time to play

Lucas has been loving every minute of being outside lately.  He loves his playset. 

In the infamous hail storm of August 2009, Lucas' old playset was destroyed. 

We got a new set ordered at the Iowa State Fair shortly after the storm.  The company delivered it and installed it (thank goodness!) in October.  Lucas figured out the wooden ladder and the chain ladder really quick.  Then winter hit and our outside play came to a halt.  Not anymore!

March is

National Craft Month.  Did you know?  Did you celebrate?  I did. 

After we finished the basement last year, I had great and grand plans to move my craft stuff downstairs as it was overflowing the extra bedroom.  I'd gotten lazy about putting things in their place and cleaning up because I closed the door and no one saw it.  Only... now you know the truth. :) 

For my birthday (six months ago) Brent promised me a shopping excursion to get all of the things I'd been dreaming about.  Yes, I dreamt about baskets, peg board and shelving.  Along with the shopping day I got a whole day of Brent to help me hang things, move things and playing-with-Lucas-time so I could get things in order.  It is so great to have a designated space for everything; I just love it! 

It took a year, but it was worth the wait!

a boy and his boots

He loves them.  Why wouldn't he?  Daddy wears boots every day.  Papa Richard and Papa Steve wear boots every day.  Mommy wears boots, too.

It started with the brown cowboy boots... that was seven months ago and he's only taken them off to wear the other pairs.  {Okay, we can usually get him to wear dress shoes to church. Usually.}  When it started snowing he wore the blue snow boots to school every day without hesitation.  A few weeks ago, I was out of town for work for most of the week and I brought home the blue rubber boots for him.  The boots were hardly out of the bag before they were going on his feet. 

This little boy, and these little feet, love boots.

Potato salad

Brent made his grandma's potato salad a few days ago. Yes, it is homemade. Yes, he really made it all himself. He is an active part of the kitchen in our house. Well, except for unloading the dishwasher :) He is a great cook and makes at least half of our family meals. 

Anyway, back to the potato salad. I can't divulge which Grandma this recipe comes from because there could be a Perry vs. Lehmeier dispute on the comment page. Potato salad is taken very seriously in this family. Brent's recipe was actually a combination recipe that would make both grandmothers proud. They would also be proud he is cooking in the kitchen so much!

Personally, I usually pass on potato salad. Only because I'm a picky eater and I would hate to taste it and not like it and then just leave it wasted on my plate. But Brent's potato salad - this stuff is good. We shared it with friends during a recent dinner and everyone raved. The other wives were doubly impressed with Brent's skills.

Does it make you think summer BBQ?
 

Mr. Clean

While working on a project this weekend (stay tuned for pictures) my best little helper did some cleaning.  First, he used a wet towel to do some washing.  Then, he asked for a paper towel to dry it.  The motivation may have come from being able to climb on the step ladder, but I like to think he wants things neat and tidy.  He does a good job of picking up his toys and putting laundry in the hamper.  I don't expect miracles - he's only two!  He also helped Brent sweep the garage this weekend.  He never passes up an opportunity to get his little hands around a broom. 

Blast from the past

In a recent closet-cleaning I came across some old memorabilia.  One was a photo collage frame that hung in my college apartment.  With all of the things you can do with digital photos now, I'm not sure if you can even buy one of these.  Each picture brought back a whole bunch of memories and stories.  Some are just left to my memory, but I wanted to share a few. 

This is my roommate, Megan, her boyfriend, James, Brent and I.  This was at a social establishment (People's) in Ames to celebrate Brent's fraternity class graduation.  James and Brent were mistaken for each other a lot back in those days.  They both drove green trucks with ISU license plates, same size/build and hair color, each had a super-cute girlfriend... I'm pretty sure that our apartment building manager thought Megan and I dated the same guy. 

P.S. We both married our college sweethearts.

My baby nephew, Caleb and I.  He's not a baby anymore.  He's 9.  Nine and a half, actually.  Since this picture was taken, I have two more nephews and three nieces.  And much better hair. 

I don't remember this specific picture of Megan and I, but I can tell it was taken at her parent's house.  We weren't old enough to go to a social establishment, but I have a suspicion wherever we went involved boys. 

This, as you can tell, was the 1999 Iowa State Fair.  You can't tell from the distance of the picture (and if I got a close up, it would be too fuzzy) but I was real mad in this photo.  Just minutes before this picture was taken I was showing this heifer in the show ring when a ring helper's cell phone rang.  The heifer went crazy and ended up twisting around my body and kicked me square in the stomach and sent me flying through the air.  I landed in the sand and was fine.  I had a nice black and blue mark to show for it a few days later.  The part I was mad about?  The ring helper not being cautious enough to shut his phone off or turn off the ringer.  It didn't matter that I was covered in sand or bruised; showing cattle was always a rush of adrenaline for me.  Make the animal look its best to be the perfect fit for what the judge was looking for.  Every once in a while it was exactly what the judge was looking for, but I had so much fun doing it.

A funny side note to this is that Megan and two of our "town" girlfriends came to the Fair that day to watch me show.  I'm pretty sure Melanie and Sarah thought I was dead when I flew through the air. 

Aww, those cute lovebirds.  We did not always dress alike. 

If they are reading this, I'm pretty sure I might get harassed at the next family gathering.  But I'm brave.  This is my brother, Brian, my sister, Karen and me.  I have no idea where my sister, Ann, was for this fabulous photo shoot.  I think it was 1996.  I needed a makeover.  Bad.  So did the orange curtains. 

It was fun to find this collage frame, although, I did not keep it.  I just don't think I have the right place to hang it in our house.  I love a good blast from the past to conjure up fun memories.