Reconnecting in God's Country

My folks and I drove to Kansas recently to visit Rodney, Carmina, Cheyanne and Ember.


It was much warmer there than in Michigan and we soaked it up. Those who live, or have lived there, lovingly refer to Kansas as "God's Country."

Our friend, Naomi, created an Ultimate Hopscotch course in the driveway. My nieces had fun figuring it out with their friend, Kate, the next day while I posed with my friend, Christy in our nearly matching outfits. She has a belt on, though, and we have this joke that if you wear a belt then you are dressed up. I'm much more casual.

Virtual Pet - Just My Kind

Check out my new virtual hamster in the sidebar to the left!

Mandating Decency

Michelle Obama visited the Even Start program of one of my former Bethel classmates recently. While there, she said this:

"I mean, no matter what you do, you can't pass a law that makes somebody do the right thing, right? You can't pass a law that makes a parent read to their child every night. You can't pass a law that you treat your neighbor with respect and decency. You can't pass laws like that. You know, that comes from all of us deciding in our own communities, in our own individual lives, in our own families, who are we going to be." - Michelle Obama

That really touched me. Sometimes I wish we could pass laws that parents would sit down and play with and talk to their kids. I wish we could pass laws that parents would treat their children with the respect they expect back from their children. I wish we could pass laws that people would treat their neighbors with decency and respect, but these things can't be mandated. They have to come from within. Thanks, Michelle, for reminding us of that.

For the full transcript of her visit, and photos of the adorable kids she met, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/do_the_right_thing/.

Living with Hope

I realized this week that for the first time in my life, I feel proud of a U.S. President. I know that Obama has a long road ahead and we are expecting great things. I am just grateful for the positive steps he has already taken and for the hopeful presence he has brought to the White House. I feel that he has a better understanding of things that matter to me and I appreciate his approach. Looks like my nieces have a positive image of him as well. I imagine that Ember took a peek at Cheyanne's picture before drawing her own. I love 'em!

Good Sport

Last Thursday we had snow day #3. I got the call very early in the morning and by 7:15am I was on my way to Chicago, listening to my new favorite song by Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet.

My friend, Ashish, came to visit me for a few days from Texas. We met up in Chicago and have been staying at my parents' condo while they are vacationing in Florida. He arrived last Thursday, on the coldest day in Chicago in a decade. Until the day before his arrival, he didn't even own boots, hat, scarf, and gloves. Friday morning when we were headed to Chicago on the Metra, it was minus 17F ACTUAL TEMP!

He was a real good sport, though, and we bundled up and headed for the city. First stop: Sears Tower.

Then we headed to the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building for lunch. The view was phenomenal, but the food not so great. We loved the experience anyhow.


The next day we checked out the Field Museum, ate dim sum in Chinatown and went to a Jerry Douglas concert at The Old Town School of Folk Music. An amazing day!

We've been using the Metra and CTA buses and trains most of the time with one cab. I'm having fun getting to know my way around Chicago after a couple decades away.

Too Snowy for School or Work

Today was Snow Day #2 for this school year! I slept late, warm and cozy under the beautiful duvet cover that my Mom gave me for Christmas.



I made some muffin mix and pancake mix for my company who is coming this weekend.



I made some Kool-Aid playdough thanks to Kristin's recipe.



I cleaned the kitchen, ate Spaghettio's for lunch, cleared as much of the snow as I could before I froze, knit a bit, and worked on my schedule through May. I need another snow day to finish up around here.

There Is Snow

My, oh my. I haven't posted since November. I've been very busy with work, trainings, fulfilling knitting requests, getting ready for Christmas, and clearing snow. We've had well over 40 inches already.

We drove to KS the Saturday before Christmas and returned to the cottage on Christmas Day to icy snow blocking the driveway. It was a team effort to clear a way in. Here is me doing my part.