PLUM STREET SAMPLERS

It's Good to Be Twelve.

I remember turning twelve. It seemed so old compared to eleven... My sweet Joonbug celebrated her birthday yesterday by inviting over her Meems and Pops and having a cookout here at home. She loves birthdays, no matter whose they are, and we did our best to make hers as special as she makes others'. (If it's your birthday, just let Sophie know and she'll be in a good mood all day - I'm not even kidding.)

She's just too much fun to buy for (as Bre can attest... she pretty much broke the bank bc she couldn't stop adding to the pile when shopping for Sophie in Aeropostale). 

Bean couldn't be with us bc she's taking a field course out in western Nebraska, but before she left, she presented Sophie with a new version of her old cell phone, which was quite exciting for Soph! Of course, Big Papa gets to deal with the data plan upgrade, but he did agree to it. It doesn't really matter that he was engrossed in a video game when the idea was presented, does it? (jk!)

Speaking of Big Papa, he taught the birthday girl all about the art of grilling...

(Btw, those are my "Sweeters" on the top grill rack, as Mike calls them. They're sweet potatoes with all sorts of goodies sprinkled on top).

This was Mike's plate.. I always thought his mustard technique for hot dogs was interesting (which is evidence for why I don't pick him for my team when playing Pictionary)...

Time for the bean bag toss, which was one of Mike's gifts to Soph...

I love this picture of these two...

We also played Ladder Ball, which is always fun!

One of Sophie's very favorite television shows is Cupcake Wars on The Learning Channel, so instead of a traditional cake, we surprised her with various gourmet cupcakes. (And for fun, since she's a Toy Story fan, I got her a miniature Buzz Lightyear cake.)

Sophie loved all of her presents, and she was especially glad her grandparents came over. Not that they would have missed it. ;)

I do have to interject, however, that her little brother got on her nerves a bit:

Especially when he took her prized earrings that were laying nearby and placed them in the bored-out eyes of the ice cream man he had created. This did not go over well with the birthday girl, and I reminded her that men are boys too, and they require much patience at times.

Sophie, you are amazing. And we're so very happy you were born. We love you!

P.S. This morning she said to me, "I'm starting to feel twelve now." And since today is the last day of school, she added, "And can you believe at 3:00 today, I'll be a seventh grader?"

New and News from Bre!

Bre has been so busy with her Hodgepodge Cottage designs lately, and I wanted to take a quick moment to share her newest releases with you all! She's got them coming out during the online Needlework Show on April 19th, and I couldn't be more proud of her. And to think, it all started with my grounding her as a teenager and making her learn to stitch while she worried away the hours...

Here is Cat and Mouse:

A Lucky Home...

And finally, A Warm Heart Welcome...

I just love these sweet little designs (although I may be partial to the designer). :)

You can find them on the Kelmscott Designs page during the online show. You can also get more information about Bre's designs on her Hodgepodge Cottage Facebook page.

In other news, my Bre has accepted a job. A real, grown-up job! She'll be moving away from home soon, as she has accepted a graphic artist position for a marketing consultant several hours away. I'm so very proud of her, and so happy... although that first night she's away, I know it will hit me hard. It's going to be quite different from her being only an hour away at college, but I know that even if it's going to be difficult for me, she's ready for it. I couldn't be happier for her.

I love how she worded it on one of her Facebook posts: "...I'll be moving into my own home, and it can really be the Hodgepodge COTTAGE!" Okay, now I'm jealous, bc I always wanted to name my home. I'll have to come up with something cool. (And no, Mom, I can't use Greatest Show on Earth bc it's already taken. And quit calling my house a circus.)

Btw, when she was getting ready for her interview, I took a few photos of her fixing her hair in the mirror before she stepped out the door. My girls are pretty used to me getting in their space and taking a ridiculous amount of photos, so they rarely look at me unless I tell them to. I can't help it though.. I just love all those in-between moments that actually never get posted on the blog bc my girls would be embarrassed. :) But all those little in-betweens are the cream in the Oreo, imvho, and I love every one.

Looky-here, Bre!

And then it was time for her to leave...

I love my girl. 

Spring Break

For Sophie's spring break this year, she begged Mike to take her to Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, Missouri, so he took a couple of days off work and we loaded up the car and headed out. And since no Stewart trip would be complete without Mike longing to climb every single hill we passed, we had to pull over on the side of the road and let him get it out of his system.

Needless to say, our road trips to Colorado are a nightmare for me.

Although Sophie has been to Great Wolf Lodge several times, she never tires of it...

It's full of spouting fountains and spray guns and lounge pools and water slides - some of which you can see behind the hill-climbing duo below...

Soph just about lost her bathing suit bottom here... and in case you miss him, Mike is the tall kid with his arms up (most likely hoping to lose his bathing suit bottom)...

And here is Mike again, making up for all those childhood days of having only a bathtub to splash in...

The next day was spent at Great Wolf Lodge's MagiQuest, which is a wizardry game in which participants complete various tasks given to them by wise owls and talking trees, in an effort to conquer a mighty dragon in the end. It's sort of like an interactive video game, but instead of a controller, you choose a wand...

And once you've chosen (purchased) your wand, you can opt to add a topper to it that gives you extra powers...

Yes, Mike, we know you've always wanted one of these..

After consulting her Ancient Book of Wisdom, Sophie was off on her adventure...

Here she receives instructions from a knight:

The average length of the game is 4 hours, but after about an hour and a half, I decided to take my leave and get a coffee and settle in with Dutch Beauty in the lobby. Every once in a while, I'd hear Mike and Sophie run by (along with lots of other kids and an occasional parent), exclaiming how they needed "more gold!" or "The Whispering Woods are this way!" or something like that.

When it was just about time to defeat the evil dragon, they came to get me so I could take Mike's picture witness their mastery of the challenge...

The game took them just under 3 hours, but that was just one of three quests. The others will be completed at a future visit to Great Wolf Lodge, and I know the two are looking forward to it... although Mike expects to get to hold the wand next time.

Spring break was an enjoyable one, but as with every Stewart trip, it's all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out. And usually that eye belongs to Mike.

P.S. For those of you who know Mike, you know exactly what I mean by that last sentence. ;)

Love

I imagine there are people out there who may visit my blog, hoping to see stitching-related posts. And I know I don't post about stitching very often, despite my business name being splashed across the banner. And I also know that those who happen to read my blog may be awfully tired of seeing photos of my daughters show up (again), but I just can't help myself. I'm in love with my girls, and I'm so very proud of them!

Warning: I've got a few photos of Bre I'd love to share, so if you want to exit now, I won't be offended. ;)

Bre visited a friend recently (Hi, Katrina!) who made her this adorable headband. Truth be told, the fact that Bre is so willing to wear it for her friend is causing me mild vexation, bc I fought with her constantly when she was little to get her to wear cute headbands... but she always won, and by the time we were finished duking it out, I was ready to burn all the headbands in the universe. (But don't worry, Katrina, I won't burn yours, bc it's so cute.) Anyway, before Bre left for school, I forced her to stay put while I took some pictures of her. :)

Heehee, I love it when she feels ridiculous.

I love you, Bre. Even though you vex me.

Underwhelmed.

Sabrina's very special friend recently told her that he likes her a lot. However, he also told her that while he likes her a lot, he likes Kate Beckinsale a lot. As a matter of fact, Kate Beckinsale is to be his future wife, he's decided. No offense, Sabrina.

None taken, she assured him. And to prove it, she got him this poster, which now hangs on the back of his bedroom door:

I've never seen any of the Underworld movies, but Sabrina has, and likes them. As a matter of fact, Kate Beckinsale's character - Selene - has always been a favorite of Bean's, but probably for different reasons than her special friend's.

And although Sabrina has no plans of usurping Kate's status as "future wife," I got to thinking that Halloween will be here before we know it...

Now, to find someone who specializes in leather skinsuits.

Lady Luck

Mike has told Breanna for years that when she turns 21 he would take her to Vegas. So when they invited me to go along, I packed my stitching and went with them.

Yes, my stitching. Moving on.

We were there for 3 days, and although I dragged my camera everywhere, I didn't actually take very many photos. Here are a few I did take, though, along with a couple of highlights from our trip...

We stayed at Caesar's Palace, and every time we walked the halls to and from our hotel room, Mike would say, "We should check out the pool," and "Look, I can see the pool from here, " and "Maybe one of these days while we're here we can go swimming in the pool."

So Bre and I took him to see the pool, which was really very pretty. These fountains were in the middle of it...

Here's Bre in front of it, wearing her Vegas pants, as they came to be known...

This is the view of part of the hotel, towering over the pool (you can see the reflection of the opposing tower in the windows)...

And here are some of the beautiful statues that were around us...

While we were there taking photos, two security guards started chatting with us. They were there to make sure people didn't go inside certain restricted areas, but after a while, one of them said to the other, "Should I them to the place?" And the other said, "Yes, take them to the place."

When in Vegas, one should not follow a perfect stranger blindly into a place called the place, but since we were in Vegas, we decided to follow.

I realize that was an odd statement.

So our security guard, named Seth, led us past the restricted area, around a corner, along the hidden length of the pool, and up a long flight of stairs. When we got to the top, he told us that this was the place: the place where celebrities go to enjoy outdoor parties like the one Celine Dion just had here to celebrate her baby's christening...

(That's Bre and Seth, walking farther ahead)

Inside those archways are lounging areas with large flat-screen televisions...

Even though I personally wouldn't plunk down a million bucks to reserve the area, it was a lot of fun to see. It was like our own private tour, and Seth was as pleasant as could be. He took this photo of the three of us up there...

And then we passed the camera around and behaved like regular tourists...

We also visited the New York, New York casino, where Mike and Bre rode this crazy roller coaster that you can see tangled in the facade...

And somehow Mike managed to talk Bre into helping him fool all passers-by into thinking that they were actually going to consume the Statue-of-Liberty-made-entirely-out-of jelly-beans...

Nobody really paid much attention though, bc we were in Vegas, and people do that sort of thing there, I suppose.

On our first night there, we decided to see David Copperfield's show. Breanna has always been a huge fan of magic, and loves to try to figure out how things are done. (I, on the other hand, become incensed when I can't figure out an illusion, and I always want to storm out, screaming something unpleasant.) So up to the ticket window we went, only to be told that there were no tickets left, but we could check back later to see if Mr. Copperfield had returned any to the theater. (He keeps some tickets back for friends or family, but if they don't get used, then he returns them for the theater to sell.)

So back we went at 9 p.m. to see if luck was on our side. And yes, it was! We got front-and-center seats, and we were thrilled! (Even me, the magic-hater!) At the beginning of the show, David told everyone to find him on Twitter and send him a tweet, and one person would be chosen via direct-message on twitter to meet him after the show. So Bre took out her phone and sent him a text that said something like this: "It's my 21st birthday, and it would be an awesome gift to be able to meet you!"

And this is how the story ended:

(Btw, when she got the DM in the middle of the show, we all just about squealed with excitement. We couldn't believe it! The guy who led us backstage to meet him told us that during the show, David takes a break and runs to read all of the tweets, and then he chooses one person.)

And btw, his show was so amazing, I am now a convert. It was truly mind-boggling, and he has quite a sense of humor, which I didn't expect. :)

The next night, we went to see Cirque du Soleil's Ka and then watched the fountain and lights show in front of the Paris casino, which was fascinating...

It was a fun trip, but since there were no quiet stitching corners to be found on the Strip, I'm very happy to be home. :) Plus, these two clowns took the whole "what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas" thing a little too seriously...

Happy 21st, Bre!

Family.

Over the Christmas season, my sister and niece came to visit and I insisted on taking some pictures of them together while Natalie was in the mood to pose for the camera (a very rare thing indeed!). 

And lest you think little Natalie is this sweet and cuddly all the time, the next photo is definitely more reflective of her independent nature:

(My apologies for cutting off your foot, Natalie, but you moved too fast for me that day.)

I love you, Audrey and Natalie. I'm so happy I got to see you and spend a little time with just you two. :)

2011

January...

February...

March...

April...

May...

June...

July...

August...

September...

October...

November...

December...

Happy New Year!

Tills.

I used to think I was more of a dog person, but lately I'm starting to think I'm a cat lover. Tilly has been visiting since Bre has been on Christmas break, and I tell you, every time I see this little sweety, I feel happy.

When I say, "Hi Tills!" she actually meows in answer. It's the weirdest thing.

And she loves to antagonize the Yorkie. It's one of her favorite things to do, as a matter of fact. Here she is, perched on the Yorkie's old spot on top of the couch (snuggled in one of Sophie's t-shirts)...

And since the Yorkie finds Tilly to be extremely disconcerting, all the Yorkie can do is sit by on a not-so-comfy chair and take it.

And as soon as Tilly is occupied elsewhere, the Yorkie eagerly resumes her position on the back of the couch.

Lately, the only time Tilly will allow the Yorkie to have her old spot back is when she hears me switching laundry loads. For some reason, this silly cat loves the dryer. She watches me unload it, and as soon as it's clear, she settles in.

She igores my pleas to vacate the dryer so I can get on with the laundry, so I usually end up piling damp clothing in around her to show her I'm serious about the eviction.

She also loves it when I play on my iPad. Recently I couldn't figure out why my screen wouldn't scroll, and when I looked down, her paw was resting on it, preventing it from responding to me because it was busy responding to her.

The poor guinea pig in Soph's room also finds Tilly to be extremely disconcerting.

As I was taking down the Christmas decorations this past week, she made herself at home in a garland laying on the floor, hiding herself  from a certain pooch. Clearly she had plans brewing for making the Yorkie wee in fear.

The oblivious Yorkie approached...

...And this was all I was able to capture of the skirmish:

Tasha, on the other hand, is not afraid of anything. She dreams of the day when Tilly will let her stand this close to her without a screen door between them.

Poor, friendless Tasha.

Tilly doesn't care for canine exuberance, so she stays as high up as possible when Tasha's tanking through the room.

She does, however, like Friday.

And like I said, I really like her.

Sweet Tilly. Bre sure knows how to pick them.

Twenty-One

Bre arrived in town this past Wednesday, just in time to start her Christmas break and to celebrate her twenty-first birthday! My sister and niece were also in town, so they joined us at Roja for lunch, where Mike treated Bre to a fruity concoction...

The rest of us sipped our waters while these two behaved like a couple of fruitcakes...

(Sophie picked up my camera and caught Sabrina texting her special friend...)

After an enchilada lunch, it was back home for presents. It cracks me up how little kids love love love to help people open their gifts. Natalie took it upon herself to dive right into the gift bag and retrieve Bre's gift, just in case Bre didn't know how to do it...

One of Bre's gifts was some Bare Escentials lip gloss, which Natalie wanted to try on...

Sophie got her sister a gorgeous loop scarf from Francesca's...

I loved how Natalie jumped in the photo when my sister was trying to take our picture...

While the celebrating was going on, Tilly stayed perched up high, where the dogs couldn't reach her...

A childhood friend of Bre's gave her this darling little wine glass ornament...

The lip gloss Bre got was from Sabrina...

It was a really fun day, and I'm so proud of my Bre. I love you, sweet girl! Happy Birthday to you!