It's over 90 degrees today, which in Wisconsin feels like 150 since we never know if we'll need bathing suits or ski parkas in May, but we're making the most of it and spending some quality one on one time with our garden hose and a box of Popcicles. It's actually quite wonderful to be hot this time of year after a long, cold winter, so I have to say I'm loving it! I won't even let Danny turn the air on yet...I told him we have to feel hot for a little while so we remember that summer DOES come to our state.
The girls got to go swimming OUTDOORS for the first time this summer, and we planted ourselves on the beach with a good book and a cold drink! So fun!
Friday night I had the strange opportunity to attend a funeral for one childhood friend and a baby shower for another...it was a bittersweet evening for sure, an end and a beginning!
My sister and I worked together on the shower, and it turned out pretty cute so I wanted to share some pics. Congrats to Kim....we can't wait to welcome little _____________?
(and before you start thinking we're some sort of crazed "mushroom people" because of my morel post last week and another this week, keep in mind we're from a small town and not much goes on in small towns, so when someone puts a "fest" after something, we're gonna be there!) LOL
...and if you put rides at the "fest," we're double there! (just look at the serious look on my baby's face...we are SERIOUS about our fun, folks!)
Aw heck...there wasn't much "serious" anywhere to be found!
Cowgirl boots flapping in the breeze!
Didn't even know this one was on there 'til I went through my camera later!
Brenin & Aunt Kristin
There was a sidewalk chalk contest that we missed, but we got to enjoy the end result!
Luca's portrait of Mommy...didn't she give me nice lips??
(She's a genius...an artsy fartsy genius!)
Topped off the experience with some fireworks...
I love how the silhouette of the evergreens shows beneath the display in this shot.
I got to spend Mother's Day with some incredible ladies...my mama, my Gram and my (much older) sister. A few years ago we decided to make it easy on the guys and enjoy some peace and pampering on Mother's Day with a nice meal and a matinee, just the girls. The tradition stuck, and ever since we've been enjoying spill-free, tattle-free, macaroni-up-the-nose-free Mother's Days away!
These girls each carry their own strengths, and each have contributed so much to who I am as a woman today. When I feel myself sinking, I'm never surprised to find one of them there to pull me up again. Honestly, everything I do right as a mother is because of my mom and the incredible example she's set for me. I'm proud to celebrate her and to celebrate being a mom to my two little beauties who fill each day with laughter and color and song. Though all the days are not easy, ALL the days are precious.
And I am grateful.
Thanks, mom, for who you are and who you inspire me to be.
Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children;
Please take 10 minutes or so to view the links attached to this post...I had no clue this was happening UNTIL I READ IT. Let's spread the word for our enslaved sisters in fight for freedom and respect for all women and girls, each and every one a PRICELESS human being.
This is happening in the open--on a public site. Many of the ads are plainly pornographic--and they are right there in the open.
As the organized protest continues, there are a variety of ways that you can respond and act. Many of you asked what you can do to prevent sex trafficking. I never thought I'd be telling you to boycott Craigslist for facilitating the prostitution and rape of girls in the United States. Here goes...
•Read this open letter to Jim Buckmaster, the CEO of Craigslist, and then sign the online petition
•Add a tag to your e-mail signature or a badge to your blog that says "Craigslist allows trafficking of underage girls on their site, will you?"
•Spread the word to your social networks on Facebook and Twitter. Link to any of the articles on this page, this blog post, or any other resource you find. Most people just are not aware...change that!
•Boycott companies who use Craigslist to advertise jobs. A big portion of Craigslist's revenue comes from job postings. Go to Craigslist.org and browse through the job listings by companies in your city--write the poster and let them know about Craigslist's reputation for allowing trafficking of minors on their site. Send e-mails, write letters, and make phone calls to companies. Remember, they probably have no idea. Work to educate. Ask them to take the ad down and join the fight to clean sex trafficking from Craigslist. Last night, I found a local church in our community with several job ads. Contact the job poster directly, and show them to the open letter and other articles.
•Call your local media. Send a pitch letter to all of the local radio stations and television stations in your town. This is a national story that is easy for local affiliates to pick up. Pitch them on a local angle to this story--such as how many women are currently advertised as prostitutes in your town.
This is an absolute outrage and is happening right under our nose. If someone doesn't stand up for what is right, who will? Will you stand in the gap and defend a young girl who is being trafficked right here in the US on Craigslist?
Another related (and completely inspiring!) link from Tom's blog ...WELL WORTH a listen!
It was a beautiful weekend and we had little on the schedule, so it was a great opportunity to get some much needed cleaning / organizing done around here, plant some flowers in the big pots outside and explore some of the vast and beautiful woods which are our new back yard! We first saw our house in November (aka frozen tundra in Wisconsin) and moved in shortly thereafter, so we're enjoying seeing the surroundings for the first time in full bloom. There's just something magical about being in the woods. There's a peace there like no other, and I think I'll always be at home amidst the canopy of tall trees and carpet of ferns and moss.
We gave purpose to our "flight" and did some morel hunting!
This was my partner in the hunt, and this is actually the only moment of the whole trip where her mouth was NOT moving (I mean it!) The girl can gab, and she did just that the WHOLE TIME!
If anyone's wondering what a morel is, here's a photo of one I pulled from the Internet since we didn't actually see one in person! :-( They are delicious and quite expensive to buy, so a treat to find!
We did find a bounty of these guys, however! They are known as false morels and grow in the same conditions. Unfortunately the "false" part of them makes them poisonous, so we won't be having them for dinner, but they were delightful to find nonetheless!
