Baby Shower by Mail, Take Two!

You might remember the Baby Shower by Mail my college friends and I threw for our friend Mara back in 2010 (was it really that long ago?!).  Now that Baby Struckmeyer is on the way, the same girls have taken it upon themselves to keep our mailman busy!

I videotaped myself opening all of the gifts, but it turns out I'm technologically challenged (wait, we already knew that), so the footage is stuck on our videocamera for the rest of time.  This sub-par photo of all of their wonderful gifts will have to do!  An itty-bitty sweatshirt from our alma mater... a Garfield hat and nightlight (I sort-of-jokingly have said from the beginning that I wanted to do a Garfield nursery theme, which would be completely hilarious, but somehow I haven't been able to convince Karl)... the world's best Annie book (we had the same one when I was growing up)... lots of adorable onesies and sleepers... beautiful wooden toys... chocolate bars, which went straight into the hospital bag... and lots of other thoughtful, perfect gifts. 

I'm so lucky to have these ladies as friends, and our baby is even luckier to have so much love coming from all directions!  

Christmas Miracle #2

Karl and I went to my mom's house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  It pretty much involved a lot of eating and lounging, which of course are the ingredients for the perfect holiday.  During one lounge session, I was reading a Real Simple magazine, and I came across this page:

"Ohmygosh we need those!" I may have shouted when I saw the upper right corner...

 

 

Need.  I even tore out the page so I could remember where to order them. 

 

When Karl and I got home on Christmas, there was a package waiting from my dear friend Caitrin (who by the way should start her own blog to show off all of her ideas for elf-on-the-shelf placement.  I do not even like elves-on-the-shelves but I would completely support her in this blogging endeavor because her placements really are incredible).  Inside were several darling items, including the hedgehog dryer balls!  Can you believe that?!  It's like she just knew we needed them, before we even knew they existed.  And that, my friends, is a true Christmas miracle.  Our laundry area has never been so adorable. 

 

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 16

The stars have aligned and there are three things I want to do, all in Minneapolis, all in one weekend.  I'm driving up tonight after work, and I'm super excited to stay with my friend Danny and his beautiful family (he has two little boys and a wife who I've never even met!).  We're heading to a pancake breakfast in the morning to benefit the wilderness camp where we met as guides years ago.  Then I'm going to a craft workshop and a baby shower, and staying with another set of friends Saturday night.  I'll probably hit Ikea before heading home on Sunday, just to round things out.  I'm thankful for a perfect weekend ahead of me!  

Ten Tens for a Very Wonderful Ten-Year-Old

Remember Macie from the Irish Dancing post last year?

This month, believe it or not, she's turning....

Because we love her so much, four friends and I teamed up to create this little package for her. 

What's this?!  A Queen Bee wallet?  Lucky girl!

But wait... there's more!  The wallet is packed with ten $10 gift cards to some of Macie's favorite places!

The line-up: Target, Barnes and Noble, Einstein's, Claire's, Starbucks, REI, Hobby Lobby, Little Man Ice Cream (local in Denver, where she lives), Noodles and Company, and Cold Stone.  

Happy happy birthday, Macie!  Enjoy your ten tens, and your tenth year of being you!

Girls' Weekend 2012: Nashville!

Over the weekend, I met up with five of my college housemates in Nashville. None of us actually lives in Nashville; we just thought it would be a fun place to visit. And it was! The combination of tons of great music, good food, and the company of my very best friends was perfect.


We were there during Whitney Houston's funeral/homegoing. Here we are roaming the streets, talking about it.

Keller brought her niece's Flat Laura doll and took pictures of it around Nashville. Here's Flat Laura at the birthplace of bluegrass music!

We went to the Grand Ole Opry. As we were waiting before the show, a woman came up to us and asked if we would take a picture with her and her granddaughter's Flat Emily doll! Is that a coincidence or what? We got some photos of Flat Emily and Flat Laura together. The were instant friends. Don't they look so happy together?

Jenny and I before the Grand Ole Opry

The Opry is a live broadcast radio show. There are a bunch of performers each night, each doing one or two songs. Some of them were pretty cheesy (think names rhinestoned on guitar straps). But it was so so so much fun! I would go again in a heartbeat.

Don't worry, we also toured the Jack Daniels distillery.

The tour included a couple of videos. Instead of watching the videos, I took pictures of my friends watching them. I can watch videos any day. But I can only take pictures of this crew once in a great while.

Caitrin, Stacey and Lindsay outside the distillery, taking a break to rock and look at iDevices
We may have spent a little time at the Honky Tonks (that's really what they call them!).

We're already planning Girls' Weekend 2013. Or at least I am. Quebec? Colombia? Only time will tell. xo

A Scene from My 35th Birthday

This post was supposed to be called "Scenes from My 35th Birthday," but I only took one picture. I went to a writing workshop during the day, and I was so happy to come home to this:

First Christmas Present!

Guess what? I got my first Christmas present of the year! My sweet friend Laura left it on our doorknob yesterday, and it was waiting when I got home from work. All wrapped up in woodland Christmas paper and everything! She's so thoughtful. And the card was signed "XOXOXO, Gossip Girl." My friends are the best.

Last week, my mom gave us an Avent calendar that is also perfectly woodland critter-themed. Plus it has glitter on it. What more could you ask for, really? It's precious. I can't wait to start opening the doors to see what's inside! Here's our little Hedgie, showing off the gift from Laura and the Advent calendar from my mom:

Cutest Wedding Ever

Our friends Angie and Brett got married yesterday! The wedding was outdoors at a park in Madison. Everything was just gorgeous.

They had a woodland theme... so great. Perfect for fall. Here's their arbor, on the edge of the lake where they said their vows.

Perched at the top of the arbor were these little friends.

The musicians! Love that banjo!

Angie walking down the hill to the ceremony with her dad. Her dress was beautiful! It actually made me want to get married again so I could wear a dress like that. And boots.

Angie and I know each other through our knitting group. What a great bunch! Do you see Stacy's needles poking out of her red and white purse?

The Gomers (a local live karaoke band) played at the reception, and the knitters really rocked the house. I mean, not this knitter specifically, but Stacy, Kate, Anna and Pixie all belted out rockstar-quality tunes on stage. Karl and I did sing one song but it was so embarassing I don't even want to talk about it. I have some seriously self-confident friends.

We had so much fun! Angie's woodland touches were darling (hand-felted wool acorns, anyone? How about invitations with owls on them?), and of course the reception had us all laughing and dancing. Can we do it again next weekend?

Baby Biker Hoodie II

One of my most favorite things in the world is surprising people. I just love it.

When Kate's son was born a year ago, I knit him a little blue cardigan and was thrilled beyond words when I saw photos of him wearing it (in the garden, no less). So for his first birthday, I thought he'd need another sweater. I used the same pattern and some lucious red and white wool. For the past few months at our knitting group (which Kate is part of ), I've been lying about who the sweater is for. Tee hee.

This is actually my second Baby Biker Hoodie-- the first is probably the first of many. Who can resist a baby sweater with bikes on it?! Kate and her family love biking. I even got to go on a bike ride with them recently. So fun.

You can see some photos of the sweater in action here. Caution: cutest smile ever!

Weekend in Denver

Last weekend, I went to Denver to see my friend Caitrin. We met in 1995 on a college orientation canoe trip. Here we are, fresh off the St. Croix river and ready to start our freshman year:






Last weekend, we went to see Kenny Chesney at Red Rocks. It rained the entire time. I was hoping for some serious country music people watching, but everyone was wearing ponchos and raincoats. Well, except for a few die-hards in cutoffs and tight tank tops. Caitrin made a clutch out of two trash bags to carry her phone in. Her phone is now not working. Note: do not rely on clutches made of trash bags to keep your phone dry in the pouring rain at an outdoor concert. But she did manage to get this picture:



Sweet, huh? The next day we drove around in the mountains and saw a marmot. It was super windy and cold. Caitrin's daughter, Macie, would have been just as happy to stay in the car the whole time! She was a good sport, though, and smiled for the pictures.




Like mother, like daughter... world's skinniest legs.


On Saturday, Macie had an Irish dance competition. She had a gorgeous new dress to wear. You would not believe all of the accessories and details that go in to getting ready. The hair was a huge undertaking, to say the least. But doesn't she look great?



Here she is, glueing her socks on like a good Irish dancer:


Seriously! What a heartbreaker. And it seems like she was just a teeny little baby sitting inside a pumpkin last week. How is she nine years old?!


Thanks to Caitrin's parents, we had this nice SportBrella to sit under:



Caitrin's aunt and I had a good time picking out the most hideous dresses. This one was a front-runner:



Macie in action! She was so great! She even got first place in one of her dances.


It started to rain just as the competition ended, so we scurried off for Mexican food and margaritas.

I have determined that I do not see my friends often enough. So you can all expect visits soon! xo

Surprises!

My friend Laura recently got back from a trip to Europe. Yes, that is the same Laura who accompanied me to Greece earlier this spring. She's a jet-setter.

Before she left, she borrowed my travel purse. When she brought it back (she even delivered it in person to the library; I was so excited to see her!), it was full of goodies. Three chocolate bars (not pictured below for obvious reasons), a crocheted dishcloth, and a BSC postcard. So fun! And the dishcloth is totally, 100 percent perfect. Would you believe that she just learned how to crochet, during her trip? What a natural.

Welcome back, Laura! And thank you for the very thoughtful gifts!