The Week in Pictures

Our precious, smiling Greta Bird

Ok, this picture is pretty old, but it was in the same folder because I never uploaded it from the camera.

Anja at the Feast!

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law, making soap

If I had a nickel for every picture I have of Martin standing next to the fire over the years, I'd have AT LEAST five dollars.

This is Anja saying "squirrel." It's her best word.

Our precious niece and goddaughter Bella, throwing a precious fit! A few moments later, she was throwing herself down on the ground!! Adorable.

The girls (can you see Greta under her colorful blanket?) hanging out on the quilt pile. The other little girl is Emily, a new friend, who, sadly, lives in Kokomo.

A really awful family picture. But hey, at least it's all of us. And doesn't Martin just look thrilled to be alive?

I have a picture similar to this from last year that I wanted to post alongside it, but I can't find it now.... anyway, it's framed and hanging in the girls' room. I love it.

Sisters: Anja, Greta and Cook Baby.

Sunday night after all the festivities had ended and everything was packed away for next year; the girls and I sat down to read this cat book, and Theodore came to hear too. Anja is learning the names of the cats in the book (they are all individually photographed and named in the back) and her favorite is "Solo" the black cat with big orange eyes. She says his name! It's the only one she knows by name.

Dinner from the other night.... that pan full of what looks like barf is actually a DELICIOUS bean recipe that I have been meaning to post on the cooking blog forever. It's Great Northern Beans with apples and spices and ketchup.... it's completely awesome. Someday I'll remember to post it.

Martin, digging in.

Another of Greta. She's lying on this quilt that I made recently. In my single years, not only would I not have bothered making such a basic quilt, but it would've taken me about a week. This one has taken me months to complete, and it's just six fat quarters sewn together, no batting, backed with a high-quality (but doesn't fit our bed anymore!) sheet and bound with some leftover binding I had in my sewing box. I didn't quilt it with thread, but used some brown yard to knot it together. It's cute enough, and turned out to be just what I wanted--a somewhat warm, easily replaceable quilt that is not so thick that I can't just stuff it into my purse on the way out the door.

My new socks! TusaRebecca knitted these socks for me for my birthday! I absolutely adore them, and they match my green sweater perfectly. The shoes were my Feast shoes, which I got from my neighbor Tara, but when I realized how cute they were I didn't put them back in my pack basket. I wear them all the time now!

Anja is a princess now. If you ask for a kiss, she will daintily extend her hand.

Our fat, nasty, obese cat, who despite his utter disgustingness is still my precious lovey-boy and will always be my number one man. Sorry, Martino.

Coloring!!!!!!!!!!!!! She takes such care! She will make big loopy circles, then crouch down over her paper and make tiny lines and dots and scribbles. It is so freaking adorable. And she has an idea of what she's drawing, because after every scribble, she'll point to it and tell me an animal sound. Believe it or not, this page is full of farmyard animals! Luckily, I'm quite a fan of modern art, especially when it's done in crayon.

Also, the Big Back Room will be without internet for awhile starting in the very near future. We got a letter from Comcast telling us that our bill is going up THIRTY DOLLARS. They are wanting us to pay $70 for basic internet. Um, no thank you. I have way better things I could be spending $70/month on. I imagine we'll be without internet until we get the wireless set up (which is until we get both computers cleared of unnecessary files and then hookup the wireless stuff) so who knows how long it will be. So posting from my end might be sparse, but I do live conveniently near the library, so it shouldn't be nonexistent.