tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30155286549259632182024-03-04T23:10:22.563-05:00joy in the journeyglimpses of beauty and joy on this journey of lifelaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-63163109338664549262012-02-24T18:42:00.000-05:002012-02-24T18:42:02.873-05:00spring is comingWe had a ladies retreat with our small group bible study women last weekend. What a wonderful time of resting, relaxing with some margaritas and the hot tub, hiking, painting toe nails, and just getting to know my women friends better. It was beautiful.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the ladies led us in some time of reflection on Saturday morning. She showed us a series of photos of various stages of grape vine/vineyard growth -- some were new sprouts, some were snow covered and scraggly, others were in full bloom and bearing fruit... Part of the exercise was to think about what season you were in - are you in the winter gloom or the full bloom of spring or the harvest season? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I spent some time thinking about this, and the more I thought, the more it seemed like I was in February. In my opinion, February is usually the most lousy month of winter - dark, gloomy, snowy, cold... it's the darkest hour before the dawn of spring. I feel like I've been in a gloomy winter place for quite a while, with the pain of chronic health conditions and infertility, without much hope of spring. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Recently, a good friend of our church was violently shot in Haiti. And that really caused me some pause. We prayed fervently for his healing, and yet he died. But through it all, we watched his wife worship and praise God...pouring out her heart to her Daddy-God. and we watched God provide financially -- the website set up to fund raise for his medical expenses raised tens of thousands of dollars in a few short days. God was there. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Through this tragedy, hope began to sprout in my heart. Our friend died, but God's presence was in the midst of it all. God can provide in amazing ways - he can provide a family for us. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I can't explain it all fully--it is all very much a mystery --but somehow a death brought me hope. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxckwNUAjDapQDmlc6m2TrG1Zpw-H9jM4aBctNZ_sZjgQ9oNxPN-s1wDkm2QrLBNNFpmGuXrJYmjCUxnqZuXUinjHuD4JQdbKAQ_fw0oh5EVV6cleJRG-LWhVWa6PxcsR1tIE7bFF8iPd/s1600/First-yellow-crocus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGxckwNUAjDapQDmlc6m2TrG1Zpw-H9jM4aBctNZ_sZjgQ9oNxPN-s1wDkm2QrLBNNFpmGuXrJYmjCUxnqZuXUinjHuD4JQdbKAQ_fw0oh5EVV6cleJRG-LWhVWa6PxcsR1tIE7bFF8iPd/s320/First-yellow-crocus.jpg" width="320" /></a>Yesterday, I noticed that I have one small yellow crocus blooming in my garden. The first flowers of spring! Spring is such a gift to me -- I hate the cold and lifelessness of winter and am ever more in love with the glory of spring...each year spring is more beautiful and wonderful to me. Especially this year, in our new home and my little garden...and the sprouts of hope in my heart.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We sent in an application to an adoption agency this week. We are hoping to adopt from Africa this year and are praying that those sprouts of hope will blossom and bring children into our home and family. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm starting a new blog to document our journey - for anyone who is interested in following our adoption journey here's the <a href="http://padgettadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">link</a>. I may still post some things here from time to time, but I have a feeling the other blog will be a focal point for a little while...</div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-30281987106753312962011-12-11T17:38:00.001-05:002011-12-11T17:40:17.269-05:00Calvin<div>Keith and I are now dog owners. His name is Calvin and he makes me smile :-)</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sQZUTx2htOvLq5ActvZ9IWTQzYqnDl1xmJ8YGd8MWlt2PY1Ybp0zZz4dOYf8yeefIrzBjIBufSrawCCMmISY7h47dM28DPQeWuwS2sEe9a90q9bSMtmsMS7AtcgnWzxo800QCJjNr7MI/s1600/christmas+2011+013.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sQZUTx2htOvLq5ActvZ9IWTQzYqnDl1xmJ8YGd8MWlt2PY1Ybp0zZz4dOYf8yeefIrzBjIBufSrawCCMmISY7h47dM28DPQeWuwS2sEe9a90q9bSMtmsMS7AtcgnWzxo800QCJjNr7MI/s400/christmas+2011+013.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685004005396421218" /></a>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-89662957167655957962011-12-10T21:38:00.000-05:002011-12-10T21:39:32.655-05:00Christmas Joy<p class="MsoNormal">A few weeks ago, I was shopping with my parents at Menards. We made our purchases and chose a check-out line. The gentleman who helped us was named Bobby. He noticed my dad’s necklace and he and dad struck up a conversation. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">My dad is pretty creative – he does quite a bit of carving, especially with shed deer antlers. The necklace he was wearing was an antler cross. Bobby asked how much he would charge for something like that; he sure would like to have one. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Today, my mom & dad went to Menards again to look for Bobby, but he wasn’t there. Dad gave me 3 different crosses and asked me to look for Bobby next time I went to Menards. I went there a little later in the day to buy some stuff for the dog and happened to be in Bobby’s check-out line. I asked him if he remembered my dad, with the deer antler carvings. He said he did. I showed him the 3 options and he chose one. Then he gave me a big hug and I told him Merry Christmas and God bless. He seemed genuinely moved by the act of kindness and told me to make sure I told my dad that he’d be in his prayers. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was wonderful to share some joy this Christmas season with a stranger. I’m thankful for Bobby and pray that this small act helped bring the love and light of Jesus in to his hear this Christmas season.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-72194134680703955362011-11-07T15:26:00.003-05:002011-11-07T15:36:10.181-05:00Grandma<div>My grandma is 96 this year. Until recently, she'd been living on her own and doing really well. This fall, she had some heart trouble and had to have a pace maker. Since that ordeal, she's been living with my parents. She seems to be doing ok there, but her memory is a little cloudy. It is hard to see her fading, physically and mentally. She's been such a sweet constant presence in my life, and is one of my favorite people in the world. I love you, Grandma. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>She was a good sport with our silly photos with "the head" my uncle got me for Christmas a couple years ago:</i></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh1edsb4c12vulE6Lsoc66UpoZVVMDl6lDB7AHTMyCwFrzqyJdHvL0RNpvdkPy14Xd2xI_YxTZrMqhTMdtCGe5NMA-9PrXECw3mVrxhsalbapkn5Og8kFYq_fP71Z1A5A4i-D72sPVMpv/s1600/christmas2009+014.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 371px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjh1edsb4c12vulE6Lsoc66UpoZVVMDl6lDB7AHTMyCwFrzqyJdHvL0RNpvdkPy14Xd2xI_YxTZrMqhTMdtCGe5NMA-9PrXECw3mVrxhsalbapkn5Og8kFYq_fP71Z1A5A4i-D72sPVMpv/s400/christmas2009+014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672353760519656498" /></a><br /><div><i>Me, mom, grandma, & Rachel:</i><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnM3SvswCRJzwcSvF1eILiRl1HV23y9Jdthd_JK9XQan4WV-XyIbslFYopQM2nD-FtUhfzKbaIggwlVwVfEL9viXusNA9iK2-ZGtbQj1SbJijORgoPPLI8D_ES0aLFBQbHFNwr28JbIa7/s1600/christmas2009+004.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnM3SvswCRJzwcSvF1eILiRl1HV23y9Jdthd_JK9XQan4WV-XyIbslFYopQM2nD-FtUhfzKbaIggwlVwVfEL9viXusNA9iK2-ZGtbQj1SbJijORgoPPLI8D_ES0aLFBQbHFNwr28JbIa7/s400/christmas2009+004.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672353404493641010" /></a><i><br /></i><div><i>We were trying to gather up the great-grand kids for a photo, and Emmett wasn't cooperating! I love how she's laughing in the background in this picture!</i><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zeMPrCcpwpihTIYfyADajzc2wkCVSmmmk_5MsoQ_XfB-2VVUkfAeIuHsIHoBdMVjIRxHzOeHzO_n17hfbujm2Pf_5fjpbpmdrMIzc50hgmfSphyHdRPKJ4fwO3oOGJ4FeDbMrJzmg999/s1600/100_1115.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zeMPrCcpwpihTIYfyADajzc2wkCVSmmmk_5MsoQ_XfB-2VVUkfAeIuHsIHoBdMVjIRxHzOeHzO_n17hfbujm2Pf_5fjpbpmdrMIzc50hgmfSphyHdRPKJ4fwO3oOGJ4FeDbMrJzmg999/s400/100_1115.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672353399075710018" /></a><i>Grandma and my cousin Jenny's little boy, Sidney: </i><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKVhuX9hFN_i-4cWsfdTNtgMIi7wh-ipLtXQMVbD9fmjXzAPfxvYcP3l0NtXPx51LGZ8ceZr8nGZIImnfUFyKJSEM7dyEzM_gC4bx_5uQUUQGtGI8mIDbKUFkD48FQGhLyfInClE0GVUs/s1600/100_1101.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKVhuX9hFN_i-4cWsfdTNtgMIi7wh-ipLtXQMVbD9fmjXzAPfxvYcP3l0NtXPx51LGZ8ceZr8nGZIImnfUFyKJSEM7dyEzM_gC4bx_5uQUUQGtGI8mIDbKUFkD48FQGhLyfInClE0GVUs/s400/100_1101.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672353391890852626" /></a><i>The whole family:</i><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/ivuc10zKRr" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9osXF3JCs1Z5lydTkRLHY9RVP-7b0aFKRKk39d5Aojj_urw-btA-o01yR9xCVzS1Wk6I9qmxC0Z6TvEjhxd7zzKZI_IP-cXBUDe20XVO6xnQnXmMkQLPK-xJDfBRPUxY6zuNOhKEvtua/s512/Copy%252520%2525282%252529%252520of%252520100_0302.JPG" /></a></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-13587944933490874372011-11-07T15:05:00.002-05:002011-11-07T15:13:26.443-05:00ice bucket<div>I've been wanting an ice bucket to use in our new house, but haven't wanted to pay for one. It is on the "list" of things we want to get eventually...just not one of the top priorities. I was browsing around the Goodwill thrift store recently, and found this lovely thing for 99 cents. I wasn't crazy about the colors. For less than a dollar, though, I thought it would serve the purpose just fine. </div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fHcmBvvuRfM/Trg6beLSAcI/AAAAAAAADcs/jd4PPXB3Io0/s400/100_1123.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672347974304399810" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px; " />When I got it home, I thought I'd try to cover it with something. The bucket has an inside removable layer, so I hot-glued some fabric around it. I like this much better! <div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><br /></u></span></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rXOQq_o4idk/Trg6bSOsDfI/AAAAAAAADc8/rvCUFjew1rA/s1600/100_1124.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 292px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rXOQq_o4idk/Trg6bSOsDfI/AAAAAAAADc8/rvCUFjew1rA/s400/100_1124.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672347971097464306" /> It still looks a little funny inside, but overall, I was really happy with the result! <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1Bp-zSDD50/Trg6cMRU3DI/AAAAAAAADdE/6yKqW-Mc2aY/s1600/100_1126.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 352px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1Bp-zSDD50/Trg6cMRU3DI/AAAAAAAADdE/6yKqW-Mc2aY/s400/100_1126.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672347986677783602" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-39544466727873337992010-12-05T18:17:00.002-05:002010-12-05T18:30:56.929-05:00ThanksgivingThis year for Thanksgiving, we celebrated with lots of family at my brother & sister-in-law's house. We had so much food and family fun.<br /><br />The girls were silly, as usual... I like this picture, with my sweet grandma in the background:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBzkmP4wmFZahmaTHbukiX3XUmNt2UTu5HZAXLyBBOkGRUuFPfsxsRdxPgRaPqr5cYAx317ty5NDTORZKI6cw7gRSYireeGuVMj0hMBJctZNtCTOv91tgUEFtmUNMJbAurxRpJtDifq73/s1600/thanksgiving2010+%25288%2529.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547343215006472978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBzkmP4wmFZahmaTHbukiX3XUmNt2UTu5HZAXLyBBOkGRUuFPfsxsRdxPgRaPqr5cYAx317ty5NDTORZKI6cw7gRSYireeGuVMj0hMBJctZNtCTOv91tgUEFtmUNMJbAurxRpJtDifq73/s400/thanksgiving2010+%25288%2529.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGcGKFQcaQGbejQqYSXK5MQGr5zN1yjKdd3CfyPcLMXsDa8aUvo-cl3db1BKuBFzRL5GC7ZYetntil9VufUg-Er5OroiK2BSI2j9SsWscsBdCDKk_T4pugpdvJe-mZrsvXWQAZlo6vg4J/s1600/thanksgiving2010+%25286%2529.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 290px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547343207162452482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGcGKFQcaQGbejQqYSXK5MQGr5zN1yjKdd3CfyPcLMXsDa8aUvo-cl3db1BKuBFzRL5GC7ZYetntil9VufUg-Er5OroiK2BSI2j9SsWscsBdCDKk_T4pugpdvJe-mZrsvXWQAZlo6vg4J/s400/thanksgiving2010+%25286%2529.JPG" /></a><br />Keith was considering a career in farming...on his first John Deere tractor...<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYHTVScddv9BqmK0Z5ptNsJoiUNBPwylpmoS4xff0-pBtwL2f1gGWkQOfMGV5L5CRDR9M14CAQ7G-o8GGm2-5zzYvVXYGZ0L8lFdR5aFKdnuJcC-1qkEN-N7wRt1Cil-9oOMX0bWlW1z3/s1600/thanksgiving2010+%25282%2529.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 282px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547343196194502178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYHTVScddv9BqmK0Z5ptNsJoiUNBPwylpmoS4xff0-pBtwL2f1gGWkQOfMGV5L5CRDR9M14CAQ7G-o8GGm2-5zzYvVXYGZ0L8lFdR5aFKdnuJcC-1qkEN-N7wRt1Cil-9oOMX0bWlW1z3/s400/thanksgiving2010+%25282%2529.JPG" /></a><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px" align="left"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwdxdAFh4I/AAAAAAAABhQ/CmyN4vnfIAY/s1600/thanksgiving2010%2B%25283%2529.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwdxdAFh4I/AAAAAAAABhQ/CmyN4vnfIAY/s400/thanksgiving2010%2B%25283%2529.JPG" /></a><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwdxoaFl0I/AAAAAAAABhY/LiFOPTDCzMk/s1600/thanksgiving2010%2B%252815%2529.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwdxoaFl0I/AAAAAAAABhY/LiFOPTDCzMk/s400/thanksgiving2010%2B%252815%2529.JPG" /></a> </div><br />Grace is taking piano lessons - fascinating for the other kids...<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwdx6oBNMI/AAAAAAAABhg/Vq173KNCopM/s1600/thanksgiving2010%2B%252819%2529.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwdx6oBNMI/AAAAAAAABhg/Vq173KNCopM/s400/thanksgiving2010%2B%252819%2529.JPG" /></a> </div>and I couldn't resist taking a picture of all these wonderful desserts! we had two kinds of cheese cake, a couple of chocolate pies, a couple of pumpkin pies, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin mousse, a jello/whipped cream dessert, and a coconut cream pie... I had a terrible time deciding which ones to eat! <br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwdyWoyv1I/AAAAAAAABho/OHQNLoc6ghw/s1600/thanksgiving2010.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwdyWoyv1I/AAAAAAAABho/OHQNLoc6ghw/s400/thanksgiving2010.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-34569928888094068222010-12-05T17:55:00.001-05:002010-12-05T17:57:39.514-05:00dino stuff<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">For Christmas this year, I made my nephew a dinosaur scarf and hat. so fun. I can't wait to see him wear these! <br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwYjAt2SDI/AAAAAAAABb4/X64sIiZ29PQ/s1600/dino%2B%25283%2529.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwYjAt2SDI/AAAAAAAABb4/X64sIiZ29PQ/s400/dino%2B%25283%2529.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwYjjSkwiI/AAAAAAAABcA/1FpCVkrloXY/s1600/dino%2B%25284%2529.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TPwYjjSkwiI/AAAAAAAABcA/1FpCVkrloXY/s400/dino%2B%25284%2529.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-22367367047257123542010-12-05T17:47:00.001-05:002010-12-05T17:50:03.336-05:00sweater hat<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aSVLyCclVJLarhC60M70wU6Fv399_7EPxvWLeAfsKCbodAHVbl5nylEAOoMEMQtjvxN7BKmo05vs64bX_GJo_qnWz_uxFt-haLIl1-2uCobgeUvsKyuH_U1LEAJN50cYqtmn7CNJHDQQ/s1600/sewing+projects+030.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5aSVLyCclVJLarhC60M70wU6Fv399_7EPxvWLeAfsKCbodAHVbl5nylEAOoMEMQtjvxN7BKmo05vs64bX_GJo_qnWz_uxFt-haLIl1-2uCobgeUvsKyuH_U1LEAJN50cYqtmn7CNJHDQQ/s400/sewing+projects+030.JPG" /></a> </div>one of my co-workers was throwing out this old sweater the other day, so i grabbed it...and made myself a hat out of it. i really like this hat! and it is warm! i've been wearing it around the house this weekend...my husband likes to make fun of me for that... :-)<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5Fhb6vEjysxSb81h1I-xzSxcI9ctPkGjYfcaxnkR6-iPYlUcgNPQxsgSWr8vnzlYbAKuvb0kkKJ30Vfvdewu4CHWhmzpXXi6nRZNgB-VOnbBs8XbhStj6rVS2d0EnhllIcwULkQRd3tv/s1600/sewing+projects+031.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5Fhb6vEjysxSb81h1I-xzSxcI9ctPkGjYfcaxnkR6-iPYlUcgNPQxsgSWr8vnzlYbAKuvb0kkKJ30Vfvdewu4CHWhmzpXXi6nRZNgB-VOnbBs8XbhStj6rVS2d0EnhllIcwULkQRd3tv/s400/sewing+projects+031.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-23636937293409181282010-11-14T17:07:00.004-05:002010-11-14T17:19:13.256-05:00a quick get-awayWe went back to the Hocking Hills for an overnight get-away. I took a long weekend off work and we went back to <a href="http://www.hockinghills.com/thunder/">Thunder Ridge </a>cabins. We took 2 pretty long, hilly hikes (I'm feeling it in my legs a little still!) - the rim trail at Conkles Hollow and another long up-hill trail at Clear Creek park. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather or more beautiful scenery for our time!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUV9Ya65j8vvTYI_8EzgUth4cgj7qjRyWk7EeB5CXBDeAQw1S0z4WbQc6Hv2EhS_xF1ceF8s2S-NvVxdglg97_YoZSyvvhDB3zF0zxs-ymkKoSYX86hch_YmS8GEYHpkoj57km4QCngjl/s1600/hocking+hills+012.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539532162702591650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUV9Ya65j8vvTYI_8EzgUth4cgj7qjRyWk7EeB5CXBDeAQw1S0z4WbQc6Hv2EhS_xF1ceF8s2S-NvVxdglg97_YoZSyvvhDB3zF0zxs-ymkKoSYX86hch_YmS8GEYHpkoj57km4QCngjl/s400/hocking+hills+012.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPH2acQiRJlb7muJrruSj5gqTfmbyLfuGjU17HrpUeM8cKHJJadTwM7yQ5dq0uKiPbwK9Ll-a3PFraCj-dJYZPyIzY_dEOlgnhdLSyVI59lyK71_ssoWUI7aNaS_OYxdkApJGzunAfNg1/s1600/hocking+hills+011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539532152470046210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPH2acQiRJlb7muJrruSj5gqTfmbyLfuGjU17HrpUeM8cKHJJadTwM7yQ5dq0uKiPbwK9Ll-a3PFraCj-dJYZPyIzY_dEOlgnhdLSyVI59lyK71_ssoWUI7aNaS_OYxdkApJGzunAfNg1/s400/hocking+hills+011.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3pP8nmPCrtWx5yQVEacA9aqKYZnpwIBO1CAFGZ3KjVKbqS8A1Id44hl1mWZj2IaqBPeBg74hy7Mho8K680mfBKd-sT2khSWBgs2rXR56kW1h7fQWbaRgXY_NAHtQyHegRbsvDUujQlda/s1600/hocking+hills+003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539532147359108450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3pP8nmPCrtWx5yQVEacA9aqKYZnpwIBO1CAFGZ3KjVKbqS8A1Id44hl1mWZj2IaqBPeBg74hy7Mho8K680mfBKd-sT2khSWBgs2rXR56kW1h7fQWbaRgXY_NAHtQyHegRbsvDUujQlda/s400/hocking+hills+003.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRa4nrw36WDdtEgmJFuxmzo7qLpwvTKYWxCJL_exIpTmFSKfw10wDvOQnKbHxMTvxbMMN7zDtrl-MXeIaxFpFObilw874elZzbi2imGyL-JFifLIQ65h6WJ95kbuRXHmZnL5xOP6dFxJo/s1600/hocking+hills+002.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRa4nrw36WDdtEgmJFuxmzo7qLpwvTKYWxCJL_exIpTmFSKfw10wDvOQnKbHxMTvxbMMN7zDtrl-MXeIaxFpFObilw874elZzbi2imGyL-JFifLIQ65h6WJ95kbuRXHmZnL5xOP6dFxJo/s400/hocking+hills+002.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJZRpSVFTHJZcdLQSYbooTKu41LojVMpb0mjXfo0abAOos_a79SJIL1l6KrJpsIIx5xUHGjWYb-E3-Vkz4fwd_JkvUUnGpqpnnkJkH1kknWOwyW-DkcFQHRhMCKpMBhd6TiEjZ307bALx/s1600/hocking+hills+004.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJZRpSVFTHJZcdLQSYbooTKu41LojVMpb0mjXfo0abAOos_a79SJIL1l6KrJpsIIx5xUHGjWYb-E3-Vkz4fwd_JkvUUnGpqpnnkJkH1kknWOwyW-DkcFQHRhMCKpMBhd6TiEjZ307bALx/s400/hocking+hills+004.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVMpUaBlDAb5YWG-QPdcTbmv5OraVRvjvNue0bS37PaTx_pSMKd-Woj75A4YyU_qPG51JSOcWd0pDd9a6rhmaD-BKTsmXXPEGeddlzWCIR8dUjKCMG01jAWbk7-vNOXiKXbN5fj2KRpcP/s1600/hocking+hills+005.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVMpUaBlDAb5YWG-QPdcTbmv5OraVRvjvNue0bS37PaTx_pSMKd-Woj75A4YyU_qPG51JSOcWd0pDd9a6rhmaD-BKTsmXXPEGeddlzWCIR8dUjKCMG01jAWbk7-vNOXiKXbN5fj2KRpcP/s400/hocking+hills+005.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J7DMi-OiDBmZJ8XTCsi_L7R2FPFjHFn1X1qYsmlZ6Tw7UVOI7nHrVtt4koe7338YAFYbL3XvSRxaSWydRVHAUJ62B9TfTMrwrImL41cAUacrdWTg3EIfNoqjWPf4nPiuMHdX35BiBCgr/s1600/hocking+hills+006.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J7DMi-OiDBmZJ8XTCsi_L7R2FPFjHFn1X1qYsmlZ6Tw7UVOI7nHrVtt4koe7338YAFYbL3XvSRxaSWydRVHAUJ62B9TfTMrwrImL41cAUacrdWTg3EIfNoqjWPf4nPiuMHdX35BiBCgr/s400/hocking+hills+006.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-80532939619685417992010-11-14T16:54:00.002-05:002010-11-14T17:20:28.695-05:00hats and scarves<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">This year is going to be a home-made Christmas. I've been working on things and looking for ideas for several weeks and today I finished hats and scarves for 2 of my nieces. Thanks to some amazing creative bloggers, I found a great <a href="http://fromanigloo.blogspot.com/2010/09/warm-winter-hat-pattern-and-tutorial.html">tutorial for a hat</a>....</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://fromanigloo.blogspot.com/2010/09/warm-winter-hat-pattern-and-tutorial.html"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TOBatuJIZ6I/AAAAAAAABX0/9z-yEB9mHGs/s400/hocking%2Bhills%2B013.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">and then another <a href="http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/02/easy-ruffled-t-shirt-scarf.html">tutorial for a scarf</a>...</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TOBat3QcRWI/AAAAAAAABX8/MdxbMF1c_g4/s1600/hocking%2Bhills%2B016.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TOBat3QcRWI/AAAAAAAABX8/MdxbMF1c_g4/s400/hocking%2Bhills%2B016.JPG" /></a> </div>and then I added some of my own embellishments...flowers and butterflies and buttons...<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5GKtSBMWkJVfqREe6Zhx5z7pkh64R2MkegaJP7xQOgHeO9lqB4-NSIR0oMxXJozwOM9IWVrVdbqsN2DYriOSoAD_ZXYnimmbWGF7C7XeQzjOWrg7z1ML4xxBEUiiRaslQ2EE46dBxI-D/s1600/hocking+hills+021.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5GKtSBMWkJVfqREe6Zhx5z7pkh64R2MkegaJP7xQOgHeO9lqB4-NSIR0oMxXJozwOM9IWVrVdbqsN2DYriOSoAD_ZXYnimmbWGF7C7XeQzjOWrg7z1ML4xxBEUiiRaslQ2EE46dBxI-D/s400/hocking+hills+021.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKmW2vPjjVqybQ6yzox0VCPXH8Pt2osJibbEnwdWBHpVYbpp79ELp-ZvELdLGutSRPPtKVFu4uvipFTfc6cf0sZKVsJR-NEExQf69FORPJyu0nJnd4Pw1foPtCXYButzUDtDVKH_oHYjr/s1600/hocking+hills+022.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKmW2vPjjVqybQ6yzox0VCPXH8Pt2osJibbEnwdWBHpVYbpp79ELp-ZvELdLGutSRPPtKVFu4uvipFTfc6cf0sZKVsJR-NEExQf69FORPJyu0nJnd4Pw1foPtCXYButzUDtDVKH_oHYjr/s400/hocking+hills+022.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">I thought it turned out pretty cute :-)</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-64897899225759678712010-11-12T20:32:00.001-05:002010-11-12T20:36:17.828-05:00birthday silliness<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px" align="left">My dad and my sister share a birthday (a few years apart, of course) on November 9. This year, mom & dad came to columbus to celebrate with everyone. I didn't get any pictures of the birthday people, just of the kids being their silly selves (well, mostly Caroline... and Ben in his fireman hat).</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWn6HoYcEQQrciwJlkMEItpKvrpne7-3lO2mMZT0sWBZVxK0D73gz7AT7Cx9rrPUcbu6c9dYPV6azOFvhC8yayLsDeAIxztK8IqA96WTFWg36rHTD9Bd1-hSC63QimHGxBI03hWWvWaK8/s1600/fall2010+017.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWn6HoYcEQQrciwJlkMEItpKvrpne7-3lO2mMZT0sWBZVxK0D73gz7AT7Cx9rrPUcbu6c9dYPV6azOFvhC8yayLsDeAIxztK8IqA96WTFWg36rHTD9Bd1-hSC63QimHGxBI03hWWvWaK8/s320/fall2010+017.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRCGIzuYPlWK5HF0irK8HONx5MvFHgq3jdQp-TV8avGMZpMt9pt1s_0pAxGuHfzwI2tz5_YMjYG3Z1FJI2ymproR9paUnA1BNcuDaolIWLzIoS3L1Z_GocZz7Ybz5Va9GE44zetoVngXY/s1600/fall2010+018.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRCGIzuYPlWK5HF0irK8HONx5MvFHgq3jdQp-TV8avGMZpMt9pt1s_0pAxGuHfzwI2tz5_YMjYG3Z1FJI2ymproR9paUnA1BNcuDaolIWLzIoS3L1Z_GocZz7Ybz5Va9GE44zetoVngXY/s320/fall2010+018.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpgwdpoOFaJ2-luNJrZaCKe8eXi7a_mlacFJtbfI9ZjQ-2_o1DuZYEKnJMgQvW6Lx2XgDGGwBWWsezQ5udeQSyKQbvBekPDlcAnz668axhbRogN-eeG8UCJyEoa0cMGXcbZcBnxac9M8n/s1600/fall2010+019.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpgwdpoOFaJ2-luNJrZaCKe8eXi7a_mlacFJtbfI9ZjQ-2_o1DuZYEKnJMgQvW6Lx2XgDGGwBWWsezQ5udeQSyKQbvBekPDlcAnz668axhbRogN-eeG8UCJyEoa0cMGXcbZcBnxac9M8n/s320/fall2010+019.JPG" /></a> </div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPEl-ke_MakdvCggh8BYWFDj0ustjZ3ivbQxC0PYfKt4ybUt-uuoZql-C4W_Oh4Jl5hrxH7d4nmRDH8OgaMM4PQbVyC8iO7moJwjbL0PFCkouZaZqgukWFeGbIwaa-_6jfExb-P07Rbkv/s1600/fall2010+020.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPEl-ke_MakdvCggh8BYWFDj0ustjZ3ivbQxC0PYfKt4ybUt-uuoZql-C4W_Oh4Jl5hrxH7d4nmRDH8OgaMM4PQbVyC8iO7moJwjbL0PFCkouZaZqgukWFeGbIwaa-_6jfExb-P07Rbkv/s320/fall2010+020.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-91752854643451571202010-11-12T20:01:00.002-05:002010-11-12T20:16:44.275-05:00birthday slippers<div>my newest experiments: pajama pants and slippers. i sort of made up my own pattern for both, and gave them to my sister for her birthday. i haven't heard any updates from her on how she likes them, so hopefully they were as comfy-cozy as i was hoping for! </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfD_O5gde0tYnfLLk3xgClQ0kxliAFtSmE3qKZHGGh4McGO39UQ712kGT0KkPRtJsCupz76kr3tmCWXlYmFptT2maqoMnVnyWeR0M7wxCATjcqhsPrvcuFBN3ud50w5GyDrdS77Wou6yB/s1600/019.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 368px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538836537748854786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfD_O5gde0tYnfLLk3xgClQ0kxliAFtSmE3qKZHGGh4McGO39UQ712kGT0KkPRtJsCupz76kr3tmCWXlYmFptT2maqoMnVnyWeR0M7wxCATjcqhsPrvcuFBN3ud50w5GyDrdS77Wou6yB/s400/019.JPG" /></a> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538836532674993122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRUxHAPfEuq-vYuq8LhFesh0hXuGqoi5S5asY94j6grpQwAWWNheCNEXOyMdhfHijJFtR1PR5GHkb3cJRZaQCFnIIDI7widH6grOXpubWyzR0UZqOQm4eKW4nwi4lDl08E5oWmSruFeN4/s400/021.JPG" />i appliqued a kitty on a t-shirt for her too:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2r_Koor6Di7Pfr2inixxOWPGXpnXo2Fv-5iz9_jsx8CB0pItCiSuqgxq2xg1XNGHDTXf1HZOU9xg8P8MYlz-okqXvoMkT6dV6rPgUMK0W_v2z-PjQVVinUjeUbTXNXtev0sMs0kwfOCH/s1600/024.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 284px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538836533801064578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2r_Koor6Di7Pfr2inixxOWPGXpnXo2Fv-5iz9_jsx8CB0pItCiSuqgxq2xg1XNGHDTXf1HZOU9xg8P8MYlz-okqXvoMkT6dV6rPgUMK0W_v2z-PjQVVinUjeUbTXNXtev0sMs0kwfOCH/s400/024.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 1em; MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; CLEAR: right" href="http://goo.gl/photos/7ZUdL8AnhX" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_LVZWvPH8MbU/TNbKJARIm1I/AAAAAAAABUE/aAflROWNafg/s512/023.JPG" /></a></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-50249977619376042092010-11-07T10:38:00.003-05:002010-11-12T20:09:47.993-05:00OBX 2010we went to the outer banks again this year. a lovely week on the beach! <br /><br />we stopped at williamsburg for an hour or so...walked around in the rain...had our pictures taken in the stocks...<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538834637775136802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdapDXlv5kRv5CgDdqTyGde2UhsZG0GbtdwfbaUJmjsO_-zhJkOkc2QhjNIeVF4hrvk9FqMm5OTHDQjMC1ZOTXXN1H-NHfi96Bwqscj4-FhKGltMTRY37qRTqNInAGq49D3-E0O-QlhlI3/s320/vacation2010+004.JPG" /><br />...and then on to the beach!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Yen2cujQklvPYdUjgWbaTy8PJc8PO6ZFgnAtir7nVO3EA7w_X7o9adiomJ7syIJiFKS72NxGFjvl0jj6ETofFUwRmYWw2fyd9i8m3imbmZTi7H6AkP_KCHDmUqWq6R4VZuhuB7PEnnkr/s1600/vacation2010+017.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538834650523663378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Yen2cujQklvPYdUjgWbaTy8PJc8PO6ZFgnAtir7nVO3EA7w_X7o9adiomJ7syIJiFKS72NxGFjvl0jj6ETofFUwRmYWw2fyd9i8m3imbmZTi7H6AkP_KCHDmUqWq6R4VZuhuB7PEnnkr/s320/vacation2010+017.JPG" /></a> here's a really awful self-taken squinty photo:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFf7_U9L2nZVjZlcVMQcHhkJYiy8ywmuhsPYGXj7RVFWr46LZK-hsaDUP4wQpLHHMhnIp1GTRa8ejOmaMHKmeTl4MmjaaJeQ82u6s_4H7O7-K6b1kyS03hdgPH8QqSnak5xpw7-1pbooMd/s1600/vacation2010+015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538834646726985330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFf7_U9L2nZVjZlcVMQcHhkJYiy8ywmuhsPYGXj7RVFWr46LZK-hsaDUP4wQpLHHMhnIp1GTRa8ejOmaMHKmeTl4MmjaaJeQ82u6s_4H7O7-K6b1kyS03hdgPH8QqSnak5xpw7-1pbooMd/s320/vacation2010+015.JPG" /></a> and the mighty fishermen: <br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYrtcBusvNsZ0OOwnAOXdniBchSbIUCLpAVHaJRx2WktYiZKc7-R8eK_tjgbfOmD-mKFE1WZf3EbPgRVdsZC8LS65a8RQskyq_LZBgUQHfhNUmM487CQIx2eKdrC48-vCsRaw4SQvuDlY/s1600/vacation2010+040.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538834640949400850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYrtcBusvNsZ0OOwnAOXdniBchSbIUCLpAVHaJRx2WktYiZKc7-R8eK_tjgbfOmD-mKFE1WZf3EbPgRVdsZC8LS65a8RQskyq_LZBgUQHfhNUmM487CQIx2eKdrC48-vCsRaw4SQvuDlY/s320/vacation2010+040.JPG" /></a> </div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-39995936000496654672010-11-07T10:02:00.002-05:002010-11-07T10:37:30.117-05:00A Joyful Day!One of my best friends got married this year (August 14th - I'm a little behind in the blogging!). I had the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">privilege</span> to be the matron of honor in the wedding ("matron" sure makes me sound old, doesn't it?). It was a beautiful, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">celebratory</span> day!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUMuN68qLTOOdgobkr_UzkigCaMdr2Z53FYG_P1K_swT_b-2gUK_QwjbhQoYtP0kQSGXXIk-AKvv5k8S7PMXuz2Vt9G0xI7glzrVMVmNtk9LLmsFrlTjXTDkbdgaehhd7wLqUpg-Hc6WA/s1600/karen+wedding+056.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 261px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536824822607014706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUMuN68qLTOOdgobkr_UzkigCaMdr2Z53FYG_P1K_swT_b-2gUK_QwjbhQoYtP0kQSGXXIk-AKvv5k8S7PMXuz2Vt9G0xI7glzrVMVmNtk9LLmsFrlTjXTDkbdgaehhd7wLqUpg-Hc6WA/s320/karen+wedding+056.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RXvgxIDlvXPYr3plHkb1EZU-hyJKeZcNZyahZL_ynbakoFTbw959Ps7PfmRmLOnS-onv9VkQ4ArJM_CZPEGY2NPXdoNw6RjOAibWAuoYuz37cz6-ZHhT0_Ff7xTRrlOr37B8HitU8e6C/s1600/karen+wedding+061.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 188px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536824820116378642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RXvgxIDlvXPYr3plHkb1EZU-hyJKeZcNZyahZL_ynbakoFTbw959Ps7PfmRmLOnS-onv9VkQ4ArJM_CZPEGY2NPXdoNw6RjOAibWAuoYuz37cz6-ZHhT0_Ff7xTRrlOr37B8HitU8e6C/s320/karen+wedding+061.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzVH0ImCJR-ZVRE9KkeryfZRkPnRlKarnKzz7J3QeBfAinS-ShHeboLyCC18ooCogJGC_Xv-eN84QSExWDPrhQHeJ6xRumZTDFGUfEIkwAtynuCyNntOgAjgFuHrAkv06R0MYfjFPvrsi/s1600/karen+wedding+053.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 318px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536824813964579794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzVH0ImCJR-ZVRE9KkeryfZRkPnRlKarnKzz7J3QeBfAinS-ShHeboLyCC18ooCogJGC_Xv-eN84QSExWDPrhQHeJ6xRumZTDFGUfEIkwAtynuCyNntOgAjgFuHrAkv06R0MYfjFPvrsi/s320/karen+wedding+053.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOnLAWjV4lJWMLGN8JRuiHX8NeW_STAqrNAeTxtM6xk8RiSmhjW8TTzUGt6jumPAoQKTCXriFEmFqT8aR7jdVaBPRih8cOYqP7ZzA16TkQvl8YW4xhI_HlKHT9utBvV1oqLzpBVIJzgni/s1600/karen+wedding+041.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 224px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536824810261018162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOnLAWjV4lJWMLGN8JRuiHX8NeW_STAqrNAeTxtM6xk8RiSmhjW8TTzUGt6jumPAoQKTCXriFEmFqT8aR7jdVaBPRih8cOYqP7ZzA16TkQvl8YW4xhI_HlKHT9utBvV1oqLzpBVIJzgni/s320/karen+wedding+041.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1Lee2aY_VZxkNPN3X4TNMQwL76I5mlATHsLcCLhvLjeV1D28nZMhR2_70tAEgJZ9Gx93u-8rmug0Dn25l_AFH_Q8_hnFlShdxeUZyIRTpvumxo7Des0HMMZzn16m8S2KnQrEKGSpEB0B/s1600/karen+wedding+010.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 288px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536824802266199346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1Lee2aY_VZxkNPN3X4TNMQwL76I5mlATHsLcCLhvLjeV1D28nZMhR2_70tAEgJZ9Gx93u-8rmug0Dn25l_AFH_Q8_hnFlShdxeUZyIRTpvumxo7Des0HMMZzn16m8S2KnQrEKGSpEB0B/s320/karen+wedding+010.JPG" /></a> <div> </div></div></div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-62611864280476480322010-10-02T20:42:00.004-04:002010-10-02T20:55:52.737-04:00more awesome little friendsEven though we don't have kids of our own yet, I'm so thankful to be able to enjoy other people's kids - especially my nieces & nephews. We don't get to see everyone as much as we'd like, but it is nice to have my brother's kids fairly close by. <br /><br />A few weeks ago, Grace and Caroline were looking through a costume magazine and asked me if I would help them make their Halloween costumes this year. So, the 3 of us took a trip to the fabric store and picked out patterns and fabric and all the fixin's for costumes. Grace wanted to be a "dragon ninja" - so we found a pattern for a karate uniform and went from there. Caroline was a little more complicated. She wanted to be a puppy dog and we had a hard time finding the right puppy dog costume pattern. Grace asked her at one point if she wanted to be a dalmatian, and she said: "NO, I don't want to be a dalmatian!" Later, when picking out our fabric, she looked up at me and said, "Aunt Laura, can I be a white puppy dog with black spots?" But not a dalmatian, right? :-) <br /><br />Ben didn't ask me for a costume this year...maybe next time, ok, buddy? <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 318px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523614869285418418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pBHvyLPojeMasc_vv1DboMg187kHxggOE-mQNnY5Naa7FAGjS3F8liTB4kGMplVre-lujw9x0DsO8hPnAkI-VWV5D1OU0nz7mMeeSOXY7CYf2gMogCrdGcHlo7DPg6aEbC2OR9ymg3Zv/s320/halloween2010+025.JPG" />Here's Dragon Ninja Grace. She still wants a sword to complete the costume: <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0chVOQ8fVeErl9NgjDz5jC77HPbBlfgAxOgNsiX5ol_UBtEzQnAKPF7XN1cucdwUW_2LwOzR9HTS3Xq5_I1YlMug9nK0mWaxveLbiqNvpNk0QxrZCGzd0ZrVymWfhpuWbRnPnsJlmjSYD/s1600/halloween2010+034.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 218px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523614220245679186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0chVOQ8fVeErl9NgjDz5jC77HPbBlfgAxOgNsiX5ol_UBtEzQnAKPF7XN1cucdwUW_2LwOzR9HTS3Xq5_I1YlMug9nK0mWaxveLbiqNvpNk0QxrZCGzd0ZrVymWfhpuWbRnPnsJlmjSYD/s320/halloween2010+034.JPG" /></a><br />The girls playing in their costumes:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_04E8yiQ1-umv3locv1uyBeOuKteLivpsvmQgCYJpB81ZPprxJb6McHcpiVByAJmhZrvCaU59YNZeQ6kseMVDSQP6t8HmN3f-uqRp83BKCYTjdLju5dYTUd89AhCw9j3OmwLJ7Gbrqo_/s1600/halloween2010+032.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 202px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523614214207239618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_04E8yiQ1-umv3locv1uyBeOuKteLivpsvmQgCYJpB81ZPprxJb6McHcpiVByAJmhZrvCaU59YNZeQ6kseMVDSQP6t8HmN3f-uqRp83BKCYTjdLju5dYTUd89AhCw9j3OmwLJ7Gbrqo_/s320/halloween2010+032.JPG" /></a><br />white-puppy-dog-with-black-spots Caroline:<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLczVGkSjFj3KyKOISVwh5pNA_s3rAvzGa5ZSLGkD6nOOgtCw2ULoxm0DGSZkAE57xJuPZG3HIzqGcBSjAFYSxuczgyI61R5EM5dVOYMCI_s6sg2woKnOJwosCmk_hfU30qVTbMumMG6w5/s1600/halloween2010+030.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523614210464590018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLczVGkSjFj3KyKOISVwh5pNA_s3rAvzGa5ZSLGkD6nOOgtCw2ULoxm0DGSZkAE57xJuPZG3HIzqGcBSjAFYSxuczgyI61R5EM5dVOYMCI_s6sg2woKnOJwosCmk_hfU30qVTbMumMG6w5/s320/halloween2010+030.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div></div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-78701415715431460012010-10-02T20:09:00.003-04:002010-10-02T20:41:43.976-04:00one of my favorite little friendsI changed the format of this blog a few months ago, from just posting random things to posting things that bring beauty and joy into my life. I couldn't do that without sharing a little about our little friend Winnie. Winnie's mom and dad adopted her from Ethiopia several months ago and I have absolutely loved getting to know this kid. It's been so amazing to watch her mom and dad go through the adoption process and see their family grow, and to be able to share in that a little bit. It's such a bright spot in my week to go over to their house for small group on Wednesday evenings and have her greet us with "Laura! Keith!" (it actually sounds more like "Lura! Keet!" and I love it!). Winnie hugs are some of the best hugs - medicine for my soul.<br /><div></div><div> </div><div>We got to spend a week at the beach with some of our good friends, including Winnie. So much fun on the beach and catching crabs and playing in the pool... I even got to show her how to use a boogie board a little bit. </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523612149676548850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6IV5ogcFwg0tphnfpGLtq9vS_wOSJcTbEZbP1fFQ_VAs0DDKm1ylHeVg9g3z71xg2NuKU3nXhqNVbEUmsX5AuZwD2OxlsyRVGxUpTkEeC1Vzpgm88sgBpowTt9e2MU12IlmuQbX_JFvy/s320/vacation2010+025.JPG" /> <div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzkXMuSWsaEZNK8gvw-577AVwFWL0SLROGy2Px9sXUj8AZSCLJtn9EfVAaGjKJoTqc53nuLZ98g2oaa4-fsLiPup2LjEOj7UzojYOeB4CiIaC7gBCgQJ1jEqcVqKrgiuNG8cjOh9-9sER/s1600/vacation2010+046.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523607411876864354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzkXMuSWsaEZNK8gvw-577AVwFWL0SLROGy2Px9sXUj8AZSCLJtn9EfVAaGjKJoTqc53nuLZ98g2oaa4-fsLiPup2LjEOj7UzojYOeB4CiIaC7gBCgQJ1jEqcVqKrgiuNG8cjOh9-9sER/s320/vacation2010+046.JPG" /></a><br />Here she is playing peek-a-boo with me at Williamsburg: <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUwSE5zbvFv6Ojeh0J4X_1DRok9zJOO5gVqMKfgyhaaH__M_TtnUMPhoURKmdMnkmeIwhT6Q7mXSBjD-TFQ9wxVLu1_auVA-jZG8lSNQLc616ncPGHUifR9Z5SR5K8RRuttQvhW3zsLy0/s1600/vacation2010+017.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523607399085512898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUwSE5zbvFv6Ojeh0J4X_1DRok9zJOO5gVqMKfgyhaaH__M_TtnUMPhoURKmdMnkmeIwhT6Q7mXSBjD-TFQ9wxVLu1_auVA-jZG8lSNQLc616ncPGHUifR9Z5SR5K8RRuttQvhW3zsLy0/s320/vacation2010+017.JPG" /></a><br />modeling the dress I made for her...who wouldn't love that smile??<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCk4EPOK5Wp-6fX-TkxXG7ZHtqhENf_hzGyjUGibhSXyN5ZB_Nq-00-kYizjqIc1x7iwoyDgIXV1ZLwQNN2aknsZgxo8S6snHO5p9XAdrZukjFMdc2Gor3z-s6B8Tq9OLOqlHiroZlIBS/s1600/karen+wedding+002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 215px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523607393907252786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCk4EPOK5Wp-6fX-TkxXG7ZHtqhENf_hzGyjUGibhSXyN5ZB_Nq-00-kYizjqIc1x7iwoyDgIXV1ZLwQNN2aknsZgxo8S6snHO5p9XAdrZukjFMdc2Gor3z-s6B8Tq9OLOqlHiroZlIBS/s320/karen+wedding+002.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11623240799732730906noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-80542574070856876252010-06-15T19:37:00.006-04:002010-06-15T19:59:56.671-04:00a dress for me!My good friend Abigail loaned me this cute pattern several months ago...and I just remembered it this past weekend and thought I'd give it a try!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/patterns_display.php?id=34"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf0kqb7EmmqoQZ1qjZlCS3C7JHFyLrDL_mcNBonOkGUM-Z6VB8iuX5NnplEaizom8N2xYsK_QouFH1nkV-F-9aK3GmDX4IhhrwK5ArMhD0taR9Cppyy0Iwy1919cbZHL4xgYJGgelpVE/s400/anna_cover_med.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483151350642541298" border="0" /></a>I made my tunic into a dress - it has been so hot lately that a cute cotton dress sounded really nice. I can't wait to wear it! <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNsMjOYcg3RNcv8KFilVNehHqsus6YTnxbHkv4yCKJM0j7_L5MpPZ0hOnFHwQRyjyav06kLd42CfIM1cJcBifZQesGnSQIiTUUgKkmLFnWRPaIgnc4me08BX5chr_cPqwpefmS2j4Y7Q/s1600/dresses+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSNsMjOYcg3RNcv8KFilVNehHqsus6YTnxbHkv4yCKJM0j7_L5MpPZ0hOnFHwQRyjyav06kLd42CfIM1cJcBifZQesGnSQIiTUUgKkmLFnWRPaIgnc4me08BX5chr_cPqwpefmS2j4Y7Q/s400/dresses+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483151118138777058" border="0" /></a>With yellow coordinating buttons on the back: <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNplDKgZhAY977hAU_pAqEW2akzmrSOB4vKkqftI7p0KZ4OcXUSU2eF8TeAq3TZxIYHOWK90GPMfapIfRrIvjRtedPvO6GFNVSc9g7tEsx-aeNLHinLtU8ec_K7t3FMwBwmCcsoWkkNZ4/s1600/dresses+005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNplDKgZhAY977hAU_pAqEW2akzmrSOB4vKkqftI7p0KZ4OcXUSU2eF8TeAq3TZxIYHOWK90GPMfapIfRrIvjRtedPvO6GFNVSc9g7tEsx-aeNLHinLtU8ec_K7t3FMwBwmCcsoWkkNZ4/s400/dresses+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483153125730101842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHyvlv7nnzAGNcLZOz5OCo2TTxQF4xagypaaiOWbZwRzieW2hKtDnvxaUsJ_HE2uoQ66wrpdjK0Zs_Y1_Ekn3Zlxj_blM8qfcYjw3Oy-sbPaeoWkWZBBlLNO-3uU_9AOXuiHQrl3XvXg/s1600/dresses+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHyvlv7nnzAGNcLZOz5OCo2TTxQF4xagypaaiOWbZwRzieW2hKtDnvxaUsJ_HE2uoQ66wrpdjK0Zs_Y1_Ekn3Zlxj_blM8qfcYjw3Oy-sbPaeoWkWZBBlLNO-3uU_9AOXuiHQrl3XvXg/s400/dresses+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483152597155380114" border="0" /></a>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-4357083613109516742010-06-06T20:59:00.003-04:002010-06-06T21:12:34.035-04:00Sundresses!I had a fun weekend of sewing sundresses for my nieces. They both have birthdays this summer, and I was feeling inspired. I thought they turned out really well - I just hope the girls like them. <br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 326px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479830918664532114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlGxLYgRh4O1qUuboz_l1plAEJdw6ou7SV3tXvgGaAju6yLke9ZhjAHVYQcUGvbc_GW-0BN0asZo1hBnfpOnxRkBjtYS4u_HQVJLW3yGnnwCGh8ke_Xj1-O2fU-YjNZoqQ-4U4t-q-6w/s400/dresses+005.JPG" /><br />I love these girls! <br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479832283852836562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAyXE9MrSg-xm30ZwrzMgnsSRAcgtfBbfnAeopFDGKnL_LkTo6lBfu1rjw-GWkacBiEbCMjzwgrhfx2OgevG_5QiWn9q44288R6yZCepWKadbpd6nI-xSoLF4QvjJbDm1dcdouTadlSxk/s400/padgett+125.JPG" /><br />The purple one is for Grace. <br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 261px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479830909047390034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmC6JsohsnxvBIK9HRo8lvhcHwzf3SbMvAgLFLbvDjBPcPhTNbkT0ekbcYDdCWmMNnW1Sgbp_CX3sVhH9OTZZlaUcfDKH5Xt_tefP8HrDJygd7bevHOohHx8B6bsfK3ulk4NnrYx0CdM/s400/dresses+003.JPG" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfbud0Q5wNhWPxfjS1D8jcynZcwNGAmTeXIjwdUlnhFcBL42Qpf_k79JDatlBX7ebQLqoEiRQneqUxW0Om6mPWlX2zsp7jkb8uWEh7dRCypJtkhzHwK3coYC2chgwH9rfXtGgZTQcbOk/s1600/padgett+122.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479832289889073570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfbud0Q5wNhWPxfjS1D8jcynZcwNGAmTeXIjwdUlnhFcBL42Qpf_k79JDatlBX7ebQLqoEiRQneqUxW0Om6mPWlX2zsp7jkb8uWEh7dRCypJtkhzHwK3coYC2chgwH9rfXtGgZTQcbOk/s400/padgett+122.JPG" /></a><br /><div> And pink for Caroline. <br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 275px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479830894619621266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYQMROuWdtFCP9L7TIT8Hf0_yuZ0USj1olTBsdo7BPJ20X_QvEKndNPoIevPy4ROMZg-duMVKLoKA_195BocIPI3zflT8nXBZF5ICx31SmgawNRKJzNpjgM6E7AWmI1xhIFUs0ejxImw/s400/dresses+002.JPG" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9Lii1wZSmeNlws7eslrkQXuucK2DwNrs6S3cZ7w3MptNP0pdolQMY4Zq3p00m2kMtX8MGzbboyJ65QxaJU4vh2AY4ngrDa5LLnGxyl_jIHesg7zuLsRlXaklTwEAF5agY_Vh63NUPpQ/s1600/100_0301.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 343px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479832264773462418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ9Lii1wZSmeNlws7eslrkQXuucK2DwNrs6S3cZ7w3MptNP0pdolQMY4Zq3p00m2kMtX8MGzbboyJ65QxaJU4vh2AY4ngrDa5LLnGxyl_jIHesg7zuLsRlXaklTwEAF5agY_Vh63NUPpQ/s400/100_0301.JPG" /></a> </div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-28363419931737583632010-05-29T17:07:00.004-04:002010-05-29T17:21:24.700-04:00this year's "garden"Our apartment doesn't have much space for actual "gardening" this year, but I've been making the most of it. <br /><br />I'll start with my indoor plants. I have acquired a couple of orchids this year - one from my dear friend Emelia, when she moved far, far away, and the other from my dear husband. Both are blooming beautifully right now<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY6f3V4q8BKABlmgWTvymjC9xui5co7gb_l4lPTb1s34rgn1O-8ajUQ9Ft2vjNR-qaOeLTeSYS8EJOKhqcQccI_DQAm4mSRh5pWuUZ-NkyVJrsefAEgqVBssiLpCmvNEVQkjNtCKIUrE/s1600/spring2010+011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476802901471593938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY6f3V4q8BKABlmgWTvymjC9xui5co7gb_l4lPTb1s34rgn1O-8ajUQ9Ft2vjNR-qaOeLTeSYS8EJOKhqcQccI_DQAm4mSRh5pWuUZ-NkyVJrsefAEgqVBssiLpCmvNEVQkjNtCKIUrE/s400/spring2010+011.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho36SoQtDwpeMgCrNjsKE0xeHrccpC5u6IJ8SGARfD7SsXzg0G3RksSXHa2OUska-Z2nmOVBBUtTUosccNtlQiGSqtnb7M2cX-TwSIqcUb8wykTUGo_mmljp8a_6nHXXEyjqIwdPnqeko/s1600/spring2010+014.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 316px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476802894099128146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho36SoQtDwpeMgCrNjsKE0xeHrccpC5u6IJ8SGARfD7SsXzg0G3RksSXHa2OUska-Z2nmOVBBUtTUosccNtlQiGSqtnb7M2cX-TwSIqcUb8wykTUGo_mmljp8a_6nHXXEyjqIwdPnqeko/s400/spring2010+014.JPG" /></a></div><div>For the outside "garden" I have several pots on my window sills and steps. <br /></div><div>This is when I first planted stuff in the pots-- snapdragons, basil, oregano, and petunias.</div><div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 207px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476801968452615938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidV3nUYCLjCW2P3soFvwI_zkRk_QOCcc-Z7Q9s7DtE5x80cgCwWPGvV3JRK_Pp_n0_Xp7_B6L49a6bNfONNLSuKXp08t5PHyeNGYTsQopGVPRYzuPcJxMqi8m3KDEJ8GKqMjshWtMGG9w/s400/spring2010+002.JPG" /></div><div> </div><div>See how <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">they've</span> grown! I added a couple more pots, too - rosemary and thyme</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 249px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476802879796348834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIDYYYlcRY6ZgSjH8WYwj35KoLkk8TKhjGRLyA-df_yogLiXSAvjXC1YzvAMjyN_Dff3soky63UIyp5mpKpANBl56gNpbExx5JMuqp2p2X7A8nr90d4zvMh1H3B31nQ_PxL0zFWo6uag/s400/spring2010+016.JPG" /></div><div> </div><div>Here's my other window sill planter - I can never remember their name, but I love these little pink flowers.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 310px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476801978101753186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMXoSGsrPy2QSWFDCGl95XGLkI1PvIGiD6ryQYuzP2efTvY6jqFoRZ_hZqrPoe4a15jn0xe3QPsp5qrieMXhx34hlRaD-sQPLrvmnoHPo-7pfrvQTzNRccXn0_B6-0k64GyR_cF3qqZU/s400/spring2010+001.JPG" /></div><div> </div><div>This one has grown quite a bit as well...and I added another pot of parsley... (now I just need some sage to go along with the song lyrics...)</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 249px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476802871909827666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8MrNCXLYN3k88GGSNIRbIJlkFbeRml86ytFtvcq6SgZ8o-hlhXeFwwtqlqc6Sw5Yv74gOngjwxLT0fpIaCcHo51O9elEvKHkbIlrxf6NoNY7oVhwr3emUYFjeSk8ySHmkHS6-YuXGIg/s400/spring2010+017.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 302px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476802887222304754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOKEAKDSU46Z4XvYzVoJWjryQ1P8Y_4Gj4ubyhdCt-Q681QpF5ikEcXnDtiGRUWB-vZUuCRtHkpQ9fgsgaA93uJVthUjMQZ-_vYuXNG7zgAPde5inwaz05mJliAAYD4m1uwAPrIsi_ASQ/s400/spring2010+015.JPG" /> </div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-63966447649750720642010-04-13T19:17:00.003-04:002010-04-13T19:31:26.457-04:00fun family weekendSomehow my entire family ended up in Brownsville this past weekend: Lee, Amy, Grace, Caroline, and Ben; Rachel; Keith & me. It doesn't happen often, that we are all together like this, and we had a great time. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3G-WFM-82IXHg_o0pSG_KeLcHOnbvyAkUZ2he226J4eE5IipsapMMAbIDLTvAu2yd6fI-V-xLh0bVYtAWQJrmR5ndP0LJZnRkcP880x7Lwkrnd_JX9TaO20h7zjF5TTXjabt7QNw7_k/s1600/spring2010+004.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459767091455549618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3G-WFM-82IXHg_o0pSG_KeLcHOnbvyAkUZ2he226J4eE5IipsapMMAbIDLTvAu2yd6fI-V-xLh0bVYtAWQJrmR5ndP0LJZnRkcP880x7Lwkrnd_JX9TaO20h7zjF5TTXjabt7QNw7_k/s400/spring2010+004.JPG" /></a> Hi, Grace :-)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rIcF0yWZuieH_qsZkc6Xd2LIONgm50NXN3gauYD4H5B2A5aeWikMkVjWku28hAV1ZvCI-QwHMPuauuWMrgIdWwEMJfosRzeUM4YPbhK4ZF7Ch_THcDQFdTag_w9SspokvDFZp2mD78k/s1600/spring2010+005.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459767088022691234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rIcF0yWZuieH_qsZkc6Xd2LIONgm50NXN3gauYD4H5B2A5aeWikMkVjWku28hAV1ZvCI-QwHMPuauuWMrgIdWwEMJfosRzeUM4YPbhK4ZF7Ch_THcDQFdTag_w9SspokvDFZp2mD78k/s400/spring2010+005.JPG" /></a> Not many smiles from Ben this weekend - he wasn't feeling very well. </div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XxMuzJUTbRvzez0xynZ04C1CwvQdRw9JWS3xIVYThzlJtwdKV4qvzD-n9YaYucSDOEKDlUNeePz_jU_3v__XsZEeVe2MOjbjmHR8072SStiC7LlC6ktdT5AuiqT6kqthS9L3waZ989s/s1600/spring2010+007.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459767075836044338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XxMuzJUTbRvzez0xynZ04C1CwvQdRw9JWS3xIVYThzlJtwdKV4qvzD-n9YaYucSDOEKDlUNeePz_jU_3v__XsZEeVe2MOjbjmHR8072SStiC7LlC6ktdT5AuiqT6kqthS9L3waZ989s/s400/spring2010+007.JPG" /></a> But he did seem to enjoy the tractor. <br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UziNh9B-t9kO19OF2EB4548Qg6XI8eMEPImBSMpS1adP8hmfKKTpAYS0qdjLCSmA6D2-IYw3densVnRKxKXC13diZB3URi6rgNXM_MlQI8rbD4bKWYAoWlWaEQBs-TGI-BqomQ9lL9s/s1600/spring2010+006.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459767073695835266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UziNh9B-t9kO19OF2EB4548Qg6XI8eMEPImBSMpS1adP8hmfKKTpAYS0qdjLCSmA6D2-IYw3densVnRKxKXC13diZB3URi6rgNXM_MlQI8rbD4bKWYAoWlWaEQBs-TGI-BqomQ9lL9s/s400/spring2010+006.JPG" /></a>And Caroline loved the swing</div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1-IiiKXQtse6paJelzueI8g36hz5X_mgbQbCafPZBmw5kmY_BDw8xCQXqynkkR8CdRdxzHl_0gsQP__c7YYCDFqtFS_zGRh2UJtEdvckfccSXrtzsU41k7tzufbRZkqZdbj9FqRGLJ0/s1600/spring2010+008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459766235504100834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1-IiiKXQtse6paJelzueI8g36hz5X_mgbQbCafPZBmw5kmY_BDw8xCQXqynkkR8CdRdxzHl_0gsQP__c7YYCDFqtFS_zGRh2UJtEdvckfccSXrtzsU41k7tzufbRZkqZdbj9FqRGLJ0/s400/spring2010+008.JPG" /></a> And Grace had fun with the cats<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RxVlDiJXbT788R27DXo7N1IXagBuWY9ip2eOPqQ7QmXA0ZLyEj98vi1yuQroaM9eW9EEj3hHcXY-HHPdJ0rDAjtdNqkdothHI7sHu-ud4PrCpQvXRyzLg5nr5J1tgud4oBab8Wn9-EE/s1600/spring2010+010.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459766224187036674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RxVlDiJXbT788R27DXo7N1IXagBuWY9ip2eOPqQ7QmXA0ZLyEj98vi1yuQroaM9eW9EEj3hHcXY-HHPdJ0rDAjtdNqkdothHI7sHu-ud4PrCpQvXRyzLg5nr5J1tgud4oBab8Wn9-EE/s400/spring2010+010.JPG" /></a> Here's grandpa and Caroline at "Big Ben Lake"<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyX9bF8UL3-0C52x7kDour_HiGxYsttOWoBmdcP7orYQJuCO_5nRrhQtwjDQQDc9INJCsx_l77yaWaMczAabOgoB0SZ7zEmHTGGS-ITiShvRLtcSwbH4jequ3S7MOdixAE47VsbBAswU/s1600/spring2010+014.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 327px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459766215001580962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyX9bF8UL3-0C52x7kDour_HiGxYsttOWoBmdcP7orYQJuCO_5nRrhQtwjDQQDc9INJCsx_l77yaWaMczAabOgoB0SZ7zEmHTGGS-ITiShvRLtcSwbH4jequ3S7MOdixAE47VsbBAswU/s400/spring2010+014.JPG" /></a> Fishing with Grandpa<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eC2Ucu6ewxREyyoKueRKBI4olZis3aAIr6yYcUGH-eGbTRVs9QZVl15L2ZVC5ZL7-CXIjh2P4HqCKKbzdWpq0NEVThgRv43iC0gEJc7eRZLk8b1iL8i3kK1WgrFR3X3-1jIpNarZq4Y/s1600/spring2010+015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459766203547828994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eC2Ucu6ewxREyyoKueRKBI4olZis3aAIr6yYcUGH-eGbTRVs9QZVl15L2ZVC5ZL7-CXIjh2P4HqCKKbzdWpq0NEVThgRv43iC0gEJc7eRZLk8b1iL8i3kK1WgrFR3X3-1jIpNarZq4Y/s400/spring2010+015.JPG" /></a> Dad & the girls at the pond<br /><div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-80046631608359698292010-04-04T21:37:00.005-04:002010-04-07T18:14:51.852-04:00a restful weekendWe had a wonderful weekend in Hocking Hills recently. We stayed at a quiet little cabin at <a href="http://www.hockinghills.com/thunder/">Thunder Ridge</a> (I would highly recommend this place!). It was a much-needed restful get-away. <br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 383px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456462964265600210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-SBY-zzecxjI5KppuSHjPQOEASvE6e4yeC1bVGQDZstTkZ9GcN2OdQgJl5iOQZ6RDwZxYmlm_TErwwEVr2KvZCUrzHXnDGnPh320xyL3FQvhpXrJH8argKXrMsLkQtMN3lHsl-ks29o/s400/spring+2010+023.JPG" /><br />Who wouldn't have a fun weekend with this guy around? :-)<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456462960525200450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSJYaOHXkUBRZ7zGGZ28HvfXjWoq15V8ewPOf2gIFltCeNPqJikRhd0qvs4tKbfMUcZY1tLzAr0OaMJs7q74nSyEwAOsqltONtcipeHj1IS67Q54jqsebavkxc0ozpgLsHe-mq9jKDKA/s400/spring+2010+026.JPG" /><br />"Hello. Welcome to Ash Cave."<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTVjHT3kQ2c9AmHo6bux9TXqdQmUfeL1UDNheKvxguVBxWVo_yQSWFjq4gFywN8eBx7PQHnteK-nPsOVvzMK0Sn4KL94Ee6TnlNfaN1nDCX8jr4ftvfPq3GAdrT-EJfhRDNGm9b2UdG0/s1600/spring+2010+078.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457514527504615010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTVjHT3kQ2c9AmHo6bux9TXqdQmUfeL1UDNheKvxguVBxWVo_yQSWFjq4gFywN8eBx7PQHnteK-nPsOVvzMK0Sn4KL94Ee6TnlNfaN1nDCX8jr4ftvfPq3GAdrT-EJfhRDNGm9b2UdG0/s400/spring+2010+078.JPG" /></a>One of my favorite moments was feeding these <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallow_Deer">Fallow Deer</a> in Logan after dinner one night. <br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70f13wvvxb2MSZUOjuWmxG9fd8waWbUUwmgrhszl1N118pYoIdXq-322zhJItdIhuI4vjO_TGdQG3Sj4MxrAIIL_IeA_XHF_Qm07dps0R5obmFlV9Bi4f0d9DNo_YGobmDrqLP7rspvE/s1600/spring+2010+077.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457514521348761394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70f13wvvxb2MSZUOjuWmxG9fd8waWbUUwmgrhszl1N118pYoIdXq-322zhJItdIhuI4vjO_TGdQG3Sj4MxrAIIL_IeA_XHF_Qm07dps0R5obmFlV9Bi4f0d9DNo_YGobmDrqLP7rspvE/s400/spring+2010+077.JPG" /></a><br /><br />This was along the road to our cabin. I really hope this rock isn't planning on shifting anytime soon! <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJZwWCvYV9mIi6ropSg2k63MOh7Kb443oCaqjKLg3HsVVro0r2Mb0PwiCKTI_KzrubgqbdvE87CL7EUF61ewFMAKs12YjkfSu2jFfsCyWtfx7uFrsCnkZi_ZtnYsymwLNiltITJS7KQA/s1600/spring+2010+076.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457514510068444802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJZwWCvYV9mIi6ropSg2k63MOh7Kb443oCaqjKLg3HsVVro0r2Mb0PwiCKTI_KzrubgqbdvE87CL7EUF61ewFMAKs12YjkfSu2jFfsCyWtfx7uFrsCnkZi_ZtnYsymwLNiltITJS7KQA/s400/spring+2010+076.JPG" /></a><br />The rest of these are some shots from the parks in the Hills. We visited Ash Cave, Old Man's Cave and Cedar Falls. It was really nice to be out in nature for a little while after feeling cooped up all winter. <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0bNCFrRHuzBuuUullMQkRIA6u_UlZBzDTAsIEVLM4SH2CyR8ptDxBS8OorTJsBwju3VeTcnNFTLJsuGa_iZo4u0Mz1_t3axditd7Rth4qninn95Sgoid2JJzDieeSk86PCoaPW1DGcI/s1600/spring+2010+042.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457514502442028498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0bNCFrRHuzBuuUullMQkRIA6u_UlZBzDTAsIEVLM4SH2CyR8ptDxBS8OorTJsBwju3VeTcnNFTLJsuGa_iZo4u0Mz1_t3axditd7Rth4qninn95Sgoid2JJzDieeSk86PCoaPW1DGcI/s400/spring+2010+042.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9NUdygSPGdiRXLEoDYAoIoZURw2yNxrPbsYKUw0L2QJIdxvJVV1KHV-jNvlcBVC0WHWbhxAEzwcccujPISoqkpKace-ygN6r4VOSKTZmzYWGxe-W2TLglmQ1tZB9ewU2i7bdkecvt3c/s1600/spring+2010+057.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457514489581835026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9NUdygSPGdiRXLEoDYAoIoZURw2yNxrPbsYKUw0L2QJIdxvJVV1KHV-jNvlcBVC0WHWbhxAEzwcccujPISoqkpKace-ygN6r4VOSKTZmzYWGxe-W2TLglmQ1tZB9ewU2i7bdkecvt3c/s400/spring+2010+057.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRNZMpbEfe7g0KJpdsiBpdoMUCpM2IfB5ZyAM1pKOV12a_prYW8ardg1C3nx9gY5iaYupYz5lmWYdkU1lPrGSYf6nUSZJu1CurSugPrSLELkFGY4q7_x9DzMAOcqLsKJ9rPi-K3MmRXM/s1600/spring+2010+054.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456462980794251346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRNZMpbEfe7g0KJpdsiBpdoMUCpM2IfB5ZyAM1pKOV12a_prYW8ardg1C3nx9gY5iaYupYz5lmWYdkU1lPrGSYf6nUSZJu1CurSugPrSLELkFGY4q7_x9DzMAOcqLsKJ9rPi-K3MmRXM/s400/spring+2010+054.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4k6WcTY685b4UZ8i6su6FowXpp0efKPzabQw94ELIlKkcbZhlGUPDVI-n1Ff_bHV6Aau3jfsMbWz0RxnXUp0xLUg4Q6zckmOk2NFHCrayze4gVXi6uG7i4Rj7LfND_zv-j7S5lYPQfME/s1600/spring+2010+038.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456462973548861026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4k6WcTY685b4UZ8i6su6FowXpp0efKPzabQw94ELIlKkcbZhlGUPDVI-n1Ff_bHV6Aau3jfsMbWz0RxnXUp0xLUg4Q6zckmOk2NFHCrayze4gVXi6uG7i4Rj7LfND_zv-j7S5lYPQfME/s400/spring+2010+038.JPG" /></a> <div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3N_OYs7i4feNbTtZ0p_NLHW3zJGR-LonMs6D4w2FzIvBpYTmoA-ID8h7XMkv1wjbG-raaqhgUTA5TIzbGP-rUy4-ZYFxjHjnGnOws-ECFxtnY1w0t2u7wuKRuJkvx7GZG5HFY_egk2iw/s1600/spring+2010+032.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456462954415153458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3N_OYs7i4feNbTtZ0p_NLHW3zJGR-LonMs6D4w2FzIvBpYTmoA-ID8h7XMkv1wjbG-raaqhgUTA5TIzbGP-rUy4-ZYFxjHjnGnOws-ECFxtnY1w0t2u7wuKRuJkvx7GZG5HFY_egk2iw/s400/spring+2010+032.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-24033252708797121352010-04-01T20:53:00.002-04:002010-04-01T21:06:58.037-04:00a quilt fit for a catsome of my more recent sewing projects...<br /><br />i made this small kitty-sized blankie for my friend betty. she's a cat. i think she likes it. <br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455339148387308482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBge3XnGtbGBGmiukWmjo8kD_JMRMhepX6cHIPTnFeMiDuhWx-zZL6Y6xXLy2vfPW1DRjiM8izOpkI7fVp0cM2YMZNB8TVrRxLG40xa03ut9PX40z4-lJTSG0h3G4F0OELC3AsUTDHPKE/s400/spring+2010+016.JPG" /><br /><br />here's another rag quilt - my first ever adult sized quilt! (all my other quilt projects have been for babies or small children). it ended up a decent throw-blanket size. i was quite proud :-)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyElxkq_NdpdPmtqOEiheEjm97l_YofLiFX5zXml-Uj0WK6ih30hS0fx2JJ5YhWCY4k_-Zx5UDl_3mf7mwvOB7hNPRJz3-FbLCSQFQSRaPWZK0agsBIehT010LPWuuFxSelO5VQnYkKR8/s1600/spring+2010+022.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455339160870637698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyElxkq_NdpdPmtqOEiheEjm97l_YofLiFX5zXml-Uj0WK6ih30hS0fx2JJ5YhWCY4k_-Zx5UDl_3mf7mwvOB7hNPRJz3-FbLCSQFQSRaPWZK0agsBIehT010LPWuuFxSelO5VQnYkKR8/s400/spring+2010+022.JPG" /></a><br /><div> </div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-62928460983266785872010-01-28T20:59:00.000-05:002010-01-28T21:17:52.289-05:00best christmas gift EVER (look out white elephant parties!)When I was a little girl, I used to like to comb my uncle's hair. One day, he brought me a plastic head, like the one pictured below. I think he found it at a flea market--an old head used by cosmetology students to practice cutting and styling. He must have been tired of me combing his hair, so he gave me some fake hair to comb for a change. That gift provided hours of entertainment--I learned several styles of braiding and experimented on all sorts of hair styles. and my uncle probably is a little less bald today than he would have been, because I didn't comb his hair nearly as much after I received this wonderful gift.<br /><br /><br />When I went home for Christmas this year, I had an early present waiting for me. A decorative gift bag...with a new plastic head inside! I laughed so hard! What more could I want, but a head in a bag for Christmas?<br /><br /><br />I think it is kind of sad that most of my pictures from Christmas with the family have the head in there some where. Thank you, Uncle Jim, for providing so much comic relief over the holiday! and for those infamous white elephant parties with our small group, this one might crop up next time...just giving you all fair warning :-)<br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431976732515706034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrL4M1Lue2d_EOzWnOFUk93InOlHH6rTiEbBnsiLSHEQ2t_Jx9v0XIlYBJML1BUapcN8q_aB4qtu5mpt-AN1FZ5IZ5ry_gMpxBL2n1l7bdAJlKEVcd1uc-lrsx9RQeT3C3SC31uXtth8E/s400/christmas2009+003.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 215px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431976755765759826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UDFUysyymdInY2C2R5YqEavxtPXc2cb-hoRlB5oJDqeoKnaYMRH22AjyMUH7FB_0k9q_UIiGFZiXN0uFnt_nQ7Z1mrD6ShbfDJTe4HaPNPKaFpTsly3zy8C6hEcbIo30GET5t3XdwBI/s400/christmas2009+012.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431976764071361762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1pGXhrc-1W1aZ6nBDrUhiYsG1SlLfDASi-aa3GsmIZr8NCIAgedKK3ZRtlBl_WVeh6e8dsfxT1A49Q53FSUu-0LIBJ9IIxZyD1MkMgjgN0HpD-4x0nocHioBhaE0yjcnijt9hpAhIps/s400/christmas2009+011.JPG" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZKQmc8GC75AZFbrksapfqiCwKXKCp8mftP_NmFuNvZ22qRwqo0QHAOtcYZ9Zcw17BHGdNlTqgwkkwqFgdQKlZnpxJu1IinOpu9ZIFIHznDMbEQzwWUHtx5J5Nclsq0YyuFtmnDJ5yYc/s1600-h/christmas2009+002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 275px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431976744993178162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZKQmc8GC75AZFbrksapfqiCwKXKCp8mftP_NmFuNvZ22qRwqo0QHAOtcYZ9Zcw17BHGdNlTqgwkkwqFgdQKlZnpxJu1IinOpu9ZIFIHznDMbEQzwWUHtx5J5Nclsq0YyuFtmnDJ5yYc/s400/christmas2009+002.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-6466685255514599672010-01-17T11:02:00.004-05:002010-01-17T11:14:42.258-05:00my first rag quilt! (and violets are...white)I tried a new quilt technique--rag quilting. It went together so easily and nicely and turned out really cute! This one was soft and cuddly--a quilt a child can use and love, and one that mom can wash without worrying about it. I think this will be a method I will use again! <br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 299px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427740518060532002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEkQfTN8VEHdxAcTYXMWHAulpLZYRf39u8mlC-K39gZmnnGShhWSuiIMcU2QlwfFOED20uzwWMD2iXZClIOkxYtgtMhRH07xfsfE2kXk_ZCw3SpqHCjSvpI9w11M22k9xX3lcTiCJ5-I/s400/winter2010+007.JPG" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7B0M5-DDp1BCGVGom3NYxk8SKlewhkOpmJnRtM6rN79WjBSI5tUhTfKOCGFXWvbRSAU5c9r4qhIThabl1iJenPsYq7VTebqrjMcgwaRXcF6f3GHPdw9lInMEeYK_dHiUYXqm8cGPQrF4/s1600-h/winter2010+010.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 273px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427740532311903170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7B0M5-DDp1BCGVGom3NYxk8SKlewhkOpmJnRtM6rN79WjBSI5tUhTfKOCGFXWvbRSAU5c9r4qhIThabl1iJenPsYq7VTebqrjMcgwaRXcF6f3GHPdw9lInMEeYK_dHiUYXqm8cGPQrF4/s400/winter2010+010.JPG" /></a><br /><div> My anniversary violet is still blooming like crazy. and I'm loving it. :-) <br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw94rzzO6kU60zLlPCxrIGB5934WIe1EWDk9W73CVJ_jtXQ0sElLBCRU8MSOfERQG5DEAQu-N1cyZ1qfN4_rjf4LOACfTd-1kd9OsVO66jlohNvYPY-M4_6m7OZHkj5bPsI3gCJMxl4h0/s1600-h/winter2010+004.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 309px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427740508478433026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw94rzzO6kU60zLlPCxrIGB5934WIe1EWDk9W73CVJ_jtXQ0sElLBCRU8MSOfERQG5DEAQu-N1cyZ1qfN4_rjf4LOACfTd-1kd9OsVO66jlohNvYPY-M4_6m7OZHkj5bPsI3gCJMxl4h0/s400/winter2010+004.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMG5ZgRpjwxVd3oGWlvIPGFq3RqpR4HCgwjrLT3sTvPVvVUkapGg6Rc4WGDsiyx5SCkmwhzmHuAjeUkJLRXoWAouf4gB11qHAQeyJoaeO8TagN0lLeA4MMf693QV0qDqD4lgvc7OsQdUA/s1600-h/winter2010+001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 297px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427740506722102594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMG5ZgRpjwxVd3oGWlvIPGFq3RqpR4HCgwjrLT3sTvPVvVUkapGg6Rc4WGDsiyx5SCkmwhzmHuAjeUkJLRXoWAouf4gB11qHAQeyJoaeO8TagN0lLeA4MMf693QV0qDqD4lgvc7OsQdUA/s400/winter2010+001.JPG" /></a><br /><div> </div></div></div></div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3015528654925963218.post-41159284111661593502009-12-19T20:05:00.004-05:002009-12-20T13:35:32.041-05:00wonderful friendsI feel so privileged and blessed to have these beautiful women for friends. We all met our freshman year at Taylor University, 3rd floor, English Hall. Nearly 10 years later (does that make me feel OLD or what?), we're still really close. Through all of life's changes--marriages, children, some of us moving across the country and around the world--I still feel really connected to each of them. I know that in a time of crisis or joy, we all would be there for each other. We've tried to all get together at least once a year--this year we met in the Chicago suburbs in October. We had a really sweet time together.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVoDJxl8B0pG6iaR6FtfE0I8Jb1gVP9hzmuNBXQ0Wg_utYKTemtUpNVi5XNQ8F4U9OHNuWQd4Ld12fTO8oJXDyB_Vob8qrKX-faVQ_YnNstMWkpajs8eMOIw0lXiPrnnHTyhJZ_NyePg/s1600-h/Copy+of+fall2009+024.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 108px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417119238099459090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVoDJxl8B0pG6iaR6FtfE0I8Jb1gVP9hzmuNBXQ0Wg_utYKTemtUpNVi5XNQ8F4U9OHNuWQd4Ld12fTO8oJXDyB_Vob8qrKX-faVQ_YnNstMWkpajs8eMOIw0lXiPrnnHTyhJZ_NyePg/s400/Copy+of+fall2009+024.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Jenni and Ed are expecting their first baby in February--we threw them a small shower.<br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417118950394266098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDs9OjmarhOTGekkL1gVafalGSawyR0dshXUD_TNY2U7LnYvbd0vMGYHo7A2ld-1WzTd091uqkGDXZLXnloeFR7kGcJTJr5ihLvl4h1zueb0xg0lQ_smMJR1IPM7wrlzRAgCTMEuWLqH0/s320/fall2009+010.JPG" /></div><div></div><div> </div><div>Rebecca with her sweet little girl:</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 215px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417118952520220050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSevczZhwGwpEQY3YIUnU5Jh0vjF0LFQ4FUND8JbWMwOv2O13omOSBneTshcJ_F6sSczEqTnwMSCbKPA70npckQXDFsAU7XGgbaZBmcqG13_fRoh-O0KQO8PZnvmblZFeXK1ITnlAQIgg/s320/fall2009+023.JPG" /></div><br /><div>I made a blankie for the baby--she seemed to like it (it went right in her mouth :-)</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb2GNgeA2cgcuxnwVrjjexRCCg6biTFjE1Rk6s_wYBx2zzoxiAISGtmN-5YPYrQWo8QPwDfbEqRbqP_BCv5wAzMtuBUgrCXDvZxuxAuixxNm0Vo3h-RfJHsHzj1pVTrPB9EA5QMhyphenhyphenTag/s1600-h/fall2009+028.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 237px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417118959525672962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLb2GNgeA2cgcuxnwVrjjexRCCg6biTFjE1Rk6s_wYBx2zzoxiAISGtmN-5YPYrQWo8QPwDfbEqRbqP_BCv5wAzMtuBUgrCXDvZxuxAuixxNm0Vo3h-RfJHsHzj1pVTrPB9EA5QMhyphenhyphenTag/s320/fall2009+028.JPG" /></a> </div>laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17213865636752002265noreply@blogger.com0