before...after

the whispering pines photo i promised....
taking it down. can you believe it? we are lucky a fire didn’t start. we cut it down...i watered it religiously at least once every day...and we get this. not blaming anybody, just curious as to what to look for when you are cutting down a live tree.

summer in a snuggie

what can i say. my kids were with me...and i was weak at the grocery store. aunt sheryl, it’s all your fault. :)

merry christmas

olivia’s abercrombie fitch card as customized by daddy.

greetings

try to be surprised if you see these shots end up on our card this year.
more cool shots from olivia.

santas be sketchy

i can’t look at this photo and not laugh at everyone involved.
it was a perfect storm.
and if you have a minute for a time-waster, check out this.

happy holidays...

hmmmmm. some people have a rough time i guess.
(more whispering pines photos to come.)

summer day

i know. i’m the mom. but is that not the most beautiful dog EVER? once again, thanks to russ for making my family look good.

pawstand

the scariest thing is...she seems to like it.

no gang signs

text!!!

three raw meatballs

one chicken wing bone
four q-tips
one sock
plain dealer metro section
2 malted milk balls
bowl of lucky charms
nathan’s birthday halloween candy
contents of upstairs trash can
brian’s napkin
1/354 piece of bumblebee transformer

(summers’s snacking for the last week)

0-14

so they didn’t have the greatest season.
but we are so proud of olivia for trying a new sport.
(pictured above with ashley, one of her bffs.)
jk! lol! idk. ily! txt! i’m on a roll.
yesterday was their last game.
and even after being sick for 2 days, she had the most awesome game.
the overhand serve definitely clicked in (i think she had 6 in a row).
and in my opinion was partially responsible for at least 6 more.
most importantly, most of the team really had a great time with each other.

frank and summer

right after i said i wouldn’t do it.
but i just found this picture...taken by olivia on her phone.
i just love it. the composition is awesome.
maybe there is another camera in your future, sweetheart.

paper recycling

at the risk of overdoing it with the dog pictures...another shot of summer in my office. she looks so innocent, doesn’t she? thanks eran, for the photo.

13 weeks

at brenda’s party last saturday afternoon. we saw other puppies that were the same age as summer was when we got her. it’s hard to believe how much she has grown. and how much she puts into her mouth. (thanks sally, for the picture!)

soccer sam

i LOVE watching him play. he never stops moving (probably to a fault sometimes).
thank you to laura a. for the great picture.

labor day

sam and ellen’s dirty feet contest.
our friend, ashley, her favorite.

me and martha

tomato blight. yuck. i heard martha lost almost 70% of her crop. so discouraging. i pulled everything, and quickly roasted what i could salvage. sucks. it is some sort of bad kharma for me...there is not much more i love in the world than a warm, ripe, beautiful tomato.

dogfight

summer and sam at work this morning.
it’s so fun to watch them play.
sam is the most gentle dog i have ever been around.
we hope summer takes after him.

the uniform project

so fun! i stumbled across this today on abovethefraymag. since may 1st, sheena matheiken has worn a uniform as “an exercise in sustainable fashion.” i loved seeing all the looks she has pulled together...pulling together outfits with vintage stuff, flea market finds and stuff donated by other designers. (i didn’t pull the most exciting photos...so see for yourself) and donations go to the Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums. i was just telling someone today that i wished the kids wore uniforms.(heck, sometimes i wish i did!) a friend of hers designed the main dress...it can be worn backwards, open, closed...very versatile. i’ll have to get a hold of the pattern.

more.

new school years eve

i’m sad. i am not one of those parents that can’t wait till their kids go back to school. i really love having my guys home. have i mentioned that my favorite thing in the world is hearing them laugh? they have done lots of that this summer. but tomorrow is the big day. (early for us burtonites...usually we don‘t go back till after labor day) i know they will love seeing all their friends and we will be in the routine before we know it. but till then...a couple pictures of summer goodness.

beach

at this rate, we’ll be booking next year’s vacation by the time i show you our vacation photos. still organizing.

summer

the new addition to our family. she’s the one biting the fence.
we think sam was meditating about dogmas or something.

mad hatter

to be honest, i really am not that familiar with alice in wonderland. but the stills and promos for this thing look amazing.

ok. so i must have screwed up when i attached this thing. but you can also take a look at the trailer here.

parastuck

so...you’ll notice...i’m missing.
i am just ever so slightly claustrophobic. (my excuse for standing in the back during staff meetings!) enough to know that i really would enjoy just the boat ride more than the ride in the sky. so anyway, i watch my family go thousands of feet in the air only to have the winch on the boat break/stall/stop working. they were up there FOREVER! the captain is calling into shore...they are hitting the control panels with hammers...then taking it apart with a screwdriver and holding it up and shaking. finally, after one good slam...it started working again and they were brought back to the boat. having no idea what just went on. only that they couldn’t believe how long they were up there. and the funny thing (besides my worst fear come alive before my eyes)...all the other people on the boat, after watching this comedy of errors, STILL GO UP! would you?
(and my apologies if you’ve heard this one before!)

daily ritual : vacation edition

i think i probably got this from my mom.
it just makes me feel more organized to layout all the stuff i want to take in one place.
and olivia and sam love it. they started asking weeks before...
“when can we set out stuff in the kitchen?!”

Robert Pattinson vs. Daniel Radcliffe (7/16/09)

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

i’ve never seen any of the harry potter movies,
but this is still very funny!

weeds

but a lot of good stuff too.
i started late...so my herbs look kind of measly. but everything else looks good.
lots of beets for amy.

where we’ve been

more to come.

short stories

a beautiful mini blog from photographer jennifer altman.
her regular blog is pretty sweet too.
one of these days i’ll get around to sprucing ours up.

daily ritual

i love make up.
ever since i was in high school and wore ENTIRELY too much.
(mom, dad...hello? olivia, don’t get any ideas)
i don’t have much time (or money) anymore...
but wandering through sephora...browsing at nordstrom...
trying to collect all the products in instyle’s makeup issue...much girly fun.
and maybe now is the time to mention... nars...dolce vita lipstick?
i heart you.

(sorry for the blurry photo...but i just hate the flash.
and didn’t have enough patience for a tripod.)

lists

cleaning out my emails and found this.
i know most people hate them. but they always make me think and i usually find out something i didn’t know about my friends

where is your cell phone? > in my back pocket.
your significant other? > brian.
your hair? > dark brown.
your mother? > deceased.
your father? > in naples, florida.
your favorite thing? > hearing my kids belly laugh.
your dream last night > work. more like a nightmare.
your favorite drink? > la croix.
your dream/goal? > an airstream trailer in the everglades ;)
the room you're in? > my office at work.
your fear? > besides constant fears about my health...anything happening to brian and the kids.
where do you want to be in 6 years? > alive. helping olivia decorate her dorm room.
where were you last night? > home. watching random tv with brian.
what you're not? > outgoing.
muffins? > ehh. not really.
one of your wish list items? > our own place on the beach somewhere.
where you grew up? > all over, but high school in wadsworth.
the last thing you did? > got a plate of food at our company cookout.
what are you wearing? > surprisingly, not black. jeans and a summer top from nola true.
your TV? > at home...probably on a station olivia is not supposed to watch.
your pet? > sparky the turtle, and lily and aya...our gerbils.
your computer? > mac.
your life? > always something new.
your mood? > right now...a little melancholy.
missing someone? > sammy. he slept over a friends house last night .
your car? > jetta station wagon.
something you're not wearing? > a bathing suit. i’d like to be.
favorite store? > anthropologie.
your summer? > treasure island.
your favorite color? > green.
when is the last time you laughed? > last night...jon stewart.
last time you cried? > couple of days ago.
four places I go over and over? > work, grocery stores, kid’s sports,
four favorite foods? > goat cheese, quesadillas, gazpacho, flank steak

one week

off from school so far.
approximately 4 arguments.
3 walks to the fairgrounds.
2 softball games, 1 forfeit.
2 baseball games, 1 bye.
2 parties.
1 sleepover.
1 case of poison ivy.
1 truck pull.
0 trips to the emergency room.

dude

brian heard this yesterday on npr.
very funny...and very interesting.
and if you know anything about brian...watch your dude-sayege.

a saturday night

in burton. it’s a strangely interesting event.
not to mention good people watching.