTTjoWc6qWFM7DSA/s320/IMG_8045.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My gorgeous girls!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">They had so much fun on this porch swing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKWP3sSgVSjScCNO-Mwfua3-e522OV4AznSt8PLvVho3I9OpJBL8zfHkg2i5HUYLxXcYk561kttfFH4W8cSJ94FQymGH5CgqCqH-JpaBMCmfyffwLNLBegYizEJnZk3_UG0ZCNg/s1600/IMG_8047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOKWP3sSgVSjScCNO-Mwfua3-e522OV4AznSt8PLvVho3I9OpJBL8zfHkg2i5HUYLxXcYk561kttfFH4W8cSJ94FQymGH5CgqCqH-JpaBMCmfyffwLNLBegYizEJnZk3_UG0ZCNg/s320/IMG_8047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgWXilh6CnG-0YiRenqGBffzRvbdXpgtV3IUpKSScza1FeCeAVKYEJqUu0kaRtcv3aaaPNdJa6wCS_NGdQtaK_-0J7ERJu17m8gU6zfHJRJYMwSQXbS-WQnaa9ANFIPolhmJwGQ/s1600/IMG_8048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgWXilh6CnG-0YiRenqGBffzRvbdXpgtV3IUpKSScza1FeCeAVKYEJqUu0kaRtcv3aaaPNdJa6wCS_NGdQtaK_-0J7ERJu17m8gU6zfHJRJYMwSQXbS-WQnaa9ANFIPolhmJwGQ/s320/IMG_8048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyyiDLSu90trsFBGXVfqJxpyRb5rqky4qJPZlCirOelGDCObCnjisIL3IHSMiOMSLFcav_9IKNFPYonflbo_A2tmKl5esFxe-AY8sE0PnbwHOliopAmsWZk0cv526ld6jtswG6A/s1600/IMG_8049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyyiDLSu90trsFBGXVfqJxpyRb5rqky4qJPZlCirOelGDCObCnjisIL3IHSMiOMSLFcav_9IKNFPYonflbo_A2tmKl5esFxe-AY8sE0PnbwHOliopAmsWZk0cv526ld6jtswG6A/s320/IMG_8049.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfhdEUXEC0LFMcWnmtEZKuKguoXM3ulFfXqfFgXYuXxl4EwNiR5jwpPOTIsZXGIJPegEnQVuywxjHqBr9DNnojYrjqkoC0FF7WZvp6oCCi-Lj6k6q9YdVYH0Ebxs12pqZe2HakA/s1600/IMG_8050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfhdEUXEC0LFMcWnmtEZKuKguoXM3ulFfXqfFgXYuXxl4EwNiR5jwpPOTIsZXGIJPegEnQVuywxjHqBr9DNnojYrjqkoC0FF7WZvp6oCCi-Lj6k6q9YdVYH0Ebxs12pqZe2HakA/s320/IMG_8050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJWk2M-ub6C14Z9NbCRvVMnN5JwDV1MIfCKtDLsr09phbJeqEtTvr1rut0KlWDlE-3BrkGbvx4h_oqPoW9_bZcIYg7-1LtXtnucsVMXqJowhO_xbSeBXslzOV-RrUHcGVDAUk0w/s1600/IMG_8051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJWk2M-ub6C14Z9NbCRvVMnN5JwDV1MIfCKtDLsr09phbJeqEtTvr1rut0KlWDlE-3BrkGbvx4h_oqPoW9_bZcIYg7-1LtXtnucsVMXqJowhO_xbSeBXslzOV-RrUHcGVDAUk0w/s320/IMG_8051.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">If you're ever in Erie, PA, I HIGHLY recommend Anastasia Mansion!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh433ZD-VGgFU5RbWglwKpf0Re-li6kVZXl7Xd4DQ3uZIc2yPKj45cS5_O2KP23nB1WwB1N9gX-wzo7U8NhIaASVIUP5TA3E4tDXhRiKwehKTAfFpaWHe41Zq2-O15bW0oHidzjZQ/s1600/IMG_8052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh433ZD-VGgFU5RbWglwKpf0Re-li6kVZXl7Xd4DQ3uZIc2yPKj45cS5_O2KP23nB1WwB1N9gX-wzo7U8NhIaASVIUP5TA3E4tDXhRiKwehKTAfFpaWHe41Zq2-O15bW0oHidzjZQ/s320/IMG_8052.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Thanks for a great outing, Ducky!</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-66136634233819710722010-11-30T11:33:00.001-05:002010-11-30T11:48:11.548-05:00Helping Make the Pumpkin Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLLgLtoiUUeIEsJonRP3XBc2DbW1l48bov1KyKfX6oZsNqS2tLv2926bdHfn_rJC70PhOMIWAcnh9S7515af07h7csRhadNbf5VhrhE5WUBiQHBtwtJeTpWpbRp0bxELVsKumkg/s1600/IMG_8014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLLgLtoiUUeIEsJonRP3XBc2DbW1l48bov1KyKfX6oZsNqS2tLv2926bdHfn_rJC70PhOMIWAcnh9S7515af07h7csRhadNbf5VhrhE5WUBiQHBtwtJeTpWpbRp0bxELVsKumkg/s320/IMG_8014.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Linus talks Ducky through the whole process. Every. Single. Step.</div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-69790661022751741932010-11-29T08:13:00.000-05:002010-11-29T08:13:51.738-05:00The Stages of Coloring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EwOUmxxUkddj6vajtIjaTRAMS0PKrcH6bWrV8nsjrxpiOpL89muD_fusgSbL1-_6FEPJvyOg5qI8mtzovDnyp1lYsLrdWBYkIpVOgzTPmnBXSZxopXcO6umV2UWo3J416vygAw/s1600/IMG_8005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EwOUmxxUkddj6vajtIjaTRAMS0PKrcH6bWrV8nsjrxpiOpL89muD_fusgSbL1-_6FEPJvyOg5qI8mtzovDnyp1lYsLrdWBYkIpVOgzTPmnBXSZxopXcO6umV2UWo3J416vygAw/s320/IMG_8005.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">It should be noted that upon seeing Amelie's landscape, Violet tried to replicate the sky and grass on her picture. And no, we didn't turn these in for free donuts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_477423797"></span><span id="goog_477423798"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-22483203084227350852010-11-19T05:40:00.000-05:002010-11-19T05:40:00.984-05:00T.V. Brains<div style="text-align: center;">My kids LOVE to watch t.v. And I let them. More than I ever thought I would. It affords me some time to think, gather my thoughts, take a break, or eat an occasional, quiet meal by myself. They all like t.v. and would watch much more than the allowed one hour a day, if I let them. They've all gotten quite good with the remote, even! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhZcBmvpxE92DkpJqcXLwYw6_MONaxYdW35hh98lcRRNxAUClF0D5NFB-ZBic9Et9p0AzaEzrlIP1csP4tayr3SU3FY1mLcllTsVeSyBtdogY_s8ishWRLs4ZzitR8WGOFvCAxw/s1600/IMG_7981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFhZcBmvpxE92DkpJqcXLwYw6_MONaxYdW35hh98lcRRNxAUClF0D5NFB-ZBic9Et9p0AzaEzrlIP1csP4tayr3SU3FY1mLcllTsVeSyBtdogY_s8ishWRLs4ZzitR8WGOFvCAxw/s320/IMG_7981.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We try to let them watch as much commercial-free t.v, as possible. When we recently acquired real cable (as opposed to the uber-basic type that simply allows us antenna-free viewing), for football season, I realized why my children never knew what to ask for at Christmastime or their birthdays. They'd never seen commercials! Because, boy did they start asking, once Diego became a standard selection! Thankfully Netflix has all three seasons as a View Instantly options. Even Diego is now commercial-free! (Have I mentioned how much I dislike Diego?) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">However, they could watch <i><b>this </b></i>kind of t.v. all day...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnokiQX8IbuFQQq4GvMEmNYj0QCnAYzRji9mXVEJwtx3DsUQJBWWE83a__OBe4VP_69Np8cjMCaBwjGhHMINDKutO5xDp5yTAxqaTu4N5kpUhV50Yzjb-oRjD_ZBFDq71oHRdoA/s1600/IMG_7990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnokiQX8IbuFQQq4GvMEmNYj0QCnAYzRji9mXVEJwtx3DsUQJBWWE83a__OBe4VP_69Np8cjMCaBwjGhHMINDKutO5xDp5yTAxqaTu4N5kpUhV50Yzjb-oRjD_ZBFDq71oHRdoA/s320/IMG_7990.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">...and I'd be just fine with it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYItSnh-TdAoXErL30nuEJE2yJ7mVGK2DZafdrzMtdPjJnlhSCqGw8bvNjWDPXqTa69YKq1FxR7ZMKqCvVblsia0caKuR1_JbyHCTBE-OivQ2PLTaNdahBhyphenhyphenaDhJ_SvGmodjcwkA/s1600/IMG_7985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYItSnh-TdAoXErL30nuEJE2yJ7mVGK2DZafdrzMtdPjJnlhSCqGw8bvNjWDPXqTa69YKq1FxR7ZMKqCvVblsia0caKuR1_JbyHCTBE-OivQ2PLTaNdahBhyphenhyphenaDhJ_SvGmodjcwkA/s320/IMG_7985.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17185475.post-22646858363038010102010-11-18T21:36:00.000-05:002010-11-18T21:36:32.413-05:00Big Reveal!<div style="text-align: center;">Ladies and Gentlemen,<br />
allow me to introduce to you...</div><div style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">VOLCANIC SOFTWARE LLC!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Duncan has started a company! It's official and completely legit! </div><div style="text-align: center;">My oh-so-talented and creative husband has created an Android app and has put together a (very-much-in-its-beginning-stages) website. I'll share that with you when it's good and ready.<br />
And the app which we've launched tonight? </div><div style="text-align: center;">(See us all clicking the mouse together? I know. Cheesy, right? That's just how we roll.) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BSKdQc-vQ_w7L83QAXq8Of4X9sjqOb5WEPNRGb-3TFgKoyDJCpd_aWOCAQxSkTyw6BCBv_GFrV-v4W2DZw63Jb3nn7HDwN3X4zgTq41caKNe-GPPu3j0iI90Jr0VaP3Vry4rsQ/s1600/IMG_7991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BSKdQc-vQ_w7L83QAXq8Of4X9sjqOb5WEPNRGb-3TFgKoyDJCpd_aWOCAQxSkTyw6BCBv_GFrV-v4W2DZw63Jb3nn7HDwN3X4zgTq41caKNe-GPPu3j0iI90Jr0VaP3Vry4rsQ/s320/IMG_7991.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It's a game called <i><b>Name That Song</b></i>! </div><div style="text-align: center;">If you own an android phone, have $1.50 to spare, and have music on your phone already, then <i><b> </b></i><br />
<i><b>WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR</b></i>? <br />
Head on over to your Android Market and BUY IT ALREADY!<br />
<br />
So that's it. <br />
No baby, no moving, no new jobs, no weddings and NO PUPPY! Just a new business venture about which we're very excited. Thanks for being excited with us! </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03141475332385821034noreply@blogger.com6