Company

eta: I did a little photo-shoot with the canning jars and got a couple of pictures that I'm much happier with... It didn't take much, those other ones were so blurry.

Pete & Mary H. stopped by Tuesday night. They're our new neighbors. They just stopped in quick to see our place. {I felt bad, we didn't visit real long, I was getting supper together. Another time}... :)

And I got company Wednesday afternoon too. :) Vanessa and Stephanie and their kids stopped by and brought treats! Canned peaches and pears. Such a nice house-warming gift. They're always so thoughtful. Thank you both so much! They're delicious! (Truthfully, I haven't quite opened them yet. ;) But I know they are because we've had the pears at Steph's before. I love homemade canned fruits!

It was awesome that they stopped-in. I feel like we haven't seen each other in AGES because we've been so busy with this house. At least, now we're here and we'll be able to get together more often. Because, they're our neighbors too! I can hardly believe that we live so close to each other and my sister Sara too. We live nearby a bunch of our friends now. (Not that 7-10 minutes was far before but now it's less than 5!) Lol! :)

(I love how they did these lids. They're so cute. I'm having a hard time opening them because I just want to keep looking at 'em.)

They're GR-R-REAT!

This little guy showed up for breakfast at Shell's!

Max

Ok. So they aren't Frosted Flakes but the picture is Gr-r-reat! just the same. ;)

Photo courtesy of Shelley P.

Life is a Lullaby

I go from a post where I tell you I am anxious to one of serenity. Or at the very least, I'm feeling a minimal amount of serenity. :) It is 20 to nine and the boys are fast asleep. My daughter is whimpering near the kitchen table because she doesn't want to use the same bowl that Aapo had used for applesauce moments ago. (Before he hit the hay). I only had her share a bowl because the dishes are piled up and it was the last disposable bowl in the house. (Tomorrow, we have grocery shopping on the agenda).

I know. I'm a mean mom. ;) lol! She will get over it and by tomorrow she will have forgotten all about it. She's very tired out. We've had many a late night at the house in the past week so this night we're staying home and getting to bed at a reasonable hour. And I'm looking forward to a few hours of peace and quiet, trying to avoid the mess that this house has become and looking forward to tackling it in the morning. It's going to be hot and humid. A good day to stay inside and get some much needed cleaning done around here.

Aaaand she's down! Woo-hoo! They're all tucked in their beds. Time to relax.

But first, we saw Peggy and her kids today at Suzy & Jason's. Suzy made pizza for supper. Yum! And we got to visit. It was so fun to see her and the kids. And, of course, Suzy and Jason & kids. I feel like we never see anyone anymore. This has been a busy summer but at least we'll be able to try to do some more visiting, this fall, once things settle down a little! I'm looking forward to reconnecting with all of our long lost friends. :) Because that's what it feels like. It feels like we're so disconnected from everyone right now. I wonder if it's just us or if most people feel like that when they're building and moving... No matter. Even if it is just us, that's the way it goes... Looking forward to fall and hanging out with people again!

And looking forward to the weddings. Brad and Larissa's in the cities - Sept. 8 And Ginger and Lars' in the cities - Nov. 3! :) Family weddings are so much fun! And it's so funny because I keep thinking Brad & Riss's wedding is Sept. 6, but last I checked, I was pretty sure that they were getting married on a *Saturday* and not a Thursday. :)

Adam and Michelle A.'s baby, Mariah.

It Worked!

Ok. I'm just a little thrilled. I've been trying to post more of the beach pictures for a couple of days now and these two just posted.

Reed and Addie*

*Reed - Kate & Jeff P., Addie - Gretchen & James P.

Julianna with the twins (Olivia and Lilah).

Julianna (Keith/Jessica H.)

(Check out those eyelashes.) :)

The Twins

Olivia and Lilah (I'm pretty sure that's the right order...)

Beach Babies

L to R: Julianna (Jess/Keith H.), Olivia and Lilah (Ron/Jan J.) and Carter (the little tiny boy that he is!).

Cyndi - 3 Doors Down

(Cyndi) I was just reminiscing, pondering over the 3 Doors Down CD that I referenced in that post the other day. Because I was starting to feel bad, thinking, "How could I have forgotten you?" because there is just no way I would've. Then it struck me! :) When were you living in the U.P.? Because when I lived with Jeanne at her mom's I think you were in the U.P.... :) And it just now occurred to me that you had moved to the U.P. at some point while I was living in Cokato or Dassel...

Were you there (at her house) when we were in the basement at Jeanne's and I was moving a chair and there was a tiny nail or staple sticking out of the back of it that stabbed me on my leg (thigh)? (I still have the scar and it's funny because, to this day, it reminds me of 3 Doors Down and Jeanne and Amy. But if you're suppose to be in that memory, I need to put you there. ;) Lol!)

I'd have to go through all of my archives (emails I've saved and pictures) which are buried at the moment to really figure it out but I'm sure you'd know! Anyway, I've been thinking about it for awhile now and I'm trying to figure it out... :)

Weekend Happenings

It's canoeing (I have no idea how to spell that lingo) weekend for the kyds in our neck of the woods. I found this out yesterday on my way to our new house. Nina and Jenny J. (Stan & Andrea's oldest girls) were out walking and I stopped to talk to them for a bit.

I came up here for canoeing once or twice when I lived in Minnesota during the single years but I never set one single toe in a canoe. Lol. I was far too chicken, meaning I was too much of a city-slicker to hop in a canoe and get dunked in the river! The word on the street was always that everyone got tipped one time or ten on the treck down the river. Besides I wouldn't have wanted to mess up my hair. ;) I didn't think that would be too impressive for whichever boy I was currently interested in. ;) And I was not going to be caught in water that was rumored to have snakes and turtles and (gasp) fish! Yep, I was a true pure-blooded city-slicker. But BOY were those weekends fun! There were always tons of kyds up here and the "haps" were a blast!

Because it's canoeing weekend, it's also the Sunday School Picnic weekend and it's not suppose to be sweltering either! That's always a bonus. Last year, I remember it being SO hot and humid. It was awful. So I'm hoping tomorrow will be a whole lot more relaxing when it's only suppose to reach 80 with low humidity!

For the Girls

A couple of thoughts that bounced off of friend's blogs...

Sharyn was looking for Mark's hat before vacation. If she were at our house, I'd have looked in the kitchen sink. Yep. The kitchen sink. Carter throws everything in there these days.

Earlier, I found a sandal, a plastic grocery bag, and a twix-it clip in there.

And a thought came to me about white clothing while reading Yvonne's comment on my mom's post. She had mentioned about wearing a nude-color slip under the white confo. dresses.

I didn't learn this rule-of-thumb until I was almost finished with high school and I wish I had known it long before! But when you wear a white shirt, besides wearing black or red, a white bra is the absolute worst thing you can wear under it! You will see the whole thing. (Grimace).

I made that mistake many times when I was younger. But that problem is easily solved by wearing a nude-color bra. If you wear a tone that more closely matches your skin color, it will be nearly invisible, contrary to what you might think. :) Just a little tip because I know there are plenty of people, like me, who may not know that. Try it! Next time you're bra shopping, bring along a white shirt and try it. You'll be able to see the difference yourself.

The same goes for white skirts. A nude-color slip will be nearly invisible, while a white one will be noticeable. :) It's one of those things I really appreciated learning and one I rarely think about anymore - but I think it's a tip well worth passing along!

History, Herstory

Okay, now I'm going back in history, remembering all the good ol' times in the U.P. as a kyd.

St. John's.
Fourth of July.
New Years.
And every other time in between.
Hanging out with the Cokato boys,
Trish, Kim, Kate, Amanda, my sisters and so many other people!

I've been sitting here listening to Offspring which reminds me of the Cokato boys and that era. Song after song brings me down memory lane and I'm lovin' every minute! Sometimes all it takes is a good ol' song to bring you back. To the moment. To those feelings of fun times, good friends and so much laughter. And for now, it's Offspring and the single years living in Cokato. Some of the best years of my life! Cokato will always have a piece of my heart.

One thing could lead to another and Green Day, Eve 6 and 3 Doors Down* could be bringing back even more memories! And MAN do I wish I had a scanner!! I have tons of pictures to go with those memories. Maybe I'll get one in the next year...or the next year. ;)

*3 Doors Down is Amy (married to Kevin) and Jeanne (married to Marc) music, for me. I remember when Jeanne bought the CD and all the times cruisin' in Cokato while listening to it. :) Those were the days!

Blog Changes

Kate has changed her blog address too (as have Cami & Sue - see post below). Please make a note, it no longer has her last name:

www.kateswhirlwind.blogspot.com

Sunday Night

We went to Tim and Kristine's* Sunday night. We met up with them at Pizza Hut and then back to their house for a fire outside. It was the perfect evening. It cooled off into the low 70's and the bugs were very minimal! That made the S'mores all the more enjoyable! And the kids took a ride to see the cows. And they were thrilled to see a baby pig for the first time and horses up-close! We all had a fun time.

Carter

L. to R. Gabe H., Kate H., Aapo, and Nikayda

The highlight of the visit!

They have a John Deere Gator. My kids are *definitely* not ready for their licenses but boy did they enjoy driving this around, albeit recklessly!

*Tim & Kristine H. relation hints:
That would be Liz's brother (married to Kenny P. from lower MI area).
Pete and Mary H.'s family. Our soon-to-be next door neighbors.
Or if that hasn't helped ya, Kevin & Jenny P. - Tim is Jenny's younger brother. (Kevin & Kenny are brothers). :) Or if that hasn't helped you - Nate & Lisa H. That's Nate's brother. Okay, all kidding aside, I'm sure you figured it out right away!

Cami's Blog

Anyone know what happened to Cami's blog?! I tried visiting but it's giving me an error message.

Fearless Aapo

Aapo's going to give me a heart-attack. I swear. That kid is far too fearless for his own good! And I mean that all with love. :)

With all the kids hanging around after the parade (see below), it was obviously a little hard to keep track of who was who, where was where, or what was what! We all were suppose to be in the backyard. Suppose, being the key word here.

Well, I looked around for the hundredth time and realized that my two oldest were missing. No big deal, I just figured they were in the front yard with the other missing kids. As I rounded the corner of the house, my heart shot straight for my throat!

There were some of the kids. On.the.other.side.of.the.road. And our road is really busy on a big weekend like this! Not normally. But when we're having a festival, it is. At this point, I only saw Ellie and Lela*, but at about four and three yrs. old respectively, they were far too young to be on the other side of the road. As I went rushing for the road, shouting STOP at the top of my voice, I spotted Aapo standing next to them. And I could see his wheels turning as he was watching the cars go by.

STOOOOOOOOOPPPP!!!!!!!!!!! I screamed but sure enough, he made a run for it! I never ran so fast in my entire life as I tore in front of those cars, which THANK HEAVEN had seen the kids and were slowing down!!

Everyone was safe and sound in the end but my heart is still thumping!

My worst fear!

The thing is, when I rounded that corner, Nikayda was about to join the others. She had stopped when she heard me.

I'm still shook up!

*Ellie is Joe & Christi's and Lela is Al & Maggie's

Dale & Vanessa's

Liliana

Wesley

Kevin & Stephanie's

Avielee

Ian

Summertime...

...and the living is easy!

What a day! We spent the afternoon, on Sunday, at the beach. It was HOT. 90 and humid! Just awful. But boy did that cool water feel refreshing. We also sought respite in the shade at this particular beach. Our local one doesn't have shade by the water. Most of the kids in the picture are ours - except in the background. Between Maggie & Al, Kate & Jeff, Gretchen & James, Jon & Sara and Mark & me there were 20 kids running around. I wish I had taken more. I didn't get close-ups of all the kids. And I didn't get one of Paul for my family.

Aapo

(Oh! I did get Paul. There he is to the left of Aapo.)

Nikayda & Aapo just moments before Nikayda tried to take off with Aapo's green bucket that she's holding.

Edited to add: Jeff & Kate were here too and there were 20 kids between all of us. Also, Dave & Laura (Jeff & James' sister) showed up later with a few of their youngest kids.