Long Country Roads

Easy Heart Garland

2012-02-12T18:22:00.001-06:00

So, I was cruising Pinterest the other day and spotted this…

even though it’s in Japanese it was pretty self explanatory and since Audrey has been bugging me to sew something I figured this would a perfect first project.

Here she is at the machine

First we made the center of the heart seam

Then we flipped it and sewed another seam

Next, just cut about every inch to make the hearts…I just eyeballed it.

I went for a simple look and skipped the pom pom things. I used some sugar and spice yarn I picked up at wal-mart that looks like the trendy baker’s twine stuff.

I threaded through outside and the inside of the hearts using a darning needle and made the garland to fit the length of our mantle

Happy Valentine’s Day! Love to you!

What to do With All Those Christmas Cards

2012-01-17T08:50:00.003-06:00

Now that Christmas is over and I finally got all of decorations and the tree down and all the gifts put away and ran off all those extra calories . I was looking at the cards I received and wondered what can I do with these? I don’t really want to throw them in the garbage especially the photo cards. I searched the internet and found some inspiration.

For the Photos cards, which are my personal favorite. I made a picture collage for my scrapbook

With the Cards I made gift tags for next year

don’t ya love the Santa Kitty

Happy Upcyling!

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I Spy Quilt

2012-01-13T08:57:00.002-06:00

A few months ago, one of my favorite bloggers over at A Girl and Glue Gun held an I Spy Fabric Swap. She graciously arranged to have 20 people send in 20 squares of 5 different fabrics package them and send them back out to all the participants……by the way I don’t know how she does all she does on her blog, she has the greatest ideas and is really witty and funny!

I was super anxious to get my package in the mail. When it arrived my son 5 yr old son spent the whole evening checking out all the different fabrics and picking the ones out the he liked the most. There was such variety and so many fun patterns!

If you are unfamiliar with I SPY. It’s a book collection that is basically a picture of collection of objects with a list of items you have to find. It’s really fun for the kids.

Since I don’t really have any quilting skills yet…working on that one. I just arranged the squares and sewed them together. For the back, I used a thin fleece blanket that you can find anywhere this time year for around 2 bucks on clearance.

I tied it. Used an old sheet that I picked up from goodwill for the binding that I did by Hand. I found a really good video on You Tube for learning how to bind a quilt

How to Bind a Quilt...Connecting Treads

My First Binding/Finishing Job

And Since I am posting about I SPY quilts I thought I would share a quilt that one of my former coworkers, who happens to be a very talented quilted and seamstress, made for my son when he was born.

She had everyone else in the lab pick out a fabric and she put it all together. I love this pattern. I think when I finally get another I SPY stash together I will do something similar for my nephews. They need one of these quilts!

It’s Kind of hard to see but she even machine quilted in everyone’s name!

If you want more ideas you can link to I Spy Ideas at A Girl and a Glue Gun

Happy Quilting!

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some Christmas cheer! In Pictures

2011-12-23T16:40:00.000-06:00

Candy Bar Snowmen

Christmas Card

Santa Hat Pretzels

Cookie Time

Yes, that is an Oreo decorating the cookie

The Tree

I’m Still Here

2011-11-27T07:05:00.002-06:00

I realize I haven't posted for a long time….but I am back! I really don’t want to give up on this blog stuff even though my life gets crazy and I don’t feel like I have time for it. I need to make time…..after all if you love it, you can always make time for it. Or something like that

So I have been working on a really big time consuming project and I am finally done with it.

Time to reveal my first quilted wall hanging!

Some Applique detail

each day has a little pocket for treats

and the beautiful binding, finishing job my Mom did. I am so thankful for her! This project would have never been completed without her. She is a really great quilter. I was inspired by her work to take my own try at it and I am very proud of the results.

Halloween Preparation

2011-10-16T21:02:00.003-05:00

Today the kiddos and I carved our Pumpkins. Didn’t do anything special……just your basic Jack of Lanterns.

By the way the second one is supposed to be a ballerina

And here’s a tip for keeping those pumpkins lit at night. Place your candle in a Mason Jar. It keeps the breezes away and keeps it from falling over. Gotta Love those Jars

Finished up my son’s costume. After much deliberation he finally made up his mind to be a spider. Spider?? Hmmmm had to use a little creativity to whip this costume up. I used a black turtleneck and cut the side seams. For the legs I used black tube socks stuffed with plastic bags and I found some cool metallic spider web fabric for the web. The hat is just a dollar beanie with googly eyes hot glued to it. He loves it and yes that is him crawling on the floor

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This blog has been interrupted….

2011-10-13T14:58:00.001-05:00

By Sports, Life and Sick Kiddos.

In case you didn’t know the Brewers are in the NLCS along with the Tigers in the ALCS

Go Brew Crew….really hoping for a Tigers/Brewers world series in our house!

Pictures of the beautiful October Weather we have been having…..a record 10 days in a row over 70 degress! We went to a local pumpkin patch and had fun picking out our pumpkins.

My kiddos have came down with a viral illness….been running fevers with a horrible cough. So I am home today from work and have been working on a big for me sewing project. My first quilted wall hanging. It’s a really neat advent calendar with little pockets to keep our Christmas surprises. Here's a preview from sew Mama Sew

It’s been a challenge but I can't wait to get it done….my Mom is going to help me with the binding. I finished all the pockets today just have to do the sashing.

On that note gotta get the school for pickup time

Chalkboard Sign for my Princess

2011-09-26T19:51:00.002-05:00

The one who wears the tiara in our family turned 3 last week. To celebrate we had a little party complete with a pink princess cake with pink and purple frosting handmade by her grandma.

To construct the sign I used a silver tray that picked up at an estate sale for less than a dollar

First I sanded it down a little

Then I used some painters tape to tape off the edges

Last easy step grab some Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Spray paint and spray it down. I had some trouble finding this product.....but the good news is you can order it from amazon. Have I ever mentioned I love amazon. Cheap prices delivered right to my door....plus the hard to find stuff.

I can't wait to use this sign as a prop for future pictures and holidays. It would also make a great easy to make gift.

Just thought I would share a few more cuteness pictures......love the fluffy butt dress her grandma got her :)

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Metamorphosis Monday

MMMMmmmm…..homemade Salsa and Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-09-12T13:42:00.003-05:00

Used up some yummy tomatoes from my grandpa's garden and some peppers from my Mom to make some Fresh Salsa. I love me some chips n salsa. It was much easier than I thought it was going to be. I just used a Mrs Wages Mix I picked up at the grocery store and followed the directions. You scald the tomatoes in boiling water for 3 mins then put them in a bowl of cold water. It makes the skin come right off easy as pie. Then I chopped everything up mixed the dry Mrs Wages Mix in and put it in a few containers for the freezer and one for fresh salsa now. You can keep the salsa in the freezer for up to a year. Much easier then trying to can it in my opinion.

I also baked up a big batch of muffins using a zucchini I picked up at a produce stand. They are super good

I included the recipe if you wanna try them too.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

1-1/2 cups flour

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup milk

1 T. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup shredded Zucchini

¼ cup semi sweet miniature chocolate chips

¼ cup chopped walnuts

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Combine egg, oil, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins test done. Makes 1 dozen.

In other news….Owen is still holding on that tooth and he has another one that is loose. I just can't get him to wiggle it out. The dentist thought it would be better just to let it fall out on it's own.

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Tooth Fairy is Coming Soon

2011-09-08T06:27:00.001-05:00

Owen has a permanent tooth that has decided not to wait for the baby tooth to come out on the bottom. We tried to wiggle it out but it just wouldn't budge. So, we made a dentist appointment. Huge storm knocked out the electricity so no tooth fairy on Friday. We have another appointment this afternoon so maybe he will get to use his new pillow.

I used some old receiving blankets that where made out of flannel
Felt
Tee Shirt Marker
Sewing Machine
Stuffing

I tried using some fabric paint....big craft fail

couldn't leave little sis out

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Problem Solved

2011-09-07T19:16:00.000-05:00

Owen started school this week...yay! He currently is passed out hopefully for the night at 7:00. Gotta love school for wearing the kiddos out :)

I work a pretty weird schedule so sometimes I can pick him up after school and sometimes he needs to ride the bus to the sitter's place. So, to help the little guy and his teacher know where he needs to after school I came up with a little tag system for his backpack.

I used my Cricut Expression
Scrap Book Paper
Laminator
Some Random String
Clips or a Ring (I used the one from my daughter's recent happy meal toy)

I made one with a Car to let him know to ride home with me

one with a Bus

Now all I have to do is remember to make sure he has right one clipped to his backpack :)

What a week!

2011-09-06T16:49:00.000-05:00

Owen's First Day of Kindergarten

Ran a Half Marathon with my husband.....so proud of him. Our offical time was 2 hours 28 mins!

Watched my "little" Brother score a touchdown....first one of the year!

Did a little celebrating :)

Up North

2011-08-25T22:33:00.002-05:00

I got a week off work and since it's the last week of summer before my oldest starts school ( yeah, I am going to the Mom of a kindergartner!) the kids and I went camping with the in laws in the UP (otherwise known as the upper peninsula of Michigan). Lucky for us we didn't have to rough it too much because they have a trailer. The lake was perfect. It's really shallow like less the 3 feet for probably 200 ft out, so the kiddos just play and play and I get to lay out and a read a book :)

Here is a picture of the most beautiful sunset over the lake.

I had the day off today and the sewing machine was calling my name. I got a bunch of fabric from a garage sale to add to my stash and I was super excited to try a little quilting. I saw a really cute bag on the internet here that I used for inspiration
http://www.onestopbabygifts.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-red-dazzle-rag-bag-being-sold-on.html
I don't have one of the cool machines for cutting fabric like she has....kinda jealous. Well here is my creation. I reused an old robe I found at goodwill for the handle. So it's my own little upcycle creation. I learned quite a bit putting it together and can't wait to start up some more quilting projects :)

Fabulously Frugal.....quilting fabric 3 for a 1, handle...free, liner cloth from stash, the only thing I bought was the bating.

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Thankful Thursday.....Estate Sale

2011-08-18T15:04:00.001-05:00

So this morning as a reward for finally being potty trained we took Audrey to the dance studio to get registered for "tiny toes" dance lessons.

On the way there we saw a sign for a garage sale and since I was actually kinda early to get the dance studio we decided to stop. They had a big display of Halloween costumes and stuff which totally got Owen's attention. So, while I picked up a few dance outfits for Audrey and some pants for Owen he decided to hunt for his treasure.

He came up with a little devil costume that he had to have....complete with horns, a tail and a fork thing. Well being the little devil that he is he would not take the costume off to go into the dance studio and Audrey had to bring in her bag with her little leotard in it. So, I am standing there talking with the director trying to get Audrey registered and payed for while Owen is running around the studio in a devil costume and Audrey decides she needs to take off her dress to put on her new leotard in the middle of the room. Needless to say we probably didn't make the best first impression. Yes I am that Mom.

Oh, Well. Things got better after that cause I found an estate sale....yay! I got some really great treasures and the kiddos didn't break anything while I was shopping around.

Tupperware and a jar full of zippers

More Tupperware and a cheese grater which I desperately needed cause I am from Wisconsin and I love me some fresh grated cheese :)
I plan on getting some chalkboard paint to paint the instead of the tray to make it into a mini chalkboard message center for my kitchen.

A really cool vintage West Coast book....yes that is the beach boys. I was going to use it for a scrapbook album but the pictures are pretty cool so I might just keep it

Owen won't pose for a devil picture otherwise I would share...I am thinking he will be a devil for Halloween and Audrey could be an angel. It would be so cute and very fitting :)

Oh yeah I forgot to mention I got all my treasures for 10 bucks!

And I almost forgot to include the picture of the pyrex bowls I got

Three Things

2011-08-15T19:01:00.000-05:00

1. Audrey is potty Trained!!!! Nuff said

2. I love summer and the water. However, this slightly cooler weather at night has reminded me that this blissful summer will eventually come to an end. So, until then we will have......

Yummy Kabobs on the grill with corn on the cob!!!!

I did see some leaves that changed color already. Just another reminder to get out and enjoy summer while you can!

3. I have the best family and I feel so lucky to be part of it. I am working on becoming a better person so I can be there to support all them. I love you guys!

Upcycle Bag

2011-08-08T20:06:00.000-05:00

Another Purse/Bag made from garage sale shirt.It had really cool pockets so I decided to incorporate them into a little bag. I had a goodwill vintage sheet lying around that I used for the lining

I gave it a kinda shabby look by using pinked seams on the "handles"

reversible

Have a great week, gonna be a buzy one here. Trying to get as much running in as I can and working extra hours. Car is being worked on and kiddos are starting to drive each other and me a little nuts....school starts soon!

Upcycle

2011-08-01T20:44:00.004-05:00

After a nice long vacation and a long drive back to Wisconsin from Pennsylvania. We are starting to settle back in to our routine. Back to work tomorrow....but today I got some crafting in while the kids were napping. I made an up-cycled purse made from a shirt I found a garage sale. I got the shirt in a bag full of clothes for 5 bucks plus the money went to a daycare. I got the handle at JoAnn Fabrics and the lining fabric from the remnant bin at Wal-Mart. Shirt Before:

Shirt After:

Isn't she a good Model :)

It's even reversible

I plan on embellishing it with the fabric flowers I made in a previous post

Here is a link to a post I used for inspiration. Scratch that I can't get it too work. I used the Shirt Sleeve Bag Tutorial at www.gwennypenny.com

I also wanted to reuse a Starbucks frappuccino bottle I had for a flower vase to put the beautiful black eyed Susans that are blooming right now.
I just used a little rustoleum spray paint. I think it turned out pretty cute. I love black eyed susans and purple cone flowers.

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Flower Fun

2011-07-20T12:20:00.002-05:00

Do you sometimes feel like you spent to whole day being buzy but not getting anything done? That's how the last week or so has been. I spent every night last week doing some kind of sports activity. My hubby went on a golfing trip out of town for the weekend. Had a back spasm on Sunday morning.....ouch. So, cleaning up after thing one and thing two (that's my kiddos by the way) has been a tad more difficult. I did manage to make these fabric flowers because crafting keeps me sane. They were super easy and surprisingly quick to make. I just cut circles, layered them and tacked them down with a needle and thread. Here is a link to a tutorial that used Pretty Fabric Flowers

The rick rack one took a little more time...but I think it's super cute! Here is a link to the ric rac flower tutorial Ric Rac Flowers

We had some family potratits done last night so I actually did my hair and makeup...so I had to take some pictures of myself. In the bathroom mirror of course.

I clean up pretty nice I think. I even got some compliments about my hair and makeup from my five year old son!

Gotta another buzy week ahead. Toliet is broke, dryer is broke, car needs an oil change, and I need to pack for our week long trip to Pennsylvania amoung other things. Hope you are having a great week!

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Vacationing with the Whole Gang

2011-07-14T09:17:00.000-05:00

In less than 2 weeks my family will be traveling to the Poconos in Pennsylvania to meet up with my parents, my husbands parents, and brother and sister in law with their 3 boys.... plus throw a few cousins in there. The drive is going to take approximately 17 hours....which I am a little scared of. I plan on making some activity bags, having lots of snacks, and loading up on the DVDs and DS games. My kids are actually pretty good travelers, however I am little concerned about shear amount of miles we will be embarking on.

Most of all I am concerned about the actual vacation...as in us all getting along and most importantly having a blast once we get there. I found a great article on the Real Simple Blog by Erin Kane one of the Manic Mommies from the Manic Mommies Podcast. Check out Manic Mommies Website They are hilarious ...it's like hanging out with your best girlfriends when you listen to them. They offer some great tips for working Moms.

Here is the link Tips for Vacationing with the Extended Family

Here are some highlights and what I plan on using....By the way we are staying at a resort that has condos so we have a kitchen and laundry available. I am spoiled I don't think I would vacation without with a family :)

1. Create a house fund: Use a combined fund to pay for household items that will be used by everyone during the week. Use to pay for toilet paper, paper towels, water, pop, juice, milk, snacks, and other items to be used by all.

2. Designate at least one Quiet Room: Have a room set off where people can escape the noise and chaos. This is especially important for us since one of my nephews is autistic

3. Account for Different Schedules: Babies are up early while others like to sleep in.

4. Give the Moms and Dads a break: One of the great things about traveling with a group is that there is an opportunity to escape...even if it's just for afternoon of golfing for the guys or shopping for the gals. The ladies on this trip are planning a trip to New York City. This will be my first visit and I am super excited to see it.

5. Have a Basic Meal Plan for Dinners: This is one of my own...well I kind of I got the idea from a friend. Pick a night for each family to prepare a meal or pay for a dinner out. You could do Taco Tuesday, make your own pizzas, or cook your best dish everyone raves about.

Do you have any tips/ideas for vacationing with your extended family?

In Remembrance

2011-07-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

My Husbands grandma passed away last week. She was a great lady....she broke the mold, so they say. She always had homemade goodies for us like cookies, pasties, pickles, pies and tea. If you had a favorite pie or cookie she would make it special just for you. My favorite was her banana cream pie and pasties. If you have never had a pasty from the U.P. (Upper Penisulla of Michigan) you are missing out. It's similar to a pot pie filled with beef and veggies and she made the best.

She was born and raised in Oklahoma and moved the U.P. when she married her husband. I admire her independence, that is a long way to move from her Oklahoma family. But she never lost her Okie accent and her roots in the cold long northern winters. She loved her family more than anything and lived to make them happy. She maintained her independence up until the day of her passing, she was 86 years young.

In her honor I made up some sweet tea today. If you have never made it is super easy. Just take a jug and fill it with water and 5 or 6 tea bags depending on how strong you want it. Set it in the sun for a few hours. If you like your tea sweet just add some simple syrup. Take 2 parts sugar with one part water, bring it to a boil and let it cool. You can add it by the glass or sweeten up a whole jug


Some of Grandma's Tea Jugs

.

She also was very talented at embroidery. She spent hours keeping herself buzy by making pillowcases, tablecloths, towels, and table runners. Her are some pictures of some of the items I am lucky enough to own.

I passed some of the time in the car making knitted dishcloths just like she used to make.

While the Kids are Away.....

2011-07-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

I was stuck working the weekend. So, the kiddos headed up North with my Hubby and got to spend some time alone. Which is a great thing for a little while at least. I kept myself pretty buzy so I haven't really had time to sulk too much about missing out on all the summer fun in the U.P. ( Upper Peninsula of Michigan for you non-Michiganders)

I did a little organizing in my Craft Room/Mom Cave

Fabric and yarn organize in hanging closet organizers that I got from a friend for free.....brilliant :)

Decided to do a little furniture painting.....cuz anyone with little kids knows you can't paint without getting "help" from them.

I used some primer and some paint that we had around from when moved in and painted. Picked two pieces to do.

My little sewing machine table that I got from my Mom that she got from a school auction. It used to be in the Home Education room where I went to high school.

My goodwill bookshelf. I think I paid 2 bucks for.

I used a blue called Caribbean Breeze. I think it turned out very Shabby Chic with the primer underneath...no need for a second coat. Not exactly sure where I am going to put this but I will post pictures later.

Finished Product.. Gotta do something bout the stool. Slip cover perhaps??

Here's a great tip for when you are storing paint: Keep some in a little jar for touch ups/small projects. Just saying this because it took me a long time get the lid off that gallon of paint.

Total Cost: 2 bucks!

Have a great Forth of July Everybody!

Linking up to Frugal Friday:

and Metamorpheis Monday

Between Naps on the Porch

Tips for the Zoo

2011-06-29T22:49:00.000-05:00

My Kids are the perfect age for a trip to the Zoo. It's fun for them, educational, and they get to burn off some energy walking and playing. We had a really good trip to the Milwaukee Country Zoo with some cousins over the weekend. Here is a few tips to make your Trip easier.

1. Try to avoid the crowds: If you can go during the week do it. If you can avoid Holidays that's great too.

2. Save on Parking: Carpool or park on the street and walk.

3. Bring Snacks and Beverages:You will need water or something to drink for sure...bring it with you. Also Snacks are a great way to keep little ones in the stroller

4.Start a Souvenir Collection: My Son loves to buy EVERYTHING so we decided that we would buy a penny for a penny collection to put in a book that he has, This way he gets something and has a really cool souvenir

5. Stroller Sunscreen: Nuff Said.....you got little ones lather it on, try to keep the little one contained

Cool Zoo Pics!

Day Out with Toe-Mas

2011-06-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

When Owen was really little he loved Thomas the Train. It was funny because my aunt had a foreign exchange student from Brazil named Thomaz. Anyways at my youngest brother’s graduation party Thomaz showed up and little Owen was just learning to talk and could say his name brilliantly. Boy was Thomaz impressed. Too bad he could only say Thomas so well because he was obsessed with the train TV show.

My Friend Crystal’s son is a year younger than Owen and still in the Thomas the Train Stage. So we passed down the trains and track and all that fun stuff to him. We joined them at a Day out with Thomas event in Green Bay. What a fun Day for everybody!


We got Tickets!

Crafty Kids!

Bye Sir Topham Hat!

It's a Strawberry and Rubarb Type of Day

2011-06-24T15:51:00.000-05:00

It finally stopped raining here. So, I took the kiddos on a little drive through the country. The plan was stop at strawberry farm we had gone to last year that we had excellent luck with. The berries were big juicy and Delicious and I picked pounds of berries. It was super family friendly too. The kiddos got ride in a wagon behind a tractor and they got a kick of it. We headed out there and I didn't see the signs pointing to the farm, not a good sign. We get there and they aren't open until tomorrow (stawberries are late this year). The kiddos really wanted to get berries!

We headed out down another to road to another farm I had seen when I was driving by. Totally different place but is was good. The old farmer reminded me a little of my grandpa. I asked him if we could pick some berries, he had to think about for awhile even though the signs said "you pick" Then he pointed us over to a little patch and told the kids they could eat what ever they wanted and fill up their little pint baskets. They were kinda dirty and really seedy...nothing a little washing can't fix. Reminds of the way the berries were when I picked em out the garden as a kid. He just charged us a buck and they kids had a good time. Plus I found some Rubarb at a little roadside stand. I love rubarb...but have never cooked it. It was easy and I even froze some for later.

Rubarb Bars

And Since I am into cooking once cleaning once I was also buzy in the kitchen making fruit salad out of the berries, banana bread for all my quests coming this weekend and some cheese dip to go with tacos tonight.

Cheese dip is super easy and really good! Velveeta cubed with Rotel tomatoes with chiles. Crock Pot on low for a few hours.....yummy cheesy goodness

While I was out my car magically veered to a garage sale and a tent sale at gold n country gifts. I got all these super cute vintage Barbie and Skipper Patterns for a quarter! Not sure if I have the skills to make any of them.....but I couldn't resist. I also got a bag full of vintage bias tape and zig zag that I want to use for pillowcase dresses.

The kids are napping....better get my mess of kitchen cleaned up before they wake up!

Lessons from a five year old

2011-06-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

5 years ago today I stood up go get some ice cream with my husband and Mother in Law and my water broke. I was so excited....this was it! I was finally going to meet the little guy that was living inside me for the past nine months. I went into motherhood pretty naive....none of my friends had babies, in fact I had no idea what I was in for. What an adventure it was.....when I look back I am pretty sure I am glad nobody filled me in on what childbirth was really going to be like otherwise I don't think I could have done it! As the sun came up after the longest day of the year (it really was the longest day of the year, it was the summer solstice) Owen entered the world. He has been teaching me lessons ever since.

1. Patience
I thought I was a patient person before he was born. He has been testing me ever since.

2. Relationships are what matters.
Owen is always looking for a new friend everywhere he goes. No matter how mad he gets at me or anyone he is too young to hold a grudge. He loves ya no matter what.

3. Have confidence and Trust that everything is going to be all right.
Owen dives into everything head first with enthusiasm. Well almost everything, he does have a stubborn streak and needs some prodding now and then.

Owen's Self Portrait

Love Ya Son.....Happy 5th Birthday!!