Suzanne McGrath Photography

Project Life: Week 22

I'm back with Week 22.  We are finally into the summer months - just barely!

Week 22:  May 27 - June 2.  This week was mostly about our vacation to Hilton Head Island even though we flew home on Friday, May 30th.

Full spread:

I included an insert for my Instagram photos this week.  Here's the full spread showing the other side of the insert, along with my race bib for Hospital Hill:

 

Left side:

 

I know I blogged about #4 getting sick, but man, it sucked:

 

I thought the picture of the 4 girls captured them just so and all I did was add that cute little heart button.  Love:

 

Again with the Ali Edwards inspiration.  I know.  I know.  This time in the form of beach outline banners:

 

For this image, I cut a journal card in half and put it on either side of a 4x6 photo.  That's it:

 

To make the insert a little more visible I used an Avery label.  One side is labeled Hilton Head and the Other Shots from Home:

 

Right side:

 

The hubby's entire immediate family made the journey so of course we had to document all of us in the same place at the same time!  I used the same little journal words I used last week and I love the little touch it adds:

 

This picture below cracks me up.  Ha!  Get it?  "Cracks" me up!  I'm so funny.  (Or maybe not?)

 

Last beach picture.  Added Ali Edwards word art:

Phew!  Week 22 is complete!

Project Life: Week 21

Finally, I'm getting around to blogging these weeks since they've been complete for quite awhile!

Week 21:  May 20 - May 26.

Full spread:

This was the girls' last week of school before we jetted off to Hilton Head Island for our vacation.  

Left side:

 

For this next picture, I just used the Type Tool to journal "last day of school" and "sweet!" on the picture.  Then I switched to the Brush tool with a small round brush to "brush" on the white lines.  It was actually very easy, albeit slightly homemade looking:

 

You know I love me some Ali Edwards overlays, right?!  I used the "adventure" one on the picture of the little girls below:

 

Right side:

 

We had some friends over for dinner on that Friday night before we left for our trip and I thought this photo was funny.  I love that cute little cardboard camera embellishment (plus it perfectly matches the balloons):

 

Packing for myself and three girls was definitely a challenge.  (This picture doesn't even show the final view.)  I had to make sure all their favorite clothes were clean so they wouldn't run around naked all week!  So I definitely wanted to remember this scene which I documented with a little washi tape and the plain grid journal cards:

 

The small picture on the right is meaningful because it's #3 and her godmother so it definitely made the cut this week!

 

And finally, a shot of all the girls with the hubs and Mikaela.  I just added the three word stickers to the right side and I like it like that.  So cute:

And that's it!  Week 21.

Six on Sunday

Howdy!  I would to blog more during the summer months but find I'd rather spend my time with the family and by the time we get the little girls to bed I'm exhausted.  So it goes, I suppose!  

As always, I'm just going to dive right in!

1.  The big girls spent the week in Arkansas with my parents.  They attended a golf camp Monday - Thursday and I'm happy to report they both enjoyed it!  Tangent:  I was a big golfer growing up and played in high school.  But once I was on my own, I realized it's a pricey sport!  That, and once we had kids it was hard to justify the expense of not only the green fees but also the babysitter.  I'm hoping that as the kids get a little older it will become a sport we can all do together.  But until I've practiced and brought my game back up to speed you will NOT find me on any course around here (or anywhere for that matter)!

#1 won a putting competition on the last day and #2 won a chipping competition.  The sport is looking promising!  Now we'll just have to get them on the driving range every now and then so they don't forget everything they learned.  But more than anything I am just glad they had fun.

In addition to golf camp they also went shopping for an afternoon, got pedicures, spent two afternoons on the boat, and went to a "fancy" dinner.  Needless to say, they had fun!

At dinner:

2.  Meanwhile, we had the little girls by themselves here in KC.  It was really weird to only have two kids for a whole week!  I think the littles enjoyed it but really missed their sisters.  (I know because I asked them!) 

They had playdates almost every day of the week last week and that made them feel really special!  #3 even had her friend sleepover Wednesday night so Taylor could play all day Thursday.  Talk about fun times around here!  But even without the extra friends, the little girls play SO WELL together these days.  They make up hugly elaborate games with their American Girl dolls, their dollhouse, almost anything!  And not only that, they will play together for hours at a time - no joke.  It's wonderful.  

Here is an example of their "fort":

And below is a photo I snapped of them when we all went to Starlight Theater to see The Little Mermaid:

3.  By now you know of my affinity for the blog Iowa Girl Eats.  I made a delicious salad I found on her blog last week and you all should try it!  

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad:

The chicken is so good you could eliminate the salad part and just make the chicken your main course.  I loved that the marinade is a bit sweet with a kick at the end.  So good!

4.  I was supposed to run 16 miles yesterday.  I had my route mapped out (we were in Arkansas) and I had the halfway point picked out at which point the hubby was going to join me.  Unfortunately, my clutzy self got in the way of said run.  I had to abandon the idea - so sad.  What happened?  Well...

I had to run into Target on Friday on our way out of town and there was a large flat-bed cart blocking one half of the aisle and a box with a bookshelf inside was leaned up on its side against the other side of the aisle.  I was blocked in.  Rather than just going back and around, I thought I'd slide the box down and slip on by with my cart.  Well, that box was HEAVY!  And as I was sliding it down (it was upright), it tipped over onto my FOOT.  Holy hell, it hurt!  My foot swelled up and is still swollen and sore today.  The moral of the story is, don't be lazy like me.  JUST WALK AROUND!

This does me no favors in my marathon training.  Two weeks ago I was supposed to run 14 but I ran 5 and rounded up:)  I thought I'd get back on the wagon with 16 yesterday but instead logged zero.  Ugh!  I'm just hoping I can get in 10 next Saturday because I am back up to 16 in two weeks.  My fingers are crossed right now!  

5.  I am making progress on my kitchen cabinets - WooHoo!  I have four doors painted and ready to install.  I've ordered my European hinges and they should arrive next week.  I dropped four doors off at the glass company so they could replace the frosted glass with clear glass and they are ready for me to pick them up.  I can't wait to get those babies in place, although I do have to paint them first.

In addition, I have 10 cabinet doors in the garage with the hinge holes filled and sanded down.  I just need to rough up the rest of the doors so I can paint those white, too.  Although slower than I'd like, I'm very happy to be making progress little by little.  The cabinets won't be finished by the time the kids go back to school (my original plan) but they will be finished some time this fall and that is just fine by me!

6.  Next Saturday the hubby and I are going to see The Killers in concert and I can hardly wait!  It's going to be such an awesome show.  

And there you have it.  Six on Sunday!  Have a fantastic week, everyone! 

Six (but really 10) on Sunday

So I took a break.  I thought that might happen.  

The hubs and I took our annual trip to Lake Okoboji in northwestern Iowa last weekend.  We had too much fun!  I think I gained about 50 pounds.  Totally worth it, though.  What have we been up to the last two weeks?  Read on...

1.  Bike rides.  Numerous bike rides.  I think I like these just as much as the kids!  We've been exceedingly lucky with the weather this summer and it's been nice enough to ride our bikes.  I feel like the last two sumers were so hot we didn't want to be outside unless we were IN the pool!

2.  The hubby and I celebrated (or didn't really) our 16th anniversary!  SIXTEEN.  That's one-six, people!  We are so old.  We are not the super sentimental lovey-dovey anniversary type so I really didn't mind not making a big deal out of it.  We thought we might celebrate if the kids head up to Omaha for a weekend, but we're not sure that will happen??  No matter.  I still love him after all these years and he still makes me laugh.  And vice versa.  We're all good! 

The kids made us cards and set the dinner table using placemats.  That is big time in our house:

3.  Okoboji.  I put together a Top 6 list in 2011 and a recap last year.  So this year I'll just show you random pictures I snapped.  Some with my big girl camera but most with my phone.

Beer pong.  We didn't have a table so we improvised.  And I have to say, I am a naturally gifted beer pong player.  I seriously rocked it!  

The walkway to Okoboji Boat Works:

The end of an evening:

Okoboji sunset from the public beach by the Dry Dock:

Lastly, the Regal Beagle - a total hole-in-the-wall bar that used to be fun:

4.  We've been spending a lot of time at the pool lately.  It happened later this year due to travel and weather but we've been thoroughly enjoying it.  I think #4 has loved it the most of any of us.  The kid is seriously a fish!

5.  My friend, Lori, joined us for her last run last Thursday morning.  We've been running together for the last year through the heat, humidity, rain, single-digit-temps - in other words - the Midwest.  We're all sad to see her go but hopeful she and her family will make it back to us in a few years.

Here's our picture.  And remember, this was at 6:30am so NO JUDGING!.  Left to right:  Carmen, Lori, Sarah, me:

6.  #3 got her ears pierced.  She didn't shed a single tear!

7.  #4 got her hair cut.  When we left for Okoboji she had long hair.  When we came back it was short.  And so darn ADORABLE!

 

Tangent:  The littles have been wanting to have family movie night lately.  Their movies of choice?  Harry Potter.  #4 is deciding whether or not magic is real.  Tonight we told her she couldn't go to Hogwarts School of Witch and Wizardry if she couldn't sit quietly.  It worked!  For about 30 seconds.

8.  The big girls are down in Bella Vista with my parents this week.  They're enrolled in golf camp and we're crossing our fingers they like it!  

9.  The big girls and I ran the Color Storm 5k down at Kemper Arena yesterday.  We ran it with my friend, Christi, and her two kids.  It ended up being pretty fun!  

Before:

After:

My white shirt still has purple on it after I washed it.  Oh well...

10.  Book Update:  You know how I'm reading Anna Karenina?  Well, I took a break to read something really easy during our trip to Okoboji.  I read Bossypants by Tina Fey.  I know it's old but it was at Target and I was on my way out of town.  It was great.  Light, easy reading and it was funny.  I'd totally recommend it.  But now it's back to Anna.  She's pregnant and I need to see what happens..

And there you have it!  Four extra for you on this Sunday evening.  Have a great week!

 

 

Six on Sunday...Is it really July?!

Holy cow.  I'm blogging on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year.  How did we get here so fast?  And can we please slow it down a little?  Just for the rest of the summer?

OK.  Sit tight.  I've got a lot of photos this week.  Afterall, it was just the 4th of July!  So here goes...

1.  But first...a book update:  Anna Karenina.  Holy cow!  Could Tolstoy have been a little MORE detailed?  (In case you missed it, that was totally sarcasm.)  I mean really!  He goes on and on about farming techniques that Levin is thinking about.  O.M.G.  I'm seriously practically scanning those chapters.  I'm past page 400 so I have to finish, but it's a little challenging to pick up the book.  But I'm trying to force myself to do it.  I mean, I may have cheated and googled the ending, but still...I have to read it for myself.  

2.  Project updates.  If we are friends on Facebook (which are probably all my readers?!) you've already seen the picture of my deck with the fun lights.  But I'm going to show you again because I love it THAT MUCH!

I'll post instructions of how I did because it was so easy.  I think the part that took the longest was finding the right screws and bits for the screwdriver!

My kitchen.  It's getting an overhaul in the former of painted cabinets and hidden, European hinges.  This is what it looks like right now:

Yep - the doors are off two walls of cabinets.  The frames are now painted (3 coats!) and I spent a couple hours this afternoon filling in the hinge holes on the doors so I can sand and paint them as well.  Then I get to do this for another entire wall of cabinets and the lowers.  Yippee!  Thank God for beer.

3.  Last week the little girls went to my parent's house for a few days before the rest of us headed down to Arkansas for the 4th of July.  As much as I love #3 and #4 dearly, it was nice to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet around here.  They are TALKERS, man!  It was sooooo quiet without them.  I was able to paint cabinets AND relax on my deck!

(I've started watching Weeds again.  I stopped after season 2 or 3 and it was so long ago I didn't remember it very well so of course I started from the beginning.  That show is FUNNY.)

While I was relaxing, Darby was hunting:

Her animal of choice?  Birds.  So far she's caught two in the last two weeks.  She doesn't kill them, she just brings them to the door to show us and then drops them like, "See?  Look what I can do!"  

4.  We spent the 4th of July holiday at my parent's house - along with my sister and her kids.  We had a great time and absolutely perfect weather!  Their boat is docked on a lake that is formed by a dam.  The city of Bella Vista shoots their fireworks off on the dam on July 3rd.  So we all headed out on the boat that night to watch the fireworks.  It was really a lot of fun!

Here's the sun as it was setting over the lake:

Here's the scene about an hour before the fireworks started:

I'm not going to show you a bunch of pictures of fireworks because if you've seen one, you've seen them all.  But it was fun and they were pretty.

5.  The actual 4th of July started off at the parade in Bella Vista, followed by a day on the lake, dinner and dessert at home, topped off with sparklers.  Does it get any more perfect than that?  I think not!  And yes, I am totally one of those the glass is half full type of people.  I know.  I know.  Sometimes I am annoying.  But I just LOVE the 4th of July.  I love the colors - red, white, and blue - my favorites!  I mean, come on!  And I love what it symbolizes.  And I love that we get to just enjoy the day with each other.  SO MUCH FUN!

The fam...so sad the hubby's eyes are closed.  I couldn't tell on my iPhone.  

And now...pictures!

Here are my two oldest on the tube.  Love the tongues!

 

Here is my nephew tubing with my oldest.  They are so cute together!

 

This is #2 with her littlest sister.  Of course #4 was pouting about something.  Typical.  But she got over it, as usual.

 

This is my niece with #3.  The bumpier, the better!

 

Last tubing picture, I promise.  Here is my nephew and #4.  This is such a typical shot.  Before the boat can even begin to gather speed they immediately raise their hand and give us the "faster" sign:

So I said that was the last tubing picture.  I did not say that was the last lake picture!  Here are the three older girls on skis.  My niece was so excited because she finally got up and stayed up for long enough that we knew she finally "got it"!

Here's #2:

And #1:

I think we'll try to get her up on one ski next time.  She's pretty athletic.  We'll see how it goes...

And lastly.  I'm going to skip right to the dessert.  I made it and got the recipe from Iowa Girl Eats.  It's just cubed angel food cake, strawberries and blueberries, and Cool Whip.  The hardest part of this recipe was cutting up the strawberries.  For reals.

The best part?  If you have leftovers you can totally eat it for breakfast the next day.  Because FRUIT!

6.  I saved the best for last.  This whole long weekend wouldn't have been possible without these two:

Aren't they cute?  Thanks for the good memories, mom and dad!  Now rest up:)

 

 

Project Life: Week 20

OK.  I finally got weeks 20 - 24 photographed.  That is a feat in and of itself!

Some weeks I seem to "feel" it more than others.  This week was a week with few photographs and not a lot of stories to tell.  Therefore it feels a little meh to me.  But you know what?  It's still documented.  It's still life.  It's all good.

Full spread:

I had a program from a strings concert and I also printed out the Daily sheet I receive from #4's daycare.  I love that they take the time to put it together and wanted to remember that.  So I took each and slipped them into a page protecter.  

Left side:

This was the week I discovered Sonic's half price shakes.  Of course I had to document it!

 

Like I said above, I didn't have a lot of photos this week so I used the one below and just pointed to my daughter:

 

I made my own overlay in Photoshop for the picture below.  I LOVE organization - it seriously gives me a non-drug-induced high!  So of course I had to document my Mother's Day gift:

 

The right side:

 

I used an old star to sort-of highlight #3's soccer team since their names is the Stars:

And there you have it.  Week 20.  Done.