Coming soon...

We will soon have one of these in our backyard:

Yes, we finally broke down and bought a swing set for Julia (or all of us?). We did a lot of researching, cost comparison and quality comparison. On the recommendations of many other parents/friends, we went with the higher quality and yes, more expensive brand. The cheaper ones just don't compare. Julia had a blast at the swing set stores and we couldn't get her out of there; though Mike and I were having a great time too. We told Julia to play on the super big, elaborate sets because, well, we would never have one of those because they cost about as much as a luxury car with upgrades.

So, in about 2-3 weeks, we will have a swing set similar to the picture above (except with a yellow slide-per Julia's request) and without the rock wall.

Julia is very excited, though I think she has forgotten it is on the way. She did say she was going to play on it with "her cousin Ainsley" and "hold her hand" while she goes down the slide. :)

Fashionably Late?

My apologies to all my readers (particularly the grandma's who are religious readers of this blog). Life gets so busy and lately cyber networking and blogging have taken a back seat to other priorities (is blogging a priority?). Anyway, since getting a new cell phone (love my Droid) I am able to keep up in the Facebook world, but as for blogging, well, just not enough time in the day.

A few weeks (or months) back I promised I would post pictures of our newly painted interior. I am sure many of you forgot and probably don't care either way, but some people have asked when I am going to post the pictures. Well, I like a completely finished product and though our painting is complete, the decorating is not. For the same reasons I haven't had time to blog; I haven't had time to decorate! A few pictures have been hung. A few other items have been hung or placed on a counter or table and then immediately taken back to the store due to my dislike of the look or feel of the object. I am very picky about this decorating project because I want it to be exactly what I want because I don't want to have to do it again for many, many, many years! Anyway, the kitchen is not even close to being done. Living room is about half decorated with some vases; need to hang family portraits (though I now need to replace the frames since they recently came crashing down on me a few weeks ago from a closet shelf and blessed me a with a nice gash in my lip which has now turned into a nice subcutaneous scarred bump).

As for the master bathroom, that is about 95% done. I am waiting for ONE more piece of decor. I searched and searched for this item that will be placed in between our new square, double vanity mirrors. I could only find it at Pottery Barn and was so excited at how well it matched the mirrors. I put it in my virtual "shopping cart" on February 12 (date is important here) and proceeded to check out only to get a message that stated that the product wouldn't be shipped until April 15th!! What!? How could that be? I just want ONE! Well, I searched high and low and all over the Internet for an alternative and couldn't find anything. I guess that is why the Pottery Barn item was on back order-everyone wants it and can't get it anywhere else. Here is what I am eagerly anticipating on my doorstep after April 15th:



Once this lovely item is installed and filled with the item of my choice (not providing details here), I will take a picture of the bathroom and post. As for the other rooms, well, I guess all I can say is stay tuned...it will get done in the next few months (or years!). :)

I'm a Packer Backer

As many of you know by now, the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 6th. This wouldn't be a Wisconsinite's blog if I didn't pay homage to my beloved Packers. I promise this will probably one of the only times I talk about sports for those of you who read this blog and really aren't into sports. I love sports! I love to watch football, basketball, hockey and baseball. I think a lot of my love comes from attending UW-Madison and also from my hubby's insistence on knowing every sports stat and watching every game he possibly can, which is ok with me.


This was definitely a year we weren't sure how the Packers would do, but they defied a lot of odds with a young team (2nd youngest in the league) and many injuries and made it to the Super Bowl on a wild card.



It is hard to explain to non-Packer backers what it is like to be a Packer fan and to be born and raised in Packer country. Most states have a football team, but all of them are owned by an actual person...a team owner. The Packers are the only NFL team to not be owned by a single person. Instead the team is owned by the rightful owners....the fans. The Packers are a publicly owned team; the good occupants of Wisconsin (or wherever else a Packer fan may live) are the owners. Wisconsinites, Packer fans and all others alike own stock (no one person can have more than 200,000 shares to prevent sole ownership of the team) in the Packer's organization which is why I think being a Packer backer has such unique characteristics. We aren't fair weather fans; I have never seen a Packer fan turn his or her back on the team in bad times and losing streaks. Sure, we complain about plays, bad games and bad play calls, but we always back the team no matter what the season is like. Packer fans will gladly dress in layers and layers of clothes to sit at Lambeau field in -20 degree weather to watch a game (if you can get a ticket). Season tickets have been sold out since 1960 and there are over 81,000 names on the waiting list. According to packers.com, the average wait is 30 years to actually get season tickets. Recently a friend had a baby and she put her daughter on the waiting list and I think she was number 67, 000 something. Hopefully, by the time she is 30 she will get her tickets!

Packer fans will also sit in -20 degree weather or +100 weather to tailgate and enjoy beer, brats, cheese curds, cheese and any other Wisconsin-made treats.

I love being a Packer fan! Not just because they won the Super Bowl, but because they are a great team, owned by the people. We are down-home fans who always stick by their team. Living in Minnesota has NOT changed my perspective or fan following at all. Even though many people have tried to persuade me in the last 7 years of living in MN to switch my cheering to the V team (Just can't put the name in my blog), I would never turn my back on the Packers. I think I choose the right team this year and for many years to come.

I will forever and always be a Packer Backer.