Bracelet

This is my favorite recent creation. I was inspired by a piece I saw on someone at work. I knew I could make that - this is my version and I love it's simplicity. Very dainty and yet it tells a story...love it!

Snowmobiling

It was a beautiful day today up north. Sun was shining and the intensity of the sun has increased so much. Perfect day for snowmobiling!!!

Carter and Grandpa getting ready to take a spin:



Ryan waiting patiently for his turn:

Off they go!

I took this one sitting backwards (precariously I might add) on the snowmobile. It's a wonder I didn't land in the sled, too!

All of us took a spin (a little tight, but it worked!)

Jewelry Creations

I designed jewelry for several hours today. My fingers ached when I was done, but I had 10 fun pieces to show for it. Getting them to photograph well is a tricky concept I am still working on - I'll have to show my final piece tomorrow when I can get more natural light...Here is what I have so far:

Family of Christ had a raffle and this was designed for the raffle winner:

A facebook order, she is also married to a relative of mine:
A friend of mine I met online, gift for her Mom:

Same friend, a keychain for her husband. Ironically, she found out this week they are expecting #2. Bet I'll be making another keychain for her in the future! :)

Necklace for Evan's coworker's wife that suffered a bad heart attack recently - we will be going to Vegas with them in a couple of weeks:

Keychain for a Facebook friend, she is the Mom of one of Kyle's best friends:

Keychain for my jobshare partner's friend. Referrals at work!

Family friend's necklace:

Close friend/neighbor of mine that is still recovering from a very botched surgery about 5 weeks ago! I think she needs a pick-me-up!

Turkeys

My parents have 3 turkeys that eat under their big tree in front of their house. Mom has several birdfeeders in the tree and they love the seeds on the ground. She also has several deer that eat in the same spot, but every time I approach the patio door to take a picture, they are off - must be a little camera shy!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

We celebrated Mom's birthday with her last night. There were quite a few people over to celebrate her turning the big 3-9! Ha! The boys love the trips to Grandma's house...in fact, Ryan informed me last weekend that he thinks we should "make a pattern, 2 days at Mom's house, 2 days at Grandma's house, etc." Good thought - works for me!!!!


3 generations, too bad the boys aren't even close to looking at the camera!

Carter reading us the newspaper headlines:

Flower bouquet the boys brought Grandma:

Children's Museum

I took the boys to the Children's Museum today. They had a great time. That is a place where you could truly play for a couple of days without running out of things to do. There is SO much to do, and 5 levels of fun! I am worn out after going up and down, up and down (and did I mention up and down?) the stairs with the boys. The good news - they are both ready for a nap when we get home and nowdays, both of them napping is a rare treat for me! :)




Watching the balls at the water table (can't you see the wheels turning in that head?):



One of Carter's favorites - the construction area:

Driving the bus "hot wheels fast":

On stage with his guitar:

Who knew I had artists in the family?

Complete with dinosaur roar and all:

Ice fishing time...where's Grandpa?

All this fun make for one tired-face-painted-Carter:

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Pat's Cup

Pat left this Target Bullseye cup in his office when he left Target. I brought it home, thinking one of my boys might like it. I was right - it has become a favorite. I should know better than to bring home 1 of anything the way these two battle it out!!!!

Official

It's official - my jobshare partner and I landed a new job at Target. We will be making a lateral move, staying in the same pyramid. We will support the largest pyramid in Target Technology Services, with 1,000 team members. I am very happy to stay at Target, and especially in TTS! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders by landing a new role. It won't come without it's challenges supporting a team that large, but I feel like I'm up for the challenge and I'm ready to hit the ground running. Our start date is Monday, March 1!

Family Fun Night

Tonight was Family Fun Night at Ryan's Preschool. It was a Hawaiian theme, but somehow I missed (or forgot) that. We had to get over the fact that we were not dressed in Luau clothing like the others...oh well! Ryan decided to give me the double guns while I was taking his picture under the palm tree. How do you come up with double guns at age 5? He also called me Dude...how does this happen???? Kiddos had a great time, although Ryan had to get over the disappointment of not winning one of the 23 raffle items. Tragic when you are little. Lots of tears shed on that one...but he soon got over it on his fifth cup of puffcorn.




Carter enjoying puffcorn while playing play doh:

Chilling on the bean bags watching Finding Nemo:

Spiderman

This weekend I started the conversion from a nursery to a big boy bedroom for Carter. I am a little sad to see the nursery go, but looking at my 42-pound, nearly 3-year-old that stretches almost the entire length of his crib, I know it is time to move forward. He is so excited about his Spiderman bedroom, he can hardly wait. He will not put down his new Spiderman pillow pal, and in fact, sleeps just like this with him. Hopefully in a week or two I can show you pictures of the completed big boy bedroom! Until then...sweet dreams!

Sick

I have had a terrible week with my finned friends. I've lost a total of 8 fish this week, more than I've lost in the past few years combined. After 3 visits to the pet store, 2 rounds of water testing, 3 water changes, 3 different foods tested, and day after day of scooping out the dead fish in the mornings, I think I may have found a solution. It appears the ammonia level was elevated in the tank. Who would have known? I have every chemical and testing product I need to save these fish (if that is in fact, the cause). Guess only time will tell, but I can tell you one thing, not one stone was left unturned to save my 12/$1.49 fish from 5 years ago. Wish me luck!

Jewelry

Here are my creative efforts for this weekend:

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Sample necklace for a jewelry designer:

Keychain/Necklace set:

Necklace alone:

Eagle's Nest

The boys and I spent a few hours at Eagle's Nest this morning. It was busy and the boys had a blast. We haven't been there in a long time, so it was a good treat for the boys. My treat = long nap from both of them when we got home!!!

Crazy Ryan:

Always climbing:

Carter trying out the climbing wall:

Ryan's turn:

Ryan coming down the slide:

Ryan free-falling from in the ball pit (narrowly missing his brother's head):

Fun in the ball pit: