Spring??

Could this be photographic evidence that Spring is on its way? It warmed up above freezing today and the sun was out. We were coaxed out of doors for a brisk walk around the block at an attempt to blow off some of the couped up grumpiness we all have been experiencing for the past several weeks. When what to my wandering eyes should appear, but the fuzzy buds on our Bradford pear tree in the front yard. Does this mean that there actually could be a spring this year? I had pretty much given up all hope since February was so cold and gray and awful. Seeing this branch really brightened my outlook and put a bit of a spring in my step. Pun definitely intended!

Stress Relief (February 27)

I needed to de-stress from this past week at work and wanted a quick project to sink my teeth into. It needed to be something that I could actually finish and it had to be something completely non-computer related. Here they are! My first attempt at amiguri, or crochet animals, these are weird little creatures from a free pattern I picked up at Michael's. The kids picked out their yarn colors from my stash and in a couple of hours, the first guy was done. I made him for Natalie. Max liked hers so much, he wanted one, too. I am currently working on Ella's - she didn't want to be left out. Hers will be completely pink. So thankful to have a creative outlet when things get stressful! I'm going to be making a lot of these critters in the next couple of months!!!

Car Wash (February 26)

I took this picture from inside the car at the car wash. I am always facinated by the water beading up on the newly cleaned surface of the windshield and for once, I had my handy camera at my side.

Working Hard or Hardly Working

I have a great job. Today, I got to spend some quality time with some fantastic volunteers who are working hard to raise money for the chamber of commerce. This week, when we all got together to celebrate their successes, we enjoyed a beer tasting contest. What a rough job I have!

Candle Sticks

I come from a long line of extremely creative people. My crafty nerdiness is actually wired into my DNA. We've got photographers, quilters, potters, jewelry makers, miniature masters, painters, seamstresses, knitters, crocheters, sketchers, scrapbookers and more. The most recent addition to this list of skills has been my dad's woodworking. He took an interest a few years ago and is a natural. We have been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of some pretty cool pieces, including these super cool candle sticks. It is an amazing talent to take a log of wood that, to me looks like fire fuel, and turn it into a beautiful piece of functional art. Thanks again, Dad, for the candle sticks and the DNA.

Working Late (February 23)

I am in a busy time at work these days and have been logging some computer time after the ol' 8-5 to try and catch up. As I was working away last night, I realized at 11:45 PM that I hadn't yet taken a photo, so I snapped this of my home "office." Sitting on comfy couch in jammies with fuzzy socks and a fire place. I guess if I have to work at home, this isn't such a bad set up. Now if I could just wear jammies during the 8-5 office time...

Fun With Foot Prints

This was what the bridge looked like this morning when I got to work. Somebody had a good time doing this. I hated to walk across it. By the time I came out at 10:30 a.m., it was gone.

Gummy Worms

Why are these things so tempting? I'm not usually much of a candy person, but I can eat a handful of these stupid things. The kids always want to get them and I finally caved and then ended up eating as many if not more than they did. Good thing I get dental benefits at work!

Rock and Roll

The kids' rocks are finally finished with their month-long journey in the rock tumbler. Do they look amazing and beautiful? To the kiddos they do. It was pretty interesting to watch how the rocks changed in the process, but they didn't come out like the brightly colored polished rocks that I always coveted when I was a kid. My kids really enjoyed documenting the before and after characteristics of the stones and hypothesizing what they would turn out like in the end. Tomorrow, we're planning some jewelry making to complete our project.

Booches (February 19)

Took a much needed break from the office on Friday and enjoyed a world-famous Booche's cheeseburger, chips and an ice cold Diet Coke. In a perfect world, I would have enjoyed this with an ice cold beer, but I did have to go back to the office.

Couch Tater

It's been a long, long week. I brought home a leftover veggie tray from work and we ate that and some cheese and crackers for dinner. Mom of the Year award selection committee should be knocking on my door any minute now. While we indulged in our fabulous din-din, we watched Olympics (I had to beg because SpongeBob was also on). We watched several ski races and before we knew it, it was WAAAYY past bed time. (Another nod for the Mom of the Year...) So we put the littles to bed and plopped on the couch for some more Olympics. I had to take a shot of the hubs in full on couch potato action. I don't care. It's been a long, long week. We need some down time.

Self Portrait (February 17)

Even though today was a sunny (but cold) day and there were many photo ops, I accidentally left my camera at home so I had to resort to some boring subject matter. The kids always complain that there aren't any pictures of me - now they'll have one. This is what I have looked like to them since their births!

It's Only a Flesh Wound (February 16)

We had an exciting day today. Natalie got clocked at Adventure Club with a wooden block and got her poor head split open. We took her to the ER because there was a LOT of blood as there always is with head wounds, but no stitches were needed. Naturally, I took a picture of it. She asked if her cut could be the picture of the day. Here you go - not for the squeamish!

When Pigs Fly

Another one of my favorite piggies. I can't really remember where he came from, but he helps me remember that sometimes the world can be an absurd place, and even the impossible can be possible. That's my deep thought for the night. As inspired by a flying pig.

The Snowy Hood (February 14)

This was taken off the back deck with the big Canon camera at about 10 p.m. There was enough light reflecting off the snow from the houses to get a decent shot of the neighborhood. I love the peaceful quietness that comes in the evening after a snow. It's almost calming. At least until the next day when you have to get up and drive around in the crap!

Chili Gurlz (February 13)

Spent Saturday evening with my favorite girls (and their husbands, too) at the Rootin' Tootin' Chili Cook-Off. Enjoyed eating too much chili and drinking too much beer and making fun of old guys wearing Elvis costumes. A good time was had by all!

Happy V-Day (February 12)

I spent my Friday afternoon with 18 six and seven-year-olds celebrating Valentine's Day at school. They had already decorated their Valentine's Day bags (I like the old shoe box mail boxes, myself) and were all hopped up on cupcakes and chocolate covered pretzels, but we had a great time together. It's kinda fun to hang out with some little people who think I'm cool. It was mostly because I brought them goody bags, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

Goodie Bags!

Who doesn't love some schwag? I spent this evening making up three dozen little bags of Valentine's Day goodness to deliver to three different kids' parties tomorrow. Brightly colored cellophane bags of tiny, heart-shaped erasers (loved those when I was a kid), glittery red and pink pencils, sparkly heart rings, silly straws and much, much more. We'll get the kids all together in the classrooms, give them some super sugary snacks and then turn them loose on world with their goodie bags which bring so much joy...for 5 whole minutes. It's all worth it. Sweet, sweet schwag...

The Aftermath of Snow Days (February 10)

This is what the Wohlgemuth girls' room looked like after a weekend plus 2 and 1/2 snow days. This is only one small portion of the room. I tried several different angles to try and capture the complete and total annihilation of the space, but I just don't have the proper photographic equipment to do so. Every single toy, block, puzzle, doll, doll shoe, dress-up item and trinket was taken from it's designated location and thrown into a tornado of massive proportions. Just looking at the space makes me exhausted. I have half a mind to go in with a snow shovel and some garbage bags and make quick work of this, but instead I will sit in the middle of it and bark orders at the girls to pick up each and every item while I rant and rave about how they're going to put us on the Oprah show for having too much crap. Ahhhh, good times.

Sign of the Times

This is a sign in my kitchen. I love it. I think it might be sabotaging my Weight Watchers efforts though. Having a sign on the wall that says "EXERCISE" in bright red letters just doesn't really float my boat.

Snowy Night (February 8)

This is not a good picture, but I thought it turned out kinda cool. I was experimenting with the different flash settings on my little Nikon Coolpix and had some fun trying to capture the falling snow as it reflected in the street light. I'm sure my neighbors thought I was insane as I stood out on the porch in my slippers snapping photos at the street light, but I'm sure this isn't the first time they've thought I was weird!

Nuff Said (February 7)

The photo doesn't even really need any explanation. I will say that this photo was actually taken on February 6. I didn't like anything I took on the 7th so I picked this one.

You Spin Me Right Round (February 6)

This picture was taken at Flipz USA which is a gymnastics studio for kids here in Columbia and the location of Max's 7th birthday party. You get the whole studio for an hour to play and have fun with your party guests. Here Marty is rolling Max around in a big donut across the padded gym floor. I think they did this a dozen times that day. I took so many pictures at the party, it was hard to pick just one, but I think this one captures the fun of the day, especially when the "grown ups" get to play, too.

Sponge Cake

Birthdays are important around the Wohlgemuth house. This is because both my husband and I were born right around Christmas and our birthdays, by default, were never that big of a deal. However, the one thing I really remember about my birthdays growing up was the cakes. My mom always took the time to make me a cake. When we were little, she would buy the character cake pans and decorate it up. This is something I, too, wanted to share with my children. Every year the kids pick a pan and I decorate the cake. This is Max's second SpongeBob Squarepants cake. It's a lot of work, but there's a lot of love in this cake, too. Hope it tastes ok...

A Boy and His Frogs

Maxman turned 7 today. We got him two dwarf frogs that live in a special contained ecosystem for his birthday present. They are really low maintenance and are cool to watch. It was worth every penny to see how excited he got over "Spot" and "Claus." I'm sure we'll have additional pictures of the "boys" on the blog coming soon...