Our Silly Pup

As winter starts to fade and spring starts to show its pretty face, Huck has been asking to spend more time outside. (Really, who can blame him???)

A few days ago, he was out on our deck keeping watch over the neighborhood when I heard his tell-tale "I'm up to something" prancing sounds. I peeked in on him and was highly entertained to watch him play with the prickly husks of our horse chestnuts that the squirrels left behind.

You would have thought he found the best toy EVER with his reaction to the husks! Silly puppy!

DISCLAIMER: I have since swept the deck, so it now looks better .... until the next wind storm sweeps through town!

Cricut Fun

For Christmas, Eric and the kids gave me a Cricut, and it has turned out to be one of the best gifts ever!! I/we use it more often than I ever could have imagined! Originally, I put it on my wish list so I could more easily make fun shirts for the kids. Little did I imagine that I'd also wind up making decorations for our house, cards, paper flower, and so much more!

Eric suggested that I write a quick blog post to show some of the things I've made using the Cricut. Below is just a smattering of the projects I've made. I also whipped out the Cricut to make personalized water bottles for the kids to give to their classmates for Valentine's Day (too hard to get a photo of these, sorry), thank you cards for Teacher Appreciation Day last month, and Annika's "When in Doubt, Smile It Out" shirt (will get a pic soon!)

Orca whale to personalize my desk space at work

The kids' Valentine's Day shirts

Front of Conor's Pokemon lyrics shirt

The back of Conor's Pokemon lyrics shirt

Conor's other Pokemon shirt

My laptop needed a little personalization

Valentine's Day decor: paper flowers with heat transfer
vinyl jar and stems on a canvas

Thank you to my sweet family for this truly fantastic (and somewhat addictive) gift. As you know from the massive amounts of paper and vinyl pieces that often wind up on the floor, I really do have fun with it!

A surprise about this gift is how much of a family activity it has become. Conor and Annika have both proved to be enthusiastic at weeding (aka, the process of removing the excess paper/vinyl from a project). Eric comes up with great ideas and has a great eye for how to best lay out the various projects. So much fun and I can't wait to see what we come up with next!

Talent Show 2020

Last Friday, our kiddos participated in their school's annual talent show. The show is part of Catholic Schools week and, I have to say, this year's show was probably my favorite. The talents were very diverse and the pace was nicely maintained. 

For his talent, Conor decided to play "Hot Crossed Buns" and "Mary Had A Little Lamb" on crystal wine glasses. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the mic system working correctly, so his sound is VERY low in the videos. (On an up note, I've never heard the school kids so quiet ... they were very kind and worked hard to hear him.)

For her talent, Annika teamed up with Conor's classmate Caitlyn to do an Irish dance demonstration. The girls' Irish dance teacher got them set up with a 2-minute routine and song; she even loaned them costumes to wear for the show.

The kids did a fabulous job during their stage time, but beyond that, we are so impressed at their willingness to get up in front of a crowd to perform. That takes a lot of courage and internal strength. Kudos to everyone who chose to perform during the show!!