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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

What's My Name ?


Hello all - I'd like to introduce my latest little creation but I'm not quite sure what his/her name is. Right now we (the girls and I) call this softie "white bunny with green ears". This just doesn't have the right ring to it and to be honest it is quite a mouthful for a name. So does anyone have any great bunny names I could use? I've asked the girls but unfortunately their ideas are a bit over used in our house - Cinderella, Belle, Giselle, Prince Eric.... you get the picture! Thanks for your help!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

** BABY **


Well the news is out - we are having a baby! (read the fortune above to see the due date). We finally told everyone in our immediate families and now we are sharing this great news with friends and extended relatives. Kami & Rian are very excited about becoming big sisters (again). Rian even thinks she has a baby in her tummy - it is kind of cute watching her stick out her belly, pat her tummy and talk to her "baby". Kami is working hard trying to come up with some good names. So far her ideas are fairly similar to names she calls her dolls and barbies...hhhmmmm (I promise no babies will be named Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora or Prince if a boy). I'm thankful to be out of the first trimester and well into the second (I'm just about 16 weeks along) one. The nausea has become much more tolerable and I'm getting a little more energy back - just in time for cold weather and snow! I'll try to keep you all posted on the progress of Baby#3 but I promise to not make this entire blog about this one topic.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Prima Ballerina


Tuesday was Kami's last ballet class. All of her adoring fans were allowed to come and watch her display her newly learned skills and talents (and a new fluffy pink/white tutu). The other cute ballerina with a puffy tutu is Kami's friend Reese. Both girls did such a great job following their teacher's instructions! I am amazed at how much of an improvement the kids in the class showed since their first class! Enjoy these short clips:


the girls are showing how to stand in second position and then leap (not sure the technical term for their fancy move). What poise and grace :)


The ribbon dance with a special wave to her fans.



Kami's solo performance

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Monday, October 27, 2008

Fresh, Modern Photo Cards, Announcements and Invitations!

Oh I just had to post a quick link to this site - I stumbled across it through another great site (http://thecutestblogontheblock.com) site. I was just beginning to think about those great photo Christmas cards and just love the options on this site! Here is the link: http://tinyprints.com. Enjoy!

Blog Backgrounds

Considering starting your own blog? Not sure where to start? First decide what you want to blog about. I decided to blog about my current interests which include food, family and crafting.

Next decide if you want to host your own blog or if you want to use a free service. I chose a free service through Google called Blogger. I found it very easy and simple to set up and use. There are other hosts such as Wordpress so you will want to investigate a little to find out what best meets your needs.

Now that you have selected a hosting service let the fun begin! Choosing a unique blogger name, background and layout allows you to show your own style. Blogger offers free templates for your background (how the blog looks). They are OK but if you search the web a little you can find some free, more creative, backgrounds that might suit your style better. Here are two that I found: http://thecutestblogontheblock.com, http://giselejaquenod.com.ar/blog/.


After you have finished tweaking your blog layout and look you are ready to start posting. Post whatever you want however often you want to post! It is a great way to communicate with friends and family or even customers! Good luck and please send me links to your blog so I can check out what you have created.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Girls Weekend 2008

10 year Anniversary

2008 was the 10th anniversary of Girls Weekend! Hard to believe this once little idea years ago has become such a wonderful tradition. This year the annual event was held in Fremont (at Dianne's house). This year there were 17 of us including three generations of girls, the farthest of our group coming from Tennessee. For many years the main "events" for this weekend have included food (of course - with chocolate!!), a craft and an outing. Most of the gang arrived on Friday evening and after a yummy pasta dinner we kicked off the weekend with a bonfire, marshmallows and camper pies. Saturday morning rise and shine came earlier than expected due to the noise generated from the MILLIONS of squawking ducks and GUN SHOTS from the duck hunters (apparently duck season is in October). The morning also consisted of more delicious homemade treats to get us ready for our outing to the Heritage Farm for some fall festivities. At Heritage Farm the group successfully navigated through the corn made by correctly answering American President Trivia at each turn. Emma was a real pro - showing off her knowledge of Presidential facts by correctly answering the question "who resided at Monticello?" - of course that Jeff Tom guy (Thomas Jefferson) was her reply! The little ones picked out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and we all took turns posing for silly pictures in the field.







Later in the afternoon (once the kiddos were down for a nap) we started on our craft. This years craft was sock and glove animals, instructions courtesy of the book Sock and Glove by Miyako Kanamori. Since the weather was so nice we did the craft on mom (dianne's) porch under the beautiful fall colors of a big maple tree looking out over the lake. Once the creative juices began flowing there was no stopping these girls from creating some of the cutest little animals out of recycled gloves and socks! All this crafting makes a girl hungry! Dinner at Spanky's for the world's best bread sticks and pizza helped us refuel for some a little more crafting to put the finishing touches on the animals. The gang crashed after a long busy and FUN filled day!




Sunday morning started off with the duck and hunter wake up calls as well as a nice spread of breakfast treats. Some of the group had to get back home and get ready for school or work on Monday morning. The rest of us took a road trip to Whitehall to visit Cara's studio. Her latest creation, Uncomfortable Animals, was a hit with the girls! If you missed the studio trip check out her wares on Etsy. We also cruised over to the studio where Chester works to watch him create some pottery. Sunday evening we carved pumpkins down by the lake with the kids, had a bonfire, roasted marshmallows and told stories.




Monday morning the Tennessee girls and the Evans' clan packed into the car and headed back to Grand Rapids to the airport. It was sad to see the weekend come to a close but the memories of our time spent together will last forever. We are so blessed to have people in our lives who love us and so blessed to have such a wonderful family!


See You All Next Year!
(thanks Katie for letting me use some of your great pictures!)






Thursday, October 16, 2008

Quilt Give Away From Pigtails and Snails

With the weather getting cooler thoughts of digging out the warmer clothes and adding a blanket or two to the bed at night to keep warm is becoming more common. I ran across this great quilt give-away at Pigtailsandsnails.blogspot.com. Follow the link and add a comment in order to enter the give-away contest. Hurry the contest ends Friday Oct 17. Below are some pics of the quilt. Boy do I wish I knew how to make something like this!








Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Apple Streusel Cake


Here is a great recipe for an apple streusel cake. This is an easy recipe! It not only goes great with your coffee (or hot chocolate) in the morning it can also be served as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

FOR THE STREUSEL:
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. chopped apples (peeled or unpeeled - it is your preference)
1 c. sliced almonds, pecans or walnuts (optional)
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

FOR THE CAKE:
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter (1 stick) softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c. orange juice

FOR THE GLAZE: (optional)
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tsp. orange juice

1. Making the Streusel - Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease a 9 or 10 inch tube pan. To prepare streusel, in a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, apples, almonds, flour and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter.

2. Making the Cake - In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; mix well. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Add vanilla.

3. Set mixer to low; alternately beat four mixture and orange juice into egg mixture. Spoon half of batter into tube pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Spoon the remaining batter over the streusel, spreading to make an even layer. Swirl batter with a knife to create a marble pattern.

4. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven; sprinkle with remaining streusel. Return cake to the oven; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Making the Glaze - combine confectioners' sugar and orange juice. Mix well. Turn cake out onto a serving plate; invert so streusel is on top. Drizzle glaze over cake; serve!

Look Who Turned 2 !!

Rian had been looking forward to her birthday for quite some time. She kept telling everyone "my birthday coming up". We had two parties for her, one with the Evans side and the other with the O'Brien side. For the Evans' side party Rian had picked out a Cinderella & Prince cake. She enjoyed the presents and I can honestly say she has worn her new fairy costume every day since her birthday!



Her party with the O'Brien side of the family was the day after her actual birthday. Kami and I decorated a ton of cupcakes with fancy flowers just for little sis. Again Rian loved her presents and has been sporting her new duds and playing with her new toys daily! Thanks to all who helped us celebrate!!

making cupcakes

Yummy!

Treats for the party

Birthday Fairy w/ Boots

Cara helping with presents