Summer projects

This summer I got re-aquaited with my looms and my sewing machine. I made a couple of things for a friend of mine and then did a few things for myself and Autumn. I made a couple of dinosaur pillowcases for our little dinosaur princess, a couple of crayon rolls for Autumn and her friend for traveling, a few tea wallets for myself and for summer birthday gifts, and then i got my rigid heddle loom and my floor loom warped up. I only had a day a week to work on these things so they took a bit more time than they probably would have but still, I had a good time and am enjoying getting back into my hobbies. Here are a couple of pictures of my rigid heddle loom. My placemats turned into a sampler to try to get used to this new loom. Now I have a different warp on there, I'm making some spa type scrubby washcloths. When I get them finished and off the loom maybe I'll get a picture or two posted, assuming we have a new camera by then.

Renaissance Festival

We went to the Renaissance Festival today with Kurt's cousin Sandy and her husband Marc. It was wet and cold and muddy and cold and muddy and wet. But we had a good time anyway, we are made of sturdy stuff (or maybe we are just nuts). When we walked in the gates we were met by Twig, a woodland fairy. She played a song on her two pipe flute for Autumn, who wasn't really sure what to make of this strange creature. But when Twig gave Autumn a very shiny green rock with fairy dust on it Twig had a friend for life. Autumn is a rock hound, she loves to collect rocks and this one is quite a jewel! From there we wandered until we saw some jugglers, this really held no interest for Autumn but when she spotted the pirate.....this was your average looking pirate: bandanna on head, earring in ear, knee boots with puffy pants.....and then we met a raccoon puppet who wanted to trade for Autumn's rock (she was having no part of this!!). We saw a huge pirate ship where Puke and Snot were entertaining the masses. We moved on to a pony ride where Autumn really started to perk up. She chose to ride Bid Red and kept telling him to go faster. We ate lunch and then while Daddy and Sandy and Marc went to watch Puke and Snot Autumn and I wandered on, she rode a HUGE rocking horse and then a butterfly merry-go-round. Next we watched some Irish country dancers, Autumn liked trying to imitate the dancers and when they started dancing with sticks!!! She wanted to join them, sticks are right up there with rocks in Autumn's estimation. While we were watching the dancers we met a PIRATE. Now this was not a run of the mill swabbie, he was a rear admiral of pirates. He had a rapier with a fancy handle, lots of ostrich plumes coming from a corner of his tri-cornered hat with golden lace trimming the top edges of said hat. He had many earrings and ear cuffs. Autumn's jaw dropped, and in a very awed voice (into a conveniently placed lull in music and noise) Wow, a pirate!!! He looked down at her and smiled. She looked him straight in the eyes and said "ARrrrr matey". He laughed so hard he stumbled then looked at her and said, "Wonderful, a new recruit!" It was so funny. About this time Daddy and the rest caught up with us and we listened to Alan-A-Dale play. He had lots of instruments spread out for kids to pick up and play with him. Autumn played a drum and then fell in love with the triangle. She played and played and we had to drag her away, as we were leaving a woman gave Autumn a dollar tip!! All in all it was a very fun day, next year hopefully we can go on a not so cold and wet and muddy day. Of course our camera picked this day to die a painful death. So we only have a couple of pictures, guess I get to go camera shopping.

Boxing and Dinosaurs

Autumn is a good boxer, when she pays attention she can beat whoever she plays. Apparently if you box while standing in a box you do better..... She likes to play the Wii with mommy and daddy but we have to find games where there is no button pushing because she doesn't get that concept yet. But baseball and boxing are two she can and does play. She is also learning how to use a mouse on the computer, it's been fun watching her figure out how to move her hand to control the pointer on the screen. The other thing Autumn is good at is being a dinosaur, this has taken on a new level of expertise now that she actually looks like one. A friend of ours loaned us a dinosaur costume that it is next to impossible to peel off of Autumn! We've been shopping in it, to gymnastics in it, playing outside in it, to a potluck/picnic in it...... I managed to get it into the washer just in time to get dressed for church so I took a little frou-frou princess to church rather than a green dinosaur! :) I swear that if I'd had little white lace gloves for her she'd have worn those with her "cincess" dress and "pwee" sandles, fancy hair and purse! That's my dinosaur princess for you.

This weekend was quite busy, we went to the zoo, went swimming with friends, a cookout with family......

We gave Bear a bath this weekend, she was looking rather dingy. Autumn had fun drying her with the hair dryer.

We went swimming with friends at their YMCA which has a zero depth entry pool. We tied a pool noodle around her waist (to help with floating) and she took off, she was totally independent in the pool! AAAAhhhhhhh!!!! She kicked and kicked (looked like walking in the water) and was 'simming' all over the pool by herself. My baby is growing up!!!!

At the zoo we saw the butterflies for the last time this summer as well as the African animals. Autumn was so excited to see the 'zoobas' and 'raffs' but when we got there she was totally amazed by the 'osters' (ostriches). We had lots of fun seeing the other animals too. I'm including pictures of a previous trip when Autumn tried her hardest to get a goat to go home with us. :)

Elephant Wrestling

Autumn has been perfecting her Elephant Wrestling techniques. For those of you who watch professional wrestling, you may be able to name some of these moves, I don't watch enough to do so. :)

Gearing Up for Football

While everyone around here is freaking out about Brett Farve joining the Vikings (for those of you not in the know, he used to play QB for the Packers -- deadly enemies to the Vikings)..... We here in this household are getting ready for some real football! Wolverines and Midshipmen. While Autumn doesn't have a Go Blue! shirt yet she does have this one.....stay tuned for elephant wrestling and dinosaurs without their skin on (bones).

Fun in Osakis

The first weekend in August we went to Osakis for a Triebenbach family reunion. It was fun to see so many people who are part of Kurt's family, granted he doesn't know most of them but who does really? Autumn had fun running around with the other kids and her cousin Rebecca (well I guess they were all her cousins in some form or another). We also had fun just playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Aunt Kelly came for a while on Sunday as did Uncle Karl and Aunt Gina. There was a fireman's picnic that we went to since Grandpa used to be a fireman. Autumn and Becca played on a huge jumping slide thing and went on a hayride. There were dogs there for Autumn to chase around and pet. Autumn enjoyed playing hide and seek (though the flag pole may not be the best hiding place) and trying to get Josie (the puppy) to play catch with her. Becca and Autumn played with the hose and the first time Autumn figured out how to squeeze the trigger she was facing the house and porch, luckily the windows were closed!

Autumn in the Basket (Jack in the Box)

Autumn was playing hide and seek in her hamper and I got these that remided me of a jack in the box. It was an easy but rather boring way to play hide and seek. She hid in the same place all the time and I sat on the floor and counted.

Grandma Here?

Grandma Petersen drives a bumble bee yellow Pontiac Aztek. Autumn knows that this is Grandma's car. Guess what just moved in a couple of rows down from us?!?!?! Ever try to explain to a 2 1/2 year old that just because it looks like Grandma's car that doesn't mean it is? I tell you it's impossible. Everytime she sees it she knocks on the door or points to it and says "Grama here?" I hate seeing the look on her little face when I tell her that no, it's someone else's car that looks like Grandma's. (no this one pictured isn't hers but sure looks like it).

Memory Walk for Alzheimer's Association

http://memorywalk09.kintera.org/twincities/alicecrosbymd

http://memorywalk09.kintera.org/twincities/alicecrosby

These are the two sites I created as a team captain for the Memory Walk sponsored by the local Alzheimer's organization. I was asked by a friend who works there to start a team and agreed to do it. My grandmother suffered with this disease for many years before she finally found peace. It was hard for all of us to watch her slowly forget us and herself, it is a devastating illness for those who suffer with it and those who suffer with them. So I'm walking in memory of my grandmother and for our family.

Many of you may have received an e-mail from me regarding this (if I missed you I apologize), please consider donating to this cause or even joining my team. The walk is on Spet 26th in Bloomington MN and starts at 11:00am. You can walk any distance you are able, the course is 3 miles long.

To find out more about Alzheimer's in general you can check out the MN website http://www.alz.org/mnnd/

No Eggs

Autumn has been officially diagnosed with an egg allergy. Whites are the worst, we're talking anaphylactic shock, yolks are more the benedryl and wait and see level and coming up at a very mild last is milk. Well Yippee! The thing is that I've discovered a food allergy doesn't just mean "don't eat it". I've been doing a lot of reading and Autumn seems to fit into a convoluted category of allergy. For instance she eats bread and cookies and noodles (which all have eggs baked into them) but one lick of angel food cake batter and she's toast. She can have two glasses of milk a day but three sends her over the edge and her tummy has many many issues. Hmmmm........... So it seemes cooked eggs are ok, we haven't hit a level of ingestion that is bad so all is good, think I won't press my luck with scrambled eggs or quiche or deviled eggs though.