Alexandria Bay

I thought I was being so good. I had these pictures loaded in here for two weeks so I could quickly type and post. Well, nothing is really quick in my life these days!

Bill's folks came to visit all of us two weekends ago (I'm writing this on 8/10) and we drove up to Alexandria Bay. What a beautiful place! It is right on the St. Lawerence Seaway. It reminds me a little of Door County, WI, but with more mansion.

We went to Boldt Castle on Heart Island. It is a huge place that was completely abandoned when the inspiration for the whole project, a man's wife, unexpectedly passed away. The place stood unfinished and neglected and it's been in the process of being restored since 1970.

We took a ferry over on the gorgeous day. Oliver enjoyed all the "Ca-Ca's" that were flying around. After we went through the castle, we enjoyed the expansive grounds. Oliver's monkey backpack got its usage. The day was complete with ice cream for all. I think that could have been Oliver's favorite part.

When it rains... Go Play!

Well, Oliver and I had plans of swimming in a pool today. Instead, he and I played in a pool... on the sidewalk! He had a blast and so did I actually. Of course, outside is never complete without a push or two on the swing! We ran around so much, that he actually napped for 2 hours while his socks and pants were drying in the dryer. The highlight: Dumping out an two entire rainboot fulls of water! I laugh at his outfit. In my world, one can never wear too many patterns. Ollie is pushing the fine line of too many! HA! If I ever have a girl, Lord help her!!

Almost Famous

Oliver is at it again! My modelling son is being used for a Sproutlings ad. When we were in Minnesota over Easter, Ollie took some pictures for Missy. She has been using them for various things like pictures in the store, used for her website www.sproutlingsinc.com, & now Oliver will be hanging in numerous bathrooms in some of Duluth's finest establishments. Missy sent me a file of the ad & it is great! But, I can't figure out how to get it on here. So, I'll keep trying!!

For good measure

So here is something that makes me chuckle.

Hi, it's me... Kim...

Um, yeah, I haven't written on this for a long time. A L-O-N-G time! Honestly, this blogger format drives me nuts. It is such a pain in the a**! But, it also has to do with us going on a lot of trips, Oliver's lack of napping, and my lack of picture taking.

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Since the last time I wrote, the snow has melted and has been replaced by a heat advisory. We may have gotten rid of the snow, but we are still in the house avoiding the 100 + degree heat!
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At the end of May, Oliver and I went to Wisconsin for his Auntie Anna's baby shower. Then, for two weeks in June we went to Duluth to help my sister start her store, Sproutlings. It was fun to have a purpose for two weeks other than changing diapers. I got a chance to hang with my oldest pals, the Helland sisters, which was great, as always. Loudon, Heather's little guy that was born 3 days before my little man, and Oliver got to meet. They are both busy boys, so they literally ran opposite directions when they were in the same room.

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And, then, when I thought I was done traveling for awhile, our newest nephew, Samuel Robert Schulz made his debut two weeks before he was due! Little Sam arrived early, so we (Bill, myself, and Oliver) got to make a trip to Wisconsin to meet him. I totally forget how extremely tiny two week olds are! (Not to mention how heavenly they smell!) Oliver was pretty good with Sam. He gave him a few kisses and pet him. Pet him... Yes, I told him to be "gentle" with the baby and that is the phrase we use with the cat. So, basically, Oliver thinks babies are pets. We also got to enjoy the 4th of July weekend with the Schulz family. Swimming, fireworks and boat rides abound!

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Anyways, we are now trying not to melt. The heat will hopefully break soon enough. And, I hope I will be updating this more often!!

Snow Day!

So, Oliver and I have had some cabin fever recently. Here is what we did today with our snow day! I realize I appear to be imitating Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window with all the peeping that was done out my windows!!

Jolly Elephint Preview Post

I've been going through an identity crisis lately to say the least. Going from an engineer, to a retail crafter, to a mom and just a mom has taken a toll on who I am. To make this better/worse/whatever, I'm turning *hold my breathe* 30 this year. I'm not sure why, but it bothers the crap out of me. Anyways, what to do about it... Well, like most people that have watched Julie and Julia, blogging came to mind. There are thousands of blogs, but oh well, I will feel like I'm contributing to something other than my household!
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So, enter Jolly Elephint... A blog of craftiness, cooking yumminess, with the occasional fun kiddy thing here and there by three (and sometimes more) transplant Syracuse residents that are making their time here as fun as possible.

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Crafty Sundays... A way for us to work on our huge craft to-do list and focus on ourselves. (Until one of the kiddos has the death clutch on our leg.)
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This particular Crafty Sunday, we taught Julie how to sew, Julie & Judith made yoga pants out of t-shirts, we noshed on delish quinoa & shrimp ala Julie, and I sewed some overalls for Oliver.
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I should not say "we" talk Julie how to sew... Judith is a teacher. JUDITH taught Julie how to sew. I just interjecked some tips, gave her some scrap fabric to practice and that was my contribution.




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Jordyn checking out her momma's first successful seam!





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While I went to a craft retreat back in... 2006? put on by Crafty Planet, one of our projects was to upcycle some old t-shirts into yoga cropped pants. I mentioned this as a possible project & the gals loved the idea. I found the tutorial here and a video here.
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Here, Julie is learning how to pin!










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Everything was going great! Between the two links, it was easy for Judith to navigate through the project. Until we hit the waistband. The tutorial's waistband instructions are what we went with. With many craft projects, by the end of the day, your brain is done. The imaginary wall was approaching. We pressed the waistband in half, but basting the waist band would be our handy suggestion.









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Judith, amidst a wall and the decision of how to pin the waistband to the pants... Well, we screwed it up! That is okay, though. No harm done! .
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It just gave Julie the opportunity to learn how to use a seam ripper!
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In between the yoga crops project, Julie busted out her amazing cooking skills. It was my first time having quinoa and if you haven't tried it, you should! It is a great, healthy alternative to rice, with much more fiber!











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Julie's Shrimp & Quinoa
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. shrimp (scallops have been tested and approved as well!)
1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 can canellini beans
flat parsley
1 serving quinoa
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Make quinoa according to directions. While quinoa is cooking, continue below in seperate pan.
Saute garlic in olive oil, for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add shrimp and saute over medium heat until shrimp are slightly opaque. Add beans with liquid and lemon juice. When shrimp is cooked thoroughly and sauce slightly thickened, add coursely chopped parsley to taste.
Serve over warmed quinoa.
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Yumminess that didn't make me feel like I had to run a marathon afterwards.



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.My project has been sitting in my craft room since August. I cut it out back when my parents were last visiting. It was time to finish it to say the least. It was a Jackie Clark baby overalls pattern and the fabric you can grab here. It is hard to come across cute handmade boy clothing patterns. I snapped this pattern up as soon as I saw it! The project is easy aside from the application of the snap tape. The other thing I would change is the legs. I would turn the seams in at 1/4" twice, so you would have a nice finished edge around the snap tape. I have to thank my mom for that suggestion. We discovered it the first time we made these.
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Here is my babe modeling his new traffic jam overalls. SO CUTE!


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So, what do you think? Would you like to see more step-by-step crafting fun, recipes, with a dash of some paper crafting? I know I want to find a different blog site other than blogger. I hate having to use a bagillion periods to keep the damn thing formatted correctly!