grilled pizza

I love pizza, but I consider myself a pizza snob. I only like good pizza and get utterly disappointed when I run into a bad pizza dough. The last few years I've taken to making my own pizza dough and pizza at home, thin crust and deep dish. It's so much tastier, cheaper, and I always have the ingredients in the house.

my first grilled pizza

This turned out really good, especially if you like extra crispy crust. I did have a hard time getting the dough on the grill, but it worked out ok after breaking a sweat, multitasking a screaming Gretchen and trying not to start the grill on fire.

See, the trick is that you cook the plain dough first, on one side, on the grill. Then remove it, flip it, brush the grilled side with sauce and toppings, and return the pizza to the grill for final cooking. Getting it on the second time was much easier and getting it off was a breeze. I reserved a little extra sauce for dipping, that was definitely needed. The crust gets really, really crispy.

I put on what we had in the house: basil, zucchini, tomato, spinach, mushrooms and cheese. Enjoy!

Bay Beach

What a fun weekend! Seriously, a really fun weekend! It all started on Friday night when my college buddy Randy Jansen got married to a wonderful woman in Appleton. It was so great to see my best college friends again. I really do miss them and wish we could see each other more often. We are the only ones with kids, Penny lives in (715) area code and Ralph and Becky just got married with Becky still in Michigan and Ralph in the Air Force. Maybe someday we'll do things more often, but that's doubtful. I'll just have to cherish the few times a year we see them all.

Ralph, Rebecca, Erika, Kevin, Penny & Josh

Then on Saturday (the kids were with Grandma LaPean) the five of us went to Bay Beach in Green Bay. It's a mini amusement park for families and the rides are $0.25 each! For around $5 you can have a whole day's worth of fun, however, the kids lasted about two hours. This was Charlotte's first time on any kind of fair ride and I wasn't sure how she'd do. A little hesitant at first, she was eager to give the tenant her ticket and jump into the car or ladybug or whatever she could. The giant slide was a little too scary for Charlotte so Kevin and I raced down. Then I also got Kevin to go on the Zippin' Pippin' with me. (I think he even put his arms up once despite the fact that he's not exactly a roller coaster guy.) I loved Elvis' favorite roller coaster and could have gone multiple times for only a buck per ride.

Here are some highlights and you can always find more here:

Lastly, Charlotte got to go fishing with Daddy and she absolutely loved it. She was ready to string the worm and throw a cast. When they got a small mouth bass Charlotte was insistent on holding the fish and putting him back in the water. Looks like Dad has new fishin' buddy...

AND she fed the giraffes at the NEW Zoo!

Gretchen turned 7 months old on Sunday. She has a tooth on the bottom with another bottom tooth well on the way. She's a beefcake and can't seem to each enough food. We just keep giving it to her and she keeps eating. What a good eater this one is.

adorable ava

Bill and Nicole had a few photos done of Ava. Isn't she adorable? I just want to squeeze her!! 2 weeks old today

gretchen loves whipping cream

video: gretchen loves whipping cream a video by [griff] [griff] 'n [chuck] on Flickr.

My house would not be complete without whipping cream. I love whipping cream; the real stuff. Thankfully my mom and grandma taught me how to make really good cream and when I don't have time, Reddi Wip is usually good enough.

Saturday morning I made pancakes with strawberry sauce and fresh whipping cream. Kevin was in heaven, but we knew that. Charlotte didn't each much (big surprise) - she just wanted to eat the cream. Gretchen, well, she loved the whipping cream. Many of you probably remember this video of Charlotte sharing whipping cream with Griffin.

Here's Gretchen's video, eating the spatula...

my first quilt

Let me tell you how much I love this quilt! It turned out so great and I am really happy that I rescued it and can use it on a regular basis. Finished size measures approximately 96x96. It's going on our queen bed in the new cabin that Kevin's parents are building. This had been sitting in the closet with no purpose since my college days. Since the cabin is full of six of my quilts, I figured my bedroom better have one too. This was already a pretty long quilt but needed some extra width.

queen size

After adding a rather large bit to the bottom, I put new batting and a sheet on the back (to save time and money). Then I straight line quilted it with my walking foot. The lines aren't super straight but that is what gives it some character. After being washed it is super worn in and cuddly. Charlotte wants it for her bed I think. Some of the seams have split over the years and I sealed them with fusible lining. It did the trick!

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do. This is my first quilt and I still get to enjoy it!

Brie Bear

Brie Bear, a photo by [griff] [griff] 'n [chuck] on Flickr.

Remember the two tickle bears I made for Gretchen that I patterned off her Rufus bunny? Well, they got a face lift! I decided that having the fuzzy fleece was messy and the silk binding that I made was just amateur. So, I updated the bears with regular fleece and store bought binding in a really cute turquoise. Even my stitching on this is 100 times better. The head and hands are the same. She also has a name now... Brie Bear.

curtains for thing two

I finally finished some curtains for Gretchen's room. Well, I have one panel left to complete, but the other three are up! I've looked long and hard for curtains that match her walls. They are a very strange purple color, but I like it, but am having a hard time matching things. Of course Pottery Barn had some, but spending $200 on curtains was not on my list. Charlotte has 2 out of 4 needed panels from PB Kids in her room so I was trying to cut corners. 

A few weeks ago I found this lavender fabric and knew that it was it. Lavender isn't such a hot color I guess, it's hard to find. However, there was only 4 yards of it and I would have needed eight to make panels in all print. So, I did this reverse with the Kona Natural and Kona Melon. I also ordered the 'cheap' blackout fabric and it's not exactly blackout, but does darken the room more than it was. Thanks to Fabric.com it all arrived at my doorstep. 

gretchen's curtains

I lightly followed this curtain lining tutorial from Jerisew(s). The sewing worked out well, they look very  well made.

I'm not in LOVE with the curtains but they are cute and will look nice in the room. My vision from paper to fabric wasn't exact. Once there is a bed in the room with a matching quilt, it will all fall into place. (Already bought that fabric too.) I think the more the curtains hang the more they will lay properly. Overall, it's a nice addition to her very bare room. Besides, anything is better than a receiving blanket hanging with blue tape...

building blocks baby quilt

With all the new babies around I tried this Moda Bakeshop recipe - it turned out great. One layer cake made two quilts, but I wish the pattern would have used more of the layer cake. I used "Boy" Meadow Friends Layer Cake by Deb Strain for Moda. One baby is a boy and the other needed to be a neutral quilt. So, with a few added fabrics from It's A Hoot by MoMo for Moda, I had a second quilt.

neutral quilt front

boy quilt front

The best part about making the quilt is giving the quilt. Although a bit shy (the only time I ever am), I love seeing the face of the loved on who receives a quilt. It's as though they love it as much as I did making it. This has been such a fun hobby for me and I keep getting better. I'm thrilled that there are family and friends that I can share this with. I love the though of a little baby learning to sit on my quilt, drool all over it and suck on the corners. What joy!!

more ava and a wedding

We had such a wonderful weekend visiting family in Merrill. Dan and Sarah Neumann renewed their vows so we were up there Friday and Saturday night. Given the fact we were away from home in a hotel for two nights the girls were fantastic. Charlotte was a party girl all weekend and would NOT leave the dance floor. Anytime Kevin or I tried to dance with her she pointed and said, "No Mom, you go sit at the table with Dad." She wanted to have her cousins all to herself. I've never seen a kid love their family that much. She is a blast to be around these days.

1st family photo in 6 months!

Today us girls went to visit my new niece and nephew. Charlotte loves playing with her cousin Aiden, they play so well together. And, of course, I got to hold Ava. What an adorable little girl. I can't wait to see her grow up. She's just a little peanut!!

Baby Ava and me (5 days old)

I'm an Aunt!!

August 11, 2011 - My brother made me an Aunt!! He and Nicole welcomed baby Ava Mae into the world around 12:30 p.m. Mom and baby are going great. I got to hold Ava at the hospital when she was only a mere five hours old!! She weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz. and was 19 inches long. Just a little peanut with some dark hair on top. It was so amazing holding a little one again. 

Me, Ava and Charlotte

Grandma and Grandchild #4

Before we visited Ava we went to State Fair to eat some grub. Charlotte had a good time and was happy to bring home a pink triceratops. I took her down the GIANT slide but she was not happy and did not like it. We'll try again next year. Charlotte got to eat her own ice cream cone covered in jimmies and also tried some cream puff... yumm! After a mere almost two hours, we were beat. 

cream puff

hates the GIANT slide

multi-purpose sunroom

Did you know I have a multi-purpose sunroom? Not only can you hang out in there three seasons out of the years, but it's large enough to lay and almost-king-sized quilt on the floor to baste.

I tried the kitchen, but it wan't wide enough. If this didn't work I was going to resort to the driveway, or my mom's house. But, it was easy to clean and there wasn't much furniture to move around. Love it!

Gretchen went to the doctor on Tuesday. She was scared of him...not like her to be scared of strangers, but she was. That only added to the tears because of course, she had to get three shots. (The nurse does those...) Gretchen is 28" (97%) and 17 lbs. 10 oz. (75%). She is the same height as Charlotte at 6 months but weighs TWO POUNDS more!! Can you say beefcake!?

My sweet Gretchen has been a grouch the last week or so. Must be growing pains. I see a little slit in her lower gum line so it's only a matter of days before we see a little tooth. I looked in the baby book and Charlotte was just over 7 months when she got a tooth and Miss Gretchen is hovering around 6.5 months.

photo shoot

Today I took the girls to get their photos taken. Charlotte needed a good 2-year photo and Gretchen was due for her 6-month photo. Let's just say things could have gone better.

We went to JCP. Can't say that I'll be going there again. Gretchen's shirt was all wet and icky when we got there. The one in the photo is a $2.99 shirt I found at JCP before the shoot. Close call. Charlotte had a huge poop right before the photo shoot and they made me go to the other side of the store to use the restroom to change it. By now I'm sweating and have a headache.

She took photos of Gretchen first then a few of the girls. I thought things were going well until she said her flash wasn't working and the photos didn't turn out. By now Charlotte is jumping on the couch behind me and could hardly sit there. I was bribing her with the thought of McDonald's when we were finished. So we did the photos all over again starting with Gretchen who was now crying and could hardly sit up anymore. This is how well the double shoot was going. We barely got a photo of the two girls together, I was quite disappointed.

not the greatest photo shoot

This is the best she could get of the two girls. Not very cohesive, but it works. The photos of the girls individually turned out. They are so adorable! We all went home and slept. Well, I didn't but I stayed on the couch recovering. I tell ya. What a morning.

charlotte - 2 

gretchen - 6 mo

add a little zen to your life

A recent Parents Magazine article caught my eye. It was called “Lessons from a Zen Mommy,” by Bethany Saltman, a Zen Buddhist who has lived in a monastery and devoted one week of every month to silent meditation, but is now living in the noisy real world with her husband and 3-year-old daughter.


Those of you who know me know I do not lead a Zen life whatsoever, but after reading this, making a few changes might not be a bad idea. In the article Saltman gives readers four Zen ideas to think about and ultimately adopt into their lives.

1. Do what you're doing while you're doing it. Stop multitasking! We can't do everything at the same time even though society and our children practically demand it. How many times have I heard Charlotte say, "No phone Mommy!" If you're like me, stop multitasking and just pay attention to one thing, or person, at a time. Give those little people the attention they deserve! You'll feel better about yourself.
2. Leave no trace. Take responsibility for yourself and your mess. And teach your child to do the same. Kevin has taught many Leave No Trace programs for nature but I've never thought to apply that principle to the household. Is your home an extension of your thoughts, messy and unorganized? I'm not saying your home has to be spotless, mine sure isn't, but perhaps I need to pick up the mess I leave behind each and every day. I teach the girls to pick up toys and that's an important skill to learn.
3. Take just the right amount. Limit acquiring too much stuff. We all know our kids have too many toys, but how does it get like that? What example are we for our kids if we go shopping every weekend or let them bring a "toy" home every time we go out. (This can be applied to my eating habits as well. I'm sure many of you are in the same boat.) With the Internet lurking around the couch, it's hard to resist logging into Amazon.com one more time and clicking three times to order something you probably don't need. If this is a lesson you are teaching your children, practice it in your life first!
4. Practice patience. Don't beat yourself up over things. We all want to be perfect, but even after a lifetime that's not possible. Of course I'm getting better in the patience category, but the girls test me each day. I have to remember to breathe and remind myself that the girls are learning so much every day and I need to be a strong example for them. They are learning by watching me. Of course I loose it sometimes, but that's natural, so don't go beating yourself up about it. Just remind your kids how much you love them and how the problem can be solved without getting frustrated.

I sure hope you got something out of that. I thought Saltman wrote a very good article. I like to read articles that remind me what I need to do in order to continually examine myself and grow. Count your blessings and realize how fortunate you are. My new job has given me such insight into my own life. It's made me realize how extremely fortunate I am to have a loving, healthy family and most of all, a place to live and food to eat. 

A mom friend of mine has five children and is adopting a 2-year-old girl from China. In the middle of this process, she was approached because a 14-year-old girl in China has 4 weeks to be adopted or she will be "unadoptable" and who knows what would happen to her. Yes, my friend is taking both girls into her family and making it a family of seven children. I think this is amazing and it makes me want to be a better person and lead a better life. How can you lead a better, healthier, fuller life??

my first quilt update

I'm excited about this one!! This is my very first quilt I ever made, before I knew that modern quilting even existed. Before my Grandma Burton even bought me the sewing machine I have. I think this quilt is something like 11 years old and most of the fabric used to make it was even older (like 20-30 years) as it was from my Grandma's stash with some new fillers.

hand stitched quilt

I used this quilt through college on my bed, my extra long twin bed. A good third to half of this is hand stitched since I didn't have a machine. For that reason, a lot of the seams have split and I've had to repair them over the years. It was also basted with a polyester batting. I hate to see this creation in the closet as it holds a lot of memories. Luckily, Kevin agreed to have this as our cabin quilt for the bed at the new cabin!! The bed in the room will be queen size so I had to add on. You can tell where I added to one side as the squares are much larger than the original ones. I didn't have the patience to make small squares and the fabric is all scraps from my stash. Quilt now measures 96 x 96".

close up of hand stitching

It was originally tied together but after much thought, in order to preserve the hand stitches I really need to stipple the entire thing for fear of it falling apart. So, I took the whole thing apart, bought new batting and a sheet for the back (cheating, I know). It will be a lot to stipple but I've done a queen size before. I'll have to be gentle, but I think this will look great when finished.

Truly a labor of love!

one for the book

Monday night we all went down to the Milwaukee Sailing Center to visit one of Kevin's good friends from College, Erin. She's currently at school in South Carolina for her PhD in biochemical engineering. For a summer trip, she and her parents sailed from Traverse City, Mich. to Milwaukee and this necessitated a visit downtown.

To our surprise, other friends from college also joined us all and they each had two boys. Charlotte had such a blast crawling in and out of the sailboat cabin then running along the lakefront docks. She was fascinated by the ducks swimming all over the place.

At one point, she was standing on the railings looking at the ducks and all of a sudden we hear crying. No, she didn't fall in. She got her head stuck in between the railings trying to look at them!! I just about panicked and had visions of calling the City of Milwaukee to come and cut her head out of the green steel bars that her head was wedged between. Thankfully, Kevin didn't panic quite as much and was able to move her ears and easily get her head back. I had to then explain that she may not stick her head in between the bars. OMG! I seriously had visions of the worst scenario...thanks to many episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos.

But, she's ok and not scarred by the situation. Ah...