New, gently used bike

While out on one of my walks last week, I noticed a few little girls' bikes at St. Vinney's. We bought Tizita her first bike which was a 12 incher with training wheels. Since she took that bike home with her, we bought her the same little bike at a rummage sale so she had one here at our house, too.
When she was here visiting us, it became apparent that she is quickly outgrowing that little bike. She told us she is learning to ride without training wheels, too, so it was time to find her a bigger bike. That is why when I saw those bikes at St. Vinney's I just had to check them out.
Today John and I purchased the above gently used 16 inch bike for $8.00. I think it will serve us well just like the littler one did. I am anxious to see how long it will take Tizita to ride it without the training wheels. It took her mama until she was seven years old and then it still took her a few months to learn to stop with the brakes. Anxious to see if Tiz takes after her mama in that regard.

Easter Dresses for my Little Lady

Sneak peek at the two dresses that I bought for Tizita for Easter this year. I purchased both of these at Sophia's Style online. They have really cute clothes. I have taken it upon myself to buy her Easter dress the last two years and I hope to continue with this tradition. I remember my grandma buying me many of my pretty dresses when I was a little girl and I always enjoyed them so much.

Easter dress 2011. I also purchased this one from a site called Sophia's Style. I have many quite a few purchases for Tizita from this site. They offer unique styles that one does not see in every Target, Shopko, or Kohl's. Some of the dresses are quite pricey, but there are always clearances and sales. End of sales pitch.

Easter dress 2010. I did not purchase this dress. It was before I started the tradition of buying Tiz her dress. Courtney bought this one from a local crafter or off of an Etsy site.

Easter 2009. The first Easter dress that I purchased. The selling factor, for me, was that it had a matching dress for Mimi. I loved the colors of this one on Tiz. I don't remember which one, but I know this dress was purchased at one of the big chain stores.

I am so happy that all of these dresses will be worn again by another sweet little lady. I am guessing that Soliana will look just as beautiful in them as her sister did.

I have given myself permission to purchase twice as much now because there will be two girls using it.

I hope Soliana will be better about hand me downs than her Aunt Alissa was however. When Alissa was about four, I had packed up two large bags of Courtney's outgrown clothes and was excited to pull it out and share it with Alissa. Well, Alissa took one look at it and said, "I am not wearing any of that old stuff!" I was so mad at her, that if a neighbor had not called and invited her over, I may have physically hurt her. She will tell you I shook her that day, but I am not confessing to anything. Anyway, she escaped with her little life. I threw both bags into her old attic closet. Two weeks later, I found her looking through everything and picking out the things she would wear. It was that day that I learned that, with Alissa, it is best to let her call the shots in her own time.

Okay, back to your normal day now.

I Got Nothin'

Okay, so I am doing this photo a day thing which so far has been fun and quite painless, but today I have nothing. I am suffering from blogger's block and all I have is this card. Of course, it is not my original photo, but I say it still counts, right Kim?
I sent this to both of my girls when I first saw it because it reminded me so much of myself and I knew they would laugh. Not so much the vodka part, but more the etch a sketch. I have been known to try and turn on the TV with my phone, take pictures with the remote and make a call with the camera, so who knows what I might do with an etch a sketch?
Okay, there's my photo for the day.
I am going to be looking for some new material today.

Tag a long bike

This package arrived yesterday. I ordered it online last Friday, pretty quick shipping I would say! Best part was, the shipping was free. It is a trail a long bike for Tizita's Easter gift. I cannot wait to unpack it, hitch it up, and take Tiz for a spin. Due to the fact that my bike is in for its annual tune up, I was not able to try it out when it arrived.

I did much research on trail a long bikes before I chose this one to purchase. I am looking forward to many great rides with Tizita pedaling along. Hopefully my bike will be done by Easter so we can try it out then. I will post pictures of the bike as soon as it is up and running.

If anyone else would like an invite to read my blog to Soliana, just message me your email and I will send an invite.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy

One week ago today, March 20, my precious little grandson, Natnael would have been 2 years old. Instead of celebrating his birthday with him here, we held a memorial service in his honor. We (John and I) never had the chance to hug him, hear him laugh, or squeeze his cheeks. We never had the chance to see him playing with his big sister, Tizita. God in his perfect wisdom took Natnael home and there really is no better place to be celebrating a birthday!
But, I choose not to dwell on the things we never got the chance to do, instead I look for the good things that came out of this sadness. First of all, our new granddaughter, Soliana is the first and best blessing to come out of it. If if were not for Natnael, we would not be waiting to welcome Soliana into our lives.
Secondly, I met (just via the internet) one of God's angels. I know that God placed Bridget into our lives for a big reason. I actually met her on the Ethiopian forum where families adopting can connect and discuss common issues. I had been a member of the forum before Tiz came home and found it a place of caring, comforting people. I revisited the site after our experience with Natnael. I felt the need to reach out to others who might have gone through such a tragedy.
I did indeed find about ten other families who shared their stories of loss with me. All had moved on and brought home a healthy, happy child. I found the hope I needed.
But, something much bigger came out of this forum. I met Bridget. She sent me an email immediately after reading my story. She had met Courtney via FB and she was bringing home Natnael's best friend from the Care Center, her son, Teshie! She had met Natnael when she visited Teshie for the first time. She had hugged him, seen him smile, watched him play with his best friend, and she had remembered him as a happy, fun little boy. She even had pictures of him in the background of her photos. I don't think you will ever know the comfort this wonderful angel brought me. God definitely made this happen.


This is Bridget and her son Teshie at the Care Center before she brought him home. On this trip, she actually took time out of her busy schedule to visit Natnael's grave and leave flowers for him. She sent me pictures of his final resting place and told me of a man she met at the cemetery. He comes everyday to visit his wife and he said he would keep an eye on Natnael. What a comforting thought. I know Natnael is not there, but it is still nice to know someone in Ethiopia cares enough to think of a little boy, gone too soon and left alone without any family there to visit his gravesite.

Here is another picture of Teshie. He turned 2 on March 19, just one day before Natnael. It is no wonder they were such good buddies. Bridget says he still talks about Nati and she will never, never let him forget his first friend. Our little Natnael made quite an impression on people in his very short life.

As a memorial gift to Courtney, Paul, and Tizita, Bridget and her family (husband, Luke, daughter, Ella and Teshie) bought a star in in honor of Natnael. They always wanted him to be shining down on us! I am so moved by strangers' kindness.

Someday I hope to meet this wonderful lady and her family. I want to give her a hug and say "Thank you" for all she has done to make this easier for all of us.

So, with all this said, Happy Birthday, Natnael. I know, a week late, but he won't care!

We love you and think of you each day.

How High Will it Go?

I just wanted to document the price of gas. It is on the rise around here. Not good news when you have a husband who commutes an hour and 20 minutes twice each day, but nothing we can do about it either.
Our cool seasonal weather has returned for this week. I am back to school today after a wonderful spring break.
As I noted in a previous post, I have started a private blog for Soliana called Sunshine after the Storm. If you would like an invite to read that blog just let me know in the comments.

A five mile walk

Yesterday John and I started our day with a trip to Wheels and Sprocket in Delafield to drop off our bikes for an annual tune up. From there we went to the Care Center to visit John's dad. We took him a hand held poker game. On our last visit, Jack had stated that he missed his old hand held games, but he didn't think he could push the small buttons. John and I found a site that sells things especially for Seniors, things that have bigger buttons, well lit, large screens, and easy on and off. We found a perfect poker game and he was busy playing it the whole time we were visiting. Hopefully that well keep him occupied during his long days.

We had a picnic lunch at Frame Park even though the weather was cool and damp. After lunch, we took a walk to our old stompin' grounds, Carroll University (altho we still refer to it as Carroll College). It is always fun to return and check things out.

Next we walked toward downtown and stopped at the turtle effigy mound. Then we headed back to Frame Park and finished up with the two mile trip around the park on the Riverwalk.

When all was said and done, we had walked 5.25 miles.

And best part is, we burned off our lunch.

It's Official

I am making it official because I figure once I put it out there on this public blog, I become committed to doing it, right?
I will apologize for the quality of these photos, took them quickly as I was packing away the grocieries, probably my least favorite "job," but I digress.

A number of years ago, John and I began eating better and exercising everyday. We both lost some poundage and felt like we looked better, but over the years we slowly went back to our old ways and some of those pounds came back on.
We have gotten back on the wagon and are committed to eating less and making better food choices as well as exercising on a regular basis. There I have written it down, now I have to follow the plan.

Yesterday I spent two hours in two different stores looking at groceries and trying to make some wise choices. My weight loss plan is simple, eat less, move more. It worked last time and it will work again.
I bought lots of fruit, snacks like the hundred packs above. The raisins are for John, I would not touch one of those nasty little things.

I purchased a variety of frozen veggies. As a rule, I don't do well with veggies, well, except for corn, so I am really stepping outside the comfort zone here. Last night we had fresh asparagas, which was very yummy.

Of course, I bought the lettuce, spinach, and other salad makings.

Add in some grilled chicken strips and stir fry kits.

Finally, the moving part. When the weather is bad for an outside walk, we use these tapes to get some movement in our day.

There you have it, on blog for the world to see. No turning back now! I will keep you posted every once in awhile.

Fingers-Hands-Magoo

So, who is Fingers-Hands-Magoo, you ask? Well, according to Tizita it is anyone who can untangle a mess and Gigi fits the bill here.
Somehow ten of my little yo-yos got tangled. My best guess is that one little lady tried crocheting them and let me tell you, they were crocheted well.
Now, granted, these yo-yos are a dime a dozen, but once you put Fingers-Hands-Magoo-Gigi on the case, she will not give up until the job is finished.

After working all afternoon and into the evening, Gigi successfully untangled the big mess.
Whenever Tizita leaves here after a visit, she leaves her marks behind.

I have started yet another blog. This new one is for Soliana and is called Sunshine after the Storm. I am keeping it private for now, but if any of my faithful readers would like an invite to come over and read, just let me know. I intend to write and publish it for Soliana just as I did for Tizita with a blog about waiting, meeting, and sharing her first year.

Sprng is sprung

I know I mentioned it a few days ago, probably more than once, but I just figured it was a fluke and our seasonal weather would return, but it has now been over a week of 70 to 80 degree temps. Everything is in bloom and it is only March 22.

These are some of the crocuses in our yard.

Here are the hyacinths,

And our one lowly daffodil, yep, we only have one!

I am not sure how long this beautiful weather can possibly last, but I am enjoying it for as long as it stays.

One bad thing that we have to look forward to is the bug population. It is going to be bad. Last night driving home from Waupun, we actually thought it was raindrops on our windshield, but it turned out to be bugs! The car is covered in them. There is always a price to pay!

Grandpa taking us to the zoo today!

Today was Tizita's last day here in Watertown with us. John took the day off and we went to the Madison Zoo. It was another beautiful day, temps in the high 70's yet again. The Madison Zoo is a free zoo and it is such a cool place. We all had a great time.

The lions were active and fun to watch.

After our picnic lunch, Tiz played on one of the playgrounds. This shoe slide was one of Courtney and Alissa's favorite when they were little and we would visit the zoo.

Tiz made a new friend named Anna. Here they are having a girl's club meeting in the tube.

I thought this was a cute picture of Tizita leading these colorful geese along the river.

We proceeded to another playground where Tizita met Tamara. Those two had such a fun time playing together in this area.

Tamara and her grandma toured the rest of the zoo with us after the playground.

After the zoo, we went to Ella's Deli for some yummy ice cream treats.

It was so nice there because we had the whole place to ourselves so we could really walk around and look at all the cool things.

Tonight we took Tizita back to Waupan where we met Courtney and Paul at a Mexican Restaurant. We had to give Tizita back and we will certainly miss her around here! She is one very special little girl and we love having her here.

Day two of Tizita's visit to Watertown

Tizita and I enjoyed another fun-filled day today. Lynne Uttech invited us to the library for a special program presented by Renee Ebert on plants. Tizita had such a nice time. Renee told the children about plants and told two fun stories. Here they are acting out a little story about a plant.

After the presentation, Tizita planted two small plants. One is a viola, but I can't remember the other one.

Then it was time to decorate a pot for the plants. Tiz managed to use up most of Lynne's sparkly jewels on our table, but she has a lovely sparkling pot.

There was even a snack of dirt pudding and gummy worms. What a fun activity. It reminded me of the days when my girls went to storyhour. The library certainly does a great job with these programs, thanks Lynne for inviting us.

After our fun morning at the library, we went to Mullen's for lunch. Tiz had root beer and a hot dog. I had a BLT. We shared some ice cream for dessert.

We took a trip to the Dollar Store for some goodies and spent the rest of the afternoon outside in the 80 weather.

We set up a school and Tiz did some teaching.

Tizita actually liked Alissa's old doll named Snuggles. No one ever liked that doll because of the way she moved when you pulled her string, but Tiz liked her.

After teaching school, Tiz cooled off in a bucket of water. Yes, it is the first day of spring, March 20 and it is warm enough to play in water.

Here she is doing some kind of water dance.

The best part of today was that it went really, really slowly and I loved every slow minute of it.

We made a fort and then all three of us ate our Little Ceasar's pizza in the fort. Great way to end the perfect day.

Tomorrow the zoo!

Soiana and a few days wtih Tizita

I really intended to skip a post/photo today because I just didn't want to move on from my post yesterday about our little granddaughter Soliana and the memorial for Natnael. I changed my mind and just decided to start with this cute pillow pet that Tizita picked out for her little sister while we were shopping today. This way I get to mention Soliana again in this post.
Tizita came to Watertown with us yesterday to spend a few days of my spring break with me. I am letting her be the activity director so today we started with a shopping trip to Walmart where she wanted to buy some fish for pets.

Here are Molly and Michelle, Tizita's two new fish.

Tizita also picked out a kit with skinny balloons, the kind you use to make balloon animals and a tube to use blow them up. Best $5.00 I ever spent.

It seems that Tiz may have a career in balloon making. Here are some of the things she created. I couldn't even get my twists to stay in the balloons.

Of course, she had to mix up one of her usual concoctions, this time is was some type of cupcakes.

I bought her a new scooter at Walmart, too. We scooted down to St. Vinney's today. I confess I just may have bought the scooter because I like a scooter.

At St. Vinney's she picked out this food cart and a doll carrier. The cart is going to be a bed for her baby. So, I rode the scooter home, while she pushed the cart with the carrier. I am sure we were quite the site.

When we got home, Tiz enjoyed some time in her swing.

Then she proceeded to give me a lesson in using my new phone.

It was a great fun filled day and we have her for two more days. A perfect way to spend my spring break for sure.