modern chemistry

k + t engagement pictures

2012-01-25T10:10:00.001-06:00

good morning!

not long ago, i added some of my pictures to pinterest, and i've noticed a little more blog traffic since then. if you are new here, welcome! :)

ben and i are leaving snowy minnesota to jet off to sunny florida at the end of the week (!), but i've got one quick post before i go. my little sister is getting married in a few months, and this fall i took her and her fiance tyler out for an engagement shoot. (they were really gracious because i pretty much told them i was going to take their engagement photos for them. bossy older sister? perhaps.) they are a wonderful couple and we praise God for bringing tyler into our family. he is such a sweet guy who loves Jesus and my sister very much. he makes her laugh. just look at her face in these shots. and when it rained a little he gave her his shirt to keep her warm and went to get the car to pick us up. awww!

we had a blast. it was a perfectly hazy october day——not too cold, not too sunny, perfect for pictures. we walked along the river, visited the guthrie and its "red wall," and then ventured across the river to st. anthony main. here are some of my favorites!

signing off!

diy bookshelves with bert

2012-01-06T09:14:00.000-06:00

hello, friday! and hello, friends!

i'm here to share possibly my favorite diy project from last year. okay, i say that a lot, but this one really is a doozy. along with a much better layout, this is the project that truly transformed our living room: bookshelves we built ourselves!

our friend bert is quite the woodworker. he's the one who made our new tabletop for us. five out of five stars. and bert graciously signed on when i asked him if he'd be up for another project. "gracious" because i get these crazy ideas in my head and he helps me translate them into reality.

he and i put our heads together and spent some time on ana white's site. we kicked around a few ideas, but in the end we modified this plan for the favorite bookshelf. we made two units, both of them wider and with taller legs so that the bookshelves wouldn't block some huge air vents we have at the baseboards.

i made quite a few trips to menards and home depot to buy lumber and supplies. on build day, bert brought over his chop saw, nail gun, and kreg jig (such a great tool!). beki and gwen came, too, and we ate dinner together right in the middle. i can't believe we hammered out two bookshelves in one afternoon/evening. it was amazing.

i stole this picture from ben's twitter——i forgot to take any "during" pictures. this is proof that i was involved in the construction!

but after the shelves were built, they sat in the garage for a long, long time while i procrastinated adding the adjustable shelving, filling holes, and sanding. (some of the lumber was less expensive to buy pre-primed, so parts of it are white and parts are unfinished——all pine though.)

once that was done, ben helped me bring them into the basement and paint. painting took a long time. can you guess what color they are? ha! you know me well.

but instead of all white, i decided to paint the plywood backing a color: my favorite aqua. like i said, this room needs color!

i arranged some books, vases, and other goodies, and we just love love love the shelves. (our books are a curious mixture of theology, investing, and literature. and yes, they are arranged by color. dewey decimal, be gone! ben is very patient with my ridiculousness.)

the crown detail was very simple to add, and i think it helps these bad boys look a lot less generic.

the bright colors look nice with the pillows and curtains on the other side.

cost-wise, these units were pretty reasonable. using pine kept the costs down, but you could go crazy with fancier woods and nicer trim up top. the cost was more than the ikea billy, which is what i originally considered for the space, but i think these look a million times better. plus, the billys would have covered the air vent, and we couldn't have that! so custom (and custom cost) is worth it in this case. and with such a sturdy build and solid wood, i'm hoping these bookshelves can stay with us for a long time.

much thanks to bert, without whom i could not have made these (i was thinking of going it alone, and i'm so glad i didn't). and much thanks to ben, who kindly parked outside for a long time while i turned our garage into amy's woodshop, etc.

capture2011 :: no. 260 :: 12.31.11 :: new year's eve

2012-01-04T07:59:00.001-06:00

ben and i went to our friends' annual party, but i couldn't quite make it until midnight. when we got there it was raining, and when we left around 11, there were beautiful, thick flakes falling. their street was quiet and peaceful. happy new year everyone!

this is the last picture for capture2011. thanks for following and encouraging me!

capture2011 :: no. 259 :: 12.30.11 :: a very, very special picture

2011-12-31T16:02:00.000-06:00

yup, that's a picture of our little baby. i'm pregnant! due in mid-july. :) :) :) :)

i'm currently 12 weeks along, but this was taken a few weeks ago. we had a dating ultrasound at 8 weeks and then another at 9 weeks because they saw a small cyst on the umbilical cord. doctor said they'll just keep an eye on it. we're praying God would be pleased to take it away or keep it from growing. but if He doesn't, we know He is still good!

can't wait to meet our precious little one!

capture2011 :: no. 258 :: 12.30.11 :: holiday sparkle

2011-12-30T15:43:00.001-06:00

it's been a bit since i attempted anything artsy.

capture2011 :: no. 257 :: 12.29.11 :: the week's reading

2011-12-29T13:26:00.001-06:00

these are the books i brought up north for the week: Bible, sewing, decorating, couponing, planning, homemaking, photography, and fiction. i read every page of every book. just kidding! not true at all.

i've been reading in luke in my slim esv. other than that, i read part of how to shop for free, which ben gave me for Christmas (no, it is not about stealing!), and i finished the veritas conflict, which was AMAzing and one of the most encouraging works of fiction i've ever read. it made me want to pray about everything. not a bad takeaway!

we're packing up in a few hours, so alas, the rest will have to wait.

the last few weeks

2011-12-27T11:40:00.000-06:00

hello, friends!

i hope you and your family had a merry little Christmas! ours was beautiful. it is always such a busy time of year, and i was so thankful to be able to spend oodles of time with friends and family.

while we are on the topic of Christmas, i would like to recommend the book come thou long-expected Jesus: experiencing the peace and promise of Christmas. it is a collection of advent readings from tons of wonderful authors such as john calvin, martin luther, randy alcorn, john piper, and john macarthur. the readings are truly worshipful and highlight different gems in the Christmas story that i hadn't really considered before. they helped me ponder Jesus more, who "became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption." what a Savior!

next, ben and i are currently up north at his parents' cabin for a few days away. he's working remotely and i'm using this time to catch up on blogging/email/facebook messages (apologies if i owe you a response!), read, and pray/plan for 2012. we got here last night, turned on the heat, headed into town for some dinner, and relaxed with a movie on the laptop. it's gonna be a good week.

and finally, i love that a few of you have hounded/teased/asked me to keep posting my pictures. no, i have not stopped capturing 2011, i just took an irresponsible break from emailing and blogging. bad amy. but here they are!

capture2011 :: no. 247 :: 12.16.2011 :: still going strong

anyone know what kind of flower this is? it was part of a bouquet ben bought for me on december 3. i was surprised to see it still looking good on the 16th, and even better, it still looked good yesterday when we left to come up north. i like the shape. very mod.

capture2011 :: no. 248 :: 12.17.2011 :: birthday boy!

our nephew caleb turned two this month! caleb's parents had a birthday party for him, and it was a ton of fun. there were lots of kids and toys and an amazing mickey mouse cake that christa made!

what a sweet face on this kid. caleb has such a gentle, kind spirit, and i can't believe two years have gone by since that special day he was born. he looks great in his dad's mickey mouse ears, don't you think?

capture2011 :: no. 249 :: 12.17.2011 :: father and son

yup, lots o' kids at this party. here's our nephew isaac getting a big smooch from daddy wes!

capture2011 :: no. 250 :: 12.17.2011 :: tuckered out

the weekend of caleb's party was madness, but in the best way. there were three Christmas parties, his birthday party, and a small group women's breakfast. i snapped this picture of our niece grace anne (i spelled her middle name incorrectly last time!) at the tail end of my parents' Christmas party that saturday night. i might have been as tuckered out as she was. ;)

capture2011 :: no. 251 :: 12.21.2011 :: a total invalid

i pulled a muscle in my back last week. i was leaning over to get something out of my purse. i know, i know, i shouldn't take so many risks. i can't believe how much it hurt, and i was pretty much on the couch the rest of the day. i sewed these microwaveable rice heat packs as Christmas presents last year, and i am glad i kept the prototype because i got good use out of it.

capture2011 :: no. 252 :: 12.22.2011 :: afternoon snack

i'm not quite sure why i took this picture. now that i think of it, i was probably subconsciously proud of myself for choosing to snack on vegetables, and apparently, i want you all to be proud of me, too. yes, i am an adult.

capture2011 :: no. 253 :: 12.23.2011 :: Christmas with vern

1) ben pretty much only calls me amy in public. otherwise it is bruce or some variation of bruce. 2) ben does not wrap presents often, therefore, he has not mastered the corners. but i love it when he wraps a present for me so i don't care. 3) no offense, matt. :)

capture2011 :: no. 254 :: 12.24.2011 :: Christmas eve frat party

after Christmas eve service, we ate dinner at my parents' house. our tradition is to eat wild rice soup, bread, and as many appetizers as humanly possible (mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, potato skins, etc.). ben affectionately calls it a "frat party," minus the red solo cups. but my sister raised our collective status this year with some delicious mushroom tartlets and these caprese skewers. she's pretty much a gourmet. thank you, kristen!

capture2011 :: no. 255 :: 12.24.2011 :: my parents' tree

after dinner, we opened presents. my brother dave, lauren, hannah, and grace were on an opposite schedule from me and ben this year, and we missed them tons.

capture2011 :: no. 256 :: 12.25.2011 :: it's all fun and games until . . .

this picture kills me. explanation: we spent Christmas day at ben's parents' house and it was a full one! it was truly a blessing that everyone could be there. whenever we all get together, the kids inevitably pile up on grandpa klaas for wrestling and tickle torture. there is always a definite point where it is time to stop, and i think i might have captured that exact moment here (the main clue is when klaas's face goes from smiling to serious). ben was stepping in to peel off children and aid in triage, but thankfully, there were minimal casualties. i love these kids, but i'm glad it wasn't me in there! ;)

ok! if you are counting, i only have four (FOUR!) more pictures to take to wrap up my year in pictures. wow wow wow. so glad to have done this, and yet so looking forward to being done. thanks for following!

capture2011 :: no. 246 :: 12.15.11 :: lunch date

2011-12-16T08:32:00.001-06:00

yesterday, my friend cindy took me out to lunch at naviya's. it is a new favorite place for sure! it was so light and fresh and the vegetable were wonderful. (usually "wonderful" and "vegetables" do not go together in my mind, so this is a big deal.) i would definitely recommend it. literally, the minute i got home i was warming up these leftovers because i wanted them again right away. :)

thanks, cindy!

2011-12-11T13:58:00.000-06:00

hello, friends, and merry Christmas! the last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, but i have been keeping up with my self-imposed "assignment." this is a big batch, and some of these are from my phone.

capture2011 :: no. 237 :: 11.29.2011 :: Christmas comes early

ben bought a makita drill set, and i think we're both pretty excited about it. we don't own a cordless drill, and the corded one we have gets a little heavy for me when i try to one-hand it. plus, "makita" is one of my favorite words to say out loud. i just did. yes!

capture2011 :: no. 238 :: 12.2.2011 :: freestylin'

our local davanni's just installed a coke freestyle machine. it is pretty cool. i'm kind of a purist (raspberry coke just doesn't sound good to me), but the vanilla root beer was tasty.

capture2011 :: no. 239 :: 12.3.2011 :: bethlehem Christmas brunch

the tradition continues! my sister and i hosted a table again this year. our table was similar to last year's, but we brought in a little red and i liked it. i think this is our ninth year attending the brunch, and i've hosted a table for four, i believe. again, one of my favorite Christmas traditions because it sets our hearts on Christ at the very start of the advent season.

capture2011 :: no. 240 :: 12.3.2011 :: IDS center tree

very large. very pretty.

capture2011 :: no. 241 :: 12.5.2011 :: flowers from vern

he's very thoughtful. and more than a week after he bought them, they are still looking great!

capture2011 :: no. 242 :: 12.6.2011 :: morning staple

i don't mind eating the same things every day. i rather like it. scrambled eggs and peanut butter toast have been hitting the spot lately.

capture2011 :: no. 243 :: 12.9.2011 :: wrapping supplies!

it was fun to pull out my goodies for the first round of wrapping!

on a side note, ben and i recently watched our first episode of hoarders on netflix. while i was shocked, i saw some hoarder in myself. i cannot bear to throw away any bit of ribbon or pretty paper or fabric if i think i could use them someday. so i have quite a collection. i'm often glad of it when something i've saved is the perfect size/shape/color to reuse. apparently there's a very fine line between thrifty and hoardy. don't let me get there, okay? okay???

capture2011 :: no. 244 :: 12.9.2011 :: Christmas mantel

things i already own arranged in a new way = satisfying.

capture2011 :: no. 245 :: 12.10.2011 :: it's hard to take him seriously in that sweater

last night, we hosted our small group's Christmas party. we wore ugly sweaters, ate a ton of sugar, played two rounds of pass-it pictionary, and laughed until our sides hurt. i love our group!

merry Christmas!

capture2011 :: no. 236 :: 11.28.11 :: grace in so many ways

2011-11-29T12:40:00.000-06:00

for me and ben, this has been the year of welcoming nieces and nephews, both biological and not! the newest is grace ann, second daughter to my brother dave and his wife lauren, and younger sister to the lovely hannah. grace arrived on sunday night, a few days after her thanksgiving due date, and she came fast (like two hours after they got to the hospital fast). we are praising God for His wonderful blessings, and i just can't wait to get to know her better.

it's the holiday season!

2011-11-26T20:25:00.000-06:00

capture2011 :: no. 233 :: 11.24.2011 :: thanksgiving table

we spent the day at my parents' house, and it was a wonderful time. so, so, so much to thank God for. "grace upon grace."

capture2011 :: no. 234 :: 11.26.2011 :: i'm in here!

can you find me? ;)

capture2011 :: no. 235 :: 11.26.2011 :: ornamental

we have a small, fake, crooked Christmas tree that i decorated on friday. ben's parents and my parents were really good about saving all our homemade ornaments and labeling them with years (some of them have pictures, too), and i got really nostalgic as i pulled out popsicle-stick snowmen and reindeer made from clothespins. those trees with matching ornaments in only one or two colors are so beautiful, but i like our patchy tree decorated with homey, sentimental ornaments. ben does, too.

capture2011 :: no. 232 :: 11.23.11 :: sugar and spice

2011-11-23T15:38:00.002-06:00

i am a pumpkin pie junkie, and i am very ritualistic about my thanksgiving pumpkin pie fix. maybe i'm a bit over the top, but i know what i like. don't we all?

first, pumpkin pie must be made with libby's canned pumpkin and the recipe from the can. and no substituting pumpkin pie spice for the mixture of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. i infinitely prefer this recipe to pies made from fresh pumpkin or from baker's square (although theirs isn't bad). clearly, i have a very refined palate. ;)

i double the recipe and pour it into two pillsbury deep-dish pie crusts. there is usually a bit left over to pour into a tiny casserole and bake along with the pies, which means i can have a little dish of pumpkin pie filling all to myself. ben thinks i am crazy. i think i'm in heaven.

finally, pumpkin pie must be served cold. this is non-negotiable. whipped cream, reddi-wip, or cool whip are also highly recommended, but i don't discriminate there.

what are your thanksgiving food rituals?

all at once

2011-11-21T16:48:00.000-06:00

here's a big helping of photos for ya!

capture2011 :: no. 228 :: 11.18.2011 :: tried and true

i made these for ben a few years ago, and it makes me really happy that they are useful to him.

capture2011 :: no. 229 :: 11.18.2011 :: ice cream in bed

nothing more to say here!

capture2011 :: no. 230 :: 11.19.2011 :: accumulation!

and this was early in the day. we got a few more inches i think.

capture2011 :: no. 231 :: 11.21.2011 :: stocking up

a rare coupon and a good sale got me thinking months ahead in buying gifts from c&b. yes, that means you, kristen! :)

capture2011 :: no. 227 :: 11.13.11 :: sunday afternoon nap

2011-11-15T10:34:00.000-06:00

capture2011 :: no. 226 :: 11.13.11 :: kena and molly

2011-11-14T11:00:00.001-06:00

my parents' dogs. they were mooching pretty hard on ben's muddy buddies. but who can blame them? it's also called puppy chow!

capture2011 :: no. 225 :: 11.12.11 :: muddy buddies

2011-11-13T19:40:00.000-06:00

we make ours with almond butter. quite delish.

capture2011 :: no. 224 :: 11.12.11 :: breakfast with beth

2011-11-12T18:00:00.000-06:00

have you ever eaten here? it was kind of a fancy breakfast. which is why i think beth and i both might have preferred our old standby, perkins. :)

a night on the town

2011-11-12T13:48:00.001-06:00

capture2011 :: no. 222 :: 11.11.2011 :: bach

some friends couldn't use their tickets to the saint paul chamber orchestra for last night, so they generously offered them to us. it was a smaller group of musicians (is that what a concerto is? i have no idea), but there was a harpsichord, violins, violas, a "violino piccolo" (new to me), cellos, and a bass. some songs included flutes, oboes, a bassoon, and french horns. the music was really lovely. the concert was fun, but i think we realized that we are not very cultured. i like action movies. a lot.

p.s. new bond for fall 2012? yeeehaaaw!

capture2011 :: no. 223 :: 11.11.2011 :: gussied up and making faces

i think we (i) also realized that we are not as young as we used to be. we dressed up a bit and intended to go out for dessert afterward. but after the show ended at the late hour of 10pm, we opted to get our caffe latte to go. i know i at least was too tired to stay out late. actually, half my dessert is still in the fridge, so i'm gonna go polish off that sucker. happy saturday! hope you are having a fun weekend!

capture2011 :: no. 221 :: 11.9.11 :: encore pink

2011-11-09T18:55:00.000-06:00

a week off

2011-11-06T21:46:00.001-06:00

hello, faithful blog readers!

here it is, sunday night, and i haven't blogged any of my pictures from last week. it was a busy one full of good things. here are just a few of them.

capture2011 :: no. 216 :: 10.31.2011 :: our first halloween

well, our first halloween handing out candy at our not-so-new house. the last two years we've been at evening church. i'm rather back and forth about halloween, but i decided to hand out candy in an effort to meet the neighborhood kids. i tried to buy candy that wouldn't tempt me too much, but as you can see above, we pretty much ate all the dots before the night even started. :)

capture2011 :: no. 217 :: 11.3.2011 :: afternoon walk

i've been doing a ton of reading research, so i went for a mid-afternoon walk to stretch my legs. again, experimenting with wide apertures, and realizing that leaves on the forest floor all become the same kind of purple-gray color. which i actually really like.

capture2011 :: no. 218 :: 11.4.2011 :: favorite things party

this weekend, my small group friend cindy and i hosted a favorite things party together. have you ever been to one? each guest brings five of a favorite thing (we went with items from $3 to $6), and through a method of drawing names each guest gives away their things and leaves with five new things brought by five different people. i brought bar keepers friend. seriously: run to menards (or williams-sonoma if you are fancy!) and pick up a can. it is my favorite favorite favorite cleaning supply. magic really.

capture2011 :: no. 219 :: 11.4.2011 :: keeping up

ben and i babysat hannah on friday night. she is so fun and busy and loves to move around a lot. baby sister's due date is just a few weeks away!

capture2011 :: no. 220 :: 11.4.2011 :: story time

just one big smile from me. so sweet.

capture2011 :: no. 215 :: 10.28.11 :: more shadow play

2011-10-31T19:41:00.000-05:00

this time it's my profile on the wall in late afternoon.

capture2011 :: no. 214 :: 10.26.11 :: in the stacks again

2011-10-28T19:00:00.000-05:00

i took another writing project, so i'll be camping out at the library again. yahoo!

capture2011 :: no. 213 :: 10.26.11 :: errand day

2011-10-28T11:50:00.001-05:00

i usually try to avoid running errands around noon so that i can eat at home (to save money and calories). but on wednesday, i was far from home at the noon hour. i'm not going to lie: i love me some taco bell. who am i kidding——i like fast food in general!

p.s. i was not paid or strong-armed in any way to write this! :)

operation color and home-sewn pillows

2011-10-27T08:11:00.000-05:00

happy wednesday! i'm back to share another living room project. this time it is pillows.

we've been "moved in" to the living room for almost two years, but it has been very bare. when we chose carpet, fireplace tile, and wall color, i didn't have a good vision for the room's color scheme so we played it safe with beigey neutrals on the warm side. add the brown couch and chair and it was total dullsville. the room needed color and life!

this was right after we had carpet installed in november 2009. you can call it boring. i won't be mad.

the lovely curtains were the "jumping-off point" (sarah richardson, anyone?) for the color scheme: aqua and yellow in addition to greige, white, and brown. so for pillows, i wanted aqua and yellow for sure, and i also decided to add a little pink to make things interesting. i'm so glad ben likes pink!

first, i happened upon a great aqua lumbar pillow at home goods. then i ponied up some credit card points for a few (free!) yards of these two fabrics. i used two old pillows for pillow forms and bought two more down forms from ikea, so my costs were really minimal.

found here

i used this tutorial to sew zippered pillow covers so i can take them off and wash them. (this is also where i sewed the zippers on inside out. oops.)

here's what we ended up with.

i am excited to show you the next project. it was very time consuming, but it is definitely one of my all-time favorites.

capture2011 :: no. 212 :: 10.23.11 :: st. anthony main

2011-10-25T17:08:00.000-05:00

capture2011 :: no. 211 :: 10.23.11 :: vandalism

2011-10-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

whew. now all you barkers know where to go.

weekend chores

2011-10-23T19:46:00.000-05:00

did you have a good weekend? ours was filled with friends, some yard work, a photography endeavor (more on that later!), and a few sports games. we've been pretty sucked in by the world series!

my last three images for the week were all taken yesterday. kaylee lent me her nifty fifty, which i used for all these shots. i've never shot with such a wide aperture. i like!

capture2011 :: no. 208 :: 10.23.2011 :: pole + saw + ladder

= tree trimming extravaganza. it's amazing how much more open our yard looks with the low-hanging branches gone!

capture2011 :: no. 209 :: 10.23.2011 :: the lopper

this was my tool of choice. ben did the heavy cutting and i trimmed off the small branches. lopping is incredibly satisfying. it's strange.

capture2011 :: no. 210 :: 10.23.2011 :: blurry boy

this is what f/1.8 looks like——and no. 209. i put a vintage filter on this one.

well, i am going to make a cup of decaf, eat a piece of this, and watch the ball game. happy sunday, everyone!

capture2011 :: no. 207 :: 10.22.11 :: into the sun

2011-10-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

diy pinch-pleat curtains from tablecloths!

2011-10-19T14:41:00.001-05:00

hola! it's been a long time since i've shared a project, no? this was a fun one i completed in july. keep reading and i'll show you how i made pinch-pleat curtains from tablecloths!

first things first. i relied very heavily on this tutorial from prudent baby. and because there is no need to reinvent the wheel, i'll do a fly-over version and if you want more details on how to do this, go there. the instructions are really clear.

so . . . curtains. yes. we have a huge window in our living room——i think about ten feet wide. our contractor mentioned that in new construction, he doesn't like to put in such big windows because large treatments are difficult to find or super expensive. he was right. i got an estimate for roman shades and i might have choked a little bit when i saw the number. eek.

the temporary fix was to find an extra-long double rod (from bb&b) and some blackout shades. this room faces full west and the sun gets really glaring in the evenings. plus, it's where we watch tv, so it is nice to be able to get the room really dark. we lived with these polyester curtains only for a long time.

i started to think about fabrics for this room, but i was really not looking forward to spending tons of money for all the yardage to make curtains so large. then, lightning struck.

we had been using this tablecloth to cover a folding table we were using as a desk, and i just love love love the pattern and colors and i knew i liked it in this room. i had bought it at target for like five bucks. my sister-in-law lauren had also bought it too but wasn't going to use it, so she gave me hers. and luckily enough, they were still available on target.com and amazon. i used an amazon giftcard to buy a few more. (i used four total of the 60" x 84" size, which happened to be both the perfect length and width. so cool. my original one was bigger and i didn't end up using it.)

it was so great to buy tablecloths, because they were relatively inexpensive and already nicely hemmed! it was just a matter of sewing them together (two for each side). the patterns didn't line up perfectly, but that is the tricky part about using such a large-scale pattern. i'm okay with it.

i already had some curtain rings i wanted to use so that the curtains would slide nicely (we open and close them all the time). once i had them sewed up, i hung them and . . . they looked terrible. because i needed so much fabric to cover the window and still have them look nice and billowy, they were all gapped and you could see the blackout liner behind. not pretty.

so i gathered up a bunch of joann's coupons and bought the materials needed to make pinch pleats.

the pleat tape has little pockets that you stick the hooks through. let me show you.

and this is what the front looks like: a nice little triple pleat.

you sew the pleater tape to your fabric. super easy——straight lines! just make sure the pockets face the back. :) once it is attached, make your pleats (i think i skipped two pockets between each prong to make my pleats really defined) and attach the hook on each pleat to your curtain rings. i had to do some serious jimmying to get this to work (my curtain rings had clips).

and here they are! i love how tidy they look. the lines fall really well without a lot of fussing.

i used a nail and a paperclip (i'm super fancy) to attach the fabric to the wall so that the return is nice and clean and to cover the blackout shades behind the curtains. maybe i'll buy finials for the rod ends someday.

but i really like how the curtains look when they are closed. with the pleats, they are the perfect width and the pleats make nice movement. sometimes we just close the curtains, and sometimes we close both the blackouts and the curtains. i could have just attached the blackouts to the curtains, but it is kind of nice to have the option.

so there you have it, folks! as promised, i have a few more projects to share, so do stick around. see you soon!

capture2011 :: no. 206 :: 10.18.11 :: last mow of the season

2011-10-19T11:29:00.000-05:00

capture2011 :: no. 205 :: 10.15.11 :: goodnight, goodnight

2011-10-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

capture2011 :: no. 204 :: 10.15.11 :: gutter-al

2011-10-15T16:47:00.000-05:00

we installed a new roof and siding two years ago, but never got around to installing gutters. oops. they went in yesterday. our exterior is really coming together, and i'm looking forward to seeing it next summer when the plants fill out a little.

and just for fun, here's crissy two years ago when we demo-ed the exterior and pulled off the old gutters.

ricola!

capture2011 :: no. 203 :: 10.14.11 :: sewing fail

2011-10-14T16:36:00.000-05:00

oh man!

capture2011 :: no. 202 :: 10.13.11 :: the nights are getting colder

2011-10-13T18:46:00.000-05:00

capture2011 :: no. 201 :: 10.10.11 :: october sky

2011-10-12T09:28:00.002-05:00

that's a movie i've never seen. probably because i took anatomy instead of physics my senior year of high school. yeah, that's why.

capture2011 :: no. 200 :: 10.8.11 :: paperback writer

2011-10-10T10:46:00.001-05:00

i know people really like kindles and nooks and all (and i understand why), but i really like holding an actual book. there's something strangely satisfying about seeing the cover go from pristine to mangled and watching the creases creep across the spine as i work my way through the pages. but i do work in publishing, so i am completely biased. ;)

p.s. i was so close to forgetting to take this (my last picture) last week. whew. sixty more to go.

capture2011 :: no. 199 :: 10.8.11 :: this is a good saturday morning

2011-10-08T12:39:00.000-05:00

capture2011 :: no. 198 :: 10.6.11 :: let the leaf crunching begin!!!

2011-10-06T16:32:00.000-05:00

if you see me walking in a zig-zag pattern, i am not attempting to dodge a missile. i am heading for the crunchiest leaves possible——wherever they may be.

capture2011 :: no. 197 :: 10.6.11 :: doughy

2011-10-06T12:41:00.000-05:00

an ode to vern

2011-10-05T11:24:00.000-05:00

ben (my beloved "vern") turned 28 on monday. so while this is a little late, it is no less heartfelt. here we go.

oh, vernie, how i love thee. let me count thy ways:

i love that you try so hard to make me laugh.

dancing outside the window while i do the dishes and you clear the driveway . . .

putting mascara on your mustache to look as seedy as humanly possible . . .

wedding day antics . . .

and other general tomfoolery.

i love and appreciate your willingness to be tech support (for me and many others).

you look really good behind the boat. even when you fall.

and of course, you look good while driving the boat.

sometimes, you explore with me and get a little emo. just a little.

you love all your nieces and nephews.

you love Jesus. and you love me.

happy belated birthday!

over the weekend . . .

2011-10-03T08:34:00.000-05:00

capture2011 :: no. 195 :: 10.1.11 :: saturday baking

i made some cupcakes, because . . .

capture2011 :: no. 196 :: 10.2.11 :: engagement party!

my sister is engaged as of yesterday! her amazingly sweet, funny, Christ-loving now-fiance proposed and she did not say no. :) he had asked us a few weeks ago if we would host a little reception afterward with family and a few friends. cafe latte cheesecake was involved. i forgot to take pictures while everyone was here, but these are some fun bits from the party. beth posed our little model man to reflect the absolute joy we feel in kristen and tyler's engagement.

here's a snap of the happy couple at my parents' house a few weeks ago.

congratulations, you two!

capture2011 :: no. 194 :: 9.30.11 :: sleepyhead

2011-09-30T20:32:00.000-05:00

this is my almost-two-month-old nephew isaac. he likes to have his hand by his face and make little fussing noises while he sleeps. kind of like purring. it is pretty cute.

capture2011 :: no. 193 :: 9.28.11 :: note to self

2011-09-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

weed before september 28 next year——especially if those weeds include little maple trees growing through the rocks!

and while we are talking about those maples . . . as i was clawing, digging, and yanking up those persistent roots, i thought of so many biblical parallels to sin. those roots were strong, twisted, and deep, just like the roots of sin in my heart. and even though i had passed by those weeds behind our house so many times, i kept on thinking "i'll pull them out later." well, waiting meant that those weeds just had time to grow deeper. so as i weeded yesterday, i prayed that God would open my eyes to see my sin and deal with it now, instead of letting it grab a tighter hold in my life and become harder to deal with later. i attended a funeral this week for a high school friend who passed away, and one of the speakers reminded me that Jesus died so that my mind would be renewed. i am so thankful for a God and Savior who changes hearts, minds, and lives.

capture2011 :: no. 192 :: 9.25.11 :: sunday morning walk

2011-09-27T11:15:00.000-05:00

going to the evening church service means we can take hour-long walks on sunday mornings. or sleep in. it depends on the day. :)

capture2011 :: no. 191 :: 9.25.11 :: shadow play

2011-09-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

shopping with the girls

2011-09-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

yesterday, my mom, sister, and i took a little shopping trip to the nicollet mall. it was a cool, crisp day and it was so sweet to catch up with them over shopping, lunch, and farmers market-ing. we even ran into a few friends who were attending the desiring God national conference at the convention center nearby.

capture2011 :: no. 188 :: 9.24.11 :: the posse

lovely ladies. and so stylish!

capture2011 :: no. 189 :: 9.24.11 :: free toilets

apparently taking a picture of a public bathroom is not beneath me——especially when it looks like this one at macy's. what colors! what amazing marble tile! and all in great shape. very deco, very cool. there was even text etched into the marble that said "free toilets." was it a common practice in years past to have to pay for the restroom?

capture2011 :: no. 190 :: 9.24.11 :: nature's bounty

i like the purple/white/purple/white pattern going on here. a little hometown football pride? too bad the vikings just blew a lead and lost. again.

on a side note: i realize i haven't posted anything other than capture2011 shots in a long time. if you like this blog for home projects, stay tuned! i finished a few things recently (and not so recently) that i can share. thanks for sticking around!

capture2011 :: no. 187 :: 9.22.11 :: chillaxing

2011-09-23T16:44:00.000-05:00

ben has been extremely busy at work. he is helping to start a new business venture and has been working at home in the evenings. i think ben and i are the types who need to be home more than other people (we don't thrive on busy-ness), so i haven't minded our quiet evenings one bit. i think the cooler weather also contributes to the desire to stay in and nest. don't you?

AND may i note how much i love my insulated straw cup? five bucks or so at herberger's. i am very hydrated.

capture2011 :: no. 186 :: 9.21.11 :: new music tuesday

2011-09-21T14:06:00.000-05:00

do you know thrice? their new album came out yesterday, and i can't stop listening to this track. i'm still breaking in the new album, but i think it will be a winner. i'm so amazed at lead singer dustin kensrue's ability to share the Gospel in unconventional lyrics using tremendously interesting music. (in addition to thrice and solo albums, he leads worship at mars hill.) we got to see thrice live during their last tour and it was one of the best shows i've attended. do yourself a favor and give 'em a listen!

capture2011 :: no. 185 :: 9.17.11 :: ice cream and ayn rand

2011-09-18T14:32:00.000-05:00

a quiet saturday night.

capture2011 :: no. 184 :: 9.15.11 :: my namesake

2011-09-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

oh, the dahlias. uh-mazing.

capture2011 :: no. 183 :: 9.15.11 :: the "uff-da palace"

2011-09-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

on thursday, my friend cindy and i visited the minnesota landscape arboretum. this piece of art, the "uff-da palace," was out in front. cindy and i agreed that pictures can't capture how cool this thing is——it was made from branches and sticks and there are actual rooms inside. it was a fun start to our flower-gazing trip.

capture2011 :: no. 182 :: 9.12.11 :: she's here!

2011-09-13T20:03:00.000-05:00

baby imogen. safe and sound.

capture2011 :: no. 181 :: 9.11.11 :: new frontiers

2011-09-11T22:21:00.000-05:00

niece hannah is almost walking by herself now! and lauren had done hannah's hair in little pigtails. i melted.

and speaking of nieces . . . ben's brother matt and his wife christa are scheduled to be induced tomorrow morning! christa has had a tough pregnancy (bed rest for ten weeks!). we are praying for a safe and smooth delivery tomorrow. will you pray, too?

capture2011 :: no. 180 :: 9.10.11:: our river birch

2011-09-11T20:49:00.000-05:00

i like this tree and its white, peeling bark.

capture2011 :: no. 179 :: 9.10.11:: don't you think daisies are the friendliest flowers?

2011-09-10T19:46:00.000-05:00

why yes, kathleen kelly, i do.

capture2011 :: no. 178 :: 9.8.11 :: pantry purge

2011-09-09T14:15:00.001-05:00

many, many expired items. a lifetime supply of ramen. a few new meal ideas. and a crooked smile from a box of rice. overall, a success.

capture2011 :: no. 177 :: 9.7.11 :: back in the saddle again

2011-09-09T09:26:00.002-05:00

after taking some time off at the end of the summer, i'm taking freelance editorial projects again. i had a proofread this week. oh red pens, wite-out, and cms, i did miss you!

capture2011 :: no. 176 :: 9.4.11 :: maggie and isaac

2011-09-05T20:33:00.000-05:00

a proper photo of my nephew isaac, awake and alert! we visited on sunday afternoon and got to spend some precious time with this little guy. my, they change so much in those first few weeks.

so easy to get behind

2011-09-05T20:17:00.001-05:00

it was almost 6pm on saturday, and i still needed to take three pictures for the week. why do i procrastinate so?

at the time, we were at ben's parents' property dropping off a borrowed truck and some yard supplies. we weren't in a hurry, so we explored a bit. ben grew up on that farm and spent countless hours doing chores and playing in the woods around the house. plus, we got married right in the backyard overlooking the pond. it is a special place. ben showed me some of the trees he used to climb and we saw lots of antique farm equipment that his dad has collected.

i didn't have my slr, but ben had his phone in his pocket, which pinch hit for me so that i could meet my goal for the week.

capture2011 :: no. 73 :: 9.3.11 :: nostalgia

capture2011 :: no. 74 :: 9.3.11 :: the garden shed

capture2011 :: no. 75 :: 9.3.11 :: tree down

i should have had ben in the picture for scale. this huge tree was rotted through and fell over. is it weird that i think tree stumps are interesting? maybe it is just because i am anxious for my plants to grow, but i wonder how long it took for that tree to grow so big. years and years and years. remember learning to count the rings in elementary school to learn the tree's age?

capture2011 :: no. 172 :: 9.1.11:: i saw some rhizomes today

2011-09-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

have you ever seen the roots of an iris? they are so amazing! they look like little knobby potatoes.

my yard work took me to the side of the house today, which is where these lovely irises lived. see them in bloom here. they were planted right near the window well, so i needed to move them and give them more space. i grabbed a hand spade but didn't really know what to expect. i was surprised to see such a shallow root system considering the height of the plant, but the roots were strong! and i could see all sorts of little sprouts with teeny-tiny blades shooting up to make new plants. new life!

i stepped back and thanked God for the tilt-a-whirl moment of wide-eyed wonder in experiencing His spoken world.

capture2011 :: no. 171 :: 8.31.11:: annabelle, stella, becky, and ruby

2011-08-31T20:41:00.000-05:00

i apologize if you are getting sick of my landscaping posts, but truly, i am so determined to get the front of our house looking good and checked off my list. i installed the edging on monday (just the basic black stuff). after laying down the landscape fabric this morning, i put 28 plants and one tree in the ground. my fingers are aching but i am a very happy woman. oh yes——and the names in the title are from some of the plant tags: annabelle, stella, becky, and ruby. i think we will be be great friends.

mulch next!

haulin' dirt

2011-08-28T09:05:00.000-05:00

yes, that is what we did yesterday——we put the black dirt in our front landscaping beds! yippee! so my last three pictures from the week were taken by hands that had a lot of dirt underneath the fingernails. :)

capture2011 :: no. 168 :: 8.27.2011 :: the modern-day farm boy

armed and ready with smartphone in hand.

capture2011 :: no. 169 :: 8.27.2011 :: a yard of dirt

we borrowed a truck from ben's uncle, drove to ben's parents' house, used the skid steer to fill 'er up with black dirt (ben even gave me a ride in the bucket), and then drove up to our house to unload. three trips back and forth gave us enough dirt, and a little left over.

capture2011 :: no. 170 :: 8.27.2011 :: self-portrait

because sometimes i get bored in the car. and sometimes i run out of ideas.

we finished just in time to shower and hustle up to lake calhoun, where our church small group met for a little potluck picnic. it was a perfect, perfect late summer evening——cool and clear.

hope you are enjoying this weekend——the last of august!

capture2011 :: no. 167 :: 8.26.11 :: circles

2011-08-26T20:11:00.000-05:00

friday night pizza night is one of our favorite traditions, but it has changed a bit without gluten and dairy. ben gives these crusts two thumbs up.

capture2011 :: no. 166 :: 8.21.11 :: first birthday

2011-08-23T08:52:00.000-05:00

my niece hannah is one. for reals, how much fun is a first birthday party? SO much fun!!!

cabin week 2011!

2011-08-20T07:57:00.001-05:00

hello friends!

yes, there has been silence on my end for the past week. we just returned from a family vacation at a cabin up north. we vacation with another family, and this year there were 15 adults and two babies——our (almost) one-year-old niece, hannah, and our friends' eight-month-old son, miles. it was a relaxing and wonderful week, and we loved every minute of it. my immediate family has had this vacation tradition for almost 25 years, and i am so thankful that we all make it a priority to keep going, even though life gets so busy. grateful.

i didn't take many pictures. okay, that is a lie——i didn't take many pictures of things other than hannah. :) but here are my five for the week, plus a few extra at the end because i'm a sucker for my niece's eyelashes.

capture2011 :: no. 161 :: 8.14.11 :: baby swing

hannah spent a good amount of time in it!

capture2011 :: no. 162 :: 8.17.11 :: the week's reading

most of us are big readers, so it was fun to see what everyone had brought along as vacation reading.

ben and i listened to an abridged audiobook version of this guy a few summers ago, but i wanted to read the entire thing. so much to like, so much to cringe over. i'm still only a third of the way through.

capture2011 :: no. 163 :: 8.17.11 :: a three-hour tour

pontoon ride at dusk. love the warmth of the sky, the sun sparkles, and my dad's smile.

capture2011 :: no. 164 :: 8.18.11 :: lunches at the beach

we had really lovely weather. not too hot. beautiful.

capture2011 :: no. 165 :: 8.18.11 :: sand toys

the babies spent water time at the kiddie pool, but when the time comes, there are plenty of toys at the resort for building sand castles!

and here are a few of my favorites of hannah. she's getting so big. i bet she'll be walking soon.

i hope you all had a great week!

capture2011 :: no. 160 :: 8.12.11:: centerpiece

2011-08-14T20:17:00.001-05:00

the floors were not the only cool thing at the wedding. there was a beautiful ice sculpture. and snazzy lighting. and the tremendous bellagala big band.

one lovely element that i could capture with my phone was the centerpiece. each table's was different, but i liked ours the best (and this is just part of it). tons of fresh purple flowers, fun fuzzy green things, and pretty candles. really cool.

capture2011 :: no. 159 :: 8.12.11:: chevron floors

2011-08-13T22:03:00.001-05:00

of all the things to notice at a beautiful wedding at the calhoun beach club, i noticed the floor. i'm storing this pattern in my someday file. i like.

capture2011 :: no. 158 :: 8.10.11 :: abstract art

2011-08-12T11:12:00.002-05:00

i've learned a baking lesson (more flour!), and this is the photography lesson for the week: bring the tripod! clearly, this is a boat slowly passing on lake minnetonka at 9pm. clearly.

capture2011 :: no. 157 :: 8.9.11 :: unicookie

2011-08-12T08:10:00.000-05:00

oops. in my defense, this was my first attempt at a gluten-free, dairy-free cookie recipe. but who am i kidding—i always end up with flat cookies. not enough flour? despite the melted appearance, i cut them into squares and they still tasted pretty good. :)

capture2011 :: no. 156 :: 8.8.11 :: recovery

2011-08-09T08:43:00.001-05:00

ben's sister, maggie, had her baby yesterday afternoon. his name is isaac and he is beautiful. i didn't get many good pictures of him, but others did and they are all over facebook if you know maggie and want to investigate.

when we stepped into the hospital room, i was overcome. i often cry when we visit a new baby, but i cried more than usual this time. wes and maggie are already amazing parents and i am so thrilled to be aunt to this little gift. we are praising and thanking God for the safe delivery of this precious baby boy. we pray he will grow up to treasure Christ and enjoy Him forever.

oh, and p.s. after we watched maggie eat her delicious-looking food we went home and made pancakes and bacon. :)

the yard bug

2011-08-08T07:07:00.000-05:00

i think i have been officially bitten. i never thought i would really like working on the yard. i imagined i would just do as little as possible to make our landscaping look decent and then move on. but after spending some time outside getting my hands in the dirt, i'm realizing that it can be a lot of fun.

one of my goals for the second half of the summer is to get the beds in the front of the house in order. that means two things: tearing out what is there and then putting good stuff back in.

since we bought the house, we've replaced the siding, windows, roof, and front door.

and to rip out the brick, our contractors cut off the bushes at the root, leaving the stumps. the front beds also have rock in them. so we've been working on getting out the rock and the stumps. our house is extremely long with a side-loading garage, so there is a lot of rock. it has been a slow, slow process to dig it out, and i took beki's advice and hired someone from craigslist to come do the last bit for us. it is the last 20 feet or so, and he's coming on wednesday. can't wait!

as you can see, we replaced the white masonite with gray vinyl siding. but, the contractors left in a few rows of the old brick at the very bottom to meet code. you might think i'm crazy, but that brick really bothers me. it is like a remnant of the old that i just can't stand. so i've been painting it. i think the beds will probably be high enough to cover it, but just in case they don't, i'm priming and painting it to match the siding.

i'm not sure what to do with the built-in planter. we didn't rip it out because we didn't know what was beneath it and it might look worse with it gone. i think i will paint it for now and maybe reface it later. who knows.

even though i like painting, the really fun part has been researching plants. i've spent a lot of time at cobblestone gardens looking and talking with one of their landscape designers. i'm trying my best to do this alone, in part because i like it and in part to save money. i have been graciously offered so many great perennials from friends and family, so i think we'll be able to do this on a low budget. we'll be putting in simple, hardy plants because the house faces full west and gets scorching in the afternoon. so no hosta here! :)

don't worry, our mailbox is okay. i just blurred the house numbers.

things are definitely getting better.

capture2011 :: no. 155 :: 8.6.11 :: the bird

2011-08-07T11:33:00.001-05:00

is this an egret? whatever the type, it was very comfortable being near humans with cameras. and p.s. i love that its legs bend backward. don't tell anyone, but mine do too. just a little.

capture2011 :: no. 154 :: 8.6.11 :: billow

2011-08-07T09:41:00.000-05:00

my dad and i saw this cloud billowing when we looked closely. a little rain happened not too long after.

capture2011 :: no. 153 :: 8.5.11 :: date night

2011-08-07T09:26:00.003-05:00

we saw captain america. and it was pretty darn good.

capture2011 :: no. 152 :: 8.4.11 :: i don't do this very often

2011-08-04T21:26:00.003-05:00

but my plants always seem happy when i do.

capture2011 :: no. 151 :: 8.1.11 :: shashlyk

2011-08-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

when my mom and i traveled to ukraine a while back, we were treated to shashlyk (russian for shish-kabob) and it was amazing. somebody also gave me a cat while we were there but that is a different story. anyway, would you believe this is the first time i've ever made shish-kabobs? we had chicken wrapped in bacon, too. next time i'd cook the bacon first, but it turned out pretty well. shashlyk is a winner!

weekend pictures

2011-08-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

catching up from last week. it's summer. i'm okay with not being at the computer all the time. :) and happy august all! enjoy it!

capture 2011 :: no. 148 :: 7.29.11 :: on the road

we devoured these goodies as we drove up to the cabin on friday night. i'm not really a fruit candy person (chocolate is my weakness), but sometimes a box of sour patch kids just tastes so good.

capture 2011 :: no. 149 :: 7.30.11 :: sticky summer treat

man, our nephew caleb is growing up so fast.

capture 2011 :: no. 150 :: 7.30.11 :: the day's entertainment

ben likes to make us laugh by riding in the most absurd ways possible.

capture2011 :: no. 147 :: 7.27.11 :: phlox

2011-07-28T21:52:00.000-05:00

capture2011 :: no. 146 :: 7.25.11 :: pillow #1

2011-07-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

part of the living room design plan is for a better color scheme to brighten up our ho-hum brown couch and chair. i'm taking out all the green that is currently in the room, including the green pillows. i sewed this new pillow cover yesterday (with a zipper if i want to swap it out later). it was pretty much a freebie, because i already had the pillow form from an old pillow and the fabric is left over from this roman shade. i just had to buy the zipper, which was like a dollar at joann's with a coupon. score!

here are the instructions i used (clipped ages ago in evernote for when the day would come!). and on a side note, ben said the way i fluffed the pillow looked like rabbit ears or the "m in mugatu." :)

capture2011 :: no. 145 :: 7.23.11 :: jewelry and cuff links

2011-07-24T07:35:00.000-05:00

sometimes the strangest things congregate on the kitchen counter.

capture2011 :: no. 144 :: 7.23.11 :: maggie's nursery

2011-07-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

happy saturday! today, my sister-in-law maggie and i worked on decorating her baby boy's nursery. maggie is due in just under three weeks and the nursery is looking SO cute! she and her husband decided on a transportation theme and she found all sorts of cute art from etsy, including these adorable decals. can't wait to meet this little guy!

capture2011 :: no. 143 :: 7.22.11 :: poolside

2011-07-23T07:22:00.000-05:00

my sister took the day off yesterday and invited me to hang out at her apartment's pool. it was swarming with kids, and frankly, it was so hot that i didn't mind getting splashed one bit.

capture2011 :: no. 142 :: 7.21.11 :: new kicks

2011-07-21T15:09:00.001-05:00

ben had a specific list for the mall last night, and we had a pretty successful trip. i especially like the nikes. gave 'em all a good spray today.

capture2011 :: no. 141 :: 7.19.11 :: it starts

2011-07-20T17:34:00.000-05:00

before the end of the summer, i'm hoping to finish rearranging and decorating the living room, which has been in a ragged state for a long time. my mom and i went on an ikea run yesterday to get things rolling. fun fun!

facelift!

2011-07-18T14:59:00.001-05:00

yup. my blog has a new look. i accidentally deleted my blog header a few weeks ago, which set in motion an entire blog changeup today between loads of laundry. in researching how to add tabs, i realized that blogger has made it a lot easier to customize their blogs. so if you want to fiddle with yours, just head to design/template designer and go at it. in fact, i might keep fiddling. that's what i do. because right now it is strange to me that i have a photoless header. we'll see if that changes.

as for the text, i gave in to courier new. it's been my favorite since high school. (i used it to make my papers seem longer. i thought i was fooling my teachers. and i turned out to be an english major. what?) anyways, it is an old-fashioned yet hip font. i like.

and p.s. the tabs up top don't lead anywhere good. yet.

the story of one day

2011-07-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

i feel great this morning. today is the deadline for a 20,000-word writing project i have been working on for the past few months, and by God's grace, i wrapped it up and submitted it yesterday. needless to say, i slept very well last night!

in the busy-ness of writing last week, i apparently took a week off from blogging. i needed it. BUT—triumph!—we had my family (minus my brother) over for lunch last sunday and i took pictures then. thankfully, i have five good ones, so they will be my five for the week—all from one day. hey, i make the rules, so i am allowed to bend them. and since this project is kind of turning out to be a visual diary of the year, five pictures from one great day is fine with me because the only thing i really did last week was pack up my laptop and a lunch and visit libraries and coffee shops to get that thing done.

these pictures tell the story of a family tradition we like to call "second sunday supper." or something like that. the point is that we get together once a month (wait for it) on the second sunday. ;) it is one of my favorite traditions and i hope we NEVER stop doing it. we rotate houses, and this month, it was our turn to host. here we go!

capture2011: no. 136 :: 7.10.11 :: the fatted calf

we usually collaborate for the meal. i made tacos and rice and cut up some fruit fruit. yes! when ben walked in the kitchen and saw this he asked if i had "killed the fatted calf." nope, just a super-juicy watermelon! tyler brought some amazing guacamole and salsa, lauren brought a beautiful salad, and kristen made a scrumptious trifle (we happened to be celebrating my mom's birthday this month but really, we eat a pretty over-the-top dessert every month, birthday or not).

capture2011: no. 137 :: 7.10.11 :: view from the top

even though we all go to the same church, we go to different campuses at different times. playing, snacking, and raucous laughter (at least from me) are usually involved as we wait for everyone to arrive.

capture2011: no. 138 :: 7.10.11 :: pure bliss

this picture—and what it represents—makes me so happy. seeing family around our dining table is just such a wonderful thing. when we were renovating and decorating, this was the goal: to have a comfortable, beautiful, welcoming place to do things like this. so thank you, God, for family and a place to gather.

capture2011: no. 139 :: 7.10.11 :: good eats

yup. my sister-in-law lauren is the absolute queen of salads. just look at this guy: delicious and gorgeous.

capture2011: no. 140 :: 7.10.11 :: comatose

after the meal, we head to the living room for more playing and talking and laughing . . . and more eating. this month, my mom opened her presents, we ate dessert, and slowly slipped into a food-induced coma. it really is the best. can't wait to do it again next month! and the month after that, and after that . . .

i love my family! i'm off to do the laundry and dishes that were pushed to the back burner last week! stay cool and thanks for reading. :)

capture2011 :: no. 135 :: 7.9.11 :: cheers!

2011-07-09T22:39:00.003-05:00

i haven't had one of these in a long, long time.

capture2011 :: no. 134 :: 7.9.11 :: couponing

2011-07-09T19:08:00.000-05:00

i'm still learning the ropes, but handing the cashier a stack of coupons and watching my total decrease is so satisfying!

capture2011 :: no. 133 :: 7.6.11 :: summer fruit

2011-07-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

mmmmm mmmmm. enjoying it while it lasts.

capture2011 :: no. 132 :: 7.4.11 :: sparkler fun

2011-07-06T07:35:00.000-05:00

i'm getting the hang of aperture settings, but i haven't experimented much with shutter speed. what better way to learn than to write my name backwards in the air with a sparkler while my shutter is open for 4 seconds? we only had one sparkler (left over from someone's wedding) so i'm glad this worked!

capture2011 :: no. 131 :: 7.3.11 :: baby love

2011-07-05T07:08:00.000-05:00

we had lots of visitors at the cabin this weekend, including this darling girl. wow, look at those eyes!

wrapping up last week

2011-07-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

we were up north for the weekend and i was having too much fun to pull out my computer and blog. :) here are the last two shots for last week. i'm halfway done!

capture2011 :: no. 129 :: 7.1.11 :: at stone arch

capture2011 :: no. 130 :: 7.2.11 :: victory!

at the cabin, the young boys got up on the ski board. it was fun to watch them face their fears.

happy fourth!

capture2011 :: no. 128 :: 7.1.11:: four years

2011-07-01T20:15:00.001-05:00

our anniversary is june 15, but ben and i celebrated this week. last night we went to dinner at pizza lucé and stayed at the nicollet island inn (a living social deal). this morning we walked along the stone arch bridge and enjoyed the minneapolis skyline. it was a sweet way to celebrate our fourth anniversary. i love you, benji!

capture2011 :: no. 127 :: 6.29.11 :: at the zoo

2011-06-29T22:24:00.000-05:00

lauren, hannah, me, and my mom took a trip to the zoo this morning. many thanks to crissy for the free passes!

and p.s. have i mentioned that lauren is pregnant with baby #2? she's due on thanksgiving day!

capture2011 :: no. 126 :: 6.28.11 :: holed up

2011-06-29T15:33:00.000-05:00

my current work assignment is a writing project. this is where i will be for the next three weeks as i force myself to concentrate. too many distractions at home!

capture2011 :: no. 125 :: 6.25.11 :: local wildlife

2011-06-27T16:17:00.000-05:00

klaas spotted these little guys on the windows. we grabbed our cameras and played national geographic photographers, but quickly learned that using flash frightens the animals.

capture2011 :: no. 124 :: 6.25.11 :: descent to the lake

2011-06-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

steps full o' barnacles. not really but i just wanted to write barnacles. twice.

capture2011 :: no. 123 :: 6.24.11 :: the blue room

2011-06-24T15:47:00.001-05:00

our beloved "blue room" has served many purposes for us. ben and i slept up here for almost a year and a half before moving into our master bedroom, but now it is an impromptu guest room for a friend who is visiting this weekend. woohooo! i think this is our first official house guest. the room was full of books and boxes, which i cleared out by moving them into the other upstairs bedroom. you know how it is.

this room excites me, though. it is huge and will be a wonderful kids' room someday. i'm sure whoever lived here before us loved that two-tone paint, but painting that room a new color is on my list. oh, the possibilities!

capture2011 :: no. 122 :: 6.22.11 :: is this the grown-up version of paper dolls?

2011-06-22T13:39:00.001-05:00

after rearranging our living room furniture approximately 3,562 times, ben kindly suggested i map it out to scale on graph paper. brilliant he is! i think i had a breakthrough this morning, and this helpful trick might be why!

[and no, the above configuration is not the breakthrough—just in the midst of playing with my "paper dolls."]

capture2011 :: no. 121 :: 6.19.11 :: mariyah's birthday lunch

2011-06-20T19:51:00.001-05:00

this makes me smile!