Flattery Reunion Pics

Below are photos from the family reunion weekend in Springfield, MO. It was great to see everyone! Please leave a comment if you would like us to email you a full size version of any of these.

The whole gang:

Relaxing:
More relaxing:

Troublemakers:

Table 1:

Table 2:

BWRP

As promised, here are a few photos from the window project. Mark worked very hard to get this window in. :)



I decided to try and scrapbook a few photos from our vacation. More to come as time permits.

What a weekend!

For a week, this is what my kitchen looked like. While Mark's parents were visiting, his dad kindly primed the kitchen for us. :)

I spent a little bit of time everyday painting trim. Thursday, Mark realized he just had too many projects to complete on his own. Friday, I started edging. When Brian & Peeper came over for game night they thought we were starting a new trend.

We tried out a new recipe that was fabulous! This is as close as I'll get to Mark eating Mexican food. The pork was juicy and as Brian said, "perfectly grilled." We piled our tortillas high with the tenderloin slices and guacamole, as well as, black bean & corn salsa and sour cream (well, some of us had sour cream).

And since it was our turn to host game night, of course we played Puerto Rico! Here we see Peeper debating what her next move should be. Will she pick Settler or Mayor? Sugar or Corn?

And the winner is... Brian! I finished 2nd, only one point behind. :)

The Billmeiers spoiled us with a DQ ice cream cake for dessert! Unfortunately we were all too stuffed to actually eat it, but our slices were good a few nights later. Thanks!!

Saturday & Sunday we went back to work on our projects. By the end of Sunday, I finished the kitchen paint job as well as some other tasks like laundry & mopping and Mark completed the bathroom window replacement project (BWRP for short). I'll have a separate post in a few days of the BWRP. ;)

The funny one

I forgot to mention this in yesterday's post. Avery saw an ant crawling on the "steering wheel" on the swing set/fort thing in our backyard. She pointed at it and said, "Ant" and then she turned her head with a questioning face, pointed at me and said, "Aunt." So does she now think that I am a bug or does she think that those black bugs are also her dad's sisters? :)

The Joys of Being an Aunt

This morning I was able to spend a little over an hour with Avery while Jenny went to the dentist. In that short time we played on the swingset, looked at all the pretty flowers, read two books, and told Sheba to lay down or be quiet countless times.

Her favorite phrases today were:

• "Push me" (as she sat on the swing)
• "Stop This" (when she wanted the swing to stop moving)
• "Horsie!" (when she wanted to switch from the swing to the horse)
• "Big stairs" (when we were climbing down the stairs from the side entry)
• "This way" (when we were walking from the backyard to the front to see the flowers, which turned into a song that went something like "this way, this way, this way, this way...")
• "Smile!" (when I was trying to take her picture)
• "Sheba" (I was reading her a book about Barry the St. Bernard and when I asked his name she looked at me like I was silly and shouted, Sheba!)
• "Be quiet, Sheba" (as she and Jenny were leaving and Sheba was barking in the backyard)

We had a fun time and I'm looking forward to next time we get to spend some quality time together. I'm sure if I blink a few times she'll be 15 and calling me for a ride to the mall.

Avery on the "horsie"

Blurry on the swing

Smile, but don't actually look at the camera ;)

Someone spies a doggie across the street

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Why yes, we did bring home a Swiss barrel for Sheba. Unfortunately it hangs too low on her so she won't be carrying any beverages when she has to rescue us in the snow. ;)



Earlier this month we expanded the flower beds in front of the house and planted perennials.

Yesterday, Mark spent most of the day cleaning up the backyard and found this lovely 3 leafed plant growing in abundance along our fence line. Yuck! (Leaves of 3, let them be.)

Paris

Ok, no book this time. Just the photos for now: (click below for the full album)

Paris

Switzerland & Black Forest

I've uploaded photos from the first half of our vacation for your viewing pleasure. This set includes photos from Switzerland and Germany. We were in Switzerland from Saturday through Tuesday and then we drove up to Germany and stayed one night in the black forest in a little touristy village called Titisee. Below is a map that will give you a rough idea of where we were this part of our trip.
Saturday I flew into Zurich and Mark met me at the airport. We drove from Zurich to the the Interlaken area. Our hotel was located in Lauterbrunnen, which is a beautiful village with easy access by train to the top of Jungfrau. Along that train ride there are several villages that are only accessible by train as there are no roads that lead up the mountain. From Lauterbrunnen, we also had access to the Schilthorn mountain top by gondola ride.

By the time we reached Lauterbrunnen on Saturday I was dead tired and ready for a nap. While I napped, Mark explored the village a little and started planning our activities for the next few days. After my nap, we walked to the waterfall we could see from our hotel and then enjoyed dinner. Sunday morning we woke up extra early to catch the 6:55am train to Jungfrau, AKA "The Top of Europe." This was a beautiful train ride that took about 2 1/2 hours to reach the top. We met two local mountain guides/skiers on the train and they pointed out some of the most beautiful views, as well as telling us some local traditions and such. Their names are Hans & Peter and I wish we had taken a photo to remember them. Here is a map of the train ride (red line).The engineering is amazing! There are tunnels running through the mountain in order to get us to the top. Once at Jungfrau, we enjoyed awesome views as well as getting to walk through a glacier where they have ice sculptures, and reading about the "special relativity theory" that Einstein worked on at that location. We took the train back down and got off in Kleine Scheidegg to tour the shops and eat lunch. We hiked from there to Wengernalp then hopped back on the train to Allmend and then hiked to Wengen. We walked around cute little Wengen and then took the train back to Lauterbrunnen. A lot of the fabulous mountain photos are from the hiking trails. Upon our return to Lauterbrunnen, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and went to Trummelbach Falls. This is a waterfall that runs through the mountain.

Monday was not as clear but we took the gondola ride to the top of Schilthorn (where one of the Bond movies was filmed). This gondola ride was not my favorite, especially when we were totally engulfed in clouds for awhile and all we could see where the cables the gondola was suspended by. Scary for someone with a fear of falling! ;) When we finally reached the top, it was snowing and very windy. We stayed long enough to watch some clips from the old Bond film and snap some photos. Then we were on our way back down. (check out the blue line on the map above for an overview of this activity)

Also in Switzerland, we visited Grindlewald, Interlaken, and Brienz for good food and plenty of shops. Brienz is known for their wood carvings and has the only master wood carving school in all of Switzerland. We brought home a few trinkets to remember our trip. ;)

Tuesday we checked out of our hotel in Lauterbrunnen and drove to Bern. We spent the morning exploring this old city and capturing some great photos. Mark also toured Einstein's apartment while there. Then we drove up to Basel and then into Germany. We visited Freiburg and then drove on to Titisee where we stayed for one evening. Titisee has amazing shops with many cuckoo clocks to pick from. We did not purchase one this trip since Mark visits there often enough for work and can buy one for us at a later date.

Well, I think I have covered the first half of our trip in more than enough detail for most of you. I'll give you a few days to digest this before posting about the 2nd half in Paris.

Here is a link to all the Switzerland photos. (I recommend viewing as slideshow fast speed.)

Have a great weekend!

Coming Soon...

I promise in the next few days we'll have all the vacation photos and stories right here. Check back soon. :) Until then, enjoy the new banner with sneak peeks...

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye...

To keep you entertained here are a few pictures of Mark spreading the side yard dirt. Let us know if you see any grass popping up while we are away. ;)

Actually, it is already full of grass and will need it's first mowing soon. The good news is that a few days ago it rained pretty heavy and we did not have any standing water. Yay!

This Sunday...

At three minutes and four seconds after 2:00 on the 6th of May this year, the time and date will be 02:03:04 05/06/07. Pretty cool, eh?

Honoring the Lives of Slain Missionaries

Click here for the true story of three men murdered for believing in Christ.

More links:
Amnesty International
CNN
Video with English subtitles about funeral of Necati Aydin

A Friendly PSA

If you don't get Kraft's Food & Family magazine, click here and sign up for free! I thought it was just some little cheapy recipe book I would get in the mail and it arrived yesterday and it is a full fledged magazine with some great looking recipes! It also has some coupons in it (even for Kraft organic food, Peeper!). Here are a couple I already know I'll be trying out sometime this summer: Strawberry Swirl Cake and Lemon Shrimp Pasta Salad. You can find all the recipes from this issue here. But I recommend signing up because there's not much that beats getting a magazine in the mail for free! ;-)

Finally...the yellow room

I finally took photos today of the finished paint job. I wanted to wait for a sunny day so the photos would show as close to the true color as possible. The photo of Sheba is to show off the wood floor. ;-)

Click photo to see larger

Last Fall

Still no pics of the painted room, but maybe this will hold you over for a day or two longer. Pictures from last fall when we bagged all the leaves from our yard, well at least the front and side yards.

Paris Accomodations - Check

Quick update with a link to our Paris hotel: Hotel Bersolys Saint Germain.
We will be staying there the second half of our trip. It will be our "base camp" as we travel around the city, take a day trip to Versailles, another possible day trip to Giverny (Monet's home & gardens), and who knows what else! :)

Swiss Accomodations - Check

Our European tour is quickly approaching! The first half of our trip will be based in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. This part will accommodate our love of nature and the outdoors. We will be staying at a hotel turned bed & breakfast that is located at the base of a 1000 ft waterfall. You can see photos and read more about the area and the hotel here. The second half of our trip will be based in Paris, France. I'll offer up a link and hotel information once we have it all booked. This will certainly be a one of a kind vacation and we are both looking forward to it very much!

Have a great weekend and I will try to post photos of our newly painted living room soon. :)

Family Visit

Sunday we drove north to visit with family. Our niece and nephew had a little time to run around together having fun. Frankie was throwing this styrofoam airplane and Avery would yell, "I get it, I get it!" We think Frankie enjoyed having a little cousin to chase after his plane for him. ;-)

This Old House

Our first major project has begun. The 2nd floor bathroom has officially been decommissioned.
Here are a few before pictures and a few that show Mark's demolition process. I believe he has one more layer of the floor to take out because there is water damage and then we'll have to figure out how to remove the old tub. Bob Villa always made everything look so easy...

(click photo to see larger)

My Reading Habits

I read these questions on another blog and thought they might be fun to answer since I love to read. Besides, a few friends and I are starting a book club in 2 weeks so it seems fitting.

Stephanie on Books...

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Anything really...I don't discriminate.

Amazon or brick and mortar? I am a big fan of libraries, although I haven't signed up for our local one yet so I have been more into bookstores. Either way...brick & mortar. (Mark is more into Amazon buying.)

Barnes & Noble or Borders? It doesn't matter to me. I love being in any bookstore that has cozy chairs to flip through a good book or magazine. I also like the coffee bars.

Bookmark or dog ear? Bookmark. I don't like my books all torn up.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? By author.

Keep, throw away, or sell? I keep most of them. I've never thrown away a book!

Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep them, of course.

Read with dust jacket or remove it? I use the flap as a placeholder occasionally.

Short story or novel? Novels.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? Collections.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Neither.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I stop reading when my eyelids will just not stay open any longer.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? Both

Buy or Borrow? Borrow from the library, but as stated before I've been buying lately.

New or used? Both.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? All of the above. I tend to lean toward authors I have enjoyed in the past.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? I hate cliffhangers.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Can I answer with morning, noon, and night if possible? :) Ok, so mostly evening reading for me.

Stand-alone or series? Both. Although I have learned I am impatient so I would rather start a series when all books have been released and I can read them all in a row.

Favorite series? I own all of the Left Behind books and enjoyed that series. I'm not sure I have a real favorite though.

Favorite children's book? I'm a bit out of touch on this one, but I remember enjoying Peter Rabbit as a kid and as an adult I have gotten a kick out of Junie B. Jones books.

Favorite books of all time? Maybe The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe. Not sure.

Least favorite book you finished last year? My Sisters Keeper

What are you reading right now? I'm re-reading Mayada: Daughter of Iraq for book club.

What are you reading next? Whatever my book club decides on next or whatever calls out to me on my next trip to Walmart or Target. :)

Ok Peeper, consider this your blog prompt. Go blog all your answers.

For anyone else reading, leave a comment telling us your "next read" recommendation.

6 years tomorrow

Happy Anniversary to us. :)

See, if I do a layout every anniversary then I'll have our wedding album finished in another 20 years or so. HAHA! Click here if you want to see the layout from last year.

Sheba straight from the groomer smelling like daisies and looking sweet as can be.

Conversation with a 3 year old...

My friend, Jen, wrote about a funny conversation she had with her daughter on her blog and posted a cute picture. I couldn't help myself and decided to scrap it for her. :) If she gives me permission I may even submit this one for a magazine since I like how it turned out.
*hint hint, Jen*

~Love My Cats~

Where is spring?

I'm ready for spring so I changed the blog header in hopes that would also get the weather cooperating. :) We are ready to start riding our bikes again and taking long walks with Sheba. Ok, maybe not too long with Sheba because a long walk to her is around the block twice. LOL!

Yesterday I received my complimentary copy of Digital Scrapbooking magazine. Yay! My layout is on page 36. Here is what the magazine cover looks like:

I've heard that some Barnes & Noble stores and some Walmart stores already have it on the shelves. It was really neat to see my name in print! I think I turned to page 36 of my copy about 20 times yesterday. ;)

"It's in the mail"

The premiere issue of Digital Scrapbooking Magazine has been mailed out to subscribers and will be on the newstand mid-March. I'll let you know when my copy arrives and what page to look for my layout. :)

Here are two new ones I worked on this week.

~Playtime~
This is a photo of Avery that is almost 2 years old.

~My Dream~
Photo from our recent E+H event.

E+H Celebration Event

Here we are all dressed up. I'm including a photo of John & Mandy too since they are our buds. :) You can barely tell, but she is due with their first baby in early May. (Click the photo to see larger.)

Silly me

We had a very heavy snowfall 2 days ago and Sheba was itching to go out and play in it. I was a little worried because it was sooo cold. I know, she's a D-O-G. I pulled out a scarf and wrapped it around her to make ME feel better. :)

Early Days...

Woot Woot!

AFC Champions! The Colts! Going to the SuperBowl! Fun Times! :)

A little something