capture2011 :: no. 85 :: 4.30.11 :: the oliphant

as i unpack boxes upstairs and in the basement, sometimes i find long-lost treasures, like this carved elephant kristen brought back from india a few years ago. i like it.

also in this photo—i'm glad to see this plant is doing better with more sunshine. it was formerly languishing in the bathroom. green green green!

diy raindrop art

happy rainy saturday! seems like a fitting day to share this project.

the only thing that was keeping me from checking the half bath off as "finished" was buying or making art and hanging it above the toilet. i've been clipping a bunch of fun raindrop-inspired ideas from around the webs lately, so i had my idea. i also had a bit of extra time on my hands when ben was on a business trip a few weeks ago, so i got down to it.

i started with a pile of paper and fabric scraps. i can't bear to throw away a scrap of something pretty, so i am glad i held onto these pieces! i had just enough of each type.

then i got to cutting. after an episode or two of veronica mars, i had what i needed. i bought a piece of posterboard and used some fabric glue to get everything in place.

and here she is.

again, making something new out of something old just feels so good.

we'll be working around the house today and then i have a baby shower to attend tonight! what are your saturday plans?

capture2011 :: no. 84 :: 4.29.11 :: the story continues

that's a lot of insulation! ben took it out so we can have foam sprayed in—which is happening as i write!

capture2011 :: no. 83 :: 4.28.11 :: reinsulating the attic

that's my man after working in a filthy attic.

capture2011 :: no. 82 :: 4.25.11 :: coffee date with beth

our easter

'twas a good one. it always is. Christ came and died so we can be reconciled to God and have true, lasting freedom in Him. there is nothing on earth better than that.

after church (sermon available here!), we spent the day with family and a few friends. we ate. a lot. and then we went out to the cul-de-sac to play some frisbee. it was so beautiful outside!

 apparently dave was teaching kristen a new throwing method.

kristen asked me, "why is it that every time i look over at you, that camera is pointed at me?" well, dear sister, it's because you do amazing things like this:

and this:

yup. she's my sister!

and since hannah was there, of course i had to take a million shots of her. kristen says she looks more like a little girl and less like a baby these days. lauren and i think the fact that she was wearing a very grown-up easter outfit makes her look very mature! :)

a big old hug for dad.

i hope you all had a wonderful resurrection day!

capture2011 :: no. 81 :: 4.24.11 :: easter sunday

the Lord is risen! all i have is Christ.

capture2011 :: no. 80 :: 4.23.11 :: the basement

this is real. are you scared? i am.

when we moved into our home, the main level was under construction. the upstairs bedrooms became our living spaces, and the basement became . . . well, it became the place for everything else. i mean everything. i spy a computer. a mini trampoline. recording equipment. wrapping paper. and probably about a million boxes that each have just one thing in them.

this is where i'll be for the next few weeks. it is time to clear this out. if you don't hear from me, send in a search party.

capture2011 :: no. 79 :: 4.22.11 :: my heart belongs to mama's

this week's friday night date was at mama's pizza in st. paul. our friends mike and crissy introduced us to it (they had their rehearsal dinner there!). it is unbelievable—and you have to trust me when i say that ben and i eat a lot of pizza. we're pretty crazy about the italian fries, and the servers bring you a tiny soft serve cone at the end of the meal. the people who work there are as kind as can be. i say try it!

[image from ben's camera phone.]

capture2011 :: no. 78 :: 4.20.11 :: sun shower

yesterday started with a dreary, white snowfall and ended with a sunny, golden mist of rain. beautiful.

capture2011 :: no. 77 :: 4.20.11 :: teetering tower of toys

ben brought home some oldies but goodies that resided at his parents' house. my brother and i used to play lincoln logs often, and i'm glad my future children will have the chance to play with them, too.

capture2011 :: no. 76 :: 4.20.11 :: not much

 

i'm experiencing a serious lack of photographic motivation. i'm sorry that all i have for you this morning are dirty dishes.

capture2011 :: no. 75 :: 4.16.11 :: gone

ben and his pillow were in washington dc last week for a work conference. his flight was due in late saturday, but bad weather caused an unplanned overnight stay in milwaukee and he got home yesterday. man did i miss him!

capture2011 :: no. 74 :: 4.16.11 :: april [snow] showers . . .

bring may flowers!

capture2011 :: no. 73 :: 4.12.11 :: alma mater

ski-u-mah!

did you know that alma mater means "fostering mother"? just a bit of trivia for you.

capture2011 :: no. 72 :: 4.11.11 :: hello, daffodil

welcome to our home.

capture2011 :: no. 71 :: 4.10.11 :: "the kristen"

 

we celebrated kristen's birthday yesterday. last year i made a pink lemonade layer cake. this year i made a recipe of her own design that has come to be known as "the kristen." it's delicious.

happy birthday, sweet sister!

capture2011 :: no. 70 :: 4.9.11 :: brute strength

turns out today was the day to start pulling out the chain link fence! klaas advised us to do it now while the ground is soft, because those posts are stuck in the ground with cement. i was inside painting and ben just went at it—and broke the shovel in the process!

capture2011 :: no. 69 :: 4.8.11 :: that chain link fence

we're hoping to rip out this summer.

capture2011 :: no. 68 :: 4.7.11 :: major closet purge

i filled four paper grocery bags. it just feels so good.

capture2011 :: no. 67 :: 4.5.11 :: white feet and brown grass

taken at the same spot in our front yard as this one. if i remember, i'll do spring and fall versions, too.

capture2011 :: no. 66 :: 4.3.11 :: on sunday morning

ben and i started going to the sunday evening service at our church a few months ago. i like it for many reasons, but one of them is that we get a truly slow morning on sunday. on saturdays, we often rise early to work on stuff around the house. i still like to rise early on sundays, though, but it is different. i love quiet mornings with coffee and my Bible.

yesterday, ben made the pancakes and i made the bacon. we took our feast into the living room and watched an episode of the cosby show.  it was a wonderful sabbath morn.

the first three months

i'm 65 pictures into capture2011—three months down! here are some of my favorites.

1. no. 59 :: 3.25.11, 2. no. 53 :: 3.17.11, 3. no. 50 :: 3.10.11, 4. no. 44 :: 3.4.11, 5. no. 33 :: 2.17.11, 6. no. 30 :: 2.12.11, 7. no. 32 :: 2.14.11, 8. no. 20 :: 1.29.11, 9. no. 17 :: 1.26.11, 10. no. 13 :: 1.19.11, 11. no. 5 :: 1.8.11, 12. no. 16 :: 1.25.11, 13. no. 51 :: 3.13.11, 14. no. 56 :: 3.22.11, 15. no. 54 :: 3.17.11

as always, thanks for reading!

capture2011 :: no. 65 :: 4.2.11 :: homemade taco seasoning

capture2011 :: no. 64 :: 4.1.11 :: she's seven months old

already.

capture2011 :: no. 63 :: 3.31.11 :: ironing marathon

dollar spot gems

i'm a big fan of supertarget, especially the dollar spot! it only takes a dollar to make me happy. :) i found a few fun things over the past weeks.

first, a yellow ceramic thing? i wanted to use it on our desk for pens and pencils. but it needed something. a stripe! i got out the blue painter's tape and rummaged around for a can of white spray paint.

a little paint crept under the tape, but oh well. it's "one of a kind!"

next up was a pinwheel for my sister-in-law, lauren. it is springy and looked cute on top of her birthday present.

hannah loves ceiling fans, and was equally interested in a spinning pinwheel! look at that mesmerization on her face.

gotta love the dollar spot!