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annie’s favorite books

April 26, 2013

i love children's books.
when i find one with illustrations that pull me in i always feel like drawing.
they are just such a beautiful way to enjoy childhood.
i have great memories of reading with my kids.

annie is working hard to finish up something at school for points.
she has had all year to get points but now that it's the end of the year i am guessing there is
an ice cream party or something that has given her incentive to buckle down.
she has been reading each afternoon.
she is not really a sit down and read for an hour kind of girl usually.
that is ok.
i am not that kind of girl either… my dad wanted me to be so badly.

i thought i would share some of HER favorites today.
this is her stack she was working through that she carefully selected.

you can click on the link to find it on amazon.

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type ….. that duck is so funny!

Cowboy and Octopus …. very dry humor book but funny and has cool illustrations.

Eaglet's World

this was a book that Scott got during his preschool LOVE OF EAGLES phase.
he was obsessed with eagles for a few years.
i remember going to his classroom as the surprise guest and reading it to his whole class.
we love this pretty book.

Martha and Skits …. my dad gave us a whole collection of these books.
BEFORE they gave Martha a show on pbs.
my kids really liked these… all five of them.

Pirates Don't Change Diapers ….. my girls like these 2 pirate books but my boys loved them.

How I Became a Pirate….. and really David Shannon is a favorite of mine.

Too Tall Houses…. pretty book about friendship and competing. :)

Art & Max…. brillant book for anyone who likes art….super pretty!

Is Your Mama a Llama? …. i had this book memorized at one point.
so many years of reading it over and over.
who doesn't like a book with baby and mama animals?!

Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas…. all Fancy Nancy books are loved by my little girls.
she has quite the obsession with fanciness.

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes …. annie's choice at the book fair.

Emma Kate …. BEAUTIFUL book.
Patricia Polacco is one of Talby's favorite authors.
she did a report on her once!

Llama Llama Misses Mama

there is something adorable to me about llamas.
Anna Dewdney ties toddlers and llamsas together perfectly. :)
Annie loved these two llama mama books…. always loves to say "i've done that…."
on the tantrum page. ha ha ha

Llama Llama Mad at Mama

The Three Snow Bears Jan Brett is famous… everyone knows her books.
this one is the story of the three bears but drawn so lovely.
and my kids make silly voice for all of the bears and it's very funny.

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies…. annie loves this one.

If You Take a Mouse to School… i loved this one…
the art and the thrill of going to school for little ones.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin but this one was our favorite to read as a family!
i have a moose voice that makes my kids crack up and i always use it he says
"do you have any old socks?" when he wants to make sock puppets.
love this book.

My Garden…. talby and annie love this one.
always…. EVERY TIME …. say "i wish our garden was like that"

Diary of a Spider ….cutest books!
i love every detail that is in these three Diary books.
seriously!

Diary of a Worm

Diary of a Fly

I'm The Biggest Thing in the Ocean…. LOVE these two books!
that googly eyed octopus is very endearing and silly.

I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean!

Yes Day!…. another book fair choice this year chosen because of our love of the grumpy book.
and all kids love the dream of a YES Day.

What Are You So Grumpy About?…. this is such a good one.
because kids get grumpy a LOT.
and this puts some wrods to their feelings in a funny way.

that was kind of a long list but it was fun for me to remember reading them all with my kids.

what are your favorite children's books?
i am sure everyone likes to find new great choices.

————————————————————————-

1.5 days till the half marathon!!!!!!!!

omg

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cassidynoga - Amelia Bedelia?

cassidynoga - When she’s old enough, introduce her to the Babysitter’s Club Books (basically my childhood…) (I think she’s old enough for the BSC Little Sister books!). Also the Boxcar Children series. I’m 20 and I STILL love those. In 3rd grade, I got the second highest amount of Accelerated Reader points in the entire school because of those two series.
Also: I LOVE Click Clack Moo. I have a stuffed cow from that book.

TonyaElise - Currently in love with Sandra Boynton books. She really gets kid humor, and they RHYME! And I have some favorite Golden Books from my childhood that I love to read to my kids: The Poky Little Puppy, Home for a Bunny, Four Puppies. Those never get old.
Oh, and I think you should share a video with us in your moose voice, lol.

Victoria - Those are some of our favorite books too! Right now my almost 8 year old is into Amelia ______ books by Marissa Moss (I think American Girl puts them out). They are diaries of a girl named Amelia and she adores them.
I will check out those Kevin Sherry ocean books, they look like fun!
I hope your 1/2 marathon was awesome! You are a role model to all of us Mama’s!

Angela - I loved Owl Moon by Jane Yolen – I just got to meet her last week and she is an absolutely lovely woman. This was a special book for my Dad and I, just like the father and daughter in the book. I also loved Berenstein Bears.
Also, if Talby is looking for anything good to read, check out the auther Sharon Creech – particularly Bloomability. It is a great book. I have read all of Creech’s books and I love her writing.

Dena - A couple of my favorites from my childhood are:
Andrew Henry’s Meadow by Doris Burn
The Ernie and Bert Book by Norman Stiles
My daughter loves the Pinkalicious books (Pinkalicious, Purplicious, Silverlicious, etc) by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann
Couple others we love:
Katie Love the Kittens by John Himmelman
Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman
Wacky Wednesday and There’s a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Suess (but we love them all)
We love the Litte critter books by Mercer Mayer and the Berenstain Bear books also and for really little ones the Sandra Boynton board books are awesome.
One I would suggest for you that we like is Dog’s colorful Day by Emma Dodd. it makes me think of you and your love of color.

Meg G. - I love that Tom Lichtenheld’s books made the list! I used to work with him a few years ago at an ad agency here in Chicago and remember when he took a sabatical to write one of his books. He’s such a nice and talented guy!

mkpoggie - Great recs! I haven’t heard of a couple of these titles and I’m excited to try them out! A few books that were always a hit with my preschool class were “Falling for Rapunzel” (Leah Wilcox- the story of Rapunzel with a hilarious twist of misunderstanding…plus the illustrations are so creative), “Smiley Shark” (Ruth Galloway…a friendly shark has trouble making friends) and “Aliens Love Underpants” (Claire Freedman…Exactly what it sounds like. Aliens really, really like underpants. So silly).
Absolute favorite though? “A Bad Case of the Stripes,” by David Shannon. Gorgeous and a message that every child (and, frankly, adult) should hear. I met David Shannon once at book signing. And I cried like an idiot. It was ridiculous.

melissa@joyineveryseason - I love children’s books too, and can’t bring myself to clear the bookshelves even though my kids are older … we always loved anything by Robert Munsch … his books are CRAZY funny stories with hilarious illustrations … and also King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey and Don Wood … also a crazy story with beautiful illustrations. And then there’s Holly Hobbie’s adorable Toot and Puddle books … very cute characters and beautiful, beautiful pictures. Happy reading to Annie!

Jen - I love this post! My girls are 8 and 5 and I recognize and know several of the books you listed well. I am always looking for more good storybooks and will now look for the others at our library. Thanks! My girls love Fancy Nancy books and Jan Brett books. Some of our other favs include:
Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard – this is MY favorite!
Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day – Jaime Lee Curtis
The Easter Egg – Jan Brett
Parts – Tedd Arnold
How to Bake an American Pie – Karma Wilson

Bethany - I see lots of our favorites here too. Right now it’s me reading to my little ones. I look forward to them enjoying our favorite books again when they are the readers.

IT Consulting Dallas - Nice books. Some of these are my daughter’s favorites too.

Christie - LOVE this post! Thank you for sharing!
“You Are My I Love You” is an all-time FAVORITE at our house! As well as about 10,000 other books!
Keep those darlings reading!
Happy, Happy Day!!!

Sarah - Please do a race report! I’m running my first half in a few weeks and I am trying to gather as much sane info as possible! I know now how much effort goes into the training and I’m amazed that you can fit it in alongside everything else you do! Cheering for you from afar!

Shaun - Love Pete the Cat…
Follow the link below to a live reading of Pete the Cat! Our librarian showed this one day…the kids LOVED it…so did I!! Enjoy!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUubMSfIs-U
Shaun

Sasha - I love all of your picks. My fave authors include Mem Fox, Rosemary Wells (esp, max cleans up), sam McBratley (Guess How Much I Love You), Keiko Kaszaa, Eric Carle…oh the list goes on and on. Ish, peter Reynolds. Press Here, Herve Tullet. Not a Box, Antoinette Portis.
If you haven’t read Mem Fox’s books for adults as well they are worth it too. Your kids might be a bit old for it to be applicable, but when you wrote that you make a terrific moose voice it just reminded me of her.
Congrats to Annie and best wishes to her as another school year comes to a close.
YOU GO, GIRL!

Kate - mad at mamma is one of my favorites. seriously awesome.

Tiffany - Good list, thanks for sharing. Pinkalicious is popular, her and Junie B Jones these days.

Kristen - We love “17 Things I’m Not Allowed To Do Anymore” by Jenny Offill. OHMY, it is a hilarious and an artistically beautiful book – such a cool mixed media format, and lots of fun with all-things-beavers. Not sure who requests it more, me or the kids… 🙂 Also love the whole “Scaredy Squirrel” series – I think I was Scaredy Squirrel in a former life. Dry humor and squirrels…a great combo! 🙂
Praying for you, runner girl…keep those Scriptures coming! YOU ARE AMAZING AND YOU WILL BE AWESOME!!!!! SO ADMIRE YOU!!! 🙂

Stephanie - I feel like I’ve been given a gift! Thank you for this list. I LOVE picture and children’s chapter books–maybe even more than my children do. Ha. My older kids have outgrown them, so thank The Lord I still have 3 little ones coming up that still enjoy them.
We just finished Charlotte’s Web with my 6 year old and are now on to James Herriot’s treasury. Then probably Wind in the Willows. Some of my faves:
100 Hungry Ants
Ruth Heller parts of speech books. Very colorful art!
Exodus and Joseph books by…..I forget the author’s name. Also colorful art.
The Cat in Numberland
100 dresses. (I love this book.)
The Little House. ( I AM that little house. One of my very favorites.)
Blessings to you during your run!

elma - We have that one:) Love it!!

elisa - My 7 year old son would probably like the pirate books. Good for Annie for reading. We are bookaholics over here.

Laura Conway - We have been huge fans of Skippyjon Jones in our house!

Michelle from Australia - Our Beloved American friend is a retired children’s librarian. So for Christmas and each of our kids birthdays, American childrens books arrived. My son absolutely loves the If you give a mouse…. and the If you give a moose books by Laura Numeroff. AND even better, when he takes them to school for show an tell, no one here knows anything about them so he feels extra special!!

Larissa - I love The Little House…I can still remember my mother reading Chicken Soup with Rice to Me….wish I could find my copy of that one.

Jenny - Anything by Oliver Jeffers. “Stuck” is our favorite.

Jenny - This is a fantastic post! I love children’s books too. I have two recommendations for you too. My friend just had her first book published she is the author and the illustrator. I love her painting style, it definitely inspires one to create! The story is great too, especially if you enjoy stories about grumpiness. it is called Maya Was Grumpy. Here is the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Maya-Was-Grumpy-Courtney-Pippin-Mathur/dp/1936261138/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367007596&sr=8-1&keywords=maya+was+grumpy
And the Chester the Cat books by Melanie Watt were just introduced to us this year by my daughter’s first grade teacher. We love them! We have all three and don’t seem to be tiring of them.
http://www.amazon.com/Chester-Melanie-Watt/dp/1554534607/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367007976&sr=1-1&keywords=chester

jaimie - the kissing hand

Courtney Walsh - We love so many of the same ones, but I have to add two all-time faves: “When Moon Fell Down” by Linda Smith (who passed away–I’m not sure the book is even available anymore, but it’s BEAUTIFUL and sweet) and “The Remarkable Farkle McBride” by Jon Lithgow.
Brilliance. 🙂

Diane - Have you guys ever read Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus? HYSTERICAL!
Skippy Jon Jones books are fun too. Our family highly recommends these!

Heather Simnitt - My girls are past this age now, but we loved the “Diary of a…” books as well. Some of my favorite children’s book authors are Sarah Stewart (The Gardner brings me to tears), Mary Ann Hoberman (The Seven Silly Eaters was a fave), and Erin Dealy (Goldilocks has Chicken Pox – Love)!
And oh – ALL my kids and my students (K-2 grade) have LOVED Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson….there is usually a waiting list for it at the library!

jen - Great list! i spied a few of our favorites there!
I love the Berenstein Bears books. we read those all the times – they get into messes as all other families do but by the end the message is always the same – family is awesome! and there are always little life lessons in there too.

Amanda - Small Home Big Start - I have a kid’s birthday party to go to this weekend and I always like to include a new book in with the gift. I was just researching what to buy when I saw this post pop up in my reader. Perfect! Exactly the advice that I needed.
I’m going to bookmark this one for future gift ideas. Thanks for sharing!

Jody - Thank you for this list!! I love love to get new ideas for books!!!
I went right to my library site & reserved a bunch of them!!
We love “Yes Day” in our house & actually have our boys pick a yes day every year! they of course love it! (but when is Mom & Dad’s yes day?!)
My fav is “Henry in Love”. Very sweet book. by Peter McCarty.

Becky - The Moose is totally my favorite of the If You Give A… series, too!
With a house full of girls around these parts, we can’t get enough of Fancy Nancy either!
Enjoy your race! So inspired by your faithfulness in training.

Deb - Don’t miss all of the “Skippyjon Jones” books – our favorite is “S.J. in Mummy Trouble.” And a really neat one called “Anna’s Table,” about the nature items a young girl collects and displays on a special table. Great illustrations! And anything illustrated by Robin Priess Glasser (of Fancy Nancy fame) – she has a great one about the 50 states, I THINK written by Lynn Cheney. Happy reading!

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kind of a big deal.

April 18, 2013

last saturday scott had basketball games all day.
but like all of those tournaments, the games are hours apart.
inbetween the games we ended up at the craft house to relax.
i was working on my pillow front….

which was just me layering things on this piece of quilt and sewing it down.
the girls thought it was so fun and i said "you can make one"
apparently i say no too often because they both GASPED and shouted "WE CAN??!!"

(parent fail)

i said "yes… you can. and i will show you how to sew it all together"

"REALLY?!!! You will teach us how to SEW!?? TODAY?!!"

(hanging my head)

"Yes. I will teach you today."

i gave them each a piece of fabric as their base and told them to use the scraps and layer on anything they wanted to and it will be fun and pretty and you will love it.
and they did.
Sean was not interested and that is no surprise.
he did sit in the room with us and drew pictures of dead cartoon characters… maybe feeling a little out numbered by the women around him so he was making up for it by overcompensating in the boy department?
ha.

annie chose to make a pillow like we made at the first craft weekend. (i miss you first CW girls!!)

talby came up with her own pattern of stripes.

and suddenly…. they were sewing.

it was pretty amazing.

i don't think i was scared to teach them before… just didn't know if i had the patience.
but after a year of craft weekends and seeing that i can help women take away that fear of the machine,
teaching my girls was practically easy.
the craft weekend women are always awesome so there was no reason to feel anxious about my own girls.

that is her face of concentration. :)

beautiful pillows to be proud of for sure!!
they chose the fabrics from scraps and did all the sewing.
i helped annie cut circles. she cut the first 8 & then was the fabric chooser while i became the fabric cutter

i was so proud of my crafty girls.

—————————————

by the way…

i use two of each these machines for craft weekend and what i use myself for all my sewing.

SINGER Heavy Duty Model 4411 SINGER Heavy Duty Model 4423

i just ordered them straight from Amazon and it's free shipping!
as far as i can tell after having used them for two years now, the only difference is the Model 4423has an automatic threader and the Model 4411 does not.

i am not working for Singer.
i just like their machines.
🙂

they are very basic, non-threatening, easy to use machines.

maybe you should ask for one for mother's day???

go big or go home baby.

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Shannon - I sew(so…LOL)want to learn how. That’s a great idea a Mother’s Day gift request it is! I love their pillows!

Whitney - They turned out great- wonderful job girls! I remember when my grandmother taught me to sew basic things on her very old Singer (the old black iron kind in the built in box.) Then my mom took it a step further and has shown me how to do more advanced things on her new machine- they will always remember that day! Now I want to go make a pillow 🙂

megan - Thank you for this. My 5.5 year old id begging for sewing lessons & I keep denying her. I am now motivated to say yes next time she asks!

Linda - Thanks for the sewing machine suggestions. My daughter goes over to her elder sister’s for her quilting project. Between their 2 schedules it is hard ot get them together to finish. Now I know just what is for her next gift!

Leslie - My daughter would LOVE Talby’s pillow case design. Maybe she could do some for your shop – hint * hint * 🙂

Heidi Jo the Artist - That’s awesome they are learning to sew. That is a day they will remember always I’m sure. 🙂 Pretty, pretty, pillows! I just started teaching my daughter, almost age 6, how to hand sew a couple of weeks ago. She loves it! Now, I need to get a sewing machine hooked up and get going on that myself, so I can teach my daughter too. I love handmade stuff!!!

Andrea - Both pillows are lovely. They get their creativity honestly!
That is what I want to do – set up all my machines at a table and teach all three of mine to sew at once. (My boy is only 8 and so still wants to be like his big sisters. Well, to a point!) I have my mom’s old machine that I learned to sew on, my grandma’s old machine that I just got tuned up, and my machine. All Singers!

Kate - Those first craft weekend girls were cute, huh?! 🙂

Valerie @ Chateau a la mode - Your girlies are adorable and looked like they loved sewing and you are an amazing mom!

Juli - I’m curious…when they go back to the Craft House, do they miss living there?

Lori Austin - They did great! Those pillows are super cute.
I really need to learn how to sew. Thanks for the info
on what machines you use. I need to bookmark that for the hubby. 😉

Katie - I was so surprised when I saw on IG that your girls had never sewed! You are so awesome about crafting with them, that I was certain they certainly would have sewed before. Their pillows are gorgeous! My 5 year old loves to see when I am working on a project. I will have to let her try one of these, something real she can make from all my scraps, usually she is just coming up with her own designs–I think she would live something real she could do in her own. Happy sewing!!

Rachel B. - Very cool!

Tiffany - Good for your girls, and good for you! I’m sure this lit a fire under them to learn even more! I’m so glad you showed pics here. After seeing you doing that on ig I was curious to see the finished products. So cute!

Kimberlee Jost - So proud of those girlies!
And you, too, brave mama.
🙂

Seriously Sassy Mama - I need to get my sewing machine out of the closet. It is time to sew.

Nicole - I miss my sewing machine SO much. I messed up the bobbin and have not been able to get it working since. A lady at my local craft store said the tensions could be messed up, but I have no idea how to remedy that. Le sigh 🙁

Laura H - What a fun day!! I am determined to learn how to sew! I love pretty things like this…so MAGICAL. Love what you’re doin!

Gina - So fun!! I was the same as you, not sure if I had the patience to teach my girls sewing but I did and it was fun!! Nothing is more fun than crafting alongside my kids and having them take an interest in something I love!! I sew with a Singer too! 🙂

Marthajd@msn.com - Is there anything sweeter than a child concentrating? My sons both do this tongue thing and it’s so sweet! Thank you for sharing!

Terrie G - I was so excited for you & them when I saw that pic roll across my instagram feed! What a wonderful new world you have opened for them! Just one more way for them to create! You rocked it MOM!!

Jenny B. - That’s awesome! I would proudly display both of those pillows on my couch! Great job, girls!! I got a sewing machine for Christmas two years ago… it’s still in the box. I am so intimidated by that thing (even though came with an instructional DVD). Sigh… fear is so crippling!

Nina Newswanger - Hello-just had to stop by and say I LOVE YOUR BLOG, I am not particularly creative or crafty, but I happened upon your blog a couple weeks ago and have been hooked-like digging through your archives!:) I love your large family, your honesty and your christian spirit. I have 4 boys under 7 so it’s interesting to me to see what life looks life as kids get older, I hope we can do as great as job as you and your husband, (my husband is Craig too:) doing things as a family. Thanks for being real and honest-love it!!! Also, I’ve been making tons of your recipe’s-you have SO many great ones!

JulianneB - An automatic threader…be still heart…. the most frustrating part of sewing to me is threading the machine

Wendy - My girls love to sew and I love to watch them create without all of the perfectionism that resides in my head. They are always so proud too of their creations. My big problem is letting them use my fabric. I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to my stash of pretty fabrics. Why do I do that? Love this and thanks for the tips on the machines!

Jen - Love the pictures of Annie and Talby sewing. I wish I knew how to sew at times because my two girls have shown an interest. In fact my 5-year-old has been designing clothes on paper recently and wants her grandmas to help her. Good on ya, Meg!

Lindsey - Love this! I’ll bet it won’t be the last time your daughters will want to sew! You win the cool mom award for the day!

Claire - Love it! What a joy to see the little ones on the machines! Those look like great sewing machines too. I just got my first machine and love it. It is the Brother XL2610 and it is awesome!
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-XL2610-Free-Arm-Built-In-Functions/dp/B000A5CKHG/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1366298313&sr=8-11&keywords=sewing+machine+brother

angela - That’s a REALLY big deal! Good for YOU and good for your GIRLS!!!!!! Dead animals…lol!

beth - very cool!
: )

Lisa - Love <3

Melissa - Love those pillows! Great job girls. I remember my grandma teaching me how to sew years ago – priceless

jill - I love in life when doing one thing (hosting craft weekend) by accident makes something else much easier to do (teaching your girls to sew). This is why I think trying new things/taking risks is so important, you never know how it will impact your life in unexpected ways.
Feeling philosophical today…

Dawn Gross - That’s pretty cool! They did a great job!
I sewed that awesome ruffle apron at craft weekend and now I’m scared to try something else. Just do it, right?
Dawn

Allison - My 5 (almost 6) year old wants to learn how to sew. I’m afraid of her sewing her fingers on my machine so we might start out with hand-stitching this year. I taught myself how to sew so being able to teach my girls how to do one of my favorite hobbies is exciting for me.

Lynette - So fun! I am determined to teach my girls to sew this summer. This looks like a great beginner project. I think we will start with pillows too. Your girls did a great job, their pillows are great.

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this week.

March 29, 2013

it has been CRAZY busy.

THE SHOP opened last friday… boom.

saturday and sunday my boys played in 9 different ball games…i watched 5 of those.

monday i ran 7 miles in snow and ice…and worked on shipping all afternoon with the help of a great friend.

tuesday i shipped for another 5 hours and then drove to the KC airport and picked up PAM!!!
oh i was so happy to hug that girl! she was dearly missed.

wednesday i packed & shipped ALL DAY then cleaned the craft house for several hours with the help of 2 friends.

thursday i finished cleaning at the craft house (with kimberlee) for an event that was in the evening.
i was so happy to just be at home with my kids for the evening!
talby talked to me non stop all afternoon. i missed that this week.

then i went to bed at 10:30!
that only happens when i have the flu or something.
but i obviously needed the sleep.

and today all my kids were home from school.

it's been quite a day.
nothing i thought we would do got done.
oh well.

🙂

these pictures were from last night.
it ended up being just these two home last night.
they were almost silly about it… they were LOVING it so much.
we ate dinner outside (gorgeous weather) and those two were chatter boxes!
after the sun went down they chose a movie to watch that annie wouldn't be able to watch because they are big kids. :) sneaky siblings.
I am so happy that sean and talby still like each other so much. they are only 16 months apart!
(that was a crazy year in my life….OY!!!)

ok…KU game is on.
i am going to watch the end now.

because… bill self and i are besties now ya know….

AND… i refilled ALL THE PRINTS IN MY SHOP.
so if you wanted one last week and they were sold out… they are back!

AND… there are BIG 11×14 prints of most of them… even the whatever verse!
(you click on the size of the pic and options show up)

ANNNND there are more maps in there too.

almost all my orders have shipped.
i am getting very close.
thanks for EVERY order, all your patience and for all my helpers!

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Teresa - I Want that shirt about Jesus playing in Lawrence. Is it available for the general public to buy?

Pat Schmidt - I miss your beautiful photos taken with your real camera. Sorry, phone cameras are not the same.

charlton - Just bought the whatever print and am so excited! Thanks for restocking so quickly. I can’t wait to put it in my girls’ room when I redecorate this summer.

tasha - oh girl! i am still heartbroken over the loss. i was in a texas buffalo wild wings on spring break trying to catch the game. i was the only ku fan in the packed restaurant. it wasn’t pretty. i’ve come to the conclusion that it’s only fair for them to share and not get too greedy. 🙂

Jemm - Are those your new chickens?! I’ll be happy to answer any questions…but I am no expert. I wish I could look at your blog more than I get to. For some reason typepad blogs just don’t load we’ll with our Internet. We have a very slow satellite Internet. Anyway, it was great to meet you. I hope I wasn’t too stalker-ish 😉

Tiffany - Love your posts. Always. Keep on truck’en busy lady. Always happy to hear from you and hear about what is going on in your world. So happy for you that you got to spend time with Pam, your business is doing so well, your kids enjoy hanging out together, and the weather is nice enough to eat outside and wear shorts!! HAPPY EASTER! 🙂

megan - got my map prints this weekend! love them…thanks so much for them!
ME & VA will be adorning my walls soon!
megan

Jenny B. - I’m so looking forward to my happy mail!! 🙂 Thanks for all your hard work, Meg!

happygirl - I was pretty bummed about Kansas, too. But I’ve got Louisville to take it all. Right now, suffering watching Witchita killing Ohio State. They are AMAZING!

Sarah@ This Farm Family's Life - Seriously jealous that your kids are in shorts!!! Hurry up summer!!

Janelle - I thought about Scott last night while watching the game 🙁 So funny how I was thinking about the feelings of a teenage boy I don’t even know. Hope he gets over it soon!

Kristin S - I love that you had time at home with JUST your “middles”.

Jeannine - Oh Meg, I need some advice lol.
I’m currently pregnant with my second, so this little one and my daughter will be 16 months apart. Any tips for having 2 babies this close together? Your kids seem great 🙂 I’m beyond excited but scared out of my mind!

Roganne - Gracious you are busy! When do you sleep?! Just bought the vintage Norway/Sweden map from your shop in honor of my family’s Viking heritage! Super-pumped to get it! Thank you!

betsy - So, SO, SoOoOoO sad about our Jayhawks 🙁
Does this mean we all just get to cheer on the Shockers? I think so (but I’m still sad).
Here’s to hoping this gorgeous weather sticks around for good!

Beth Anne - I have a feeling you’re in a not so happy household tonight! I didn’t watch the game, but I am so bummed about KU.

Heidi DeGroot - First, I am SO jealous that all that snow you had is already gone! It was 60 degrees in Marshall, MN today, and our snow piles are getting smaller, but definitely not gone. Second, I would really love to have a rainbow hoodie for my 6 year old daughter and hope they are replenished soon! Thanks:)

Meg Duerksen - I KNOW!!! scott got so mad he stormed out of the house and slammed the door!
CRAZY.
oh well…. we will all be ok right? 🙂

Jessica - Omg. I posted too soon. My bracket is a mess now!

Seriously Sassy Mama - I wish I had a barn to play basketball in.

BriBedell - So happy you refilled the prints!! Just ordered the close up gum all for my girls room in my new house!!! Thanks Meg <3

Jessica - Sad to see Michigan lose because they are my husband’s fave, but I picked Kansas to win the whole shebang baby!

C - thanks do much for keeping it real! you keep me sane. as much as you do, you keep things in perspective and i love when you show pictures of the laundry or dishes that need to be done. you inspire me to be my best, not to be superwoman! thank you.

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spring break.

March 25, 2013

we decided pretty last minute to take a little mini vacation over some of spring break.
we didn't go far… Lawrence & Kansas City.
we stayed at my parents house…even though we told Annie we would go to a hotel… we never made it.

we started out with swimming at the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center.
my kids were all so content to play on the diving boards that i bought myself some goggles from the front desk and swam laps for 30 minutes… and it was awesome.
i have never put on goggles before?! what is up with that?
it made a HUGE difference.
i kind of like swimming now. :)

then dinner at Chili's where annie ordered a half slab of RIBS… and ate them all!

the next day they chose to go shopping.
they really never get to do that with us so we agreed to go.

my girls were commenting on all the clothes and so happy to be there.
they tried on a bunch of clothes and shoes…each buying those shirts with their own money.
my boys left after no more than one minute.
i heard they spent most of their time at Nike and watching the games at Dave & Busters.
even though they said they wanted to shop.
i guess they forgot how awful shopping… with girls… really is.
because my girls took over an hour in just Old Navy!

we got a treat at the chocolate shop.

we picked up the boys.

we didn't eat at T-Rex.
but we looked around again.
it's a super long wait to get in so we went across the street instead.

to Sam's Club.
🙂
because when we have to feed this many people… it's what we do.
and they LOVED it.
the boys chose to get their own table away from us.
funny.

next stop was the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City.
this place is way cool.

i think we lucked out because it was sunday afternoon and it was empty.

seriously? shaquille o'neal wears size 23 shoes?!!

craig brought the car around since it was raining and freezing!
annie and talby were running up and down those steps to warm up.

the NEXT stop was SKY ZONE… an indoor trampoline park!!

this was my kids most favorite place they have ever gone!

they were all dripping with sweat when we were done.
and by we….. i mean them.
i have had five babies.
i do not jump any where at any time.
i can't even sneeze.
you know what i mean….

the next day…
i went out for a run by myself that i thought would be short.
i took a turn and it took me an extra 20 minutes to get back.
but oh well… i did it.
craig took the boys to shoot baskets at the gym and the ladies went to downtown lawrence.

i did some damage at Sarah's Fabrics.
it is the best fabric store in kansas, i am pretty sure about that.
if you disagree… plese tell me where else i need to go.
i love it because of the creaky wood floors and big windows too.

my mom shopped with the girls while i shopped for fabric.
then we met up to get lunch.

talby was sitting here with me and i said "Bill Self just walked into this restaurant behind you"
they girls were pretty excited about it and nervous to talk to him.
but together talby and annie got brave and walked over to introduce themselves.
(he is the KU basketball coach)

he was very kind and sweet to them both.
annie said (while touching his knee)
"do you know my brother?! His name is Scott Duerksen. He came to your camp last year"
he winked at me and said "there were a few kids that came to that camp."
i said "just a couple" (about 3500…)
but he said to Annie "i am sure i would remember him if i saw him"
she was so proud.
they couldn't wait to tell the boys who they saw!

there is always wrestling going on at some point in our day.
this is scott, talby and annie wrestling while craig doesn't even notice.

we tried to go to the Nelson Art Museum but it was closed.

more window shopping at the plaza since our musuem plan was shot.

dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.
then a decided to go see Oz the Great and Powerful at 8:25 for an 8:30 show.
afterwards they tried to run up the down escalators
and since we had the place to ourselves at 11 PM on a monday night we let them.

we went bowling on our last day.
the boys were relentless in trying to beat each other.
boys.
what is that about?
everything is a competition!

annie was most excited about the vending machine.
and we got to play the jukebox with all the popular songs they like!
taylor swift while we bowl was perfect.

all five in one shot!
that is a big deal…. they are a good group.
so proud they are mine.

it was snowing on spring break… all day long!

we left the bowling alley and went back to the trampline park again!
it's all they wanted to do.

we drove home late and everyone slept so hard.
such a good trip.
Maybe. JUST maybe… they are all old enough that we can do this vacation thing differently.
there is much less crying than there used to be.
and even less fighting.

but probably the key is finding a trampoline park WHERE EVER we go on vacation ever again.

trampolines = happiness to the Duerksen kids.

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Teresa - I am so glad Bill Self was as nice in person as he seems on TV. I am so proud to call him our coach.

misty - What a FUN Spring Break!!! Tulsa just got a trampoline park & we can’t wait to take our oldest. I enjoyed every single photo & detail of this post. Makes me want to take a spring trip & do all of those fun things.

Carol S. - Happy Family = Happy Easter. Enjoy, loved the trip details.

melissa@joyineveryseason - your blog makes me happy … so much joyful contentment … and you made me laugh with the ‘can’t even sneeze’ … HA!

Kat - Wow that black and white pic of all five of them together is just beautiful.
Make sure you get that framed and on the wall. Love it!

Jessica - How fun! I admit I’m JEALOUS that you can take trips with no tears and no drama! I have two littles: 2 and 4. We are nowhere near taking those kind of trips yet…but some day! Looks like a kid’s dream trip! Thanks for sharing.

kelly - Beautiful family! Love the group shot:-) Totally inspired me to look for a trampoline park at the beach for next week, since our spring break will be a little cold as well!
(The story with the coach actually made me tear up. Am I a sap or what? But the sisterly pride combined with the generosity of the coach’s spirit were so sweet to me!)

Jeane M. - That was rather fun! Love the smiles and precious moments.

christy - Looks like an awesome spring break! Love the photo with all 5 kids.
You all need to plan at trip out West, to Phoenix. My sister owns a trampoline park out here.

Rach - I remember the first time I ate a half a slab of ribs all by myself! I was about Annie’s age and it was awesome. My parents said it was the quietest I had ever been at the dinner table.

Amy - Well, i just snorted out loud. Yes, I understand your trampoline dilemma. Boy, do I ever! And here’s what’s funny: I just started a Rebounding class at the gym. Ever done it? It’s a workout. On a trampoline. And I’ve seen some YouTube videos of people Rebounding, so casual…so fun. No, that’s not our class. It is some of the most intense workouts I’ve ever done! And let me just say….Poise pads and I have become BFFs. And I ain’t a’lyin’….. But if it trims my saddlebags, then BFFs we shall be.

lauren - i loved this….those are the best kinds of vacations….what a blessing.
and after 3 kids…i feel ya.

Mel - So many things.!! I had no idea trampoline parks existed, but now that I do I’m finding one! Also, SAMs club is the best place to take hungry kids to eat. Also, you have such a beautiful eye for capturing the details of your life. I just love reading your posts and seeing those details through your lens.

Alicia @ La Famille - i love fun trips like that…just easy and fun! 🙂

Amanda@studio1404.com - Love that you love all these wonderful places! I was born and raised in KC and take them for granted. WOW! What a great town! Your kids are DARLING!!!

stephtrow@yahoo.com - You were in KC at the Legends right by my house! Too bad I wasn’t shopping that day. I enjoy reading your blog because we live in the same state, you have a strong faith, are a great mom, and have super ideas and insights to the little things in life. Maybe I’ll run into ya next time you’re in KC.

Laura O - It is so weird to see you in all these places! I live in Lawrence and I have been to all of them. I agree Sarah’s is the best around! Skyzone is AWESOME!

Tiffany - Love it all Meg. Especially that photo of all 5 kids. What a wonderful family! Glad you had such a wonderful time!

Ashley - My favorite pic is the wrestling with Craig on his phone oblivious. So true over here too. So true. Love that shot.

Marci - Love, love, love your blog and this post! We are a huge basketball and trampoline family (boy into basketball and our little girl is a gymnast). What a cute story about the KU basketball coach. I had to share it with my son :-).

Beth Ann - (and moms with multiple kids, you can do it! I have had 3 kids and you just go to the restroom before and take a few breaks :))

Beth Ann - My kids and I LOVE LOVE LOVE SkyZone! They have one where I live. I do the SkyRobics exercise classes and love them! My thighs melted away, that was until I tripped and broke my foot and am waiting for it to heal, but I’ll be back! I, as an mid-to-late 30’s adult, want to have my next birthday there 🙂

Heather - I agree that Sarah’s Fabrics in Lawrence is the best!

Michelle from Australia - When we were in America in 2010, I was ill. And had to miss out on a lunch at The Cheesecake Factory 🙁 So when we came back in 2012, I made a direct line for dinner. At The Cheesecake FActory. And oh my goodness, it was wonderful. Worth waiting nearly two years for 🙂

jennibell - Wow! What a *perfect* spring break 🙂

Angela - I would eat at Sam’s over T-Rex Cafe any day of the week! It is way overpriced for the quality. Count yourself lucky for a long wait to keep you from eating there. 🙂

kerry - Wow! Looks like you had an amazing spring break!! Love the pic of all 5 of your brood together – it’s so nice to get a sneak peek of Lauren again too 🙂 Can’t believe those size 23 shoes……. that guy must be a giant!
Happy Easter Duerksens, Kerry xx

Charla - Even though you can’t trampoline you CAN run!!! Lucky girl! After having my kids trampolines and running are both OUT.

Lisa M. - Great pictures! Looks and sounds like you had a alot of fun. Thanks for sharing!

Kelly - I want to go to an indoor trampoline park! Maybe I should wait until I’m not 9 months pregnant – due any day. hmmm . . . or maybe that would jump start things no pun intended. 🙂 Kelly

jen - loved this so much! and loved the comment about jumping and sneezing…same boat over here!!! looks like you guys had a blast. you are such a good mom. happy monday to you.

Dara - did you go to the sky zone next to the antique mall? I think there’s a few locations. we love the legends. haven’t been to the college basketball experience yet!

Lori Austin - What a HAPPY post. 🙂
I love that Annie was so proud of her brother. Sweet.
We are having a staying home for spring break. 10″ of snow
kind ruin outdoor plans…..boo!

Gale - It looks like you had a super fun time – it was fun to share it on IG since you were in my neck of the woods! 🙂 Sarah’s Fabrics = hands down best fabric store anywhere in the Midwest!! (and I’ve looked!! LOL)

Sarah@ This Farm Family's Life - I loved this post and all the pictures! Vacations with no set place to be are the best! So cool that you got to meet Bill Self!

Rebekah - Looks like awesome family time! Wish i had a fabric store like that anywhere near me! The closest is an hour drive with not a great selection!
PS-I totally understand the *no sneezing policy*. I have twin boys.

Tracie - A trampoline park just opened near us and my brother wants to go. I told him that a 37 year old who has had 2 children cannot do it. He didn’t get it!

Blakeley - Even though I have been in Virginia since I graduated (20 years?!?) Your photos of the Nelson make me miss KC! I grew up right off of the Plaza. When I come to visit this summer I am going to look up that trampoline park. The kids will love it!

Patti Mullican - Looks like a great time was had by all! We have a Sky Zone here, but have never been – going to be on our must-do list for Spring Break! Is the College B’ball Experience a permanent exhibit? My husband would love to visit it. BTW, his fav Illini coach has been Bill Self!

Sarah W. - Looks like such a fun little vacation!!
Annie looks so big in that picture of the 5 of them together. I love that picture of all of them!
Trampoline park = awesomeness! I immediately went to search for one in our area, my daughter would LOVE that.

Tracy - Oh how fun! It’s fun to see a post about my own city (I live in KC) and places I’ve been. You packed a LOT into your trip!

roganne - looks like so much fun!! wishing we had an indoor trampoline park and fabric store like that around here!!

Melissa - Everyone is so tall and beautiful!
Do you cry about how grown up your kids are getting? I would and I don’t even have kids yet.

amanda - You didn’t miss anything not eating at T-Rex. We ate at the one in Disneyworld and while the food was not *bad*, it was so not worth the insane price. The place is cool, but you can see it without having to pay to eat in it! Wise choice.
We at Sam’s for lunch, yesterday, btw. lol

Tara - What a great Spring Break! Looks like tons of fun!!

Linda - Looks like an awesome spring break. you gave me some good ideas for ours next week!

Sherry - I love this. I have four-8, 6, 4, and four months (a girl and three boys)…while I’m thankful for their littleness right now, this post made me excited for when they are older too.

Lindsey - Looks like a grand time! Makes me want to plan a vacation!

rebecca - Glad you had so much fun!!! Just be careful. We have a trampoline park here and have had many injuries…two grown women have shattered their knee caps! I don’t know how much longer ours will be in business!

Kristin S - How many children are in that wrestling pic?

Susan - We are getting a trampoline park in our neighborhood in the next few weeks! What would we do without Old Navy? Sam’s Club is our go do for eating out because they are cheap and I love their hot dogs! So if you ever come to Fort Worth, you are covered!

Allison - Looks like so much fun! I love the part about the trampoline park — too funny!

Laura H. - Oh Meg, I just love all of this! It is so hard to get everyone together in one place ( my oldest now works, so tougher yet) your pictures just ooze happiness all over the place!
LOVE your blog! Thanks for sharing your happiness!

justme - one of your first comments on goggles . . . . Goggles changed my life! (That is NO exaggeration) I used to hate the water basically because of water in my eyes. I bought goggles and have been doing serious summer lap swimming and/or water treading for a number of years. Best toning exercise EVER. A great tan and, AND no sweating! What could be better!?

DebZorn - The whole family together is pretty special. The older they get, the harder it is to do. It looks like you had a really great time. The picture of the five kids together is perfect. Thanks for sharing your vacation.

elma - WOW what a vacation!!1 LOVE the pictures you took!!

Seriously Sassy Mama - What a fun place. I think my husband and I would probably have more fun than our three girls at the trampoline park.

Colleen - Looks like a great family trip…you crack me up about Sky Zone…I know exactly what you mean! LOL…and I only have 3 kids!

Jamie - Your family vacation was photographed well. And Mr. D is dreamy! Your children look like a lot of fun.

Tanya - That’s a happy feel-good post. I liked it 🙂

Sharla - Sky Zone is where every bday party my boys go to is. They don’t leave the dodgeball court! Looks like you had a great trip! I bet that was exciting to see Bill Self – Annie’s question was so cute. Too bad the boys weren’t there for the pic with him!

Courtney - Sarahs is the best ever fabric shop!! So fun to see someone “visit” our town and do things I didnt even know we had, sky zone seems awesome!

tiffany gardner - you always remind me to live in whatever season i’m in because it WILL change. with a 9, 7 and 2 year old… our “trips” aren’t always the most pleasant. but i am learning to love the moments in those trips that are wonderful. thanks for sharing your life with us and encouraging me to keep going.

Sonja - That looks like such a fun trip! I looked up skyzone and there’s one close-ish to my house… I think my son would LOVE it.

alamama - LOVE these, but my favorite is the photo with your five kids! We only have two and that can be hard to get them in a shot. I love your blog. Thanks for sharing your life, heart and talents with us. Have a great day.

Sara - I am NOT wishing my life away, but I’m excited for vacations with big kids. 🙂 What a sweet time with family it looks like you had!

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back to normal.

February 28, 2013

the school bus was a very welcome site yesterday morning.
everyone was ready!

it was time for a regular routine.

tuesday they played around in the deep deep snow we had on monday night.
the ditch was gone…it was just snow!
we stomped over to explore the neighbor's pond.
annie kept saying how tired she was because walking through deep snow like that was hard.

they shook the snow off a tree which was pretty cool to see.

look at how massive that tree is?!!

it was up to the top of my boots!

they spent quite awhile throwing snow chunks into the semi-frozen pond.
the pond was like a slushi…not frozen but kind of frozen.

then we slowly stomped back home and got ready to go to Scott's ball game.

even though they didn't have school, they had a ball game.
the weather had cleared and it was the first round of the sub-state tournaments.
i was thrilled to have a place to go for the evening.

Scott has been playing on the varsity team the past month or so and playing a lot in each game.
i have absolutely LOVED watching him.
i am super proud of him out on that court.

his ankle made it just fine through out the game.
i was nervous for him.
he had 14 points in that game.
it is so fun to watch him and it's so weird to see how much he looks like his dad.

i am going to be bummed when the season ends.

but we have another game tonight so no reason to be bummed just yet.

NOW….

some things i meant to tell you about.

these girls wrote about Craft Weekend on their blogs and i forgot to share their links!

Shannan's post

Steph's post

Annnnnnd….did you do any shopping from all those coupons on the sponsor post a few back?
so many great discounts!
they are such wonderful companies.

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mama lola - great pics in the snow! your turquoise running legs are looking super svelte, way to go, mama!

tara - I’d love to sponsor your craft weekend. I don’t think we really talked about it when I sent you the sign for your gallery wall in your master bedroom…but if it’s something you’re open to, please let us know.
We could even send a custom small sign that the gals could fit in their bags…let me know what you think. 🙂
thanks!

Tiffini - we are about 2 hours from you and we had over 20″! craziness..:)
thankful for the snow for the farmers = helps drought but geesh so glad when spring arrives…xo

Jen - Had a very vivid, very weird dream that I was at the Duerksen house last night with you and your family.

Barbara - Those are some great pictures in the snow how I would love to have that just one day I don’t want to trade my California weather for anything.
I did take advantage of Lisa Leonard’s discount got some gold earnings, thanks so much!

Robin Canter - Ok, I seriously want to move to Kansas after reading Shannon and Steph’s posts about Craft Weekend. I could honestly be a helper at every one of them – just my kind of ‘ministry’! Can you possibly ‘franchise’ the craft house and weekends to Maryland? 🙂

Kayla - Does Scott ever notice you skulking around on the sidelines taking pictures of him? Those are such cool shots, but I just kept thinking my kids would notice me and be mad that I was on the sidelines drawing attention to them. My oldest is getting to that point where sometimes if I see him walk into a room out of the corner of my eye, he looks just like my hubby, Rainman. Scary.

Lina - Hi meg. Will you be selling some of your bunting in your etsy shop? Say yes pls.

beth davis - Hi Meg ~
I noticed (in one of the photographs from the ‘craft weekend’) that you had a little ‘shop’ set up. Is your ‘store’ open for business (etsy). I’ve been searching but haven’t had a lot of luck.
Thanks!
Beth

Seriously Sassy Mama - My daughters last bball game is this Saturday. I have had to miss all of them because I work weekends. It is ok though, because it is so much fun watching her give me a play by play.

happygirl - Your snow is so pristine white. That gal at this blog, http://itwasbroughtonbylove.blogspot.com/ has a recipe for “snow cream.” Your snow looks perfect for something like that. I’m not jealous, ’cause I hate shovelling, but that is some gorgeous snow. 🙂

Su@TheIntentionalHome - you gotta show your Scott and your hubby this basketball video. . it will make you cry. . my sister sent it to me this morning. It is only 2 min long. Here is the youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1bIzYMXRfY&feature=youtu.be

Sonja - I used the coupon code for Ike & Co and got the earrings I’d been admiring since your pre-craft weekend instagram photo of them. It was a pre-order, so I have to wait another TWO WEEKS until I get my grubby little fingers on them. 🙂
My four-and-a-half year old son was reading over my shoulder – he loves your blog because he likes “aaaalllll those colorful, colorful crayons!” Hee, hee.

Kathy - can I just tell you how much I LOVe all the color in your home, your life and even in the winter clothing you and your family wear! woohoo for living a bright and beautiful life!!! =)

Alicia @ La Famille - love snow days…but i love normal more. glad you’re back to routine!

Grace Keith - The napkins that have the cameras on them are fantastic and would make a wonderful addition to our daughters HS graduation party as she is going off to college for photography. Can you share where they are from please?

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4th snow day!

February 26, 2013

it had started to melt away on sunday evening but another round of storms came through on Monday.
they called off school again.
and for today too!

it snowed all day yesterday.
it began at 11 and just kept coming until evening.

and although the snow days at home are getting a bit challenging for kids stuck inside…
i am still happy for the snow.
it is just too beautiful and special that i can't complain.
we never get snow like this here.

for the most part everyone has found their own things to keep them entertained during our days at home.
there has been a lot of tv, computer games, DS playing but there has also been plenty of drawing, games, writing, playing and crafts.
yesterday while the 142nd Sponge Bob cartoon in the past 6 days was on….
i got out our paints, brushes, papers and filled glasses with water and then said "Let's Paint. Turn it off"

and we did.

if our egg cartons are clean i usually save them for extra eggs from the chickens next door in the summer.
but i saw this idea on pinterest and we went for it.

i showed them to craig and he said "Cool. What are you going to do with them?"
"Nothing. We made them to MAKE them. It's fun. It's relaxing. It's good for ours minds to create."
he stared at me.
then he said "i'm sure glad they have you for the other parent"

BEST COMPLIMENT OF THE WEEK.

Sean moved onto to other things but the girls continued to create.

talby found this sun idea and got busy cutting out words.
it's so bright and colorful.

annie is planning on putting words on her rainbow when it dries completely.

after craig made it home from work, he took the kids to the gym and out to dinner.
without me asking for it!
THANK YOU!!!
i needed a break. i'm used to lots of alone time and this five day (now six day!) stretch is wearing me down.
so i got out my sewing machine and turned up michael buble on pandora.
i made bunting for the shop.

the break was awesome.

i kept sewing while mr. duerksen watched the KU game behind with Scott.
i love listening to them watch basketball… so animated!
DRAMA.
it's a bonding experience.
and i love eavesdropping on it.

then last night we got another round of snow.
it's at crazy levels now.
we never miss this much school or get snow like this!

practically buried!
i had to put my behind in the snow to get this shot… it's that deep out there.

this is the view out our front window.
that snowflake talby brought home is about the appropriate size to describe this storm.
oh my goodness…. so much snow.

and now they have all bundled up and headed out to play.
so i guess i will follow for a bit.
and talby just made a strawberry cake that needs frosting.

such a big to do list for the day….. frost a cake AND take pictures? how will i get it all done?

🙂

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Painting Just For The Sake of Painting | Simply Rebekah - […] to break out the paints and let Grace and Noah paint just for the sake of painting. I remembered this post from Meg Duerksen and gathered some egg cartons for the kids to […]

Katie - Hello! I absolutely love your table that is the pictures of the painting project. Is it in your dining room? Is it an antique or did you have it made? Any details would be much appreciated. Love your style- so relaxed and family friendly, but with some much personality!

Rach - Craig’s comment made me tear up. Agreed. Best compliment ever!

Flower Patch Farmgirl - Sitting down right now with our egg cartons.
(Have you ever seen where you cut the cups off and make them into tulips with a pipe cleaner? Might be a good phase II.)
Have fun at basketball today!

elisa - I live in sunny Arizona…..the temps right are in the 70’s. Today my 7 years old wore his jacket to school and a sleeveless shirt underneath for later when it warms up. I love these pics. Looks like your making the best of it, and your kids as well. My kiddos wouldn’t know what to do….they would go stir crazy.

jennibell - I had the same thought as Craig about the egg cartons. . .so glad that he is who he is and can see the value in what you do. Lucky woman 🙂
Our kids have wanted snow so much this year. . .and we’ve not gotten enough to cover the ground (we live in mid-TN)yet. . .I, myself though do not like snow but living through other’s snow days is fun. I could so relate with your post a couple of days ago, though, when you didn’t have snow apparel for your family — that’s completely what happens to us when we *do* get snow. . .the kiddos just layer up in sweats (lots of times they wear pjs as their layers) and socks and adult shoes that they can fit their feet into with all the sock layers — ha! All of your pictures had me longing for summer. . .thanks for sharing.

Stacy - Beautiful! I still love that turquoise bench. The lacy snow covered tree photos are my favorite! I hope you all have some warm weather soon.

Jacci in Ohio - I may be sounding like a broken record soon, but I LOVE YOUR FARMHOUSE 🙂 ANd I love, love, love seeing posts that are so *very* much like those you would post when you lived in town… you’re still you, still together, still getting BEAUTIFUL photos… but the house is so different. I just really think it highlights where so much of your life’s beauty is. And, although the Craft House is gorgeous, it’s not really “it”. Can’t tell you how much that blesses me 🙂
p.s. Also glad you have power! That’s a big praise for sure!

jacqui anderson - welcome to my world!! thats our winter all winter up here in British Columbia Canada! also a reason i need to head south to a wonderful craft weekend with girlies where there isn’t snow …… 🙂

Alicia - Enjoy every second!!!

Becky - I love your curtains! And I agree, that was a great compliment from one parent to another. Your blog brightens my day!! 🙂

Heather - Ummm, Wow! So doing this! I’ve been trying to get my girls to do more precise crafts lately (paint by numbers sound good for your sanity?) and I’d love to just let them go and then I can rework it into something Martha-esque later. When they are sound asleep.

Gina - I am glad your electricity hasn’t gone out!! Beautiful pictures!!

Heather - Oddly enough, that much snow wouldn’t bring a snow day here in Toronto. Kinda jealous you got five. And yet…not. 😛 I’m glad Craig gave you a break at the end of the day.

Tracy - Also, I love, love, love the sun project!!

Tracy - We had another snow day here in Kansas City, too. In 20 years, I have never seen this much snow here!! So pretty!
I’m worried my kids’ last day of school for the year will be extended if we keep using snow days though! I don’t want to cut into summer break!!

Jen - Love the beautiful snow and craft pictures, but above all, I love Craig’s comment to you. 🙂

Jenn - Such glorious snow! We don’t see that here in southeast Texas. I’m super jealous.

molly quigley - Meg,
I love your comment that you made them just to make them. Wow. You are a great parent. Rock on.
Best,
Molly Q.

Nina - It’s nice to do things with the family when it’s too cold to go to school. It’s always so comfortable to stay at home and have some family fun. These pictures tured out great!

Angela - Ahhh! Your snow pictures are BEAUTIFUL! I’m a Midwesterner displaced in TX and I MISS snow! Oh, and I love Talby’s sunshine!

Christina - Ha, my other comment disappeared…so I look like a kook writing “I also…”
I said beautiful post, and your house is soooo crazy cheerful and colorful!!
Sorry if it ends up posting twice. 🙂

Christina - I also love the conversation between you and Craig. So. Funny. 🙂

Mhairi - What kind of chicken wouldn’t want to lay eggs FOR those egg cartons?! 🙂 Looks like a lovely kind of day!

Brooke - Hey Meg,
Go on Pinterest and look up spring egg carton wreath. You can cut those fabulous painted cartons into individual cups and have an AWESOME wreath. I bet our girls would love it!!! Post pictures if ou do it. 🙂

Tiffany - I adore that convo you and your hubby had. Made me smile. Your whole post made me smile. It always does. Enjoy the snow… and hopefully a little more alone time soon! 🙂

lisa - Very pretty! We just had our seventh snow day up here in MI. I am jealous you have blue sky to go along with it – it’s been snowing so much but not much blue sky. Enjoy the memories you’re making with your family. 🙂

Amy Woods - I’m jealous! We just want one little ol snow day! Is it too much to ask? 😉 Of course, we did get a white Christmas. That was cool.
Enjoy it!

Mel - It is all very beautiful – the white snow and the beautiful paint against it and, most of all, your lovely attitude toward it all.

Sarah{Handbags*N*Pigtails} - We’re bracing for our next round of the snow that’s supposed to hit tonight. Wondering if we’ll have school tomorrow? If not, I’m praying to get some sewing done myself. It feels like ages since I’ve had the time.

Seriously Sassy Mama - As pretty as it is, I am do very happy it is not near me. I will live vicariously through your pictures.

Moriah - the comment from your hubby sounds like the comments that come out of my hubby’s mouth. 🙂 yeah for creative moms!

Amy K. - Still jealous here… we got exactly NO SNOW from this last storm. double hmph.
Glad you are enjoying it, though! =)

Lori Austin - Have been thinking of you as I’ve watched the weather reports for your
area. That is A LOT of snow, but so beautiful! Those branch pictures are
wonderful.
The girls’ art inspires me to get ON IT and do some more crafting with my kiddos.
We always do quite a bit during the Christmas season, but I’ve been slacking lately. Thanks for kicking me in the pants! 🙂

Terrie - Love your crafts! Such lovely colors!
I’m a little tired of white myself…
But, isn’t it all gorgeous?!
I’ve taken thousands of photos the last 6 days!
Now to sort through them & get some posted!!
I heart yours!!
Momma’s sanity day starts tomorrow! 🙂

Kara - you have more snow than we do here in Colorado! 🙂 Beautiful pictures. With my four and two year old, crafty time stresses me OUT but I try to make time for it anyway… even if we have about a 20 minute window before my eyes start to twitch and I have to call it a day! ha! just had to comment and say… if you DID want to put those beautiful cartons to use you should plant some Easter grass in little egg shells, like this! (found it on Pinterest!) http://fourflightsoffancy.blogspot.com/2011/04/green-grass-eggs.html?m=1

Linda - WOW such beauty! Enjoy this slowed down pace with your family it all ends too quickly. you’ll be back to the crazy run everywhere schedule in no time! Amazing pictures as always!

angela - What’s amazing to me is that anyone could go OUT…like in a car…in that snow!! Here in N.C. if we get 2 inches we have to stay home….the roads are too bad! Amazing and beautiful!

Lisa M. - I love that you craft like that with your kids for no reason. I craft with my 7 year old to give cards and homemade pictures to his grandparents for holidays and such, but I never just craft with him to craft. If we ever get a snow here in Western PA (we’ve had one and it was in October. Crazy.), I am so going to pull out the paints. He will be ecstatic! Your snow is crazy! So much fun for the kiddos!
Enjoy!

Stephanie - Oh what beauty, especially against a blue sky. I miss snow.

laura b - Those snow pictures are so beautiful. There are times I’m sad to live where it never snows, but then I remember how cold it would be. And I love those chevron curtains! I saw that fabric last month, but at this point I don’t sew so I didn’t buy any. Your rainbow color choices always make me happy.

jen - that WAS the best complement ever. good for you mr. duerksen!

Lennie Jackson - Sounds amazing…much better than my 8 hours here at work staring at this computer. Lucky lady.

Debbie Smallie - Personally, I am thrilled with the amount of snowfall KS received…it caused my sons outdoor soccer tournament scheduled for the coming weekend to be canceled! Highschool baseball has started so I was going to have to take all of our kids by myself (my husband is the coach). I am also thrilled that St.Louis only received rain…I’m so over winter already!! Stay warm 🙂

Sarah Wolfe - Such beautiful pictures. I miss snow. But not the cold that comes with it 🙂

tiffany gardner - you must have no idea how much you encourage me. i want so badly to create and even craft with the kids. i often just push it aside and don’t mess with it because the thought of getting it all out is exhausting. you remind me that my 9 and 7 year old need it and I do too!!! Even with the two year old boy running around… I CAN DO IT! thanks for pushing me to be the mom I want to be. awesome.

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snowed in.

February 23, 2013

we had a wonderful day yesterday.
so laid back and fun.
i am sure if we had a snow WEEK that it wouldn't go so well but this surprise two days has been fabulous.
we found plenty of things to keep us busy.

memory and oatmeal.

more drawing.
she is almost through this whole How-To drawing book she found on our book shelf.
i got it at a thrift store years ago.
on wednesday night she drew for over two hours straight!
i told her we would soon have an art show in in the stairway. :)

i did some online fabric ordering from Hawthorne Threads.

someone was playing Barbies.

i made chocolate chip cookies… a double batch.
i have made this recipe since i got married.
we use it so much that it is taped inside of the cabinet door so we don't have to search for it.
you can click here for the recipe.

icing his ankle.
scott sprained his ankle on tuesday in the beginning of his basketball game.
he is almost back to normal now already, thank goodness.
i was so sad for him right away worrying if it was going to be worse than a sprain.
this snow day stuff was a good rest for him too.

some of them bundled up and headed outside.

talby help bury sean in the snow.
it was creepy to hear him singing from under the snow….
he was singing "Home on the Range"
what a weird choice?

while they played outside i made pigs in a blanket…because they asked for a "cool lunch".
see how cool i am!
wow.
pretty amazing isn't it?
ha.

there was plenty of wrestling.

lots of cookies were eaten.

then i took the youngest three to the sled in town.

having big kids is pretty great.
it used to be such an ordeal to go sledding… there was crying and it didn't last long.
but that is no longer the case.

they sled on their own for an hour and a half!
they only quit becuase it was time to go for me!
big kids rock!

i ran out for a coffee and watched them from the car after i took those pictures.
i forgot my book which was a bummer but still loved watching them sled.
i cracked the window a half inch just so i could hear all the squeeling screams of joy as all those kids went down.
it's a pretty fun sound.

talby made a snowlady.

the creek we drive over everyday is very frozen and beautiful.
everything around us right now is very frozen and beautiful.

🙂

************************************************

ok…

the WINNER of the 31Bits $50 gift card is:

Andrea said…

hands down…..the Everly necklace….. I( love it!

Reply February 20, 2013 at 07:15 PM

send me an email Andrea and i will HOOK YOU UP!

i hope the rest of you did some shopping with 31Bits this week.
what a fabulous company they are.
i would LOVE to visit their center in Uganda someday!

my kids all had sleep overs with friends last night (four of the five) so they are CRANKY today.
one is already asleep on the couch.
it's going to be a long day around here possibly.
but i have BIG goals….

i think today is the day that we take down the christmas decorations.
it just feels like maybe it's time?

maybe.

ha.

and no… i am not joking.
the tree and lights and all are still up.
but not by tonight.

i hope.

happy weekend to you!

show hide 31 comments

add a comment

Etsetara - meg!
we STILL have our tree up, too!
i do love christmas + especially the lights…but i am nearly on the verge of being sick of them! ha!

Victoria - I heard about snow in Kansas this morning on the news here in Ga and thought of you. So fun to see the pictures of the kids enjoying themselves sledding!
Oh and those choc chip cookies look amazing. Maybe 9:15pm isn’t too late to bake me some. 😉

Krista - Thanks for sharing your chocolate chip cookie recipe. My daughter and i just finished making some! Yumm! I have a great tasting recipe but the cookies never bake down so I have to flatten them before baking—these are so good, and no preflattening necessary!

Alice H - What?!?! You didn’t sled with them? I used to be too scared to sled with mine…because things (like falling, etc) hurt worse when you are older. LOL! But I did it a few years ago and it was so much fun!!!!
Also, I have a love/hate relationship with sleepovers…love having the time to myself, hate having grumpy butts who stayed up too late!!

katie - Always love your car pics of yourself, you look so adorable!

Lori Austin - Congrats to Andrea. Such fun sledding pics. Love how you
documented your snow day fun with pics. That TALL stack of cookies
looks quite yummy.

Barbara - I just drove through beautiful Kansas on our way home from Colorado to Missouri yesterday. All the fields were so pristine and the snow drifts were amazing. I’m sure the farmers were doing a happy dance with all the moisture.
On our way out to Colorado last wee, we detoured off of highway 70 and went to Marion, KS. We loved our short visit only wishing that The Barn had been open. Before heading back to the highway to go west, we went to Lake Marion and to our amazement, we spotted a bald eagle. We got a picture of him and he was just one of our trip’s highlights.
Blessings to you and your sweet family.

Julie S - Are you ready for more snow? I sure am. I love it! I love that it’s helping to fill our ponds and helping our crops.
My husband’s cousin goes to Hesston. I think he is a 3rd or 4th grader, I always forget! I wonder if he went sledding.
I just took my tree down this week. I think maybe I did it Monday, but the days are a blur. I have heard a lot of people were late taking their decorations down this year.

Karen Gerstenberger - Thanks for sharing your snow-joy with us. I loved seeing the kids lined up to take their turns going down that hill. The simple things really do make happy memories.
One question: the Barbie house now has “stainless steel” appliances? That is news to me! We still have Katie’s Barbie house (pronounced “the Bahbie” house), and it wasn’t quite so modern back then.

Kimberly Dial - I love the snow pics! You’re right, happy screams from kids is quite possibly the best sound ever, second only to giggling babies. I’m not sure. That’s one’s too close to call! 😉 I actually think “Home On The Range” was an incredibly appropriate song to sing while one is buried in the snow LOL Thanks for sharing Meg 🙂

Sarah{Handbags*N*Pigtails} - The snowlady with strawberry eyes is the best.ever! Happy weekend!

mary beth - That hill cracked me up….we live in Kansas too and in our town we have one hill that everyone goes to for a sled day! glad you had such a great day, and yes it’s so much better with big kids! They can undress themselves and hang up the wet clothes!

dee - i love the photos.i am so envious of the snow where i live in Australia we dont get snow but you can dream-love dee x

Tere - You have a new screen on your Mac. Yeah! Thanks for sharing your snow day, we have rain, lots of rain.

Jamie - I’m so glad to hear that times with big kids are fun! I have a 3 and 1 year old and all the things I’ve dreamt about doing with my kids just end in disaster! My 3 year old doesn’t even want to walk in snow, let alone sled. Good to know it will pass. For now we’ll just enjoy hot chocolate and snuggles and all those things that little kids love (and mommas) love.

Kelly - Oh I am SO glad we weren’t the last to take down our tree! 🙂 Kelly

emma kate - it is so neat seeing all that snow while we are in the tailend of a hot summer here in New Zealand.
i have a question for you…i brought that barbie campervan from a thrift store for my girls…i put batteries in it but for the life of me cannot figure out what they are supposed to make work??
can you enlighten me? ha!

Laura H - I love snow, I do love snow! If I say it enough it will be true, right? I bow down to you for making this sun lover(ME) start to think she actually loves snow just by enjoying your AWESOME pictures!
Love your blog!
Love chocolate chip cookies…no convincing necessary!

angela - I cannot IMAGINE having a hill of snow like that. Here where I live in N.C. if we get 1 inch we do the happy dance! Great pics!

Tiffany - I have loved these last few posts. They just make me smile, and I enjoy seeing you having relaxing quality family time. 🙂 I should get my hands on a drawing book like that one. Olivia draws for hours at a time. She’s just now branching out to draw things other than princesses! 🙂

mum of all trades - Our tree is still in the back yard, I thought I was laid back but you are one level up! I would love a good heavy snowfall here, we never get snow like that unfortunately

Susan - I just bought chocolate chips a few minutes ago to make toll house cookies, but I’m going to try this recipe!

Trisha - I really really just love your cute fam! My most favorite part of this post was that Sean was buried in snow…. SINGING “Home on the range” Made me laugh so so hard! Thanks for your real hones family. I like it alot:)

Heather Simnitt - Looks like fun – I always find snow days hilarious! Too cold and dangerous to go to school, but somehow we manage to get to the cool hill in town to sled! 🙂 LOL
There was Monopoly, Wits and Wagers, no-bake cookies, snowball fights, and a 3hr 44 min movie at our house (when else do you have enough time to watch Gone With the Wind from start to finish????). Oh – and WAFFLES for dinner! So cozy and warm….

laura b - You crack me up! Still have Christmas decorations up? Sometimes you just have to live life and let the other stuff go! Looks beautiful there with all the snow. Good luck making it through the cranky post-sleepover day!

Kathy - oops…my first time commenting on a blog…didn’t know you weren’t supposed to use last names…..sshhh…don’t share….um, it’s not really my name…hahah

Kathy Leach - Can I just say that reading your blog is a joy….the kid, the colors, the joy, the DOG! I’ve tried color in my home and it always seems so contrived. For you it seems absolutely perfect and together!! Will you please tell me how…..I could just swap with you 😉 You could take my blah, dull and I could take your bright, happy! Have a great time in with your family! Kathy Leach, Greensboro, NC

Tracy - Looks like lots of snow fun! However…..one huge snowfall is enough for this mom in Kansas City. Have you seen the forecast for Monday/Tuesday?!?!?! No more snow please!

jamie - i am laughing outloud that you still have christmas stuff up. i adore your family! pigs in a blanket are yummy. my daughter makes them so perfect you don’t want to eat them. breadstick wrapped perfectly end to end and she squishes the seems together. i might need to try your chocolate chip cookies. after years i found a perfect recipe, but eighteen years and going strong must mean you have a winner! enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Terrie - I love the snow we are having! So many photo ops! I do miss having kids at home to play with and take their pics playing.Downloading the more than 500 pics I took today at a nature center near me.
I think I’ll have to make some chocolate chip cookies!
Your creek pic makes me miss our farm…now would be a good time to be there!
And thank you for letting me not be the last person to take down their Christmas decorations!
Although, my Christmas dishes are getting stored away today!
Happy Saturday!

flowerpowermomma - seems to have been a very productive snow day, crafts, games, cookies! Cool mom for sure. And memories were revived for me, too. I ALWAYS made a double batch of cookies, otherwise it nearly wasn’t worth it. Hope the christmas tree and such cooperates today and finds it’s home.

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