Thy children will swell the cry!

Another perk of the Rowing Reunion was that Katie and Anna got to go to their first game!It was really fun. Anna wondered when Willie would get to play.

She learned to do the Wabash and sing the Fight Song and Eat 'em up, Eat 'em up, KSU!

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Go Cats!

K-State Rowing Reunion at the Game!

KSU Rowing Reunion 2011

Remember Labor Day Weekend? I went to Manhattan for the Rowing Reunion! Here are some pictures.With my Ford Hall roomie and rowing buddy Laura-in the amazing team center that they have out at the boathouse. With lockers! And showers! And a training room! And bathrooms!

It was fun to show Anna the boats. I'd never mentioned rowing to her-pretty foreign for a little farm girl.
I got to see Maggie! That was wonderful wonderful. I love that girl.

(I couldn't help but wear workout clothes to the boathouse-couldn't shake the feeling that I might end up running up and down the hill, which is paved now, by the way!).

Here are some of the "Hale Era" rowers-but not all of them. It was great to see these girls again.
Maggie and I got oars! Someday the basement will be all done and I think this will look super cool on the wall.

A bit more tomorrow. :)

Pinterest

I know it's old news, but I just finally got the chance to play around on Pinterest.

It's pretty fun.

I transferred all of my links (250+) from delicious and sorted them all into boards. I like it because I can see all of the projects, which hopefully will help me remember what I wanted to do. I also really like how easy it is to pin things-just add the "pin it" button to your bookmarks bar and you're set!

Here I am - if you're interested.

Fair warning--don't start playing if you're busy!

"after the wedding"

Today begins a magical time---I don't think there's a single person in my life who hasn't been put off with the phrase-"after the wedding". (Now Sus, don't feel bad-I loved helping make your day lovely and special) Here's a partial list of the things I'm now going to do:

1. Teach Anna to crochet.

2. Go to a Bible Study with one of the teachers from school.

3. Finish my class!

4. Put away the Halloween stuff.

5. See Katrina.

6. Call Chelsea back.

7. Play around on Pinterest.

8. Make Spencer's Quilt!

9. Get out Katie's next size of clothes.

10. Buy some pants that fit.

11. Change the battery in the smoke detector in my office so it quits that INFERNAL BEEPING!

The nice thing about being really busy is that normal busy all of a sudden feels luxurious. Aaahhh...

Wedding Week Countdown...1!

Tomorrow... Yay for Susan and Steven. And Go Cats!

(And who took all these lovely photos? This guy)

Wedding Week Countdown...2!

2 days until English majors outnumber the rest of us.

Wedding Week Countdown...3!

This year our Thanksgiving bracket will have 7 players! 3 days...

Wedding Week Countdown...4!

4 days until I get a new brother!

Wedding Week Countdown...5!

My sister's getting married!

Early Halloween Fun

Cousins.

Peanut Butter Challenge

This summer this giant tub of peanut butter showed up in my house. (You know how it is with big parties)

Of the 6 lbs, about a cup had been used.

I don't think you can read it, but it says "Best by November 2011". That's my kind of challenge.

We made about 200 of these cookies, and they were tasty, but that didn't use nearly enough.

So we started making corn flake cookies, a Grandma Anna staple. So yummy and easy.

We've tried 4 different recipes. (I need to just find Grandma Anna's recipe-I'm sure someone has it). This one is pretty good-but increase the corn flakes to 6 cups at least.

A couple more batches... I think we're going to make it!

Jackson Quilt

3 years ago I agreed to make a quilt for a sweet little boy.

His smart Mama asked lots of friends and family to decorate squares to welcome him.

(See anyone you know?)

Yay for baby boys and for getting things done!

Bearers of the Good News

I listened to a couple of wonderful podcast episodes last week.

I generally enjoy the Among Women podcast-a Catholic show that has interviews with all sorts of interesting women.

But these two I think were good enough to share. Dr. Mary Healy speaks about women in the Bible. Part 1 is from the Old Testament and Part 2 from the New. Each podcast is organized into 2 segments-in the first part Pat profiles a Saint, and in the second part is the talk from Dr. Healy. I thought it was fantastic.

Happy Weekend!

My third favorite season

The teachers at school love fall. It's not my favorite, but it does come before Christmas, and there's baking and Thanksgiving and football, I suppose.

Mostly, the best thing about fall is getting out my favorite pair of shoes.

I estimate that I've worn them at least 200 days a year for the past 12 years. 2400 days.

I love these shoes.

Some kind of irony

Something like 10 years ago I was setting the table in our little apartment on Hackberry and it occurred to me that our dishes were heavy, and that small children would not be able to help set the table if the dishes were too heavy. I started looking for a pretty set of plastic dishes at Goodwill.

I finally found them! A full set of eight - plates and little plates and bowls and cups and even a sugar and creamer.

I love them. I would wear them as clothes. I like to take them out just to look at them.

I have them in the pantry where Anna can reach, so she can help herself (and help me!)

Now, we've been so very fortunate, and in 12.5 years of marriage, we've only broken one bowl of our wedding dishes. (Knock on wood)

I've had my pretty pink plastic "safety" dishes for two weeks...

I'm down to 7 plates and 7 cups.

Shopping Bags!

For Susan's wedding shower, I wanted to make her some shopping bags. I've had the fabric for these for... 3 years? (So actually, I've been meaning to make her some bags forever, but the shower was a good motivator).

I ended up finishing them early in the morning with a baby alternately wrapped around my legs and sitting on my lap. (I timed myself as I was making them, got the last one sewn in 12 minutes!)

That's how easy they are to make. Here's a good tutorial. (It's a little fancier than mine-I don't have a pocket, and I just use webbing for the handles, or, as it was with these, whatever bits of anything that I had laying around. Some webbing, some ribbon, etc.)

They are truly lovely to shop with. So much nicer than plastic.

Baby Backpack

We used my old college backpack for Anna's diaper bag, and it was my plan to use it for Katie too, but after the third repair, I decided it was time to trade it in.

Luckily, we had another old backpack in the basement, so I just moved my Girl Scout Child Care badge and our Kansas Association of Wheat Growers patch to the new one and we're off!

On days when I have time for a tiny project, it feels like all is right with the world.

Fall List 2011

I'm a bit behind on this post-For some reason 2 kiddos + working + Practicum + Susu's wedding = not very much time to play computer. Right now I'm enjoying a few minutes of playing in between printing research articles and cutting out tablecloths for the wedding while the two girls sleep and before responsible teacher self says that I have to go to bed too.

Summer 2011 List: (I did much better than I had anticipated!)

1. Finish organizing craft room!

2. Make Spencer's blanket.

3. Make Finney and Trisha's blanket.

4. Make something pretty with Abby for Lainey.

5. Make Anna Back to School Dress.

6. Anna Hall Photos

7. Anna 8X10's for year.

8. Finish Summer Class.

9. Plymell Spanish Facebook Page

10. Try to choose fun over "work"

Fall 2011 List:

1. Make things for Susu's wedding; Petticoat, veil, flowers, tablecloths; and have fun with sisters.

2. Finish MJL 12th anniversary present.

3. Spencer Quilt

4. Secret Sibling gift

5. File the giant pile of papers.

6. Finish Practicum.

7. Get out Baby Toys.

8. Lainey something with Abby.

9. Chelsea Wedding Book.

10. Pull some of the giant weeds.

I will be very happy if I get most of these things done. I will also try to remember what Fr. Rene said on Sunday-the Good is the enemy of the Best. I will not sacrifice what is best for what is merely good. (Best = snuggle cute girls, have fun with MJL, relax, enjoy this life, pray)

Happy Fall!

Quick Quilt

6 of one, 1/2 dozen of another

A long time ago I finished a quilt for a wedding that happened even longer ago.

A snuggly/picnic blanket.

Every quilt's cuter with a Katie on it.

Congratulations, Finney and Trisha!