New favorite photo....

This photo was taken in Ann Arbor by my husband and now it's my new favorite! I love the colors of her dress and the flowers in the background. Very summery!

Smitten Kittens

We are back from our trip to the USA! We took a lot of photos but I had to get these up of the kittens from the Pharm in Chassell, Michigan. Alexa and her cousin Isabelle were quite taken with them and wanted to go every day to play and hold them.

Also notice the new GAP. She lost her fourth tooth on the Fourth of July eating cotton candy.

Going, going, GONE!!!!

Alexa lost her third tooth today. It was her first top one and she has quite a nice gap now. It's been loose for days and she kept playing with it until it popped out today. Here are the before and after shots.

Weekend in London

We had a great three-day weekend in London! Saw all the sites, the Eye, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral...first time there and we are definately going back! We just happened to catch the Queen and the entire royal family at Buckingham Palace for her birthday also. Enjoy the photos!

Running, running, running!

This week is the last week of school for Alexa. I have been ramping up my workouts, running 6 miles Monday, biking 15 yesterday and I ran 7 miles today in 72:15. I don't think I have done that since high school!

Makes me think of running a race somewhere. Kory would love to do the Hononlulu Marathon in December.....I know I could do it, but training in a rainy Holland it just not possible for me. I just detest running in the rain, and being bitter cold for that amount of time. Then going to run in a hot climate like Hawaii would be a shock to the system. Maybe I can find a nice 10K this summer in Michigan to run?

Adventure in the Dunes!

My friend Kelli took Alycha and I through the Dunes of Wassenaar today on our bikes, and headed north on the way to Katwijk. The hills were steep, but the view was awesome! I have never done anything like that before being a novice rider. It was about 15 miles total. We stopped and shopped and had lunch in Katwijk on the ocean then headed back home around 12:30. It was sunny and about 72 degrees and slightly windy. Perfect day for a ride!





Here is a map of where we went:

The best.of the best.....Britain's Got Talent

If you like American Idol you might like these. This kid won the whole competition you have to see these youtube links! 14 year-old George Sampson, a poor boy from London and a self-trained street dancer took the title and a 100,000 pound ($200,000) prize Saturday night. He also gets to perform for the Prince of Whales at the Roryal Variety Show. The first video is his win to get to the live shows. The second is his semi-final performance on the live stage. He did the same program for the final and blew everyone away a second time. I hope he has a long career ahead of him. BRILLIANT!

Aren't they cute?

Our friends, Nesrine and Robert are getting married this summer in Lebanon. Robert is Dutch and works with my husband. Nesrine has moved to Holland and is getting used to the people and culture. She lived in the US for a few years for college and skiied for the Lebanese Ski team. They got engaged on 2-8-08 and are marrying on 8-2-08....I had to share their story and beautiful engagement photos.

It's how you play the game...

With the sports world full of steroids, cheating, fixing games, this story is pretty refreshing. Grab a kleenex, you might need one ;) It's five minutes long but well worth the time. It's an amazing story filled with compassion and unselfishness. Here is the clip via ESPN.com.

New artist Sara Bareilles...

This girl is amazing, I heard the song on the radio here this week and I had no idea who it was so I went right to youtube to investigate.

She is California-born Sara Bareilles. Here is the fabulous tune she penned, "Love Song". Her song debuted at number one on itunes also and I think she is starting to get quite a following. We need more singer-songwriters making their own music, not just the young girls that can dance, look cute and can carry a tune.

Trip to the Goat Farm...

Alexa's kindergarten class went to the goat farm end of April in Voorshoten. We all piled on the bus and got to take the trip with them. They had hundreds of goats, pigs, a few horses and a bull. The kids had a wonderful time feeding and interacting with the animals. Enjoy the photos!

I have been tagged AGAIN :)

I have been tagged again! This time by Honee from calico*flamingo!

You know the drill, 7 obscure facts, tag 7 people.

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here they are!

1. I could be addicted to youtube.com.....I could surf music all day! I am an 80's music freak. I could name almost any 80's song with just a couple notes on the radio or online.

2. I was an avid volleyball player in high school and we made it to the regional finals my senior year. We were one small step away from the state finals! Too bad the dreaded Dryden got in our way every year.

3. Most people have horrific aversions to spiders and needles, I don't.....now bees are an entirely different story! They fly and sting.

4. I started selling logos about three years ago on ebay. I never thought I would have an ebay store back then.

5. My secret dream would be to design fabric. Maybe some day, after I move back to the USA I can pursue that but I have just enough work to keep me busy right now and from climbing the walls.

6. I am running out of facts... I hope I do not get tagged again for a while LOL!

7. Patrick fell off my front page so I will add him as my number 7.


Actually he was in a movie called "Lucky 7" How freaky is that?

Now I get to tag people!

They are:

Nikki - dream*n*color
Tonya - xoxotova
Clara - mimi kattini
Shari - custom boutique child
Tammy - painted*patooties
andrea - lilgirlgemz

Is it the end for HRC??

Is it the end for Hilary or does she have any tricks left up her sleeve?

The Magic of Photoshop...

I have been using Photoshop for over 16 years. I am still amazed by the things you can do with it. I could play with a single photo for hours and be fascinated. This is just an example of a simple color change, and I turned it into a collage.



On this photo, I made the whole image black and white, then cut out the flower from the original and pasted it over the B/W.

David and Goliath...American Idol Finals

Ok it's really David and David, but the Archilleta is more like the David and Cook is more like Goliath. In a very predictable finale, Cook is a gritty, seemingly poised and confident rock singer at 25, Archiletta is a swoony, 17 year wonder-kind balladeer with a lot to prove. Two completely different styles, both very talented and versatile. Who will take home the crown for Idol 7? We'll find out next week so stay tuned.

Tutti Fruiti!

I am very happy with this new, fun, summer-lovin' Mix and Match template! The bright colors are perfect and sunny and inspired me.....you can see the auction here...

Summer Time!

It has been unseasonably hot and gorgeous in Holland the last 10 days. 70-78 degrees every day and not a drop of rain. We went and got some nice wood outdoor furniture from Sligro, which was my mother's Day gift, and a grill finally. Kory also picked up a kiddie pool for Alexa and she was thrilled to fill it up. Do you like our big orange umbrella? I think we are officially ready for summer now!

Alexa and Anneke!

I got to meet my groupmate Erin (anneke*panneke) and her daugher Anneke and husband mark this week. They were in Holland visiting his family and they came to see us in Wassenaar. Alexa and Anneke were fast friends and had a ball! We had to pry them off each other at the end of the night. Thanks for coming to see us Erin!

By the way, Alexa's custom dress is by pretty.me!

My friend Kristi to win it all! DWTS...

Ok I love Dancing with the Stars! Kristi Yamaguchi is the favorite to win, she is displaying the same style and grace she did when she won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. I met her and her family last year in Hawaii at a luau, she is so sweet and we chatted with her and she posed for photos with my niece.

Here she is on DWTS, one of her best performances this season.

Six word MOM-oirs!!

My writer friend Tara turned me on to this! In only six words how would you describe motherhood??? Here are a few of my submissions:

Her tiny little grip mesmerized me.

You are a hero to them.

I hope she has hubby's eyes.

It's like looking in a mirror.

Spoil them with love not things.

Daughter can be your best friend.

Read some more of them here.