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Memos, Mail, Me: The Late Edition

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Monday, the typical day for a memo post, was spent in the car. Traveling home from Chicago always seems much longer than going. Partially because we "lose" an hour coming back, but this time is was longer due mostly to summer road construction which starts in this part of the country as soon as it gets warm. We had good weather, though, in both directions for which I am always grateful.

This is a photo heavy post. We had a lovely time in Chicago. Our primary reason for going last week was to celebrate Hannah's baptism which took place on Sunday. One of the members of Sarah's congregation kindly took photos of the ceremony.

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And a family photo afterwards.

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After the ceremony there was a soccer game. Caleb scored two goals!

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Earlier in the week, there was a special trip to Legoland for Caleb (and Grandpa, too, if the truth be known.)

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And a chance to create once we got home. Caleb had this 450+ piece Lego set put together in less than a day.

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On Saturday, Sarah and I drove downtown to a Renegade Craft Fair Pop-up. I've been interested in these ever since Sarah lived near San Francisco, and I first heard of them. They're only held in big cities, and somehow I've never been in the right place at the right time. The vendors had lovely wares, but I was a bit surprised at how small the event was; perhaps that's the nature of the pop-up.

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Later that afternoon while Sarah and Adam attended a dress rehearsal of the youth musical, Tracy and I took the kids to the Chicago Botanic Garden. I love this place, and never tire of the model train garden (no photos there this time) or any of the other beautiful displays. This is my favorite photo from the trip because it shows so clearly how wonderfully Caleb and Hannah get along, despite the age difference. Caleb is a super big brother.

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This was the first trip we've made during the spring season at the Botanic Garden, and the spring flowers were glorious.

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Needless to say, there was plenty of mail when we returned. There was quite a lovely stack of birthday cards (a few highlighted below), two wonderful gifts honoring my OLW "Joy" from Honoré, and two new stamp sets which will soon be put to use for the remaining May birthdays and anniversaries (of which there are many!)

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For now, I'm still trying to get unpacked and organized while keeping busy with multiple commitments that were on the calendar before we left. I hope things are going well for you mid-week!

 

 

 

 

A Trifecta of Celebrations

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Today is Mother's Day in the United States which this year falls on my birthday, and thanks to some wonderful planning, is also the day of Hannah's baptism.

I have four cards to share today, and will be back in a day or two with a belated Monday Memo post. We'll be on the road heading home tomorrow.

First of all, the card for Hannah. I've known what I wanted to do for this card ever since I saw Betsy Veldman's card when "Petite Places: Church" was released by Papertrey Ink. There's likely to be another baptism in the family in the next year, and I'm thinking this will be my "go-to" design for baptisms.

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I stamped Hannah's name on the envelope with a new-to-me stamp from Concord and 9th, "Perfectly Penned" in a light gray. Hannah's nursery is pink and gray so it's an appropriate combination. I used the same gray to stamp the details on the church.

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The card base is the "A2 Vertical" die from Papertrey Ink that I was anxiously awaiting to arrive before we left for Chicago. All the other dies and stamps are also Papertrey Ink:  "Petite Places: Church", "Scene-It: Skyscapes," "Banner Styles," and a stitched oval from the "A2 Noted" set.

I also have three Mother's Day cards to share. One for my mother-in-law:

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This is another card made totally with Papertrey Ink products. A friend loaned me her "Butterfly Hope" cover plate which pretty much makes the card all by itself. I die cut it from Plum Pudding cardstock and again with the dotted vellum. I added a small tag and some berries from the "Beautiful Berries: Spring" set. The sentiment is from an older anniversary set, "Pretty Peonies. "

One for Betsy:

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And yet again, a card created almost entirely with a die, Papertrey Ink's "Mix and Mat: Scallops." The banner is from a My Favorite Things Blueprints set. 

And finally, for Sarah. 

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I recently purchased the Papertrey Ink Mini Market Kit, "Lovely Laurels." With the exception of the bows which came from the "Gathered Garden" dies, the whole card is from the kit. I love the way the wreath is a partial die cut. The sentiment on the preprinted patterned paper seemed perfect for a mom who's celebrating Mother's Day as well as her daughter's baptism.

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Sarah's also participating in a church musical this afternoon. She plays the part of God, which I find pretty amusing. I think she likes the role because she's up in the balcony where no one sees her, and the part does not require a costume. Adam is also in the play, but I'm not sure what role he plays. Between the church service and the play, Caleb has a soccer game, so we have a full day planned.

Here's wishing every mother, whether or not you're officially celebrating Mother's Day today, a wonderful day!

Memos, Mail, Me: May 1 Edition

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Hard to believe it's the first of May, but I'm greeting it quite happily as I know that most likely we'll be having warmer weather from here on out. But there's no guarantee. The weekend went from warm and sunny to cold and rainy. 

Our weekend started early with a dinner and movie with three other couples. The guys in Tracy's mens' book group read The Lost City of  Z a few years ago, and wanted to see the movie, and the wives decided to join them. It wasn't a movie I would have chosen to see, but it was very good, and the ending will stay with me for some time. Based on true events, it tells the story of Percy Fawcett who finds evidence of a lost civilization while mapping an Amazonian river. Despite much skepticism from the scientific community, he and his son return to the jungle to try and prove his case. The sacrifice his devoted wife makes for his journeys is remarkable.

Friday night we were out again. This time to a local brewpub with our friends, Karen and Mike. On Saturday, Matt, Betsy and the girls came for dinner. It's so much fun to be with these girls. Skylar lost almost all her hair, her eyebrows, and eyelashes last fall, but with thyroid medication it is all coming back. The kids in her kindergarten and day care have been absolutely wonderful—no teasing, so there was no change in her wonderful sunny disposition. This smile is who she is!

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Sunday we had dinner at Tracy's mom's along with his sister and brother-in-law. Despite all the festivity around meals, the rest of the weekend was pretty quiet, and I got a lot of work done. I need a lot of birthday and anniversary cards for May, and have fallen behind in my assignments for Once Upon a Time: Your Photographs Have Stories to Tell, a class on contemplative photography. I'm also enrolled in Ali Edwards Type class, and had several videos to watch. Although I've been remiss in posting my sketches on Instagram recently, I've managed to keep up with the #100DayProject as well. It was great to have a couple days with few commitments. 

The mail brought a few goodies. One was a gift which I can't share here for a week or so, and another was the rather amazing Simon Says May Card Kit. They are always well worth the money, but this one seemed even more packed than usual:  two acetate sheets of designs, an exclusive animation stamp set with everything you need to make an animation slider card, patterned papers, two watercolor cards, a set of markers, as well as coordinating cardstock.

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The stamp is a new "animation" stamp. I've watched a few videos about how to use it, but don't have any occasion for it quite yet. Given the many cards I do need, this kit will sit on the back burner for awhile. I was hoping for a small package from Papertrey Ink, but it didn't arrive. I rarely order between releases, but I've been on a waiting list for a vertical A2 scalloped die for quite some time. The first time I got a notice it was back in stock, it was out of stock again before I got it in my cart. This time I jumped right on it. I have all the pieces of a card prepared, just waiting for this to show up. Hopefully soon, since I need the card on the 14th of May for a very special occasion.

Waving to Sian and the Monday Memo Makers! Hope you have a great week!

Memos, Mail, Me: The Valentine Edition

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It's after dinner, and I'm just getting around to writing my Monday Memo blog post. It was a busy, busy weekend. We had the delightful job of babysitting for our three granddaughters on Friday night after a busy day entertaining a friend for lunch and volunteering in the afternoon.

Our Presbytery hosted its annual Church Leadership Development Day on Saturday. I was the official greeter prior to the worship service, and as soon as it ended I slipped out to go to the memorial service for a friend who lost her battle to ovarian cancer. It was a beautiful tribute to a very caring lady. Her three children spoke eloquently. I could have never spoken at my mother's funeral, so I am always impressed with the poise some people possess. I returned to attend an excellent workshop on exploring ways of companioning those facing loss or in crisis. 

On Sunday, I introduced our speaker for Sunday Seminar—the wonderful professor whose Old Testament course I took last fall. As always, her presentation was both scholarly, stimulating, and entertaining. After church, Miss Skylar came to bake valentine cookies.

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Skylar took some cookies home for her family, some for her cousin and aunt, and we saved some for dinner on Wednesday night when they'll be here to celebrate Valentine's Day a day late.

Between events, I was making dark chocolate almond clusters with sea salt (yum!), and packaging my valentines for friends and family. 

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One box of the chocolates went to a friend this afternoon, and the other is going to my hairdresser tomorrow when I get my hair cut. The cute container is from Reverse Confetti. I bought two packages of them when they were released, and love how easy it is to create a cute package with the accompanying die cuts. The XOXO die cut is from Simon Says, and the patterned paper is from a 6X6 paper pad by Echo Park.

I used the same containers for the Valentines for my older granddaughters. No worries that they'll see these on the blog before they get them on Wednesday.

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Almost everything in the boxes came from Target and Michael's in Chicago when Sarah and I were shopping for the goodie bags for Caleb's birthday party. The crayon notebooks are little sketch books. Inside the box is a tube of colored pencils, some tiny highlighters, an eraser that looks like a cactus, a pack of sticky notes, and a couple of magnetic bookmarks.

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Last, the goodies for the kids and co-workers at the after school program where I volunteer twice a week. 

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I bought the fry boxes last year at Michaels and tucked them away in my Valentine bin. They worked perfectly to hold some dark chocolates for the three folks I work with in the intermediate room. I tied a tiny valentine to some brightly colored pencils I found at Target for the kids. Pencils always seem to be at a premium.

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All these valentine gifts are in remembrance of my father whose favorite holiday was Valentine's Day, and never failed to send me a package and/or flowers. 

So, what about the mail?

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Well, I got some great mail again this week. A darling "Save the Date" card from the daughter of a good friend. Check out Emily's great lettering on the envelope. I also got two books. I ordered the bottom one after checking it out of the library and realizing that I would want to underline and take notes. The top one was hand delivered by a friend. She read it on vacation and thought that both Sarah and I would enjoy it as well. Katherine Patterson was unknown to my friend, but she's a favorite author of mine. I think I've probably read Bridge to Terabithia at least fifteen times with fifth graders as well as several readings of  The Great Gilly Hopkins and Lyddie. I've enjoyed her books of essays, The Spying Heart  and Gates of Excellence, but I was unaware of her memoir, Stories of My Life. I'm really looking forward to reading it, and expect to put it in the tote bag for our March road trip. Then it will go to Sarah when we make our next trip to Chicago.

Waving to Sian at From High in the Sky, whose brilliant idea started this weekly meme, and all the rest of the Monday memo makers.

Memos, Mail, Me: It’s Monday

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Waving to Sian and the other Monday memo makers! I thought for sure I'd be without any mail to share since we're still in Chicago, but then I remembered that thanks to Amazon Prime, I've received two pieces of mail this week. Of course, I think they're interesting because I ordered them! 

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On top of the book is a new memory card reader. My old one is at least five times bigger, and I haven't traveled with it in years. Tracy's laptop has a memory card slot so I was using it, then transferring the images to my laptop to edit or post them. Last week I wondered if perhaps there might be a better answer, and here it is. It cost all of $7-8, and works like a charm.

The book I ordered on Saturday night and it arrived early this morning. John Berger passed away recently, and last week I read two blog posts about him here and here. I was so interested that I decided I wanted (and needed) to read it. I've decided to put a bigger focus on photography this year after backing off during 2016. Although Berger's book deals primarily with paintings much of what he writes about can be applied to photography as well.

Thanks for all your comments and emails wondering how Sarah and Hannah are doing. Both are doing well. It will be a while yet before Sarah gets her energy back, but considering where we were two weeks ago today, it's been a quick recovery. Caleb is quite smitten with his baby sister and is very affectionate.

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Today was Caleb's "friends" birthday party. His fifth birthday was mostly spent at a friend's house since that was the day Hannah was born, and Sarah had her second surgery. Today he hosted 14 friends at a "Jump Zone," a wild place with inflatable bouncy houses and slides. Let me just say, the five year olds were in heaven!

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The birthday boy on his way home. It was the perfect day for a party—cold, wet, and dreary—even the parents were glad to have a place for their kids to run around for an hour or so. Caleb had both sets of grandparents there today as Adam's parents are here for three days on their way to England. As amazing as it was that Hannah was born on Caleb's birthday, Adam's sister who lives in England had her third child the day before Hannah was born. Lots of excitement in this family!

A Quick Update

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It's not often that a week goes by without a blog post, but it's been quite an unusual week. Shortly after I posted the news about Hannah's arrival, we received word that Sarah had been taken back into surgery for internal bleeding. The surgery went well, but when we arrived in Evanston on Saturday, we found her in the ICU. On Sunday afternoon she moved back to the Women's Hospital, and spent another three and a half days there. The staff at the Evanston Hospital is first-rate as is the facility itself. Thursday afternoon Sarah and Hannah came home. It's been a surprisingly easy transition for both mama and baby. Needless to say, I haven't been on the computer much, except to post on Facebook and Instagram for two photography projects (both daily 365 projects). I'll be around to catch up with all of you next week some time, and I have a couple projects I hope to post as well.

I'll leave you with a photo of Caleb and Hannah's first meeting. Caleb wore his Superman T-shirt, and brought his new sister a Wonder Woman sticker. He's been wonderful during the time his mama was in the hospital and at home with Hannah as well.

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I think my end of the year reflections, and One Little Word posts are likely to be a month late this year. But, in fact, holding a baby and entertaining a five year old takes precedence over almost anything. Hope your year is off to a good start!

Memorandum Monday

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It was a very unusual weekend. It began with a record high temperature on Friday of 72°. This morning we woke up to nearly a foot of snow and very windy conditions. We've definitely been spoiled, and I'm definitely not ready for this kind of winter!

The big event this weekend was celebrating Ella's second birthday. Her birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year, and most of us will be traveling. We went over after church to give her our gifts. Several years ago, we bought Skylar her own chair from Pottery Barn Kids. This year it was Ella's turn and she was delighted to get her own personalized chair.

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We also gave her a box filled with notepads and pencils. Her favorite character is Mickey Mouse, and that was the theme for her party in the afternoon. I found some cute stickers to decorate the box where she can store her pads and pencils.

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Later in the afternoon there was a party at "The Little Gym." It was the perfect place for toddlers and some of their older siblings to run around and play. The staff there was fabulous and there was just the right mix of activities and free play.

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Of course, there was cake. Wegmans, our local grocery store extraordinaire, creates the most amazing and delicious cakes.

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I made Ella a shaker card for her birthday, which she promptly pulled apart to get at all the sequins. Later on, we pieced it back together again.

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Waving to Sian and other Memorandum Monday folks! Here's to a great week.

 

Memorandum Monday

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Waving to Sian and MM fans this beautiful Monday in Chicago. We often make a visit to Sarah and Adam in the fall, but this year we came a month earlier than usual so we would be here for a very special event– Sarah's installation service as Associate Pastor for the Winnetka Congregational Church. Although she's worked there for nearly two years, she has been in an "acting associate" role, and it has been mutually agreed that it should be made official, and as the Head Pastor said, "settled."

I don't have many photos, although I hope to get some from the church eventually. Two of these were taken by Adam, and none of them show the beautiful stole the church gave her yesterday, hand-embroidered with branches of a tree. The cover of the bulletin for the service was also a tree (a symbol Sarah uses often,) and the choir sang, "The Tree of Life" by John Rutter as one of the anthems.

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I've attended many installation services over the years, and must say this was one of the most personal I've ever attended, probably because the congregation and staff know her so well. (You can see a bit of the lovely stole in this photo taken during the service.)

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After the ceremony there was a luncheon on the lawn—great sandwiches and delicious chocolate cake.

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At least one person started with dessert!

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It was a day to celebrate—and something new for Memorandum Monday!

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5 in 5 and Memorandum Monday

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I'm waving to Sian and her friends today. It was an incredibly busy weekend here filled with all kinds of new experiences. Tracy's high school class celebrated their 50th High School Reunion this weekend, and he was the chairperson of the event. He and the committee have been planning this event for the last several years, and I actually know more people in his graduating class than I would in my own. (Granted I only attended my that high school for two years.) There was a Friday night gathering at a local bar, a Saturday night dinner, and a Sunday picnic. In addition, we hosted breakfast for seven Saturday morning–friends who had arrived from Florida, England, New Mexico, and Illinois. I took almost no photos of the events since there were several people taking lots of photos. But here's a snapshot from the Saturday night dinner of the planning committee.

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I learned lots about his classmates over the course of the weekend, but nothing of great interest to share here.

Squeezed into Saturday was Skylar's fifth birthday party, and as always, Betsy planned a wonderful event with face painting, and balloon animals. I did take LOTS of photos there. Here are five in five minutes during the breaking of the pinata for Sandi's September 5 in 5 meme:

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You can see the amazing face (and arm) painting in this one. The woman who did these was a wonderful artist.

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There will be more birthday photos come Wednesday for SNAP! For now, I'm off to get my homework done for class, and wrap up some odds and ends that need to be finished this week.

 

 

I love it!

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On my creative calendar was to try another technique from the Online Card Class, Heat Wave. Kristina Werner created a card that combined stamping some images with colored inks and embossing others. I ended up using three different stamp sets to create the flower border: "Build-able Bouquet" by My Favorite Things, "Handwritten Floral Greetings," by Simon Says, and "One Big Happy," by Papertrey Ink.

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The sentiment is from Penny Black's "Kind Words," and you'll see in a moment how very appropriate it is. After embossing the sentiment, the centers of some of the flowers, and  leaves with Liquid Platinum embossing power, I attached the card to some fun foam, and then to a card made with Hawaiian Shores.

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The card is for the mother of a close friend. Ruth is a wonderful quilter who is now in her 90's. She had a collection of over 40 quilts that she hadn't already given away, and decided it was time to share them. (She made a beautiful quilt for Sarah from quilt squares created by my great-grandmother and great aunts, and gave it to her as a high school graduation gift.) This time I was the lucky recipient. Since red is my favorite color, it was a perfect choice. Here it is folded on a chair in my living room.

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And spread out on the back of my couch.

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It's entirely hand-stitched and here's a close-up:

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I've yet to find the perfect spot to showcase it, maybe on my bed—although I'd love to hang it. It was a very special gift, and I'm very grateful to have received it. It's not often that I post twice in one day, but I wanted to get the card posted to the class gallery before it closes this week.

 

SNAP: the Grandchildren

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We spent more time with our grandchildren last week than we usually do. Caleb's visit combined with the arrival of Madelyn meant we had lots and lots of time together. They played in Matt and Betsy's wonderful yard, went to a splash park, went to the playground, and in general, had a wonderful time together. It amazes all of us that the minute Caleb arrives, it's as if he lived next door. Actually it's been almost a year and a half since they've seen one another. I've got a pile of photos, but I tried to find four that represented a bit of the different activities, and one that included the new addition to the family. 

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Linking up with Helena where you'll find more SNAP sets: three or four related photos.

Welcome Madelyn Tyler

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Matt and Betsy welcomed little girl #3 this morning. Madelyn Tyler weighed in at 7#13oz. Everyone is doing great. Here are some unedited iPhone photos, and then I'm off to make dinner for the other two little girls, their dad, and Sarah, Adam, and Caleb who came to spend the week, knowing they'd be here for the big event.

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Neither of the big sisters were interested in photos today at the hospital, but they were happy to meet her.

SNAP 27: A Birthday Party

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Yesterday was my mother-in-law's 87th birthday, and we celebrated with a family picnic at our house. I thought I'd share four photos from the party for this week's SNAP—a photography meme of 3-4 related photos hosted every week by Helena.

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The cake was "Chocolate Decadence" made by Leo's bakery, and it was moist, rich, and totally delicious! Skylar and Ella had left by the time we had cake, so Caleb was the only great-grandchild available to help blow out candles. Before the little girls left, however, the three great-grandchildren provided some "musical" entertainment. Caleb and Gigi had a great time together opening all the cards and notes.

Here's the card I made for Mom.

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Once again my starting point was the fabulous Papertrey Ink Make-it Market Kit: "Don't Forget to Write." The kit was a big splurge, but worth every penny. The two stitched panels are from the A2 Note Card dies by Papertrey, and I die cut the letters from Neat and Tangled's "Journaling Alpha." The stamped sentiment is from "Retro Style Birthday" (PTI).

And while I'm here, #7 for the Summertime Photography Hunt:  a family gathering, surely not the last opportunity I'll have this summer for this item on the list.

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Everyone looks a bit overdosed from the chocolate cake and ice cream, but we had a great time!

Happy Father’s Day

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It's Father's Day, and I made cards for three of the "very best" dads I know:  my husband, my son, and my son-in-law. All three of them spend as much time with their kids as they can, have great relationships with their children, and are loving, caring parents. The best there is, truly.

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I started with Avery Elle's sentiment set, "Handwritten Notes," and then add "DAD" die cut and stamped with Papertrey's "Headline" alphabet. I die cut the sentiment with a Simon Says "Stitched Circle" die and mounted it on a piece of black cardstock that I scored three times on the top and the bottom.

We had a nice Face Time chat with Adam, Sarah, and Caleb, and we spent some time with Matt and his family this morning after church. Betsy's niece is an accomplished Irish dancer and her troupe was performing at the Brighton Farmer's Market. Ella was entranced.

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I love this photo of Nadia with her gorgeous hair flying behind her as she danced. The fast foot work is amazing!

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It was almost 90° at noon when they were dancing so they stayed as close to the shade as they could.

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This ought to be my Memorandum Monday post (my first Irish dancing performance, but surely not my last!), but by then Father's Day will be over. We're actually celebrating Father's Day again tomorrow with a combined Father's Day and Graduation party at Betsy's father's house. Hope you've had a great weekend!

Ten on Tuesday: Memorial Day Weekend

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This week's list for Carole's Ten on Tuesday asks for 10 things you did on the weekend. Mine was a busy one, but most of my photos are from the last part of the weekend. It was a three-day weekend in the U.S. although mine started on Friday and spans four days!

1. I walked with my friend, Debbie, from Pittsford to Bushnell's Basin (about a 5.75 mile walk) which we end with breakfast at the Coal Tower. 

2. Friday afternoon I picked up my pots for the patio. For the last three years, I've taken my three biggest pots to a local garden center and have them planted. It's proven to be very cost effective, and I'm always pleased with the results.

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3. Although I have photos from my very special evening on Friday, they aren't ones I can post on the blog. The agency where I volunteer once a week has conducted a year-long project funded by a generous grant for the fourth and fifth grade girls. They've had the opportunity to visit a college, attend etiquette lessons while having a tea party (their favorite activity), go rock climbing, and visit local businesses. It expands the horizons of girls who are growing up in one of the worst neighborhoods in Rochester. The culminating event was a very fancy dinner at one of the nicest hotels in the Rochester area. The staff acquired fancy dresses for all the girls, and transported them. The girls chose the menu, picked out the color of the napkins, and created a lovely invitation. I was lucky enough to receive one of them. The girls loved every minute of the dinner, and everyone received a diploma for "graduating" from the program. The staff has applied for another grant for next year, and I hope they get it. It was such a positive experience for everyone.

4. Saturday morning was hot and humid. Not a great day for cooking for a crowd in a kitchen with no air conditioning, but that's what my Dining Room Ministry team did. The food is always appreciated and I work with a great group of people from elementary school age to over 90 years old from my church. Our church hosts a lunch every Saturday (even on Christmas if it falls on a Saturday). We serve 80-90 meals each week. There are 10 teams, and we rotate throughout the year.

5. When I got home, Tracy and I went to visit our friend, Bob. Keep your prayers coming. The chemotherapy is doing some good, and he is feeling stronger. He was able to enjoy visits from both his daughters, and from family who was here visiting from California this week.

6. Late that afternoon, we attended our final performance at Geva Theater, our wonderful local repertory theater. The play, The May Queen, takes place in a small city in the Hudson Valley, just a few miles from where I graduated from high school so I was familiar with all the places that were referenced. It was an odd play (neither Tracy nor I know quite what to make of it), but it was well acted and the staging was great—as always.

7. It had cooled down considerably by the time we left the theater so we treated ourselves to dinner outside at one of our favorite restaurants on Park Avenue. It's a Lebanese restaurant, and the food is always excellent. Watching the folks parade up and down the street adds an element of entertainment to the dinner.

8. Sunday, after purchasing some plants for the front circle and our vegetable beds, we went off to Home Depot to buy a new shower head for my bathroom. On the way out of the store, we happened to find a sale on a wonderful new umbrella for our patio. Sarah had recently found a solar-powered, lighted patio umbrella which we loved. We hadn't had any luck finding one that was affordable online or in the one or two places we'd previously looked. This one is rectangular so provides a lot more shade for our rectangular table. It was the final touch to setting up the patio for the summer. I turned on the lights for the photo, but I'm sure it will be more charming in the evening. In the background you can see Tracy's lush shade garden. It's really in top form this year. We still need to set up the fountain, and do some transplanting, but it's ready for use. We'll be eating breakfast and lunch out here regularly. If it's hot, we usually choose to have dinner inside since the patio gets the strong afternoon sun. This photo was taken about 7:30 at night, and then it's great for reading and having a glass of wine.

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9. Monday was Memorial Day—a day to remember all the veterans who have given their lives in far too many wars over so many years. One way people commemorate the day is with parades. Matt and Betsy's neighborhood has traditionally held a parade for the kids (and their parents) in the neighborhood. After a short speech to help the kids understand the reason for the holiday, a fire truck and police led the parade through the neighborhood. Ella and Skylar were all ready for the event.

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Skylar rode her bike which she and her dad had decorated.

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10. Betsy's father recently moved into a new house, and he hosted a huge picnic for family and friends Monday afternoon and evening. The girls absolutely love his new pool. Ella is amazing as she floats around the pool (adult close by). She couldn't wait to get into the water.

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Skylar and two of her friends spent a LONG time jumping into the pool on the count of three, climbing out and jumping in again. It never lost its appeal and finally, the parents told them it was time to get out of the pool. Miss Skylar is the one closest to the camera.

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In between all this activity, I managed to get some reading, planting, and organizing done. I recently completed a free four week online course hosted by InkWELL Press. I'd already cleaned out a lot of the areas covered in the course, but still had some things I wanted to clean up in our bedroom. Spurred on by Honoré's book sorting, I redid the book shelf in our bedroom, purged some volumes, and reorganized all the rest. Let me just say, I have enough books on those shelves alone to keep me busy for at least another year or two!