Another great site

Check this out! While the the little potato sounds reminescent of a British Shrek, ya just gotta love a good old potato parade!

Utilizing Flash, this ad allows you to enter the name of your friend and select the signs the spuds carry to create a truly unique and entertaining break in anyone's day!

Send one to your friends at: http://www.potatoparade.co.uk/

Random photo posting

A old truck with the thick blanket of early morning frost, reminds us of days gone by, perhaps a simple time, free from the modern conveniences of today, a day with no cell phones, not GPS, to high speed internet. A time of people and closer connection to the earth in which we live. It reminds me, that staying connected, forging a stronger bond with people is the focus of this technology, and to use it as such. It's appearance might be less than perfect, a few scratches, broken window and a bit of rust, but we still have much to learn from it.

Trip preparations!

I spent a bit of time today readying myself, or my things, for my trip to Italy. I can't believe it is just a few short days away! I have the medium-sized suitcase here and keep looking at it, vowing to fit everything in. That promise to "pack light" whose execution always seems to allude me. I start with good intentions, and then start pondering, "hey, I might need an extra pair of shoes, or pants, etc," all which I never seem to use. So, I have drawn the line in the proverbial sand, if it doesn't fit in the suitcase (and my carry on) it stays home!

We will be renting an apartment in Florence, called the "I Forni Reali" which means "the Royal Bakery" from the 15th century. It is owned by an artist who splits his time between Florence and New York, and promises paintings and Frescos, which I can hardly wait to experience. It is located just a few blocks from the Ponte Vecchio.

Upon checking the weather report, it appears that welcoming party to Florence will include a high probability of rain. So, an umbrella just secured it place within the suitcase. So much for that curling iron!

Photo courtesy the I Forni Reali website

Website I love!

If you have high speed access, you need to check this out. I love how the design works, how the sounds, old time music and the motion all come together in this site. The jeans grow up out of a corn stalk. The windmill and the mailbox, love it all. Flash site, takes a bit to load, but well worth the wait.

http://www.prospectdenim.com/

Random photo posting

I shot this photos on the 9th of January, near Sheldon ND. It was quite a hike out to it, but was well worth the effort.

Finders credit to Mark Levos and thanks for taking me there.

Caramel Recipe

For those of you who have been asking for the caramel recipe I use, here ya go!

Caramel Recipe

3/4 cup of butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo syrup

Bring to a boil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes
Slowly pour in a 14oz can of Sweetened condensed milk
(I have used the cheaper stuff and it works just fine)

Bring to the soft ball stage (238°) remove from heat.

Stir in 1T (or several) of vanilla and nuts (both optional)

Pour into a 9x9 greased baking dish. (or, I have used a silicone bunt pan, freeze and then turn out onto a decorative dish. Fill center with pecans.)

Cool, eat in large slabs or glue directly to your rear end.

A new chapter, new triumphs!

So, as I am getting excited about our trip abroad, I wanted to take some time prior to prepare. Brian got me thinking when he asked about the things we wanted to see and do in Italy. It made me think about what I really want this trip to be for me. The following is what this trip means to me, and what I want to accomplish as well.

As you know, for my 30th birthday, Brian took me to Paris. But for me it was more than a trip, it was a genuine celebration. The first day that we landed and started exploring the city, we ended up forging the mountain of stairs called the Arc de Triomphe. As we stood upon the the summit, I was overcome with the realization that for me, this was my triumph, our triumph as a family, as a community.

Having just come through those trying years when Hope was a preemie baby with all of her extra needs, prayers, love and energy. At that moment she was as strong as ever, and I have to say, that I too came through that feeling a sense of strength and accomplishment. One that I didn't realize I had in me. Through a leap of faith, we tempted fate again and decided to have another child, with a relatively event-free pregnancy, Megan joined our family and was a pretty happy and carefree baby. Here too, we learned how to be parents all over again, and this time the baby came "cordless" and with a bit less drama, but no less celebration.

I can't believe that anyone would argue that there were some difficult years leading up to that trip; infertility, special needs child, the dance that my father had with a deer on his motorcycle and months in intensive care and rehabilitation, and the loss of my grandfathers and loved ones over the preceding few years. But as we stood atop this beautiful monument, it was for me, that moment of triumph. We had made it through, we had not only survived, but I believe, had flourished. We had come through stronger individually, as a family, and as the larger community, that generosity, of time, money, prayers and love, made possible. A triumph indeed!

Now as we ready ourselves for this next adventure, I am reminded that it too parallels that trip, in that we have again, faced adversity. The loss of loved ones including my beautiful mother, grandmother, the loss of two of Tom's grandparents and an aunt, and my uncle Bill and the discovery of cancer in my dear aunt Joan. While all battles may not have ended how we had hoped for, through it all, we have endured, we have held together, we have lived in the presence of great love, and I believe through it all, we have once again flourished. And, while we still forge on, and continue to wage battles, we have to believe that we are due. Due to rediscover the beauty and excitement of life and all it has to offer. To live life to its fullest.

What this trip is, for me, is the beginning of beauty and vitality this life as to offer. A celebration of what we have accomplished and the inauguration of a new chapter, that of celebration and abundance. It is my intention for this trip, to breathe, to soak it all in, and inspire me to write the next chapter. To write it with love, with passion, creativity and fervor.

Random photo posting...

I wanted to test drive adding an image, so here is one of my favorites. I took this just a few miles from home one foggy morning.

Hope you enjoy it!

Welcome!!!!

So I finally did it, jumped right into the wide wild world of blogging. As most of you know, I started my own design business in the fall of 2007 to allow me to have a bit more flexible schedule and to hang out with my girls a bit more, and hopefully squeeze in some more artistic-type endeavors. I am hoping to use this space to keep everyone posted to what is going on in my world, and hope you stop back often to say hi!

Things are going well and 2008 looks to be a fabulous year! I am planning a little trip overseas to Italy with some family, visiting Florence, Rome, Pisa, and Venice. Plans are coming together and I am getting really excited. Amazon.com came through and delivered my spare battery for my D80, and a couple extra SD cards and I am ready to go...well not quite, there is packing to be done, but all in due time.

Well, that's all for now, stop back again later! Ciao!

B