| milwaukee art museum

| a progressive dinner + journaling + camera

I hadn't gone out of the building since getting home Sunday. I was getting antsy and there was no good reason why I should stay in, so out I went tonight for a burrito bowl in the misting rain. Having been recommended by a friend, dinner was followed by a salted caramel hot chocolate.

(public service announcement: if you have not yet tried one, you really must. they're amazing. simply to die for.)





And then I did some window shopping on the way home, taking in the simple joy of Christmas lights at night.

| afternoon sun

We played in the fading sunlight and she did not disappoint.




on the other side of the camera, thanks to her...

| Do Fun Stuff

I'm a few days behind on this because, well, life is just a bit crazy at the moment. But better late than never, right? (at least that's what I like to tell myself) I stumbled upon Pacing the Panic Room at some point during the first maternity series and have been hooked ever since. I loved the photography and the writing was just so honest and down to earth.

On Monday they debuted a children's album to benefit a rare genetic disorder called Smith Magenis Syndrome. At the very least, check it out and educate yourself. Just knowing it exists is a step in the right direction. Then, play a few tracks from the cd and if you think it's as fun and catchy as I do, pick it up on iTunes and know that your money went to a good cause.

Find out more here.

| ticket to ride

Remember back in this post where I talked about the idea of a time lapse video of the game Ticket to Ride? Well, we finally got our own copy of the game, along with the 1912 expansion pack. Saturday evening we set it up with M's brother and sister-in-law and after much fiddling with the camera, we got the game underway. I've never enjoyed having a remote for the shutter as much as I did that night. It's fun to watch the train cards change color, hands move in and out, stations get built and trains criss-cross the board. Enjoy!

PS: Our sister-in-law left all of us in the dust. And the song is called "Us" by Regina Spektor from the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack. Great movie, great soundtrack.

ticket to ride : europe edition

When we were up in Wisconsin this past fall visiting these wonderful friends, they introduced us to a board game called Ticket to Ride Europe. We're hooked. It's awesome. And next time we play, if I can remember and we can set it up correctly, I'm going to attempt to make a time lapse video of the trains being built as the game continues. *Note: I cannot take full credit for this idea, it was my brother-in-law's. But for now, here are some fun shots of the board from this weekend.

Renegade Craft Fair

In case you happen to be in the Chicago area next weekend...

nursery duties

Here is the culprit.



Towards the end of August I took on the position of Nursery Coordinator at church. That means I'm officially in charge of making sure the Infant, Crawler and Toddler rooms are fully stocked with supplies and staff every Sunday, all three services. Getting them full of kids hasn't been a problem.

A few Sundays ago, the toddler room was especially full (think 14 walkers under the age of 2 with only 3 helpers) so I was checking in to make sure everyone was doing alright. One of the workers came to me with a half chewed name tag (we have name tags and pager numbers that get pinned to the back of every child). "I don't know how she got it off, but now I can't find the safety pin." We pinned a fresh one on the little gummer (my word for toddlers that munch on things until they're a gummy paste) and I helped look around the room a bit, but was quickly distracted with another duty and forgot all about it.

Fast forward to the wee hours of Monday morning. All of a sudden I'm wide awake in bed and all I can think is: "Oh no! We never found that pin!" Of course, I feel I'm solely responsible for this as it happened under my watch and immediately start conjuring up worst case scenarios where the gummy child swallowed said pin and is dying slowly somewhere of a punctured something or other. This kept me awake for some time. I eventually drifted back to sleep but when I woke up as M was getting ready for work, I mumbled out something about a pin and should I call the parents, etc. He nicely assured me I shouldn't worry and told me to go back to sleep.

I went about my day, but in the back of my mind I couldn't stop thinking about the safety pin. The buzzer rang on my dryer as I was contemplating what to do. As I opened the door, something fell onto the ground...

YEP, you guessed it! THE SAFETY PIN. I was washing/drying the nursery bibs and the pin must have fallen into one of the pockets on the front of bibs. I have never in my life been so relieved to see a half eaten name tag and safety pin fall out of my dryer. I was now sure that no child from the nursery was dying of a punctured stomach lining and could happily go about my day.

life. got. busy.

Sometimes life gets busy. I look up and all of a sudden it has been a month since I've posted an entry. It's already half way through October and I'm still not sure where September went. I fear it will be December and I'll still be carving pumpkins at the rate I'm going.

Instead of listing the million and one things that crammed themselves onto our calendar and prevented me from having the time or energy to post, I'll simply share with you a few images from our recent trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.

*note: if you want to go to myrtle beach, early october is the perfect time to do it. the water is still reasonably warm and you practically have the ocean all to yourself.

Stoltzfus Farm

During our abbreviated trip to Pennsylvania, we stopped by a farm owned by the Stoltzfus family. (For those of you from Lancaster County - yes, I realize that could mean a number of farms) Maybe I should say "A Stolzfus family." After city living, it was refreshing to pull into an amish farm off a country road and pick out pumpkins at my leisure, look in on the baby cows, peek at the horses, pet the dog, wander around one of the barns. It was just relaxing. Slower paced. Nice.

Side note: cows are easily spooked. I leaned over to pet one and scared three of them into running across to the other side of the pen. whoops. I'll stick with the dog.

Another side note: Yes, I carted pumpkins and indian corn the whole way back to Chicago. They're so much more expensive out here.

It's a bird, it's a plane...

On Saturday we went to see the Chicago Air and Water Show and we have the sunburns to prove it. (I'm pretty sure my forehead is medium rare. And yes, I did put sunscreen on, I just forgot my face.) I do have to say this is one event downtown that I don't mind attending with the masses. Mainly, because everyone finds a spot and sits. I can handle that. Plus, they sell roasted corn on the cob. Another point in the "pros" column.

Involved in the show were: U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights, U.S. Navy Parachute Team Leap Frogs, U.S. Coast Guard Air/Sea Rescue... (oh, here's a list of the full program). Let's sum it up by saying it was a great line up, since I'm a bit rusty on all the different planes. Plus, you're here because you want to see the pictures, not listen to me narrate the whole thing. But before we get to them, I just have to say... those F-15/F-16 were awesome. I could have watched them zoom past all day long, especially against the city as a backdrop.

Finding our seats...

Notice they're headed opposite directions? Look carefully.

This was actually part of a very moving display where the 6th plane flew off in another direction, I'm assuming as a tribute to all those they've lost.

Upside down. Crazy.

This plane was awesome and so fast that this is the best picture I could get.

Hello Thunderbirds

INSANE. That's the best way to describe this.

The smoke left behind by all the fly bys.