Trick or Sweet

Just sharing my latest sweet treats. My new co-workers are now realizing they work with a baking addict.


Ghost and Jack-o-lantern Sugar Cookies



Cupcake Graveyard
(one of the guys almost ate the plastic spider thinking it was chocolate - oops!!!)

Great start to the day

This morning, I heard Annika milling around in her crib. When I went into her room, she was wide-eyed and smiling. She stood up and reached out to me, still smiling. While I dressed her, she played peek-a-boo using her sweater to hide her face; each time she revealed her face and I "peek-a-boo'd" her, she let out a heart-warming giggle, smiled from ear to ear, and then hid behind her sweater to do it all again. Really? What better way to start a day?

Time's fast forward button

I'm convinced that time has a fast forward button and someone hit it last week. I've already had a full week at my new job and am really enjoying it. The people are very nice and the work is right up my alley. This morning, I arrived at the office and found our area (lovingly called "the cave") completely decked out in Halloween decor. There are huge cobwebs everywhere, fake spiders and bats hanging from the ceiling, a couple of grim reapers here and there, and plenty more. It feels VERY festive at work!

Annika's walking continues to improve and she's hardly crawling these days. She's also working on communicating verbally. We here "bao" (ball) all of the time; any round object is a "bao". The cutest part is she leaves her lips puckered long after the sound of the word has ceased. It's like she's ready for a kiss at the end of the word.

Last week, Eric went to a CDW conference in Vegas and learned about some new technology that he's incorporating at work. He had a good trip, but was also glad to get home. Annika and I were just as glad to have him back! :)

Birthday Buddy

Our co-worker/friend and I share the same birthday. I am exactly 1 year older then he is. For every year, I'm able to tell Dan, "yup, the water is safe; come one in".


Before I gave notice at work, I told Dan that I'd bake us a birthday cake. I made his early and here it is.... (can you tell that I decided to practice my scroll work??)

No, that isn't ghost roadkill

Last night, I decided to make cookies for my last day at my current job. I used my new Halloween cookie cutters - pumpkins and skull/crossbones. The pumpkins turned out GREAT! The skull/crossbones, however, had a few problems. First, I didn't have any black food coloring (how did THAT happen!?!?), so I had to make up really dark brown instead. Second, I'm not an artistic person. I need something to use as a model and I didn't have a skull/crossbones picture to look at. So, they turned out looking more like ghost roadkill than skull/crossbones cookies. Fortunately, the pathetic decorating doesn't impact their taste ... this is the best tasting ghost roadkill known to man!


(Fear not: Eric has promised to draw a sketch for me to follow for when I make more Halloween cookies. Thank you, Sweetie!!)

More proof that I finish knitting projects!

Annika needed a winter hat, so I dove head-first into my knitting books to find THE pattern for her. This boler hat caught my eye, as did this wonderful yarn that I bought in Eastern WA this summer. My first attempt at this hat turned out too small; that's what I get for felting it while Annika was sleeping! Oh well... Take two worked out and looks quite adorable on her.

Getting her to sit still and leave the hat on for a photo was a challenge all on its own!

More Horse Riding Pictures

Here are a few more pictures of our little equestrian. Enjoy!

1st Horseride

We spent this past weekend visiting our Eastern WA family members (thank you, everyone!!!) and had a great time there! We relaxed, relaxed, and relaxed. What could be better?


The big excitement of the weekend (other than Annika showing off her walking skills for everyone) was Annika rode a horse for the first time. (Jarl was a true sport having such an unbalanced wee one on his back!) Eric flanked her on one side, Uncle John flanked her on the other side, while Aunt Wendy took the lead on Jarl and cousin Erin headed up the photography efforts. It was an all-encompassing event! Look out 2024 Summer Olympics, here comes your first equestrian competition participant!

Pooh Cake

I baked and decorated this cake for our friend Gage's 2nd b-day at the end of last month. He's currently on a big Winnie the Pooh kick. Gage's mom just sent me the cake picture - thank you, Caroline!

Sliding is FUN

If only you could hear the squeals of glee that erupt from her as she goes down the slide!

Taking a step back and pondering life's path

I just finished "cleaning up" my work computer in preparation for my departure. I shifted my pictures of Annika, Eric, our pets, etc. to one location so I can save it to a memory stick. Many files (mostly old work stuff that I haven't touched in years) were deleted, some were moved to the network so the remaining technical writers can access them.

All of this shuffling has taken me down memory lane. A lot has happened over the past 8+ years. I moved to Seattle, started my career (compared to having jobs), met my husband, bought a house, had a child, welcomed multiple pets into our lives, explored more of the world, and so much more. I am so grateful for all of the opportunities life has presented to me. Some were hard lessons, some were joys that I couldn't have imagined. All-in-all, I wouldn't change a thing.

This next chapter is going to be a grand adventure. Yes, it is scary to move outside of my comfort zone, but it is time. I'm thrilled by the idea of doing editing full-time. I'm very sad about the fact I won't have lunch with Eric every day and won't see Annika quite so much each day - especially on days that she's tired and goes to bed early. I've been incredibly spoiled with the amount of "together time" our current schedules allow.

To my wonderful husband and priceless daughter - thank you for being so supportive in this shifting time. You are my strength and support. I'd be lost without you.

New Job!

It's official! I have accepted a job for a MS vendor in Bellevue. My official title is Information Designer ... that's a fancy way of saying "technical editor."

The idea of changing jobs after eight plus years with my current employer is a bit scary, but I'm ready for the next chapter in my career to begin. The people at the new company seem very nice and hard working. The commute isn't going to be pretty, but you do what you have to do!

For the past eight years, I've been a technical writer. While I know I am good at it, I also know it isn't my true passion. Given the opportunity, I'd much rather edit than write. (Go figured - that's why I started a freelance editing business!) This new job will grant me the opportunity to edit all day long. Woo hoo!

The best part? I'll start my new job on my 35th birthday. Happy birthday to me! (Hey, that makes remembering my start date very easy!)

All Dolled Up

This morning, autumn was definitely in the air, so Annika's warmer clothes were in order. Daddy did a fantastic job dressing her in her new outfit ... and he even incorporated the outfit's headband. Of course, it didn't last on her head more than 10 minutes, but we did get some pictures before she decided to wear it more like a necklace than a head band.

Is she adorable or WHAT??


Eating breakfast .... mmmm! scrambled eggs


Helping Daddy brush his teeth

Random Thoughts

It never ceases to amaze me that we have brought a child so full of wonder, curiosity, entertainment, love, tenderness, and energy into this world. She makes us laugh out loud daily; sometimes because she is busy entertaining herself with silly sounds and laughter, while other times it is because of how she's playing with a toy or positioned while sleeping peacefully.

As she learns, so do we. We never knew watching her take steps could send our hearts over the moon. We never knew that watching her sleep could bring a tear of love and true satisfaction to our eyes. We never knew that hearing a child cry could hurt so much.


There will come a time that she'll want her privacy and not want us hovering. During those days, I'll have to find comfort in the memories of these days. The times when she wanted to be held and snuggled continually and cried when put down ... even for just two seconds. I'll think back on the days that she would tilt her head and smile impishly, just to flirt and get our attention.


What could possibly be better than waking up each day knowing that such an amazing creature is living under our roof and in our hearts?