We visited the farmer’s market today. I have a special place in my heart for the farmer’s market. I could wander and people watch for hours if I was allowed to. As it is, I walk quickly and deliberately to my favorite vendors, stopping to browse at very few because Ole is sitting in the car with a sleeping Kidney Bean and a restless Kumquat and I am holding hands with Kola Nut, who is obsessed with finding the “balloon man” to make him a balloon sword. I did, however,... more

My mom gave me this hibiscus tree for mother’s day this year. It sat in my dining room, sad, unloved in its original pot. I spent hours trying to find the pot I wanted at random stores. Then I found a ceramic version that was close to what I was looking for; however, ceramic wasn’t going to work for a tree I planned to drag around based on the weather. Finally, because my tree was sad, hadn’t bloomed in a month and was starting to yellow, I settled on a nondescript pot, far... more

I did it.  I survived last week.  Just barely, but I made it. I have a less hectic schedule this week, a moment or two to relax and maybe do something for me, like take a photography class (Wednesday), and we may even squeeze a few things in there like an appointment with a plastic surgeon for the Kola Nut, soccer, t-ball, pictures for soccer and t-ball, a week of science camp for Kiwi, Kumquat’s 3rd birthday and a trip to the water park. And I haven’t yet posted my zucchini bread... more

At the urging of our friends, we made a last-minute decision to see if we couldn’t get everything to line up just right so that we could change our wedding RSVP from a “no” back to a “yes.” The catch, of course, was that it required a bit of shuffling and bribing and Houdini-style skills to make it happen. In the end, our kids found themselves in the back of Ole’s parents’ van as they stepped off the plane from their week in Seattle and Portland and on... more

I would like to go back to Friday and do this weekend over again. It was far too short. I did, however, manage to get some work done, the grocery shopping completed and keep my house relatively clean. I also attended a baby shower and filled out the paperwork for our new car (new to us) because the old one is no more. I was so happy just to have the grocery shopping done, my menu had to kind of come together despite all the things I’d meant to get and didn’t because of the little... more

In the car again, on the way back from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Our trip started cold and rainy, but the weather turned around for the last 36 hours. The clouds left and we were able to see the sun set over the lakes and then rise the next morning over the palisade on Clearwater Lake. The kids saw waterfalls without getting eaten alive by mosquitoes today: a successful way to end our long weekend in the woods. I will say that after all the heavy meat and carb camping-fare, a fish fry at... more

We are leaving early Thursday morning for our family vacation up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I’ve been going there since I was Kiwi’s age, and I love being able to bring my kids and watching them experience everything. When I was little, we stayed in a small cabin out in the woods with no electricity or running water. We paddled a canoe around and portaged between lakes. Most of that is the same, except that my dad’s sister and her husband built a house in the middle... more