So I've been in a really big nesting mood lately and have gotten a lot of projects done or at least have tackled a few again because some projects seem like they are never ending i.e. scrapbooks. Today I totally cleaned out the kitchen and reorganized all the cupboards. I recently got about 20 free books of wallpaper from craigslist for free and decided to cover some journals that I had laying around that were a little passe. They turned out great but the four that I made didn't even make a dent in my paper collection.

I also found a little tykes picnic table on the side of the road that was in pretty haggard shape, but the week before I had found a pretty solid shelf unit that I wasn't exactly sure if I was going to keep or not. Well when I saw the condition of the picnic table top and seats I knew that the shelves would work perfectly for new seats and table. So I cut up the shelves, dismantled the table ( which took a borrowed saw from Sarah & Ben Ekstrom from our ward to get the rusty bolts out of it)then put it all together again and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Addie seemed to like it too when I showed it to her, now maybe we could do some crafts outside!





Like I mentioned I've also tackled Mitch and I's engagement book that I started before we were married to use as a Guest book at our receptions. Well there are still tons of pictures that need to be scrapbooked and put into album, so slowly but surely the picture pile is becoming smaller and the book is getting fatter. I'm really grateful that all of our pictures are on the computer now and I can just do all this on the computer, it's much easier and takes a lot less time.

Now to some sad news. I was working on a big jean quilt the other night when as I was sewing along, my machine all of a sudden just stopped. I checked the cord connections tried the treadle again and nothing happened, I floored it all the way to the floor and nothing. I tried this over the next couple of days just to make sure it wasn't just a fluke, but finally took it into Bernina to see what the deal is. So my sewing machine is temporarily out of commission and I was 3 feet away from finishing the jean quilt top!! Doesn't that just frost ya? UGGGHH. So all the other sewing projects I had lined up are on the back burner as it were for at least two weeks until the technician at Bernina "gets to it", but it leaves room for me to do some other projects so I guess it's an o.k. trade off.

It was a busy holiday week for us around here. Mitch had the week of the 4th off from school so we planned some fun things to do together. Monday we celebrated Independence Day by going to the Wauwatosa street parade in the morning and then hurried off to our ward BBQ to get things set up for that. It was a great turn out and I think everyone had a good time, the kids especially loved the water balloons and pool.
On Tuesday Mitch, Addie and I went to swimming lessons then quickly came home and packed up to go to Point Beach State park to camp with some of our friends. Kristina and Nick Harker put it all together for us and it ended up being a lot of fun. The Schuyler and Marianne Sessions family, Dalin and Christin Ricks family and Landon and Erica Rencher family were also there with us and it was quite a crew. We took a lot of walks and played at the beach and around the campsite for two days. There was also a lighthouse there, which I was a little disappointed in because it looked more like a water tower than a lighthouse, but the history of it was cool I guess. We spent a lot of the time warding off mosquitoes because we were camped next to a swamp, but it did make for a good frog story. The second morning we woke up after a stormy night in which our tent leaked a little bit and there were frogs hopping all over the grassy patch where we had pitched out tent. We pointed them out to Addie and she followed them around for awhile until one stopped right in front of her. So I said, "Addie, be careful not to step on the frog." Through a small misinterpretation she must have though I said to "step on the frog" so she raised her little booted foot and squished the poor guy. It's kind of a haunting image to have your two year old do that to something that was living, of course she didn't understand that it was dead and although we told her it had a big ouie but she kept saying that is was still a "nice frog".
Down at the beach we played in the sand and built a big volcano and subsequent hole that the water could run into. The hole ended up being a burying pit for several of our company, although they all managed to get out of their sandy tomb without any harm, but perhaps a few extra grains of sand in places they hadn't expected them. Schuyler, Brycen, Macey, Thomas and Rylan all were buried and had a great time popping out of the sand. It was really foggy that morning and the fog turned into a light drizzle and then into rain, but at least the rain kind of kept the mosquitoes at bay. We had a lot of fun during our little vacation even if we did get lots of bug bites.

Mitch was a lifeguard at the Snow College Activity Center for a few years and has a firm belief in starting kids out as early as possible to get them used to the water. Addie (whom has always loved baths) had no trouble acclimating to the bigger pool of the swimming lessons we enrolled her in this summer. The class is every Tuesday and Thursday morning and sadly is ending next week, but we've all had fun during the 4 week stint.
Last Tuesday Mitch happened to be out of school for the 4th of July holiday which coincided perfectly with the only visitor day they have during the session. So we packed up Buggie and her swimming suit and Papa got to do all the fun things with her while I took pictures from the viewing balcony above.
The class always starts off by getting used to the water temperature by putting water all over their bodies usually with a fun story like making popcorn, or a snack. This Tuesday just happened to start off with a bang of fireworks to get them all wet, well there were no real fireworks in the pool, but the grand finale was all the kids and parents kicking their legs in the water to make big fireworks! Mitch hopped in followed quickly by Adders and then it was time for the "BIG SONG SINGING CIRCLE" (yes that's the real name). They sang the "Wheels on the Bus", "Old McDonald had a Pool" and for lack of a better title, the shark song, do do da do! Addie loved the shark song which was one we hadn't sung before and she's asked for us to sing it a lot since then, but Momma can only have so many shark attacks in a day before exhaustion comes on.
After singing the kiddos always practice their "reach and pull" to try to get them to move their arms as if they were swimming. Tuesday they just happened to be going after colorful balls that floated on top of the water. Mitch motored Addie around the pool as she reached for the balls she wanted and even got her to float with him on her back which seems to always make her a little uneasy. They also blew some bubbles while holding onto the edge of the pool.Mitch did motorboat with her and I though her head was going to fly off her shoulders he went so fast, but he said she had a smile on her face the whole time.
They didn't have them go under the water on Tuesday but the week before they had us blow into their faces really hard so that their eyes closed, then dunk them under the water really quickly. I thought Addie wouldn't like it, but after doing it she asked to do it again. After the second time she was done, but I was sure proud of her for even doing it without so much as a peep from her out of fear or surprise.
I think Addie has enjoyed her swimming lessons this year and hopefully as per Papa's wishes has gotten a used to the water a little bit more.Some of the pictures are blurry, but what can you do when the lighting is horrible and everything is moving around?

Mitch had the opportunity to go to Mission of Mercy in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and we got to stay a night with him there and spend the next day on the beautiful beach there. Now, they do have a beach in Milwaukee, but the signs stating the toxicity level of the lake is a little deterring so we headed up north of here and the lake was wonderful! The sand was clean and so fine that we could even build drip castles with it, a technique learned from Grandpa "C" when my family and I lived in Florida. We all had fun playing in the sand and getting our feet wet although the water was still a little too chilly to get in all the way. Addie got buried in the sand by Papa and momma got to look for seashells. Mitch pointed out that the shells probably belonged to an invasive species that he learned about in his invertebrates class at USU. I just thought they were pretty, but he said they are pretty prolific in Wisconsin. Sheboygan was a cute little town with a great river walk and a beautiful hotel that reminded me of a large version of the hotel in "Somewhere in Time", unfortunately we didn't see Jane Seymour there but we still had lots of fun. Take a look!

Mitch was able to volunteer for the Mission of Mercy that the Wisconsin Dental Association puts together. This year they visited Sheboygan, Wisconsin and provided about a million dollars worth of free dental care to patients in that area. Mitchell was there for two days and helped translate for the Spanish speaking patients and also helped by giving anesthetic injections while assisting one of the 180 volunteer dentists.This article below was printed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the services provided during the Mission of Mercy.


"Sheboygan - She arrived at midnight with blankets, chairs, four kids and a broken molar.

She camped out on grass, called it a safari. But instead of searching for big game, she was searching for free dental care.

"This is a godsend," Lisa Seil of Plymouth said Friday during the Wisconsin Dental Association's Mission of Mercy.

This was dentistry as charity, dentistry done on a grand scale at Sheboygan North High School, home of the Raiders.

Raider Nation was transformed into dental central by 953 volunteers, including 180 dentists, scores of dental hygienists and assistants, nurses, lab technicians, dental students, translators and escorts.

They were there to serve those who were uninsured or underinsured or unable to receive quality dental care.

There were no appointments. It was first come, first served.

By the time the event concludes Saturday, 2,000 patients are expected to have received an estimated $1 million in free dental care.

For that kind of crowd, you need a lot of stuff, beginning with 8,000 doses of Novocaine.

The school's smaller gym was turned into a reception area, complete with three X-ray machines.

The main gymnasium was outfitted into a giant dental suite, with 100 dental chairs arrayed on the basketball court. Areas were sectioned off for cleaning, filling and care for kids. Behind curtains, a dozen oral surgeons performed extractions. There was an entire section for sterilizers and sinks, an assembly line of workers putting in the hours.

The air was filled with the sounds of dentistry, whirring drills and slurping suction devices.

Dentists worked intently. Patients stared at the gymnasium's ceiling.

"A lot of people are having a hard time accessing critical dental care," said Eugene Shoemaker, president-elect of the Wisconsin Dental Association and chairman of the state's Mission of Mercy committee. "The people who do get care here are so appreciative of what we're doing."

At times, it was hard to tell who was getting more from the event, the dentists or the patients.

One dentist wiped away tears as he told about being hugged by a 7-year-old girl after he pulled a molar from her mouth. Other dentists said they were moved as they walked among patients who waited through the night. They were receiving thanks before performing even one procedure.

"A lot of people have lost their insurance, lost their jobs," said Janelle Stumpf, a dentist from Pewaukee. "There is a huge need out there, especially with this economy."

Seil, the mom on safari, broke her molar four months ago, lived with the pain, downing Tylenol like mints. She couldn't find a dental practice that would accept her as a new patient under BadgerCare Plus, the state's health care program.

This was her one shot to get her teeth fixed, the same for her kids. She needed four teeth pulled. Her 10-year-old son Brayton Zimmermann needed three cavities filled.

The kid was a trouper. He nearly fell asleep as the dentist, John Korolewski, put in the fillings.

"I was half-scared," Brayton said.

But for Brayton, it was over, new fillings and a new friend. He and the dentist talked about baseball.

Faith Olmedo of Sheboygan said her family lost its dental insurance three years ago. She and another mother camped out in a parking lot by the school, and their kids joined them in the early morning before the doors opened.

Olmedo had two teeth extracted. The Novocaine hadn't worn off yet, so she talked like she had a mouthful of marbles. Yet she managed a smile.

"I avoided the dentist as a child," she said. "Now, I just waited in the parking lot to see one.""

Brad one of the students from Marquette dressed up as the tooth fairy and cheered up the pediatric patients as they had dental work done.Another one of Mitch's class mates, Gretchen, was also there to help cheer up the patients and offer them a "bright smile" in hopes of cheering them up.


This is the packed gym they worked in shuffling 2,000 patients through over two days.


The line outside for treatment was staggering. I dropped Mitch off the second morning and the line looked like it curved clear around the corner of the school about a block away!

So it's a week late but honoring Mitch as a father is something to be done year round and so an ode to Mitch is appropriate anytime. Mitch is one lucky man because he celebrates his birthday and father's day within the same week every year. Last year his birthday was father's day! Mitch also has a very special birthday because it is the summer solstice which means it's the longest day of the year, so he gets to celebrate with more daylight hours than the rest of us!

We celebrated his birthday with a little BBQ get together and on Father's day Addie gave him a little trophy proclaiming him as the "#1 Papa". Addie helped spray paint the trophy and although the trophy is silver (we didn't' have any gold spray paint) he still is worth more than gold in our hearts and could never be replaced. Us two girlies are so lucky to have him and "little Gus" I'm sure is happy that he was sent to this family so he could have such a wonderful Papa. Lately Mitch has been showing his fatherly ability to teach by having Addie practice some Spanish words like "besos"(kisses) and "playa"(beach)and "bola" (ball). Mitch felt like he was loosing his Spanish a little bit so he's been reading his scriptures out loud in Spanish and he's been teaching us a lot of new words. He is such a great example of diligence and hard work!
We also went on an outing down to the lake shore where Addie and Papa had lots of fun watching the waves and looking at the seagulls. Addie also picked up some "heavy rocks" which she quickly showed us that she was strong enough to lift. She takes after her Papa lifting heavy objects, they should work out together. You Rock Papa!
We love you Papa Luego!

Our ward play group always does some really fun and exciting things and this past week was no exception. Addie and I got to go to Sis. Stephenson's Farm for a day filled with animals, friends and a picnic. It was a little overcast and threatened to rain on us, but it turned out to be the perfect day to go so that we all weren't blistering in the sun. Sis. Stephenson teaches an institute class during the school year and invited our ward to come out to her home to enjoy the new little lambs and all of her animals. She had chickens, horses, goats, sheep, rams, and geese. Addie is starting to connect the drawing imitations she sees in her books to the real life objects so this farm day was especially fun for her because she knew all the animals already, but had never seen them alive before.
When we first got there the horses were the first animals that we could see so we walked up to them but they were on the other side of the paddock. Addie looked down for a minute and when she looked back up they were standing right in front of her which made her jump! Luckily there was a fence in between her and them. There were three geese too that came around the corner and Addie and her friend Marie Wells chased them across the grass for awhile until they bolted into the garden. We walked around the horses to the barn area where there was some sheep and little lambs along with some goats and their kids, and two rams back in the corner in there own paddock. The chickens were roaming around and one in particular came close enough to Addie that she could get a good look at him. She put here hands under her arm pits and flapped them up and down saying "bock bock" and "chicken".
We went into the barn and one of the bigger goats stuck his head through the fence and tried to take a nip at my ear. Some of the bigger kids milked the goat but Addie just watched and didn't want to try it out. I thought it would be the same deal for holding the little lamb too, but she sat right down and let the lamb lay it's head on her lap. She stroked its neck and said "soft lambie". Sis. Stephenson also helped her find an egg in the chicken coop.



Addie loved the tractor too and asked to go back to it several times. It was quite a popular spot for the kids to sit and play on. After we saw all the animals we spread out a blanket and had some lunch, it sprinkled on us a little bit as we were finishing up, but then stopped so we could end on a good note. It was a great day to go to the farm!!