Babies and guns

Bet that headline got your attention! In actuality, though, it does pertain to two family events that were celebrated this past weekend. On Saturday, the Schultz and Grube women gathered their forces to shower Laurie with happiness and baby gifts. Food, conversation, games, fun, and prizes complemented the day to make it a successful event. And when all was said and done, the mommy-to-be lugged home a wealth of fantastic presents that wait in anticipation to welcome our family's littlest nugget to the fold.



On Sunday, Papa, Ryan, Brad, and I made the trek out to the rifle range to enjoy the fam's favorite pastime of target shooting. Being the Annie Oakley that I am, I don't think I did too badly. The boys faired just as well, so we all left with a happy bounce in our step. Here's an action shot to commemorate the maestro who instilled a keen appreciation for the sport in his grateful offspring.

Rooftop elves

Just one short day after it snowed, the spring sun decided to return and with it came 5 nimble construction elves who blessed us with a brand new roof. Now our little nest feels even more like a cozy cottage.

April fooled

It's April 28th, and sometime in the deep of the night, the seasons decided to play a practical joke on us. Instead of green grass and budding flowers, this is what we woke up to this morning:

Even the dog was confused

Also, a bird was flying around our living room, which caused me to screech like a little girl. I think it got in via the fireplace.

Dental woes

My neighborhood dentist and I have become fast friends over the past two days. I walked on over for my yearly cleaning yesterday (he's literally 2 blocks from our house), and after fixing my chipped front tooth, he deemed it critical that I return today for more work on some old fillings. It seems that old silver standbys wear out over time and begin to "leak". Indeed, the term leak was thrown into our toothy conversation yesterday, which made me quite uncomfortable. So, after showing me the damage (leaks make your teeth turn a lovely gray/black), I agreed to have them ground out in order to have white replacements put in.

During our appointment today, I found out that not only do silver fillings eventually leak, but the silver is an amalgamate of metals including mercury. Mercury! One would think they would have thus been outlawed years ago with the withdrawal of mercury from most classrooms (except Mrs. Davis', apparently). Needless to say, the numbing needles didn't feel quite so bad knowing that I was ridding my mouth of mercury-infused villainy. Plus, it seems that the old fillings were hiding additional decay. My poor molars were deteriorating under the guise of their silver linings, but no one could tell, because the gray "leaks" covered it up. Disgusting. Cheers for a dental wizard who can handle things like that as well as numerous other gross dental procedures.

So, although the right side of my mouth is still numb and I can't whistle, drink from a glass without dribbling, or feel if I'm biting my cheek off, I am happy to have beautiful new fillings and protective insulation to keep my molars strong. Amen and a giant toothy grin for my friendly neighborhood dentist.

Golden birthday luau

I wish I would turn 26 every year, so I could be surprised with such happy celebrations for the rest of my life!

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Two kinds of cake

I enjoyed two very different types of cake yesterday.

First: a tiered ringlet of sweet pineappley heaven

Verdict: So good

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Second: a gelatinous "golden" blob laden with gold coins

Verdict: My parents rule

March madness

Yesterday: Mousie lounging outside in the spring sun

Today: Violet waiting to come in from the spring snow

When no one's looking....

...the animals secretly get along.

It could just be the big poofy bed, though.

Thwarted by the U.S. Postal Service

The U.S. Postal service is out to impinge upon my creativity (and anyone else who sends thick letters). After finishing all my lovely baby shower invitations, writing out 25 envelopes, and placing a sticker on each flap to secure the content, the government has decided to step in and officially help me realize that mailing protocol is not what it used to be.

Apparently the bow tied around the card (and perhaps the elephant that sticks up off it) makes each envelope more than 1/4" thick, which means I'd have to pay double or triple the price to send a 4 x 4 card. Fantastic. First, I'm not very keen on the consistently rising cost of postage and now this? Instead of $9.84 for twenty-four $0.41 letters, I'd either have to pay $19.68 or $29.52. I find both of those options quite unsavory, and although I was tempted to bow into their demands in order to get the invites out, I'd like to think I can attain the upper hand in this matter.

Thus, I am now faced with downsizing my creative efforts to forego extra charges for sending pretty paper to friends and family across the nation. I have a few ideas so the originals don't lose all their pizazz, but if the postal service decides to step in after this - I'm done. They might as well just snuff out the fire of my creative genius altogether.

I like crafties

Since I like to create so very much, I decided to craft my sister-in-law's baby shower invitations myself. Here is a preview of the process and the first few results (she's having a boy...can you tell?).