...all in a day's work

Jillian said she had fun because the soccer ball was so cool. Mallory's shoes for 8 weeks this summer.

The cabinet doors without the hardware.

After Jillian's VERY cold soccer game and boot shopping for Mallory's trip to Haiti, Grammie took the girls to her house, and Peter and I squeezed in a quick date. We used a coupon from our Entertainment book at a restaurant on Olde Wadsworth in Arvada and then stopped in at a German bakery and bought a cream horn for Peter (hard to find apparently), an eclair and something with lots of chocolate for the girls. Then we spent some serious money and ordered our cabinets and booked the guy to do the hardwood floors. And because today is ANZAC (Australian New Zealand Army Corp) Day (similar to our Memorial Day), Peter and I are heading to the Aussie Pub to celebrate with an Aussie beer and some Aussie music (the singer is actually a Kiwi, so kind of close).

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oy, Oy, Oy!

Mother/Daughter Book Club

1st month

2nd month

this month

I love, love, love reading!!! I don't seem to have much time for it lately, but it's one of my all time favorite things to do. Peter loves to read as much as I do though time seems to be a problem for him too. Mallory might even love to read more than Peter and I. When she was little (and even now), I would find books in the strangest of places - the kitchen counter, dining room table, piano, between the cushions of couch, under her pillow, on the floor in nearly every room, in a purse, in the car, in the bathroom, left at a friend's house, etc. She had more than one book going all of the time and reads a book multiple times.


That brings us to Jillian who had not inherited the natural "love" for reading. She's a great reader and will read but doesn't have the passion for it. It seems that many of her friends are very similar, so . . . the mothers concocted a plan. The result is our mother/daughter book club where each month one girl gets to pick the book that the daughters AND mothers read. Then we get together, eat and discuss the book, and even though the books aren't ones that I would necessarily choose, it's fun to read it with Jilly. The girls do a fantastic job of discussing the book, and I'm having a great time doing something just with her.

... it's a Milo in the Box

Our silly dog Milo is an expert scrambler, and as you can see got himself in quite the predicament today. Somehow he climbed up the fence and into what we think is a cat box or squirrel box (4 feet off the ground) and could not get out. So in the rain/snow Peter came to the rescue and took apart the box to get Milo out. The things we do for our dogs!!!

She's Having a Baby

My little sister, Jenny, is pregnant with her first baby!!! She actually told the family on Easter, (couldn't post anything until she told the people at work) and it was the shriek heard 'round the world. It will be the 15th grandchild for the Shrader family, and the first baby in 7 1/2 years. I love news like this!!!

Easter 2009

the girlies j,j & m
watch out for these two
carrie & grammie
adam & court mallory with one of her favorite peoplejeff & his girls
the four sisters
the four sisters & momthe cousins

Amidst the chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, baskets, new clothes, hot cross buns, the gathering of family and friends and yes, even church services, I don't ever want to forget the truth about Easter.

Christ's incredible sacrifice for ME - so totally undeserved!

Just a reminder to me for those moments I got caught up in "the day" instead of the reason for the day.

An American Tradition

Even Peter got in on the action

My 3 Favorite People

The Easter Bunny, Santa and especially the Tooth Fairy are no longer beloved, believable characters for Jillian & Mallory which sometimes makes me a little sad. It does make life a little simpler when it comes to planning those special days, but I can't help but think that time is cruising by faster than I had planned or imagined it would. Mallory will soon be driving (she reminds us of that almost daily), and Jillian has 29 days left in elementary school. All that being said, they still love the holidays as much as they use to and still love doing the traditional holiday things like dyeing Easter eggs - an American tradition. The bonus now vs. then: the mess is minimal, the eggs are actually pretty (I know, I know! As mother's we're suppose to love everything they make, but to be honest, sometimes their eggs weren't so pretty.), the eggs don't get dropped nearly as often and they will actually eat them instead of insisting on keeping them forever. Fun times!

...and so it begins

Yesterday Peter and I ordered the applicances for the new kitchen. We've lived in this house for just over two years, and the kitchen was on the "to do" list when we bought the house. Now it looks like it's really going to happen.

My mom says I married a "mining gypsy", and some days I feel like I'm the gypsy wanting one more adventure, one more move, one more country... This is our 9th address (10 if you count the 6 months at my mom's house while Peter commuted between Denver & Saratoga, WY) in almost 16 years of marriage, and even the girls think moving every couple of years is normal. So for months I've looked at houses trying to find the perfect one (within our budget) thinking that in some ways moving might be easier than renovating. But you know, I couldn't find it. There is no perfect house for us - except where we are. We love our big yard, the location & the amount of room we have inside. It may need some work, but it's a great house where as a family in only two years, we've already begun to build moments and memories that overshadow the "flaws" you might see looking from the outside in.

It's a little like how God must look at us. He doesn't concentrate on our flaws but rather looks at the inside - our heart. When we get old and broken and need repairs, He doesn't say, "It's too much work. I'm trading you in for a newer model." Instead, He repairs and restores what he's already created. He sees the beauty when others can't, and that's pretty awesome.