2009 Rewind

Me and AJ New Years Day 2009

AJ, Luke and Annie (my nephew and niece, Steve's sister's kids) New Years Day 2009

AJ, Parker and Adreanna (my nephew and niece, my brother's kids) sledding on Boxing Day 2009

2009 was super great! Here is an overview of last year:

* all attorney dinner * Gainesville, FL * AJ turned 2 * AJ's playdate birthday party * painted the office yellow (straw) * tissue paper flowers with 4H East kids * Entered an art auction with a painting of a dog and a stone bracelet * Madtown * 1st Madison farmer's market of the year * UW Madison Spring Football Game (AJ's first football game- he LOVED it!!) * Visit with Paske's * Visit with Steph * Boston * FENWAY!!! * North End eating * History strolling * New, big TV, entertainment center and basement painted gold (while we were in Boston) * Block Party (so windy and cold!) * 7 year anniversary * Hillie's grad party in Minneapolis * June parties including one at our house * visit with Johnson family * #34 * Gary & Earlene come to visit * pimped out garage * annual family reunion (Koehler family) at our house * VEGAS!! * Spa at Bellagio * GREAT eats in the desert * coming home a winner!! * zoo with a bunch of Dietrich's * visit with Julie and family in Hancock * visit with Stacy and her girls * Minneapolis visit to see Carol, Mark and Hillie before Hill goes to Georgetown * party at Mella's (with croquet and my team won!) * girl's night out * fairy and gnome party at museum * visit with Steph and her boys * another successful Road Rally * fairy party at our house * Martha and Patrick's baby welcoming shower at our house * visit with Gary * 2 huge trees cut down in our yard- it changed everything! * Birds in Art dinner and reception * Wausau Festival of Arts * Firehouse open house * Talk Like a Pirate Party at John & Nancy's * visit with Mark & Jen * Apple Orchard * OctoBIRDfest at the museum * Pumpkin patch * Gary & Earlene visit * Trick or Treating with Mower Man * hired Nikki our super awesome babysitter * started volunteering at Boys & Girls Club in the Art Room * Jeanne's party * Click, Clack Moo at The Grand * Lucy's party * Kim's party *Thanksgiving up north * B&B Party * Wildtree Party at our house * Mobile Meals Holiday party * Chicago with mom * Met my blogger buddy, Mel in Chicago * One of a Kind Art and Gift Show (I will blog about this) * good eats in Chitown * Marty & Laurie's Holiday party * Mosaic star ornaments with 4H East kids * Steve's 35th and an awesome bottle of wine * Mella's holiday open house * Christmas * sledding on Boxing Day * Christmas with the Dietrich's * opened an ETSY shop!!

Whew! What a year! It seems we upped our popularity this year since it seemed like we were invited to a lot of parties but we also had a few too. Seemed like we were always busy and 2010 is going to be busy as well. Fun busy. We have a trip to New York planned for March and a family vacation to Florida (Captiva Island) in May that we are looking forward to and a few big projects for me. I opened an etsy shop to keep me on my toes (hopefully!) and I have a custom invitation job early this year (500 invitations) that will keep me very busy and up late at night.

Please visit my new etsy shop!! http://www.mypepita75.etsy.com/ It includes artwork from both me and my mom.

Happy 1 year anniversary to me!

So 1 year ago today I decided that 2 blogs weren't enough and started this one. So I say Happy Anniversary to me. Guess what? I am doing the exact same thing on New Year's Eve that I was doing last year- blogging, editing pictures and trying to catch my breath. I don't particularly care for New Year's Eve. People feel forced to have fun and stay up late. The service is usually slow and sub-par. It is generally icy or snowy out in these parts. It just feels fake to me. Maybe it is because I have never really had an awesome New Year's, maybe it is in my genes as my mom doesn't like it either, I don't know. It is a day of reflection more than anything for me. I'd much rather stay home and spend a normal night with my family and be hangover free tomorrow.

Anyway, I did have a list of goals for 2009- some of which were achieved and some that weren't... Here was my list for 2009:

1. 15 new card designs for My Pepita's Magic *
2. Read 15 novels *
3. Try a new recipe once a week *
4. Go to church at least two Sundays per month
5. Make at least one silver piece
6. Clean out the storage room *
7. Throw an awesome fairy party *
8. Build a fairy house in the woods behind our house
9. Paint the new office, basement, downstairs bathroom and AJ's room *
10. Hang our artwork *
11. Try one felted project
12. Keep up with 3 blogs *
13. Do one scrapbook
14. Do something a little rock star

Well, the asterisks indicate which ones I did... But number 9 gets a half of an asterisk- I didn't paint the downstairs bathroom because I actually decided to keep it the color it is for awhile anyway and I have yet to paint AJ's room. I did try a new recipe once a week for the most part- sometimes it was 2 in one week if I didn't get to it the previous week. I even made a new delish casserole tonight! I cleaned out the storage room BUT it is a great big mess once again! This summer was crazy busy so I didn't get a chance to build the fairy house. And the rock star thing that I want to do I may still do... just in 2010. I need my girl, Kendra's help with it and I think she might do this with me too. My husband will probably kill me but- oh well! :)

My 2010 list is not ready yet but I will probably have some of the goals from 2009 that I didn't get a chance to do on it. Look for my list in January!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have many, many things to be thankful for but these are the two I am most thankful for!

How I know I live with a toddler (Part 7)...

* Everyday is like Dance Party USA in our house. The music is cranked, the living room lights are on and he boogies down. He'd dance to static if that's all he could find on the radio.
* He knows he can get the lids off of everything. One day during naptime (but obviously not napping), right after he went into a toddler bed, I found him rubbing Vapo Rub all over his cheeks. He came downstairs with goop all over his hands and cheeks and I took one whiff and just shook my head.
* We have a song that we sing about poopy diapers: 'Poop goes in the potty, poop goes in the potty, poop goes in the potty and we flush it down!' When else do you make up songs about poop?
* Speaking of that rhyme... Last week I caught him in the bathroom pulling tissues out of the box (brand new, of course) and the toilet paper roll missing (oinly about 1/4 of it gone before)- the cardboard tube was empty in the trash can (at least he put it in the trash when it was out). As I am walking down the hall, I hear and 'We flush it down!' and it was a slow motion 'NO!!!!' to the bathroom as he was trying to flush it down. There was so much tissue paper in there that the top was dry and there wasn't much water left...
* Tonight he sucked all the dressing off my salad greens and threw the lettuce back in the bowl for me to eat. Gee, thanks.
* I left my makeup bag on our bathroom counter (I usually put it in the linen closet on a higher shelf) before I went out last week to a girls night out party and my husband came in to the bathroom looking for him and he was putting my lipstick on... all over his face.
* He is always stealing and wearing our shoes around the house.
* I was on the phone one day on a particularly naughty day and you know they are always even more naughty while you are distracted on the phone right? Well I walked into his room and he had the wipes down off the dresser and his floppy dog, Pound Cake, was laying on the changing mat spread eagle and he was wiping off his nether region with the wipe! It was so darn cute!
* He's ALWAYS jumping on something. The trampoline at gymnastics class is his absolute favorite. He also likes to jump into the pool and on the bed and on the couch and on the floor and anywhere else he can find to jump.
* Everytime I put lipstick on he wants some too. So I use chapstick for him!

Current Playlist

So my 'Autumn '09' (which some of was made before Autumn started...) mix is currently on loop. Or overplay. Use whatever term you'd like but I am digging it. One of my current (current being the last 6 months) obsessions is the group, TV on the Radio. They are awesome. BTW, Mel, you'll find some of these songs a little familiar since they came from one of your playlists...

1. Golden Age- TV on the Radio
2. Turn On Me- The Shins
3. Skin Is, My- Andrew Bird
4. Love Dog- TV on the Radio
5. If I Had Eyes- Jack Johnson
6. Relator- Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
7. Recycled Air- The Postal Service
8. You Look Like Rain- Morphine
9. Chicago- Sufjan Stevens
10. Modern Guilt- Beck
11. On A Cloud- PPP featuring Karma
12. Koop Island Blues- Koop featuring Ane Brun
13. Fireflies- Owl City
14. Poker Face- Lady GaGa
15. Winter Song- Sara Barielles & Ingrid Michelson
16. Baby (You've Got What It Takes)- Michael Buble with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
17. Your Ex-Lover is Dead- Stars
18. Friend Like You- Joshua Radin
19. Under Cold Blue Stars- Josh Rouse
20. Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)- Beyonce

I am so in love with the songs Love Dog and Fireflies. Can't get enough of them! I often find myself singing Relator because of the great beat and dancing to On a Cloud for the same reason. You Look Like Rain and Koop Island Blues put me in a mood (or should I say in the mood?). I laughed out loud when the football team on Glee sang Single Ladies. I don't normally like Beyonce but I love this song and Halo. Chicago has a sense of nostalgia tied to it. I like it. Listen to them on itunes or Pandora and you'll hear that you like them too!

Sugar Doll

Okay, so I am not sure if this is really an 'award' or not but Mel at Chicago Girl Gone Mild nominated me for it... Thanks! :)

The rules are that I have to now post the logo, reveal 10 interesting things about myself and nominate 10 other bloggers for the award. Here goes:

1. I have never been on a diet. I think that is going to change soon as it is starting to show...

2. I am an incredibly loyal person- to family, friends, businesses I like, etc. However, if a business betrays me or really drive me nuts, I boycott it. One business I have boycotted and will never go to is Home Depot. Their customer service sucks.

3. I keep in touch with a lot of people. Friends often come to me to hear what is going on with others or for addresses.

4. I love mail. I hope we never go all electronic. Do you think that would happen?

5. I am a homebody. I like to hang out at home and create, play on the computer, watch TV, read... There are many weekends that I don't leave the house.

6. I love board games, dice games and card games. I am also pretty competitive. My favorite card game is Skip-Bo and dice game is Yahtzee. I don't have a favorite board game- I love them all! I also enjoy word games & jigsaw puzzles. I don't play games often enough. Back when I lived in Minneapolis, I worked for 2 different daycares for school age kids and I played board or card games everyday...

7. I knew my hubby and I were going to be together forever when, after 2.5 months, he wrote me a sonnet in iambic pentameter and he had a dog named Squirt. I always wanted to name a dog Squirt! Also, I think our AJ is one of the cutest kids on the planet and is going to keep the girls chasing after him!

8. I have only straightened my curls once and that was for a Halloween costume. And it was only half my hair.

9. I am a very giving person- time, objects and money.

10. I won 'Funniest Walk' in two different dorms with completely different people in college. I never thought about my walk until then. Then I asked a couple of high school friends and they said 'yeah... it's true.' I still can't figure out why my walk is so funny!

Ten Bloggers- How about 4? Well, I'll give you some but I doubt they'll do it from mine... I don't read many blogs regularly except for these (and Mel's...).

* Operation NICE

* paisley wallpaper

* WhiMSy Love

* Majer Minutes

Thanks Mel! :)

My love affair with Halloween

I love Halloween. Always have, always will (well, maybe I won't when I am old and can't get up to answer the door for trick or treaters...). I love dressing up for it and thinking of a costume months in advance. I love that there are so many craft ideas to do for Halloween. I love that it is in the fall, my favorite time of year. I love that there is no pressure to entertain (just buy the best candy!). I love that Almond Joy candy bars are in abundance this time of year. But most of all, I love it because 11 years ago yesterday I met my husband.

I was living in Minneapolis in 1998 and was looking for a place to party for Halloween weekend (I was 23!) and my friend, Stacy, invited me to Madison. My brother, Geoff, also invited me to Lutsen (northern MN). I debated where I was going to go but ultimately chose Mad-town since I had never spent much time there. Have you ever been to Madison on Halloween? It is insane in the membrane! Stacy (and Steve) was in her 2nd year of law school. We met up on Friday night (30th) at the UW- UMinnesota hockey game. Steve sat in front of me and missed a lot of the game because he kept turning around to talk to me. After the game he met a friend from undergrad out and we went to a party that I really wanted him to be at but he wasn't. The next day we were set to go to a Halloween party with a bunch of law school types. I was looking so forward to it. I went as Cosmic Nic, a superhero, with silver miniskirt, cape and go-go boots and a black shirt, mask and tights. I wish I had a picture of that night! Steve showed up at the same party as Captain Stubing. We started talking and I told him I could read palms (a load of crap) and started 'reading' his. He bought it and we were smitten! We had a long distance (no closer than an hour drive) relationship until we were married. A little less than 2 years after we met (September 13, 2000), he proposed. A little less than 4 years after we met (June 1, 2002), we were married. And 11 years later? We are still as happy as can be!

Happy Halloween!

So I know that I have been so lame when it came to writing but I have been busy trying to get Christmas and winter cards to the galleries. I have no idea why I am not doing that in July because every October it is the same! And with a very busy 2.5 year old I don't get as much done as I used to...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We had fun this year! AJ was Mower Man, a lawn mowing superhero. Goofy, I know. He's kind of known in our neighborhood for either the lawn mowing or for having a wicked golf swing so Mower Man was born! Next year maybe he'll be a golfer...

AJ in his costumes- 2007 he was a devil (we just handed out candy in 07- I had a red Baby Bjorn so the devil was just perfect. My Mom made the hat, tail and romper and added the flames with a loose stitch that we later took off and replaced with fur trim for Christmas but he was too big by then...), 2008 he was an owl (specifically the Tootsie Pop owl- he even passed them out. I made this costume. He could wear it over his jacket or sweatshirt depending on the weather. There are little ears pinned to his hood.), and this year Mower Man. The face makeup was supposed to look like a mask but that is hard to do on a ticklish 2 year old! The hair was a hit with both him and the houses. Easy peasy to make- I winged it!

I do have a love affair with Halloween but this was just a day of dress up with my friend Julie circa 1983! Can you imagine dressing like that for a Chicago Halloween? I recently dug this out of my mom's photo album and posted it on Facebook for Julie to see- she loved it! :)




Costumes through the years (some are friends or relatives that are just clever (and that I had on my computer)):

1. Halloween 1996- Senior year of college I went as Conscience. I spray painted half my shirt and skirt silver and the other half red. One leg red tights, one silver tights, one red shoe with flames painted on it, one silver shoe with stars. More intense makeup and hair teased on the devil side, lighter makeup and straightened hair (only time I have ever straightened my hair...) on the angel. My headband had a horn and a half of a halo. It was a pretty good costume, one of my favorites.

2. 2000: My sister-in-law, Lisa, as a zombie and my brother, Geoff as Lucifer. Dude, he's scary.

3. 2001: I am Igor in the center. My back hurt like hell after that night. Bartending with a hunchback is not fun. And I had a hard time talking with the fake teeth. Check out Mary as Olive Oyl- she was so perfect!

4. 1999: Geoff as a ghost cowboy. He drug (dragged?) his shirt behind his truck and shot it with a shotgun to get the proper effect!

5. 2001: I am Iris Retina. Don't ask me- I am just bizarro! The blue skin itched.

6. 2000: Fairy. Favorite costume EVER!

7. 1999: I was inspired by Smashmouth's Astro Lounge album cover so basically I am an alien. I actually spray painted my skin and hair (and yes it took forever to get out!). I wonder what Smashmouth is doing these days... I saw them in concert when they opened for U2 in 1997 but haven't heard much since. My dad was Cyrano de Bergerac. He was a pirate first and we decided he looked more like Cyrano.

8. 1999: I was a shiek complete with a fake nose. See Cyrano... People didn't even know I was female until I spoke.

9. 2001: Friend, Liz, as a Titanic victim. I gave her the idea and she ran with it and looked great! (Everyone used to ask me what they should be...)

10. 2000: That is me behind the bar as a skull. It was so freaky. My dad is the nun. I was very close to winning a costume contest with that getup but we left before it was over.

TV, TV, TV!

Oh, to have a TV like that! Yeah right. From my list of fall TV shows blogged about HERE there are a few that I axed already... Some old shows and one new one. The shows that I am watching are So You Think You Can Dance (I will watch this as long as it is on!), How I met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, Greek, New Adventures of Old Christine, Bones, The Office, 30 Rock (well not yet since it hasn't returned), Psych, Brothers & Sisters, Dexter, Castle, Vampire Diaries, Community, Modern Family, Glee, Flash Forward, Cougar Town. I axed the new Melrose Place after the first AWFUL episode. Dancing with the Stars is too long, I don't care about any of the 'stars' and I have way more fun watching SYTYCD. DWTS is redundant and getting boring. The choreography on it just seems so same old, same old. So that is now gone. I am so OVER Grey's. Quit your hospital bitching, I don't care. Everyone is in 'stable' relationships so there is no more steamy are they or aren't they. I am BORED! I haven't yet decided if I am giving Desperate Housewives the axe too. I am curious what the new Bolen Family is hiding. The scars on her back intrigued me but if they drag it on too long and don't give them enough screen time to figure it out, I am out. I'll read about it in TV Guide. I LOVE Vampire Diaries. Stefan is dreamy and it is the perfect teeny bopper escapism. I am reading the books by LJ Smith right now as well and the show is better than the books. My blogger buddy, Mel at Chicago Girl Gone Mild, and I are constantly exchanging emails about our latest obsession! Modern Family is decent. I liked it enough to watch it again. Phil cracks me up on that show as the I-wanna-be-friends-with-my-kids dad. Glee is still great. Kristin Chenowith guest starring was gold, baby! Cougar Town I am still on the fence about. Courtney Cox is a little (ok, a lot) over the top on that show. It was funny though. Community is good. That is Joel McHale's perfect part. Senor Chang, el tigre chino, is hilarious. And Flash Forward is so intriguing that I cannot wait for more! That's my fall (and my opinion regardless if you wanted it) in a nutshell or in a boob tube, take your pick!

Some more treasures from Artrageous Weekend

There were a couple of other things that I got at Festival of Arts that I didn't blog about before. Here they are:
I bought these 3 cards individually with the intentions of doing the above for an artsy Halloween piece. The pumpkins are batik fabric that artist Linda Nelson Bryan (St. Paul, MN) stitched with decorative thread and stitching onto paper and then did borders in leaves, Boo! and monsters. I then took them and mounted them on glitter paper in lime, violet and orange and framed them in this simple black 3- 5x7 frame from Target. I thought it turned out kinda fun and it is the only thing up right now for Halloween (more to be decorated but I am not a store and decorate for Halloween in July).

This tiny canvas collage I 'won' (you don't 'win' it if you end up paying for it...) at the Festival of Arts silent auction. My mom said something about it being perfect for the little shelves by the kitchen window that I can't find enough for the rest of the year besides Halloween and Christmas. I think it is cute and whimsical and I did admire her bigger pieces and talk to Ginnie at her booth. This canvas was done by Ginnie Cappaert of Stephenson, MI. Now if that heart would have been a star, I would have loved it even more! That little nest next to it is felted wool by etsy seller Winsome Hollow from Atlanta, GA. Head over to her etsy shop for some sweetness!

Ahoy Mateys!

Ahoy! Yesterday was International Talk Like a Pirate Day. My neighbors, John & Nancy, had a party to celebrate it. We were broken up into teams for a treasure hunt around Mosinee. Everyone was dressed like pirates and we had a list of about 10 bajillion things that we had to take photos of, beg, borrow or steal items, ask questions of people (mostly strangers, well actually we were the strangers- a bunch of goofballs dressed up like pirates! The other people were just everyday, normally dressed citizens.) and odd things we just had to do. Everything was worth different points and bonus points were rewarded under special circumstances. Also the 5 page list of items was NOT neatly arranged. No, there were several things at certain bars and other places along the highways that were strewn about throughout the list to make it harder. I went by myself since Steve was at the Badger game in Madison and I didn't know anyone there. Even the hosts I didn't know too well. But I had an absolute blast and guess what? My team took the booty back to our vessel! That's right. My team won. Shiver me timbers! Here are some funny photos throughout the day...

My team consisted of Rob (Captain Bob Greasypalms), Linda (I can't remember her pirate name but it had Lindsey in it) & me (Helga the Well Tanned). We had to have our flag in every picture. Here we are riding a Harley for sale at some random person's house. Then we made her walk the plank (in her garden...)!

I think this picture of Rob behind the tree is so funny. I kept telling him that he didn't need to get right next to the items... I have a mega zoom on my lens. We needed a brush pile and oh look, there's a big one!

Find the place that has a metal pole, a strobe light and is not a strip club then get a stranger to get in the picture of your entire crew wearing a piece of pirate garb. I'm glad Rob & Linda knew where these places were and had been to them because I hadn't even heard of them! There were several items at Half Moon Bar like what root beer is on tap (1919) and take a photo of the fly deterrent (a Ziploc bag of pennies in water hanging above the door- I have no idea what the heck that means but I know it doesn't work!).

At Hammer Down we met up with our hosts and freaked out all the people in the bar as 3 crews of pirates came in... We had to test our wisdom (a puzzle) and strength (the beanbag game Criss Cross from our youth although you didn't have to be very strong...) and find some more things here- the above pic is: Have one crew member get down on all fours and have another sit on their back in front of a fan blowing the wind in their hair... The fan is on but you can't really tell that it is blowing. Some other things in there were a photo of an elk, Brett Farve in a Camo hat and to get a aerial photo with a 'good for a free drink' on it (their business card...). Arrrrrgh. On the list was a photo of someone getting a body shot (extra points for a stranger) but I am not posting that picture on here (although it is funny!).

Entire crew in a cornfield

Round hay bales. We were walking around this guy's property (ok, trespassing) just hoping we wouldn't get shot.

All the crew members sitting on a tractor. We were sitting on the wheel and I am in the picture if only it is the side of my face! Same farm as above.

Linda rockin' some 3D glasses at Shang Garden. These were planted there.

All crew members and owner on a Harley. He was so sweet! Can I just say that my camera is not the best for taking pictures at arm length since it is so big and heavy!

One of about 10 picture attempts of us getting a picture of all 3 of our faces and roadkill (a raccoon). Got the three faces but where is the raccoon? Plus, it is 8 PM, pitch black and we are on the side of a rural highway with cars speeding past... probably not so smart. That thing REEKED! Some women in Shang Garden told us exactly where this raccoon was (turn left out of the bar and it is on the left after the 2nd hill). Are you kidding me? You remember where this stuff is? We drove past and came back again and I just happened to spot it. We were using the flash on the camera to light the way out there since we pulled off like 100 yards away from it. John & Nancy saw the car on the side of the road with the headlights and flashers on and wondered what was wrong with the people then saw a few pirates on the side of the road and just laughed. The only other crew that got that one (worth 500 points) got it of a coyote! What are the chances.

We had to get our entire crew by 79 Rescue 1 with 1 fireman. Bonus points were rewarded for each additional fireperson. The fire department was awesome! They were finding all sorts of stuff on our list. We even got a naked mannequin (well, dummy) there! They brought out the dummy (175 lbs) they use to practice rescues and took his shirt off (it was too hard to get his pants off but they wondered if this was the anatomically correct one...) and then we just threw our flag over his pants. I think we made their night! There aren't too many fires in Rib Mountain. They were having fun. As were we. :)

Fairies, fairies and more fairies!

So here are a few of my favorite fairy finds!

Halloween 2000. I went as a forest fairy to bartend at the restaurant that my family used to own and run. Halloween was big there. Very big. Of course the costume was handmade! My mom and I whipped this up!

I bought these wings on etsy a couple of weeks ago. Aren't they gorgeous?? They are made by Chase at Dual Fantasy Studios. She has tons of beautiful wings in her shop!

These are some fairy friends that were purchased from Princess Nimble Thimble on etsy. I could not resist these adorable little bendy dolls! The fairies left them for AJ (the brown shirt), my niece, Adreanna (purple dress), moi (pink dress) and my nephew, Parker (blue shirt). Boy, those fairies sure are sweet! Darling!

This is a fairy garden made in a whiskey barrel planter by the lovely lady over at The Magic Onions. So cute (although she was complaining that it was mostly dead! There's a better picture on her blog.)! I have to make one of these pronto! My fairy garden is for big people... She also has a very cute blog and etsy shop. Lots of fairies there!

The flash caught this girlie! A to-die-for die for the fairy lover from QuicKutz!

This was the fairy that I bought a couple of years ago and looked for the woman on Saturday at the art fair that no longer makes them. :( Glad I got one when I did! :)

My mom is the talented woman behind this snow fairy! She has even taught a class in how-to make them.

This fairy is similar to my Halloween costume... Again, my mom! She is so talented!

A petal fairy that I made. These were the fairies that we made at the fairy party in August.

And the fairy house at my parents house that my brother made. You can see that the fairies left some friends for the kids as well as some notes & dust. I didn't get a chance to make mine this summer but I have time yet! Summer isn't officially over until next week!