sniff

went down to gramps's house yesterday. stopped to sniff the zinnias. i know they don't smell... jack just likes to sniff flowers.:)

my little reader

jack is a reader. he loves: "the very hungry caterpillar" by eric carle, thomas the tank engine, clifford, seseme street, books with airplanes/trucks/bikes/firetrucks, "five little pumpkins", and curious george, etc. he has me read them, or he looks at them himself. i always had a bunch of books in his little toy nook in the living room. actually, it was out of hand. one day while looking through a home magazine i saw that they used a small old suitcase for storage. i immediately thought of storing jack's stash of books in it. it is a really cool samsonite that used to be my dad's when he was a kid. if i want to look tidy when company comes over all i have to do is close the suitcase. i am so pleased.

wee little shoes

my roommate from my freshman year at pcc just had her fifth child, a baby girl. congratulations, kelly! i sent her these booties. i just think every baby girl needs a pair of pink mary jane's!

wild grapes (cont.)

my grandpa has a really great old aluminum juicer. it has 3 parts. you put water in the bottom. the juice collects in the middle, and the grapes/berries/etc. go in the top. the water steams up the berries. the juice collects and flows out the little spout. when the hose gets pretty full you just let it empty into a container. wild grapes smell soooooo good. choke cherries are nice, too. i juiced them yesterday and got 5 1/2 quarts. so far i have made 6 quarts, 1 pint, and a cute cup of wild grape jelly. ...there might have been more... but i spilt some juice on the floor and i overflowed the last batch of jam. let's just say that black floors and countertops in your kitchen are a very good thing.:)

wild grapes

i'm in love with wild grapes.:) never knew that there were so many wild grapes around here -- ripe for the taking! i am very excited. when i was a young girl i remember driving around with my mom, sis, aunt and cousin getting grapevines for wreaths. why didn't we go for the grapes?! thursday night my little family went for a swim and saw a bunch of wild grapes. i was amazed at how big and how abundant. saturday dan, jack and i went picking. yesterday i borrowed my gramps's old amazing juicer and juiced grapes. to be continued...

bbq @ horn's (w/bonfire)

my sis-in-law's place is fab. situated high on a hill overlooking a very pristine lake. very retro cabin. my niece invited us to a bbq and bonfire one weekend. good food, good fire, good family.

kitchen still life

i thought that the dishes in my drainer were very artfully arranged the other day, though it was by accident. i love these colors. do you see it? or is it just me?:)

"still" life -- JACK

precious sleeper. i used to take pictures of jack sleeping all the time. something about the color and "composition" of this child in blue sleeping on blue/white gingham, with white vertical rails, dappled sunlight, and a splash of colorful toys just struck me. and i love the little 3T Levi's. and the chubby little arms. and the sweet little feet.

elerene's 8th birthday hat

elerene turned 8 on sept. 7th. my spunky niece just loves purple. she looked so great in my green "butterfly" hat. can't wait to see her in her very own butterfly hat! love you, ele!

elles's birthday jumper

finished elles's 1st birthday jumper. it fit perfect and she looked like a little dolly in it.

readers

i love it when dan and i quietly read together. now jack is a reader, too.

what a ninth grader actually looks like...

ta da. when andy came home from his first day i heard the door slam and i shouted, "stay right there!". when i came around the corner... there he was in all his wife-beatered glory.:) well, that's what he was wearing. cool fox tee thrown casually 'round his neck. for posterity, this is andy.

andy starts 9th grade

andy started 9th grade today. he set his alarm for 6:30. when i rang his bell (yes, dan has installed a doorbell down in andy's room! much better than stomping on the floor to get his attention.) he came up the stairs already showered and dressed. he ate 2 two huge pancakes and packed up his backpack and apparently made it to the bus stop on time. thank goodness! it is a little too early in the year for him to be missing his bus. that will come, i am sure.:)

these photos are from the sears portraits that were "lost" over at mom's house. andy was in 7th grade in these! time flies.

JUMP!

i have finished elles's 1st birthday jumper!!! it took me a very very long time. that's ok, that just means that it was as cool and as meaningful a present as i wanted it to be. it's not a lame knitted present... it is a TOTALLY AWESOME KNITTED PRESENT! if i do say so myself. now, must find some adorable buttons.