Just Pictures

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the last few months...enjoy!

NUMBERS

All about the numbers these days. Deadlines, timelines, bottom lines, financial analysts on every media outlet…

…but here are some numbers to be happy about and proud of!!!


Ash turned 1 on April 16th…

Grant and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on April 23rd…

Celebrated Mom’s 50th on May 2nd…

Went to the zoo with the family to celebrate my Mom’s 29th Mother’s Day…

…and met little Miss Maddy Mac on May 10th when she was 1 day old…Awww!

Trying to get things in order at work and home to prepare for our trip to Europe…we leave in 9 days!!!! One countdown I couldn't be more excited about.

Easter Weekend

Another action-packed weekend for the Ondo's! Saturday morning I painted in the room of my new cousin-to-be...Here are some pics. I can't wait to see it finished with all of the cute furniture and bedding!

I went in to work after that....met Grant for a nice dinner, then I searched creation (or Algonquin, more specifically) for Easter candy. Note to self: do not procrasitinate Easter candy buying. The ONLY Reeses egg I could find was a GIANT one that cost $5. According to Grant, it didn't have the right chocolate to peanut butter ratio as the normal sized ones. After returning with the sub-standard candy, we stuffed it into eggs, made up baskets for the god-children and went to bed. Grant did a HUGE amount of housework while I was gone. He is amazing. Thanks, baby!

Easter morning we listened to a wonderful message from Dave at church and then drove up to the Ondo's for lunch. Grant and I hid eggs at his parents' house for the kids. Here are a few shots~

Grandma wearing Sarah's hat!
This reminds me of our family taking photos when all of the kids were little!
Grant and the boys in their new gear~

Hope you all enjoyed Easter with your families!!

Longest Blog Update Ever

Hi, everyone!

We spent this weekend (the time I wasn't working Saturday, or spending at our Past Basket Open House/Party Saturday night) cleaning. Grant was home for the weekend...he is off again to Tampa tomorrow morning, but just for the day....

The desk that we amazingly both liked and ordered in February finally came in last week. Grant picked it up yesterday and we assembled it, the return piece and the file cabinet last night. We emptied out the office that has been a crap retention place since we moved in two years ago. We decided that the only items to return to the office would have to warrant a need or necessity in the office. It felt like the TLC show where they help clean you out. Currently, the office looks great, but the family room still needs a lot of help. Here is a pic of the office emptied into the family room, and after shots of the office.
I also have been working on the craft room for a few weeks. To anyone who saw it before....its a big change from the madness. I FEEL better just walking in there.
Grant and I watched the Chicago River being dyed green before the St. Patty's Day Parade from the top of the Hancock building....it was so fun!

This is us window washing the Hancock Building....

......and down by the river.

We also hosted the Marek family December, February and March birthday party. Nine birthdays total....it felt like Christmas opening gifts. Here is a pic of Aunt Donna in front of the cute cupcakes I made. (I really did make these.) Emma helped the March birthdays sing....her birthday isn't for a few months, but she just wanted to help blow out the can-dows. :)

Lastly....this is one of the kitchens I have been working on! It's almost done, but it still needs the bead board that is going on the backsplash, the beautiful walnut floors uncovered and final touch up~The hardware has since gone on, and the slab of limestone is now up over the range.

Seriously

I drove past a Catholic church today with a giant sign in the front promoting their upcoming......evangelistic event? What did the sign say, you ask?

St. Joan of Arc's VEGAS Night!

Hmmm.... don't know what exactly to say about that one....just thought I would share.

What do you say?

So I am at Meijer yesterday picking up a few things. I am standing in the check out line with my few items minding my own business. I then feel a little bump on my back side... Without really thinking, I take a little step forward thinking that whoever it is behind me accidentally got too close with their cart.
I feel the nudge again. At this point I can't step forward any more without invading the personal space of the woman paying in front of me.
I look behind me and there is this little old woman, not much taller than the cart, frantically unloading the cart....like it's a race or something. Here I am laughing to myself, with the cart still on my backside. What do you say?
I move forward to pay....and so does the little old woman. The cart is once again attaches itself to me. I look at her again. She is clueless. I then decide that I like the cart there. It gave me a huge laugh as I was leaving the store, and made me blog about it!

For Miranda....

Crazy busy weekend.

We were at Anna's vball tournament by 830 on Saturday morning. We watched a few games and then made our way up north. We ran into Columbia for snow pants (I will be on the slopes in less than two weeks!)....so I asked the guy, "Where will I find snowpants?" To which he replied, "You won't." I won't? What? So I have this vision of never ever being able to find a pair of snowpants....ever. A rush of anxiety. (a little extreme, I admit.) Turns out that they are sold OUT...not a pair in the store.

We then make our way up to Gurnee Mills and I find a choice of a few black pairs at Burlington Coat Factory, of all places. Not to worry. Legs will be covered.

Next up was Noah's second EVER basketball game. Though still a bit confused on the difference between offense and defense, he was more engaged in the game. The kids are so fun to watch. I don't remember the time when there were SO many rules to learn. You forget how second nature it becomes! (He is number 12 :)

We came home for some nice alone time before another crazy day began. Yoga Sunday morning, then some much-needed crap room organizing and then Day Two of Anna's Turnament. She played so well, and with such passion. I love the look she gets when she does something well, looks at us and smiles the big Anna smile. We are so proud of her!

Cauliflower

Alright, so this is a LITTLE embarrassing, but I have to tell it.....

I just got in a wrestling match with a head of cauliflower.

I guess I have never bought a head of cauliflower. I usually buy the cut up stuff. So here I am, after unwrapping the thing...trying to figure out how to tear it apart....I couldnt DO it! I was getting so frustrated. I finally got a knife and started chopping it apart! Did I get a crazy one, or are they ALL like that???

Friends....

I'm sitting here postponing the sketching I must get done tonight....and find myself more interested in RE-reading blogs from today....I want to send a shout out to the girls and a big ole thanks for being such great friends. You mean so much to me- always give me a laugh, inspiration, wisdom, make me think....Im so lucky.

Love you girls.

Welcome, 2009!

I honestly welcome 2009. Though I am not quite sure where all of 2008 went, I welcome the chance to clear the proverbial slate. Resolutions? Not so much. I did sign up for a gym closer to the house, though, that has lots of included classes that I would love.

Christmas decorations are still up at our house. They will stay up until I feel guilty about not taking them down. I love the cozy feeling that our house has at Christmas time. We hosted the Ondo family on Christmas Eve. Grant's parents, brother's family and sister were at our house for the entire second half the day. Ben's four kids (Noah 7, Jacob 5, Sarah 3 and Caleb 1) love to make the 'really long' car ride out here. Jacob inquisitively asked at lunch where OUR kids went when they come over..... hmmm....how to answer THAT one. Grant made the mistake of saying, "we lock them in the basement." Jake immediately wanted to know how to get to the basement we don't have. The conversation that followed was fairly amusing. Here are some of the yummy desserts I made (if you believe that you don't know me very well)......

Christmas with my family is getting less insane and more special every year. We snapped a pic of all of us below. See if you can guess who is who. We have a new cousin this year, Kira. We will have a new addition next year. My cousin and his wife are due in the Spring.

The club volleyball season has begun and our weekends will now be littered with our choice of tournaments with three sisters now playing. I got my first 8 o'clock Saturday phone from my dad this weekend with info on the days' events. Grant and I really enjoy watching them mature in their skill sets.

One more thing....I'm sad to say that the car I have had for six years has.....snapped. Lon got rear ended a week before Christmas and was never the same. The control arm broke a week and a half ago and FORCED us to upgrade. :) I found out today that they are totalling the car and I have to go say my good byes tomorrow. I love the new car. Its the car I have been drooling over for a few years, now. I almost feel like I have had it for longer because I have day dreamed about driving it.

Anyone have any genius ideas of how to make blogging more of a habit? I can not blame the Christmas season for my lack of blogs since June :)

Lastly is a part of my latest artistic endeavor....on a bathroom door for a friend who REALLY misses Paris.