Life is in the Details

Early Summer Recap

Family, friends, crafting, gardening, and just enjoying the outdoors.  It's been great so far!

A new year...

The new year started quietly for me. My mom and Fred had planned to come down on Saturday, New Years Day, so I also spent the last day of the year cleaning my house.  It's the first time I made a point to do this, because of company coming, but I highly recommend it. It's so nice to start the year is a sparkly clean house!

 Ana and I stayed home watching the ball drop on tv, after being in NYC the day before.  We watched Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper on CNN.  I love them together and I laughed my way into the new year.  As I get older I realize that I appreciate the music choices on the Rockin' Eve show less and less, so I am very happy that there is now a non musical alternative! With my favorite news anchor, no less!   I made my favorite baked brie, in crescent rolls with raspberry preserves served on wheat thins for the festivities, and relaxed in pjs.

Saturday Mom and Fred came as planned. I made some chicken soup and homemade bread with lemon cake for dessert. 

It was pretty low key. Mom has wanted to visit while my tree was still up so that was the intent of the visit. It was her first time seeing my tree after having one for 10+ years, I guess it was time.

I love this photo showing my parents addiction to their Blackberries.  Fred is only recently a convert.  He never understood why people needed the internet on the go. Now look at him! And he's even on Twitter!

The day was capped off by an accident and thankfully not a trip to the emergency room thanks to Fred's super strong skull. I was explaining a joke from Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update about Governor Patterson walking lost in front of the camera, which while I know is not politically correct is still so funny and since the Governor got in on the joke himself, I think it's safe to laugh now.  But I was showing them how he bumps into the camera and I bumped into Fred, pretending he was the camera.  Unfortunately, my ottoman was right behind him and he wasn't able to step back when I bumped him and instead, he fell back, on to the ottoman.  Which would be fine if he wasn't so tall! He kept falling and banged his head into the wall behind the ottoman.  I don't know how he didn't hurt himself but I guess our skulls are meant to protect that brain! I felt terrible though and while Fred was so gracious about the whole thing, even while holding the ice to the back of his head, I will leave the SNL skits to the professionals!

The first week of the year was spent still looking for a job.  Engineering is still suffering from this recession, especially site planning which is my area.  It's getting scary how long this is lasting and how there just doesn't seem to be much improvement.  I keep hearing that people are shopping more and the stock market is up, but that does not seem to be helping the construction industry at all.  

I have been doing the work for a teaching certificate and I think that may be what my new career path may be.  I want to teach Science, which I do love deeply and I think I am enthusiastic enough about science that I could maybe pass that love of learning on to students.  I just think of teaching as such a calling, and I'm just not sure if I've been called.  But that will be a focus early on in this new year.

Then this past weekend I caught the Wii bug again! I got Ana Guitar Hero for her birthday, which she has been wanting, and I have been trying to figure out the game.  I'm getting better but at this point I am just struggling through the beginner level trying not to get thrown off stage!  And then another gift for her (really for myself...shhh)  I got Glee Karayoke which we both LOVE!! So fun if you're a Glee fan and like singing corny songs! We sang ourselves hoarse this weekend! I now want to get the Disney Sing It with all the Disney movie songs!!

The weekend ended with the taking down of the Christmas tree and all the decorations. It's always sad for me to put it all away because I love Christmastime so much, but I am definitely liking the uncluttered house with lots more room with the big tree gone. 

I hope this year I can get more uncluttered. Get rid of lots of stuff that I never use and start fresh before this new job or career or path starts for me.  I hope that 2011 is lots more of what I did this first week, focusing on a new job, learning new things, being creative, cooking simple food from scratch, decluttering and spending time with family and friends.  Oh and snow! We've had another few dustings of snow after the 28.5" the day after Christmas and we're expecting another 6-12" on Tuesday.  I am LOVING the snow!!

December Daily Update: I have to print out the last few pages of the December Daily album and assemble them, then I'll photograph the rest of the pages that I haven't blogged yet and update here. I am done through December 22nd, but I got behind in my photos and blogging with all the confusion of Christmas.  I hope to get that done in the next couple weeks.

 

December Daily Days 1, 2, & 3

I caught up today on my December Daily album after spending the past couple days at my Mom's house with a short detour to my Dad's house yesterday.  Busy week, but it made for good photos.  I also finally received the adhesive and the last of the transparencies I needed from Scrapbook.com to finish up the album structure.  I ordered those on Nov. 19th, had I known it would take so long I would have just made the trip to the local scrapbooking store! Live and learn.  So here are the first of my pages and as of today I'm actually not behind! This may be the last time I'm able to say that. Here are the pages thus far...

For the cover page I used an acrylic album from D. Reeves that I bought a few years ago.  It was always meant to be a December Daily album, because I loved Ali Edward's white version of this album she did in 2008. Unfortunately I don't think these albums are made anymore and when I bought it they only had the clear left. It's too bad because the quality of these are just awesome. But I'm glad I had this one and a few others still hiding in my stash. 

Day 1 - Spent the day up at the Lake with Kim and the kids visiting

Day 2 - Drove over to Dad's for lunch from Mom's house

Day 3 - I was home today and noticed the Thanksgiving decor blending with the Christmas. I'm planning to put all the Thanksgiving away tomorrow to put out the rest of the Christmas decorations. The envelope may move somewhere else. It was originally part of Day 2 but didn't work there, so it's floating right now.

I was worried with my tight budget this year I may not do enough to fill these pages, but so far it may be the most exciting year yet!

Lake Time...

Yesterday was a perfect day to spend at the lake! The weather was stellar! 

I finally was able to give Katie her birthday present, she loved it!  She piled the doll and teddy into the stroller and pushed them around for an hour.  I loved seeing her dress up in her new tutu skirt and putting it on again herself later last night after dinner. 

I loved hearing Keiran's excitement when he saw that I had brought him a "half-birthday" gift.

I loved seeing my sister's growing belly and was so happy that her and Mike were able to steal away a few hours for themselves while Grandma, Poppy and I watched the kids. 

I loved seeing Keiran and Fred doing their regular collecting of shells and rocks from the edge of the water.

I loved hearing Keiran recite The Pledge of Allegiance which he learned over two web chats with my Mom. 

I didn't love, but still chuckled at Keiran and Katie's high pitched screaming and laughing uncontrollably at each other on the swings.

I loved watching Katie barely eat any pizza but then inhale ELEVEN Edy's Dibbs ice cream chunks.

And I loved seeing the whole family (minus this photographer who was watching last week's episode of Mad Men) playing Candyland.  It was a great time!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the day.

 

Cute Little Pants

I'm interrupting my Summer recap for a recent project.  I saw this pattern for little pants a few months ago on Soulemama's blog and just fell in love.  They are from Anna Marie Horner's latest book, Handmade Beginnings, which is filled with adorable and fairly easy patterns, that even someone who has not sewn in years can figure out pretty easily. They are reversible pants! How perfect for any potential baby stains? Adorable and practical!

But at the time I saw them, back in July, I really didn't even consider making them. I was far too preoccupied with my handspun and knitting to even think about it.  Until a couple weekends ago, when I spent a Sunday morning looking at baby things to make for my sister Kim's new baby due at the end of September.  Which then led me to an afternoon of surfing fabric websites, particularly fabric websites with Japanese fabric! I'm completely infatuated with Japanese fabric! I figured I would get some of the adorable fabric, sew a square of it on to a onesie and then trim a burp cloth or something with matching fabric, easy and simple, right?

Wrong. 

Enter my friend Ana with her innocent suggestion, 'Wouldn't it be so much cuter to make matching pants instead?!?'.  Well yes, but how do you make pants?  Is it hard?  I had no idea, I haven't sewn in forever, and I've never made little pants before.  A pair of big paisley pants made from 70s era paisley fabric from my grandmother's closet when I was 13, but then the pattern was me just laying on the fabric and tracing! And that was quite a while ago. But it actually turned out to be a pretty great idea, thanks to this great pattern and no zippers or buttonholes to contend with!

I instantly remembered the reversible pants from the Handmade Beginnings book and I was on the Barnes and Noble website trying to find the closest location that carried the book! My Japanese fabric arrived in the mail, and I matched it up with some cute green dots I found at Pennington Quilt Works. 

 

I have not sewn in a while, and I have not sewn from a pattern  in a long while, but it was very clear and I only had one mishap when I sewed the front legs together.  The little tyke might not like that too much. But I realized it right away, and it was easily fixed.

These pants are truly the cutest article of baby clothing I've ever seen. Wonderful pattern with really just adorable fabric.  A great combination. And when the little pants were all finished, I did sew a piece of matching fabric onto a onesie for a matching outfit! Live and Learn, I should have used some fusible webbing behind the fabric, to avoid the little puckers at the corners.  But the onesies came in a 3 pack, so I'll be trying that again. Maybe. It doesn't look too bad.

I can't wait to see the outfit on the baby.  It's much smaller than it seems in these photos, they're size 0-3 months.   Time to make myself some matching pj pants! My sister and her husband, Mike, are keeping the sex a secret from us, so I hope these are neutral enough. I'm thinking the baby might need a bigger pair of these every few months! Maybe my stepbrother's baby could use a pair too? I'll be known as the Little Pants Lady in my family! Little pants for everyone!! Okay, I think I'm getting ahead of myself!

Off to the lake today to see my sister's first two babes, but first I think I will sew the binding on the patchwork table runner I'm doing. These little pants made me catch a bit of a sewing bug.

New project, old memories

I love the beginning of a project.  Which may explain why I am in some stage of five different projects right now. I love picking the yarn, reminding myself of all the beautiful yarn that I own. I love pulling out the swift and winder and seeing how different the yarn looks once it is caked from the skein.

I'm working now on a quick project,  baby booties.  They are kind of a surprise, but if the Mom pops in here and figures out that they are for her, well worse things have happened.

I am making "Christine's Baby Booties" that have an interesting story behind them.  The pattern can be found here.  But on the pattern page it talks about a woman named Christine Bourquin who wrote a letter to the editor of a knitting magazine in 1989 explaining that she was, at that time, 95 years old, and she knew that her time knitting on this earth was almost over.  She wanted her pattern for baby booties to live on and the pattern and her story were published in the magazine. 

I wonder how many countless pairs she made over her long life, how many grandchildren's baby toes were warmed in her booties.  I marvel at how at 95 she was still able to make them, probably from memory and perhaps with failing eyesight, she made those tiny shoes using the familiar movements that had been imprinted on her brain and in her fingers from decades of kntting.  

 

This blanket was made by my own great grandmother, my Nanny, only a few years before Christine had sent her letter to the editor.  Knowing that she was nearing 90 and her eyesight was failing she wanted to make something for her two great grand-daughters while she still could, for us to always have a part of her.  Her daughter, my Mimi, gave them to us when she thought we were were old enough to care for them.  And for many years my Mom held on to these while my sister and I were in college and then venturing out on our own. I now have mine in my own home.

The blankets that she made for us are not unlike the many lap blankets that she would always have with her as she played store with us, listened to our endless chatter or watched her stories on tv.  I remember thinking years ago why did she pick those colors? But perhaps the bright colors were easier to see, easier to recognize the lace pattern when her eyes were not what they once were.  

I love that I have this,  but since I have started to knit I have a new appreciation for it, realizing all the love that goes into each and every stitch, understanding now how many hours are spent thinking of the recipient as the project takes shape.

I hope that this new little person that wears the booties that I am making is warmed by all the good thoughts being knit into them. Now time to start on the second one.

The beach in off-season

Yesterday my sister and brother in law came down for a visit and a short trip to the beach for some family photos by my very talented friend Ana! They wanted to do some family portraits while it was still warm outside.  Since these pictures will probably be used as gifts to their families, I'll keep them under wraps. However, Ana also took a few other photos that were not family related, so I am free to share them.  

The beach in the off-season is  wonderful! Since I moved 5 miles from the ocean, I pretty much avoid it in the Summer.  I don't hate it, but I'm  not a beach person in the classic sense.  I burn terribly, I hide under umbrellas with 30 SPF sunscreen in the Summer sun. I like the fact that it forces me to slow down and be outside, but given  the choice, I'd prefer to do that in my shady backyard.  Come September though, I love the beach! It's  not crowded, the weather is cooler, the sun is not so harsh, even the water seems cleaner. 

Yesterday was Keiran's first trip to the ocean since he was 5 months old.  He was so excited to see the huge "sandbox"! He dug into the sand, picked up everything he found saying, "What's this?" "What's that?" He's so curious, and wants a label for everything, and then he repeats everything that you say.  It was tough to get him interested in taking pictures! As the sun was setting we walked down to the water's edge. Keiran wanted to touch the water, and walk into the water. He kept saying, "Lake?" because he knows that the water that he swims in is  a lake. So he learned a new word, "Ocean".

The water's edge was lined with fishermen. Another thing that is very different after Labor Day.  And Ana got a picture of this guy catching a really BIG fish!! 

As the sun set, the sky and the water turned a beautiful pink color! The family pictures came out just beautiful. I think I'll be framing a few to display in my own house. When Kim viewed the pictures she said she was going to replace ALL the pictures on her fireplace mantle with photos from yesterday.  (Sounds like she liked the results!) 

It was so nice to have Kim, Mike, Keiran and Katie visit! Kim was saying today that she told Mike she wants to move to the beach now.  Imagine if they became my neighbors! 

New name for the blog.

I decided to change the name of the blog.  I had been calling it "Just Everyday Stuff", but it was beginning to bore me.  I started thinking about the idea of "the love is in the details".  Oprah says that a lot.  I think that sort of summarizes how I show my love to my family and friends.  I try to take the time to make a homemade card, or wrap a gift so it's as beautiful as I can make it.  I make homemade cookies at Christmastime and it has become a tradition that my family looks forward to every year. I love to photograph the pieces of my life, Eloise's favorite toys, the process of making muffins, the way that the sunlight streams into my house in the morning.  I love the details of everyday.  I think scrapbooking has made me pay attention to how important the details are in our memories. When I look at old photos I try to search in the background behind the subject to see the details of my childhood. I don't think people ever thought of photographing details 30 years ago. Maybe because film was too expensive, maybe most people don't care about the details like I do? I can't imagine that, but maybe. 

For example in this picture, this is my grandmother, who we called Mom Mom. It's not really even a good picture of her, but I love the details in this photo.  I love that she's wearing a vest, and that she has her glasses hanging from a necklace because these were things she always wore.  Is it morning? You would think so since she's drinking coffee, but it could really be anytime of day since she, like my mother, drinks coffee all day, everyday. And my guess is that it's later on in the evening because Mom Mom is dressed and awake, and she was a night owl, not a morning person.  I love the yellow metal rattan chair that was part of my kitchen set growing up. In the background I see the Toll House morsels can that housed my favorite Christmas cookies.  I see one of the encyclopedias (does anyone use those anymore?) that my Mom had bought one at a time from the A&P until we had an entire set.  These are the details of my life, and they're important to me.  Not as much as the subject of course, but important nonetheless. 

 

This is a picture of me from a very long time ago.  I am standing in my Grandmother's kitchen.  My other grandmother, Mimi, not the one from the top picture.  This is another picture where I want to magically expand the background to show the cabinets and shelving behind me, the door down to the basement, and the little cabinet that my father made in shop class in high school, where my Grandmother used to keep twist ties leftover from the bread to reuse.  From the photo I can see the radiator, and the legs of the high chair that was probably there for my sister,  maybe me, I'm not sure. And the carpet.  I never knew anyone that had wall to wall carpet in their kitchen, except my grandmother.

But imagine if my parents and grandparent tooks pictures of all these details of their lives, our lives.  I'd love to see pictures now of Mimi's house.  I loved that house, and there are so few pictures of the details of that house where my grandparents lived for 40 years. I want to see pictures of the second floor, or the attic where my sister and I slept in my father's and aunt's bedrooms and where my grandmother had a loft space where she kept hundreds of magazines.  I now have hundreds of magazines.  Is magazine collecting genetic? Or pictures of my great grandmother, Nanny's room with the special window seat where I felt like Wendy from Peter Pan when I sat in it as a little girl.  Or pictures of Nanny's sitting room, where we played store, and she rested her eyes, and when I was older we watched Guiding Light together.   

There are so few pictures of my own house growing up, more than my grandmother's house, but not many of the details of the house.  Just more photo backgrounds to explore and search for reminders of the house I lived in for the first 20 years of my life.  So now I take the pictures of my life now and record the details so that in years to come they will be there to remind me. 

So that is where the new blog name comes from. Life is in the details. Recording life's details is why I started this blog, why I scrapbook, and why I photograph things like the view out my kitchen window. It's something I look at everyday, but I won't live here forever and I want to remember the view out of my first kitchen window, in my first home, into my first backyard.  And I am also going to make sure to take pictures of all those magazines! 

A really nice day.

Yesterday my Mom hosted her annual 4th of July party at the lake.  There were about 50 people, a combination of family and friends. The weather all morning seemed to not be cooperating, and it rained on and off on our trip up to Highland Lakes.  When I got to Kim's house Keiran kept saying, "Uh-oh, rainin'". But it turned out to be not too bad.  It was a bit cloudy and it drizzled throughout the party, but no big downpours, it wasn't hot, thank goodness, and eventually the sun even came out.

Ana took a bunch of pictures yesterday and I took none, so the following were taken by my favorite resident photographer!

We got up to the lake around 1:00, the party started at 2.  I wanted to get there early to begin tiring out Eloise and get the beans into the oven to start them warming up.  Eloise started early and enjoyed many, many hours of retrieving her bumper yesterday. Today she actually never woke up.  Finally Ana woke her up to eat (this is unheard of), she ate, and went directly back to sleep around 9am and has been sleeping ever since.  It's now 4pm!

Humby got to the party right around 2. I love that Humby makes a point to go to my Mom's 4th of July party still so many years later.  I was telling him that even if I don't see him all year long, I know that he'll show up for the 4th.  It's always so good to see him! Humby you are always welcome at our house too, so come visit us soon! 

When the party first started, it was still drizzling and raining a bit, and as the people were arriving they were all gathering inside to stay out of the rain.  Eloise had been swimming for about an hour by then, and was ready for a break.  So Ana, Humby and I claimed our space on the boat under the canopy! We got some drinks and appetizers and were able to stay dry.

The weather improved as the day went on. People started to arrive, Kim and Mike showed up with Keiran in the cute 4th of July outfit I had bought him.  I love this outfit, although the shorts were a little big on him.  I think I needed to order him a belt!

Jeff, Stacy and Tatum were there as well. Tate's getting so big, walking and starting to talk. She's really just beautiful, and I would kill for those eye-lashes! Isn't her hat just adorable?!?!

Lots of babies were there yesterday.  My cousin Andrea came with her two daughters who are actually not so much babies anymore.  Well maybe Sophia, but Bella is definitely a little girl now, a baby no more. John and Sasha came with little Elianna, who I haven't seen since Keiran's birthday in January.  It really is amazing how fast they grow up! Ann definitely enjoyed spending the time with her neice, and Keiran adores her too.  She also had some really great shoes that I'm totally buying! If she had the same size as me, I might have accidentally walked off with them last night!

Then there were people from the lake, people from my Mom's office, and of course the neighbors from Cedar Ridge. We had a good crowd and I got to meet a few people that my Mom always talks about, but I've never met.  Lots of family, my uncle and his family, Andrea with her family, even my mom's Godmother was there, who I have not seen in at least 20 years.

It is also my Mom's birthday next week, so as a little surprise Fred asked me to get a cake for her so that we could celebrate with all her friends.    I decorated the cake with hydrangeas from my backyard.  It turned out really pretty.  And the cake was good too.  I left that up to the bakery.  I just can't make cakes anymore in Eloise's house with all the dog hair everywhere! We all sang Happy Birthday and Mom blew out her candles.  Fred had picked up 5-0 candles for her even though she's actually 6-0.  (But we won't let that get around- lol)

The kids played in the lake and enjoyed watching Eloise fetch her bumper over and over.  Her rest didn't last long. Keiran got changed into his muscle bathing suit that lets him float around and got Papa to take him into the water. He loves Papa so much.  And Papa does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants! I guess that's what grandparents are for.  Although I can't really recall my grandparents giving me quite that much attention. hmmmmm.... Keiran and Tate are lucky kids! 

Keiran came out of the water like a little icicle.  So I wrapped him in a big towel.  He still just kept looking all over the place trying to find Papa. Lucky for me, Papa had ducked inside to do something so I actually got some hugs and kisses for a minute before he spotted him again!

George also came to the party.  His first one in 15 years. He kept saying that he couldn't understand what happened to his invitation to the party for the past 15 years.  Well George, lets just say your invitation may have been forgotten, like I was, at the airport...nuf said...  Nevertheless, it was very nice to have George there. My mom was very happy to see him, and once again, she got to tell the "When George broke into the house" stories, and had it not been getting very late, I don't think I would have even minded it.

Fortunately for us, Ana was taking pictures the whole time, but unfortunately she never got a picture of herself.  I sometimes wonder how I'd even be able to enjoy a party without Ana's help.  She helps me pack the car, get Eloise's stuff ready, she takes Eloise a lot of the time so that I can visit with people, and spend time with my nephew and just enjoy the party much more than I'd be able to do without her.  And in between she takes all these amazing pictures that I then steal and give to my family, and include on my blog and print out and scrapbook and frame to put on my walls.  I'm going to make a point from now on to steal her camera from her to take pictures of her too!

But since this group of party photos wouldn't be complete with out one of Ana, I'm adding one of my own. Thank you for all your help yesterday, for being at the party and for all these beautiful pictures!

The sun came out just before sunset.  Perfect timing really, since it was pretty cool all day with the sun hidden away, then we got a really cool eerie bayou looking mist on the lake, then the sun came out just as it was setting. We watched the spiders and bats come out which is all part of life on a lake.  Pretty amazing just how many spiders can show up in the span of about 20 minutes!

My mom threw another great party! Great job Mom! Can't wait until next year!

Family Resemblance???

I've been meaning to do a scrapbooking layout on the strong Kroeger genes that were passed down from my father to my sister and I and now to my nephew.  The pictures above were taken when we were all about a year old. Notice we are a year old and we're all still bald. If Kieran is anything like the rest of us, he won't really have a good head of hair relatively speaking until about 3.

I'm not a parent, so the birth of my nephew was the first time I saw a baby that looked just like me, actually I thought he looked like my Dad. He's even built like my father and my sister, although I wasn't born with the same build as them, we all definitely have similar eyes, and mouths and noses. And the chins, we all have the same chins. Actually when Ana saw the ultrasound picture of my sister's 2nd baby due in August, she said, look at that, she's got that same Kroeger chin! I guess we'll have to wait and see just how much my new neice will look like this clan.

My nephew is definitely taking after my sister in the talking department (read: a lot!) lol He's only 17 months old and is a pro at repeating anything. And his enunciation is just like my mom and sister.  He enunciates every syllable.  If I tell him to say a word and mumble the word out, he'll take it and pronounce it with perfect clarity.  Far clearer than I said the original word.

I think he must get his laid back personality from my brother in law, I'm pretty sure that didn't come from Kim. lol He does a great routine though of mimicking Kim on the phone where he paces back and forth with the cell phone (the pacing is key) saying "Hello?" "Hello...Are you?" "Okay" "Okay" "Bye, Bye."  It's been so fun watching him grow and finding out what traits he'll take from each of us, and the new ones that are all him.

I'll definitely still try to make this a scrapbooking layout at some point. I have just not been in the mood to craft since it's gotten so nice outside! Tomorrow may reach 90 degrees! I'm going to go do some cleaning now while it's still cool, I'm sure tomorrow I'm going to want to barely move!