Playing Dress-Up November 7, 2009

When we were kids, I loved playing dress-up….in my mom’s old clothes from the early 70s….in my mom’s old bridesmaids gowns in the hall closet….in my mom’s clothes and shoes in her closest.  Hmmm….don’t think she knows about all of that dressing up.  I still have my dad’s old flannel pajama top (don’t know if he ever wore it) that I took with me to college. I still wear my mom’s old Hartz Hunnies softball t-shirt.  Consequently, I have a huge tote full of clothes in Etta’s  closet for the kids to dress up in.  It’s full of miscellaneous dollar items, princess crowns, a few of my castoffs, and some of the hats and purses I used to play with. Whenever little girls come over to play, I can count on a fashion show. Clearly, Etta’s not the only one that gets in on the fun.

This picture is from the archives! Layne loves this outfit. The pants were his dad's.

Etta & Audrey putting on a Fashion Show while the Monte friends were in town

Atlie just had to get in on the act....I've got loads of blackmail material for when the boy grows up

In the museum at Camp Ripley

Etta dug out her flowergirl gown and dolled herself up.

Striking a pose

The girl loves shoes

Atlie at Rock Star Day at school last year

Layne & I representing MASH at a 70s tv show party

Atlie on Cowboy Day for school

The sweet spurs I made him for his outfit

Raggedy Ann and Davy Crockett

King of the Wild Frontier

Our little doll

Back to School September 8, 2009

Doesn’t seem like so long ago that I was gearing up to put Atlie on the bus for his first day of preschool. It was hard to put my baby on the bus….transfers and all…. Now he’s Mr. Confidence ready to shepard his sister through the halls to kindergarten.  Etta was so ready and so excited to go to school.  When I picked her up off the bus and asked her about her day, all she could do was smile. The highlight of her day was going to the library, where she checked out a Berenstein Bear book because she knows her brother likes them.  While reading it before bed tonight, she spontaneously broke  out in her class cheer, “IIIIIII…….feel good.  Yes!”  Atlie could hardly come up with a highlight of his day….he was too happy.  He lost a tooth at school.  Then lost his tooth (in the envelope) at school. Luckily when we got home, we had a message on the answering machine that it had gone home in his buddy’s folder by mistake. Lucky thing —  Atlie and his friends had already discussed how the toothfairy would definitely be able to spot a fake. It is so very good to see them both so happy at school.

Plus One July 23, 2009

After much cajoling, I talked Amanda into allowing me to post this photo.  I think it’s lovely…..and I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way. So many pictures of myself pregnant involve me in a huge, slouchy sweatshirt. I remember being annoyed…I’d do my hair and dress up for work every day, but some how all of the photos seemed to get taken on Saturdays with bedhead and my comfy, nonflattering wardrobe. One of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen was a on the beach in Italy.  She was hugely pregnant in a black bikini, and she was gorgeous.  She moved with such grace and confidence.  It’s a pretty amazing thing, having a miracle inside you, waiting to join your family.

Our family’s little one was nudged into the great big world on Tuesday, July 21. There’s nothing like a newborn baby.  So innocent and sweet and beautiful. Presenting my newest nephew:  Beckett Raymond Svir.  I’m a huge fan of the name.  (Although Atlie was heard saying, “I hope they don’t mind if I call him Baxter.”  I don’t think it’ll take him long to get the name down though. He’s pretty proud of all of his cousins.)  Atlie said that the new baby is “soft.”  Etta thinks that he is very tiny and that she likes him. Beckett was very alert when we met him, and Mike and Amanda looked great too!

Sneak Preview July 13, 2009

I took the liberty of stalking the wedding photographer at Tracy & Grady’s wedding.  After I startled her into thinking she was having an aneurysm, I backed off and did my own thing.  As promised, here’s a “sneak preview” at some of the wedding shots.  It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful wedding.

Zoom, Zoom, Zoom June 30, 2009

We have a fun new camera. After much debate between a  higher quality point and shoot camera and a fancy, dancy SLR camera which seem to be the “thing to get,” we went with a Nikon D60.  We sprung for a 55-200mm zoom lens to go with it. The camera feels pretty huge and professional (even though it’s a pretty modest SLR) and is a ton of fun to play with.  When I was a kid, I did photography projects for 4-H, and I’ve always thought it would be fun to play around with some artsy shots. So I’ve been playing and experimenting… check out some of my up-close and personal zoomed in photos:

Family Vacation June 26, 2009

We’ve just returned from our amazing Black Hills road trip. Ultimately, we made it to Colorado for my cousin’s romantic wedding in the rain.  It was a lovely event, despite the rain, and we had a terrific time with family.

A few of our adventures along the way:

The kids LOVED climbing in the Badlands……once Etta was convinced that the Badlands weren’t full of bad people.

We visited the Dinosaur Park in Rapid City. I remembered visiting when I was a kid.  Hasn’t changed a bit.

Mount Rushmore was impressive.This is the stop Atlie had anticipated the most.  He loves history, particularly Abraham Lincoln.

We loved Crazy Horse too. The culture, history, and philosophy of the monument were fascinating.  Crazy Horse is to be portrayed pointing and responding, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.”

We have so many pictures and stories to share!  We also saw Wall Drug, the Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Airforce Base, Bear Country, Rushmore Cave, the National Presidential Wax Museum, Custer Park,  Aberdeen’s Wylie Park, not to mention hiking in Colorado.

Let me know what you want to see!

My Cute Kids June 10, 2009

I’m considering forgoing our usual summer visit to Sears and doing my own kid pics for family this year. Since I can get photos printed in wallets and various other sizes, I may need to make friends with Shutterfly and try my luck. Time to embrace technology…… I guess.  I’ve been happy with the Sears pics in the past, but after seven years of photos, we may have exhausted their variety of backgrounds and poses.  So I’ve been snapping some photos of the kids in the yard.  I have a couple of favorites so far, but we’ll see….I’m sure I’ll snap a ton more before making the “commitment” of multiple prints.  The spring flowers have been really pretty this year. Etta’s enjoying our photo shoots.  Atlie, not so much. He says his missing tooth throws off his smile.

Camoflauge and Wild Rice March 29, 2009

Atlie's 7th Birthday

Atlie’s Army themed birthday party was a huge success.   This week we’ll have his friends over for his Basic Training Birthday Party and have more camoflauge fun. For dinner, we served wild rice soup — yum.  Lots of recipe requests, so here you go:

Pat Walsh’s Turkey Wild Rice Soup

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed

1/2 cup finely chopped grean onions

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 cups half and half

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled

2 cups cubed turkey

In a large pan, combine chicken broth, rice & onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 35-40 minutes or until rice is tender.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup. In saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in half and half. Cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients. Heat gently, stirring frequently; do not boil.

8 servings.

I like it thick, so I add a little extra meat.  Serve with some yummy bread & enjoy

facebook February 15, 2009

When I entered the Facebook world, I was  scared. to. death.   It felt way too exposed and out there.  Now, having survived my version of “what’s the worst thing that could happen” and made peace, I’m kind of hooked.  Checking in on friends’ Status Updates  is quick and connects me to lots of friends and relatives I don’t keep in close contact with.  I can check on Jana in Roseau, Raichl in Fargo, Lacey in South Dakota, and Nikki in Belgium, simultaneously. That’s pretty cool. I’m still figuring it out. I’m still chicken to try some of the features without some one holding my hand.  I’m not ditching the blog for Facebook, but I’m digging the convenience of it. It’s like a new toy. One of my favorite Facefook features is the notes.  Someone tags others in a note and encourages you to copy the format ….so far I’ve done a 25 Random Things list.  Check it out:

1. While I am usually pretty easy-going and random, I have the need to straighten shelves every time I’m at a grocery or hardware store. I like all the products neatly aligned. This drives Layne crazy.

2. I’m married to my best friend in the world. I don’t do a good enough job of letting him know how much I appreciate him.

3. I see so much of myself in my kids. This in turn delights me and terrifies me.

4. I miss job sharing. Working part time, being with the kids part time was the best. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

5. I chose to go to Concordia College for my grandpa because it meant a lot to him. I have that decision to thank for all of the good things I have in my life today.

6. I will sing in front of my family and my students. Nobody else.

7. I recently bought a pair of shiny, pink shoes. Who NEEDS shiny, pink shoes? I’m not really a pink shoes kind of person. But they’re fun.

8. I wish I’d had more body-confidence before I had children. I would have appreciated myself more if I knew I’d never look that way again.

9. I would like to be a runner. I’m not self-motivated, though, so that’s a problem. I’m working on it.

10. I enjoy Group Power….an exercise class with a bunch of ladies lifting weights in time to music in front of a wall full of mirrors. Who would have thought?

11. I once spent a month backpacking through Europe with Layne. We more or less planned the trip on the plane (little things like which countries shall we go to….) and found the most random places to stay as we traveled. It was wonderful.

12. I’m totally pumped that Layne is taking guitar lessons.

13. My kids think we should start a family band. They’re like little von Trapps. It’s hysterical, adorable, and so much fun.

14. TV is not good for me. I get sucked into the most worthless shows. Once I start watching, I’m committed to finishing the program.

15. I love to read. When curling up in the sun with a good book, I have no need for human contact until my book is finished.

16. The most scared I’ve ever been: when my sister went into premature labor with her twins at 30 weeks. I still get choked up when I think about the drive to the hospital, not knowing what was happening.

17. When I was a teenager I used to say that I wanted to get married wearing a plain white dress in a sunflower field. It’s nice when dreams come true.

18. I am a lousy speller. Every one expects me to spell well because I teach English. I’m just good at looking up things when I need to.

19. I’d like to write a book. I have a short story almost ready to go, but no plans to really do anything with it. I’d like to get inspired and write something else.

20. When I was a beginning teacher, we were asked to write 10 goals personal or professional goals on note cards. I’ve accomplished almost all of mine. I don’t have a German shepard. That one’s probably not happening. I have a nice cat though.

21. I spent a month touring and teaching English in China. When I went there, I was allergic to the Chinese food I’d eaten in America. I figured I’d get by on rice.

22. My daughter had a tumor protruding through her skull when she was a baby. She had surgery when she was one. We told very few people what was happening. It is much easier to talk about now that we know everything is okay. I regret not letting more friends support us through that time.

23. I’d like to take art classes….maybe pottery or painting.

24. I was once a Dairy Princess. I don’t like to drink milk. That was difficult.

25. I do not like calling people. I have all kinds of friends/family members I’d enjoy talking to, but I have no desire to pick up the telephone and call anyone. Once I actually am talking to some one, we’ll often wind up talking for a good hour.

the 17th day of Christmas…. January 26, 2009

The Christmas tree came down yesterday.

Lots of celebrating, lots of fun. On the 17th we had a great day with family:  food, presents, sledding, ping pong, conversation.  It’s good to be family.