One Year and Walking

New Toys

2011-05-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

Chatty Cathy

2011-05-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

You'll have to excuse my shaky camera work... but C has found her voice and really enjoys talking to her toys... too cute.

Burger King

2011-04-02T19:45:00.000-05:00

As in, the King of Burgers is Jason. He made wonderful burgers the other night, topped with bacon (for him) and avocado. YUM.

Go Twins!

2011-04-01T12:21:00.000-05:00

So excited for Baseball Season!

Miss Camila Michele

2011-03-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Baby Girl Birth Announcement

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BFFs

2011-02-28T12:04:00.000-06:00

2 weeks!

2011-02-26T08:01:00.000-06:00

This photo was taken on 2/24, Camila was 2 weeks old!!

The First Bath

2011-02-16T08:34:00.000-06:00

...she hated it

Welcome!

2011-02-11T20:57:00.000-06:00

Camila Michele joined us at 7:48 p.m. on Thursday, February 10th. She was 8 lbs, 2 oz, 20 inches long. Tons of dark brown hair!! We love her!

Dirty Mirror, Torpedo Belly

2011-02-02T17:36:00.000-06:00

...because the mirror is dirty. And my belly looks like a torpedo. 38 1/2 weeks...

Right Now

2011-01-13T19:00:00.000-06:00

Right Now

Student
Mom to Be
Full Time Worker
Tired
Sore
Getting up to pee multiple times a night
Taking lots of baths
Trying to relax
Getting ready for Baby
Anxious
Wishing I could eat pizza
Joined by a cold beer
Busy
Looking forward to seeing my friends
And family
Shower in two days
Spending a lot of time driving
Sick of the snow
Going to miss my husband when he's gone
Next week, 4 days alone
Everything in changing....

I have made it....

2010-12-09T16:31:00.000-06:00

I have made it through my first semester of grad school - 3 classes!

I have made it through a 1 hour gestational diabetes test, which I failed, only to go on to make it through a 3 hour gestational diabetes test - We will find out the results tomorrow.

I have made it through 30 weeks of pregnancy (almost 31!)

Now I have to make it through the Holidays.... :)

Here are a couple of pictures from the Vogt Family Failed Photoshoot for Christmas Cards. We will NOT be using these! EEK! Lets just say that pointing a camera straight at waist level is not flattering on me (or anyone). Also, as you can see, our pets were not all that cooperative....

where have we been?

2010-11-02T20:12:00.000-05:00

Let me just run down the short list....

Jason has been refinishing our floors, which means sanding, staining, sealing, and me not in the house. I spent two weekends at home avoiding the fumes so Jason could make our floors look brand new.

Due to the above mentioned, we have been living in our basement... yes, our unfinished basement.

Because of this, I cannot find my point and shoot camera, which is what Jason uses to take my belly pictures....

Also, I cannot find my camera cord, so I cannot connect it to my computer.

I have my Rebel, and have taken some really cute pictures - Ginger on Halloween for example!!!

School! I have been working really hard at being a full time employee AND a student. It hard, but I know it will be worth it in the end.

Jason has been officiating HS football, and just had his last few games which means he is no longer an official for the rest of the year!! (I mean, how sad....I know I'm disappointed that he'll be home more..)

Once I find all the rest of my things, I promise more photos!! My birthday pictures, the new floor, a baby's room (maybe?), Ginger at Halloween....

Half Baked

2010-09-26T18:27:00.000-05:00

Here we are at 20 weeks!! I can't believe I'm already half baked!!

Erin's Big Day

2010-09-05T19:34:00.000-05:00

Here are just a few of my faves from her big day!

Another new adventure

2010-08-23T08:51:00.003-05:00

As if I didn't already have enough on my plate..... I'm going to be a student again. Tomorrow will be my first day as a student at Mankato, and I will officially be a Maverick. I will be obtaining my teaching license and a masters degree as well.

Wish me luck! Its been a looooooooong time since I was a student!

Twelve Weeks

2010-08-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

12 weeks ago today.... I was blissfully unaware of what my future held for me..

9 weeks ago.... I took a pregnancy test.

6 weeks ago.... Jason and I got to see a picture of our tiny little peanut and see it's heart beat flash on the screen.

2 weeks ago, Jason and I heard the sweet sweet sound of 'whoosh whoosh whoosh' marching to the tune of a 160 beats per minute.

Thats right! Today, I'm 12 weeks pregnant!

Jason and I are expecting our first child, my estimated due date is February 13th, and we couldn't be more excited.

We have decided that we are not going to find out the gender of our baby, and we aren't going to share the names we've picked out, so you will all have to wait for this little one to come out and be just as surprised as us!!!

Ginger's First Camping Trip

2010-06-15T19:18:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we took Ginger on her very first camping trip. We ventured to Minneopa State Park, near Mankato. When we first arrived, we were expecting some rain. Luckily, it did not rain at all on Friday night...

Here is Ginger hanging in front of the tent.

On Saturday morning, I woke up around 6 a.m. (yes, I'm getting old) and took Ginger for a 'pee walk'. I also ventured to the restrooms... which were 'vault' style. This basically means that the bathroom is one huge porta potty. There were three stalls but they all pretty much share the same pit. Needless to say, the bathroom did not smell nice at all. The worst part was that the showers were also housed in the same building as the toilets. When you showered, you had to hold your breath. Icky. There were a lot of spiders too. I may have had to kill one in the shower. It was HUGE.

After the 6 a.m. potty break, Ginger and I crawled back into the tent and not soon after did it start raining. After hanging out for a few more hours, Jason decided to brave the weather.. he put on all his rain gear and made us breakfast on the camp stove under the umbrella. It rained for quite a while, so I did a lot of reading in the tent.

It dried up a bit around lunch time, so we made a super healthy lunch of Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper. Nutritious. Then we head out for a 3 mile hike.

Here are a couple shots of Ginger on the hike.

More hiking

Saturday night was uneventful, we sat by the campfire and made s'mores. Sunday we decided to go check out the waterfall. Minneopa means 'Twin Falls'.

We couldn't let Ginger drink from the river due to high levels of fecal matter. Yummy :)

I think Ginger loved it!

Naughty

2010-05-26T18:33:00.000-05:00

Scaling the shower curtain

and sitting on jewelry!

Green Thumb

2010-05-03T18:37:00.002-05:00

Let's hope I have one...

Kale
Radish
Onion
Pink Hydrangea!
Dead Nettle? I have no idea what this is but the dude at the nursery told me it would grow in the shade!

I hope to have plenty of peppers, tomatoes, herbs, carrots, beans and lettuce as well!

Cabo San Lucas

2010-04-12T16:31:00.001-05:00

Tequila Sunrise

2010-03-30T20:25:00.002-05:00

Take me out to the ball game...

2010-03-27T14:07:00.003-05:00

The Dog House

2010-02-25T16:35:00.003-06:00

The Dog House. Where my dog should be. If she wasn't so freaking cute I'd be livid. Why you ask? Why? How about I SHOW you why!

I bought those when I was a freshman in college. I loved the crap out of those boots. They were worn out anyway, and I could have used a new pair. But GINGER, those were my UGGS! Do you think she even realizes how expensive those puppies are? The cost to replace is SO coming out of her allowance. Uh.

No, I have not 'Lost all Blogging Hope'

2010-02-09T16:35:00.004-06:00

Instead of updating I've been working on a little project. I missed Christmas this year, and by missed, I mean I didn't have room to be all Christmasy in my house. Our refrigerator was in our living room, and thus I chose to not partake in the sending of Christmas cards. I've been working recently on getting a Valentines out.... So if you were one of those who thought we snubbed you by not sending you a Christmas card... we snubbed everyone. So what does Valentine card making require??

Water color colored pencils...
Glitter, ribbon, and glue. Because no self respecting Valentine card maker would dare make them sans glitter.
Lost of hand addressed pink envelopes. I think I need to make address labels.
And of course, stamps and ink.
Oh yea, and we picked this bad boy up on Sunday. I actually hugged the box and told this keyboard I loved it. In front of my husband. Oopies!

January Showers

2010-01-23T11:20:00.003-06:00

Its January, and its raining. A gross, disgusting rain that makes the snow look brown and exposes the buried dog poop in my back yard.

But, a January Shower can also be for babies!

On the right side of my blog, you'll find a link to Nils Pils. If you have not yet visited is blog, and you enjoy beer, go now! Why do I mention this? Because Nils and his wife Kristie are having a baby, and I recently attended their January Shower! I have known both of them since high school, and was so excited to celebrate with them!

I of course got a gift for Kristie... but I couldn't resist getting something for Nils. Surprise, Surprise! I got him BEER! 4 beers that he hasn't tried yet! I had to baby it up a bit and included two adorable onesies.... Here it is!

The Ginger 500

2010-01-06T16:11:00.004-06:00

Jason took the plow out back and shaved out a race track for Ginger. She. Loves. It. See below.

joy

2009-12-29T16:45:00.003-06:00

Moving right along

2009-12-20T11:18:00.003-06:00

Since the last update.... Jason did the electrical work with the help of his brother's father-in-law
He then insulated the walls, followed by a layer of plastic. Once the inspector gave it the A-OK, Jason headed over to the local Home Depot for the sheetrock. Since we don't have a truck, he had to rent one to bring it all home. Well, since I was the only other person available to help unload the sheetrock, I helped bring in all 12 sheets. I know, you're impressed.

After hanging sheet rock until 2 a.m. Friday night, my dad came over on Saturday to start to mud and tape. Midway through, I hear Jason yell 'Kendra, come get your cat and clean him off!" Confused, I ran into the kitchen. GoGo had jumped up on the half wall, constructed for the bar, and walked through the fresh drywall mud.

I had to rinse off his feet. This was not the first 'rinse' he had had that day either. Earlier, he darted into the garage, and spent a good twenty minutes playing under the car, rolling in dirty slush. He received an entire bath for that one....
Here is my dad sanding.
Walls are almost done!

Cookies!

2009-12-18T19:00:00.005-06:00

Chocolate with Rolos
We also tried to make Green CornFlake Wreaths
You can tell by my mom's face this was just not a good idea...
...so messy....
finished!
Puppy Chow!
Nutter Butter Santas
The whole shebang!!!

Kitchen Status

2009-12-01T18:19:00.003-06:00

Before! We are packing up the kitchen...
more before...
Jason let me kick in the cabinet! I hate you cabinet! You are yucky!!
Here is some DEMO! Bye bye ugly kitchen!!

So far to go..... but its progress!

I met PW

2009-11-27T17:06:00.004-06:00

If you don't read PW, I am going to direct you there now. Her recipes are amazing, and her photos are spectacular. www.thepioneerwoman.com

I begged my mom to come with me to get my cookbook signed. She is the best mommy in the whole world, so of course she came with me. We got there at 12:30, and at 1, when it started, Ree came on stage and answered a few questions.
Momma waited in line with me as long as she could, but after four hours she had to head out!
She spent time with every single person saying hello and thank you! She was so sweet!
Before Mom had to leave she wrangled Marlboro Man's signature as well as the two boys! How cute :)
Below you will see photographic proof of my meeting The Pioneer Woman. Unfortunately it is one of the worst pictures ever. Its just a little out of focus... just a little. Oh well! I still got my personalized cook book and my PW T-Shirt!

Thanks PW! It was well worth my 5 hour wait!!!! Oh, and if you are reading this, please choose me next to win a Kitchen Aid mixer. Thanks!

2009-11-18T18:22:00.001-06:00

early morning frost

and the first glimpse at new cabinets!

happiness

2009-11-14T12:22:00.004-06:00

A bone from the meat market

The hope of making beef stew!
And a freezer FULL of meat!

(thats 160 lbs of meat, just in case you were wondering)

my rearview mirror

2009-11-12T17:40:00.000-06:00

Peas and Carrots

2009-10-20T18:25:00.001-05:00

Its been long enough

2009-10-13T17:13:00.003-05:00

Really, what have I been doing? Certainly not updating my blog!

Well, I volunteered at the TC marathon with RBC's mile 13.1 team. We mixed PowerAde 25 gallons at a time in garbage pails. We stirred said PowerAde with a hockey stick. We gave each other bunny ears in photos. We handed out said PowerAde to crazy runners who enjoy running 26.2 miles. (sorry, I just don't understand it).

And, above all, we had a really good, cold, PowerAde-ful time.
On Oct 11, I turned 26. I felt old, and sad, and old. I am getting older, and I have gray hair. And I felt, well, old. I got a new lens for my camera, and with it I took this photo of my Halloween wreath. Jason knows just what a girl wants! An EF 50mm f/1.8!!
My mommy bought me these beautiful Uggs. Dear Uggs, I love you. Dear Mommy, I love you too. My mommy was 26 when we had me, so it was her 'Golden Labor Day'. She came up with that herself.
We also attended the 'last' Twins game in the Dome. I say 'last' because we all know it wasn't really the 'last' game, but it was officially the 'last regular season game' in the Dome. We got vintage Homer Hankies. We waved them. We had fun.
I think thats it!!

Arboretum

2009-09-27T20:03:00.004-05:00

A recent trip to the Arboretum on 'buy one get one free admission day' meant one and one half hours of walking, taking, and photo taking.

We also went through the maze, which was scary at first but we made it through safe and sound!

Split Rock

2009-09-22T20:35:00.002-05:00

We biked from Gooseberry State Park to Split Rock on the Gitchi Gami trail, and though my legs may have survived the hilly path, I did have a few 'saddle sores'

Mama and Baby deer on the path!

This hill was nice on the way down... but on the way up?!?!?!

Gooseberry Falls 9/15 - 9/18

2009-09-18T20:03:00.007-05:00

In no particular order.... our recent, relaxing, calm, quite, outdoors, star filled, bike riding, rock climbing, wonderful trip to Gooseberry State Park.

....more to come!!!

Upcoming Adventure

2009-09-14T19:44:00.002-05:00

Its fairly uncommon of me to not post for two weeks, but nothing exciting to report! This week, actually tomorrow, we will be heading to Gooseberry Falls on a mini-vacation and some much needed relaxation. We have not camped since our road trip last summer, and I for one have missed it. Another rare occurrence for me -- blogging without photos. Mark this one down on the calendar!

I will have plenty to share when we return!

Hen and Ken hit the State Fair with Peg and Greg!

2009-08-30T20:10:00.006-05:00

There may be a few items not pictured here, but its highly unlikely. I believe we ate EVERYTHING.
Rueben on a stick.
Cautiously waiting in line for Teriyaki Ostrich. They don't serve that in Iowa!
Yumm... Ostrich.
We all need our veggies!
Seriously Henry? Deep Fried Mixed Fruit?
Peach Glazed Pig Cheeks and Pig Lickers.
Close up of the Pig Lickers
Deep Fried Snickers.
Um, Hi, girls? You just sat your butt on my shoulder. Stop messin around!
Summit on a Stick!
Henry, we just ate deep fried candy bars, are you SURE you want the Deep Fried Twinkie?
Ya, I got my Twink on!
Hot dish on a stick? Deep Fried Banana Split? Yes, we had both.
"Its really good with the cream of mushroom dipping sauce!"
Banana, wrapped in lefse, fried, then served with the regular split works.

Lets just say that my arteries felt a bit clogged today, but I did have FUN!

2 years

2009-08-23T08:36:00.005-05:00

Its been two whole years now...

Two years since we were married. One year since I started this blog. A lot has happened in one short year.

This year we went to the Melting Pot to celebrate. I had an amazing Caprese Salad. YUM.
I took pictures of the meet and bread and such, but what I really liked were these little spoon for the sauces! They were cute!

Our desert was delicious, but I was so full by this point it almost hurt to eat it.

A few more things that have been celebrated....

Our niece Aleah turned one! She is so adorable :)

And I helped my friend Kristie celebrate her birthday at Chino Latino.

Happy Birthday Girl!

Progress

2009-08-22T10:34:00.000-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a finished Cabinet Box...

2009-08-19T17:06:00.003-05:00

I promise that I have not neglected blogging. Every time I try to add photos I get some sort of error. I will try again soon.. ARGH!

Queen of Sheba

2009-08-09T21:25:00.003-05:00

Or at least, thats who Ginger would like to think she is.

Proof

2009-08-03T19:24:00.003-05:00

Proof... that GoGo knows who likes cats and who doesn't. And if you don't, he'll sit on your scrapbooking supplies.

Proof... that Marge will hold a cat..... and smile :) !
Proof... that I will soon have kitchen cabinets made out of beautiful cherry wood.
Proof... that I can make pickles.

Proof... that we are finally getting rid of that nasty ass color on the walls in the spare bedroom.
Proof... that "Quite Moment" is a much better color.

QS

2009-08-02T10:30:00.006-05:00

A Saturday adventure with Mom took us to the Eagle Creek Quilt Shop. Its housed in an old train depot... it had so much atmosphere!

Farmers Market

2009-07-23T20:53:00.003-05:00

I bought myself some flowers from the farmers market.

I am trying to find what inspires me and helps me to grow my photography skills. And, I am going to toot my own horn, but I like the pictures I took! What do you think?

It just keeps growing!

2009-07-20T17:02:00.005-05:00

First, I'll start you off with a 'before' photo.. This was taken a couple weeks after I planted my garden.
Here is the after. My tomatoes are massive. Cucumbers are taking over, and beans are blooming. Lettuce is leaping, peppers are popping up everywhere, and herbs are being, well, herby.
Look at the cute little 'cumbers!
'Maters.
A cumber-curl!
-------------------

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Whoa Nelly

2009-07-19T09:38:00.005-05:00

Whoa Nelly, do I have a lot of pictures to share!

On the 11th, we ran the Race for the Cure. I will spare you the photo of me running, because it is not pretty. But all in all, it was a lot of fun, and yes, I would run it again. It was only 5k....
The 15th was Jason's birthday. We went to a favorite Mexican Restaurant called Rey Azteca. It is SO good. Jason got the biggest meal on earth, and as you can see it was two plates worth. No, he did not order two meals, that is just how big the "Special 1" is. He topped it off with a 34 oz beer...
Besides running, the weekend of the 11th was filled with a lot of relaxation, good conversation, numerous games of Catch Phrase, and the lake.

And, last but not least, Kayla is turning 19 here in a couple of days, and I helped her celebrate at Salut.
Happy Birthday!!
Best fries... yuuummmmmmm
Have I ever mentioned my loved for tomato, basil, moz and balsamic? This was like, the best. EVER.
Dear Kayla, LYLAS!!! *
*Love Ya Like a SISTA!

O M G

2009-07-13T20:45:00.003-05:00

I thought it would be fun to see who visited my blog. I thought, I wonder if anyone besides the friends that know I blog ever click on my link. I wonder....

That said, I am a bit star struck. It appears that Pioneer Woman looked at my blog! What? PW...Did you really look here? Wow.

Just in case I didn't believe myself, I made some photographic proof. OMG.

Dear PW, I read your blog every day. I am trying to win a stand mixer. Thanks.

But, there is always the chance that someone just read my comment on PW, and linked to me that way. Which is fine too. I am going to keep pretending it was really her....

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-09T17:37:00.002-05:00

I know, the 4th was last weekend. But I couldn't well share the photos from the day until it was OVER! Enjoy!

Sew Cute!

2009-07-03T21:18:00.001-05:00

Recently, Jason attached the clothes line to our home and poured concrete for the pole. I now have a clothes line! There was only one issue... I didn't have a place to store the clothes pins! I found this cute pattern online, made with just a fat quarter, two buttons and some rick rack!

I even sewed button holes with my sewing machine! I was so proud of myself!
Now I can hang my laundry out to dry!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a completely unrelated note, I bought this great wine rack in Cedarsburg, WI. Jason hung it up in the dining room for me last night, I love it!!

Happy Birthday Mamma!

2009-06-30T21:01:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday! Today, Deb is celebrating her 21st Birthday. Ok, maybe her 35th. But there is no way she is 52.
Thanks for being my friend.
And loving me even when I was a huge pain! (Not that I ever was)

I love you Mommy!

Fun in the Sun

2009-06-28T15:01:00.002-05:00

Another trip to Milwaukee brought more fun and more baseball!

The family tailgating.
After the game.
We went on another brewery tour, of course!!! This one was great, we all had so much fun. The president of the company gave the tour and was very informative.
After all the fun in Milwaukee, we headed to Madison for the huge farmers' market at the capitol and State Street. We found this man, able to play guitar and smoke a cigarette upside down.
And lastly, no trip would be complete without Macaroni and Cheese Pizza. Surprisingly tasty!

Changes...

2009-06-25T08:30:00.002-05:00

I've made a few aesthetic changes... what do you think???

BTW, I'll get back to blogging here soon, but I am on vacation!

Growth

2009-06-15T19:30:00.001-05:00

Dirt under my nails... Check!
Cilantro
Basil
Growing, growing, growing :)

B is for.....

2009-06-14T17:53:00.004-05:00

B is for...

Brewery Tours!
Beans

Brothers
Buddies
Batting Pitchers

Baseball Fields
Bi-fan game goers. (Twins fan? Cubs fan? This guy is BOTH!)

Bloody Marys
Beer
Bigger Beers
Blue Ribbon Beers
Brewed on site Beers

Park Man

2009-06-01T19:26:00.001-05:00

He
Melts
My
Heart

Growing Strong

2009-05-28T17:25:00.003-05:00

First, let me introduce you to Mr. Frog. He is the guardian of my domain...errr.. garden.

In the beginning, I was concerned that nothing would grow. Now I am elated at the progress that is happening so quickly!!
A tomato bloom!!
Cucumbers!!!
I swear yesterday these beans were just coming out, barley a glimpse of green showing from the dirt. Today its, well,.... a bean pole!

Its Official

2009-05-25T20:16:00.002-05:00

One week ago, Jason and my father tilled, myself and my mother raked.
We used a stick and some yarn and make rows.
And I planted seeds, buried them, and wore a cowboy hat to keep the sun off my neck and face.

One week later, its official. I can grow things. I have watered and watched, waited and waited. Its here.

Below, you will see the first sprouts of my labors. Radishes. I have grown something. And they are cute.
What else can a grow? Unfortunately, Creeping Charlie.

May Flowers

2009-05-14T19:36:00.000-05:00

Love This Girl...

2009-05-10T20:31:00.003-05:00

Don't you just want to pinch those cheeks?
And those pigtails!?!?! So Cute!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

Knock Knock

2009-05-04T21:22:00.000-05:00

Ribs

2009-05-03T12:42:00.002-05:00

I had Ribs for dinner.

Ode to Shelves

2009-04-29T20:37:00.003-05:00

Oh, Shelves

Upon you my candles sit, waiting to be burned

Before you were installed,

All my things were strewn about, upturned.

But then you arrived, all white and wooden

needing to be hung

waiting to stand tall, holding all my goodies

If I ever need a votive, I know where I can find it,

A catalogue, a tea light,

Pillars, oh I get it!

You have kept me organized

You stack my items well

I can't even realize

What life would be without you.

Oh, Shelves

How I love you.
And J? Thanks for installing them, I love you too :)

Gorgeous in Green

2009-04-27T20:29:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday Seanshine!

2009-04-26T13:58:00.005-05:00

We started our evening at Zellas....
Jason had the 'Chop Chop'
I had the trout.
Three candles for twenty three years!
Mom asked that the cake had 'boy colors' which apparently means asparagus green and some shade of blue grey that appears to be a mistake.
Mom singing Happy Birthday in only the way she can....

At this point, Ashley and I open up a bottle of beer to share. We decided to split it because we were both to scared to drink our own bottle. Just the smell has turned her off to it..... but I am not scared because there are very few beers I don't like...
As we bring the drink to our lips, mom is saying 'SMILE!'. This was the best we could do.
The beer. Banana Bread. The verdict? Ashley was not won over. I enjoyed it, and when I burped later that night it tasted like bananas. Would I get it again? Probably not, but thats more because it as $4.95 for the bottle.
Here we see the birthday boy eating his cake. Cashwise cake.
See my piece below.... it was good. But we made the horrible mistake of reading the nutrition information.
Hope you had a happy happy day baby brudder!!!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Bye Bye BoBo

2009-04-21T17:11:00.006-05:00

Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of our dear friend, BoBo. His life was short, but well lived. He is survived by his dear friend Ginger.

We found you lying still, with your entrails strewn about like yesterday's news. It was shocking, horrifying and a petrifying shade of white. In small poufs, your insides were everywhere.

Though in pain, you kept a smile on your face through it all. It was not easy to see your stuffing lying next to you. You were in so much pain and agony, and you pretended that nothing was wrong. You were a fighter.
How did this happen? Who murdered you, in cold poly filling?
It was just to horrific to even view.
And your ear! What happened to it? Could you even hear me screaming your name?

We will always love you, Dear BoBo.

Nothing to do with BoBo, but Ginger has such a sweet ridge...

And on a completely separate note.. Daddy Ryan got a new car... and it is SUH-WEET!

When Ginger Attacks

2009-04-12T17:35:00.003-05:00

Watch out! She's coming!!!
.....not to be confused with 'Couch Potato Ginger'

True Love

2009-04-04T18:38:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday (x2)

2009-04-01T18:14:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Greggie!

2009-03-29T15:20:00.005-05:00

What a great time with great friends at Fuji Ya! Happy Birthday Greg!

Yummy, Mango Martini!
Besties :)
Birthday boy!
SUPER FUN high quality chopsticks. And they were super fun!
Beauty!
Miso Soup.
Lots of sushi....
...more sushi...
You're pretty :)
Kayla!

I can't think of a creative title.

2009-03-08T19:02:00.004-05:00

It was our little guy's first birthday on Saturday. We really dug deep to get him exactly what he wanted.... a $2.19 toy from Target. Dream. Come. True.

Hey, its kinda cute...
And he really seems to enjoy it.

P.S. It already has a missing 'arm'.

Deb and I have taken on a project which involves weekly trips to Archivers. That store makes me feel happy. Anyway.... the project is making scrap/recipe albums of my grandma's recipes. Here are a few shots of our progress!
That one is going to be mine!
Snipping the coils. Watch out--I am using tools. It could get dangerous.
Here I am punching the holes...

FOUR finished covers. Now we just need to add the insides....

Tummy Tickling Tuesday

2009-03-03T18:13:00.002-06:00

Two things that tickled my tummy today...

This is my grandma's "White Cake with Lemon Filling" It was GOOD!

And this, well..... LOL Catz crack me up and I am pretty sure this should be my life motto

more animals

More destruction and a Not Me Monday

2009-03-01T20:05:00.004-06:00

What should I start with...

Here are a couple photos of Jason and I trying to squeeze into my grandpa's coveralls just to see if it would work. I had to stand on my tippy toes just so we could pull the straps up.

Here we are trying to take pictures of it... it was NOT easy!
I got my new lens!!! I don't know how to use it yet, but I did get it. I look so enthused in this picture....
Thanks to a suggestion by Jason Beal, I took some pictures of myself in the mirror with my camera so you could all see it! Its a nice accessory!
And thats right folks, Never Drink and Derive. Bad news.....
The destruction pictures are nothing like the last set. We decided to sand and refinish our bathroom vanity and replace the baseboard. My wonderful husband is doing most (all) the work. And I know it will look great!
GoGo is helping... or... something...
These pictures are a bit backwards, because this one is of the drawers after they were stained...
baseboards with one coat..
Sanded drawers...
And the OLD UGLY finish before, YUCK!!

The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived...

my NOT ME Monday! post.

I DID NOT run out of milk on Sunday, forget about it, and remember that we didn't have any milk 2 minutes before my noodles were finished. Said noodles were NOT for shells and cheese, because I am lactose intolerant and wouldn't eat shells and cheese. And I most certainly DID NOT try to find anything that would pass for milk in my fridge. I did NOT think to use expired buttermilk, only to throw that out. Then I did NOT check the half and half, only to find that expired. And finally, I did NOT use heavy whipping cream in my mac and cheese, and water down the cream with water before using it. None of this even happened anyway, because I DON'T eat mac and cheese. Especially from a box, even it if is organic.

Cheese and Rice

2009-02-25T18:17:00.004-06:00

Cheese and Rice, you heard me right. If you know my dad at all, you'll recognize this saying as a way around the blasphemous 'Jesus Christ' as an expletive. And, Cheese and Rice its been a long time since I've blogged. Since then, we've ripped down more walls, seen a celebrity, celebrated birthday's and watched hockey games...

Katelin is number 3! Go girl!
Kat VonD was at the bookstore and Marge and I just happened to walk in. How cool!!
Another missing wall.... I am just worried my cat is going to crawl into the empty whole up there and get stuck.
And there is nothing like wearing a helmet to open birthday gifts. When you are four I guess anything goes....
....Including wearing full rollerblading gear while trying to open your wallet to get your birthday money out.
As most of you who read this probably know, I got a new camera. I love it. LOVE. LOVE.
I also love Ginger, and she is so cute in her St. Patty's day hat.
She's just really cute in general.....

Deconstruction

2009-02-10T07:45:00.004-06:00

It was pretty nice before. I worked hard picking out the paint color. But, its not all that great and we really want to change it. Get rid of the silly pocket door. Make it more open. And eventually, put in a patio door where the window is. But for now...

We'll just rip this wall out.
There it goes!

The carpet is gone too. Someone had covered up the original hardwood with a yucky carpet, which was stained and dirty. It is now downstairs where it is covering the concrete.

Its stained, it has carpet glue and tape on it, but I think it can be saved!

Carolyn Herrera

2009-02-04T14:04:00.003-06:00

Dear Ms. Herrera

Thank you for making that fun gown I tried on at Off Saks Fifth Ave. Not only could I not afford it at its final clearance price, but I had no where to wear it. If I would have had a place to wear it, for example, the Oscars, I probably would have purchased it. After all, it was a really good deal. But, what I really need you to know is that it was SO fun to try that dress on, mostly because I will probably never ever have another one of your dresses on ever again in my lifetime.

Thanks

Kendra

At this point in your blog reading adventure, you may be wondering a few things. "Why did you try on a dress?" "Who is Carolyn Herrera?" and "How much is a Carolyn Herrera dress anyway?". Well, trying on dresses is a hobby that Marge and I participate in semi-regularly during our lunch hour. Hey, it gives us something to do. Carolyn is a 'designer' who sells her drseses for dollar amounts I have usually only seen on cars. See below for the blurry cell phone photo of the price tag.

Yep, it says $5999.00 as the original price. It was marked down to 2395.90 but the final clearance was $999.00.Yea, I know, it looks like it was made for me. I probably should have gotten it, because it was such a great deal. But really, I don't have a date for the Oscars so there was no point.

Success!

2009-02-03T18:20:00.001-06:00

Yes, I did it all myself..... cut, leveled and applied!

mad cow

2009-01-29T11:18:00.002-06:00

more animals

Guys night in

2009-01-28T17:22:00.002-06:00

My husband had a party in my basement and I wasn't invited. But thats OK, they made a huge mess and since it wasn't MY party, I didn't have to help clean up. But I could document the aftermath.... There was quite a bit of variety here as you can see. Premium, Sam Adams, Red Stripe....

Papa Johns Pizza...
And in the recycling we see even more variety....
What kind of beer is that in the cooler? Don't you know?
Ahh yes, Blue Diamond Lager.. Everyone's fave.

Taco Tuesday

2009-01-20T09:35:00.003-06:00

Well it is Taco Tuesday, but that has nothing to do with my pictures. Sorry. If I had kids, or a life, I would post some cute pictures of them or something exciting. And since I don't, you are going to get some really cute pictures of my pets. Because they are cute.

I need to point out a few things here. First, you'll notice the BONE right next to the knocked over case of CD's. Why you choose to chew a CD when your bone is right there is just beyond me. Second, notice all the pink shards. That was a jewel case. Yum.

Sorry Ginger, I'll never understand why you chose to chew on a CD. It does not look yummy.

Alright, here is the little killer himself. He is ready to pounce out that window and get those birds and squirrels. In this nice photo, you can actually see the squirrels GoGo is threatening. They are pretty scared, if you can't tell. He is vicious. But, when he isn't hunting birds he is a pretty cute cat.Ginger can be a pretty high energy dog, but when she is tired she is tired. She seriously didn't move from the couch all day...And here she is sleeping again, but being oh-so-cute and cuddly while doing it. She is such a lap dog...

Wild

2009-01-16T07:46:00.003-06:00

I think the thing my husband may like most about hockey is the fighting. I am not sure why its so fascinating, but when the gloves get thrown off everyone is at the edge of their seat cheering. Even me.... sorta... We did get to see a few good fights, and even some blood, so I guess it makes it all worth while.

For some reason, I really like the "Color Accent" mode on my camera. I choose red here, and I really like the way our view from the seats turned out!

ahh Minnesota

2009-01-15T07:43:00.003-06:00

Yep, that was from this morning.

This is from the bus this morning.. This woman slept like this basically the whole ride. Just to make it more clear, the white is her coat, and the brown fuzzy thing is her hat. She is literally heaped over in her seat, sound asleep. Every once in a while she would sit straight up, and then slump back over. Oh man, i just couldn't resist...

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-14T07:20:00.000-06:00

A New Adventure

2009-01-08T07:43:00.003-06:00

Tonight, I embark on a new adventure. Here is a hint.......

Here is another hint....Ok, you guessed it. Tonight I consult on my first PartyLite party. I am hoping that this is a new, fun, exciting and fragrance filled chapter in my life. I set up my stuff last night to practice a little. I love it all!!

Here is the whole she-bang!

another fun filled week

2009-01-05T17:25:00.002-06:00

We came home one day and some sweet little puppy had ripped apart her bed. Nice work Ginger.
GoGo thought it was pretty fun though.
On our drive to my grandma's, we saw a beautiful sunset. I wish I could have taken more pictures. The later it got the more red the sky was. So pretty!
My cousin has a pug named Sammy, isn't she cute?!?!
I took this picture of Jason scraping off our windows in his white T-Shirt in the storm on Saturday. Why was he out side in a thin shirt when its sleeting/raining/freezing and 25 degrees out?? Well, for one, we had to keep the car super hot so that all the rain wouldn't freeze on our windows. But that didn't really too much. So we had to stop just to re scrape and get the ice of the wipers. Let me tell you, it wasn't fun being a passenger so I can't imagine driving in that stuff. We made it home safe though, and that's what counts!

Many Christmases

2008-12-29T17:30:00.004-06:00

... and we aren't even done yet. On Christmas Eve we spent time with our nieces and nephew. Katelin got an American girl doll!
Parker got a work bench!
And a light saber from Auntie Kendra and Uncle Jason

On Christmas day I made my first ever Christmas dinner, and I used my china and set the table!!!

Napkin rings...

I never thought I'd use the crystal taper holders... but I found an occasion!

Florentine stuffed chicken (easier than it sounds) Brown and Wild rice and broccoli!
The set table... so pretty!

Christmas Sweater

2008-12-29T08:33:00.002-06:00

There will be more to come.... I tried to post pictures from a couple of our Christmases, but chaska.net was just not in the uploading mode apparently... Oh well, you will just have to check back to see if I get them posted :)

untitled

2008-12-08T21:03:00.003-06:00

Phull of Photos

2008-12-07T11:01:00.003-06:00

I have a lot of photos to share lately, too many to really categorize them. So we'll just go one by one....

I LOVE being an Auntie. Love it. Its my favorite job ever. Here we see me having fun with Parker -- I was letting him take the pictures. He is so cute. Love it.

Last week I was feeling kinda crappy about it all.... And my husband surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers when I got in the car on Thursday. They were so wonderful!

I have the cutest cat ever. I know I am biased. But seriously, if these next few pictures don't turn Margaret and Jessica into cat lovers, I don't know what will. He is really adorable. I am going to stop now because I sound like a crazy cat lady.

This is our first real tree together. Its HUGE. I love it.

fruit

2008-12-02T15:02:00.002-06:00

Ahh, nature...

photographer

2008-12-01T07:46:00.003-06:00

I know they are just of Ginger, but I thought I did a pretty good job. I have been reading about camera functions and all that, and picked up my dad's RebelXT to pratice what I had learned. Like I said, I think I did a pretty good job...... and I had a cute model ;)

Cuddle Bugs

2008-11-20T17:19:00.003-06:00

As the days are getting colder, our critters seem to want to cuddle more. I don't mind much, as they emit a lot of heat!!!

Ginger has been spending a lot of time in the chair with Jason, and I sometimes wonder how they both fit. And how anyone could sleep like this.
Ok, so its not a 'cuddle bug' picture, but hey, its funny!

new windows

2008-11-12T19:41:00.003-06:00

Old yucky windows

No windows

New windows!

Election Day

2008-11-04T09:27:00.002-06:00

The line at 7 am

Still that long at 7:30 am!

Halloween bash

2008-11-03T07:39:00.002-06:00

Just a few from the party!
This is what Ginger did ALL night.

Na na na na na na na na na na BAT MAN!

Once again, sleeping on the couch!

Clothes baskets!

The sailor and the nun with a mustache!