Girls with Gemstone Eyes

Matthew brought the girls to the cabin letting me have some much needed, uninterrupted work time. While they were away, he sent me this photo -- one of very few photos that managed to get them both smiling and looking at the camera. And one that highlights their gorgeous blue eyes. I love my girls. And I love my hubby. :)

The Ends

Hooray! This afternoon, a big ol' 2nd grader stepped off the bus and raced toward me.


I held out my arms to hug her, but she stopped and showed me her face instead, specifically the giant gap in her top teeth.



Mere minutes later, we were in a local chop shop with both girls saddled into cushy chairs for a trim. While Leah's was just a trim to correct some of my errors from a while back, Natalie's was her first "major" haircut -- the haircut that would release the ends of the hair that had been connected to her scalp since birth.


As I expected, she sat very still for the stylist, and kept catching glimpses of herself in the mirror. each time she did so, she grinned an excited little smile and worked down a thrill through her shoulders.


The stylist worked quickly and well and within maybe fifteen minutes, she was done, and we were introduced to the Brand New Natalie!


She was made for inverted bobs.


I took both girls out for a little hot cocoa treat to celebrate "the ends": the of the school year, the end of a baby tooth, and the many curly and blond ends of baby hair that were swept away off the floor.


The End. :)

Babies in the House

Leah was allowed to bring home two of the 6 Mallard ducklings that her class has been incubating for the last two weeks. They are about 2 days old, curious, patient, and loud when they want attention. And, yes, they are as soft and cuddly as you think they are. Leah and her friend named these two Pumpkin and Baby.


Their first swim.


A little smile, maybe?
Getting ready for a snooze under the heat lamp.

They are super adorable. We have them for only one night, then back to school they go, probably to head home with another family tomorrow night. Eventually, they're destined to live on a local farm, where they will inevitably turn into beautiful, hissing beasts. As 2-day olds, they've been absolutely lovely little creatures, and we're glad to have them here.

Lots of Lovely Locks

Once again, Leah decided to chop off over a foot of hair and settle on a sassy, little bob. She was waiting until her hair reached down to her butt, and reach it did!


It was pretty, there's no question. But it was prone to near dreadlock-like tangles, and Leah only managed to brush the front third of it on any regular basis.

So, away it went! And here's the new Leah!


After the first, rough cut to lop off the pony tail, Leah leapt from the chair and ran around shaking her head with the freedom and feeling that comes with such quick and massive weight loss. :)


The next day, we bagged it up and mailed it to Locks of Love. Leah was really pleased to be able to send her hair to someone who might be able to use it. For me, it felt very odd and also wonderful to be donating part of my baby girl. I know it's just hair, it's not even living, but those little, sandy brown curls have been through a lot in the last two years!


Now, Leah proudly brushes all of her hair herself, at least twice a day, and it takes her all of about 15 seconds. She's a happy girl!

A January Afternoon

Five days a week during the school year, my trusty poochie and I trek out to the end of the road to wait for Leah's bus to drop her off. Despite the routine, no two afternoons are ever alike. In the fall, Jack and I kick through drying leaves, and in the spring, we find a serpentine path around the street lakes formed from melting snowbanks.

This day, was an overcast, chilly, nearly windless, January day with light snowfall of itty-bitty flakes. The sun was already very low on the horizon and casting an amber glow as it sank, promising to take a little longer to do so tomorrow. And Jack, perky eared and shivering, was almost monochromatic against the snowy road and backdrop.

"Where's Leah?" I whisper to him. He looks up, turns his head in the wrong direction, and looks earnestly for his little friend. We're quiet and, for a few seconds, so is the neighborhood. Then, faintly before growing, we hear the quick clackity-clack of the diesel engine groaning up the road. Then we see the lights on the top of the orange bus. Then the whole bus. Squeaking brakes, noisy idle, size 12 boots on the steps, and Jack's soft, happy whimper. She's home!

Top Picks of our Pics

Why hello there! I have no profound introductory remarks to make, so we'll treat this like a last-minute decision to get a take-out pizza, and just dig in.

We caught our first "indoor" mouse using a toilet paper tube, some spreadable "cheese product" and a tall, unused garbage can. We set the trap in the kitchen, not far from where we've seen their sh--tuff lately, and voila! An adorable little rodent.


I "tagged" him with a bit of silver nail polish, before we dropped him off at the end of the street. He ran away from us, and up a tree. Not sure if he survived past the day, if he found his way back to our house, or if met up with his long lost lover. We caught one other mouse in the house since then who ran around in circles like a nutter, and we've heard others, so the trap will be set again for the foreseeable future.

We do know that these little guys can survive this weather. Meet "Om Noms".


I'm not sure if it's the same squirrel or two who are the brave ones of the flock in our back yard, or if they take turns nabbing the goodies we throw out. Whoever it is, s/he likes to come right up to the sliding door, even placing her/his front paws on the glass to look in, as if to say, "Oy! We're fresh outta bread heels out here!" Once I replenish the stock, s/he is content to let me take some photos and/or watch him/her munch away, mere inches from that fluffy little body.

Here are some other cold-weather survivors:


Matthew, Leah, and Grandma Jan participated in the Turkey Trot, a 5k run on Thanksgiving. Not just any Thanksgiving, but the coldest Thanksgiving in 20-some years. Leah did really well, thanks to the encouragement of her daddy, and Jan was a trooper despite her frozen toes. Matthew hopes the run, minus the single-digit temps, will become an annual tradition.

Much of our month so far has been filled with more "firsts." We recently endured our first major snowfall, and Matthew got to give our new snow blower its first major workout.


It blows! And that's a good thing!


I attended my first art gallery reception as one of the featured artists.


I survived my first year as a vendor at the uber-fun, 2010 No Coast Craft-o-Rama. I don't look busy in this photo, but this was taken on Friday early evening, before things really took off for the night, and well before the madness ensued the next day. Later on in the show, it was nearly impossible to take a photo of the booth as it was constantly crowded with shoppers, eager to shed a few pounds of their moola and cross off the names on their shopping list.


I attribute my success to many things. One was making a ton of specific lake papercuts, including Superior, Michigan, Minnetonka, etc. Another was having a a brand new fancy, schmancy gridwall display to show off all those lake pieces. A third was being across the hall from the wickedly wonderful Adam Turman and the crowd of adoring fans that flocked to his double booth like the rock star he is. A fourth factor is that people were in a buying mood. Most people who made a purchase mentioned that they would be giving the piece or the card to someone else, and that it would be "perfect" for them. I can't tell you how much my heart and ego swelled to hear these tales. The final and most important factor was having exceptional help. Matthew's folks were able to take care of the girls and the dog, leaving Matthew as my capable assistant, cheerleader, and show coach. I could not have done it without my sweetheart, and his sweet folks. Thanks again, guys.

Matthew has taught Leah how to play chess, and the two of them match wits nearly every day. It seems that Leah's developing a good instinct for the game, and it's fun to hear their dialogue about strategies and "what-ifs."



Both girls have re-discovered how much they like grapefruit, although Natalie's technique has changed somewhat.


This one may gross you out a bit, but I think it's actually kind of cool. Leah's chapped lips worsened to a case of impetigo, and then her picking on that may have lead to a nasty little cuticle infection.


Don't worry, it's much better now. I was impressed with the size of the pus sac and her body's gruesome way of trying to fight off these heebie-jeebies.

To round out our little tour of what we've been up to, here's a cute one of Matthew and his baby girl, on their way back into the house, and out of the sub-zero windchill.


Later that day, Natalie came downstairs after a non-nap, and she was sporting this custom outfit that cracked us up.


This girl re-defines "goofy" every day.


Oh, and my Christmas cactus bloomed again! I didn't kill it afterall!

Monday Morning

Both girls had the day off from school this morning, so we took advantage of that and a gorgeous morning and headed downtown to our local main street.

After dropping a few things off at the post office, we indulged in some treats at the bakery. The girls shared a cookie, while I had my favorite combination: a pain au chocolat (or "Chocolatine" as they were called in France) and a double espresso. Decadent and flavorful. Natalie provided a little "whine" to our petit dejeuner, but otherwise is was parfait. ;)


We wiped our crumbs from our laps and walked down to the water with some expired buns, set on feeding the myriad sunfish that gather at the end of the dock. On the way, we found some spent rose bushes. Since we couldn't stop and smell the roses, I stopped and shot the rosehips. That counts, right?


The fish were a no-show, but I told the girls to throw in a few bits to see if any lunkers (a.k.a. gi-normous carp) came up from the murky depths for a nibble.


Still, no fish, but soon entered about six or seven gulls, squawking and screeching and eyeing the goodies. They were timid about entering the water while we watched, but they hung around, modeled a bit for me, and continually pestered one another.






After a bit, they all flew away, and at the same time some crows began calling to one another. Soon thereafter, two bald eagles flew overhead. I'm guessing these events were not coincidental, and I kicked myself for not bringing my bigger zoom lens -- not that I could have changed it AND shot a decent pic anyway.


Still, the avian wildlife we saw more than made up for the lack of fishies. We said good bye to the birds and took a spin through the tiny pet shop. I paused almost too long at the baby dumbo rats for sale -- they were SO CUTE -- then we kept moving and ended our trip at the library. With a bag loaded with new books, we came home happy and satisfied.

It was a lovely way to spend some free morning hours, and I couldn't imagine two girls with whom I'd have rather spent it.

New Camera = Loads of Fun

With the actual NEED for both of us to have cameras coming up more and more, Matthew and I decided it was high time to finally buy a second camera. We've really enjoyed the shots we've taken with our Canon Powershot SD 1000, and we wanted to step it up with number two. We looked at the lovely Panasonic Lumix with the ample digital zoom and HD video capability, but ultimately, I persuaded Matthew to take the leap of faith with me into the world of dSLRs. After some research online, a few, informative chats with friends and camera store employees, and deep soul-searching, I selected the Canon T1i as my golden ticket. Costco had a lens and gadget package offer I couldn't refuse and I am now a proud owner of this beautiful device.
I am still a complete novice with it, but the controls and menu are fairly in line with the point-and-shoot we're used to, so that helps. Basically, it's a thrill to use, and I am amazed at the difference in not only how the photos have turned out, but also in what conditions I've been able to shoot. It's opening up a whole new world of photo capabilities that were previously impossible in our shady house and yard. Oh, and yes, I do love the cha-click of that shutter opening and closing.

Knowing that I'm still new at this, that these were not taken under ideal circumstances, and that they've been reduced to fit on your screen, please don't throw any tomatoes at my recent batch of show and tell pics. Here we go!

Jack was my first official subject, and like a good greyhound, he stood statue-like under the golden canopy of changing leaves for this one, my first favorite photo from my new camera:


Then, onto some flowers still showing their colors in mid-October at the Arboretum. I could quite get the vividness of the purple in these little flowers, but I like the depth of field in this photo:

Here again, the red is a little too pink, but I think I nabbed the softness of the petals, the perfection of the rain drops, and that lovely yellow glow from the inside of this rose blossom:

On to moving targets, here's my papa (hi, Dad!):


Leah, with her growing collection of these infectious Silly Bandz:


And Natalie, posing on the deck in her Halloween costume:


Speaking of Halloween, here are the girls in full outfits. Natalie is a chef who says she'll cook us all a mean-a pizza pie. Leah is a veterinarian, poised with syringe and stethoscope, and evidently not wearing any shoes.


Both girls brought home enough candy to last them until next year, and enjoyed the entire weekend in their alter egos.

To close, one last photo of Nattie on her bike. With practice at preschool, she's getting this peddling thing down pretty well and can cruise up and down the street a few feet at a time on her own (with training wheels, that is). Something about those little rosy cheeks makes me like this one a whole lot:


I can't promise the blog posts will be any more frequent, especially as we near the holiday season and my work picks up big time, but I will do my best to take even more kick-butt photos to include with the posts I do manage to write. Thanks for joining me! See you soon.