tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70734168654814965962024-02-18T23:49:46.404-05:00Go On...Be a Leimenstollmeghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-17310839703077638252014-05-28T15:40:00.001-04:002014-05-28T15:40:19.714-04:00Basket Case<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWfkELBN1xnKvhNaVXBJfNtyEylJlawkcl-Wcu_1PcldlYgMlzyFQXGQMc2hqU03QWvVZnTwMypuL3e9JKHWQqVmxuWI-Jap2_h78U6yTr5rVYBQsypBCIO0KlYpHpmV0LWAWQel6HUs/s1600/2014-05-28+14.21.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWfkELBN1xnKvhNaVXBJfNtyEylJlawkcl-Wcu_1PcldlYgMlzyFQXGQMc2hqU03QWvVZnTwMypuL3e9JKHWQqVmxuWI-Jap2_h78U6yTr5rVYBQsypBCIO0KlYpHpmV0LWAWQel6HUs/s1600/2014-05-28+14.21.11.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So it's been almost a year since I posted. Leave them wanting more... isn't that a saying? No excuse except that life happened and swept me up in its tide. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to post a new project because the process of completing these baskets has sparked a new creative obsession in my soul. Color! Organization! Together! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The process is as simple as pulling out your craft paint and a short bristle brush, and highlighting with color the natural patterns created by a woven basket. I did these parked in front of my computer while catching up on Game of Thrones. Fun! Easy! Together! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My favorite is the stair-step diagonal pattern of the smaller basket. Just pick any section to start, and "move up and to the right" or "down and to the left" to create the stairs. Each basket will reveal it's own cool pattern.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Use one coat for a washed-out look, and 2-3 for a more saturated hue. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjscIu4zDADh4dKd6B1wawLtXWuFzcL_bmHr54lrcnP2nimg9u7BNuATNLK2Bq-BnVQ64JVJobHAT7d9MjIxdEh1sFjdqBLsI5Y3Yfa8_EvEU4OKyI23vfp2dy6WySiEgz3_YZNSqVTg/s1600/2014-05-27+08.46.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjscIu4zDADh4dKd6B1wawLtXWuFzcL_bmHr54lrcnP2nimg9u7BNuATNLK2Bq-BnVQ64JVJobHAT7d9MjIxdEh1sFjdqBLsI5Y3Yfa8_EvEU4OKyI23vfp2dy6WySiEgz3_YZNSqVTg/s1600/2014-05-27+08.46.45.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It doesn't have to be perfect. Let the natural beauty of the weave shows through.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0a2PYemzh4f5FNLopRPF-y_y-pH6zsfAb-PIv80XgN2aTnlRJloRQ1L4f5rEdcGn04Uu0DYWWgPBWgDK8kXJutmIFmMzsoGmJqDDcxm2W-Q-9bfKLvOlqOjuO-Y_Yhkz9jmbh5s-z70/s1600/2014-05-28+14.21.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0a2PYemzh4f5FNLopRPF-y_y-pH6zsfAb-PIv80XgN2aTnlRJloRQ1L4f5rEdcGn04Uu0DYWWgPBWgDK8kXJutmIFmMzsoGmJqDDcxm2W-Q-9bfKLvOlqOjuO-Y_Yhkz9jmbh5s-z70/s1600/2014-05-28+14.21.28.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-24737608154554229722013-07-02T15:21:00.002-04:002013-07-02T15:21:54.273-04:00High-Five for Tie-Dye<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmukmD2AM2hFfNNNcvv2h029WHW-21y_oDOfU38AJhoGCeScxf_c-XiToFhaXcrV63RBW3MP2i7_T6AXmRE-uvq0IzvaQxOErcEup5BrsrThtiM2UbDibC6y5otrqXLwOb_4nzVzHtfKo/s1600/2013-05-15+17.49.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmukmD2AM2hFfNNNcvv2h029WHW-21y_oDOfU38AJhoGCeScxf_c-XiToFhaXcrV63RBW3MP2i7_T6AXmRE-uvq0IzvaQxOErcEup5BrsrThtiM2UbDibC6y5otrqXLwOb_4nzVzHtfKo/s400/2013-05-15+17.49.25.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My latest installment in MD Family Magazine is an easy and fairly mess-less tie-dye project. Tie-dye instantly takes me back to summer camp art projects and those crazy spin art machines at the mall. Oh, the good ol' days of hair-sprayed wave bangs and neon puff paint. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This project could also add some fun to your 4th of July prep - the bursts of color remind me of fireworks and these hot summer days will help speed up the ink-dry-time! For more pictures, check out the latest MD Family Magazine craft installment <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/maryland-family/bal-easy-tiedye-tshirts-20130701,0,3736766.photogallery" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">_________________________________</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Materials</b>:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Pre-washed t-shirt or onesie</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Variety of permanent markers. Sharpie and BIC both make a rainbow</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">collection</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Plastic Solo cup</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Rubber bands</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Isopropyl alcohol 91%</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Syringe or eye dropper</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Decide where you want to start your design and slip the cup, wide side up, in-between the layers of the shirt. Stretch the section of the shirt over the mouth of the cup. Secure with 1-2 rubber bands.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9PcSDwSkIXy7Gs0N-mV14s3qMQ5cFwPlHHftD2soO3QO6XoNRIwHa3ea9EoQvQfRLRK-9116Pknhslge4js7ZMXT5ub95XuzIlp-bRQtLFvTDDbwL6h_su_JLeyhrkj4Mk-dWyP7qNA/s1600/2013-05-15+17.10.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9PcSDwSkIXy7Gs0N-mV14s3qMQ5cFwPlHHftD2soO3QO6XoNRIwHa3ea9EoQvQfRLRK-9116Pknhslge4js7ZMXT5ub95XuzIlp-bRQtLFvTDDbwL6h_su_JLeyhrkj4Mk-dWyP7qNA/s320/2013-05-15+17.10.07.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="text-align: center;">2. Let your kids draw designs on the secured section of the t-shirt. Stick with </span>dots, dashes, hearts and other small designs. Leave white space in between colors to give the ink room to spread. Tip – stick with a similar color family within each circle. When you add the alcohol the colors will run together. If you use clashing colors (ex. red and green) you may end up with brown or muddled colors.</span><br />
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YZyoplRbYhBKJkozFbjjepH_N1hMR5NFy_r1oDxT3sRNtsyH14-lO1ZySf2kcGySCvw2xhwQtlEJv_8vvUTwfsR_dE9psQ_hGpi1EOODGGzSHIwD3ZeY0M970u6izFrrmXrD3TzPhGw/s1600/2013-05-15+17.11.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YZyoplRbYhBKJkozFbjjepH_N1hMR5NFy_r1oDxT3sRNtsyH14-lO1ZySf2kcGySCvw2xhwQtlEJv_8vvUTwfsR_dE9psQ_hGpi1EOODGGzSHIwD3ZeY0M970u6izFrrmXrD3TzPhGw/s320/2013-05-15+17.11.14.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Take a syringe full of alcohol and slowly start dropping it onto the design. You’ll see the colors start to run and bleed outwards. Add additional alcohol where needed to make sure the ink spreads evenly and completely.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulX_aE_qrG1LY1dVn6O0NMD1z5MbQ8hxUMs9bcSUEiSDB-41bJuhyvYVQpbylqR3pFeIz5dQKqIUimMgrHNWfcuLkED_9Pc9ZZm7FNqcNTObow6TZe2XTz43Qyx93vha-V_WH7sYCATs/s1600/2013-05-15+17.30.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulX_aE_qrG1LY1dVn6O0NMD1z5MbQ8hxUMs9bcSUEiSDB-41bJuhyvYVQpbylqR3pFeIz5dQKqIUimMgrHNWfcuLkED_9Pc9ZZm7FNqcNTObow6TZe2XTz43Qyx93vha-V_WH7sYCATs/s320/2013-05-15+17.30.51.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Remove rubber bands carefully (wet color will transfer to skin or clothes) and lay shirt aside in the sunshine to dry momentarily.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. After a few minutes, move onto the next area of the shirt and continue the above process.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. When you’re happy with your final design, lay outside to dry completely.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Run t-shirts through a HOT cycle of the dryer to set colors before washing.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-80083661169221986152013-06-18T22:57:00.000-04:002013-06-18T22:59:30.666-04:00Mommy & Me Canvas Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJpuMSYNgwy5dZg9eIn5IFmiJh_UJjMMh9F1C4ZDGzRoWdE98S6h6gXiWbaiNaWswZELuqXh7P_WzjWACf2CFfBCQK8AjPIOihpgw4hajXBgw0ImL9_zCCAafFSrOlu1uoxm1nlLbLzI/s1600/FINAL_Canvas+on+Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJpuMSYNgwy5dZg9eIn5IFmiJh_UJjMMh9F1C4ZDGzRoWdE98S6h6gXiWbaiNaWswZELuqXh7P_WzjWACf2CFfBCQK8AjPIOihpgw4hajXBgw0ImL9_zCCAafFSrOlu1uoxm1nlLbLzI/s640/FINAL_Canvas+on+Wall.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm a bit delayed with this fun post, but I'm happy to report that this Leimenstoll is officially in print! My <a href="http://goonbealeimenstoll.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-lucky-day.html" target="_blank">first project</a> with MD Family Magazine ran online, so this month is my big debut in the magazine. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MD Family Magazine <span style="background-color: white;">publishes 6 issues a year and is distributed in Baltimore and Howard County locations, including grocery stores, libraries, elementary schools, and other high-traffic areas. I</span></span><br />
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The June issue focuses on "100 Places to Take the Kids" and other summer activities. I cooked up a fun <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/maryland-family/bal-mommy-and-me-canvas-art-pictures-20130528,0,7798499.photogallery" target="_blank">"Mommy & Me" Canvas Art project</a> for families to tackle on one of these glorious summer vacation days. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like all parents, I have a special place in my heart for macaroni and cotton ball art - I honestly can't wait for Drew to come home from pre-school one day with his first masterpiece. However, this project lands in that great sweet spot of giving your kids a really fun activity to work on and giving you a final product that you'll be psyched to display in any room in your house.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />True story - when I hung my canvas in the kitchen, my mother-in-law asked if I had picked it up during my latest trip to IKEA. IKEA is the motherland of fun design in my opinion, so I took this as a major compliment! </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Materials</b>:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canvas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paintbrushes (or hands) of various sizes and shapes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Craft paint</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Painter's Tape or Washi Tape </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGct_NK6l9ShmvDt__LMa-6rRQUcyHuBfdujEtK5f8an9AraBqpPRpIFslVex1SjcX08w1TIXEg4EZqnMpBY0sqNpLTwNOoZs8NhMTv6JtarPj-16iMUy2o9sG1BkVam2OCyqtfixUyc/s1600/FINAL_Canvas+on+Wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGct_NK6l9ShmvDt__LMa-6rRQUcyHuBfdujEtK5f8an9AraBqpPRpIFslVex1SjcX08w1TIXEg4EZqnMpBY0sqNpLTwNOoZs8NhMTv6JtarPj-16iMUy2o9sG1BkVam2OCyqtfixUyc/s400/FINAL_Canvas+on+Wall.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The final goods - love the pop of color and against a neutral wall. (And love that sweet squishy baby face as well!)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paint the entire canvas with a solid base color (example shown uses white). This will make touch-up work a breeze at the end.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEtnNkPp5_oA4qTwjahd1k_KDLeyN35t7cd_B0dPbN7ODSm0y4PyCtez5nP4L3y0Bs4VHEGAfD66aNTXxiH0qGOBK7vofiMNmHnygrij45IF6qvakMKNtoyOSSpl6jXF7EPI-7oXyLXM/s1600/Materials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEtnNkPp5_oA4qTwjahd1k_KDLeyN35t7cd_B0dPbN7ODSm0y4PyCtez5nP4L3y0Bs4VHEGAfD66aNTXxiH0qGOBK7vofiMNmHnygrij45IF6qvakMKNtoyOSSpl6jXF7EPI-7oXyLXM/s400/Materials.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the base layer has dried, tape down a design with painter's tape. If you're working with a smaller canvas, washi tape provides a smaller width to work with. (say that 10 times fast!) I went with a herringbone design - the funky cousin to the oh-so-popular chevron. You could also use chipboard letters or stickers to spell out a favorite saying or your child's name.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtnRzhoUMNJYgNWG8g7WQ44wrSGcO7AeMURRHyOJ3zHUEL21qL3Kl2v_juNge7sQzLoxw05baQ8Rih1_xlOv_rVvYPOAduXrJUA_5PJJC0Vu_fLFnZ4f8wt6Q-AADpgbOfhrsHyiAohg/s1600/Step+2_Tape+off+Design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtnRzhoUMNJYgNWG8g7WQ44wrSGcO7AeMURRHyOJ3zHUEL21qL3Kl2v_juNge7sQzLoxw05baQ8Rih1_xlOv_rVvYPOAduXrJUA_5PJJC0Vu_fLFnZ4f8wt6Q-AADpgbOfhrsHyiAohg/s320/Step+2_Tape+off+Design.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTlGljFhLu7Ml4qUeZZlspKtlE_2WD0FP5wcnFZGMM8KPh8GIr2ek80b6WrpCmVj-tpSRL7z_g6NaFeTwblNY56dTVc20gDl0VeRBsUSaBmWx_v8HxIC1lXcwp6UtJaqzcjjU_OLK-M0/s1600/Step+2_Washi+Tape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTlGljFhLu7Ml4qUeZZlspKtlE_2WD0FP5wcnFZGMM8KPh8GIr2ek80b6WrpCmVj-tpSRL7z_g6NaFeTwblNY56dTVc20gDl0VeRBsUSaBmWx_v8HxIC1lXcwp6UtJaqzcjjU_OLK-M0/s320/Step+2_Washi+Tape.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsu1yxEdf3NCJp88LKr6m5J2O89RPSAcBNwtzvtS_aGPoYce5qEyLvtlTrhPPIOwZE3FPDazL3tFrCMpSrvIzl2M8MHiwpGROTP3XZgtnNNaKRfObFB_-5IZ3NuRNHtcGVJGIe5CPj5g4/s1600/Step+2_+Tape+off+Design+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsu1yxEdf3NCJp88LKr6m5J2O89RPSAcBNwtzvtS_aGPoYce5qEyLvtlTrhPPIOwZE3FPDazL3tFrCMpSrvIzl2M8MHiwpGROTP3XZgtnNNaKRfObFB_-5IZ3NuRNHtcGVJGIe5CPj5g4/s320/Step+2_+Tape+off+Design+2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ask your child to cover the entire canvas, <b>including the tape,</b> with paint. This technique will assure you a crisp design that will pop when the tape is removed. To avoid muddled colors allow for dry time between colors.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGGXLmSNGKxE_apeQbOBlcgAsrNifsStQXv-iZTAhwWtt7LSi9NqOmvwfwiwsfmzvNobyqhCaQoaNx-Utd7fhUH98MjHD2PHcTQqr-uXKUIGzLUeMFSzyTOCDGvDGedzgrzE56sI4ofM/s1600/Step+3_Start+Painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGGXLmSNGKxE_apeQbOBlcgAsrNifsStQXv-iZTAhwWtt7LSi9NqOmvwfwiwsfmzvNobyqhCaQoaNx-Utd7fhUH98MjHD2PHcTQqr-uXKUIGzLUeMFSzyTOCDGvDGedzgrzE56sI4ofM/s320/Step+3_Start+Painting.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go paint crazy! If you know what room you want to hang your finished product in, provide a pleasing palette of colors for your child to work with. If you're letting your little one finger paint, make sure you're using nontoxic materials. We don't want this project taking a turn for the worse! Feel free to play around with various brush sizes, shapes and strokes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8z3NQNjQeWHahxA1SyR1j5hVzMNUNJBtF3MYxiSFRf662c3E1FoTHpMDJ_QvyeF1uWDJy6-QzjNJvJHEX_FM5Nm4QiGeY00xtIUrcgR1BLrUxB-EjPa37Roowee24ZRadkVw4DkPYS0/s1600/Step+3_Paint+Entire+Canvas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8z3NQNjQeWHahxA1SyR1j5hVzMNUNJBtF3MYxiSFRf662c3E1FoTHpMDJ_QvyeF1uWDJy6-QzjNJvJHEX_FM5Nm4QiGeY00xtIUrcgR1BLrUxB-EjPa37Roowee24ZRadkVw4DkPYS0/s320/Step+3_Paint+Entire+Canvas.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the paint has dried, peel off the tape. Using a thin brush, touch up any spots where the paint may have bled through.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUB-ulTvKqBCrc_QYDlglUHHws2KLpq2yWDaYe61r3JEec-Q12Ev7olbXcvmcOveN4r30hlzmZTinlXMHrdANTKcGYXmqQHjd_otzgnsSa8iMt6X1xi-kYJTiiZyyAvnonICiQk-StM38/s1600/Step+5_Peel+Off+Tape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUB-ulTvKqBCrc_QYDlglUHHws2KLpq2yWDaYe61r3JEec-Q12Ev7olbXcvmcOveN4r30hlzmZTinlXMHrdANTKcGYXmqQHjd_otzgnsSa8iMt6X1xi-kYJTiiZyyAvnonICiQk-StM38/s320/Step+5_Peel+Off+Tape.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-59576416497058144202013-06-04T10:45:00.001-04:002013-06-04T10:45:28.131-04:00Spread the love.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZaAFG7uIqynqI2Tkmuottyq_E6irEohS7X8MNE7fiHLSKSINXktCSoUbbUHurPyJZkvuoWz1DifGvoeuFSggnSln9qrXlw-k9PFyHh20sujaqk2F4-tImGXSoRMhbOfb1fx0SJ3SkAE/s1600/2013-05-10+15.23.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZaAFG7uIqynqI2Tkmuottyq_E6irEohS7X8MNE7fiHLSKSINXktCSoUbbUHurPyJZkvuoWz1DifGvoeuFSggnSln9qrXlw-k9PFyHh20sujaqk2F4-tImGXSoRMhbOfb1fx0SJ3SkAE/s400/2013-05-10+15.23.33.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I saw this <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/119626933822531258/" target="_blank">fun idea</a> on Pinterest and knew that I needed something similar in my house. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a cute way to tell your kids (and husband!) all of the ways you love them. Big reasons. Small reasons. Silly reasons. Random reasons. I love you for making your bed. I love you for being kind to your brother. I love you for letting mom sleep past 6 a.m. It's always nice to be acknowledged, and to me, it's all of those tiny things that add up to big happiness long term. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The board also moonlights as an easy message board for a quick note or grocery list!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found the dry erase boards at Target in the beloved One Spot; the $1 - $5 items that are always located at the front of the store. They were so cute, colorful and perfect for this little love note project. I scooped up the stickers at Michael's and the rest is happy history.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zd_Mx7667YxpxPPdu-U2X_qi0G6PcQJ_SUn3K5WKQMhQRF1QRa24OAWD_2JqeQMoo2-3xQdNCUXTRKrmGm2u22nV3GLaPpLXe8eZCH9tOGGznY6mRfez3LNgUfvX6ywr_Oz8_k9lBWI/s1600/2013-05-10+15.20.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Zd_Mx7667YxpxPPdu-U2X_qi0G6PcQJ_SUn3K5WKQMhQRF1QRa24OAWD_2JqeQMoo2-3xQdNCUXTRKrmGm2u22nV3GLaPpLXe8eZCH9tOGGznY6mRfez3LNgUfvX6ywr_Oz8_k9lBWI/s320/2013-05-10+15.20.07.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-33597920997329787862013-05-15T14:45:00.003-04:002013-05-15T14:45:49.041-04:00Growing Up <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWDp3eXfym3tbDFvvp7h-p28WdNDlfo8spJv8nei8gx2MqgYUmazWc3q060gERLk6-yydbHyXL3CadtOow94m1mBJtzSw1LtG5YZOfqKwOiKrP1-hlN4ZBDWfQCoCEAz2bU80jxvvg0I/s1600/2013-05-08+17.06.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWDp3eXfym3tbDFvvp7h-p28WdNDlfo8spJv8nei8gx2MqgYUmazWc3q060gERLk6-yydbHyXL3CadtOow94m1mBJtzSw1LtG5YZOfqKwOiKrP1-hlN4ZBDWfQCoCEAz2bU80jxvvg0I/s400/2013-05-08+17.06.29.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Growth charts are popping up
in all of the major kids’ catalogs right now. This is a little bit bigger than a "Nap Time" project, but
it’s worth the effort for the cute factor and cost-savings. This is a great housewarming gift or a 1st birthday gift for a friend who delights in watching
her family grow! </span><br />
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Materials</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">2x4x12 piece of
wood</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Sandpaper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Pint of
Chalkboard Paint</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">6” foam roller</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Paint tray</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Paint pens</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Pencil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Chalk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Ruler</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Rubber stamps
(optional)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Drill (optional)</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYW0c5_ALTMGCH138ywOKDbm8TnIQjzBxN6D_hmUBc7saKpVvQlcakZFwXVFvt3u7Qu0dO_yT5QOuNqnjEnW6OhQ1jtftMWL6B21jXrbvryVswh_XmfXnViJQo20QwH3W9PlZVUM3g9c/s1600/DSC_0250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYW0c5_ALTMGCH138ywOKDbm8TnIQjzBxN6D_hmUBc7saKpVvQlcakZFwXVFvt3u7Qu0dO_yT5QOuNqnjEnW6OhQ1jtftMWL6B21jXrbvryVswh_XmfXnViJQo20QwH3W9PlZVUM3g9c/s320/DSC_0250.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">At your local
hardware store, purchase a 2 x 6 x 12 piece of lumber. Ask an employee to cut
the piece in half so that you end up with two 6 ft. pieces of wood. Make sure
you are involved in the wood selection – sometimes the lumber has large cracks
and flaws. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">** Do NOT be intimidated. Just walk in that lumber department like you own the place. Or walk in like me, looking confused and tired, and eventually someone will ask if you need help!**</span></div>
<div>
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Lightly sand the
wood to smooth out the roughness.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBxfgd7EUuHaTU90rMkRVNS-Yu0DoAIKpFkjQ5l02Phy5u0f7JAiAkaeDGozRsNXssTXptuYWVTAKvejIeWn1w2ljgaBTluL-LsJbkwiOfIimzi_qoLZUHR4bh0HSRqg0KtV9D4gZmQc/s1600/DSC_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBxfgd7EUuHaTU90rMkRVNS-Yu0DoAIKpFkjQ5l02Phy5u0f7JAiAkaeDGozRsNXssTXptuYWVTAKvejIeWn1w2ljgaBTluL-LsJbkwiOfIimzi_qoLZUHR4bh0HSRqg0KtV9D4gZmQc/s320/DSC_0240.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Paint the entire
plank with three layers of chalkboard paint. Wait 20 minutes between coats.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKre_GAx46cVrXTmnbo6gteFZUtyWRXctz03EOIDCqq6WUlWUMbh1cRWp10o5ErOYpzSU7I1Yeq-uIGAqsYf356bkAUHUFflftHe94rYgb1Tsx6YeN1VqqVQ4UlJT5Z0T5sF3eni-4XI/s1600/DSC_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKre_GAx46cVrXTmnbo6gteFZUtyWRXctz03EOIDCqq6WUlWUMbh1cRWp10o5ErOYpzSU7I1Yeq-uIGAqsYf356bkAUHUFflftHe94rYgb1Tsx6YeN1VqqVQ4UlJT5Z0T5sF3eni-4XI/s320/DSC_0247.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Random tidbit: The vinyl drop cloth I use for my painting projects (seen above) was our table cloth when we lived in Chicago. We had it draped over a 4-person card table, and that was our official dining room table. Fancy, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Use a ruler and
pencil to measure the inch markers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">**Even though the piece of wood is 6 feet
long, I adjusted the inch markings to account for the wood hanging 6 inches off
the floor. In other words, your last marking at the top with be 6 feet 6
inches.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Use a stencil,
or rubber stamp, to trace the number markings on the chart with pencil.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZFR4xxGB-EGr5pfWtw1ViMTwx-3uzqsZZgqBYfeWrQHKr2cg_ZW_apzWLT48ZXgfuuZ6rZAYh-PSkE3djNCWsA4gjKg6ozHlBgNXS6PaBQuboGKOsIVa92E9_Vz9pxrGqiwJr4xFN4A/s1600/2013-02-17+22.57.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZFR4xxGB-EGr5pfWtw1ViMTwx-3uzqsZZgqBYfeWrQHKr2cg_ZW_apzWLT48ZXgfuuZ6rZAYh-PSkE3djNCWsA4gjKg6ozHlBgNXS6PaBQuboGKOsIVa92E9_Vz9pxrGqiwJr4xFN4A/s320/2013-02-17+22.57.52.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Once the wood is
measured and marked, draw over the pencil with a paint pen. Decorate the rest
of the chart with chalk!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1h8x_Hni2QLTBjUc9Limm_KRzWZxgQApmN50FTnqedmNQQEQ47HBHmalUDzkdWSrTaSxixWjMQIVOUA2yEfqiwYnOrrN7t-DbyOpP2S97kSQ1WdPOgigmS_vcVAmrNKWV-EaiJaC4NA/s1600/2013-02-17+23.01.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1h8x_Hni2QLTBjUc9Limm_KRzWZxgQApmN50FTnqedmNQQEQ47HBHmalUDzkdWSrTaSxixWjMQIVOUA2yEfqiwYnOrrN7t-DbyOpP2S97kSQ1WdPOgigmS_vcVAmrNKWV-EaiJaC4NA/s320/2013-02-17+23.01.10.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Drill a hole in
the top of the chart so that it can be secured on the wall in the garage,
kitchen or playroom. The wood is 6 feet long, so you have to hang it 6" off the floor to get the measurements right.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">I plan to mark Drew's height once a year on his birthday - and I plan to do that with a permanent paint pen. You can keep track of multiple heights on the same chart, just choose a specific paint pen color for each child. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLhjVPZt4stv_hCK0sj2_s7kkicPnL7pLCuXDsQSBheEak_bMYF_sOYA22dXpaoHkhRDYuSxMTgr3jthWF7LWjWtdWbNznb_QYQBTE97I95LM_jlFzmoIOd32xUuaIRnridiuH5nPo_A/s1600/2013-05-10+15.20.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLhjVPZt4stv_hCK0sj2_s7kkicPnL7pLCuXDsQSBheEak_bMYF_sOYA22dXpaoHkhRDYuSxMTgr3jthWF7LWjWtdWbNznb_QYQBTE97I95LM_jlFzmoIOd32xUuaIRnridiuH5nPo_A/s320/2013-05-10+15.20.36.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">The rest of the growth chart can be decorated by Drew with chalk - easy to wipe clean and start fresh when the creative mood strikes! You'll notice a few Drew smudges in the pic above. :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Below is a growth chart I made for a friend. I wanted to include a full length photo so you can see all 6 feet...and Frank. Always have to include Frank. </span><br />
<div>
</div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">For anyone reading this locally (Maryland), I would be happy to create a growth chart for you - just message me about pricing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GDrR5Kd9kDPU4pRZIaxTGB-STE-0v7e6wXTyqmiY7F7S-0Z8sz6Z8-OKgqpE3EiY_O0N_XmNG4Erkq4qac6NRav4by-9cfTlPL8fyA_9LXknu2fLPeiFTowiyvmJab798yH8IriZA14/s1600/2013-02-18+12.41.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GDrR5Kd9kDPU4pRZIaxTGB-STE-0v7e6wXTyqmiY7F7S-0Z8sz6Z8-OKgqpE3EiY_O0N_XmNG4Erkq4qac6NRav4by-9cfTlPL8fyA_9LXknu2fLPeiFTowiyvmJab798yH8IriZA14/s400/2013-02-18+12.41.57.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start; text-indent: -24px;">
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-82869047858581882472013-05-06T15:26:00.000-04:002013-05-06T15:26:44.093-04:00My Lucky Day<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't gotten news this good since I received my invitation to join Pinterest. And that's saying something.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After submitting a portfolio of ideas, I was chosen to be the first Craft Columnist for Maryland Family Magazine. It was a very good thing that I was home alone with Drew when I got the news. He's very forgiving with my singing voice, and seems to turns a blind eye to my dancing.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will be contributing kid-friendly project ideas that will hopefully inspire families to pull out their glue guns and get crafting! I'm trying to filter my projects by thinking about crafts that moms will actually want to keep on display. I know children create a lot of art over the years in pre-school and Vacation Bible School, and believe me, there is a place in my heart (and home) for cotton balls, construction paper and toilet paper rolls. However, I do feel there is a sweet spot in this category that results in a fun activity for the child and a cool finished product that mom is happy to display.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully you guys will keep an eye out for the articles. The remaining 2013 printed editions of Maryland Family Magazine will hit newstands in August and November. The other months' projects will be featured online at http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/maryland-family/</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/maryland-family/bal-mothers-day-craft-chalkboard-flower-pots-pictures-20130501,0,7409058.photogallery" target="_blank">first project</a> was featured on Wednesday and is a great activity to get your family ready for Mother's Day (read: THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF THE YEAR)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgikUszuNcZVQ-nVeluLCmIc7eMtvYlObfeEXnnAoUqmiAA-m3b3gvO06cC2Em4MjPmhah_daFxSXD5uBXIJq-YQpKag0pfTUQ7ADVNav4Ock8q6p53s29XCAsC3HdXej1PECZtvx2XSE/s1600/Pot+Trio+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgikUszuNcZVQ-nVeluLCmIc7eMtvYlObfeEXnnAoUqmiAA-m3b3gvO06cC2Em4MjPmhah_daFxSXD5uBXIJq-YQpKag0pfTUQ7ADVNav4Ock8q6p53s29XCAsC3HdXej1PECZtvx2XSE/s400/Pot+Trio+2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
</div>
meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-37574299702516169342013-05-02T14:26:00.000-04:002013-05-02T14:26:01.458-04:00Answering the call... <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have officially lived in our house for 3 years. For some (read: most) families, 3 years is not that long. For our little family, 3 years is a lifetime. A.J. and I moved 4 times in the first 4 years of our marriage for various job and life opportunities. I wouldn't change a single decision, but my good friend Ann's father used to say "Don't move near Meghan, her stuff's on wheels"! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we moved in to our townhouse I was thrilled when we got to the point where the house felt fully decorated. Curtains hung - check. Pictures on the wall - check. Walls painted - check. But now that we've been here awhile, I hear the house whispering for a refresh. So as life is giving us a little pocket of downtime, I'm answering the decorating call by starting in the kitchen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY2gBfRU-koflkSsxZlG1DOMOEgd6_zV5KhsO7senrtZv5M4WiI3MFs4I6jDplilp6hWl88k7ogeh4vMJ5SAhEGKV59N5PcGgQA8n-zdzkm5ZItiu7YMyh1xzFwF5QQIQbSdShC2MgyE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-02+at+2.16.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyY2gBfRU-koflkSsxZlG1DOMOEgd6_zV5KhsO7senrtZv5M4WiI3MFs4I6jDplilp6hWl88k7ogeh4vMJ5SAhEGKV59N5PcGgQA8n-zdzkm5ZItiu7YMyh1xzFwF5QQIQbSdShC2MgyE/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-05-02+at+2.16.35+PM.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These pictures have hung in every house we've lived in, and they were my first big decorative purchase for our first house. I have a vivid memory of painting the gold frames black in the bumpy driveway of our sweet house on Skipwith Rd. If you look around you'll see these prints everywhere, but I love them for all the good sentimental reasons. They're getting packed away for now, but will hopefully make a return to the walls in the future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The need for more photo space and the desire to display some of the art we've collected over the past few years led me to this final product...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6RtYVb5zu2Gpasm6dDKY3g0wFw2WVNYLK3PxDWtkWDtJ4tIrwA2Hu_h7rt33bkzOa0av3XrNi8sUcM7U-H2ZJL9H6K2gxaLB7PyOHAUTfE8lYdpWCdT8uVV7PeW4Md5YxvNQtRHXd6w/s1600/cow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6RtYVb5zu2Gpasm6dDKY3g0wFw2WVNYLK3PxDWtkWDtJ4tIrwA2Hu_h7rt33bkzOa0av3XrNi8sUcM7U-H2ZJL9H6K2gxaLB7PyOHAUTfE8lYdpWCdT8uVV7PeW4Md5YxvNQtRHXd6w/s400/cow.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDC8F9IR59UGlg9jT3lHLO1zRw5fu1q_b60b__eNm7cq-GTcgmh6dRKR-wvhx8pOTPVwLfnlTeMjZ94O-55hNwalN8DeBQGLxmA4I0ksBh0POIRKdlb5cD1X_iixDOFMyXObYkUCz3qI/s1600/other+side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDC8F9IR59UGlg9jT3lHLO1zRw5fu1q_b60b__eNm7cq-GTcgmh6dRKR-wvhx8pOTPVwLfnlTeMjZ94O-55hNwalN8DeBQGLxmA4I0ksBh0POIRKdlb5cD1X_iixDOFMyXObYkUCz3qI/s400/other+side.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCQaSylkWoCxoJgbtk6-sI-jnAxmJyhbIwBD6j2LM798lOo7I2_NSO9n8XgOQpwF75LhhHOoIvVLdhdbi-VYVxXtHKF8K5aLT39Y-I23UVTbz2T0tHlaBmXP-RGdt72Ro66Vz7XRTQDM/s1600/total.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCQaSylkWoCxoJgbtk6-sI-jnAxmJyhbIwBD6j2LM798lOo7I2_NSO9n8XgOQpwF75LhhHOoIvVLdhdbi-VYVxXtHKF8K5aLT39Y-I23UVTbz2T0tHlaBmXP-RGdt72Ro66Vz7XRTQDM/s400/total.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry for the weird pic - I had a hard time getting everything in the shot!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notes:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm obsessed with these <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20126065/" target="_blank">picture ledges</a> from Ikea - they're streamlined, affordable and provide some creative space to lean frames or put small items on display. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My girlfriend Jessie gave me the awesome birthday gift of a class at <a href="http://wineanddesignus.com/Richmond.html" target="_blank">Wine and Design</a> in Richmond. We spent a lovely afternoon in March sipping Prosecco and painting stress-free Cow faces. Sounds weird, but trust me, it was so fun. I named my cow <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boyers-Ice-Cream-and-Coffee/35550959542" target="_blank">Boyer</a> after the very best Richmond ice cream shop in all the land. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Fork is a personal favorite. Whenever we go back to Nashville, my husband's hometown, we try to eat at one of the <a href="http://nashvilleoriginals.com/" target="_blank">Nashville Originals</a> restaurant. The city is onto something - local restauranteurs have joined together to increase the visibility of local restaurants as more and more chain restaurants pop up. We were at Tin Angel and I saw this cool poster hanging on the wall. Once we were back in MD, I looked on the website to see if I could purchase a print. No luck. I took a stab in the dark and called the restaurant. I spoke to the owner and he told me that they weren't for sale, but that he had a few extras in his office and he'd be happy to give me one. Score! I love generous people. My mother-in-law was still living in TN at the time, so she picked it up and now it hangs on our walls as a fun reminder of A.J.'s southern roots, good food and the importance of supporting local business.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The clipboard is there to display all of the future artwork that Drew creates. I'm basically counting the days until he's old enough to wield a crayon. Coloring was such a great part of my childhood, and I can't wait to share that creative time with Drew. For the record, I was an in-the-lines colorer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn't find a cork board that I liked, so I bought a frame, removed the glass and bought cork to fit. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drew's big-headed silhouette makes me smile every time I see it. It also reminds me of the silhouette wall in my grandparents' house - my mom is the oldest of 5, and I have a strong memory of seeing the collection of 5 sweet girl profiles on their walls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Between this new display, the removal of Drew's exersaucer (hallelujah!) and the addition of an easel (future project) and new rug, the kitchen is feeling fresh and new. Maybe this new eye candy will inspire me to cook a little more - I'm doubtful, but hopeful!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-57026787743254729172012-05-04T09:51:00.000-04:002012-05-04T09:51:04.565-04:00Nap Time Projects: Canister UpgradeA fun project came to mind that was inspired by <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=78404&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS&color=whi" target="_blank">Anthropologie's monogrammed mugs</a>, which I love. (We have a set of 4 - A, M, F, L - that are in heavy rotation. I was secretly (or not so secretly) sad that I didn't have to add a new one when the baby was born since he already shares an "A" initial with my husband, but then I thought... should I buy a "D" since we call him Drew... but that's a question for a different post. )<br />
<br />
I love the simple B&W design from the mugs and thought I'd use that look to give our current address a shout-out in the kitchen. We have officially lived in MD longer than any other city during our married life. I've hung curtains this time. There is furniture in all of our rooms. We've made it through two, count 'em two, rounds of seasons in our house. The house to-do list has gotten shorter instead of longer. While I don't regret a single move that we've made, it's also been awesome to relax a bit knowing that we're going to be in our home for more than a mili-second. My best friend's dad once told her (jokingly) not to move near us b/c "Meghan and A.J. have their stuff on wheels".<br />
<br />
I found this <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/ACJInspirations" target="_blank">awesome shop on Etsy </a>that makes decals. The best part is the decals are removable, so should we move one day, I can take them off without a lot of hassle. I also think the canisters would look cute with descriptive decals on them as well (flour, rice, etc.) and my decoration-ADD may get the best of me and require a design change one day.<br />
<br />Here's how it all went down:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVKaRIF4jreSP5R7kTynABqa2lUerlwN6U1pBlu60Z3FWZvEbBJ_tS7gGzPYt3zkw1vtxUOsnQphcjAs7zdAhtgqvgT3EyW0VNHb7GfDBPLQDSSgUOwl4wVcJacTzxGcJryTpRwtkjBQ/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVKaRIF4jreSP5R7kTynABqa2lUerlwN6U1pBlu60Z3FWZvEbBJ_tS7gGzPYt3zkw1vtxUOsnQphcjAs7zdAhtgqvgT3EyW0VNHb7GfDBPLQDSSgUOwl4wVcJacTzxGcJryTpRwtkjBQ/s400/Picture+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The decals came with easy instructions and a good ol' handy Popsicle stick for application.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA54ibssz_sugnndhIIC9Bo-4F_-gzmKsO9Eouy69KA3gxANeyiz2eTlv7fy-jWrbJNNY1yRFimiBLBHsntBCkjk9PeiTwl_AcXTYNFf5ym46HXfohZrSXZ6jjsl-_MbOqqBRPwCVN0E/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA54ibssz_sugnndhIIC9Bo-4F_-gzmKsO9Eouy69KA3gxANeyiz2eTlv7fy-jWrbJNNY1yRFimiBLBHsntBCkjk9PeiTwl_AcXTYNFf5ym46HXfohZrSXZ6jjsl-_MbOqqBRPwCVN0E/s400/Picture+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I eyeballed the position of the numbers. I was most concerned with their placement vertically. Horizontal placement didn't matter since the canisters are round. :) Once the number was positioned, I pressed the decal onto the glass working from the center out, making sure to press out as many bubbles as possible.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFrzE8-ClKBzzEAfZ-pyd3RuE2l2JrwCKBJocOsi3evfFGs2M5-Sv0GqjF5_hl2GRU42Yd3T4E3e3Iq3V-itc3wkbMlDbkHvwe7AL_zk6dHi1ZqtaBSFJCeYLoqgPMl1uvWjfYSluD94/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFrzE8-ClKBzzEAfZ-pyd3RuE2l2JrwCKBJocOsi3evfFGs2M5-Sv0GqjF5_hl2GRU42Yd3T4E3e3Iq3V-itc3wkbMlDbkHvwe7AL_zk6dHi1ZqtaBSFJCeYLoqgPMl1uvWjfYSluD94/s400/Picture+3.png" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Slowly, you remove the paper starting from a top corner.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvepYmkxGUnHi2DKFrPzLfWBXtw0QQu0qupLsNgKpvu-tJWFrZiaQjYbenLhqvTmLAfc5AtBWg_ANj43Y-jIWVen4IGA1W0Z1V9mFl2UG_JO4yr3oCNb2Q9DqmwdvDfts6o2L5zfzFm-8/s1600/Picture+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvepYmkxGUnHi2DKFrPzLfWBXtw0QQu0qupLsNgKpvu-tJWFrZiaQjYbenLhqvTmLAfc5AtBWg_ANj43Y-jIWVen4IGA1W0Z1V9mFl2UG_JO4yr3oCNb2Q9DqmwdvDfts6o2L5zfzFm-8/s400/Picture+4.png" width="307" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjkykl5ZMQout6J8abkDl9SUfmU-YDCYezgcGrQl0mC215ioJtgLHa60idcYuAUVmdFsTvJlw5nEpVpDFFHFZQ2Gtgpr_SDjXz-yZNDwCpHXzVfY3FDtB9hGlZIIGRFk9UTFB5dyqAo0/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjkykl5ZMQout6J8abkDl9SUfmU-YDCYezgcGrQl0mC215ioJtgLHa60idcYuAUVmdFsTvJlw5nEpVpDFFHFZQ2Gtgpr_SDjXz-yZNDwCpHXzVfY3FDtB9hGlZIIGRFk9UTFB5dyqAo0/s400/Picture+5.png" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Ta-Da! Finished project. I love the finished look. I love that this little makeover cost $9. And I really love that I was able to do this during one of the baby's naps!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7WMuiO2iQ_sKq8jeYMlGqjgjE4xirB2Zlr94uNAe94dhbYh1ujvcPHgPrW_srpKIbYXoXbyf8tP0jyOEUWFJCo_87MIEYLB7E0t4fd9zi0Hrg3twG6OogdjtuzQi3UrSqD4YJ5G5_7k/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7WMuiO2iQ_sKq8jeYMlGqjgjE4xirB2Zlr94uNAe94dhbYh1ujvcPHgPrW_srpKIbYXoXbyf8tP0jyOEUWFJCo_87MIEYLB7E0t4fd9zi0Hrg3twG6OogdjtuzQi3UrSqD4YJ5G5_7k/s400/Picture+6.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
And here's what you all really came for, a random gratuitous picture of the Frank man. He's hanging in there since the baby's arrival. I sometimes think he wishes Drew would take the next train headed for Babyville, but for the most part, I think he's happy. I mean, who are we kidding, Frank still lives the life of a little puppy prince.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp57x8L45LJo4qG0KnIwE47VjcS2qDM_e5wVkplUE6bbvqhpmTH_svvgyRTg4RwBw7pG3Vvj0C8_WYZpKFoVsrwf34Aw6DKEkxIGB5LpyKTUPyzup7eia93T7a7-fhP8FHDizXtIdeYQ/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPp57x8L45LJo4qG0KnIwE47VjcS2qDM_e5wVkplUE6bbvqhpmTH_svvgyRTg4RwBw7pG3Vvj0C8_WYZpKFoVsrwf34Aw6DKEkxIGB5LpyKTUPyzup7eia93T7a7-fhP8FHDizXtIdeYQ/s640/Picture+2.png" width="472" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-89123388897803234702012-03-26T23:45:00.000-04:002012-03-26T23:45:59.187-04:00Hearts All Over the World.February was an awesome month - chaotic, emotional, joy-filled and life-changing. My little man Drew is a real sweetie and we are slowly figuring out what our new version of life looks like.<br />
<br />
As I adjust to life as a stay-at-home mama, I want to make sure my projects aren't completely replaced by diaper changes. My goal is to post one new thing once a week. That sounds small but I'm learning that is a big goal when your free time is limited. That means I'll need projects to be in the works and I'll need to be carving out time to think about future creative ventures. Growing up my violin teacher used to say "Practice makes Permanent", so I'm hoping to create a little blogging habit over the next few months.<br />
<br />
To make the transition easier, I'm going to start by posting about the projects I completed during pregnancy. Many of the projects were ideas I found on the best site ever created. When I have my next child I would seriously considering naming him or her "Pinterest" (a nice gender-neutral-celebrity-kid-worthy name, right?) I love the site THAT much.<br />
<br />
Let's start with the easiest projcet I've done in a long time: HEART CRAYONS. I saw <a href="http://www.4men1lady.com/2012/01/valentines-day-project-1_30.html" target="_blank">this idea</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> and was impressed by how polished, and seemingly easy, the project looked. I had found heart-shaped baking molds in the $1 Spot at Target a few years back and still had not used them for baking. The thought of actually using the molds made my heart skip a beat. That's the heart of an organizer/planner/weirdo I know. It turns out this project WAS easy and it used up all of the old, junky crayons that had worked their way to the back of the shelf. Finding a use for these wayward crayons was another heart-skipping-moment.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgVQaV2xdUKBzEeixsOvgtjHKXR-rRMEIm4CmcxIwJdHF91X2LeM56RQDvmH-WEUTPaApgb9HNrbXvGULuWjstPsVKql55WYvQBCfJB16K2Wp8G210PA_uYBNomCraWbjmE7dh25HI4Q/s1600/Picture+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgVQaV2xdUKBzEeixsOvgtjHKXR-rRMEIm4CmcxIwJdHF91X2LeM56RQDvmH-WEUTPaApgb9HNrbXvGULuWjstPsVKql55WYvQBCfJB16K2Wp8G210PA_uYBNomCraWbjmE7dh25HI4Q/s320/Picture+10.png" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<br />
TIP:<br />
1. When removing the labels from your crayons....<br />
I used my fingernails and they were destroyed. A good friend came up with the ingenuous idea of slicing the label with a small razor blade. So much smarter and faster.<br />
<br />
2. If you don't have crayons lying around and need to buy new ones, I would think cheap-o ones from the Dollar Store would work just as well as the more expensive Crayola crayons. No one needs to know!<br />
<br />
3. Always keep an eye on the dollar bins at your favorite stores...some of my most fun projects have used materials from these spots.<br />
<br />
I can't wait to pull these out next February as valentines for all of Drew's lil' buddies. It's mind-boggling to think he will be ONE and will be able to maneuver these crayons with his little chubby baby hands (which are currently shoved in his mouth as he tries to find his thumb!)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gnQ7GYN-6ghEe6CiG4f183sPXC0hntvr1ZCpY-4dxKQqw-ZhSjLQUhFAntApMan0Kpb04fEOJ16AXI5euKq65PsT0KbhAlDJeYgE7GT9RksDnPv9X26GFQjLT8JetWGJFLeIGjM0pB4/s1600/Picture+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strike><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gnQ7GYN-6ghEe6CiG4f183sPXC0hntvr1ZCpY-4dxKQqw-ZhSjLQUhFAntApMan0Kpb04fEOJ16AXI5euKq65PsT0KbhAlDJeYgE7GT9RksDnPv9X26GFQjLT8JetWGJFLeIGjM0pB4/s400/Picture+11.png" width="400" /></strike></a></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-4675819958580062732012-01-21T11:59:00.001-05:002012-01-27T09:54:26.753-05:00Push Pin Project - eat your heart out Martha Stewart<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite her criminal tendencies, I love me some Martha Stewart, especially her line of crafting tools and embellishments at Michael's. Over the last few years I've been stock piling button stickers from her line. I literally bought a pack every time I went into the store in fear that they would one day run out and my life would end. At some point I snapped out of this nutso behavior, and stopped buying once I had acquired 15-20 packs. Not something I'm proud of, but I want to give you a peak through the small window into my craft-supply-hoarding tendencies. ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hung a bulletin board over the baby's book shelves for future pictures and artwork, and I wanted to spice up the board in some way. I decided to make push pins out of the beloved button stickers - and fortunately, the project took a matter of 10 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Directions: (take notes, it's complicated.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Take two matching stickers and stick them together so it's a double sided button with no sticky side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Pull out the glue gun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Put a small dab of glue on a normal push pin and smooshed that bad boy to the stickers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Voila - button push pins!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCPvILN4l-J9s0HeaDGiSc90m6OPYhwX9spJ0TjKpJww_hK3vyCed2h2g3tdotalb2R-XgFDtJRGfUagKRntBB6Qx8489AD0UWS911Cy_M60L8BckEKNsK5xNXCfTLUiUAcwWgSDS4ns/s1600/IMG_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCPvILN4l-J9s0HeaDGiSc90m6OPYhwX9spJ0TjKpJww_hK3vyCed2h2g3tdotalb2R-XgFDtJRGfUagKRntBB6Qx8489AD0UWS911Cy_M60L8BckEKNsK5xNXCfTLUiUAcwWgSDS4ns/s320/IMG_0120.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDh_6iG3AkoT8V40T2M-cnUws1F2oNbV9wCiJB2WbFpoXO8BQN2z4KEnuYUM-BuXubcwVqGnWABtw7qRy77LYHZdicTRfBXnB0fYCCkPvIs6_8dY75V1fdZHfiyuQO4RHW_FEB09hQMtQ/s1600/IMG_0121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDh_6iG3AkoT8V40T2M-cnUws1F2oNbV9wCiJB2WbFpoXO8BQN2z4KEnuYUM-BuXubcwVqGnWABtw7qRy77LYHZdicTRfBXnB0fYCCkPvIs6_8dY75V1fdZHfiyuQO4RHW_FEB09hQMtQ/s320/IMG_0121.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk95t3wZ5x3dH7X_qHdyJkI-YewVr-czwMgnsA28tQdE9-DoTMEiQIcBzDJgZts_PucnK5ZguRWt0iBc42PMGUtqRcNC2spRqrfD_iCRMbptg2r8uX3tMfZR7zWauH04Ur3O9BTOzkaMc/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk95t3wZ5x3dH7X_qHdyJkI-YewVr-czwMgnsA28tQdE9-DoTMEiQIcBzDJgZts_PucnK5ZguRWt0iBc42PMGUtqRcNC2spRqrfD_iCRMbptg2r8uX3tMfZR7zWauH04Ur3O9BTOzkaMc/s320/IMG_0124.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDcwlr8h7yE6ifaJkhvii9ZyonDPCDwbxXHO_W9OHz8uxV_iXJap8n-2py3rO1DQxi8sOMgWKMq2F687pYJjYyMzGekRoRzs5AlGjM_Ti6EQQi2vexkvbyujM1XnbR12wqqy7XT4SDsg/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDcwlr8h7yE6ifaJkhvii9ZyonDPCDwbxXHO_W9OHz8uxV_iXJap8n-2py3rO1DQxi8sOMgWKMq2F687pYJjYyMzGekRoRzs5AlGjM_Ti6EQQi2vexkvbyujM1XnbR12wqqy7XT4SDsg/s320/IMG_0125.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-14734204348150375972012-01-21T11:38:00.001-05:002012-01-24T21:52:51.265-05:00Leimabean Disaster<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As many of you know, the baby picked up the name "Leimabean" pretty early on in the pregnancy. Honestly, I was pretty pleased to find a fun nickname out of our tricky last name. Once the nickname stuck, I knew that there would be some sort of craft project involving Lima beans for the nursery. </span><div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, I tried cooking frozen Lima beans to see what they would look/feel like once they cooled/dried. Not pretty. Not craft project worthy. They would probably have grown mold on them by day 5. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I then went on the hunt for dried Lima beans. Giant didn't have them. Safeway didn't have them. I thought for sure Whole Foods would have them, but no luck. FINALLY I found some at My Organic Market. I brought them home, pulled out my blue spray paint and drop cloth and went to town. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided that the blue beans would be a cute "vase filler" for a few stalks of bamboo - and the project would take no time at all to pull together. Winner.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought my stalks, bought my vase and set up in the kitchen for what I thought would be a super easy project. I filled the vase halfway with the blue Lima beans, "planted" the bamboo and then filled the rest of the space with beans and water. It looked awesome and I checked the project off my list.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few hours later I was admiring my work, and noticed that the paint was starting to chip off some of the beans. A tad frustrated, I figured that would happen a little bit since I didn't put a sealant on the paint. Oh well, still looked cute. I put the vase up in the nursery.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next day I went into the nursery and found a bunch of blue Lima beans on the floor. At first I thought "Fraaaaaank" - b/c he's nosey, and has been especially curious of the baby's new room and toys. Then I looked at the vase and it was like all of the Lima beans had channeled the Incredible Hulk. The beans were growing and expanding and busting out of their blue shells. I was so confused, and then this college graduate had the lightbulb moment she should have had 3 days before - I was working with REAL beans that were used by 99.9% of the population for FOOD in soups and stews and normal recipes. When you add water to dried beans they are going to SOAK UP the water and expand. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luckily I found a compromise - once I hacked the bamboo to freedom, the second round of this project consisted of re-filling the vase with marbles, and then putting that vase in a larger vase of DRY blue Lima beans. Not my brightest moment.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6g-cLpcZwXW8utC0ywgWSzzkiwesKIdtmIgI7kIxqP0kIHlsStEuBtEXLS9cNGv3ABhi8J9Ql5B-ymYJbNPI6eJkawTHYTfeooOPdqR_dTlLrJkg7jqlLFV-i9UaVfKImbT-E5hn4liU/s1600/IMG_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6g-cLpcZwXW8utC0ywgWSzzkiwesKIdtmIgI7kIxqP0kIHlsStEuBtEXLS9cNGv3ABhi8J9Ql5B-ymYJbNPI6eJkawTHYTfeooOPdqR_dTlLrJkg7jqlLFV-i9UaVfKImbT-E5hn4liU/s320/IMG_0132.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YaLcoWWbpDEo_opl31skxOOaOhv-FW7frUriLY_x6Xf48DOONLizOL6TM_aDCj10CFfCYv9B2JMAEr7kJ5lt54Q6fLF2AG89SCVqUlafXOphwlchacGu1G2FBuuhliIrZyIW79kY4oY/s1600/IMG_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YaLcoWWbpDEo_opl31skxOOaOhv-FW7frUriLY_x6Xf48DOONLizOL6TM_aDCj10CFfCYv9B2JMAEr7kJ5lt54Q6fLF2AG89SCVqUlafXOphwlchacGu1G2FBuuhliIrZyIW79kY4oY/s320/IMG_0133.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJ_Q3eulYXIre0mhhV4CeloihWO4WqxZvhsmyOAnbZau5Br-m3ZqrjKktU06BQhDUdSk6Je-BSd4OoRro9oPqxVtg7vIcrItWCpiXCZZFenEAMl0wNsmcuw1GfOatqHN_KLXZCbMRn2A/s1600/IMG_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJ_Q3eulYXIre0mhhV4CeloihWO4WqxZvhsmyOAnbZau5Br-m3ZqrjKktU06BQhDUdSk6Je-BSd4OoRro9oPqxVtg7vIcrItWCpiXCZZFenEAMl0wNsmcuw1GfOatqHN_KLXZCbMRn2A/s320/IMG_0136.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVQakDbmC-KSpAXVC6a0yUT97cdXbxL0FYsY_gqKy1yEgGjvMw-4Q0U31wgnBRJ61HxneKLPUmL6N_59w0vqw1-vdZTNbRL6tUfkr6SSDR4ttKVeujBzl1zrJAy6uIIDuvh5Ey9HS0XE/s1600/DSC_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVQakDbmC-KSpAXVC6a0yUT97cdXbxL0FYsY_gqKy1yEgGjvMw-4Q0U31wgnBRJ61HxneKLPUmL6N_59w0vqw1-vdZTNbRL6tUfkr6SSDR4ttKVeujBzl1zrJAy6uIIDuvh5Ey9HS0XE/s400/DSC_0141.JPG" width="265" /></span></a></div><div><br />
</div></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-45964376936358258942012-01-18T16:07:00.000-05:002012-01-18T16:07:27.496-05:00Flying Franks<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of all of the baby gear you pick up and acquire over your pregnancy, the one item I was most excited about getting (aside from the baby!) was the mobile. And I knew just the person for the job when the time came to mobile-up the nursery - miss Helen Greenstein. Helen has an awesome online business - <a href="http://www.elenicreative.com/home.html" target="_blank">Eleni Creative</a> - where she creates and works with all things felt (think ornaments, capes, mobiles, stuffed animals, etc.). </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew there was only one felty animal that could fly above our baby's crib... it had to be flying Franks! Check out the six-pack of felty Franks below... </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLop44eIu7rCCjpvkN9firZNcCWY03QB0tz2dH3weDKA8YlkigAeyRy_Ucql4DEzNIrKjYNoPhbYBNm0Mxhbe_PepJ1oXgVWvxtKeHqB7JnZbdWjiE3qjWahnY-dU5j1x915v2xUm1qU/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLop44eIu7rCCjpvkN9firZNcCWY03QB0tz2dH3weDKA8YlkigAeyRy_Ucql4DEzNIrKjYNoPhbYBNm0Mxhbe_PepJ1oXgVWvxtKeHqB7JnZbdWjiE3qjWahnY-dU5j1x915v2xUm1qU/s400/DSC_0120.JPG" width="265" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB32iyZpmhFKBgf4gMHBqknCJFrIjKEfiY4_c_k7bxhHfUgqZv10seY0tL2CUNhNaw5FjaH8QHFhWCVT6HHZue0w0AFZwGG39exSU3Hx4gfhF2bHog4FOqiNQW2JWOU8gFmyJR1BtRFzA/s1600/DSC_0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB32iyZpmhFKBgf4gMHBqknCJFrIjKEfiY4_c_k7bxhHfUgqZv10seY0tL2CUNhNaw5FjaH8QHFhWCVT6HHZue0w0AFZwGG39exSU3Hx4gfhF2bHog4FOqiNQW2JWOU8gFmyJR1BtRFzA/s400/DSC_0126.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusN9wxpGRiZZ3-ahyGXDjZKzMgHLQ7JWyI-Pt8FHIiU68O0yeSjZGMQwgueIeMT311kodYCd_OJaX6X1O2cf7LIvyC_qCOCCm4VRD8-HtCwtqQtz0E-QhB4d-54bD763BbmB7CgBbYxU/s1600/DSC_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusN9wxpGRiZZ3-ahyGXDjZKzMgHLQ7JWyI-Pt8FHIiU68O0yeSjZGMQwgueIeMT311kodYCd_OJaX6X1O2cf7LIvyC_qCOCCm4VRD8-HtCwtqQtz0E-QhB4d-54bD763BbmB7CgBbYxU/s320/DSC_0106.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The dog. The myth. The legend.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></u></div><div><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Crayola Craftin'</span></u></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few people have asked about the colored pencil project above the changing table. This was one of the easiest DIY projects that I've done over the years - and was inspired by a West Elm print I had ripped out of a catalog many years ago. The print was simple - a collection of colored pencils - I loved the bright colors and knew that I'd be able to recreate on the cheap. I also have a slight obsession with new school supplies - think fresh boxes of markers and crayons with perfectly pointy tips - so adding some Crayola to the nursery was a no-brainer.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought a cheap white shadow box at JoAnn's, picked a background color from the scrapbook paper section and bought a big box of Crayola colored pencils (which I used my 40% off coupon on :) ) I fueled up the glue gun, decided on the order of the pencils and carefully glued them down with the label up. I knew my unsteady hand would not be able to line them up perfectly in a square, so I decided to have the crayons lay a bit askew. I think the entire project cost less than $10 and it adds a fun layer of color to the wall.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARraW3R_oOdOutPinwSkhAnQuhEHlAkgo20m2o9Gk4hsgKcb1CmFZPqLv9yBpGXO95nxklJdsiLGn1u_KB-Ag_anfxzsICjtS_PdzM1uavlG0uvZ-sFTxM6bWTV6W0Mf1b6Dmu5E9yYM/s1600/DSC_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhARraW3R_oOdOutPinwSkhAnQuhEHlAkgo20m2o9Gk4hsgKcb1CmFZPqLv9yBpGXO95nxklJdsiLGn1u_KB-Ag_anfxzsICjtS_PdzM1uavlG0uvZ-sFTxM6bWTV6W0Mf1b6Dmu5E9yYM/s400/DSC_0097.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmz8WutRDZUa5S2dRKc-Nql6Bm_ott9t-kCRhovhGj8fimB9UF2dZw0BU2ne7hLP0HpjgujdzpObIafSaf7jlCl-EuurFPQvI9fqXr77qaZjcJznB3tA_c_perKMVyQ3QAlkHBH1q74g/s1600/DSC_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmz8WutRDZUa5S2dRKc-Nql6Bm_ott9t-kCRhovhGj8fimB9UF2dZw0BU2ne7hLP0HpjgujdzpObIafSaf7jlCl-EuurFPQvI9fqXr77qaZjcJznB3tA_c_perKMVyQ3QAlkHBH1q74g/s400/DSC_0090.JPG" width="265" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpOS0spN3gjK2SrcN-IHyTAVkWjv4vQd4ZNzU4M4rpH78rWYaPcfkYSH_oCKtQljXmGZlouvzT9CqwalxUDtm8ZP-M7odv7rw6bz0P_-v6_THHtNeEtZDAkWQBfa2dX4vC8o6WDl-CKE/s1600/DSC_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpOS0spN3gjK2SrcN-IHyTAVkWjv4vQd4ZNzU4M4rpH78rWYaPcfkYSH_oCKtQljXmGZlouvzT9CqwalxUDtm8ZP-M7odv7rw6bz0P_-v6_THHtNeEtZDAkWQBfa2dX4vC8o6WDl-CKE/s400/DSC_0116.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbuDkW6H1oOIWJC_-ifgh78pFoqQfAi3CPFIstglE4myeAxltlSEHm_hg4wHnur8eqZNJ0KpmDrNcqpD8fAGMG3SqR_R5vPnuMcmbrhHo9lo5xIqFXyrL7qT9YldLJ88DkR06WieKAO0/s1600/DSC_0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbuDkW6H1oOIWJC_-ifgh78pFoqQfAi3CPFIstglE4myeAxltlSEHm_hg4wHnur8eqZNJ0KpmDrNcqpD8fAGMG3SqR_R5vPnuMcmbrhHo9lo5xIqFXyrL7qT9YldLJ88DkR06WieKAO0/s400/DSC_0119.JPG" width="265" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7xQQCXeV1ae_1MrmvRKT1n-dpm4_1TlMBUsFw7ACFfJ_6vD4i5EqRvUDiXr55kmcSO4eX07Aix8DCkpvgJ8Sc9IBuNuQrwxAlrcxH7oCpEswrgV7eR7NfZfURWUWhehPUh2WlgIlTTE/s1600/DSC_0134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7xQQCXeV1ae_1MrmvRKT1n-dpm4_1TlMBUsFw7ACFfJ_6vD4i5EqRvUDiXr55kmcSO4eX07Aix8DCkpvgJ8Sc9IBuNuQrwxAlrcxH7oCpEswrgV7eR7NfZfURWUWhehPUh2WlgIlTTE/s400/DSC_0134.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div><br />
</div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-11176648767324251672012-01-16T23:29:00.000-05:002012-01-16T23:29:19.906-05:00Leimabean's Nursery<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ta-Da!! Mission accomplished. I finished the nursery before the Bean made his big appearance. (Insert major sigh of relief).</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm so happy with how the nursery came together. The vision I had in my mind shifted and morphed over the last 8 months, but the final product is just right. I wanted a space that felt calm and soothing, yet really happy and cheerful. Over time I was able to find the right pieces to fit the small space, and I was able to wield my glue gun a few times to make some special "DIY" projects that add a really personal touch.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Believe me, I know a newborn does not need a room with all of these bells & whistles. He will not appreciate the specific shade of gray on the walls. He will not care that I had glue gun burns from securing colored pencils into a shadow box. But I figure, A.J. and I will be hanging out in there a lot - at all hours of the day and night - and I wanted the space to be a place that all three of us would enjoy. Besides, it was fun pouring love into the room where my little man will sleep and grow and wiggle and laugh (and maybe cry on occasion ;) ) A true labor of love.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to break the posts down into a few entries, because I feel a novel coming on, but here are a few pics from the Leimabean's new digs. More about the details to come soon... </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XYzn-5qWN25Cvouyo-n2fC73CVutTyzezkyw3GGOAEgnyhZobDwkCDGWOz4LOdtuc-dvWAXgGCk7hzovSBElUF5dIDRdtA5oOmjfAkOPtEqaZyz2XNgTAH2bvDBz4ekOlcWle157WQw/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XYzn-5qWN25Cvouyo-n2fC73CVutTyzezkyw3GGOAEgnyhZobDwkCDGWOz4LOdtuc-dvWAXgGCk7hzovSBElUF5dIDRdtA5oOmjfAkOPtEqaZyz2XNgTAH2bvDBz4ekOlcWle157WQw/s320/DSC_0120.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTbRgMnBgHTxqkzRHGHAHDxQqUKhce2iGJkBvf_XRm7Wh8h-6CpQ7x67b6eiBgwtYgk53PZpXYnIME1LQR6kDVmtLG-NzthO-NIw2izYv8qkpiAAPmKEH6azc1AJrgLWGm16X1aZ11vs/s1600/DSC_0121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTbRgMnBgHTxqkzRHGHAHDxQqUKhce2iGJkBvf_XRm7Wh8h-6CpQ7x67b6eiBgwtYgk53PZpXYnIME1LQR6kDVmtLG-NzthO-NIw2izYv8qkpiAAPmKEH6azc1AJrgLWGm16X1aZ11vs/s320/DSC_0121.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reading nook. The tuffets are from Land of Nod, and I stole the book shelving idea from Pinterest. (God bless Pinterest!) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOlfoEpwkdky0v2kvES2BSBrnTm691kLg5icnbiAQCD_ZeutkwpY2FlCat778nNgD2szDN5if5TsUzZsTLAMosJXW-uTbiYqPs2VFI2bhH5QUNA7ysp6m6QW85Kv7tENvVsvRp4543Bs/s1600/DSC_0127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOlfoEpwkdky0v2kvES2BSBrnTm691kLg5icnbiAQCD_ZeutkwpY2FlCat778nNgD2szDN5if5TsUzZsTLAMosJXW-uTbiYqPs2VFI2bhH5QUNA7ysp6m6QW85Kv7tENvVsvRp4543Bs/s320/DSC_0127.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I picked up the Alphabet at Trohv in Baltimore, the dog print was a postcard for a Doggie Daycare that I picked up last year (!!!), and the other two prints were cards I received throughout the pregnancy. The little booties were handmade by A.J.'s grandmother over 50 years ago! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFjatsXL4hck0PNkVN_ON7BQIRmJ0kl4NyLRRNbZMbvBtpc1-t-fnIozz-aYrclhxt7yNHEsLmeHF-mdNcYCslybC0K1CgvoiE6Rs-5gduPTWQ6U7HWLCtJupO2aoeisz3x82JxwlLr4/s1600/DSC_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFjatsXL4hck0PNkVN_ON7BQIRmJ0kl4NyLRRNbZMbvBtpc1-t-fnIozz-aYrclhxt7yNHEsLmeHF-mdNcYCslybC0K1CgvoiE6Rs-5gduPTWQ6U7HWLCtJupO2aoeisz3x82JxwlLr4/s320/DSC_0133.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The colored pencil project was super easy (I'll post directions soon), the yellow Wellies were a favorite shower gift that I couldn't keep in the box, the giraffe print I found on Etsy and the rest of the frames wait anxiously for pics of our little man. Everything is center a bit high to hopefully avoid tiny hands reaching up and yanking things down during diaper changes. A girl can dream.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjzM8DCyaRzJvvT3RfHaGJSKL_DTTgSNrDkvxwpbErVETyjZU0WUmnhjkW-uEw7OdSfZ79bbCVssAiuAOeej94_Ofy6G9Azq2q3DOO8AhRmo2uVIdLVYQHQD6KpJ5iFarbTq3l5XIhwg/s1600/DSC_0139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjzM8DCyaRzJvvT3RfHaGJSKL_DTTgSNrDkvxwpbErVETyjZU0WUmnhjkW-uEw7OdSfZ79bbCVssAiuAOeej94_Ofy6G9Azq2q3DOO8AhRmo2uVIdLVYQHQD6KpJ5iFarbTq3l5XIhwg/s320/DSC_0139.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We needed a LITTLE side table to put near the chair, and this Urban Outfitters piece does the trick. The bamboo is planted in marbles and blue Lima Beans (funny story about them later.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those wondering, we're just 2.5 weeks away from my due date...02/03/12. I'm super excited to meet the little guy, but have been staying pretty comfortable, and I think the babe is pretty comfortable as well. I have a feeling we'll be by-passing 2/3....</span></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-59426368031532245112011-10-11T22:04:00.000-04:002011-10-11T22:04:02.622-04:00Yarn Ball Magic. Hold onto your seats.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a two part post about yarn. Yawn city, I know.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part I:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few months ago my friend Jackie and I took a knitting class. The week before we tried a hippy-mom-yoga class. We were in a "let's try this..." mode. We took the class at JoAnn Fabrics, and we were the two youngest class members by at least 30 years. Shocking.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I learned a few things that night:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Knitting is hard</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) You don't want your needle to slip out of your hands or else all hell breaks loose</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) I'm not a knitter</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jackie on the other hand may be whipping up a complete afghan for her baby right now as I type... she totally got the hang of it! I came home and put my new yellow yarn in the "yarn box". This box has been around since college when I went through a "crochet stage" with my friend Ann. That stage lasted a little longer and I was good enough that Christmas that year was fondly referred to as "Megs gives everyone a scarf" Xmas. Sad to say, my skills got rusty and all of the yarn has been sitting in a box for years.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part II:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was recently in my favorite <a href="http://trohvshop.com/">Baltimore shop</a> (Trohv, formerly known as Red Tree) and saw these cute yarn balls. I immediately thought that they would be perfect for the "nook" in our living room. (The nook is the bane of my existence. It's a nice architectural touch in theory, but I have not figured one decent thing to put in there since we moved in almost two years ago.)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLnyGBI5K1YltjjTIdHJ30-fXi1PRWlO3ZcwKD-WHj-aUqhN5rJK-nwtC0cfXGMPNjwFtdL75pLZCLbhcjOrYSFKtBazN8BdcgeTKIDLvcTaxoiM-em_QEJevchXX9eiCDMWe41a3PJQ/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLnyGBI5K1YltjjTIdHJ30-fXi1PRWlO3ZcwKD-WHj-aUqhN5rJK-nwtC0cfXGMPNjwFtdL75pLZCLbhcjOrYSFKtBazN8BdcgeTKIDLvcTaxoiM-em_QEJevchXX9eiCDMWe41a3PJQ/s320/Picture+3.png" width="295" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After admiring Trohv's $14.50/piece yarn balls for about 5 minutes it finally came to me - I could make something similar on the cheap. (The Oprah a-HA moment was a little bit delayed, but I blame that on the Leimabean sucking brain cells on a daily basis.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spotting the Trohv yarn balls was going to solve two problems for me:</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. I would use up the dusty yarn box supply that had been taunting me from the craft room</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. I would finally have something to put in the d*mn living room nook.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what I did:</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 1: Load up on Styrofoam balls in different sizes. You could make the yarn balls from scratch, but I figured I would be winding yarn until the cows came home. This is a cheap, time-saving trick.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rdXJMVr3I_h9LPcjskti5bmNB9H0Dp4Y1qnFQBhTUJiBfhPNQ92FuPvxHGmlLTIDTI4q3ChmEplOj_Y2EBUAIOgKyHd28atDz9N2weLj8Et9OdhyZCNvJiLn6HUhTTcgWw4FkoQ8WAM/s1600/Picture+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rdXJMVr3I_h9LPcjskti5bmNB9H0Dp4Y1qnFQBhTUJiBfhPNQ92FuPvxHGmlLTIDTI4q3ChmEplOj_Y2EBUAIOgKyHd28atDz9N2weLj8Et9OdhyZCNvJiLn6HUhTTcgWw4FkoQ8WAM/s320/Picture+7.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 2: Buy fun yarn in different colors/textures. (or deplete your yarn box supply)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SDQ2-VITF7RHWitbsGXLdJQhTuxeTYlEL0HFmLCplwFetdfxGwAy4n0BjmdYCklRoljT4qSN4JrSAXiwdGmUl0xVjSjnCBZFuwdNPR50hRxZrARN1Ol7dPhwblN_h_XDRT53q-zpmso/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SDQ2-VITF7RHWitbsGXLdJQhTuxeTYlEL0HFmLCplwFetdfxGwAy4n0BjmdYCklRoljT4qSN4JrSAXiwdGmUl0xVjSjnCBZFuwdNPR50hRxZrARN1Ol7dPhwblN_h_XDRT53q-zpmso/s320/Picture+6.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 3: Start winding. The Styrofoam is sticky so you don't need glue. You just stick the end of the yarn on the Styrofoam, start turning and then tuck in your finished end when you've sufficiently covered the surface.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzIXoVciYTmjrNwHawnbai89ac4FLMkdaTwlOYp-oFyZjIDaObEzmN21ThVdHydplnsI4rh_5uA4ELdvJCQRobi4YwYeiuwh3P5sFu3Rn05VoRr9MTHzK11TqC8AWBQjT5dNAL3nDb7o/s1600/Picture+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzIXoVciYTmjrNwHawnbai89ac4FLMkdaTwlOYp-oFyZjIDaObEzmN21ThVdHydplnsI4rh_5uA4ELdvJCQRobi4YwYeiuwh3P5sFu3Rn05VoRr9MTHzK11TqC8AWBQjT5dNAL3nDb7o/s320/Picture+8.png" width="155" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Step 4: Sit back and enjoy your yarn ball magic. The best part is once I started winding, the entire project took less than an hour. My kind of project.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know it's a bit kitschy looking, but for the time being I love it and imagine how broke I would be if I had to stock up on Trohv yarn balls? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7dFRKN2mJAPbNGeRc3ltXa2q-5dB6EieF2qQ6b9hGQlQ3ISLU2Mq48n9UWwdRRAgbcqKzm3vxfaHf6StQhCytKaTYad6P59pcqVPg86WXB4GFFPqslDMIUqhzDjPskAkmO6fevSf1Qg/s1600/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7dFRKN2mJAPbNGeRc3ltXa2q-5dB6EieF2qQ6b9hGQlQ3ISLU2Mq48n9UWwdRRAgbcqKzm3vxfaHf6StQhCytKaTYad6P59pcqVPg86WXB4GFFPqslDMIUqhzDjPskAkmO6fevSf1Qg/s320/Picture+9.png" width="225" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And for kicks, here's a fun pic of Frank resting his head on the top step.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ2N2t-8yDggAYz6XRxb7-tsVz-Ho190AmwojM9wMBaEljFOyLC6MZYWe2GzczAlupCSi9XlBS-Fq4zeDOYHnY1OIuqqKe4MrTQjbcfQmPWl9SHtZXhKe7_afzzfEf-cHDNMPcTcraNM/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ2N2t-8yDggAYz6XRxb7-tsVz-Ho190AmwojM9wMBaEljFOyLC6MZYWe2GzczAlupCSi9XlBS-Fq4zeDOYHnY1OIuqqKe4MrTQjbcfQmPWl9SHtZXhKe7_afzzfEf-cHDNMPcTcraNM/s320/Picture+5.png" width="318" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-35697276876729436982011-07-15T22:00:00.000-04:002011-07-15T22:00:10.530-04:00Shower PowerHi guys. It's been a while. Again I'm here with a non-Frank post, but I had to share some fun pics from a fun party I helped throw for a fun mom-to-be.<br />
<br />
One of my dearest friends Jessie had a baby last week (hi Jake!) so this post is dedicated to the 8lb. hunk-a-hunk-a-burning love.<br />
<br />
I remember the day J told me she was pregnant, I instantly started brainstorming ideas for her shower. We have always shared similar feelings about wedding and baby showers. Lots of food? Good. Lots of dessert? Great. Two hours of watching-the-pregnant-girl-open-onsies? Not so much. I knew exactly the type of party to throw for Jessie. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Since I live in MD, and J lives in Richmond, the logistics of throwing a RIC shower were a little tricky. Luckily, J's good friend Ryan was up for the challenge of planning a "destination" shower with me, and fortunately, her good friend Cody opened up her fabulous newly-renovated Fan home for the party.<br />
<br />
I wish I had taken a picture of the car trunk. Here's a visual: two bags of white candles, three bags of candle holders, candle sticks, votive holders. One overflowing bag of candy. Three folding tables. 18 folding chairs. 1 white dog riding shot-gun.<br />
<br />
It was a great night shared with some wonderful women. We were so happy to celebrate Jessie and the soon-to-be Jacob Henry in style.<br />
<br />
Here are some pics:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcihWBKwl-oqWSd_C-jgEfwnWQTnlSusAwLuobdwNLaynTLnluNVO_Tzp17x1sDFcCvwVkHUxO-I_3Csyi7Ym5rfTH7t7r_v55z5FaihvM7CDUVC4TRhaopPnv_V74grLWrm4-kYZI4c/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcihWBKwl-oqWSd_C-jgEfwnWQTnlSusAwLuobdwNLaynTLnluNVO_Tzp17x1sDFcCvwVkHUxO-I_3Csyi7Ym5rfTH7t7r_v55z5FaihvM7CDUVC4TRhaopPnv_V74grLWrm4-kYZI4c/s320/Picture+3.png" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The money shot. Check out Cody's fabulous chandelier! Thanks to the space, we were able to have a seated dinner for 18.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWW5clXvG-VXSjYsmv42P3IreBs7Gb2e7QCOtevFMmo-TcfY4IMSwFqMrAm_XJFHzVJ7Y7G53MUiacuhcZQFFiZ3MtseWEyVom97Z3A6iyEwlQ0dtSLX6VE6Gktyq5uLHSHdJZW6Tpos/s1600/Picture+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWW5clXvG-VXSjYsmv42P3IreBs7Gb2e7QCOtevFMmo-TcfY4IMSwFqMrAm_XJFHzVJ7Y7G53MUiacuhcZQFFiZ3MtseWEyVom97Z3A6iyEwlQ0dtSLX6VE6Gktyq5uLHSHdJZW6Tpos/s320/Picture+4.png" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We asked guests to bring their gifts unwrapped. We had them on display in the dining room so guests could see the goods.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hG0txIB0YJiJQJzuUQW7HLTn2KT5pGFAq78p1uLzyOCia2LY0UdOwHifWeDopVExyGivVtNLnPH2L6pIeE1go5pPw4ijHotY5Kn1fp_BcP2_5ovdDNAgNV6Ae8e1dOe6ikmU2Qc5h9I/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hG0txIB0YJiJQJzuUQW7HLTn2KT5pGFAq78p1uLzyOCia2LY0UdOwHifWeDopVExyGivVtNLnPH2L6pIeE1go5pPw4ijHotY5Kn1fp_BcP2_5ovdDNAgNV6Ae8e1dOe6ikmU2Qc5h9I/s320/Picture+5.png" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What better favor then a candy bar? The chocolate dipped Jumbo marshmallows were a hit. I was concerned they would go stale quickly, but they were fresh in tupperware for at least 3 days after the shower. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vPKRw2lIfxegiw5KqLxTjEyiu0HNFES1QnKuGbTI6jzw7R45p8Mclz7IyUfXqJuLQ1ZTF28vXFNGE1SbzQGLHNOokS5_1XJiFoz-kGEKKrAkvcN31MQc47VOZkFtUuqxKUws0TVvK_w/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vPKRw2lIfxegiw5KqLxTjEyiu0HNFES1QnKuGbTI6jzw7R45p8Mclz7IyUfXqJuLQ1ZTF28vXFNGE1SbzQGLHNOokS5_1XJiFoz-kGEKKrAkvcN31MQc47VOZkFtUuqxKUws0TVvK_w/s320/Picture+1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was Ryan's awesome idea. We created a tree for everyone to sign with their thumb prints. A fun alternative to a guest book, and a cute piece of artwork for the baby's room. There are many versions of the tree below many layers of paint, but that's our little secret.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDh7xhuQrKcoBvcYmUDze3MxMhiIz-UBbo2GP5tZ8CuiQ2TKL49SOAeztyUUhegJLifSPW0e1DWS7R5Z2K09bpFTtubZiN9YFj80vfiHXLNJCcwvDpbnzv5j7cS7L__RjGxSi-2gRv9c/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDh7xhuQrKcoBvcYmUDze3MxMhiIz-UBbo2GP5tZ8CuiQ2TKL49SOAeztyUUhegJLifSPW0e1DWS7R5Z2K09bpFTtubZiN9YFj80vfiHXLNJCcwvDpbnzv5j7cS7L__RjGxSi-2gRv9c/s320/Picture+6.png" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue tissue paper flowers on top of chinese take out boxes. Thanks to the labels they served as name cards and favor boxes.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-72681543572022306702011-06-02T07:31:00.000-04:002011-06-02T07:31:55.975-04:00A non-Frank post. God forbid.Thought some of you might enjoy a few random shots from the last few months that don't include a 16lb. white dog.<br />
<br />
Random item #1:<br />
<br />
A.J. and Chris ran the Gettysburg North-South marathon on May 1st. They both did amazing. Anyone that runs 26.2 miles is amazing to me. I don't care if it took you 10 days. I don't care if you did it on your hands and knees. The course was a beast, but they both survived. My camera wasn't keeping up with my artistic intentions, (yes, that's a total excuse for me not knowing what setting to use) so excuse the blurry pics.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihC1hsisxauu1OLRSpxkw6uXMfCTeveRNfam0CRtwdWkU4-5bRyrG-Jj8cmPGK1f3HtGIbVBighb1UhyphenhyphencGmHpZKPHfJbZyq6wR5xbDlXSVR7C-pF1FESgaIeNutjW_IBwX4aTa5iIyQ8/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihC1hsisxauu1OLRSpxkw6uXMfCTeveRNfam0CRtwdWkU4-5bRyrG-Jj8cmPGK1f3HtGIbVBighb1UhyphenhyphencGmHpZKPHfJbZyq6wR5xbDlXSVR7C-pF1FESgaIeNutjW_IBwX4aTa5iIyQ8/s320/Picture+1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crowd was a little different in Gettysburg compared to the crowd at my marathon in Chicago. Slightly fewer people.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsA81Mi9pW6j1_lTTKgOvtfpWcgs-Vf-MZRnY8eNCnteUydi35-k1qzpT7CYiFdD86OmvringfDmQP6bTIiPYgcqIUB9Sf7kn73Wn0Mg0Laj4w5pxanGH5mwuGJ3w9pvWV5NsC8FerRfY/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsA81Mi9pW6j1_lTTKgOvtfpWcgs-Vf-MZRnY8eNCnteUydi35-k1qzpT7CYiFdD86OmvringfDmQP6bTIiPYgcqIUB9Sf7kn73Wn0Mg0Laj4w5pxanGH5mwuGJ3w9pvWV5NsC8FerRfY/s320/Picture+2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the spectator lot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHjA40rW_bEQSAipKbt7Y6CLbPTWfWv302nKxGWrn2suN0JJUXCNh5mbPJRWibY_tlVs56Db1xs3Ysf5U7xwOcZ0MzWNnHYMUrGn58aV8dMkR92sbq9gbZFhzSgwbpoA5LZchF0rQdI4/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHjA40rW_bEQSAipKbt7Y6CLbPTWfWv302nKxGWrn2suN0JJUXCNh5mbPJRWibY_tlVs56Db1xs3Ysf5U7xwOcZ0MzWNnHYMUrGn58aV8dMkR92sbq9gbZFhzSgwbpoA5LZchF0rQdI4/s320/Picture+5.png" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6K3GOSrR4azQr2_egq0KC3b88gSjuQBAoGj5WQDAdN4nstfQKM_imb-SZj6R1nNAsz3KSt6QmnOwlvp1UYY_emEaqV9Y2HAymMuzRP6cNjj7y8JU4l7QUeQ4GKLdeh2qR0xHSG_2WnYk/s1600/Picture+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6K3GOSrR4azQr2_egq0KC3b88gSjuQBAoGj5WQDAdN4nstfQKM_imb-SZj6R1nNAsz3KSt6QmnOwlvp1UYY_emEaqV9Y2HAymMuzRP6cNjj7y8JU4l7QUeQ4GKLdeh2qR0xHSG_2WnYk/s320/Picture+7.png" width="223" /></a></div><br />
Random item #2:<br />
<br />
I was in charge of Mother's Day desserts. My mom was having a cookout. I was flipping through my beloved Hello Cupcake! book and thought these were perfect. They were super easy to make, but a little expensive since you need 2-3 cups of white and yellow jelly bellys. Make sure you know where to get your beans before hand. I had to scramble and make 4 calls to various candy stores before I found a place that sold them by color. Tip: assemble the corn-boats when you arrive at your final destination. If you don't, the boats will tip over in the car, despite your verbally demanding that they stay in place. And if your husband is driving, you will become increasingly more frustrated that he does not understand the importance of driving at a snails-pace to save the cupcakes. True story. It's not pretty. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZQFaz8s0y7pFXY9EvaO5PLYfaV_TDBJwcFet2Ug3m8j1BTVvc8zshAlc7A7mIznIWcjswtBEM0Vvg9LKBwHxpTaSFwmWMy3hBDLm3iFtua-sHipwRaNSyZLbobMK11z4CjOGC5VChxs/s1600/Picture+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZQFaz8s0y7pFXY9EvaO5PLYfaV_TDBJwcFet2Ug3m8j1BTVvc8zshAlc7A7mIznIWcjswtBEM0Vvg9LKBwHxpTaSFwmWMy3hBDLm3iFtua-sHipwRaNSyZLbobMK11z4CjOGC5VChxs/s320/Picture+8.png" width="226" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Random item #3:<br />
<br />
If you want to impress someone, buy them flowers from Costco. It never fails that I find the most beautiful roses at Costco. Two dozen = $15. Unbeatable.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf73RjRzNi2ikDbOAaw2wnT_pZ52jk6EMEnqg0B8RCI5O7OVPVyddRqGzN8VOp0oTk16myMfb57XW9K55SFcREPbHLFpN9VEKD1-Gtq-bsD5uiDiz_J3WRWBc4htkIAaLshwW1RMSleA/s1600/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf73RjRzNi2ikDbOAaw2wnT_pZ52jk6EMEnqg0B8RCI5O7OVPVyddRqGzN8VOp0oTk16myMfb57XW9K55SFcREPbHLFpN9VEKD1-Gtq-bsD5uiDiz_J3WRWBc4htkIAaLshwW1RMSleA/s320/Picture+9.png" width="215" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Random item #4:<br />
We spent the evening with our favorite midget last night. J&J's pool opened for Memorial Day and it was so much fun watching Coop reacquaint himself with the water. Such a little man.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuOKAjRjqKSmiLXBw1jG6UFtgWEfnz6YckVroZqxvsee0dRnyXgvTncJZ9wwyPLYBqqztuPyPjraLb1cpQPzt_C8DUglPwMEjTJxWWtVRrg01-DKhr_-ZD2L76QaBdvyHjgtnmHaeUlg/s1600/Picture+16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuOKAjRjqKSmiLXBw1jG6UFtgWEfnz6YckVroZqxvsee0dRnyXgvTncJZ9wwyPLYBqqztuPyPjraLb1cpQPzt_C8DUglPwMEjTJxWWtVRrg01-DKhr_-ZD2L76QaBdvyHjgtnmHaeUlg/s320/Picture+16.png" width="226" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8xvsxjUPaWdSQ2xxA_oGQ-55Zjfy6eTD3E1FKGcm5Yp0Og2kFHpJlXSUggjoBBPGhEcza8O3RSHWhbbUA0-B4f-MbeFq87hGRU8Tb-zLgkSwIAwGpN73F9CBdoaFUEm3fLxFOAWjJqs/s1600/Picture+17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8xvsxjUPaWdSQ2xxA_oGQ-55Zjfy6eTD3E1FKGcm5Yp0Og2kFHpJlXSUggjoBBPGhEcza8O3RSHWhbbUA0-B4f-MbeFq87hGRU8Tb-zLgkSwIAwGpN73F9CBdoaFUEm3fLxFOAWjJqs/s320/Picture+17.png" width="312" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNnamonI7uQMgSNsaGTjxZPkON0NTfUYMiVNbRJ9l3aRgeb2EVKidJRB9DiI6jgaOInT8CLvQDr9T2qkrROfgRsbqkPgqCNZShk2_YvUWiqewfzaaZAikbqUUvhYu09yO29jghvmQDt8/s1600/Picture+18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNnamonI7uQMgSNsaGTjxZPkON0NTfUYMiVNbRJ9l3aRgeb2EVKidJRB9DiI6jgaOInT8CLvQDr9T2qkrROfgRsbqkPgqCNZShk2_YvUWiqewfzaaZAikbqUUvhYu09yO29jghvmQDt8/s320/Picture+18.png" width="228" /></a></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-27192427342849147722011-05-29T18:15:00.000-04:002011-05-29T18:15:58.274-04:00It's been awhile...So I fell off the consistent-blogger wagon, again. The last time I posted something Frank was at the beginning of surgery recovery, and now he's 90% better. The goal was to keep people posted along the way, but considering the "twice-a-day" rehab sessions that Frank and I were doing - time for blogging fell by the wayside.<br />
<br />
Regardless, here's the update in bullet-point fashion:<br />
<br />
- There were a lot of emails and calls to the surgeon that sounded like this "Should he move like this? Is he using his leg enough when he does _____? Is he using his leg too much if he does _____? Did the wind hit him in the wrong direction? etc. etc. etc.". I was a tad neurotic, but Frank is not the best communicator when it comes to his feelings.<br />
<br />
<br />
- Frank HATED sleeping in his crate in the kitchen. We were serenaded to an hour-long concert of whines and cries before bed each night. We would hear his cone banging against the crate. It was heartbreaking, and I'm sure it's only a teeny-tiny slice of what it's like to hear your baby "cry it out". God bless you moms and dads of real human babies. We tried a stupid DAP collar which was supposed to put off pheromones that made Frank feel all warm and fuzzy like he did was he was first born and with his mom. Total scam. He just had some extra bling around his neck when he cried from his crate.<br />
<br />
- I officially became the neighborhood creeper as Frank and I would SLLLLlllllooooowly walk up and down the sidewalks and hills outside as we started his rehab. We took it slow. We started at 5 minute walks. We've built up to 2x 30 min walks each day. I'm just sad that I'm not seeing the health benefits of walking at a 40-min mph pace in my butt and thighs.<br />
<br />
- He received a clean bill of health at his 4-week checkup. Suture site healed nicely. Bones healed great on the inside. We were discharged and got to cancel his 8-week x-rays and checkup. (I heard an audible hallelujah-chorus from my wallet.)<br />
<br />
<br />
- We now refer to his bad leg as the "Frosted Leg". The leg looks white from a distance, and it's slowly growing back. The rest of his hair has gone berserk. He gets his summer buzz tomorrow.<br />
<br />
- Everything is going well - the last stop on the recovery tour is to get his muscle mass built up on his bad leg. We're getting there slowly but surely and are oh-so-happy to have this one behind us.<br />
<br />
A few pics to share:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCnD1bGnIhbiITmZentBTy76qUJcSvXi2Y3_jj8f3OGif6zD5MtuDfSVxi9jfeGFbiVpgFK1f7cjY_7VgItv-elIT_kyIUG5QXAtYdJWL2X_sPgsmKkmu9gMwrwdWUXettySuNU4u18M/s1600/Picture+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCnD1bGnIhbiITmZentBTy76qUJcSvXi2Y3_jj8f3OGif6zD5MtuDfSVxi9jfeGFbiVpgFK1f7cjY_7VgItv-elIT_kyIUG5QXAtYdJWL2X_sPgsmKkmu9gMwrwdWUXettySuNU4u18M/s320/Picture+10.png" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of therapy was tying a hair scrunchie to his good leg and building an obstacle course of pillows for him to walk on. It felt like the home-version of American Gladiator. Obviously, his show name would have been TANK.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2PuT-qk3RN_DbXucdzWCc_y9Ekqq1tQgShqM89g5QLq3dMkTPlbDffg5AxHDmrmB4jBNcsX7mPZXYBl6LE0SLGT__nwfBmeDCNeihTtcsKoRRhk390sjB1cmgfxhCbp6R8y2CgF-qsI/s1600/Picture+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2PuT-qk3RN_DbXucdzWCc_y9Ekqq1tQgShqM89g5QLq3dMkTPlbDffg5AxHDmrmB4jBNcsX7mPZXYBl6LE0SLGT__nwfBmeDCNeihTtcsKoRRhk390sjB1cmgfxhCbp6R8y2CgF-qsI/s320/Picture+11.png" width="229" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0w03BeMtSqWYzdh1hfKF1YcOcp3kMH5ywlsgfsFjPhffHTGO9XqH39sqMSlA-rKoiAhA2U5gsFVZeHnHw63yMkrbCc91-t5urCDxFb9yxfCzNiB5qHbVu-bzbfbDhyOKFdpq5TNL6rk/s1600/Picture+13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0w03BeMtSqWYzdh1hfKF1YcOcp3kMH5ywlsgfsFjPhffHTGO9XqH39sqMSlA-rKoiAhA2U5gsFVZeHnHw63yMkrbCc91-t5urCDxFb9yxfCzNiB5qHbVu-bzbfbDhyOKFdpq5TNL6rk/s320/Picture+13.png" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was one casualty throughout the surgery process. The bed we bought at the beginning of surgery didn't make it. As Frank started to feel better, he became more and more interested in ripping all of the stuffing out of his bed. This is his new bed. This is bed 5. Frank is only 2. The costs associated with Frank's bad bed habits are astronomical.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5epoE0HzwQmksNaymb_OGXnXborBp5bBhTyb4t81nSEKbMGwDA_VAfg51NgbU0ihPRwLpOb-HM2b5gUgKdcz8KKLsz1WCNxx63oy_VxpdA3mP__CiJ6GyErVmF_9J0EtItAL8nJ1hDw/s1600/Picture+12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5epoE0HzwQmksNaymb_OGXnXborBp5bBhTyb4t81nSEKbMGwDA_VAfg51NgbU0ihPRwLpOb-HM2b5gUgKdcz8KKLsz1WCNxx63oy_VxpdA3mP__CiJ6GyErVmF_9J0EtItAL8nJ1hDw/s320/Picture+12.png" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look @ the dog on the tag. Pretty good impression.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WItFdUZi6TVcsLgtd3C-Uq04VhHu5nKJfAN90Pp4HIovS-WjN7fBqQ6jXQMxv2kxd_i_CKPqEI6_4Qn4rBJYyhUslAdB4ts3eVqZjhOsO_XQ5r7RZ7f28zkpMiGL3jTGouzsV5UVLqw/s1600/Picture+15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WItFdUZi6TVcsLgtd3C-Uq04VhHu5nKJfAN90Pp4HIovS-WjN7fBqQ6jXQMxv2kxd_i_CKPqEI6_4Qn4rBJYyhUslAdB4ts3eVqZjhOsO_XQ5r7RZ7f28zkpMiGL3jTGouzsV5UVLqw/s320/Picture+15.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank has finally made it back on the couches. Happy pup.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrN5ApMmdrtmh4pcBpu1rcdf_QNJl51cjojcV5Qge60if4jSSmwpgwJ0zZ7zmUdg8maNiSHDblopUq-Vu3GisVKk9gUzbHZ-d4zSfBfNClkGkhW4kDPC3twgN77w5Pe-pCWOC-Q0MM8c/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Ib9x2JWILw9Vn2FPgA6SgCTmj9aaLKgqGiwqEzBsYT4VtNfke2TS_QQSBK4a4CA7mkbZKMpA_LmyMX3-n_Rl8joMZ3LdI7WhuV9bNDNiH56umI-ltxeCmCHuRguPIXglZvU4iyyoyzE/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6Fje3LWhXJPeQyamjFVL874USSc5AwMWM4rUZPecJtm3EQmaFDTuVh5fHFyB2QdAgVXjATvZJDN2N44hQl_2o3UVdYnILM3DzvANL_qeJAXf9Thkf4YEmxSb_J-S5_r5RMk6Udhk4_Q/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZaOzNrHMZ2vNX8Po73y0KEC2rBmd7wdcjBg2KeGK_uB1V39bhy5cz2Go7R1tZVnN1Q3SEyCi7Ud9_Wu5udNvT9TCgths0HPz_sv9pIyeEwviNt80b2w2hra1mPezlEsTa2JCOXkh2pw/s1600/Picture+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGs7EDymDxdFGrCeEw9Pwm-PJiW8mh74g0SD92kHKZOmRzizi231YDmLUk2Tm_PHvULNH9-MXnK4d7nlvhLCah2wCBHfPBrrtLZME7uH5LyOMCpXfkRCVmIPfRnBlhyphenhyphenDkA_YEzYjh8IY/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPNdJkEpchdkFQRA0eunEZCdrIwx0G0XPUY5vMFuQeBHuUc-ZJPwg9UbTEdqIaFra7C4kq0Aipzplt_67q_xiDWjM6CaokfwJRrSK1QFWyRiUykuSg325hWiPVvbGXj_4cAkxaExOv0o/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRK0MWHOeoYO58GApCiUBUE_RBRt79kjsGrhk_zUe_E1khYDRsUJGx4lnSWm3wTcPNWhQbPHekS65BeAD0BwoX82tVxO40ClO-4C4MSqQ0Wd5g0DqumwIiteI9RnBKJpv2GlWC3a4owY/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhllV9mA6UMIM79TxF_7b2RnAotJaeyY37mg3n9sZD4NPfX-RjfTX48nSK2TAm-4nfNFy1mP0wQfLZvsdZtqix0BnQ5imwSJdGOtwl2AHhBwNpyh7mAesHo5H4tIpYzWtpvuULCqbtJf6k/s1600/Picture+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOtOZyCRDQImwul2h8GPttgUrNA0YgTMJmr5MoPNVBR0YDvrruyBPeFw-GsFnJUU0bYsOxwWZGJr26GaCgsK1NEEsMbzpoXIVRA2lzObwRPBBS8HXMwTY9wKpHcwqZAXPEioK-yZ016I/s1600/Picture+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IEbXXcnh69sDng7vy_CZPSimIW1ZxLvUMQBQ7yMA0taZZBOyZt8yxuDdm-kg4l0ZZpL4vVUP_OdnadvkXR3wEAssVTPMJn6HvuJDTVelAIQ42_4454XtnPB3acGgwIvm0_8_gB7GB24/s1600/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2PuT-qk3RN_DbXucdzWCc_y9Ekqq1tQgShqM89g5QLq3dMkTPlbDffg5AxHDmrmB4jBNcsX7mPZXYBl6LE0SLGT__nwfBmeDCNeihTtcsKoRRhk390sjB1cmgfxhCbp6R8y2CgF-qsI/s1600/Picture+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOzowEPb2F2MZ-xvz6xf9cK0AReWTwGMVrRfNqd12Xps_H127VSiclX4NqvTvl3DGhudyZ6LBO_g2SmrYa9INbHeuy47tiYQoHiGnoQwl-dMRcDaEfRZookNaCpwDRjvFMVDsBO0Pya4/s1600/Picture+12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohNFPYdnfRu4VtLkdj8AbqELxG1eXYKGcxbaoP0rYeh1i_-7-A0SO-gSg0jx-OJuMdSnBXrvQp8vRknWLNSF41DpN4gtUs4tr-xQRXl2VJYu7LKITAr7Gaq-ypCvIJwiPUrR6U78TxEc/s1600/Picture+14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMns6OBJIItbcmkjntHQsR22EatVq1ILgrYOywXiRfT1NXsXJs3KEyqtChWBXAELsOWGE2qb0Zrn8q8g4C1QMt7yeLL5hDzkM2Sq4e2veJec3xVG9RfFDYlONHKagEuVkRxuDdZatn10/s1600/Picture+16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh896KsmPg2lZdL5gED45nwtSwy2HK7t2tod7ID1vBII25b1hD1h9sSuxC2Q8YmB0-HdCv6aFiBRDCuzTIqUH1QiHWoEGWMMQpoBj9rvMMAUJ6fYudOxwtJRZIQHs80YNZAraQh3eAlKGE/s1600/Picture+17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VGbuVA_ueFQ1Wy_YTt4gwacd-kH6uZjE54QOWUtdw9Q18euqKKKbA9NjIdo5IdyCH6jblOhMhl1L9ShvIBEG3yZR3vz0hhIl8wXcWkZ4gtOpV2deru9lz4W1ipU8cR0iNGdM_EZZNeU/s1600/Picture+18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-4279491826734007322011-04-20T09:26:00.000-04:002011-04-20T09:26:40.060-04:00Rack Attack (not to be confused with SBTB Zack Attack)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIhHqoOFVz_oGz-m_hO0k0mCZw6c8qdkCjot-YmNb24pE1Ux6JBjee8IiJFAUipR8eruusLwT-dwZX8bdPFBgdGhzc8ljC6HkhoX1M42Dn64apE0pnm3DBeH4r7aXugS_AjvFZszmndE/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIhHqoOFVz_oGz-m_hO0k0mCZw6c8qdkCjot-YmNb24pE1Ux6JBjee8IiJFAUipR8eruusLwT-dwZX8bdPFBgdGhzc8ljC6HkhoX1M42Dn64apE0pnm3DBeH4r7aXugS_AjvFZszmndE/s320/Picture+5.png" width="201" /></a></div> Fun, happy surprise in the middle of a tough, emotional week: our wine rack arrived! My parents very generously gave us the piece as our Christmas gift and we (read: I) have been counting the days until its arrival. <br />
<br />
I found the rack at <a href="http://www.trohvshop.com/">Trohv</a> (formerly known as Red Tree). This store is one of my happy places. If I go to hell one day, I know I'll find myself standing in the DMV, on the phone with Verizon, with a MD hillbilly behind me smacking her gum in my ear. If I go to heaven, I think it will be very reminiscent of Trohv. And the big man will smell like cinnamon cupcakes.<br />
<br />
I digress...<br />
<br />
The rack arrived on Friday. The delivery guys were super nice, super careful and were nice to Frank. One of them said he looked like a cat, and Frank almost kicked him in the nuts, but then he gave Frank good scratches and all was well with the world. My only complaint about the delivery crew is I was WAITING with bated breath for them to make the obvious comment... "Hey lady, nice rack". Unfortunately, they refrained. You can't pass up jokes like that. It would have been a major morale booster.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmlNFLMup1wi6bPViV253w_KeJxQOg7a4Fdb0WBanx9SNSKX6dE1n5t2TBlI9HO6-rzX85C-bLKCqxNmbRMcSiVHlvHeOSrCCBrVYxVGYlB76CJ9NAu57f3YD0E-rCAjrF7hHGe4Q17s/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmlNFLMup1wi6bPViV253w_KeJxQOg7a4Fdb0WBanx9SNSKX6dE1n5t2TBlI9HO6-rzX85C-bLKCqxNmbRMcSiVHlvHeOSrCCBrVYxVGYlB76CJ9NAu57f3YD0E-rCAjrF7hHGe4Q17s/s320/Picture+6.png" width="167" /></a></div> The goal is to keep the rack full, but constantly rotating. Right now it's a mix of bottles from our NZ trip, Napa Trip and Trader Joe's Charles Shaw. How's that for variety?meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-53385543155963082542011-04-16T14:26:00.000-04:002011-04-16T14:26:08.839-04:00We've got a Tripod on our hands.<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I feel like I've been running my mouth about this for a long time, but for those that are unfamiliar, Frank had knee surgery on his back left leg on Tuesday. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Quick back story: When we were living with my parents in 2010, we noticed that Frank had a funny little skip in his step. We went in for a check-up and the vet told us he has loose knee caps. We went to the referred orthopedic animal surgeon and he confirmed that Frank had patellar luxation and needed surgery....and with that surgery came an 8-week recovery process. Shoot me now. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The 8-week recovery was the reason we kept putting it off. Frank wasn't in pain. He still could run around with his buddies. It didn't seem to bother him. But recently we noticed that he was favoring his right leg and losing muscle mass in his left leg. Both of these things could lead to injury eventually, and we figured it would be better to deal with the issue when we had control over the situation and Frank's comfort level. Also, considering I work from home and we have the least amount of family responsibilities as possible right now we figured it was now or never. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday was a sad day. I did a little photo shoot of Frank in all his hairy-glory since I knew the surgery would probably cause Mr. Frank Sinatra to lose a bit of his mojo. We went for a long walk, there were lots of treats and he had some good sunbathing time on the back porch. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWGC-ein-AShcFRojphO5tc5GG-mg6EmpIoaxc8OJLF21dC6eOCEO9UzL1plG_p0caOkmdhTbS3-iFRqzd0i0boe5Wnbb7O1cNFTJuCY_SQui5mD-xXJRwtNPEWhx3MLw8qCwitro03I/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWGC-ein-AShcFRojphO5tc5GG-mg6EmpIoaxc8OJLF21dC6eOCEO9UzL1plG_p0caOkmdhTbS3-iFRqzd0i0boe5Wnbb7O1cNFTJuCY_SQui5mD-xXJRwtNPEWhx3MLw8qCwitro03I/s320/Picture+1.png" width="213" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhIJ3EmnID2g3MxTXr7-wTekYIBZYplzSCbJCxXrR7MPvVnRXphKRKRvuckKD4HEhSyFWFKfbSGRcusCdTXiZ0ZMqxYs9wDCHwV_xwYzvM3zHK-B45VxK2XU6IHB51U899PDurfvYcgE/s1600/Picture+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhIJ3EmnID2g3MxTXr7-wTekYIBZYplzSCbJCxXrR7MPvVnRXphKRKRvuckKD4HEhSyFWFKfbSGRcusCdTXiZ0ZMqxYs9wDCHwV_xwYzvM3zHK-B45VxK2XU6IHB51U899PDurfvYcgE/s320/Picture+2.png" width="214" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iIEJYox8Vw1UVsFJmxpN2x6omOQeN6MfgAutQudxONCwPmHa7ix2YipsoT0pURQibUb0ujqxbbDVV1zFhdXxTJ2SAJi-xz3tGN0CaAfjJos5DIw-KppPtkc5nSYOA-DEWCADDjwiNu4/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iIEJYox8Vw1UVsFJmxpN2x6omOQeN6MfgAutQudxONCwPmHa7ix2YipsoT0pURQibUb0ujqxbbDVV1zFhdXxTJ2SAJi-xz3tGN0CaAfjJos5DIw-KppPtkc5nSYOA-DEWCADDjwiNu4/s320/Picture+3.png" width="223" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><br style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;" /><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I dropped him off on Tuesday morning for surgery. He hopped out of the car, and happily trotted away with the vet tech as she took him in the back room. All I kept thinking was he's going to wake up post-surgery wondering what the H went wrong in his life.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We got to pick him on Wednesday afternoon. We sat down with the vet tech for over an hour to get all of our instructions re: pain pills, antibiotics, cartilage injections, cold compresses, rehab exercises, food, potential problems. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally they brought Frank to us in the doomed cone-of-shame and we were able to take him home. A.J. drove and I sat in the front seat nervously cradling him in my arms (similar to the way you would carry a pile of firewood) - I guess I should have stepped up the weight on the 10 lb. bicep curls I've been doing since 1999.My arms were burning!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The first night was bad but we're figuring things out. It took four 30-minute bathroom sessions outside where Frank refused to move before I realized he was demanding that the cone come off. It took almost an hour of crying/yelping to know we should put his crate back in the kitchen instead of our bedroom for sleeping - not smart on our part. We also need to hawk-eye his pain medication intake - we've found two peanut-butter laced pills in random places throughout the house - we think he's hiding them under his tongue and spitting them out at some point - channeling the mental patients he sees on TV I guess.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Poor pup is being a good patient overall. He pretty much sleeps all day - you can tell he's bummed out by his situation - we were watching Tori & Dean's STORIbook Wedding yesterday (judge away) and they were planning a pug-themed Jewish wedding. For almost an hour there were pugs in yamakas running around on the TV and Frank didn't budge. PUGS IN YAMAKAS. That's about as bark-worthy as it gets. I just hope he gets his zest for life back in a few weeks. I don't want to have to look into Puppy Prozac.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A few pics of our little patient:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WuedW47eQN10VuhBuFSw5AkV6Wz0QSNvEZw4XMFnWhCwxLLwW0kV_GAeXkNoUws3Xm1zUcw4cgnihL0ZzJ_VGKaZUId0ARuCs-_R7D7KrjSSLYUl16SZ_doJ2X68jiUZb9agScEVTEw/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WuedW47eQN10VuhBuFSw5AkV6Wz0QSNvEZw4XMFnWhCwxLLwW0kV_GAeXkNoUws3Xm1zUcw4cgnihL0ZzJ_VGKaZUId0ARuCs-_R7D7KrjSSLYUl16SZ_doJ2X68jiUZb9agScEVTEw/s320/Picture+5.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank's universe for the next 8 weeks. Those two pillow are where I slept on Thursday a.m.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7OWnlNmY6dIb4fktYswuZZNNjv8jj0xBcLh3VpVpN4i5MzEEWEUip1krdf-TDJm3wa3uLdY-HZWDFR011xl85Ix1cg9IvYNq_E-wcdma0GNH-6yF31gzREmRPjE8WiaSWHsA0neDnCg/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7OWnlNmY6dIb4fktYswuZZNNjv8jj0xBcLh3VpVpN4i5MzEEWEUip1krdf-TDJm3wa3uLdY-HZWDFR011xl85Ix1cg9IvYNq_E-wcdma0GNH-6yF31gzREmRPjE8WiaSWHsA0neDnCg/s320/Picture+6.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little Picasso. Only one ear seems to stand up at a time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6k-wmS1oKZHLFwn_h0Q3RVn6RlZ9ajpd53oVG1GSuRh1sYPT2nN0h2ft-4T10TYXkiCJjPAIpaG817wBUV145pPsMxkSbQt_SdIMMDOHFaMGE2DhmuFzlJuWicEIk-SSYJr5qoU6eVYc/s1600/Picture+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6k-wmS1oKZHLFwn_h0Q3RVn6RlZ9ajpd53oVG1GSuRh1sYPT2nN0h2ft-4T10TYXkiCJjPAIpaG817wBUV145pPsMxkSbQt_SdIMMDOHFaMGE2DhmuFzlJuWicEIk-SSYJr5qoU6eVYc/s320/Picture+7.png" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've never had better TV reception.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TAYbcIooctfh2WaLqZKvEVCGpAFzpHa2-yfm0pQNyV-DqOzot7CbrfMpsObLRhxZfM0dw3UI26oF3QM5-KOer2X9go5ba971u5BhddokqvIV8BsP-68Hs58HHQiPovgOn6pUjQQ7clI/s1600/Picture+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TAYbcIooctfh2WaLqZKvEVCGpAFzpHa2-yfm0pQNyV-DqOzot7CbrfMpsObLRhxZfM0dw3UI26oF3QM5-KOer2X9go5ba971u5BhddokqvIV8BsP-68Hs58HHQiPovgOn6pUjQQ7clI/s320/Picture+8.png" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What we're working with.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpqCU8lnj1j4P41FVR8NzJdihVU7t1vPjbzT8C4GvVpfWnXsVyOQtrE-AMFItBRCwtBGUtRorNPhM-Tb80_WJzUH-t4geFP-uYh2hIW1fhZKMqWgZaUkpR7hDUglnrEj-hguu5cQnVlc/s1600/Picture+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpqCU8lnj1j4P41FVR8NzJdihVU7t1vPjbzT8C4GvVpfWnXsVyOQtrE-AMFItBRCwtBGUtRorNPhM-Tb80_WJzUH-t4geFP-uYh2hIW1fhZKMqWgZaUkpR7hDUglnrEj-hguu5cQnVlc/s320/Picture+10.png" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A.J. providing a good chin rest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrOoISbOmiDELErF7dbVe4O_PtdRDU9mAwJj88zPIhnLTIrVVeVI0Ve320ELpDlxsUjil3xxR1BrEa4walRlOA9SseiBmy35ooFp9rSRkyj4ZpsUd98Del0tbtRVA9INHm2bZ2J-KIqY/s1600/Picture+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrOoISbOmiDELErF7dbVe4O_PtdRDU9mAwJj88zPIhnLTIrVVeVI0Ve320ELpDlxsUjil3xxR1BrEa4walRlOA9SseiBmy35ooFp9rSRkyj4ZpsUd98Del0tbtRVA9INHm2bZ2J-KIqY/s320/Picture+11.png" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank's buddy Blythe came over for a visit and some cuddles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4l3TJsrauFQUZVbrVkHCaSymG3S7pwVBfQ7nRIXnojQpm7QEOxClojw960mFk86TkfbamT3IY0_n9kP4Nu5Gxh3V5P2V2iGEvp2t5p6ktmui_AlFEgFwmJucsZ0915UGNghGHaoCk0dw/s1600/Picture+12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4l3TJsrauFQUZVbrVkHCaSymG3S7pwVBfQ7nRIXnojQpm7QEOxClojw960mFk86TkfbamT3IY0_n9kP4Nu5Gxh3V5P2V2iGEvp2t5p6ktmui_AlFEgFwmJucsZ0915UGNghGHaoCk0dw/s320/Picture+12.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I. HATE. THIS. CONE."(Sneak peak into Frank's funniest characteristic - he's spotted like a pink and black cow under his fur. You can see it on the inside of his mouth.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-63427957344001577202011-03-22T22:53:00.000-04:002011-03-22T22:53:32.506-04:00Westie in a WellThe fresh spring air has inspired me to tackle some of the nagging items on the to-do list. One of the many is to re-paint the mirror that we have hanging in our living room. I love the mirror, a pass-along from my mom, but it's too plain for the space where it hangs. It's hanging on a beige wall (the paint color is literally named "utterly beige". How depressing.), above a brown leather chair and between two brown & beige curtains. Did I tell you the Leimenstolls were the most boring couple on the planet? Potentially a true story based on my design decisions of late. We need a little drama. Pics of the final product will come soon, but the best part of the entire process was watching Frank "discover" himself in the mirror. I think at one point he thought a fellow Westie had fallen in a well and was signaling him for help. Frank has a lot of good qualities, but he's no Lassie.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2cpCIDAUr57yIoxoA3mAh6T5jVDLv-nf9PKqGgh2zjQnjC7PR9SpDheAOpYDEXm176RhyDkQsTtpBjvXAZE9uMu6LcdWO3SUCvNR9CLiSwhb_RfML48VHKQmwGxK_tcYqH1qUKXoDzE/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAt3QQByCDTY-6dZ48iM4zlkKdAdrdHZGyduqg2fdI0vQ7BvTbpvKBdBtqf6fPVKlkrNjr0FZDRIkCYAkBDXlIKg0jQCMmhSn3C_6z9YyqYp-SY8wBv-iB1Nr1jlHf8Ipk9nPFJxkXnY/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAt3QQByCDTY-6dZ48iM4zlkKdAdrdHZGyduqg2fdI0vQ7BvTbpvKBdBtqf6fPVKlkrNjr0FZDRIkCYAkBDXlIKg0jQCMmhSn3C_6z9YyqYp-SY8wBv-iB1Nr1jlHf8Ipk9nPFJxkXnY/s320/Picture+3.png" width="195" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2cpCIDAUr57yIoxoA3mAh6T5jVDLv-nf9PKqGgh2zjQnjC7PR9SpDheAOpYDEXm176RhyDkQsTtpBjvXAZE9uMu6LcdWO3SUCvNR9CLiSwhb_RfML48VHKQmwGxK_tcYqH1qUKXoDzE/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2cpCIDAUr57yIoxoA3mAh6T5jVDLv-nf9PKqGgh2zjQnjC7PR9SpDheAOpYDEXm176RhyDkQsTtpBjvXAZE9uMu6LcdWO3SUCvNR9CLiSwhb_RfML48VHKQmwGxK_tcYqH1qUKXoDzE/s320/Picture+6.png" width="241" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlrOTGs1J3Q0BOkvd2_18C7hqeV9wdREVk6jbZwOvagbRpwOHiZaH8s0y7aAxe27pfNWeIvrEn3wXByyt6GCFMnX_z43IGSLgMFxiUt4kY8lQxr-ItvMoAml-mqMXN19DGcc7RvbE22k/s1600/Picture+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlrOTGs1J3Q0BOkvd2_18C7hqeV9wdREVk6jbZwOvagbRpwOHiZaH8s0y7aAxe27pfNWeIvrEn3wXByyt6GCFMnX_z43IGSLgMFxiUt4kY8lQxr-ItvMoAml-mqMXN19DGcc7RvbE22k/s320/Picture+8.png" width="286" /></a></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-73858322157534829572011-03-21T00:00:00.000-04:002011-03-21T00:00:27.377-04:00EAT<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc36qgH8je-FkchSriGMJqirZ0mVwMqEL0R-TrmgXWCd9ygwFCuEd4ttb7X4_gfrsXXiD_dJaMvyPjxlnIq3-Be_tyw5tFDmjob9LTbhaCkfOuDGQ8IR1CUE32Q4AzGtGoDWEDl8mHtL4/s1600/Picture+16.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc36qgH8je-FkchSriGMJqirZ0mVwMqEL0R-TrmgXWCd9ygwFCuEd4ttb7X4_gfrsXXiD_dJaMvyPjxlnIq3-Be_tyw5tFDmjob9LTbhaCkfOuDGQ8IR1CUE32Q4AzGtGoDWEDl8mHtL4/s320/Picture+16.png" width="320" /></a> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So... lately, I've been on a sandwich kick for lunch. And for some reason, I'd rather eat a sandwich in front of the T.V. rather than at the table. Dinner is the complete opposite. Lately when I've been eating lunch on the couch, Frank will appear from out of nowhere and stalk my plate. Literally, he creeps up silently and parks himself at my feet. Sometimes he sends a quick bark/yelp, that translates to "yo ma, i think you forgot to make me one!" Sometimes he turns on his cat-dog moves, scales the back of the couch and attempts a sneak attack from above. Other times he just sits at my feet looking pitiful. When it comes to the four-legged, the ONE thing that we have been strict about is"people food". Frank gets fed dog food once in the morning. He gets fed dog food once in the evening. 1/2 cup serving each. No wonder he only weighs 15 lbs. I could weigh 15 lbs. too if someone fed me every meal. Occasionally Frank lucks out in the kitchen when something falls off the counter, but for the most part, he's all dog food all the time. A.J. bought me a door mat for the garage that reads: "THE DOG, DAY 751: MY CAPTORS CONTINUE TO TORMENT ME WITH BIZARRE RUBBER SQUEAK TOYS. THEY EAT LAVISH MEALS IN MY PRESENCE WHILE I AM FORCED TO SUBSIST ON DRY CEREAL. THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS ME GOING IS THE HOPE OF EVENTUAL ESCAPE...THAT, AND THE SATISFACTION I GET FROM OCCASIONALLY RUINING SOME PIECE OF FURNITURE. I FEAR I MAY BE GOING INSANE".</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumYrE85TWcRVUvD754hyphenhyphenQWEhL0Qls51VNnXWvH7eSpCmTGER5mpr7ud54hgKpLMo0I8IQ7vRx_fbqGqkhfHEPnHVimkhfToqUtJmmX0Eg3v-_bfUalgGldvEiJXc2kOQRmxW-N_dWQE0/s1600/Picture+15.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumYrE85TWcRVUvD754hyphenhyphenQWEhL0Qls51VNnXWvH7eSpCmTGER5mpr7ud54hgKpLMo0I8IQ7vRx_fbqGqkhfHEPnHVimkhfToqUtJmmX0Eg3v-_bfUalgGldvEiJXc2kOQRmxW-N_dWQE0/s200/Picture+15.png" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, tuna is just not photogenic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Friday was Frank's lucky day. My phone rang in the kitchen, I absent-mindedly put my plate on the couch when I went for my phone. I came back to find half of this sandwich on my plate. The other half on the floor where Frank was doing quick work on devouring it. He's no dummy. Everyone deserves a break sometimes, especially on a Friday. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the same topic - I thought I'd share the latest home project happening around these parts. When we were in San Fran last fall, it was our good fortune to be introduced to Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet (www.gotts.com). It's burgers and fries, but so much more. There's one in the Embarcadero section of the city, but also one parked right in the heart of Napa. Just like Frank, Gott's is no dummy. People who have been stumbling around all day swishing and swirling wine can think of nothing better to eat than a hamburger and sweet potato fries. A life changer.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Food aside, Gott's interior styling is so great. It feels like a diner. But clean and modern too if that's possible. They have this enormous neon sign above the grill that says "EAT". Yes, please. When we got home, I realized that we have this small piece of wall above our sink that was screaming for an "EAT" sign. And besides, if anyone were to ever get confused as to the purpose of the kitchen, all they need to do is look up. Unfortunately, the red head vetoed neon-stylings for our kitchen, so I modified the design a bit.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJV6GXWvJNNHKPiHGW3T4cbjQgawG33kvwfkXujUt9wNG3eiQ2yz1vTVNvJsNkX-TjElcGHOXVBzFlJcROCF2DTV2qW4d-QCXv_HxrXWQWqubVUMRlSKsa3Q4zs3E9zSHwOkxmjcTG6mQ/s1600/Picture+17.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJV6GXWvJNNHKPiHGW3T4cbjQgawG33kvwfkXujUt9wNG3eiQ2yz1vTVNvJsNkX-TjElcGHOXVBzFlJcROCF2DTV2qW4d-QCXv_HxrXWQWqubVUMRlSKsa3Q4zs3E9zSHwOkxmjcTG6mQ/s320/Picture+17.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I bought the letters at JoAnn's for less than $3 a piece. I found this great wood-grain wrapping paper at Kate's Paperie in NYC (http://katespaperie.com/) when we were visiting Emily. The paper design was VERY forgiving as I tried my best to cover each letter completely. A less-busy design would probably have shown the patchwork efforts of my decoupage.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJV6GXWvJNNHKPiHGW3T4cbjQgawG33kvwfkXujUt9wNG3eiQ2yz1vTVNvJsNkX-TjElcGHOXVBzFlJcROCF2DTV2qW4d-QCXv_HxrXWQWqubVUMRlSKsa3Q4zs3E9zSHwOkxmjcTG6mQ/s1600/Picture+17.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMBssOFzven7SEHcBEMfvO-yGYFrMidYlc7_ES4x9CrK6eNG3tgIQ8cZzkEwCzf9Iylked_BxIwpMM_HMusy8WLgtaIqkFpxiXFAm8yDdHauym7Lp7hgJK6eMbVTZCKsnsUtJOM8uh1s/s1600/Picture+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMBssOFzven7SEHcBEMfvO-yGYFrMidYlc7_ES4x9CrK6eNG3tgIQ8cZzkEwCzf9Iylked_BxIwpMM_HMusy8WLgtaIqkFpxiXFAm8yDdHauym7Lp7hgJK6eMbVTZCKsnsUtJOM8uh1s/s320/Picture+11.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzifwYMBKcAmEkR3LCnxAu_VcP4a5cfH6AUs-gJrj69zBXgB0323M1xn_-NAf2Vxmlp64xNYniS0KEqbf3Asc_MdF0EjkGICR4kN4LaUzjoXs6O8F0Rn05foFHFDXtIXp_PF10GfJcLo/s1600/Picture+13.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzifwYMBKcAmEkR3LCnxAu_VcP4a5cfH6AUs-gJrj69zBXgB0323M1xn_-NAf2Vxmlp64xNYniS0KEqbf3Asc_MdF0EjkGICR4kN4LaUzjoXs6O8F0Rn05foFHFDXtIXp_PF10GfJcLo/s320/Picture+13.png" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUc6xcZGRuPZLXUh9H3R6bIs2SiRrq6zfdu3Bnq21Be6-UYF3GaX42nLxLtcStljZijO-KiaLV09QXGQBiCk6jLHPJl3ysfmd3K-0jr77gEn7Np2EDxTYOdlKAIGcSTcHl105WlYA0viY/s1600/Picture+14.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUc6xcZGRuPZLXUh9H3R6bIs2SiRrq6zfdu3Bnq21Be6-UYF3GaX42nLxLtcStljZijO-KiaLV09QXGQBiCk6jLHPJl3ysfmd3K-0jr77gEn7Np2EDxTYOdlKAIGcSTcHl105WlYA0viY/s1600/Picture+14.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUc6xcZGRuPZLXUh9H3R6bIs2SiRrq6zfdu3Bnq21Be6-UYF3GaX42nLxLtcStljZijO-KiaLV09QXGQBiCk6jLHPJl3ysfmd3K-0jr77gEn7Np2EDxTYOdlKAIGcSTcHl105WlYA0viY/s320/Picture+14.png" width="204" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJV6GXWvJNNHKPiHGW3T4cbjQgawG33kvwfkXujUt9wNG3eiQ2yz1vTVNvJsNkX-TjElcGHOXVBzFlJcROCF2DTV2qW4d-QCXv_HxrXWQWqubVUMRlSKsa3Q4zs3E9zSHwOkxmjcTG6mQ/s1600/Picture+17.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMBssOFzven7SEHcBEMfvO-yGYFrMidYlc7_ES4x9CrK6eNG3tgIQ8cZzkEwCzf9Iylked_BxIwpMM_HMusy8WLgtaIqkFpxiXFAm8yDdHauym7Lp7hgJK6eMbVTZCKsnsUtJOM8uh1s/s1600/Picture+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-30930274666371520102011-03-16T21:52:00.000-04:002011-03-16T21:52:07.573-04:00Frank's Tough Life: Comfy Cozy Couch Cushions<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yyKy3JAxw97hYHNA724HZB5UNzz6LWhklag2HxmtZHITsqG-YC3Mzy8LSX_komV5-WLwaJX7l29LuCD15ijG6uMHZfAQ2q6mMCFFeIVCBepHYJxPqVnkFLFNfKfFVECMgB0SOwEl0RE/s1600/Picture+15.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yyKy3JAxw97hYHNA724HZB5UNzz6LWhklag2HxmtZHITsqG-YC3Mzy8LSX_komV5-WLwaJX7l29LuCD15ijG6uMHZfAQ2q6mMCFFeIVCBepHYJxPqVnkFLFNfKfFVECMgB0SOwEl0RE/s200/Picture+15.png" width="200" /></a>There are two possible scenarios that we are faced with each night at dinner time. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1) Frank barks at the wind and acts like a raving lunatic, physically removing himself from the floor with the intensity of his barks. It makes for a very enjoyable meal.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2) Frank curls up in our living room like the cutest puppy in the whole world.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The ratio of #1 to #2 is very unbalanced.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tonight Frank chose Door #2 and I managed to snap a few pics.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We have two big brown couches that form an L in our living room. L for Leimenstoll. Frank can easily walk from one couch to the other, and he does so often. He also rocks his most cat-like moves and perches himself on top of every cushion available to him. He stays on one for about 10 mins. Then he moves onto the other. And then he'll switch couches. And perch. And so on and so on. You know how designers like the karate-chopped look of pillows? Well Frank could most definitely be a professional cushion-chopper. On the rare days that I clean the house, I literally pull the cushion down so it's horizontal, beat the living h*ll out of it with my fist to redistribute the filling, and then sit on it for good measure. A properly formed couch cushion lasts for about 5 minutes if Frank is sleepy.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I took these pictures within a 10 minute time span. You'll see that he rotates between the "Seal w/ Ears", "Plankton" and "One-eyed pirate" sleep moves very quickly.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Excuse the fuzzy pictures - I took these tonight 2 glass of wine deep and with little lighting. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzKJSD7SvhEw2QEErpgwnfs778zQcEiZXGNWGgFq7Oy8W1sV9a85T6-C-WtH-PwLQbTMoM-T6l1eKnwAMKt04gzlTdbHcEqhEovGLFqFb7XGlYhgnCHhKFAWPbCrE2QKonqYQRGvUb2g/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzKJSD7SvhEw2QEErpgwnfs778zQcEiZXGNWGgFq7Oy8W1sV9a85T6-C-WtH-PwLQbTMoM-T6l1eKnwAMKt04gzlTdbHcEqhEovGLFqFb7XGlYhgnCHhKFAWPbCrE2QKonqYQRGvUb2g/s320/Picture+6.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't deny that he looks like a beached seal with ears.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qaGk9XDV-9QtJgWBE3A9GHTRHmbvcg6XEXHhH4cpIvEIeBarWCAIs8yNFsXpyba8Q7ZBM1VX50W6wwPT5fRWKlTJaXTvyZXrt6pEdxCIzp338jb8zr4vlwzkQuQZGJ7ObeRsUcr2-8E/s1600/Picture+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qaGk9XDV-9QtJgWBE3A9GHTRHmbvcg6XEXHhH4cpIvEIeBarWCAIs8yNFsXpyba8Q7ZBM1VX50W6wwPT5fRWKlTJaXTvyZXrt6pEdxCIzp338jb8zr4vlwzkQuQZGJ7ObeRsUcr2-8E/s320/Picture+8.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cushions have been officially chopped.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5HTxEvxPieCiE-cFeziEuooVlIRuEA0eTAzUIRr1lD2vbNGDc_KVP-gJfRE0Wh5LvCUTMOvY0H1ZQf_hZTEUNxxwY3puhTWbAbVfn-5YEBoaa229x5zJPpNH7oJEzH9dk2SvsiaEtsg/s1600/Picture+13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5HTxEvxPieCiE-cFeziEuooVlIRuEA0eTAzUIRr1lD2vbNGDc_KVP-gJfRE0Wh5LvCUTMOvY0H1ZQf_hZTEUNxxwY3puhTWbAbVfn-5YEBoaa229x5zJPpNH7oJEzH9dk2SvsiaEtsg/s320/Picture+13.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A.J. thinks he looks like a little bear. I think he looks like a sea plankton.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLBEbGFty4vwY1FMHaceKj4mOhTkQa8LluJR3crVpT7rNLC9OKQAOwDDvH3XqnZWF-rwqOXPkJb3xw9YmxLw0cHPfo5lyI5K0O0zVwTtTnW_vx2w_SQlXneBOfh5EtB9MuFb_taC4038/s1600/Picture+14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiLBEbGFty4vwY1FMHaceKj4mOhTkQa8LluJR3crVpT7rNLC9OKQAOwDDvH3XqnZWF-rwqOXPkJb3xw9YmxLw0cHPfo5lyI5K0O0zVwTtTnW_vx2w_SQlXneBOfh5EtB9MuFb_taC4038/s320/Picture+14.png" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You should see the bed-head he has when he wakes up from this position.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yyKy3JAxw97hYHNA724HZB5UNzz6LWhklag2HxmtZHITsqG-YC3Mzy8LSX_komV5-WLwaJX7l29LuCD15ijG6uMHZfAQ2q6mMCFFeIVCBepHYJxPqVnkFLFNfKfFVECMgB0SOwEl0RE/s1600/Picture+15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-16402045093392617342011-03-14T21:40:00.000-04:002011-03-14T21:40:43.856-04:00NZ is more than just a pretty face. Pavlova instruction.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqIUlTlP_4FdBLirA-vfxwENcLFqA-9QLsD-NAdfFK9LPsycNtUswcrqQ-m3uQdU35aKzEKWU1dHfHXo-E2e2_TeXLyCTI4G8qdstz2XZsj5Ib-Bkirctj8PaxGOfzBR4GADQFcpEBiY/s1600/Picture+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqIUlTlP_4FdBLirA-vfxwENcLFqA-9QLsD-NAdfFK9LPsycNtUswcrqQ-m3uQdU35aKzEKWU1dHfHXo-E2e2_TeXLyCTI4G8qdstz2XZsj5Ib-Bkirctj8PaxGOfzBR4GADQFcpEBiY/s320/Picture+10.png" width="177" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A.J. turned 30 on 3/10, and his birthday request was a home-cooked dinner at home. So sweet. A.J. didn't really have an opinion what we had for dinner, but he knew what he wanted for his birthday dessert...Pavlova.. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When A.J. and I went to NZ in 2009, little did I know that we would be introduced to the dessert-of-all-desserts: PAVLOVA. (Can you hear the angels singing??) We spent Christmas with A.J.'s cousins Linda & Tim (and their amazing kids Maddie & Charlie). To spend Xmas with family on the other side of the world was pretty awesome. Tim's mom Robbie is apparently known for her mad, mad Pavlova skills. When I heard what she was serving for dessert I was nervous. Pavlova? It sounds like some kind of ambrosia, jello-mold grossness. And then I heard what makes Pavlova tick: a huge meringue, fresh whipped cream and delicious berries on top. I'm all in.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnR-wYzwdOH4Rk69g4bsDnQJ8YQOE-4-JXWTdS75xFi-JAKZjPHX7PAf5Vr8cjDX1SZOQuHioK1w4aeg9D06KGas8dwmug6mdJhYhBDyUkwJZiQ3mK7E56YPizp7erfZzMvPuCx_ZJC4/s1600/Picture+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnR-wYzwdOH4Rk69g4bsDnQJ8YQOE-4-JXWTdS75xFi-JAKZjPHX7PAf5Vr8cjDX1SZOQuHioK1w4aeg9D06KGas8dwmug6mdJhYhBDyUkwJZiQ3mK7E56YPizp7erfZzMvPuCx_ZJC4/s320/Picture+11.png" width="179" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Start with the mega-meringue.... (see instructions @ the bottom) </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqilwwnb1i2D8j43ul2BQt5Hs8MzN65CmgVTIXa7ivwGWOrLDdpcYw8catukAVM1pn2bmuwgEom3qTq8PwwRUCG-O8EyJmKwwDmweMtPo7fZYBMgoXT4BWL0TJGbxL-Uu4itFSZY1i90/s1600/Picture+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqilwwnb1i2D8j43ul2BQt5Hs8MzN65CmgVTIXa7ivwGWOrLDdpcYw8catukAVM1pn2bmuwgEom3qTq8PwwRUCG-O8EyJmKwwDmweMtPo7fZYBMgoXT4BWL0TJGbxL-Uu4itFSZY1i90/s200/Picture+4.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wash, cut, lightly sugar the fruit. (You can use any type of berry)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwO8Ifx0TSfGUhbmy7zPc637fiAOgrfn6PMQJ1JGLXDJ7Xpyal6iXUzIkchlkHDqWpYUxTe8LaQnGuFmx0XjbQHYG12kPpZmzLuMCroJ_Xpxz2-zxljFcat8tCPU8pxGGH3q5pM2PdNE/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwO8Ifx0TSfGUhbmy7zPc637fiAOgrfn6PMQJ1JGLXDJ7Xpyal6iXUzIkchlkHDqWpYUxTe8LaQnGuFmx0XjbQHYG12kPpZmzLuMCroJ_Xpxz2-zxljFcat8tCPU8pxGGH3q5pM2PdNE/s200/Picture+5.png" width="139" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYQem5Hf0rgUsvRFhlrnbVy0UJMDD19OqMPRrvc4GJ77wLoMqiiANDHw7Lc7xJFvEeXs9ZYPDXRMbUUhnKm1X3PZRQeyrRbgfMXvJB-Z1Fc2dVEFS8505SY_W0jt-ITH1xh4aVtEgb2k/s1600/Picture+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYQem5Hf0rgUsvRFhlrnbVy0UJMDD19OqMPRrvc4GJ77wLoMqiiANDHw7Lc7xJFvEeXs9ZYPDXRMbUUhnKm1X3PZRQeyrRbgfMXvJB-Z1Fc2dVEFS8505SY_W0jt-ITH1xh4aVtEgb2k/s200/Picture+6.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinw5Xg-X09w6vPjOpAD4Q61LQGh-uW4BuforMukjMo2J4_HKa9ymfj8Lp4yzN_zNcEbSyox4KGQ0vva8qofMLvvURNSU6PtO1XQm7ICd2NbDhGrxCdXVSCjN6SlXoKgAC8KvDAXeIjYR8/s1600/Picture+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinw5Xg-X09w6vPjOpAD4Q61LQGh-uW4BuforMukjMo2J4_HKa9ymfj8Lp4yzN_zNcEbSyox4KGQ0vva8qofMLvvURNSU6PtO1XQm7ICd2NbDhGrxCdXVSCjN6SlXoKgAC8KvDAXeIjYR8/s200/Picture+7.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spread whipped cream lightly on top of meringue. In this situation, more is definitely more.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf1AAXysV9h2Jl-pVdc2vIDP9Q5gSRp9q66XbC305OELfMkWq2ndfHybqyxF4YGR3vDoWS2x4R8xyKEKMntyExHXm4QaQMihfbjK0Z45f45xo_uzlqFrOPXiSwmgVa-hnr4Y6bXe4Waw/s1600/Picture+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf1AAXysV9h2Jl-pVdc2vIDP9Q5gSRp9q66XbC305OELfMkWq2ndfHybqyxF4YGR3vDoWS2x4R8xyKEKMntyExHXm4QaQMihfbjK0Z45f45xo_uzlqFrOPXiSwmgVa-hnr4Y6bXe4Waw/s200/Picture+8.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Top with berries and DIG IN.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstRYLI-et7unhrhUin10HcDpikDlbTrOzZRej_QOnaGVFHel6LJzZ5FjbYmC7fwtM-HB204DLLIyJiEyB8qv0qK3SqfaKGO0qVG0I1ccUcIrSps2Sxyeenj6b6lygHjcoFvAOD36xRvM/s1600/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstRYLI-et7unhrhUin10HcDpikDlbTrOzZRej_QOnaGVFHel6LJzZ5FjbYmC7fwtM-HB204DLLIyJiEyB8qv0qK3SqfaKGO0qVG0I1ccUcIrSps2Sxyeenj6b6lygHjcoFvAOD36xRvM/s200/Picture+9.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><h2 align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;">Pavlova Recipe: </span></h2><h2 align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;">http://www.joyofbaking.com/Pavlova.html</span></h2><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">4 large (120 grams) <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/eggs.html">egg whites</a></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">1 cup (200 grams) superfine (castor) <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/sugar.html">sugar</a></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">1 teaspoon white vinegar</span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)</span></span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> <span class="bod">Topping:</span></b></span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/Cream.html">cream</a></span></span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/sugar.html">sugar</a></span> (or to taste)</span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">1/2 teaspoon pure <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/Vanilla.html"> vanilla extract</a></span></span></div><div align="left" class="ingredient" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><span class="value">Fresh fruit - kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit, peaches, <a class="kLink" href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/Pavlova.html#" id="KonaLink9" style="font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static; text-decoration: underline ! important;"><span style="color: blue; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="color: blue; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: relative;">pineapple</span></span></a>, or other fruit of your choice</span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"><b>Pavlova: </b><a class="kLink" href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/Pavlova.html#" id="KonaLink8" style="font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static; text-decoration: underline ! important;"><span style="color: blue; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="color: blue; font-weight: inherit ! important; position: relative;">Preheat oven</span></span></a> to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the circle is on the reverse side.</span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"> In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff and shiny peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Beat in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold in. Spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.)</span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;">Bake for 60 to <span class="cooktime">75 minutes</span> or until the outside is dry and is a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.) </span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;"> The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days. </span></div><div align="left" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;">Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours.</span></div><div align="left"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;">Serves 6 to 8.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="bod" style="font-size: small;">Frank's available for clean-up duty. Just send him a message on facebook.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-5t7KbQkDxpICVCbAA9c8WXWobbmJMDdSIoGb7fK6FYFeC2EcB5BUzU-WDDFUkN2XR0JMgCQ7-YeA1TZMb_0ypLPN0CYkmH4MsX_KDjinCTCmLMAjlAMy2p3CKTIe-TEVkbDc_f0l6M/s1600/Picture+12.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-5t7KbQkDxpICVCbAA9c8WXWobbmJMDdSIoGb7fK6FYFeC2EcB5BUzU-WDDFUkN2XR0JMgCQ7-YeA1TZMb_0ypLPN0CYkmH4MsX_KDjinCTCmLMAjlAMy2p3CKTIe-TEVkbDc_f0l6M/s320/Picture+12.png" width="225" /></a></div><span class="bod"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></div><br />
<span id="goog_820781015"></span><span id="goog_820781016"></span>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-67386880327143561592011-03-12T14:19:00.000-05:002011-03-12T14:19:34.164-05:00Mr. Sunshine<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of my favorite features of our new(ish) home is the shifting sunspots we find throughout the day. We're on the end of a row, so we get the added benefit of a few extra windows. A major plus in my opinion. Now that the days are getting longer and warmer, the sun is sneaking in more and more. It makes all three Leimenstolls quite happy.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I brought the laundry upstairs and this is who I found guarding the third floor.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTj-ClkCJEeYNqa-vXBe8T_BoPEoV17iFTKQ2QqB45xylj8iNDUDkJw6pPr6rJkutbxr5wUD4Pe-50yCQe4i4BxIbjHoTjuMd9Y3Raj8tFCKRhuVmzagagMNl4IQ8FY3HaNhPfvZ83N8/s1600/DSC_0085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTj-ClkCJEeYNqa-vXBe8T_BoPEoV17iFTKQ2QqB45xylj8iNDUDkJw6pPr6rJkutbxr5wUD4Pe-50yCQe4i4BxIbjHoTjuMd9Y3Raj8tFCKRhuVmzagagMNl4IQ8FY3HaNhPfvZ83N8/s320/DSC_0085.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I managed to step over Frank, put the laundry in our bedroom, go down the hall, grab my camera, step back over Frank and snap this shot. He was so focused on his sunbathing that I could have tap-danced on his head. Tough, tough life.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlDuwH15-LMEjqE7z6m9wDxSLqZtj5qTyTFUUNZjZHbIlky6vbZPjWoSzEUMvIykehw3D29_tTraU7eMceVqK33X-rneJSvjOHU6kPKXTeJhibWAil_4N_7M8-8QPd_IKCJRCPgbbExw/s1600/DSC_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlDuwH15-LMEjqE7z6m9wDxSLqZtj5qTyTFUUNZjZHbIlky6vbZPjWoSzEUMvIykehw3D29_tTraU7eMceVqK33X-rneJSvjOHU6kPKXTeJhibWAil_4N_7M8-8QPd_IKCJRCPgbbExw/s320/DSC_0090.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7073416865481496596.post-30612198842007361882011-03-11T14:33:00.000-05:002011-03-11T14:33:58.982-05:00A Very Big Life for a Very Small Dog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmq2c9oiohLth54PVtSE_ilEvykZkDT9X9__URbWHtZwWKEy5n0P_HiUy2J_-4UkmJ6Xp7kskuW26FfEzxB_ymKtmKOiQZCdOAXD4lf3Wx-WMxfhAixmG7rox-aG35gucYCb5g_uvij7SO/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br />
</a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I asked the Facebook community: "If I started a blog, would you read it?"</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"> </span> <span style="font-family: arial;">The unanimous answer was "YES* " </span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: arial;">* = Only if you're talking about Frank</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I accepted the fact that a 15lb. dog that doesn't speak is more interesting than me, and started this blog today. I'll explain the name of the blog in another post, but I figured I should make it family-related in case we ever add numbers to our clan. (Don't get excited, I'm currently drinking a bottle of wine and a triple-venti Sbux espresso right now. NOT pregnant. I'm just a planner at heart) Also, so far I'm a sub-par blogger, so excuse the mish-mash of photos below. I'll get my act together at some point. Promise.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">For those unfamiliar with the living legend that is Frank, here's his match.com bio:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Name: Francis Leimenstoll </span> <span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Born: 08/04/08 in outskirts of Charlotte</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Purchased as a 3rd anniversary gift between A.J. & Megs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">(You should see the 4th anniversary Frank portrait. Our love for him has made us stupid.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Height: short (about 12 inches from the ground when standing)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Weight: 15lbs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Skills: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">- A</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> very, very good barker. One of the best. (or the worst depending on who you ask. My father has not-so-fondly nicknamed him Bob Barker.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">-</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Break-dances when wet.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Likes: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Loves the car. </span> <span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Loves the park.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Loves to walk. </span> <span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Below are some pics from the past 2.5 years. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmq2c9oiohLth54PVtSE_ilEvykZkDT9X9__URbWHtZwWKEy5n0P_HiUy2J_-4UkmJ6Xp7kskuW26FfEzxB_ymKtmKOiQZCdOAXD4lf3Wx-WMxfhAixmG7rox-aG35gucYCb5g_uvij7SO/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisD_LZMH_wy7DjOhP2fqPfnc0Jos6v1dhAX2rgfO7VepgewbaYyWBQ04UODEHIKkCnxhyphenhyphencYR4bbP5e_JXw5VhlOrdoNmD1O5nssflt_y8qXNGBPfXtmj9HwqKm1_jmsXd7CQcloQUYRNIv/s1600/P1010035.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582864700844046370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisD_LZMH_wy7DjOhP2fqPfnc0Jos6v1dhAX2rgfO7VepgewbaYyWBQ04UODEHIKkCnxhyphenhyphencYR4bbP5e_JXw5VhlOrdoNmD1O5nssflt_y8qXNGBPfXtmj9HwqKm1_jmsXd7CQcloQUYRNIv/s320/P1010035.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">He joined the family at 6 weeks old - tipping the scales at 2.5 lbs.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmq2c9oiohLth54PVtSE_ilEvykZkDT9X9__URbWHtZwWKEy5n0P_HiUy2J_-4UkmJ6Xp7kskuW26FfEzxB_ymKtmKOiQZCdOAXD4lf3Wx-WMxfhAixmG7rox-aG35gucYCb5g_uvij7SO/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzV_8WhIURleulH3DElWCzts9dHvD1d8ltc0TlQsq-iYdYNRK34WvZ3mLzL2Wt2uBO_kSCgKuk1d62jD4s2CgXiTAD-x_MqctynZskC_kOovhKxTCBYBXwtULvBjpMpB_uq4ByN5qkyG0/s1600/Frank+on+stump.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br />
</a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCz2-CmSzKQwui5FRaSfL18d4owiplpfwV41gAfRtXo5KnirpyYbs2XpiLNDYhfMrGZANDRsNIroGCHRsWHmu-INqgimUehGvnqFhRAorZzxkNIxlOaDubkZCkjCwwKjWnqfuikne7dW7/s1600/P1010071.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582865208265256978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCz2-CmSzKQwui5FRaSfL18d4owiplpfwV41gAfRtXo5KnirpyYbs2XpiLNDYhfMrGZANDRsNIroGCHRsWHmu-INqgimUehGvnqFhRAorZzxkNIxlOaDubkZCkjCwwKjWnqfuikne7dW7/s320/P1010071.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Frank's best feature: the ultimate Grandpa eyebrows</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrF2btvqBy8T76WS5Hxjwc4qKRRhVqeifN4bV_GHbIx7GUUWKVHGPFJ8KSJlEmuY3JPnQgJl_buWOa6rWBRA00vzMQlPFnvAsJsuXFt2ZnIQ_LcuxbhXG8SIOTsaWG3uFQfk759iC6Djr/s1600/P1010062.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582865021384680914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrF2btvqBy8T76WS5Hxjwc4qKRRhVqeifN4bV_GHbIx7GUUWKVHGPFJ8KSJlEmuY3JPnQgJl_buWOa6rWBRA00vzMQlPFnvAsJsuXFt2ZnIQ_LcuxbhXG8SIOTsaWG3uFQfk759iC6Djr/s400/P1010062.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Within one week of moving in with my parents in 2009, Frank scalped one of mom's dolls. I think he was sending a message.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicjS9zbyJSHzbuqDz3geTxfkwZ-pURObaUfamu08OM7KCvPLhrii8uxExVGKNW7LRK9fy7DUR1LRhs8hPO0MA3gySEEEfuRH4AHF7mOp9DsqZLurWzHOSiNb74zdJ6Ob5TtV7SLEAJWNl/s1600/Frank+Easter+Bunny.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582864854275875666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicjS9zbyJSHzbuqDz3geTxfkwZ-pURObaUfamu08OM7KCvPLhrii8uxExVGKNW7LRK9fy7DUR1LRhs8hPO0MA3gySEEEfuRH4AHF7mOp9DsqZLurWzHOSiNb74zdJ6Ob5TtV7SLEAJWNl/s320/Frank+Easter+Bunny.png" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think he ate a pair of my shoes immediately after this Easter photoshoot. Payback's a b*tch.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqfH6UT7Nm32_uNw1x-gbhPsBX5gETFyKvdXCYRg27bEouUnLQb88ZnXniGbPJe5Vx2qw28UrA15en2gaH50SVRvJfRu5ZNdzQQ-7yxZuVusJ3xB8GLRTCfJw1JLqwBskMcfu0qpctD3c/s1600/018.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582864386889122018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqfH6UT7Nm32_uNw1x-gbhPsBX5gETFyKvdXCYRg27bEouUnLQb88ZnXniGbPJe5Vx2qw28UrA15en2gaH50SVRvJfRu5ZNdzQQ-7yxZuVusJ3xB8GLRTCfJw1JLqwBskMcfu0qpctD3c/s320/018.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Family shot w/ his cousin Boomer. Definitely Frank's awkward stage. One ear up, and some weird red-armpit problem. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
<br />
</span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div>meghanleimenstollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08231343888534417329noreply@blogger.com3