the sunny day studio

quinoa goodness

2012-01-27T08:04:00.000-05:00

My friend gave me this fabulous recipe, and after having a bag of quinoa from costco that I've been needing to use up, it was the perfect find.
It has few ingredients but a hearty taste.
I added tomatoes and avocados-love this.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

valentiney banner

2012-01-26T13:12:00.002-05:00

was looking for something valentine-y to hang up on my wall, but not so traditional.
found this fun idea here.
used up some scraps of fabric and they are all a little crazy in size and shape but i love it.

here are a few more fun links for valentines day:

http://www.themodernmarigold.com/
this is my sister-in-law and this lady has creativity down.
love her style.

www.armommy.com
this lady + her mom make some amazing crafts.
and most of them are kid friendly to boot.
here is a link for some free love notes to print!
http://www.armommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/love-notes.pdf

smoothie party on the deck

2012-01-11T22:37:00.001-05:00

january 10, 2011 temperature in minne: 22 F
january 10, 2012 temperature in minne: 50F

that calls for a smoothie party on the deck!
the girls and i have been experimenting with spinach lately.
we mixed up spinach, apples, yogurt, carrots, and mango.
deliciouso!
zoe was working with a straw for a bit, then decided that it wasn't enough and put all fingers in.
notice that brynn has only tights on.
we are loving this weather and wishing it would stay!

cheers to heroes of utah

2012-01-10T19:07:00.003-05:00

one night last week while browsing the news i found a story about a car that had flipped over in a river. intrigued i opened the link, and found out that not only was it in utah, but it was in logan canyon; ten miles from where i grew up.

i read the story, about the car who went down a ten foot embankment and then flipped over in the river. about the father who escaped the car, and the three children left inside the car. about the people who jumped in the river to flip the car. about the man who shot the window out and cut the seat belts to get the children out. and how everyone cheered when the last child was breathing.

after i read this story i was just grateful for the happy outcome of it, and that people do amazing acts each day. thanks to fast acting people this family is alive.

the next morning evan sent me a link from cnn which had my brother phil quoted in it. that was pretty cool, and then yesterday i learned that phil and the other heroes of this story and the family would be on the ellen degeneres show.

here is the link: check it out.

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2012/01/the_amazing_rescue_from_the_utah_river_0110.php

cheers to the heroes that helped this family out! and cheers to people that do acts of service like this each day!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-30T20:12:00.003-05:00

at the zoo, petting her favorite: tiger sharks and sting rays

she actually sat content in the stroller for a bit

at the bird show

daniel and dalynn our dear friends who came all the way from
baltimore to spend christmas with us. evan and daniel served a mission
together. they have three little girls and one more little lady on the way.

on christmas eve we had a feast of wild rice soup then had a
birthday party for Jesus! the girls thought of it, and it was really
special to have a party for Jesus, He is the reason we celebrate at this
time of year. i think it's a tradition we'll keep going at the fetters house.

one of those miracle pictures: we're all kind of smiling AND looking at the camera!

the christmas pageant
daniel: donkey
brynn: mary
care bear: Jesus
maya: joseph
maren: shepherd
amber: shepherd
mika: wiseman
ember: wiseman
dalynn: wiseman
evan + zoe: angels

mary riding the donkey

the shepherds

mary lounging with Jesus and her donkey

the wiseman

the angels

girlies with new jammies

these two are just 5 months apart

Our wonderful friends drove all the way from Baltimore Maryland to party with us for Christmas. They have three little girls who are nearly our girls ages and we had such a fabulous time. Christmas Eve we went to the zoo and saw all the wild animals there. We had a delicious dinner followed by a birthday party for Jesus. I would have to say that the birthday party for Jesus was my favorite. Brynn asked us "will Jesus be at the party?" We made a cake, decorated it and then talked about Jesus' birth and what it means to all of us. We followed that by the Christmas pageant, which was short, just a few minutes, but it still reminds me of why we do this-to celebrate Christ.

holidazzle 2011

2011-12-21T11:22:00.001-05:00

we felt like this year was BALMY compared to past years of the holidazzle parade.
the parade is every night from the day after thanksgiving til the new year.
amazing floats, and the lights are incredible.
the girls loved it, and evan and i did as well....although it seemed shorter this year, and evan said, "well, it's because in years past, we've been freezing to death while watching it."
so this year it was a treat.

gingerbread cookies

2011-12-13T23:03:00.001-05:00

we had the best gingerbread recipe ever.
and six different delicious items to put on your gingerbread with m&m's, licorice, junior mints, chocolate chips, andes mint chips and red hots.
we ate way too much cookie dough along with the 'other' goodies.
maya wore glasses to be totally legit.
we learned that junior mints explode when baked, kind of.
but they taste soooo delicous after.
a very fun gingerbread day.

Brynn is 3

2011-12-02T13:48:00.000-05:00

little brynnie boo boo i can't believe you are 3!

she opened up a present in the morning, her very own pet pig. i think he's had about 15 names since she got him. we took her to an amish village where she was able to ride a carousel, which she loves. she didn't want to leave it. she also drove a buggy with horses, and was so happy doing it. she wore tights because she loves wearing them with skirts and always has. she peed on her tights when she was going to the bathroom and spent part of the time at the amish village without anything on, it was kind of funny. she was playing in the elevator and swinging her legs up and we had to remind her that she was completely naked underneath and that there was an old couple in the elevator with us. :) oh, she makes me laugh. we made celebratory cupcakes and she had about 5 of them. what a fun day.

*i love how caring you are towards others. you are very tuned in to people's emotions and you try to help them. it's very sweet.
*i love how you say "i can't believe....." it reminds me that life is exciting!
*i love how you jump when you want to get from one place to another.
*i love how you dance all the time.
*i love how happy you are, and help others to be happy as well.
*i love that you are so easy to please.

happy birthday sweet girl!
love you!

hot hair

2011-12-01T22:44:00.000-05:00

zoe should win some type of award for the funkiest hair EVER in the history of the world.
her hair is a result of having something gummy pulled from it, after a long car ride home from indiana.
it's definitely got volume, shape and it's own personality.
i cannot keep it out of her face no matter what i do.
it's incredibly fine, but she also has so.much.hair!
not to mention it grows straight down from her scalp.
i blame it on her dad.

it's coming....

2011-12-01T22:27:00.002-05:00

we awoke today to a tiny amount of snow on the ground and on the branches.
maya came in my room, layed down by me in bed, and then she looked out the window.
she hopped out of bed, ran to the window and squealed at the snow.
then she asked "mom, can i go out and play in it?"
she dressed the fastest i have seen her get dressed maybe ever, slurped a smoothie, and went outside. she wandered all over the driveway, the yard, and then came and asked if anyone else was coming out to play. brynn got dressed, then decided it wasn't for her. where maya can stay outside for days, brynn lasts only about 6 minutes.
as for me, i bought my first pair of yaktrax today...a big deal. i wore them running tonight and they are worth every penny. so happy i made the purchase. one thing i love about minnesota is that despite the cold cold temperatures, people get outside. it doesn't matter if it's only 5 degrees, you see people out. and so although the cold is coming, and won't end til may, winter has arrived and we are thrilled.

and then their dreams came true

2011-11-13T17:30:00.000-05:00

brynn on her first pony ride-ever

maya being brave and riding with just one hand

a rare pic of the mama and the ladies

zoe, wishing she were on a pony

in minne there are loads of apple orchards that come complete with animals to ride and pet, apple picking, train rides, and games to play. we tried out a new one this year and it was a hit. the girls had their dreams come true to ride a pony, and i have a picture documenting that i was there as well! a small miracle.

christmas sheep

2011-10-20T14:01:00.003-05:00

i'm not ashamed to admit that i really want this bedding for christmas.
flannel sheep? does it get better? nope.

photo by garnet hill

halloween decor of the face

2011-10-19T21:44:00.000-05:00

the last sunday in september we put out or halloween decorations, per the girls request.

and decided to do a little face painting, which is always easier sans shirt.

brynn's dressed up already and notice evan's shirt. it's his second favorite after his most favorite died.

One week

2011-10-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

the first week of october we had two 90 degree days!

we celebrated and ran through the sprinkler across our lawn that has heat stroke.

then the next week it was FREEZING and we bundled up to go on a bike ride.
that's minnesota for you.
happy fall!

listening to....

2011-10-10T12:03:00.002-05:00

the lower lights.
we've been listening to this for about a week now non-stop. thanks to my sister carly.
THANKS LOUFY!
a little folk, blue grass and hymns all rolled into one.
seriously lovely and funky.
go buy it, or if you live in utah, see when they play next.

photo by Jed Wells

take the "a" train...or take the "m" train

2011-09-28T22:11:00.000-05:00

we asked the girls what they wanted to do one saturday.
maya's repsonse was that she wanted to ride the train.
brynn quickly agreed. as long as she could take her bob the builder backpack with wheels that was STUFFED full of random toys. this girl is always packing something. tonight she went to bed with a noah's ark full of of toys. right next to her head.
we got on the train in downtown.
we rode past funky old buildings.
we saw amazing murals.
and the airport! the girls favorite part.
and to fort snelling and back home.
a grand success.
and i love how my hair and zoe's is matching in the bottom pic.

last shots of summertime

2011-09-26T09:45:00.001-05:00

was going through photos and came across these.
love the green grass! ours is now dead. :)
flowers, popsicles, and being outside.....nothing better.

official neil young day

2011-09-12T07:30:00.002-05:00

we decided that today since it's the 'harvest moon' day according to the calendar that it would make a fabulous NEIL YOUNG DAY! (he has a song called harvest moon-go listen to it). i love his voice and he is insanely talented with a guitar. i haven't heard another artist like him.

we're listening to him all day.

some of my favorite memories of neil young:

*my mom gave me a cd of him for christmas one year-listened to it over and over. she loves neil young and it's fun to share that love of music and of neil with her.

*listening to neil young in mr. litizzette's biology class in highschool. and one time i think i told lit that my favorite song was 'motorcyle mama' which was completely embarassing. :)

*lots of driving up logan canyon in highschool listening to him, in the coolest green vw van.

*seeing him in concert last summer here in minne. he's older, but his voice is still exactly the same. gave me chills.

so go out and listen to some neil young today. if you haven't heard of him before here are a few songs that i'd recommend:

-the needle and the damage done
-burned
-sugar mountain
-cinnamon girl
-cortez the killer
-heart of gold

rocky mountain high

2011-09-09T11:04:00.001-05:00

turns out john denver had it right when he sang about "rocky mountain high."
after leaving utah, we cruised to rocky mountain national park.
breathtaking. absolutely breathtaking!
we had planned this little vacation for a year with our dear friends from lexington virginia.
don taught evan how to fly fish and we spent many evenings on their lovely front porch sipping lemonade when we lived in virgina.
we stayed in some cabins right on the big thompson river.
we ate by the river every night and fished it during the day.
maya caught her first trout on this river: a rainbow and a brown.
brynn's worm was caught in a tree-but she still liked fishing.
we hiked, fished, and just enjoyed being in the amazing park.
claudia and i explored estes park and found some fun souvenirs.
i wasn't quite sure i could leave and go back to a mountainless state after being in mountains for a whole month. it was not fun to leave.
we tried out this crazy slide in estes park, and after being a tiny bit hesitant at first, maya and brynn loved it.
all i know is that when i hear john denver sing (and we have a lot of his music at our house) rocky mountain high, it makes me so happy that i've been there and seen what he's talking about. that and i get a little teary eyed.

just can't get enough

2011-09-08T16:02:00.001-05:00

one of my requests for our summer trip out west was to have some family pics by the wellsvilles.
now living in a place sans mountains i have come to appreciate the amazing ones i grew up beneath.
in fact, i still have an a debit card with the wellsville mountains on it and have been known to show it to people so that they can fully understand what i mean when i say "i grew up beneath some amazing mountains. see?"
so, the lovely camille stewart took these photos of us.
zoe was ready for bed, brynn and maya had koolaid mustaches, and evan had a bad haircut the morning of.
but as i like to say with my arm up "we prevailed!"
with camille's doing of course.
and i just can't get enough of these imgaes.
thanks camille-you are amazing.

the big Kindergarten

2011-09-06T22:28:00.000-05:00

can't believe that the day has come for maya to go to kindergarten.
she rocked it in her high tops, bobcat shirt, jean jacket and batman backpack.
she also requested that her hair be all squiggly from braids.
the bus was the biggest hit, and she and her best friend anabella waited patiently for it to come.
she blew me a little kiss before she went to school.
she loved it, and i missed her while she was gone.

the little lady is 1!

2011-09-03T08:04:00.002-05:00

happy b-ba-birthday little zoesy cat!
you brighten our days and make us laugh.
we love you!

the thomas girls visit

2011-09-02T16:43:00.001-05:00

evan's best friend from his mission is daniel thomas. and daniel is married to the beautiful dalynn. and they have 3 little ladies just like us. they live in baltimore maryland and it just so happened that the thomas' and us would be out west at the same time. and we got to play together one afternoon. it was heaven. thanks dalynn for driving all the way up to visit us!

utah in summertime

2011-09-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

-we went to logan's heroes on south main in logan. go if you haven't ever been! the owner is hameed and he has been there for nearly 30 years. tell him i sent you and you'll make a lifelong friend.

-we picked peas in the garden sans pants.

-we took the mendon way back to wellsville and saw the wellsvilles in all their glory.

-we tried the 'new and improved' mason play structure. donaldo has worked hard and even provided a bell to ring when you go down the slide. brynn would ONLY slide if she held on to barbie's finger. we saw their fort under the pine tree and then sipped limeade on the veranda. a most excellent day.

-aggie ice cream with annie mason webb!

-utah this year was unusually green and so amazingly beautiful. we hiked, ran and took in my favorite sounds of summer: the ditch running outside and a rainbird sprinkler going.

Rawlinson campout 2011

2011-08-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

i couldn't get enough of sagebrush this summer. my girls and i each brought home a little baggie of it to smell. ahhhhh!

everyone was together for a few days and we partied up cub river.

we played guitars, painted nails, played games, explored, ran, hiked a bit, played fag tag (everyone!) and had some fabulous pool time.

chad whipped out his drawing skillz (he deserves a Z) and was drawing people on meth.

grandma and aunt debbie came up and we partied with some yahtzee. check out their game faces.

it was great to be together-i love my family.

Maya is OLD!

2011-08-30T08:53:00.000-05:00

*little maya moochie tured 5 in july.
*we had streamers and balloons to wake up to-a tradition at our house.
*she waved a little flag and proudly drew a birthday monster/robot on the chalkboard.
*she played her new recorder (and evan and i wonder if it wasn't the worst gift we have ever gotten the girls)
*she got to get in gene the garbage man's truck.
*she requested shark cupcakes and they turned out more like dolphin blobs, but who cares?
*she and her friends rocked a pinatas world!

maya moo, you brighten my days and make me so happy you came to this world! love you!

a cool birthday gift

2011-07-06T17:42:00.001-05:00

when i turned 30 my good friend gave me a very fun birthday present.

her grandma had just passed away and had spent the weekend going through

her grandma's things.

she gave a me a funky mason jar filled with these button magnets.

all of the buttons were from her grandma.

i love how each is different in style and color.

they are on my fridge now and each

day it makes me happy to see them, that and it can keep zoe busy for at least 20

minutes...pulling them off and putting them back on the fridge. and how!

chaco's for sale

2011-06-27T17:09:00.001-05:00

anyone need a sweet chaco tan for the summer? i have a women's size 9 pair for sale.

they've been worn 10 times. i'm asking $65 for them, they retail at $95.

if you buy them, i'll pay shipping....priority too! :)

if anyone is interested, email me @ afetters@gmail.com

thanks for looking!

Chair Re-do

2011-06-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

i snagged these two matching green chairs at a goodwill in virginia five years ago. they had a horrible floral print fabric on the seats, but i LOVED the color. so i just redid the cushions. today i decided it was time for a re-do for these chairs. i tend to re-do these chairs every 6 months or so. i could use oil cloth and just wipe them down, but something about sitting on plastic is no bueno to me. instead i just buy some funky upholstery fabric and go to town. the previous fabric is from ikea, and this fabric i'm using today is from the remnant section at a local fabric store here in minne. all you need for this project is a staple gun, foam, batting, and fabric, and the chair(s) of course. :)

first, i had to rip out all the old staples. this is the most time consuming part. it took a little while. my grandma who is an amazing seamstress gave me a grea tip the first time i re-upholstered these chairs. she said to buy the best quality foam for the cushion, and to wrap the cushion in batting. this way, it's easier to wrap the fabric around the corners. and the corners won't be so square.

next, i just took the old fabric put it on top of the new to make a little pattern. what i love about this project is that there aren't any hems, sewing, or worries, you just cut what you think is right and it will turn out fabulous.
and then the fun: stapling! i actually like this part. i start on the bottom end and do the top and bottom, then the sides and last, the corners. it's easiest to do the corners last and you can cut the corners at a 45 degree angle to give you less bulk when you staple.

and wa-lah! happy saturday to me!

summertime in indiana

2011-06-23T23:38:00.000-05:00

just had a breakthrough!
i have tried to load more than four pics at a time on blogger, and it's never worked.
not sure what i was doing wrong-but alas! today it worked!

evan was headed to go backpacking in north carolina with his best friend from law school.
google 'roan mountain nc' and you will see where he went.
i'm insanely jealous. the mountains are covered with rhodedendrons
and will blow you away.
anywho, he was headed out of town and i thought 'why don't i drive to indiana?'
and so i called my sister in law amanda in upstate new york.
she came down with her gals ages 3 and 2, and we had the best time.

we stayed for 3 days at grandpa and grandma's. we found a frog, went exploring, had a water fight,
looked through old pics, and reveled in the quiet country. i love going out to evan's parents for the quiet.
amanda and i took the 5 little women to goodwill where we found some excellent finds, namely evan's father's day present:
a tasmanian devil/looney toons tie. :)

we headed up to evan's sister sarah's house for a few more days. there we swam, went on more treasure hunts for funky things, played outside, and i hardly saw my girls because they were playing with their cousins and it was awesome.

thanks everyone for such a fantastic visit!
we loved it!

the indiana landscape is breathtaking. love the rows of green corn and the overcast sky.

great grandma fetters and us. and we're all smiling-a miracle!

a spitting water fight-and looks like grandma is winning!

maya was completely soaked.

maya's first fat lip-she was actually kind of proud of this. it was awesome.

little zoesy cat at the pool. she kept dunking her face. looks like we have a water baby.

madden and zoe. this is evan's sister sarah's little man. sarah and i have been preggy at the same time three times. woot woot!

on the way home i earned the 'coolest mom EVER' award. we stopped at buffalo phil's in wisconsin. inside the restaurant a train brings you your food. best decision ever to eat here.

jumping puddles in the corn.

summer night in indiana. love love love it.

wish i could dance like this

2011-06-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

first flowers

2011-06-07T15:39:00.000-05:00

i could almost weep!

it's my first flower! and it's beautiful!

in my flower beds there is nothing but fugly shrubs and white rocks. and i've tried to remove some of the white rocks and they are deep, and a ginormous pain. but i have one tiny bed of dirt-oh glory be! and i planted this iris last summer and here she be!

this is my first victory against my yard! i will prevail!

zoe's first campout

2011-06-05T22:20:00.000-05:00

a little fishing with dad

building a 'campsite' together

happy little gnome

ahh dandelions

a glorious success!
zoe loves camping, and we love that she loves it.
we almost didn't go camping and maya and brynn had HUGE problems with us not going camping.
we hiked up a huge hill of stairs to a water tower.
we found a caterpillar maya named 'sudee.'
we then lost sudee in the laundry room. boo.
evan, maya and brynn started to hike up a huge fire tower lookout. it freaked maya out, and they only made it halfway. brynn wanted to hike to the top, and was super ticked to have to come back down.
a great weekend had by all!

fire pit + camping = muy bueno!

2011-05-27T09:21:00.001-05:00

maya trying out roasting hot dogs. she complained that this method "took too long."
it's really hard to wait 1.75 minutes for hot dogs. the hat she is wearing is one that evan and i
got at a fly fishing expo. she loves it...wears it to her preschool, out and about, and has started to
be sassy and wear it backwards. word.

we were smiling, but smelled like burning plastic from the fire pit.

the squirrels are a tiny bit excited for the first fire pit of the year.

and how. this is what i'm talkin' about willis.

we bought a little fire pit for our deck this year, and after the plastic funk-nasty smell was burned off we had a great time with it. the girls love fire, and we like to just sit on the deck. we tend to eat out on the deck even though we really don't have any furniture other than camping chairs as of now.

we taking off this weekend, the first camping adventure with three! we're headed to one of our favorite little spots here in minnesota called whitewater state park. maya and brynn both have fishing poles, and can't wait to fish with evan. that leaves little zoe with me and we'll just have to go on a little hike. i put her in the kelty pack on my back this week, and she made a growl/squeal sound the whole time, which for her means she is a happy camper.

happy memorial day weekend!

sayonara el mullet

2011-05-25T07:15:00.000-05:00

the time had come.

little zoe's mullet needed to be gone, like demon mice and slugs be gone. it was cramping her style.

plus she had three dreds going in the back of her hair, so i was already working baby oil in her hair to get the dreds out. i cut off about three inches of her locks. and we love the outcome.

*i love her cheeks in the last picture-i want to bite her.

you will thank me for this....

2011-05-23T16:50:00.000-05:00

....the best recipe of granola i've let my little taste buds try.

first the story of my love of granola:

in 8th grade, my history teacher mr. black let a few of us students try some granola his wife made. it was pure heaven, a perfect mix of coconut, sweetness and nuttiness. i asked for the recipe and have never been able to duplicate the taste i remember. i've made a few different varieties over the years, and then one day i happened upon this little recipe in the martha stewart everyday food recipe book, which mandy gave me for christmas-thanks mand.

what makes this recipe superior to all others is the simplicity of it, and the cardamom-oh for the love, what a great spice this is.

without further adieu i give you:

pistachio-apricot granola

3 c rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1 c shelled pistachios
1/4 c butter
1/3 c honey
1 t cardamom
1/2 t coarse salt
1 c dried apricots

preheat oven to 300. in a large bowl combine oats and pistachios. in a small sauepan, combine butter, honey, cardamom, and salt over medium heat. cook, stirring occasionally, until butter melts. pour butter mixture over oats and pistachios until they are completely covered. transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread in an even layer. bake until oats are lightly golden, 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. let cool completely on a wire rack, 20 minutes, then stir in apricots. store in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.

*evan and i are on our 3rd double batch of this stuff in 5 days.....but i did give some to my neighbors, so i haven't quite consumed all of it myself.

30

2011-05-22T23:03:00.003-05:00

before turning 30 i explained my hopes to evan about turning 30. it went something like this:

me: i'd really like to be somewhere warm and exotic when i turn 30, you know, like greece.
evan: yeah, that would be fantastic. let's go to greece! (my husband is my favorite to present traveling ideas to-he ALWAYS agrees).

i had been daydreaming of going somewhere wild when turning 30, so that i could give a giant hurrah to my 20's. it was a lofty dream, but in a tiny way possible....but we had little zoe instead. and although she is so worth it, i turned 30 in minne, not in greece. so, evan asked me what i wanted for my big day, which we make a big deal of around here. so i told him i'd like an FFM party. just friends, food and music.

turns out we have a deck that can seat 30 people, and i happen to be married to someone who can cook enough food for 30 people, from scratch by himself. we served lettuce wraps, eggrolls, fruit salad, and strawberry shortcake. we sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful blue sky. evan went all out, and it was an amazing party. we came inside and our friend played guitar in my living room. i just kept thinking that this was exactly what i wanted for my birthday. a little piece of heaven. problem is-a) i'd like to have a party like this every weekend and b) i took no pics of the party. so here are a few random shots, and then just a cute picture of zoe.

i had issues of turning the big 3-0, but it's not so bad...and at least i'm not 40 right?!

applesauce

2011-05-22T22:46:00.001-05:00

and it's a no bueno for applesauce.
no bueno indeed.

that's what i'm talkin' about willis.....

2011-02-18T14:25:00.000-05:00

..........donuts that is!

there is a little hole in the wall donut shop not far from our house. we went there saturday to partake of the goodness. you know a good donut shop by the size of the employees. this one is a goooood one.

the girls licked all the sprinkles off of their donuts, leaving the rest behind. evan and i had glazed. little piece of heaven para mi. that reminds me of a funny story. i had just had brynn in november of 2008 and my mom was visiting for the week. she and evan went to get a few groceries and i asked them to get a few donuts. my mom saw the donuts and went to get a dozen. evan picked up a much smaller box of 4 instead. when he came home i think i nearly burst into tears for only having 4 donuts and not a dozen! lesson learned: a new mama needs her dozen!

it's always nice to start a weekend off on the right foot.

the new henna tatoo by maya

2011-02-13T21:49:00.001-05:00

a little christmas in minne

2011-01-25T12:50:00.000-05:00

Our little ladies all looking and smiling at the camera-a Christmas miracle!

The baby Jesus with a whole lotta hair (sung to the tune of Led Zeppelin 'whole lotta love')

Brynn was Mary, a shepherd, and a wiseman, all done with a gimp leg.
She jumped off of Maya's bed
the Sunday before Christmas and sprained her ankle.

Maya making gingerbread cookies. I love this beautiful little lady, and most of the time she is far too busy to give me a natural smile.

We stayed here in Minne for the holidays. It was a beautiful and snow covered and we had a great time. I will always miss being around family for the holidays....and after Christmas morning, we were all a tiny bit bored. :) We went for a great winter walk, saw a Timberwolves game and celebrated the New Year by drinking root beer out of bottles-a BIG deal at our house.

GIVEAWAY WINNER

2010-12-17T22:29:00.002-05:00

The giveaway winner is:

SARAH!

Please leave me a comment with your info so that I can send you your earrings!

a few posts

2010-12-13T00:19:00.002-05:00

hey peeps,
i've posted a few posts. it starts with a giveaway, so check it out. i only have a computer at night, so i sometimes get a little carried away with posting. enjoy!

Let it snow, Let it snow!

2010-12-13T00:18:00.000-05:00

A sweet blizzard rolled into town on Friday night. It was amazing to watch. I happen to have a 'wannabe meterologist' for a husband. He loves and is fascinated by weather, especially storms of any kind. So he, Maya, and Brynn were watching the storm all day. It snowed about 20 inches in as many hours. It broke the roof of the metrodome. The buses stopped. The snowplows were called off because of limited visibility, and we just sat in awe. The girls and Evan went outside, Maya is just like her Dad, and she could have stayed out in the snow all day. Brynn almost didn't make it out the front door, it was a little tedious to get her in all of her snowgear. Later that day Evan picked a friend of ours up from the bus stop and the picture of our car is after it had been 'defrosting' in the garage for a half hour. It was the most snow since 1991. So beautiful. It stopped at 6pm Saturday night and then the stars were out, and Sunday was clear and bright. I know the cold, cold temperatures will accompany this snow now, but I am so happy to have a beautiful white Christmas season.

Oh the hair...........

2010-12-12T23:53:00.000-05:00

This little woman's hair doesn't EVER lay down. Well, I take that back, when it is wet it's curly, then dries stick straight. I have one tiny litlte hair clip that works in her hair, so she wears most days, unless we just let it go wild. It's as soft as duck down, and so fine, yet she has gobs and gobs of it. I cannot imagine that little face without any hair. It's her. It's spunky. I love it.

Let there be LIGHT!

2010-12-12T23:45:00.000-05:00

After being cooped up in the house for two days because of our blizzard here in Minne, which I'll post more on later, we decided to venture out. The temperature was a balmy 4 degrees so we opted to stay in the car. We drove south of the city to this amazing tree. You are looking at 40,000 led lights. It's stunning. You can see it from the freeway even. I was in awe....every branch had lights on it, and it seemed like it never ended. I'm so happy that people take the time and money to make beautiful things for others to enjoy.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway

2010-12-12T23:21:00.001-05:00

I occasionally stop by this blog: Sew Mama Sew. And they have great tutorials and ideas. They are hosting a great giveaway and I've never tried one, so here I go-I am entering my first giveaway.

I'm giving away these earrings. I'll choose a winner by the best answer to this question: What is something that you admire love about yourself?

I will ship internationally and the giveaway ends on December 17th.

Thanks for stopping by! Good luck!

indiana at thanksgiving

2010-12-06T02:22:00.000-05:00

we ventured to indiana for turkey day. and other than being in chicago for 3 extra hours because it just so happened to be the-busiest-travel-day-of-the-year we made it safe and sound and had a lovely time. we saw family, ate and ate and ate, and blessed zoe. we went on outdoor adventures seeing birds nests, deer beds, rabbit burrows, and playing hide and seek. i have always been amazed at the sunrise and sunsets in indiana-they blow me away. i remember the first time i saw one when evan and i were dating and just being in awe of how the sun could light up the sky like that, and that the sun was so huge. i still look forward to them when we are in indiana.

Zoe's Blessing Dress

2010-12-06T02:00:00.000-05:00

Zoe was given a special gift by my Aunt Debbie. She made Zoe's blessing dress. This dress was the most beautiful blessing dress I have ever seen, using knitting, crocheting and sewing. I wanted something warm to bless her in, and long. And I am in love with how it turned out. First of all you have to know that my aunt Debbie is the MOST AMAZING AND TALENTED KNITTER IN THE WORLD. Really, this woman can knit anything you ever wanted. She has been knitting for ages, and has made me an afghan, and a few purple sweaters. And you know how I feel about purple. When I was about 5 she knitted me a rainbow hoodie. It was my favorite.

The dress has little crocheted flowers around the neckline and the bottom, with a little pearl bead inside of them. It has scalloped edges with ribbon coming through. The knitting itself is unbelievable. I was so grateful for Debbie for this beautiful dress and for how special it made Zoe on her special day.

Zoe also wore the shoes that were given to Maya on her blessing day from her Great Grandma Dean. All 3 girls have worn them. We blessed Zoe in Indiana where Evan is from and it was a wonderful, special day.

the two year old

2010-11-30T00:43:00.000-05:00

brynnie boo boo schnoozoo turned 2 last week, and i feel like life is passing too quickly. we celebrated her by blowing up balloons and putting them in her room for her to wake up to. i found her in her room reading books and i told her there were balloons for her. her reply was "balloons? me?" and you have to hear her voice to appreciate that little phrase. she has serious inflection at the end of her sentences and a sweet little voice so to hear her say it was...well just so sweet. i don't know another word for it. we sang to her, had a cupcake party with friends, a pizza party with dad and our neighbors and their dog. what a great day. i love my little squishy. she is full of sass, stubbornness, cuteness and love. i love what she brings to life. happy birthday brynnie!

a good day

2010-11-13T14:17:00.000-05:00

we awoke to snow this morning! and it was like utah snow-big, fat, fluffy flakes coming down; a little piece of heaven. the girls and evan went outside to build a huge snowman, that turned out to have a rather large neck that was hard to get a scarf around. but he's legit with a carrot and a pipe!

they came in soaked and i made hot cocoa. and drank it on a little stool.

then they decided it was time to paint faces.

like i said, a good day.

Picnic with Evan

2010-11-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

We went and picked Evan up for a picnic downtown. Right on the Mississippi is one of our favorite parks called Gold Medal Park. It's in the Mill district of the city where all of the old buildings were once flour mills. It's a funky spot. We sit on the grass, run up and down the hill and admire the might Mississippi. I love the green grass and blue sky, and that Brynn is dressed in pink vans, tights, polkadot skirt, and a pajama top....one she picked all by herself. I love this stage where she has giant input as to what she wears each day. She is really into skirts and tights. I love it. Maya on the other hand has been in a rain boot fetish for a good month or so. She is sporting bright blue ones. We are loving this unusually warmish weather around here-yay for park days!

littlest lady

2010-11-10T00:11:00.003-05:00

i won the headband discussion with miss zoe. or "zos" as brynn calls her. evan hates to have anything in their hair, but when you have children like i do with a plethora of hair i think a tiny little headband or barrette is so sweet. especially when it's purple. it's alright that i'm pushing purple as the favorite color around here isn't it?

this pic captures this little lady perfectly. this is exactly her face, since the day she was born. i'd love to know what she was thinking here.

purple

2010-11-08T00:09:00.000-05:00

too much purple? never.

my little squishies

2010-11-01T01:44:00.000-05:00

our favorite peeps come to minne!

2010-11-01T01:41:00.000-05:00

my sister amy and her 3 kids came to visit us in minne. oh how we LOVE LOVE LOVE visitors! we have had such a wonderful time. maya and brynn are don't let their cousing cam out of their sight. they follow him around and want to be right by him. we have dressed up 3 times this weekend and brynn was a little done with it by the 3rd time. she fell asleep trick or treating. my sister and i made dragon outfits for the little ladies. it is so fun to have cousins here! we made delicious pumpkin soup and salmon for halloween and we tried homemade donuts for the first time, which turned out heavenly by the way. thanks amy and kiddos coming out here-we love you!!!

Yellow

2010-10-04T23:26:00.000-05:00

i am loving this vibrant color right outside my window this year. i am so happy to live in a place where there are so many trees, and so many leaves to change such gorgeous colors.

One month

2010-10-03T20:46:00.000-05:00

Love her eyes, and hair. Just love her.

It's Fall........

2010-10-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

.......and the legwarmers are on.

Post Script

2010-09-13T09:54:00.001-05:00

I should note the time that I was in the hospital giving birth: I went into the hospital at 5:44 and Zoe was born at 5:55. I'll take 11 minutes of pushing any day. Wahoooo!

Zoe

2010-09-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

Zoe received a crayon and a piece of paper from Maya the day she came home from the hospital. Let's hope this sharing continues. :)

The Little Lady who was nearly born in the car.....

2010-09-06T14:33:00.002-05:00

This sweet newest little lady to join our family had an interesting arrival....

I had planned on a waterbirth with my midwife. I had a midwife with both Maya and Brynn and to say I adore my midwife here in Minneapolis is an understatement. She is amazing. I had hired a doula and planned to labor at home until it was time for a waterbirth at the hospital. I was excited about the plan.

On Thursday night at about 11:45pm I felt my water break. It was a tiny amount of water, but with both Maya and Brynn my water broke as well. Didn't surprise me too much, but I was excited that the anticipated day had finally arrived! I went back to sleep and would wake occasionally with a contraction but could always go back to sleep. Luckily my Mom had flown in on Thursday afternoon and it just happened to be perfect timing for this little lady to arrive. Throughout the day I had contractions but they were manageable and I could continue what I was doing. I did have some back pain, which I had with both girls and HATED. My doula suggested I go to a chiropractor, so at 2:30pm I went to the chiropractor which was a little piece of heaven-and if any of you are pregnant I highly suggest one. She adjusted me and I found that my right sacrum was locked, which contributed to my back pain. By 3:30pm I was home and decided to lay down for a while. The contractions were still manageable at this point.

At exactly 4:07pm, and I know because I watched the clock as my world was rocked by a contraction that felt completely DIFFERENT from my previous ones. It was much more intense, and lasted for nearly two minutes. I called my midwife and told her, and she said that I could make the decision of when to come to the hospital. The strange and annoying part is that my contractions weren't anything but sporadic. I'd have one, then two minutes later have another, then get a ten minute break. And during the breaks I felt good. But during these contractions the only thing that felt good was what is called the double hip squeeze. Evan would squeeze my hips together and it's the only respite I found that relieved some pain. And Evan was awesome. I couldn't have gotten through them without him. At this point my doula was on her way, but hadn't gotten there yet, and I told Evan "We have to go to the hospital now." I crawled in the back of the car and we started for the hospital. We passed my doula on our street and she immediately followed us. The ride to the hospital was the LONGEST AND HARDEST RIDE OF MY LIFE. I would never suggest it. :) I'd have these contractions and it was impossible to get any relief while in the car. I know I kicked the door a few times, and was just yelling in the car. And it seemed like we hit every red light imaginable. The ride is only about 10 minutes, but felt like 10 hours. And then to make matters even more crazy........I STARTED PUSHING in the car! This freaked me out a bit, and I couldn't believe it, but it was an overwhelming, uncontrollable, urge. There was no way to stop it.

We finally arrive at the hospital and Evan parked the car. I said "What are you doing parking the car? PULL UP TO THE DOOR!" Evan and my doula Sarah supported me and I walked into the hospital where my midwife was waiting. I sat in a wheelchair and they ran me up to labor and delivery. I began pushing again in the wheelchair and my midwife said "Amber, you can deliver here in the chair or if you want you can move to the bed." I chose the bed and somehow was moved to the bed. I started pushing and felt great support from Sarah my doula, Kathrine my midwife, and Evan. For me, pushing was a relief from the contractions. People use the term 'burning ring of fire' but to me I am amazed at the body's natural ability to stretch the tissue by having the baby's head descend then go back up the birth canal as a way to stretch the tissue and prepare the mom. It hurt, I won't lie, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was amazing really. And then she was there on my chest, a head of black hair and screaming. And although I hope to never ride in a car whilst having contractions, I am so happy with the way my delivery turned out. I didn't get the water birth, but it was beautiful.

And finally after two days of not having a name we named the little lady:

ZOE GRACE FETTERS

She is beauitful and we are all doing well-thank you for your well wishes.

Baby Girl No. 3

2010-09-04T09:08:00.000-05:00

Baby Girl No. 3 was born yesterday at 5:55 p.m. As of yet, she is unnamed, but she sure is cute. Here are a few pictures to enjoy until Amber can post a full blog when she gets home. Amber did great. I am in awe of what she can do. She and the baby are happy (as you can see) and healthy. 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 1/2 in.

la cocina

2010-08-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

a little before and after of our cocina here. when we moved in the paint above the cabinets was a terra cotta color which i actually liked. however, below the cabinets was a mustard yellow. funk nasty. i've been on a turquoise kick for quite some time, i LOVE it. and we went funky in the kitchen. we painted it a bright happy turquoise. there are times when i think it's a tad on the bright side, but i do love how it looks with our cabinets and floor. we redid the floor, evan did-he rocked it. when we moved in the dining room was carpeted and the flooring in the kitchen was outdated and in need of replacement. evan and my dad built a sub-floor in the dining room and then evan put in all the flooring.

i have found that i like LOTS OF COLOR in my house, so with the kitchen it's a mix of turquoise, purple, red and indigo, which makes me happy. i found this purple table at a flea market. it was painted a beige color, and i needed a little purple in the kitchen since it is my favortie color. i have some beautiful pottery from my sister and some bowls that i love having out to use and just enjoy the colors of, so part of them rest on the little table. we did tone down the turquoise by putting gray above the cabinets, and the rest of our house is painted a light stone/gray color, which sometime i'll post those pics as well. but for now, here is la cocina.

makeup

2010-08-08T22:22:00.001-05:00

occasionally when brynn is napping maya will begin asking me what makeup i'd like to try for that day. she'll come with handfuls of things for me to try: eyeshadow, blush, an eyelash curler, mascara. then we put it on. usually maya has already adorned herself with lots of colors (she is in love with anything blue or purple) and then lets me have a turn. i used to do the same thing when i was little....wonder where she gets it from. you can see a little bit of makeup on my right eye-so sassy.

when old becomes new

2010-08-08T20:10:00.001-05:00

this antique furniture is from the 1880's i believe...right mom? my parents bought it soon after they were married. it became mine and my sister's and i told my parents that if they ever wanted to get rid of it someday, i would like it. there is a bed with a tall headboard and footboard, a dresser and a small washstand. i loved the little flowers in the wood, and the color of the wood, but i wanted to use it in my little ladies room and wanted it a little brighter. so we decided on a white with a tiny bit of pink in it.

we have these AMAZING neighbors who volunteered to paint it for us, since i'm preggy and shouldn't paint, and evan has been swamped at work. our neighbors are just incredible. so kind. i love love love the way it turned out.

last camping trip of summer

2010-08-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

we said one last 'hurrah' to camping for 2010 and went down to southeast minnesota. we traveled to a beautiful tiny town called lanesboro. it had 60 miles of biking trails along a river, the best pie shop in the midwest and camping! we took the girls in a biking trailer and rode 15 miles or so to a pie shop where we each had our own piece of pie essentially. maya downed her own piece of key lime and evan and i shared raspberry cream, which i have to find a recipe for, simply delicious. we camped and had tinfoil dinners and loved being outside. the girls helped evan build a fire and watched for fireflies. a lovely weekend spent outside.

an eating tour of the twin cities

2010-07-25T16:40:00.005-05:00

we'd start off for the most fabulous breakfast you will eat in the twin cities at the egg and i. it's a total dive and the parking lot is ALWAYS full. this means one thing: it's GOOD. this was recommended to us last summer by a friend and i have not tasted such a delicious breakfast. my favorite is the kamikaze pancakes which are filled with blueberries, walnuts and bananas.
after we roll out of the egg and i, yum would be on the agenda. yum is a funky, contemporary newer restaurant in minneapolis. it serves a variety of homemade foods like meatloaf, soups, chicken salad as well as amazing sandwiches. and they have the BEST FRIES in minneapolis, complete with delicious sauces to put on your fries.

for dinner we'd venture into punch pizza. it's right downtown on the mississippi river and features an oven that the pizzas are baked at 800 degrees for 90 seconds. the pizza sauce is unlike any i've ever tasted. my favorite is the toscano: proscuitto, arugula, and goat cheese. and finally to top off the day we'd head to st. paul. we would stop in at sweets bakery on marshall avenue. we actually just tried this place yesterday which so conveniently happens to be next door to maya's favorite train store called choo choo bob's. evan and i had a peanut butter cupcake and the frosting was the most delicious tasting frosting i've ever had. i was licking the paper afterwards. if that doesn't say delicious, i don't know what does!

Nauvoo

2010-07-18T17:12:00.000-05:00

My lovely parents drove all the way from Utah to come for a visit! We drove down to Nauvoo which is only 6 hours from here and met them for a weekend visit. My great aunt and uncle are there serving a misson and we were able to see them perform. We went to the temple, Carthage, went for a horse ride, had custard and loved being together. The girls were beyond thrilled to be with Grandpa and Grandma. Then the next week they came to our house and worked like crazy. Evan and I are surprised at how little we accomplish on our house with two little ladies! But thanks to Mom and Dad we did so much!

And yes I am pregnant, and I wasn't trying to hide it, just didn't blog about it-with the 3rd I'm a little bit more tired! For those that don't know....it's another LITTLE LADY and I'm due September 4th. We are thrilled. I had all of these grand plans to have a garden this year, to make quilts and other sewing projects, but the girls and I go to the lake everyday and I'm completely happy with that. So, any of you have any name ideas? We've already used two, and we're fresh out of ideas. :)

Sneaky Brynnie

2010-07-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

She loves to tilt her head to each side and smile, and she'll do it on command but also when she is trying to be sneaky and do something that she has been told not to. But sometimes how can I say no to that little face?

The Lady is 4

2010-07-18T17:01:00.000-05:00

Can't believe my little lady is 4. Seems so old. Grandpa and Grandma Rawlinson were here to celebrate for her big day. She kept saying for weeks "I'm just going to save a little of this (whatever food she was eating) for Grandpa and Grandma." It was great. I love every stage about her and am so thankful she is mine.

Favorite place on earth

2010-06-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

I'm on a roll....every few months or so I actually update this thing!

We have had a great last two months. We traveled to Utah for my youngest sister Carly's wedding the beginning of May. It was a wonderful event, and I have pictures of it somewhere....on a cd, I just need to download them. So eventually those will appear on this blog. We made the Utah trip our summer vacation and were able to go camping and see my absolute most favorite place: Calf Creek Falls. I camped there when I was 7 and then again in college and Evan and I were last there in 2007. We actually camped in Capitol Reef National Park-it was amazing to say the least. So all you people that live out west, go see Capitol Reef; it won't dissapoint. My parents and two of my siblings came and we loved it.

I love Utah for the change of scenery-there isn't another place like it. It soothes my soul to go to the desert and just be in awe of the beauty. Cheesy as that sounds-it's the truth.

The little ladies were troopers, they love to be outside, love to camp and be in the dirt.

We are now back to Minne and we'd love to say that we love summer, just as soon as it stops raining we'll say that.

saturday hike

2010-04-18T22:13:00.000-05:00

evan took a well deserved day of fly fishing last saturday and so the wee little ladies and i took a hike. i do love how many parks and trails minnesota has. this one was not more than 10 minutes from our house. the ladies were happy as clams until the end and then they BOTH wanted me to carry them. :)

little utah trip

2010-04-18T22:06:00.000-05:00

a few weeks ago i was able to go to utah for the wedding of my best friend. i left minneapolis and it was a balmy and gorgeous 62 degrees. i flew into utah and it was 30 degrees and snowing! the wedding was beautiful and i was so thankful to spend some fun moments with best friends. i even escaped to utah without my little ladies, thanks to evan (who by the way surprised me when i got home and had painted our bedroom, the entryway, and part of our living room-he is amazing). i also was able to attend a session of conference. so happy i could go with my younger sister carly. simply incredible to sit in the conference center. i miss the opportunity of being able to go to the conference center, now that i live away from it. i also was able to fit in some quality time with my grandma rawlinson, whom i adore. and even some shopping with aunt debbie, the best shopping partner in the world. my mom and i fit in a beautiful 5 mile walk around wellsville and everytime i go home i love seeing the beautiful wellsville mountains. oh how i miss those mountains. nothing like a good visit to home.

and then she became a photographer

2010-04-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

my little ladies love to look at the pics on our camera, so much in fact that we have gone through 3 cameras, but they haven't been into taking pics themselves until now. i was flipping through the camera this week and found this beautiful one. love her eyes.

hello again

2010-04-06T22:31:00.000-05:00

Evan and I standing with our new vacuum that was used to suck up 800 pounds of dust from sanding closets. The insides of our closets were plastered with a cottage cheese texture. Yum!

My Dad with Maya. She followed him around all weekend while he was here. He gave her the hat she is wearing. She guards it pretty fiercely from Brynn.

Brynn and my Mom.

What happens when I bake bread.

We have had a few things happen in the Fetters household-we bought a house! We had an offer in on this house in September and it finally came through the end of January. What a trip to close on a house-Evan and I both felt like 12 year olds at the closing. In Minnesota there are two types of homes, well I guess 3. 1: Houses we could NEVER afford, these are all in the city or on a lake. 2: Charming, lovely homes built in the 50's but with an unattatched garage. 3: Super ugly split level homes built in the 70's. So we have a little split level. It's all because I wanted an attatched garage. I had two winters of an unattatched garage, and decided that was enough. Our home is not a typical split level, as in it has an entryway! We love the space, and are little by little fixing the inside up. The peach with forest green shutters on the outside will change eventually, but for now we're just working on the inside. My parents came out the week that we moved to help do some work on the house. I am so grateful to them for coming to help us. They did so much from helping with the girls, painting, sanding, cleaning, driving, and the moving! I would not have made it doing this alone. We worked like crazy but had a great time. Thanks Mom and Dad for coming! We are loving our new home. We have learned much about home maintenance in just the month or so we've lived here. We now know a good contractor, plumber, heating/ac guy, and hope that we don't have to use them again any time soon! But we love our home and are so happy to be in it. We love having a yard, and a park within 1/2 block, and I have a dishwasher. I nearly wept using it for the first time. Glory be hallelujah.

More pics to come of the before and afters, because there are PLENTY.

green ladies

2010-02-05T21:28:00.000-05:00

i tried to get a picture of my girls with their matching green wool coats; and hooray i succeeded!
just in time for brynn to decide to lick her sister.

it's finished!

2010-02-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

FINALLY!

i started this little thing in november thinking that it would be a quick weekend project. no, not quite. it involved A LOT of hand sewing that i didn't even consider. however, i love love love the outcome. i have wanted to make an advent calendar since i've been married and just haven't seen the one that i love. i found this one on inchmark. my mom gave me the red and white buttons that are about 25 years old, which made me so happy to add another memory to the calendar. so now that it's february i'll take it down out of my living room and be excited when i see it at christmas!

happy human rights day

2010-01-18T13:14:00.004-05:00

last night evan and i watched 'the rosa parks story.' i'm thankful to many people in the world who have made a difference because they stand up for what they believe in. i found this picture of mother teresa and to me it captures her completely. and martin luther king jr. a happy, optimistic kind man.

Brynn turned 1!

2010-01-15T00:51:00.000-05:00

I know it was just about two months ago, but the littlest lady had a big day! I wanted to make something fun for the ladies on their birthdays (birthdays at our house are a BIG deal) so I made up this little banner. I just used felt and scraps of fabric, and it went pretty fast while I watched reruns of the brady bunch. :) Brynn's birthday was a Monday and the Sunday night before I remembered that we had basically no good food to eat-boo. So we ate out for lunch and dinner and it was fantastic. Who wouldn't want to have tres leches at a mexican restaurant when you turn 1? The big hit of the night was the-shopping-cart-that-can-run-over-an-adult-with-no-problem. It's industrial, and the little lady is in heaven.

Moo

2010-01-13T23:35:00.000-05:00

The tiniest headlamp lover there ever was.

a mullet by brynn

2010-01-13T23:30:00.001-05:00

*notice the ear peeking through-looks like an elf ear. she's also sporting an underbite in the picture. rock on.

little update

2010-01-13T23:24:00.000-05:00

We finally took down the Christmas tree today! It was time, the branches were drooping, and the lovely pine smell was no longer there. I loved having our tree up this year, and am always sad to take it down. I love having oranges on the tree and ornaments from my childhood to look at.

When I was little I remember an advent calendar, and have wanted to make one for some time. I found this idea on inchmark.com and it was the exact calendar I was thinking of. The felt colors are not exactly what I wanted, but I do love the way it turned out. I STILL don't have numbers on it, and so maybe for next year I'll get them done! It's been hanging up in my living room for the last week. :)

This is Brynn tonight, she just figured out how to blow the train whistle Grandpa Rawlinson gave us. She was so proud-she was about to smack Dad's head in joy! The lady had to have a little trim over Christmas because she had a very large mullet going on.

Maya Moo on her first day of Primary. She was so not happy to be awake for 9am church, but loved to be going to Primary.

happy december

2009-12-11T12:34:00.002-05:00

i don't know why it takes me a month between posts....wait, i do know why. our desktop computer can't upload my pics and i have to wait until evan brings his laptop, who we call lappy home. and i never remember to post pics, or by the time i do, i'd rather get some sleep!

hope you are all enjoying december!

we are enjoying a white december thus far! it snowed about six inches this week and if it weren't in the negatives we'd be out enjoying it. instead we look out our windows in the car or from our house and admire the glorious white stuff.

we have a pot of goodness simmering on the stove. it's a winter must at our house. it simmers all day long and adds the most amazing smell to our house. try it:

4 cups water
2 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1 t nutmeg
1 t whole cloves
1 t allspice
orange peel

you can add what spices you like...i like to get it bubbling then turn it to low for the rest of the day. add water as needed.

hope you enjoy it!

10 years

2009-11-08T01:17:00.000-05:00

10 years ago this month that we started dating.
So happy my life is with him.
Love waking up to his face each morning.
Love our life together.
Love his desire for adventure.
Love his happy optimistic attitude.
Love him.

Brynn

2009-11-08T01:09:00.000-05:00

My most favorite picture as of late of this little lady. She has a mouthful of teeth now, stands and even walks a little. She is a people person, lights up when her Dad is in the room, hates to have things taken away from her-and lets her sister know this, says 'ma ma ma' and 'da da da' with gusto, and LOVES LOVES LOVES animals of ANY kind. I want to remember this stage forever. Love it.

halloweenie

2009-11-08T01:04:00.000-05:00

I had every intention of putting away the halloween decorations this week, but just couldn't. We found this little halloween decoration AFTER halloween and so we have had to light it every night at dinner and eat in the dark, per Maya's request. So the decorations are sitll up, and we have been eating all things fall. We have made 'mother lode pretzels' at least 5 times in the last month. So delicious. Dip pretzels in caramel, then rollin chocolate chips and nuts. Absolute heaven. But don't make it early in the day, you'll eat most of the tray before your husband comes home. And I can't blame it on Maya, she only wanted half of one. Boo.
This year Maya was Thomas the train. I had the bright idea to be vikings. You know, we are now considered 'minnesotans' and I think that we have tried to acquire the accent whole-heartedly so I thought it would be nice to represent our heritage here, however I just didn't have the time to try and glue fur everywhere and get Evan a long blonde wig. We dress up every year, but this year we just didn't make it, so next year expect big things from us.

The best gift=people come to visit!

2009-11-08T00:55:00.000-05:00

Carly, Parker and Maya on a walk

Chad the 'cool uncle' who plays trains with Maya

Chad and Val

Parker and Carly

My brother Chad and his wife Val and my little sister Carly and her boyfriend Parker came to visit us! THIS IS THE ONE AND ONLY THING I LIKE ABOUT LIVING FAR AWAY FROM FAMILY...they come to visit you. We had an extended weekend and it was not near enough time, but we had a fabulous one. We took them to Punch Pizza, the best pizza in Minne, and then had hot chocolate after to celebrate Chad's birthday. We made lots of pumpkin cookies, and went trick or treating, went on a glorious fall run, watched movies, and just enjoyed it. Thanks so much for coming out here you guys, it was the best. Funny thing-I hardly took any pictures, so looking back I have just a few pics of the peeps visiting....oh well, there's always next time right?

A fine fall day

2009-11-08T00:43:00.001-05:00

Today was a miracle, really. The sun was out and the temperature was 65! That NEVER happens in November in Minnesota. We had millions of leaves to rake in our back yard, but instead we put on our chaco's and headed out the door for a fine fall hiking adventure. We ended up in one of our favorite little towns Stillwater. We stopped and hiked by the river where Maya found ladybugs and spiderwebs and 'fished' with her stick in the river. Brynn had a few helpings of sand. We ate at our favorite little cafe called Shane on Main, had our turkey, cheddar and apple panini's and then climbed up the 157 steps to get a gorgeous view of Stillwater and the St. Croix river which borders Minnesota and Wisconsin, and visited our favorite stores there; Pulp Fashion-a paper goods store full of all sorts of funky things that make me wish I had loads of sweet cash to spend in there, and of course 45 degrees, one of the best outdoor stores in Minnesota. What a great day.

The man I call 'Sexy Marty'

2009-10-24T17:20:00.003-05:00

If any of you would like to hear some good music, check out THIS man.

In October of 1997 I was a high school junior looking through our local paper. I found an ad for some live music at the Lyric Theater in Logan. The theater was featuring Martin Sexton. I called up a good friend of mine and we went and saw him.

One of the best live performances I've seen, EVER!

I bought his cd that night, and loved it. And I shared it with people, and through my friend Annie, he is now known as 'Sexy Marty.'

His music is timeless. He's part funk, party soul, part folk, and you won't be disappointed. Today I was listening to him and it always makes me think of that fall day when I saw him live. What a good day.

thanks amy!

2009-10-11T19:56:00.003-05:00

my cute sister amy sent this to me the end of september. i love love love the idea for a halloween advent calendar, and she saw the look-a-like on pottery barn, and came up with this. she is amazing, and it took her only an afternoon to do this. thanks so much amy for our calendar, we love it!

these boots are made for walkin'

2009-10-11T18:37:00.005-05:00

the lady loves her boots. the top pic is her favorite outfit as of late-tank top with not much else. she insists on wearing a tank top in the morning....did i mention it snowed this week? but the tank top is accompanied by boots. so sassy. the second pic is of maya in 2007.

for grandpa and grandma

2009-10-11T17:52:00.002-05:00

found these cute pics from yellowstone this summer. it was after the drowning accident of camera 3, so we just found these pics. love these of my parents and brynnie.

and then there was this.......

2009-10-11T17:44:00.004-05:00

and i'm just not ready for it! we got a little skiff of snow on saturday morning. couldn't believe that we had snow. on our walk on friday, i put hats and mittens on the ladies, but i didn't expect this the next day. i'm just hoping for a few lovely days of fall to come.....

maya + ava

2009-10-05T22:28:00.003-05:00

dear ava bava,

i wish that you lived next door so that we could party like this all the time. i miss you!

love,

maya

*picture taken summer 2008

dad

2009-10-05T22:23:00.004-05:00

just came across the coolest picture of my dad. ever.

north shore

2009-10-05T22:15:00.002-05:00

the pics never do the beautiful views justice, but oh well. it was such a beautiful sight to see lake superior-so amazing! i can't get over how large it is. it really does look like the ocean. a rare sight before brynn started to scream because maya was holding her too tight. love the look on both of their faces in this one. and look at those little toes. could nibble them right off.

the north shore

2009-10-05T22:03:00.003-05:00

in september we finally made it up to the north shore of lake superior, which to midwesterners might as well be the ocean! we've wanted to do this since moving up to minne and caught the perfect weekend to go. we camped and the girls were absolutely fabulouso. they adore being outside and we love that they love it! we hiked all over on saturday, to the beach, to waterfalls, and maya got wet up to her chest. had the time of her life. and we brought home about 30lbs of the most beautiful smooth rocks from the beach, don't worry everyone does this. :)

evan's blog

2009-09-28T22:12:00.003-05:00

this is evan's new blog. it's all about ridiculously good music. check it out.
http://evanfetters.blogspot.com

sweaters

2009-09-23T19:38:00.002-05:00

apparently no one saw my 'funny' link on my last post.

check this out: SWEATERS

my favorite is the navahoe brave. what is yours? happy fall!