Getting Ready?

I love the holidays.  Each of them individually... Halloween... Thanksgiving... Christmas....  As much as I love the Holidays themselves.  I love preparing for them.  I love thinking about spending time with my loved ones and preparing gifts for them.

Amanda and I have started coloring Christmas Cards for her teacher and dance coaches.  I'm teaching her to think about each person as she creates their master piece.  What colors will they like?  Hope each master piece makes them smile.  

Hard at Work

Finished Master Piece

Maybe you'll be lucky enough to get one of her hand crafted Master pieces.

Author Spotlight! Sport Stories!

Author Spotlight:

Richard Torrey

Richard Torrey was born in Los Angeles, CA. where he began doodling as soon as he could hold a crayon. In third grade, Richard showed a picture of a horse he had drawn to the legendary comic strip creator, Charles Schulz. Schulz drew Snoopy on the back of the picture, inspiring Richard to follow a similar career path. 

After graduating from Allegheny College with a BA in Psychology, Torrey created the first of two successful syndicated comic strips; Hartland (King Features), followed with a sports strip, PETE and CLETE (Creators Syndicate), both of which appeared in hundreds of newspapers around the world.   

Since then, Richard has been an author, illustrator, and editorial cartoonist. His list of clients includes Highlights Magazine, KidCity (a Sesame Street publication), The National, and Inside Sports. For the better part of two decades, he has been the creator of a top-selling line of greeting cards for Recycled Paper Greetings Inc. 

More recently, Richard’s interests have turned to children’s books. A Baseball Story, A Hockey Story and the popular series, A Football Story all give new-to-the-game players detailed, child's-eye view of each sport on and off the field.

The son of Hockey Hall-of-Famer, Bill Torrey, Richard lives in Long Island, New York, with his wife and two children. His preferred medium is Peanut butter and Jelly and failing that, Watercolor/Pen and ink and acrylic.

Pure Elation - New Titles

This is seriously how I feel every time Usborne announces new titles.  Pure Elation!!  Serious!  I'm not kidding!  When I browse through the new titles I instantly think of You Guys!  "Oh! I know, Nolan will love this sticker book!" or "This Dinosaur book would be perfect for Camden!"  Plus I instantly make a mental list of the books I want for my own kids!!

View all the New Titles here!! 

Some of my New Favorites are:  

Building your own Spaceships Sticker Book!

Lift-the-flap Colors

Secrets of the Apple Tree

Sticker Dolly Dressing Ice Skaters

There are a ton of other great new titles available so be sure to check them out!!  I have already placed my order and I can't wait to get them to show you!!  

We have a ton of great new Holiday Titles.  I will be highlighting my favorites soon!!

Stop the Ride...

Stop the ride... I wanna get off!!  Or maybe at least slow it down? 

 It always amazes me when I sit back and realize a whole weekend or even month has flown by in the blink of an eye.  I'm trying to worry less about the cleaning and busy work and make memories with the kids.

Saturday night Jake and I sat and watched TV together.  It just floors me to realize how big he is now.  We were watching a real estate hunting show.  It was funny to hear his opinion on houses.  We enjoy looking at local properties online.  Especially farm sites.  I ask him what he would put in this barn or that building.  It's pretty easy to get silly.  Elephants here or there.  Once the giggling starts the answers get silly!!

Amanda is getting so big and learning so much these days.  She is her mother's child and loves crafts.  She has been making the Rainbow Loom Bracelets lately and I'm super excited because she can do them by herself.  Love that independence. Her reading is progressing each and every day.  Hope to raise a reader.

Sunday nights are always hard for me.  Back to the work week.  Back to school.  I came across this last night and it really hit home for me.  I was very frustrated with myself and what I had gotten done over the weekend.  I guess, it's really more of what I hadn't gotten done.  What I felt I should have gotten done but didn't.

It's so true!  I'm not in a competition.  I'm not trying to be better then anyone else.  I just need to get done what needs to get done and the rest can wait. It will have to wait.  I have spent entire weekends working like a complete crazy woman and gone back to work exhausted on Monday.  That is no good either.  I am at my best when I am rested and happy.  I am working to find the fine line between it all.  In the wise words of my Mother.  One day at a time, one foot in front of the other.  That's all I can do and it has to be good enough.

Hope you had a great weekend too!  Thanks for stopping to visit!

State Fair Bound

I am working until 3:00pm today and then we are headed to the Twin Cities.  Tomorrow we are going to the "Great Minnesota Get Together!!"  Yes, the Minnesota State Fair.  I am really looking forward to it.

The first place we will be headed is to the Dairy Show.  One of my favorite 4-H'ers is showing his cow.  I know Jasenko will do a great job!!

I am not looking forward to the crowds at the fair but I think it will be fun and a good learning experience for the kids.

More pictures to follow!!!

Ribbons

Time has gotten away from me this last month.  We were so busy with getting ready for a family reunion and getting ready for the fair.  Time just magically flew by.  After the fair I swear I could have slept for 3 days.  I was exhausted.  It was such a satisfied tired though. Tired after a job well done. 

 

I sat down Sunday night and wrote on the back of the kids ribbons.  Their names,  August 2013, the class/group and what they entered.  I was/am so proud of the kids.  I hope someday they look back at these ribbons as fondly as I look back on mine.

Speaking of ribbons… I need some opinions.  I am trying to decide how to organize their ribbons.  I have a few thoughts/options.

1.)    Hang their ribbons in their room.  This is what I did and I loved showing off my ribbons.  When I moved out though… they all got thrown into a tub and are an unorganized mess now.  They are bend and creased and in no order.

2.)    Put them in a book that stays organized and in good condition.  They can take the book with them to Show/Tell and drag them out to show their aunties.

Ok… I think I’ve made up my mind.  Option 2 is a clear winner for me.  Your opinions?

Not only am I perfect...

I have so many great things to catch you up on.  Lately I have been a Crazy Book Lady, a Crazy Painting Lady, a Crazy 4-H Leader, a Crazy IT Person... overall just crazy.

I have been up to my eyeballs getting ready for a family reunion at our house this Saturday.  I have been looking for a reason to get some projects done.  I decided to tackle our main floor half bath.  There was a border that was half falling down.  The walls were dirty and the colors were outdated.  I knew if I didn't have a reason to get it done in a timely fashion.  A deadline is always a good thing in our house.  

Two weeks ago was Bavarian Blast here in New Ulm. It is a wonderful German Festival.  A great time to get together and see your friends and family!  John and I went on Thursday night and listened to a band that was playing.  We enjoyed a few German beverages (beer) and had a great time.  On Saturday and Sunday there was a Craft Show and I had a great time participating.  I love meeting new people and showing them Usborne Books.  

We have an amazing start up special this month.  The Large Start up kit (over $400.00 value) for $69!!  

July Starter Kit - All for $69.00!!

If you have ever considered starting a home based business now is the time and Usborne is the company!!  I couldn't be more pleased with the books and Mission of this company.  Nothing like bettering the children around us.

This is one of the Wonderful People I met during the weekend.  It is so much fun to talk to people and find out where they are from.  This gentlemen stole my heart on the spot.  His shirt reads, "Not only am I Perfect, I'm German Too!!"  This shirt would have been right up my Grandpa Krohn's alley!  He would have gotten a great big belly laugh out of this.  Notice his hat too!  S.O.B. - Sweet Old Buzzard.  Yep... I'm smitten!

Lovely Ole German I met!! 

 Part of the fun of the weekend is the Parade on Sunday.  It was good fun watching it with my kids.  The weather was perfect and we had a great spot in the shade.

This is "Hermann the German" and Thusnelda, his wife.  

The kids caught a ton of Candy and had a great time.  I loved not having to worry about putting sun screen on them.  Couldn't have asked for a better day!!

Eric, Kate, Amanda and Abby watching the Parade together.