Look what I found waiting for me the other night when I finally went to bed at 12:45 a.m. (I was up at least twice more and didn’t get to sleep until almost 2 – AGAIN!). Instead of being upset, I was actually quite glad. I almost wished I could stay awake and look at their cute faces. They really are cutest when they’re asleep (and not just for the quiet). I love snuggling my boys. See? They left me a space…
Hmmm…I like this new online magazine trend. Take a look at this eye-pleasing offering called Papier Mache and be sure to also visit the Papier Mache Blog.
Note: This post was written by my husband without asking me about hijacking my blog. Do you see a reptile category on here?? Well, there is a perfectly good reason for that. I don’t want one!!! No more hijacking…I’m changing my password tout de suite.
Well, my mom was afraid it would happen. She left on vacation and while she was gone there was a drowning in her pool. It is a very sad day for it too, as the drowned individual was such a good friend.
I came home from work today, just like any other day, and all seemed to be well. I headed out back to turn on the pool cleaning robot named Hermie, and something just didn’t feel quite right. I did not know what it was. It seemed quieter than usual, almost like the whole yard was sad. As I aproached the pool to attach Hermie to the side of the pool, I gazed into the water and saw a terrible sight. Laying at the bottom was one of my bug erradicating friends.
I quickly pulled him out and tried my best, but he was beyond hope. The best I could do was lay his remains to rest with the thirty-odd squirrels that have irritated my father over the last twenty years. So please, a moment of silence for my little bug eating friend.
I can imagine that on such a hot day like today he probably just came over to cool off by the pool. Maybe just get a little drink. Probably eat a few of the bugs that are always close to the edge. Probably just slipped. Lost his balance you know. Fell in and could not get out. May have even hit his head. All I know is is gone on before us now.
Here is a view with my key so you can see just how large he is. Man, he could have eaten a TON of bugs.
Poor little guy. Eyes all glazed over. No hope at reviving him.
Let this death that came all too soon serve as a lesson to you all. Don’t go into or near the pool without adult supervision and your water wings on.
How cute is this pig? Check out John Segal’s new book Far, Far Away. More information can be found on John Segal’s Blog.
Cute! I might have to try some of these – I think it’s great they’re stuffed with old pillows, comforters or what have you. Excellent idea. Thanks to Pickles – After we move, I’m sure I’ll have to come up with some variation on this theme – it’s like giant amigurumi bodies/heads.
The inspector said we needed to brace the deck or have it looked at and every decking company could “fit me in” if we wanted to build a whole new deck but just to brace it or do a minor repair nobody would give me the time of day. So I decided to bother one of my most beautiful friends, Ilise (seriously – this woman looks good pregnant, not pregnant and everywhere in between – always beautiful) who married into the Walker family of men and boys and they bought a decking company in Papillion called Decks, Decks & More Decks. They came to my rescue! Her hubby, Robert, came out the very day after I called to measure and then his brothers, Chris & Jeff came a few days later to brace the deck. It made such a difference and they were so fast! It was so great to see them. Now I know two things about the Walker family: 1) they marry beautiful women (Ilise & Albanie) and 2) they do great deck work. Thanks, guys! Love from the Rolfsons always. If anybody needs deck work in the Omaha area – you can’t do better than these guys. And come and visit us in Texas!!! It’s not Costa Rica, but…we’ll do our best.
Look at these pictures from Hen & Hammock – a UK gardening site I just found tonight. What cute swings! I love the phrase on the edge – so cute and fun. Plus, be sure to check out the ideas at the UK gardening magazine called Country Homes & Interiors – great ideas, all!
Very neat idea – I could perhaps remember all the poses for sun salutation if I had them printed on my mat. Or…my favorite scripture…or my favorite quote…or my kids’ picture…or my own funky design. Great ideas, all! Check out these yoga mats you can design yourself.
If all of my readers & friends click on the link above (or in my sidebar) to share it or display the widget on their website, I can win a laptop! It’s a Hewlett Packard thing. Check out ways to go green and click on the link to help me win. If I do, I promise to host a super spectacular giveaway as a thank you.
I know, I know, it’s already all over Facebook but I had to share my thoughts about Cole’s tae testing this past Friday evening. He has worked so hard to finish this up before we move to Houston. The pic above is NOT Cole – it’s an adult in the class that also tested for his and got it. Cole made the same break before this man did – Cole got his on the first try – and it took this guy 3 times but he did it!!! It was just such a great shot, I had to share. If you click on it, you can see all of Cole’s and Gabe’s testing pictures at my Flickr account.
Here’s another pic – love these boys. They have worked so hard! I hope we can find a place they love as much in Houston. We will miss the many friends we’ve made at Gretna Tae Kwon Do – lifelong memories for sure. I called a few places in Houston and it sounds like his black belt will be honored everywhere but no matter where we go he’ll need to relearn all the colored belts to be a junior instructor to help lead the classes. We’re lucky to have such a willing kid. That’s almost like starting over but I understand why. The kids look to Cole already to help them with their lower belt ranks and he would need to help them with those wherever we go – even if they’re different from the ones he’s already learned. I am so excited for both Cole and Gabe and the skills they’ve learned. I told Cole they’ll pay off for the rest of his life if he doesn’t get lazy in his old age!!!
The realtor’s sign has never, ever looked as good as with it’s “SOLD” sleeve on it. Cole admitted he went out and hugged it after he watched the realtor put it on. HOORAY! Fingers still crossed for a smooth closing…
We have a signed contract and signed counter offer. Now, pray that all goes smoothly (don’t you think we deserve some of that smoothness?) through closing. It has been a rough year. We have learned much about our limitations, of which there are many. Showing a large house with 4 boys for 10 months has been no easy task, and the last month without hubby has been lonely. Those who love me best outright lie and say that I’ve handled it very well. I highly doubt that, but my only real benchmarks are: nobody’s dead, the house did get clean enough to sell and we all made it to church on time most of the time. Even if one week Ben was in his camoflauge rain boots (it was National Rain Boots Week, didn’t you hear?). I am now in MESS mode – living proof that we do have lives and we don’t have to clean all the time!!! I will NEVER apologize for a messy house again – I will be proud to LIVE there with my complicated, busy life. Socks and shoes strung out all over the mudroom means that my kids are here, alive, healthy and playing and remembered to take their shoes off – good kids that they are. Books and magazines strewn about means we have a little time to sit. And think. And ponder. And perhaps even learn something. It’s only day one but I have high hopes for days 2, 3 and beyond…here comes SUMMER!!! I say, bring it on!!!
p.s. The clematis pic is from our backyard deck – we will miss some of the plants we have babied for six years. Don found a replacement “vine” in Texas but it was a little too Little-Shop-Of-Horrors looking for me!
I’m extremely sad today. My boys are growing up. No more kindergartner for 2 years (and then I’ll REALLY cry!). Not to mention that my kids are about to wreak havoc on my life for the next 3 months! I absolutely love having them home but — let’s be honest — I’m not going to enjoy cleaning even MORE than I already am for showings, etc. I think we’ll be playing outside. A lot. I think I might pull out some summer plans that we made last year that we never got around to doing for one reason or another. The kids had some great ideas:
– talent show
– visiting an old folks’ home
– plant a garden (we’ve put off too long thinking we’re moving)
– surprise a family with cookies
– study birds
– visit a farmer’s market
– make homemade syrup night (elderberries, anyone?)
– pumpkin patch
– art night at a museum
– bike night
– rolfson track & field
– numbers night (I don’t even remember what this is!!!)
– tent in the backyard
– camping
– dance night
– cooking night
– campfire night
– no tv week
– reading night (okay, so we practically do this one every night)
Not a bad list to start, right? I’m going to aim low – one special thing a week. I can handle that!
I posted earlier about Ben wanting specific fabric at Joann’s…well, here is what we did with our two yards of each fabric: dinosaurs on one side – green Minky fabric on the other. The blanket was super easy to do – finished in one afternoon – but it took longer than it should have (doesn’t it always?) because the heat-n-bond I used to put the B-E-N letters on gummed up my needle and kept breaking the green Sulky thread. If anybody knows how to do a satin stitch so this won’t happen, please, please let me know!
Step 1: Lay fabric out with right sides together. Cut to the dimensions you want (I could use tips on accurately cutting large rectangles!).
Step 2: Print out the letters you want in the font of your choice – thicker is better and easier to sew regardless of what your stitch will be (best are zig zag or satin stitch).
Step 3: Cut out the letter and either trace it onto freezer paper or staple it to freezer paper and cut out the same shape out of the freezer paper. Create the letter so the waxy side is on the back.
Step 4: Iron the freezer paper, waxy side down, onto the fabric you want to create the letters – mine was brown. Cut out carefully with as smooth of edges as possible. After they’re cut, you can remove the freezer paper if you’d like to.
Step 5: Adhere heat-n-bond to the BACK side of the letters as per the directions on your product. I would highly recommend using a lighter version than the ultra heat-n-bond that I used because when satin stitching it created enough heat to gum up my needle and keep breaking the Sulky thread I was using so for the three large letters I had I had to clean the needle and rethread about twenty times! I, myself, will not be using a wonder-under type thing again but pin my letters in place securely and just sew them on that way. Tip: I ironed one letter on at a time while the others were pinned to the fabric so I would have a visual guide as to where each letter should be juxtaposed with the other two.
Step 6: I started out satin stitching but ended up having to zig zag because of the gummy needle situation (see above). To make a satin stitch with your machine, just widen your stitch width and shorten the stitch length to 1 or so (you can test this out and create a satin stitch to your liking).
Step 7: Return blanket top to match up – right sides together – with the minky bottom and sew all around the edges using about a half of an inch seam. I used a dinner plate to round the edges of mine – easier for kids to make their own beds with that shape of blanket! Then I sewed all around, leaving a 4″ to 5″ opening to turn the blanket inside out.
Step 8: Topstitch all around the edge as close to the edge as you can get while fingerpressing the opening and stitching it closed. Then, sew around the blanket again about a half of an inch inside the edge to give it a finished look. All done! Easy as pie. Definitely a favorite utilitarian blanket around here – and it looks so cute in Ben’s room.
Please, please if you know of a faster, easier or better way to do any part of this project, please let me know!
Look at these pretty beach-y pictures mentioned at Home Workshop. It makes me want a vacation so badly (and boy do I deserve one since hubby left for Houston without us over 2 weeks ago!). The thought of an entire year or longer living like this makes me swoon (and not in a romantic way!)…I’m going to my happy place…in my head, anyway, and it’s A BEACH RESORT!!!