Charles and Uncle Anthony

Charles loves his Uncle Anthony. And I am pretty confident that Anthony loves his Charles too :)
It's fun to see them interact and imagine how they will get along in the years to come. I predict that Charles will continue to look up to his uncle and that as they get older a strong friendship will form. It's important to pray for the children in our lives and we pray for both these boys.

He might not want to admit it, but Anthony looks up to Chris, and Charles looks up to Anthony (and his daddy too of course).
Here are the three of them. Chris was showing Anthony some yo-yo tricks while they were both listening to their iPods, so of course Charles wanted to do the same. Chris gave him a yo-yo I gave him my earbuds so he could be part of  the action too.

Back in the saddle

I know, I know.. It's been a long time since I have posted. Lets just say that being exhausted and throwing up every night really takes away the desire to blog. But, I am happy to say that I have felt much better the last week and a half and am now ready to begin posting again.

I'm not going to attempt a 'catch-up' post.. that would be overwhelming for both of us. I will however show you a little project I did.
A few months ago I bought this lovely, yet a bit gaudy, mirror at goodwill thinking that I would paint it a fun, fresh color to give it new life and make a cool piece to hang in our home. I envisioned turquoise.

However, after perusing through the colors of spray paint at Michaels I saw something that caught my eye. It wasn't turquoise, but it made my heart flutter. A little more vintage looking. A little more throw-back. Would it work??




You bet it would. I love it. It looks great on our mantle (even though the lighting in this photo is awful)  and although we are moving in a few weeks and will no longer have a mantle or fireplace (sad face) I just know that we will find a perfect spot for this beautiful mirror.



And a little note about spray painting.. once you spray paint one thing you are hooked. Since this mirror I keep thinking about things or seeing things that I want to revamp with a can of spray paint. My almost weekly trips to goodwill with my friend Rebecca are probably not helping this cause. I haven't bought anything else yet, but let me tell you, I can see a whole lot more spray painting in my future.

We have an announcement...

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Cool Dude

Charles freaks out when the sun is in his eyes while we are in the car. We have the cling shades but because we drive a two-door the back window is an odd shape and it doesn't stay 'clingy' very well. We should probably just cut it to fit the window so that it will stay on but in the meantime, Charles just asks to wear Mama's sunglasses while we drive.

French Knots and Outline Stitches

Over Christmas I had a little embroidery session with my Grandma, a very skilled embroider if I do say so myself. :) I just wanted to start out with the basics so she taught me a few simple stitches that I can practice with and use for some upcoming projects I have in mind.

I must say.. I love french knots!

 

Loving Minnesota

A friend recently said to me "I hope Minneapolis grows on you again" to which I said, 'I know, I need to make more of an effort to love this city again'. And it's true. Minneapolis really IS a great place to live, and it's not like I don't like Minneapolis. It's just that I really really miss Brooklyn. Aside from the obviousness of it being in New York and all the cool and exciting things that go along with that, it was also our first home as a married couple, and then later as a little family. Charles was born there. My first interpreting job was there. In Brooklyn we made close friends who feel like family. It was even a big part of our relationship as Chris and I became friends and later in a dating relationship and it shaped our love for ministry in the city. Brooklyn will forever have a special place in my heart. Always.

But Minneapolis can have a place in my heart too. After all, it's where I grew up. Our family is here. Our lifelong friends whom we have known our whole lives are here. It's our roots. And did you know that Minneapolis was named 'Most Hipster State in the US'? beating Williamsburg, NY?
Bicycling.com named Minneapolis the #1Bike City. (ps, one of the first things I did when we moved back was buy a bike! A beautiful old Strider for $20 at a garage sale- another great thing about living here! Garage Sales!)

Parenting rated Minneapolis number 4 on it's 'Best Cities to Live in & Raise a Family' list.
Minneapolis is also said to be the third top theater city in the United States, with the second most theaters per capita in the country.
And, Forbes says that Minneapolis is the number one healthiest city to live in.

All this is not to say that I need someone else to tell me how great Minneapolis is, but at times, when I am really missing Brooklyn and the people we left, it does help. What else helps? Impromptu lunches with family, Saturdays spent with friends, food, and movies, taking walks and chatting with a close girlfriend, coffee and shopping with my mom, plenty of lakes and parks to chose from. These are just a few things that are great about living here. Sure, I miss Brooklyn. I miss Sharon and Irene and Lindsay, Prospect Park, the City, Park Slope, our stoop, 2EFC.. but I am learning that liking Minneapolis doesn't mean forgetting Brooklyn. My heart is big enough to hold both of these cites, and all of these people.

Charles love his Uncle Anthony.