bright eyes + blue eyes

my little artist

{Flashback Friday}

2007

Pumpkin, age 3, at the Children's Museum

Doing what she loves: Painting

The museum has a really cool painting wall where kids can paint to their hearts content.

I was looking through some old photos earlier this week and I ran across these two photos. 

Looking at them definitely brings about a tug on my heart! I just want to jump in the photograph and give that little munchkin hugs and kisses.

I feel like I've blinked merely a few times since then....

....and suddenly she's seven years old.

....and in the 2nd grade.

....and has her top two adult teeth growing in at the moment. 

She's not a little bitty girl anymore! 

I love my sweet Pumpkin. 

my mama

My mom is such a devoted grandmother. 

Her grandchildren love her to pieces.

She's coming to our house for a 1 week visit....

...and we can't WAIT.

flashback:

Spring 2004

This is when Gingi came to Edinburgh to help us wait for Pumpkin's arrival. I was about 39 wks preggo when she arrived.

Superboy was about 22 months old.

In the above photo, he was enjoying one of his favorite little games called "Pour Rice & Other Stuff From One Container to Another." I think he started out with two or three different bowls of stuff....dry (raw) rice, dry oatmeal, and probably a tbsp or two of flour.

I took this picture without notifying either one of them, which is why I love it so much. I think they're in the middle of a conversation.

{Mom, this was right around the time he cracked you up with that phrase "Bose-a-zem.")

dancing with a cute little buggie

Last month we were with our extended family, eating some pizza at my brother's house. The next thing you know, we had a little impromptu dance party. There were three kids in attendance: our two kids plus our sweet little niece, who goes by he nickname "Bug." (or Buggie, or The Bug....) She's a little over one year old.

Here's the question: 

Q: Is there anything cuter than a happy toddler dancing?

A: Nope. 

I love you, little Buggie! 

toothpicks + cranberries

The other day I got my latest MS Living magazine in the mail. I guess a person knows she's getting older when she has vivid memories of something beginning....and then suddenly that very thing is celebrating a 20 year anniversary.

Case in point: Martha Stewart's career. Ellie, remember years ago when we would watch her very NEW show on Lifetime TV? I was in high school at the time.

Soon after that, I subscribed to her magazine.

And now, I feel like I've only blinked my eyes a few times....and it's suddenly 20 years later.

 

(Rabbit Trail: Hunter has very clear memories of the Superbowl Shuffle. He was 9 yrs old. There was recently an article about how the Superbowl Shuffle was 25 years old....shocker! 25 years! Hard to believe.)

Anyway, when I opened up the magazine, this is what I saw:

 

Ellie, do you see it??? Let me zoom in for you.

 

There it is: the cover that features one of my favorite craft projects ever....a cranberry Christmas wreath.

Ellie and I spent a lot of time together in December 1996, making that wreath. We attached a LOT of cranberries (via toothpicks) to a styrofoam wreath form. It turned out to be beautiful.

After I read the 20th anniversary magazine and started thinking about our '96 cranberry wreath, I remembered that I have a stack of old MS Living magazines down in the basement.

I flipped through the stack--and whadaya know. Here it is.

 

It really is a great magazine. Even 15 years later, I enjoyed browsing through this cranberry issue. Most of the info (recipes, decorating, etc) is very classic, and stands the test of time.

It was funny to see the dated advertisements--like the one advertising the opening weekend of Father of the Bride, Part 2.

(Ellie, let's make a cranberry wreath together again someday!)

 

 

tim gunn will probably call me after he sees this post

When I was a little girl, I loved to create catalogs.

I found one the other day.

I wish I knew how old I was when I did these, but I have no idea. 4th grade, maybe? Definitely was prior to the peak of my spelling abilities.

 
 
 

madrid 2004

Ellie and Abbie in Madrid
Originally uploaded by abbiegrace

(this post is a test--it's my first time to try to upload a video from my flickr account....let's see if this works!)

Six years ago on this very date, Ellie and I were enjoying a lovely sister vacation together.

We were both living in Edinburgh at the time. My family lived there because Hunter was a student at the U of Edinburgh. I was a stay at home mommy plus a substitute teacher for primary schools in the city. I was 33 weeks pregnant. Superboy was 21 months old.

Ellie was a full time student, studying for her Masters in Social Policy. (Ellie, I'm not sure if that is the precise name of your degree program...but I think I'm close.) She lived right on the Royal Mile. Such a wonderful location.

Thanks to a gift from our thoughtful and sweet parents, we were able to take a short trip to Madrid to have one last hurrah together before we all parted ways. Ellie was about to move away from Edinburgh at the completion of her degree. And we were about to move several hours north, to the Highlands of Scotland.

While we were in Madrid, we toured the city, ate delicious food, took lots of pictures, talked for hours on end, dodged a potential pick pocket (thanks to Ellie's eagle eye), went to a flamenco dancing performance, and did a lot of reading.

We both brought a couple of different books. I remember there was one chick lit title that interested both of us--so we both read it on the same trip. Whenever I would stop reading for a bit, she would pick it up. Then when she was done, I would find my place again. (It was The Devil Wears Prada--a good fluffy read for a sister trip.)

Ellie, who is fluent in Spanish (and German...and Swahili...and English, of course), was our director of communications wherever we went. I was the sister who smiled and nodded and used hand gestures. She would order for me in the restaurants and everything. It was great.

In this video clip, (which is not the best quality--apologies--I hope it is at least view-able) Ellie is the videographer. She's using her digital camera, I am standing in front of the Palacio Real de Madrid. Ellie kept trying to teach me little Spanish phrases, but I was having a hard time with them. I kept unintentionally shifting into French (which is the only language besides English that I've ever studied.) I kept wanting to say "La vie est belle."

Ellie, I was looking through some old digital pics on a CD I burned a long time ago, and I stumbled upon this clip. Watching it makes me miss you lots! Hugs to you across the ocean.

and--Mom & Dad, thank you ever so much for this trip. Ellie & I will always remember it with such fondness!

La vida es bonita!
-abbie

flashback: canada trip, 1988

Abbie's Journal

Family Trip to Canada

Aug 27 - Sep 6

1988

{I was about to turn 12.}

 

Aug 27

{Bangor, Maine}

Oh Boy!

We are now in our new, gorgeus car!

Its a Buick 'Le Sabre', (that's the model name)

I did have a headache before, but now its gone.

The first thing Dad said when we got in the car is

"What do you want to do now?"

"Eat" I said

"Go sightseeing" said Ellie

"Go to Canada" said Robert

We decided on eating.

Then Dad said, "What do you wanna eat?"

"Anything" said Ellie

"Like What" said Dad

"Anything that won't bite back" I said

"Well, I don't know what will happen here, then!" said Mom

(Maine is famous for lobsters)

We all laughed except Robert, who just fell asleep.

Well, Talk to you later! Bye!

 

Aug 27

{still Bangor, Maine}

My parents are so great.

We were driving along the hiway and then we saw this mini-amusement park.

(It's called....Oh, I can't remember)

And I asked if we could stop, but I never expected for Mom and dad to say yes.

But dad pulled into the driveway!

I said "Is this a joke?"

he said "We're on vacation aren't we?"

We went in, looked around, and decided there was one ride we really wanted to go on, and that was the go-carts.

We went on them, and they are scary!

You go really fast.

We are now going to an oceanarium.

Tell you about it later!

Bye.

 

Aug 28

{on the ferry ride to Nova Scotia}

I am now on the ferry to N.S.

it is chilly!

I am excited, though.

this is a birds eye veiw of the ferry

 

{pictured above: Daddy, Abbie, and Ellie on the ferry}

 

{pictured above: Daddy and children in "gorgeus" Buick Le Sabre. Mom was taking the picture. Joe, you were still a twinkle in your Daddy's eye.}

 

{pictured above: Almost 4yr old Robert climbs a tree at ___ Park in Nova Scotia. Mom, what is the name of the park we went to? My trip journal mentions a place called Point Pleasant. Is that it?}

{pictured below: on the beach in Nova Scotia}