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Showing posts from November, 2015

Holiday Card Outtakes

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I take nothing away from the folks who have professional in-studio pictures taken of their families. Growing up that's exactly what my mother made us do. Every year. But I have a quality camera and a good sense of lightening, so I'd rather save the cash and do it myself. Am I the best? Oh no. Not even close. But I usually get what I'm looking for and the kids think it's hilarious to be silly in front of the camera for the 10 minutes shoot.  This year, we used the snow in the front yard as the background. I didn't even bother brushing their hair. Folks, this is what they look like ... crooked teeth and all.  Sisters! I just love these gals. Here are photo tips I put together during last year's photo shoot .

First Snow!

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Our first snowy weekend of the season and, lucky us, it fell on a Saturday when we had very few plans. So while the girls met up with the neighbor and headed to the small sledding hill across the street ...  while I got out my sewing projects and made great progress.  Pile of Sewing While listening to the new Adele album and taking breaks to stare at the white winter land that was once my green backyard. Related posts: More winter stories Want to see more sewing projects?

'Cruel Beauty' Audiobook Review

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As a commuter, I go through lots of audiobook (rented from the library) each month. And for awhile, I wrote up quick audiobook reviews. I'm going to revive those reviews and place them all under this label , starting with ... Audiobook: 'Cruel Beauty' by Rosamund Hodge Read by: Elizabeth Knowledon Genre: YA Lit, Fairy Tell Retelling Did I really need to read another fairy tale retelling? Maybe not. But this sure sounded good and the cover is beautiful. Plus, I'm a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast story. Nyx is born to avenge her mother's death and father's foolish bargain by marrying the Gentle Lord, the demon at fault for shutting off their country from the rest of the world, and the underworld demons that live in the shadow and drive humans into madness. While her sister is raised to be all light and beauty, Nyx is taught to be hateful and cruel. And she's pretty wrecked by the whole thing, as she has tapped down every cruel emotion and evil t

Stars in the Dining Room

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I detest the chandelier -- if you can even call it that -- in my dining room. It's dinky, underwhelming and sometimes it just refuses to turn on. It was the previous owner's attempt at modern, maybe? Someday I vow to replace it. But for now ... the only good thing about this chandelier is I can hang stuff from it. Which I do. A lot. I found these glorious silver stars at Target last weekend and they look amazing dangling from the hideous light fixture. Stars for the Holidays Related posts: You'll love my dining room stories

The Pirate Quilt is Underway

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I just love these little pirates on this fabric. And my Thanksgiving deadline is fast approaching. But it looks like I will make it. Pirate Quilt for Mike's Baby

The Grown-Up Party in Chicago

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This Saturday we went to a party in downtown Chicago with work colleagues ... and no kids!! Sure, there was a fair amount of office gossip discussed, but it wasn't too bad. And there were a few spouses to chat with. And adult beverages. And no juice boxes. And lots of adult language. It had been awhile since I've been to a party and didn't see small kids running around. A nice change. And the view from his windows were pretty cool ... View of Chicago From the Condo Sometimes, being an adult is kinda nice! 

Coats at the Bus Stop

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It's coming. The wind made the bus stop extra frigid this morning. Even Benny had his coat on.

Parenting Goals - Aspirations for a Friday Morning

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In the Stacks I read once that parenting was all about preparing your kids to leave you. Which is a depressing thought. But true, I guess. We want our daughters to be functioning adults contributing to society, when all is said and done. So, if I get across these concepts (in no particular order) by the time they are teenagers (and no longer listening to me), I'll feel like I (mostly) did my job as a parent: The Library is a Cool Place -- because they are. There's magic in books. It's Cool Just to Be Who You Are -- I should just wish for a family unicorns to move into my basement because girls are a mess with this stuff, but a mom can dream. Include being independent in this one, too. Food comes from farms, not factories.  Duh, right? But you'd be surprised how disconnected a french fry is from the potato in my pantry. Also include good food choice. They don't always need to pick the right ones, but at least they're aware. Soda and gum are gross

My Winter Goals

Alert! Alert! We're entering a transition month. Soccer and fall activities are ending. The days are shorter and colder. Winter coats are out, along with winter boots and all the hats/mittens/scarves I can find. And with all this change come a chance for me to gather goals for the winter months. - Wake up earlier. Leah is currently pulling me out of bed in the morning, being dressed and starving. It would help her out if I was actually getting out of bed myself. - Evening working outs. I did this once and now I'm not on the soccer field (being semi-active) three times a week, I need to find a weekly class or something to increase activity levels ... at a time of the year when I really just want to start hibernating. - Train the girls to do more stuff for themselves. Like picking up their after-school-snack wrappers. This should be subtitled, "I continue to nag my children" as that's what it feels like. - Back to weekly menu planning. Only one night a

What I'm Diggin' in November 2015

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Thanksgiving is just around the corner and the holidays are not too far behind. So what's on my mind this month? Here's the list ... Boots for Leah - She needs something to keep her feet warm as the temps dip. Do I spring for the $100 Uggs? She's not old enough to feel the pressure of buying the "cool" label (right?!), so can I just get the cheaper off-brand? Is there a more water-proof option? These are my current thoughts around this not-as-significant-as-I'm-making-it purchase. The Dress From The Loft I'm LOVING Clothes from the Loft - These woman's apparel mall stores (Loft, Limited, Express, etc.) have a 10-year cycle for me. Most of the time I'll walk in and immediately walk out -- nothing in their collections says My Style. Then, once every 10 years, they create a line that is just for Me -- and that's what is going on at the Loft this month. I bought a bunch of outfits, got good deals on the sales, and now I probably won't

Frost Soccer

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There as frost on the ground on Sunday morning, temps at a crisp 34 degrees, but that didn't stop my team from playing their second-to-last game of the season. A parent took this picture from the game. That's Leah looking all intense, ready to receive the ball. And I'm hanging on the player's bench looking all nonchalant. "What? Me worry?" But you know I was yelling something at her. Soccer Stance! We won by a lot ... though, I couldn't tell you the final score. Even as a player I didn't keep track of goal counts. I'm usually pretty clear on if we're winning, losing or close. But final score? I leave that up to the parents to keep track.

List Lovers Unite!

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My List App Profile Page I have always love lists. Why? Here are four reasons: 1. Because they organize my thoughts. 2. I can check or cross things off as I get them done. 3. Crossing things off is a motivator. 4. They're generally pretty fun. So, I'm pretty excited to find this new app called The List App. There's a bunch of funny people contributing lists on everything from hard news to stuff their mom says. It's all pretty creative. And geez, I needed YET another thing on my phone to distract me from my real life. For example, here are the last few lists I favorited recently: "Everyday things that are great in Paris" by Ina Gartner "Facts that sound too good to be true." by Mental Floss (that magazine with crazy facts in it) "Long-haul flight must-haves, must-wear, must-dos, AKA: Travel hacks" by a pilot's daughter who travels all the time. "TV & Movies with Perd Hapley as a newscaster" "

3rd Annual Halloween Party

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Every Halloween, we throw a party. It's really just an excuse for me to create centerpieces and eat M&Ms. But conversing with out adults around my island is a huge bonus. And the girls get added time to celebrate this holiday and run off their sugar highs with friends. Here are some pictures: Creepy! The Graveyard Outside My Door Everyone's Doing It! The Vomiting Pumpkin! Centerpiece We Had a Fancy Witch and a Disco Union Jack Bast from the past: 1st Annual Halloween Party , and 2nd Annual (2014) Halloween .