JULY 2008
07.29.08 | HARVEST
We cut some lettuce and spinach from our container garden the other night. We had quite a little harvest! My favorite was the spinach. I think we let the lettuce go a little too long as it was a tidge on the bitter side.
Of course, everyone had to have their turn helping with the harvest. One...
...two...
...three!
07.27.08 | A QUOTE
Overheard recently, while the girls were playing:
“A Bryni's gotta do what a Bryni's gotta do.”
Indeed.
07.25.08 | ANOTHER CONVERSATION
Sonja: Mom, what's a nerd?
Me: It's the opposite of a cool person.
Sonja: What's a cool person?
Me: Someone who's popular and confident and awesome.
Sonja: Like Daddy!
Me: Exactly.
07.24.08 | A CONVERSATION
Ani: When do you start your job, Mom?
Me: In three weeks.
Ani: Good for you!
Me: Thanks, Ani.
07.22.08 | PART ONE: SLACKER BLOGGERR
I've been such a slacker blogger lately. I'm so sorry. When I read that on other blogs, I get seriously annoyed, especially if I love the blog. I don't WANT them to be too busy to give me all the blog goodness I need from day to day, dang it!
Another thing I hate to read on other blogs? “There is a lot going on here.” But sorry guys — There is a lot going on here these days, and it has left me little time to blog the way I really want to.
One of the big pieces of news is that I got a job, peeps. Seriously! I'm pretty excited. I'll be working as the project coordinator at The Policy Institute in Helena. I am so grateful for this wonderful opportunity and can't wait to get started.
Another big recent event around here is that Eric and I have been drastically changing the way we eat. I've been working on portion control (actually measuring and weighing my food), and Eric's been reading up on the negative effects of eating animal proteins in large amounts.
We're thinking about leaning toward a vegetarian diet, and maybe even vegan, which I can't even believe is coming out of my typing fingers right now, but it's true. I feel absolutely fantastic and am experiencing a bit of a spiritual renewal as well, which is very exciting. Like I said — A LOT going on!
I will try to keep on blogging though, because I love it, and I love you, and I love this whole wonderful bloggy world.
PART TWO: SYMPHONY UNDER THE STARS
Despite the craziness around here, we have gotten out and about a little lately, and one of our excursions was to Helena's amazing Symphony Under the Stars.
This year, the event featured Buzz Aldrin of the Apollo 11 Space Mission. Yeah, one of the guys who WALKED ON THE FACE OF THE MOON! There he is in the off-white jacket, narrating the free event, which drew a crowd of more than 18,000. What a great Montana tradition.
Here is the Carroll College scoreboard through a fence in the evening light.
And here is the sun, slowly setting behind the mountains.
07.18.08 | THE FRIDAY ARCHIVES: JULY 2006
This was the summer vacation we took two years ago with my mom to South Dakota. Here the girls are saying hello to a 100-year-old tortoise at Reptile Gardens. We were there during record-high heat. At times it reached 120 degrees. Yeah, very hot. Ridiculously hot. Africa hot.
Here are the girls looking in the fun mirror at Reptile Gardens. (Ani wasn't really that short. Or maybe Bryni wasn't really that tall. I don't know.) They had to wear the hats to keep the scorching sun off of their faces, but the hats also just made them hotter. Look at Bryni's rosy cheeks!
Also, notice the Junior Ranger badges from Jewel Cave National Monument. We were so happy to escape the oppressive heat for an afternoon down in the caves.
And here they are at the incredibly beautiful Mount Rushmore looking more than a bit bedraggled, but still cute if I do say so myself.
07.16.08 | BIGHORN CANYON
Last weekend, we traveled to Billings, where we spent a few days with Eric's family. On Monday afternoon, Eric's parents rented a pontoon boat and we cruised through Bighorn Canyon near Fort Smith, Montana.
It was a lovely, sunny, summer day, and the canyon was peaceful and beautiful.
I got these colorful shots of the marina.
And these of the girls, enjoying the ride.
Granted, they don't really look like they're enjoying the ride, but they were. Trust me.
And here are the five Severtson cousins in all their cuteness. These girls have so much fun together, and it's always so hard to say good-bye.
07.11.08 | THE FRIDAY ARCHIVES: JULY 2005
Today I'm taking a trip back in time to July 2005, when the girls were 4, 3 and 3. This was Uncle Von's birthday on the 4th of July. I love Ani's eyes in this picture.
Ani's eyes are the same in this shot, and Bryni has her eyes on Sonja too. This is pretty much the dynamic at my house: Both of the little ones keeping a constant watch on the big one. What is she doing? How can I do EXACTLY WHAT SHE IS DOING AT ALL TIMES?
And here is one more shot of my sweet little girls, enjoying the hot summer on our big family housing lawn at U of M. (Look at that green grass, Eric.) That place was a bit of a ghetto looking back, but we sure all loved living there.
It was an amazing community of loving, giving, caring people. All of us broke, all of us raising a bunch of little kids, all of us knowing that if we could just get through, things could be better. And sure, things are better financially now, but that close-knit, close-quarters community is hard to replace.
Hey, it looks like I actually had the energy to make homemade frozen yogurt pops. Good job, Momma!
P.S. I'll be back next Wednesday. I hope you all have a great weekend.
07.10.08 | HOW MY GARDEN GROWS... AGAIN
It's really growing pretty well! We have a few containers of pretty flowers and some peas and some lettuce and some spinach.
The lettuce and the spinach will probably make about one medium-sized salad, but oh well, it's been fun anyway!
I am hoping we'll have a fair amount of peas though. And what is better than peas picked fresh from the garden? Not much.
I love how the pea tendrils wind around and around the lattice. What a metaphor for life: Hold on tight, it's going to be windy.
07.09.08 | MY WORLD IN BROWN+ORANGE
I've told you in the past of my love for happythings' color+color flickr group. It is so. much. fun. Unfortunately, “A Year of Color 2” is almost over and I don't know how I'll survive without it.
In an effort to deal with my grief, I'm going back into the weeks before I joined the group and finding photos to match the color+color assignment. I'll share my “My World in..” mosaics with you as I make them. Here is brown+orange.
07.08.08 | A HIKE
We've been trying to get out more to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us here in Helena. This was a hike we took in Mount Helena City Park, one of the largest city parks in the country.
Soni likes to hang back sometimes and think her own thoughts.
Always the teacher, Eric pointed out some disgusting beautiful
insect thingy to the girls.
A wonderful sight — my girl and her daddy walking together in the woods.
07.07.08 | PARK LAKE
We went on an outing to Park Lake near Clancy, Montana, on Saturday and found a beautiful, peaceful spot.
This was my view for most of the afternoon. Not bad. While Eric set out on a hike, I tried to read, but mostly I tried to keep the girls from drowning and/or breaking their ankles.
This is our new friend, “Dale.” He wanted to eat our granola bars, and at one point even got bold enough to attempt to abscond with our sunscreen. Bad Dale!
This is my self-portrait. In the interest of “keepin' it real,” you should know that I look much fitter from above. (We don't use the terms “fat” or “thin” at our house. Just healthy, aka fit, and un-healthy.) Anyway, I look “healthier” from above.
I've been inspired by bluebirdbaby to take more self-portraits, so I thought I would take a few shots while at the lake. I'm sure others in the area thought I was completely loony as I shot photo after photo of myself. They are mostly correct.
More photos of our little adventure at flickr.
07.05.08 | SCORE
I picked up these beauties at an estate sale this morning for $1 (I haggled them down from $2). Aren't they pretty? I'm not even sure what they are. Trivets perhaps? I'm thinking about using the smallest one as a soap dish in my kitchen and hanging the other two on the wall. Oooh, the possibilities!
I also got these five juice glasses (for $1 also). This set is just right for our little family.
After getting inspired by all of the above awesomeness on flickr last night, I mapped out a garage sale route for us this morning. (Click on the photo to see the photo credits.)
I'm relatively new to the world of thrifting and garage sale-ing. Honestly, it's hard for me to get up early enough on Saturdays to go to garage sales. But I snagged these treasures after 10 a.m., so the dream is still alive.
I love how thrifting fits into the “re-use” part of the recycling equation. It's one of the many little things I can do to reduce my footprint on the planet. Plus it's crazy fun.
07.04.08 | INDEPENDENCE DAY
Despite all our nation has been through in the recent past — from the wrong we've done to others, to the wrong that's been done to us — I'm still quite patriotic in my heart of hearts. Not “we're the best” patriotic, but “I love this land” patriotic.
And I'm thankful that a man like Barack Obama can rise from such humble beginnings to run for president of this great country. It's awe-inspiring.
07.03.08 | MAKING MY HOME: COASTERS AND CASES
The other night I got these coasters at Target on clearance for around $3. I know right!? I think they're pretty awesome.
I intended to put pictures of the kiddos in them, and still may at some point, but since I knew it would take me awhile to get that accomplished and I wanted to use them right away, I cut out some pretty pictures from my Domino magazines (I never cut up Martha) and slid them into the frame openings.
I didn't get the requisite overwhelming excited approval from Eric that I was looking for regarding these, but I'm learning to live with it.
And here are the pillowcases I made a long time ago, but haven't shown you yet. I'm not linking to the tutorial I used because, frankly, it contained a major mistake that cost me a yard of fabric. But I'm sure you all know how to google “sew pillowcase” and then choose from the 341,352,596 tutorials that are out there. Funny that I chose one with a mistake in it...
And just so you all know that I'm trying to keep it real, here is what the bed looked like at the beginning of the photo session. “Making the bed” isn't one of my strong suits. “Lying in bed,” however, I have that down to a science.
07.02.08 | THE LAKE OF AUNT VAL
We got home Monday night from a great three-day weekend at my sister's place on Flathead Lake.
The girls call Flathead Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, “Aunt Val's Lake” or “The Lake of Aunt Val,” which is just fine with my sister.
We celebrated the twins' birthday with oodles and oodles of family and fun. I called this craft The S. S. Twinow.
Of course there was cake.
And presents.
And even a pirate pinata.
My great-niece Eleanor brought out her aggressive side.
And it got just a little “Lord of the Flies” there for a minute.
There was slip-n-sliding.
And rides behind Uncle Allan's paddle/sail/bicycle/stair-step boat thing.
And here is where my niece Betsy fell to the ground in a fit of laughter over something funny that I said. That was a good moment.
Of course the ripple blanket enjoyed hanging out at the lake too, and getting a few more stripes. And now Betsy has started her own ripple blanket in shades of purple and white. How exciting!
There was a lot of relaxing.
And smiling.
And eating of cantaloupe by adorable little children.
And no weekend at the lake would be complete without an evening campfire. And s'mores. And music.
Thanks Val and Allan for graciously sharing your lake with us! Once again.
