Birthday Wishes

Today was my 43rd Birthday. I love having an October birthday. It's usually a great time of year, the leaves are turning, the air is crisp, Halloween is on it's way, the stores are filled with candy... OK, so candy isn't the main reason why I like my October birthday :)

I usually ignore birthdays for the most part. I ask to go out to dinner but rarely do my husband and I exchange gifts on our birthdays. I love knowing though that my friends and family will call me on my special day.

This morning I awoke to this HYSTERICAL birthday video in my email from my friend Steve.

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Then throughout the day the Birthday messages on Facebook kept arriving. I swear there were a hundred. A family friend scheduled lunch with my mom and I for today, so that was nice. The three of us (and Zora & Stella running in and out) spent the entire time sitting at the kitchen table telling stories, asking questions and laughing and talking. Hillary stopped by and she dropped off a card. My inlaws came by and gave me a card and a gift. Zora drew me a picture of a cake with candles on it and gave that to me and I got phone calls from people all day.

I honestly don't mind getting older. It's a real pleasure to have been around for 43 years. It's taken me nearly this long to figure out what I'd like to do with my life!! BLOG! Take Photos! It's at this time that I do want to be sure and say Thanks for being a part of my blogging world. It's such a pleasure to have so many friends in blogland and to be a part of your lives as well. To my friends who don't have blogs, but who leave comments - Thanks so much. I am always so excited to see a new face around here or to hear from someone who hasn't commented in awhile. I tell my family all the time - "This is why I love blogging!" when I get a comment or an email from someone who reads my blog that I didn't even know or who is a family friend. Thanks again and again. I hope you had a fantastic weekend.

(Oh, my hand is about 80% better today. The cuts are obviously not healed, but the Vitamin E worked it's magic and I don't have a single blister on my hand from the burn. Three red spots, but it's hardly even tender) I managed not to burn or cut myself today :)

From the new 43 year old,
Kristin

What a day!

Scarlett - about 24 hours old

We're in baby mode around here.  Scarlett is who we all want to see, but it looks like my sister will be leaving the hospital on Monday.  Stella is a jumper - She loves to jump on mom, have mom hold her, bang into mom, etc.  So Alison is going to stay the full three days to get herself as healed as possible before she comes home to bouncing Stella :)   Zora and Stella are keeping us rather busy, so I'm doing alright not seeing the littlest one.  (but just barely.)  I'd also really like to see Alison!

Tonight was a bit stressful.   This evening while giving the kids their late afternoon snack/dinner I cut my hand on a broken mason jar.  I won't describe the cut because it makes my knees weak even saying it.  Just know it's not pretty.  Then a few hours later I took a pan out of the hot oven that had a long handle on it and a few seconds later I grabbed that pan handle.  Same hand that I cut.  I've had my hand on a roll of blue ice and dishtowels for hours now.  I sent my sister off to the store to get me some Vitamin E, so hopefully the burn won't blister, but it was too late to take the pain away.  Usually if you can get the liquid Vitamin E spread over the burn it takes the pain away almost immediately.  This was about 30 minutes later so the pain is still pretty intense, but not a blister in sight.  It's good news, but I'm being a wimp about it.

Earlier in the day I took pictures of the girls.  My mom and I have had the kids most of the day as their dad had a gig in South Bend, IN tonight.  So we've got them overnight, too.  I sent these pictures to Alison just a few minutes ago.  Since she can't see her kids either during this "banned from the hospital" rule, I thought it would be nice to see them being all fun and goofy, even if it was only in photo form.

Enjoy!!

Stella - 18 months

Zora - 5 and a half - posing with a leaf :)

Stella in her "Witch Outfit" shirt

Zora giving me her very best smile!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Kristin

Meet Scarlett

Meet Scarlett Eve Alfredson. 7lbs 15.6oz - 20 1/2 inches long. Born 6:48am at Sparrow Hospital, Friday October 16th, 2009.

Momma, Alison, is shown in this photo holding baby :)

Zora and Stella are very excited to have Scarlett join the family :)

Thanks everyone for your congrats on the previous post. It's such a pleasure to be sharing this with you all.

Kristin

It's a Girl!

She has arrived!  She's 5 days early and she has arrived.  Please help me in welcoming New Baby Alfredson.  New Baby joins Zora and Stella. It took the new parents a few days to name Stella, so I don't think we'll have a name for this little one for a day or so. 

Congrats Alison and Jim on another beautiful baby.

Kristin

POTD - Droplets

Droplets - by Kristin Corlett

Water fountain by Mobile Bay in Fairhope, AL.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Sunny Day in Lansing

The sky is usually pretty bright here in Lansing, MI, but getting a chance to see some blue skies is awfully tough. There seems to be a permanent blanket of white that obscures the blue. Instead the sky is like a living inside a light box. It looks bright, but you just can't see through it or determine just exactly where the sunlight is coming from.

The other day we had blue skies.

I went to a market to photograph some mums and I loved the way the clouds and the sly looked through this old green house.  I don't think those slats are doing much these days.

I know there are a lot of clouds in the sky, but LOOK!  It's got blue in there!

I never really thought about how mums are grown, I guess I just assumed that they were sown and grown in pots.  When I went by Lansing Gardens the other day and I saw row upon row of mums I was intrigued and delighted.  I was on my way to my reunion I think when I saw them the first time, but I got a chance to come back a few days later (when we had blue skies!) and take a few dozen shots.

The gardens are so weedy, but I think that makes the picture even better.  The mums are growing right out of the mass of green.

This is one side of my Mom's house.  I realized after I posted this that it could use a little photoshopping magic because the leaves are really quite brilliant.  I'll need to work on that.

This gorgeous burning bush is just a few doors down from my mom's place.  This truly was this brilliant.  It was so red it was fuchsia. 

One step past the burning bushes was this sight.   Too bad it was trash day, but the sun was just lovely, lighting up the yellow in those trees.  This picture just HAD to be taken.

I woke up this morning and checked my dashboard on my MAC where I have the 5 day weather for both Jacksonville, FL and Lansing, MI.  At 9am Lansing was a balmy 37º and Jacksonville was 71º.  I'm missing the warmth, but loving the family time I'm getting.  Tonight is dinner at Alison's home with my sister Hillary and my Dad. I'm looking forward to it.

I didn't participate this week, but if you'd like to take a moment, head on over to Leigh's Thrifty Thursday for lots of great ideas.

Have a wonderful Thursday!
Kristin

POTD - Gourds

Gourds - by Kristin Corlett

Basket of gourds at the Allen Neighborhood Farmers Market in Lansing, MI.

Enjoy!

Kristin

City Chickens

The other day my mom and I took Zora to a woman's home who raises chickens.  She lives in the city and has a fenced in yard and a little chicken coop.  They only have a few and they raise them mostly for the eggs and partly for the entertainment I think :)

I can't remember this woman's name but she's got three lovely boys that she homeschools.

One of the boys is Zora's age, so just after this next shot, the kids ran off to play and hit each other with big sticks of bamboo. 

Zora got the biggest kick out of being able to pet the chickens and to see where they slept at night.

She was also thrilled to discover that one of the chickens lays bluegreen eggs. 

I just never know what's going to be a part of my day when I wake up in the morning. Sometimes it's Farmer's Markets and some days it's chickens. Today I had lunch with a boy that I went to Kindergarten and First grade with and who was one of my first kisses. :) We've been in touch all those years, but probably haven't seen each other in at least 30 years. Truly amazing.

Sometimes it's taking my sister to the hospital like we did on Monday. I just wanted to update that my sister got home yesterday after being observed for 24 hours and she and baby are just fine. We're expecting the delivery of new baby next Wednesday as planned. If you have no idea what I'm talking about - Click Here to get caught up in a hurry.

I hope you have a FABULOUS remaining week!
Kristin

POTD - Rest Area

Rest Area by Kristin Corlett

This was at this giant rest area somewhere in Florida along I-10.  It was closer to Alabama than it was to Jacksonville - but anyway, I loved all of the picnic table structures and thought it made a unique photo.  I took this while on my way to Gulf Shores, AL to see my mom.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Stella

Last night while I was hanging out over at my sisters place watching the kids, I pulled out my camera. Stella, who I thought never really noticed the camera before immediately started pointing at herself when she saw the camera. She sat straight up and started making faces.  I was asking her to give me a sad face or a happy face or a goofy face.  These three are the best from that much appreciated photo shoot!

This was laughing.  I said "Laugh Stella!" and she did!  (her sister Zora will usually put her head down or do anything to avoid the camera - This is a welcome treat for me!!)

This was growling.  I loved the scrunched up nose.  She is just so sweet.  Although she has a love of screaming, I'm still totally in love with this kid.

I hope you have had a wonderful Tuesday.

Kristin

Ha!  another 11:11 post.  I had no idea!!  two days in a row.

POTD - Indian Corn

Indian Corn by Kristin Corlett

Taken at the Allen Neighborhood farmers market in Lansing, MI.  As with most of the POTD photos, you can click to enlarge.  The colors of this corn was just gorgeous and the kernals were just giant!

Enjoy!
Kristin

24hr Observation

My sister, Alison, sent me a text message this morning saying that she was going to drop her daughter off at school & then she needed to run a few errands.  She'd swing by mom's house to see if I wanted to go with her after dropping off the kiddo. I wasn't even awake when she sent the text message, so it was about 15 minutes later when I finally woke up and saw the message.  At first I was bummed because I thought I may have missed her, but my mom told me that my she probably wouldn't drop Zora off for another 30 minutes or so.  So I grabbed my cereal and yogurt and ate quickly (while looking through facebook at all of the post-reunion messages) and flew into the shower.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

As I was combing out my hair my mom knocks on the door and says..."Here's what happened" or something close to that.  (Alison is 37-38 weeks pregnant.  She's due on the 22nd of this month and is scheduled for a C-Section on the 21st.)  Alison was leaving the house with Stella in her arms, car keys, an empty travel mug, a few pieces of boxboard for the recycling bin and she was trying to click the car door button while she was going down the back steps.  (You know where this is going, right?)

She got to the bottom step, her foot hit at an odd angle and she felt her ankle give way.  She tumbled to the ground.  She said that she felt like she had a super power arm that it's only function was to keep the 18 month old from hitting the ground.  Amazingly enough, she did just that.  Stella didn't get a scratch on her and we don't think that her head hit the ground at all.  She cried of course, but Alison thinks that it was just because the whole fall was scary.

Alison scraped up her knees, both of them, and fell on her side.  She said that she just laid there on the sidewalk for a few minutes, holding onto Stella, trying to assess the situation...checking for broken bones, blood, etc.  A neighbor, who happened to be looking out her window, saw Alison on the ground and came running over.  She helped get Stella out of her arms and opened the door for Zora to run into the house and get her Dad.

Jim got her into the house and sat her down to clean out her scraped knees and bandage one of her pinky fingers that got banged up and was bleeding.  Her ankles have been swollen due to the pregnancy, but they didn't seem to be damaged at all from the fall.  All in all she was doing alright, but she decided to call her doctor just in case.  The doctor told her to go into the hospital, check into the Triage floor and get hooked up to the monitors for a 4-hour evaluation.  After this evaluation they could determine whether or not her baby was going into distress or if the fall had caused the placenta to tear away.

 This was the triage room

After the 4 hours, Alison and I, in all of our worldy judgment figured that she was bound for home. She felt good, there was no baby distress, no momma distress and no bleeding.  We were both starving so we'd spent the last hour talking about food and what we were going to get when she was sprung.

Then the doctor came in and said...

We're keeping you for 24 hours.

Turns out that Alison had been having contractions, however  mild, nearly the entire time they had her hooked up.  This could mean that it was brought on from the fall or that they'd been going on all along and she just hadn't noticed, but either way they were keeping her just in case it was a problem with the placenta.  Ugh.  Also - no food.  no water.  no nothing.  In case they needed to do an emergency C-Section she couldn't eat.  ahhhh!  Alison wasn't too upset about staying in the hospital, but she was very upset that she was starving and couldn't eat.  They were going to hook her up with a nice batch of sugar water through and IV though, so that made it all better  :)  Yeah right.

Because of the H1N1 virus the maternity floor is full of rules and regulations about who can and can't be up on that floor.  Only the Father and the grandparents (parents) are allowed on the floor.  Since was was none of the above I was getting some pretty serious looks from the nurse.  She mentioned a few times that I couldn't be there, but I wasn't listening.  I left only when Alison's husband wanted some help and asked me to come watch the girls while he went grocery shopping.  Then I stayed and watched the girls while he came and sat with Alison for a few hours.  I can see that this new rule (which is nationwide) is going to be a real pain.  I understand, I do, I just don't agree. :) A support person is also allowed, but the nurse that was giving me the evil eye wasn't having any of that talk. 

Anyway, it all looks to be OK as of right now and I epect that it will stay that way.  My mother is going to pick Alison up tomorrow morning and I hope that she had a fairly decent sleep with no complications.  Then hopefully the next time she's in the hospital will be to have that baby!

Thanks everyone for your well wishes.  I posted a little note on Facebook and received a lot of prayers for her.  Thank you.

Kristin

edited to add - usually if I schedule a post to run, I set the time for 11:11.  In this case, the 11:11 was just what time I finished!  Cool :)

POTD - Mug and Brush

Mug and Brush - by Kristin Corlett

This little business is located right near my sister's home. They are open several days a week and the parking lot is always full.

The KrisMiss Reunion

This is a picture of my dear friend Missy.  The two of us were best friends in High School.  We've tried to keep in touch since then, but I moved away, she got married, she had kids, she moved away, I moved home - you know, Life!  We got together about 10 years ago for a few months and then she moved again and so did I, but I moved to Florida as I recall.  Then earlier this year she joined Facebook :)  Ahhh, we connected, again.  I've seen her once so far and we spent a fair amount of time together at the reunion last night.  I'll for sure see her many times before I scoot back off into the warmth of Florida.  Missy, it was great to see you.  Thanks :)  I talked about her back in July, here, when I saw her for the first time in eons.

I'll have more and more and more to say about the reunion as I've got a lot to tell.  I'm still hoarse from all of the talking and laughing that I did this weekend, but I have to say, it was a total success.

Have a fabulous day!  I'm off to a flag football game and then back over to the barn to help clean up after the reunion.

Kristin

Oh what a night...

Oh what a night - late September back in '63. ba da dum da dum

OK, so it's October and we're talking about the graduating class of '84, but you get the idea.

Don't mind me, I'm just talking more reunion stuff.

Here I am with a group of boys - the two on either side of me were in my High School class.  The one on the far left was a year older and married one of my classmates.  This was really late into the evening, so I think they are all kind of giving those "too much to drink" stares, but I wanted a photo of me!

I was the official photographer tonight.  I gave myself that title and that job.  I do believe I got a photo of every one of our classmates that came into the door tonight.  I was also the keeper of the list.  I had the list of everyone that had RSVP'd to the reunion, so I was checking them off as they came in and also making sure that those that hadn't paid yet could do so with me. 

In case I haven't mentioned - Friday night we had just a meet and greet at a local bar.  Saturday night is the paid event with a DJ and food.  I don't know what anyone expected about tonight (Friday) but I think it exceeded all expectations.  We had 46 people from our class attend the meet and greet.  We had spouses, too - but goodness, I didn't count them!  Not tonight anyway.

I made a fool out of myself several times by just walking up to people and saying -"I don't know you - did you graduate with us?" and if they said yes "So are you on my list?" and I'd laugh.  "The list of people who have RSVP'd to the reunion" and they'd give me their name and I'd say "Well of COURSE that's YOU!" or "I don't remember you exactly, but that's OK. "  Then I'd tell them who I was and chat for a moment and try to introduce them to the others who had arrived before them.  After a few hours though, the bar was far too crowded and I couldn't introduce anyone anymore.  They had to fend for themselves.

I kissed a boy on the cheek that I'd always wanted to kiss when I was in High School :)  I told him I was just happy to see him.  (I'm sly!!)  I think I hugged everyone and nearly everyone hugged back.   What a night.  I'm so hyped up that I can hardly even think about sleeping, but tomorrow has already arrived and I have to get up and work on some things before another late night.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll tell more reunion stories later on in the weekend!  Stay Tuned.

Kristin

POTD - Soldiers

Soldiers - by Kristin Corlett

Don't the tops of the fence look like little faces? I imagined them being soldiers defending the house behind them.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Friday Fragments

Mrs. 4444, from Half-Past Kissing Time, hosts Friday Fragments each week. It's a great excuse to get all those little snippets that gather in the brain and don't seem enough for one post but together they can make one fun blog post! 

This week I'm in Michigan hanging out with my sisters, Hillary and Alison, my mom and Alison's husband as well as two kids, Zora and Stella.  My High School reunion is this weekend and I swear that's all I've got on my brain.  Let's see if I can find some fun stuff to chat about.

 

 

.•:*¨¨*:•.

I've got a purring cat on my lap.  This is actually a very unsual occurance as my cat will not sit on my lap.  She will lay next to me, put a paw on me, stand on my legs and kneed my belly or chest, but she will not lay on my lap. Snuff, my sister's cat, will lay on my lap and will allow me to rest my forearms on her back and neck while I type.  She's agreeable that way.

.•:*¨¨*:•.

I went to a friends home today with my mother to pick up a photograph that my mom was purchasing.  Right across the street was the place where I lived for several years with a boyfriend.  He still lives there.  It was so weird to be that close.  The friend had a garage sale a few weeks back and my mom went to the sale.  She told me that said X was sitting on the front porch with some friends watching the garage sale goers.  I'm glad I was still in Florida at the time.  I would have felt the need to go over and talk to him and even though I'm sure we'd both be terribly friendly, I'm glad I didn't have to make that decision.

.•:*¨¨*:•.

My Mom and I took Zora (my niece) to an Open House at a Fire Station last night.  It was a lot of fun.  They allowed kids to get into a helicopter, a fire truck, an ambulance, into a police car & on a police motor cycle, too.  They got to hold the fire hose and try to shoot water through the cutouts of a house and they got to put out a fire using a fire extinguisher.  Oh! and they ran a small course where they hauled a fire hose and a fire hose shaped like a person.  It was all free and a ton of people were there, even my cousin and one of her kids.  If you ever see something like this in your area, be sure to take your kids (or nieces, nephews, grandkids) to this.  It was really educational and fun. 

.•:*¨¨*:•.

A Message I received on Facebook today ---

You have been spotted....
On the bridge in Grand Ledge taking pictures of the island....
Back in town and you can't go anywhere without everyone knowing...
Welcome back to GL.

I was trying to take some photos of some interesting parts of town because I coudn't find a postcard to save my life. How funny that someone saw me!

.•:*¨¨*:•.

 I haven't watched TV since Friday.  I always thought it was the television that kept me from getting to everyone's blogs each day.  I actually think that the TV has nothing to do with it.  I've been sitting in this chair for a few hours now and haven't read a single blog other than my own and still haven't finished this post.  Granted, I am waiting for the pictures to load and I'm doing laundry, but I have very few distractions.  So maybe the TV isn't so bad afterall!

.•:*¨¨*:•.

Who got Auffed on Project Runway tonight??  No wait, don't tell me.  I might get to see it on my sister's DVR later in the week.  No, wait - I do want to know.  I'll find out before I see the show anyway.  Do tell - who did Heidi Auff this week???

.•:*¨¨*:•.

Hillary went to the doctor the other day to see if this new physician can figure out why she gets horrible headaches all the time.  She came home with a lot of information, a short term script for something to see if that helps her headaches and a tetnus shot.  It's two days later and she can still hardly raise her arm.  Poor thing.  I guess she didn't move her arm enough after the shot.  She hadn't gotten a tetnus shot in 12 years, which is just 2 years over the max.  So here's your PSA for today -- How long has it been since you've had your tetnus shot?  I know I'm due.  I think it's been over 15 since I've had one.

.•:*¨¨*:•.

The cat left for an hour or so and is now back.  It's just after midnight here on the East Coast, so that means that Mrs. 4444 probably has her Friday Fragments post up and is taking links.  I'm going to hit the hay then.  I hope you have a fabulous Friday and that you get a chance to swing by the other  FF blogs to see what their up to this week.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Let's Go Comets

I've been trying to find some items to put in a gift basket for my High School reunion.  I went to the little town where I graduated and tried to find some post cards or other items that had Grand Ledge on them or a comet or something.  We were the Grand Ledge Comets.  To say that very little existed is an understatement.

I did find some post cards of the refurbished Opera House, which IS cool, but was a boarded up building when I went to school there and honestly, I hadn't a clue it was there. 

I found a newspaper from 1963 (which my mother just said was the year she graduated from HS - but she went to school in Nebraska) and I may use something in that paper to be a part of the gift baskets.  I'll probably just scan sections of the newspaper, come to think of it.   I found a magnet, a few post cards of the beautiful Ledges here in Grand Ledge, and some note pads with the water tower painted on the cover.  The water tower is pictures at the top of this post.    It's not a lot, but at least it's something fun that has to do with the town where we went to school.

I may even print off a few photos that I took today while I was out and about, since those would be nice and pretty much free :)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  I'll be catching up with people I haven't seen in ages.  Should be a great time.

Kristin

POTD - Red

Red - by Kristin Corlett

This was taken in the parking lot of the Fresh Market in East Lansing, MI.

Thrifty Chalkboard party ideas

Welcome my late edition of Thrifty Thursday hosted by Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville. This gives us all a chance to have a fun time hunting around the house, the garage, someone elses house and garage or even a thrift store or two to dig up some cool finds.

Be sure and check out the other Thrifty Finds, from the other participants. I'm always amazed at what folks submit and how often I wish I'd found it, or bought it or noticed it...whatever IT is :)

I've got a High School reunion coming up this weekend and we wanted to make some very thrifty items for the event, but still have them be interesting.  I got an idea awhile back from that chalkboard party that was held - some folks did some very interesting things with chalkboard paint.  Also, I received in the mail my gift tags from Olive Rue just before I left town and that gave me yet another layer of ideas.  So what I did was to make a bunch of short term chalkboards, gift tags and clothes pins for my reunion.   By short term I mean that it's pretty much a one or two use thing.  The paint was thin, the paper was posterboard, not wood - so that type of short term.

Here is my lovely chalkboard paint and roller.  My paint was from 3 or 4 years ago - so totally thrifty!  It's been paid for already.

Here is the beginning of the clothespins.  I did all 4 sides and the little kissy mouth ends :)  I didn't do the inside as it was just too difficult.  I took the spring off of one clip just to see if I could get it back together and there was no way! LOL  Lesson learned on that one.  I bought the clothes pins at Michaels.  I think they were $2.50 for a package of 20 or so.

These are the chalkboard tags.  This is only one coat so far - they don't look streaked with two coats.  We are going to attach these to the gift baskets and use for various things.   They are way cool.  These were the hardest item to find - just a plain white tag.  We went to three different stores and finally found them at Hobby Lobby.  A package of 20 for $1.99.  We'll probably use 10 and I made 60 :)  Over-kill, but that's OK.  I'll write notes on them and pass them out at the reunion all night. 

These are the posterboard chalkboard signs.  They will be cut in half to make two signs.  I experimented here because I HAD to!  It was an overwhelming desire to use chalk on a newly painted surface.  My instructions on how to make sidewalk chalk literally glide on a chalkboard surface is here, a part of the chalkboard party post that I did.  The posterboard was $1.99 for a pack of 5.  I will get 10 signs from the 5 pack. 

The pumpkins in the shot above are also from Hobby Lobby.  They were 50% off and my mother picked those three up for $30 total.  They look great on her table and what a deal!  We're having a pumpkin carving party near the end of the month, so these will make nice decorations for the food table.

Thanks so much for joining me on my chalkboard paint extravaganza.  My mom has a cardboard box that printer paper comes in, that she has written over with black ink to mark that the box now holds plastic party supplies.   It's just a mess.  I told her that the leftover chalkboard paint would be great to paint on the ends of the cardboard boxes in storage, so it would be easy to read what's inside and not be distracted by the pictures and other writing...and also easy to change out the tag.  :)  Good idea, huh?  You know I will be painting that box tonight, don't ya?  Yes, I do believe I have to. :)

Thanks everyone!! Hop on over to Leigh's to see the other participants in Thrifty Thursday.
Have a wonderful week!
Kristin