Happy 21st Birthday!!

My oldest child is turning 21 today and this is not a picture of him opening his presents or blowing out the candles on a home made birthday cake. It is the beginning of the birthdays that he spends not with me and his dad and little brother and sister, but in the fine company of friends away at school and beyond. It's a bitter sweet time for a parent, preparing your kids for independence... practically nagging them into adulthood, and then being sort of surprised when they actually do grow up. It's a crazy combination of pride and "be careful what you wish for". I am glad every day for the grown up person Jacob has become. His talent and passion for writing, his visionary but always dependable out look on life, and of course his stellar fashion sense, continue to make me proud every day. Happy Birthday Jacob!

My Birthday Girl!

Today I drove around and around the parking lot at the mall (5 days before Christmas!) looking for a place to park. I then stood in a very long line to the dressing rooms at H&M...twice! And finally waited in another long line to pay (too much!). Every moment was not just bearable, but joyous because of the reason I was there and the company I was with. My beautiful, sweet daughter Clare turned 12 today and she wanted to go shopping with me. It was the perfect day!

A Very Good Reason to Make More Pillows!

I got a new couch! And if that isn't exciting enough, I get to make new pillows for my new couch! Happy crafting days are here again! I went over to "Calico Corners" and made the girl cut me a swatch of just about every fabric I even remotely liked. I'm in love with the leopard print and especially love the way it looks with the Union Jack pillow I got for my birthday. If you have any other fabric suggestions I would love hear from you!

That's a Nice Pear...

I'm a bad blogger! I have been very uninspired and it shows! Add to that a broken computer, a very sloooow net book and a new iPad (not very blogger friendly) and you have the perfect storm of bad blogging! To all of my 26 followers, I'm sorry! We finally got a new family computer and I will do my very best to be inspired and inspiring. Thanks for hanging in there with me! Meanwhile I have noticed a theme in some of my Goodwill finds of late...Pears. I found the print about a year ago and blogged about it here. The silver pear came later and the studded bronze I picked up the other day. I saved the print for myself but the other 2 went to a good home, a client of mine who has a son named Per! She will love them more then I ever could!

Happy Birthday 54!

This post is not about football. It's about time, and how quickly it passes when you are busy just living your life. My son Joe is my youngest, and he is 10 years old today. It's cliche to say, that it seems like just yesterday that he was born, but there is a good reason this is said so often that it has become cliche: it really does seem like yesterday, ok, maybe last week. Either way, the time that I have had the privilege of being Joe's Mom has been fast and sweet. From diapers to plastic dinosaurs from learning to read to learning guitar, from Duplo to Lego, to playing football, watching the ever changing milestones come and go over the years has been in fast forward. I do have a few more years of molding and shaping him into an adult, and he will always be my baby, but sometimes I wish I could rewind or at least push pause now and then. I guess the lesson is another cliche, to enjoy every second your children are little, and I pledge to do just that today, on Joe's 10th birthday.

Back to School Time!

I Heart Teachers!!

The Good Olden Days

When I was about 10 years old I had a huge crush on a girl. Her name was Laura Ingalls Wilder and she lived 100 years ago. I loved every thing about her. Her home made clothes, her makeshift toys, her little log cabin in the big woods, her sod house on the banks of Plum Creek, her little dog Jack and even (or maybe especially) her meager Christmas presents delivered by Mr. Edwards from Santa Clause. She had a life full of adventure and simplicity that I coveted as much as 10 year old's today pine for an iPhone or a Facebook account. It seems I was not alone.