Try It, You Might Like It

Dear Grandma,
You know the phrase, "try it, you might like it"?  This gives new meaning to it.

Gavin and I were grocery shopping yesterday.  He likes to hold the newest item I am buying and chucks the other stuff in the back of the cart.  I was buying some deodorant.  I let him hold it.  He took the cap off.  He sniffed it.  He licked it.  He said, "I don't like it," with a scrunched up face.



He tried it, he didn't like it.

Love,
H

Traffic Jams

Dear Grandma,
I never thought of Omaha as a typical "big city".  To me, a big city has lots of skyscrapers, spaghetti-like highways and traffic.  Recently, it's felt like a big city here.... it takes about 45 minutes to get home after work.  Someone was super smart and decided to do road construction on most of the north-south bound streets that lead to the interstate.... all at the same time.  I would love to know whose idea that was....
































All of the yellow triangles = road work. 

I definitely see where road rage comes from.

Love,
H

Big

Dear Grandma,

We went fishing for Father's Day with Joe's dad.  It was fun - never thought I'd be into fishing, but I enjoyed seeing how it's done.  Gavin wasn't all that into it, but maybe as he gets older he will like it more.  Definitely made for some cute pictures.


Father and son - getting a lesson in fishing.

Though Gavin didn't catch this guy, we wanted it to look like he did.

Hanging out with mommy on the rocks by the lake - watching the ducks.

Three generations of Tureceks.

When asked how big the fish was that he "caught", like a true fisherman, Gavin extended his arms out as wide as he could and simply said, "big." 

Love,

H

Happy Dad's Day

Dear Grandma,

It's Father's Day this weekend.  I want to thank my dad for being a good father growing up.  He's always been sensitive and kind and has a good sense of humor.  I want to thank my husband for being such a good dad.  He's fun, caring and easy going. 

I know Gavin loves his daddy to bits and pieces (Joe trying to show him how to ride his new bike on his birthday - - had to take the bike back).


Gavins loves his Papa.....


...and Grandpa to pieces too.


I think this is a great picture of Joe and dad.  Ha.

Happy Father's Day!

Love,
H

Pool Stand-Offs

Dear Grandma,
Gavin's favorite thing to do in the backyard is to play in his pool. 

It's a little plastic baby pool, but you'd think Santa Claus lived there or something - he gets so excited to have his pool time.  However, we've had two stand-offs so far.  We tell him he can go outside and play in the pool after dinner, IF he eats all of his food.  I think he's using his selective hearing as he decides when he's done and then it's time to go outside to play.  Well, it breaks my heart, but we have to stick to our guns and tell him how much of what he needs to finish eating in order to go play in the pool.  One evening it was just half a meatball and another evening it was a piece of chicken.  Nothing monumental, it's just the principal of the matter.  He says, "no," we say, "ok, no pool."  He says, "pool please," we say, "eat your meatball."  Back and forth.  This went on for one hour one night.  Both times though, he finally ate what he was supposed to and then was rewarded with pool time.

I love seeing him splash around.  He rarely sits in the pool.  He prefers to ladle the water out and feed the flowers and plants. 

See, it's worth eating half a meatball to get to play in the water!

Love,

H

Dorothy and Domino Went To Church

Dear Grandma,
Remember when I used to have goldfish?  They never lived too long, but they were fun to have while they lasted.

Gavin has become interested in fish, turtles, birds, hamsters and so on.  It may have something to do with the fact that I've taken him to the pet store a few times.  His grandparents got him two goldfish as a surprise.  The first few days we had to keep his step stool at the counter so he could get up and down and check on them.  He did this about ten times a day.  He named them Dorothy and Domino. 

Dorothy and Domino had short lives though.  Their bowl may or may not have been cleaned with soap..... after being put back into the sparkling clean bowl, one of them stopped moving.  No glub, glub from the mouth, no flitting of the fins.  So, down that one went to its watery grave.  Less than an hour later, the other one went lifeless as well.  (We learn our lessons the hard way, don't we?)....

The fish at the top of the bowl is the one that died first.... the one at the bottom of the bowl was just trying to get away.  Ha.

The next morning, Gavin came to inspect his fish.  As soon as he looked at the bowl, he asked, "fishies?"  I told him that his fishies went to heaven to be with Jesus.  He thought for a second and then responded, "church?"  I love how kids make the cutest connections.  So yes, Dorothy and Domino went to church (I just love that).

That day, we went to the pet store and got two new fishies.  He had to hold them in their little plastic baggie like they were his favorite stuffed animal.  They sat on his lap on the way home and he clung tight to the bag.  What a good boy.

Not more than, oh, 1-2 days after that, one of the replacement fishies went belly up.  I noticed as Gavin was saying, "hi" to them before going to daycare, one wasn't moving.  So we're down to one fish now.  He's lived longer than the other three, so hopefully that is a good sign.

I don't think Gavin noticed that the third fishie went to church.

We just weren't meant to own fish!

Love,
H

Takes After Nana

Dear Grandma,
More and more, Gavin has traits emerging that are just like his Nana.....

He likes Cheerios
He likes chocolate ice cream
He likes applesauce
He's bossy (Nana admits she was bossy as a little girl - you would obviously know this)

They have definitely bonded over their likes.

Love,

H

Shim Project

Dear Grandma,
Here's a glimpse at one of my future art projects.



I will be using wooden shims.... more to come.  Have a good weekend!

Love,
H

Lucky Number 13

Dear Grandma,
Heidi and I rarely get to spend time together since I'm a wife and mom and we just have different schedules.  So, we decided to make it a plan to go to see Taylor Swift in concert when she came to town a few weeks ago.
Oh my gosh.  What a concert it was.  She's inspiring in how sweet and thankful she is.  Seems like the life of a rock star hasn't gone to her head - otherwise, I might not like her. 


It's good to be humble and grateful for what one has. 

Heidi and I had a great time.  It was nice to have an evening out as sisters.  Funny thing - Heidi was SO EXCITED for the concert, I was able to trick her three times that night.  At different times and places during the evening (not at the concert), I would point and yell, "Oh my gosh, there's Taylor Swift!!!"  She about fainted then realized it was a joke.  I did this on drive from dinner to the arena, again on the way to the arena and then after the concert in the parking garage.  Hilarous.

Speaking of being grateful, we are grateful for the tickets we received.  They were awesome seats and we had a memorable night.

Love,
H

P.S.  I guess Taylor's lucky number is 13.

A Few Of My Favorite Fuzzies

Dear Grandma,
I know you were severely allergic to dogs.  I am glad that I'm not as I really like the company of animals.  These are some of my favorite fuzzies!  And yes, I know they all grow up and aren't meant to be housepets!  Darn. 

A baby panda - so soft,cuddly and innocent looking! 


Newfoundland puppy - such a sweet face, I love the droopy eyes!  (Except they slobber just a little....)


St. Bernard puppy - I think I'm into "block headed" dogs with big heads, cute faces.  (The slobber thing again.)


A fluffy kitten - sweet and impish (but those kitten claws...ouch).
 

Baby polar bear - who can resist their powdery, soft fur?


A tiger cub - oversized paws are adorable.


There are many others, but I couldn't find good pictures for them - such as the Andean bear (they look like half dog/half raccoon) and baby penguins.

Love,
H

What I Like

Dear Grandma,
I think he knows his mama likes chubby cheeks.....

Love,
H

Fit for a Sailor

Dear Grandma,
I have been working on creating some things for my boy's new nautical bedroom theme.  It will be very boy, which = fun!  Here is one of the wall decor items I created.

The background is the words to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat...." painted over and over again.  Then I drew an outline of a boat and glued buttons along the pencil markings.  I painted the inside of the sail and boat bottom to cover up the song lyrics.  And voila!  I think it's whimsical and fitting for a sailor boy!

Love,
H

Cupcake Art

Dear Grandma,
Recently I created this easy little piece of artwork.  I like to call it cupcake art (they look like jellyfish though too).

Materials:

canvas

cupcake wrappers of different sizes (and/or coffee filters)

glue

spray paint

1.  Arrange cupcake wrappers on canvas then glue them down.

2.  Spray paint all over top and sides.

3.  Allow to dry.

Do you like the hands in the picture?  I think they give the picture a little something extra.  Ha.

Love,

H

Paging Miss Crabby Pants

Dear Grandma,
I was so tired after work yesterday, I could have honestly fallen asleep driving.  I had no good reason for being so exhausted.  I did not overextend myself during the day, I thought I had slept good the night before..... I just don't know.  I met Joe and Gavin at Home Depot to look at paint colors for the basement and Gavin's bedroom.  I was completely dragging my feet, having to concentrate to move each muscle.  Pathetic. 

We arrived in the paint section and looked at the overwhelming amount of choices (we've done this many a time before, but it seemed to be more tedious this go round).  The lady behind the paint counter asked if we needed assistance.  She was kind to offer.  We told her we were trying to pick out a paint color.  Doing her best to help us with such a broad task, she pointed out every paint kiosk on the wall.  Immediately, I felt annoyed.  You know that feeling of wanting to lash out or cut someone off mid-sentence because you cannot bear to hear another word?  I felt like that - like, duh, we see all of the other millions of paint swatches surrounding us.... thanks for pointing them out.  She continued to grate on my every nerve when she came up behind me and started passing what seemed like every paint "inspiration" pamphlet that Behr paint produced to me so that I knew all of my options.  During this time, she was also helping Joe pick out the right kind of primer for the drywall and in between her going down the aisle to help him and back to the paint counter, she would throw in her ideas on this and that.  Gavin was sitting in the cart "stocking up" on Gorilla tape - which just so happened to be displayed right next to him.  I didn't care that he was filling the cart with Gorilla tape as I was growing more and more agitated with this paint lady.  I had never been to Home Depot's paint department when there was actually someone there to provide assistance - they are usually swamped or missing in action. 

What added to my crankiness was the feeling of a group of bang hairs sticking out away from the rest of the pack along with my underwear squeezing at my leg joints - completely uncomfortable.

I knew I was not interacting with the paint lady like I normally would, politely and in a friendly way.  I was in an I don't care mood.  Then I saw how well she was treating Gavin - she had won him over because she was so friendly and nice.  She was making an effort to talk to him, ask him how old he is, etc.  She mentioned that she has a grandson and then showed us pictures.  She was a proud grandma. 

We started to connect.  She had been trying her hardest to provide excellent customer service, and it took her showing an interest in Gavin and relating to us for me to give her a chance?  Gees.  That is not like me.  I can usually recognize good customer service from the get go.  I think I saw Gavin enjoying the paint lady and realized I was missing out on something because I was feeling tired and crabby.  It's very easy to do but totally not worth it. 

Still dragging my feet a bit on the way to the cashier stand, my eyes met with another Home Depot employee.  He was in a wheelchair and had no legs from the knees down.  His whole face smiled.  My gosh.  Why must it take such a wake up call to look inward? 

I am selfish.  It's not right to be aggrevated with someone else just because of my own feelings.  Who's to say what the paint lady had been through before we got there, yet she was extremely kind and helpful.  The employee in the wheelchair is physically handicapped but seemed fully joyful. 

I will definitely think about this and I hope to become a better person - I know I have a lot of room for growth.

Oh, and this is the paint color we chose, with thanks to the paint lady.  :)



Love,
H

Making Summer Memories

Dear Grandma,
Summer used to mean coming to see you - driving or flying to Florida to spend a few weeks with my favorite people, my grandparents!  Going to the pool, showing off new toys, doing fashion shows in the living room, going to restaurants at 4:30 for dinner.  It was fun. 

I want Gavin to feel that kind of summer fun.  He's fortunate, both sets of his grandparents are only 10-15 minutes from our house.  He wants to go back to their houses each time we leave - as soon as we hit the car, he says, "more nana's house/more grandma's house?"  I love that he loves being with them.

I love making memories with and for him.  Two year olds get excited about everything, it's a happy and contagious excitement.  Some of the summer memories I want to make with him.....

• Plenty of trips to the zoo to see the gorillas and polar bears
• Lots of time in the driveway drawing roosters with sidewalk chalk at his request
• Many bubble blowing sessions in the backyard where he tries to pop as many as he can

• Picnics at his plastic picnic table underneath the big tree by the back patio
• Dinners on the patio with the white lights strung above our heads
• Art projects at the kitchen table when it's just too hot to be outside

• Digging and exploring in the green turtle sandbox, one that is exactly like the one I had as a girl
• Wagon rides to the park so we can slide down the slides together
• Splash time in the baby pool out back when we need to cool down

These are a few of my favorite things to look forward to -- sometimes the simplest things make for the best memories.

Love,
H

Thank You

Dear Grandma,
I get goose bumps thinking about all of the soldiers who have died at war for our freedom.  I feel selfish when I have a bad day and realize I am so lucky that my husband is here, my dad, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law.... I don't have to go through each day wondering about my family members' safety and well being from thousands of miles away.  I don't have to wonder when and if I'll see them again. 

As you know, dad was in Vietnam.  Not sure how mom got through for those 369 days, which I know she counted every one of them.  Well, I guess I do know how she got through - you and grandpa.  Mom says that dad lost 50 lbs and had boils all over his body when he came back.  I can't imagine. 

I will never forget though, a few years ago at a party for my mother-in-law, a friend of hers who is very kind and caring was talking with my dad.  She found out in the midst of their conversation that dad had been in Vietnam.  Very sincerely she told my dad, "thank you."  My dad and I are the sensitive ones in the family, so that really touched me.  What made it even more touching was seeing dad tear up.  He said nobody has ever thanked him before for going to war.  Just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes.  I mean, we say thank you for birthday gifts, kind gestures and the like, but the kindest gesture of all gets pretty much no attention?  I have noticed though, a lot of "thank yous" pouring forth to our current soldiers at war and returning home.  I think it is very important that they know their sacrifices do not go unnoticed. 

So, thank you to all of those away from their families and homes.  Thank you to the families for supporting their loved ones and being strong.  Most of all, I want to thank MY dad.  I know the Vietnam War took place before I was born, but I know I sure am glad he came back safely. 

Love,
H

If you haven't already seen this, it's definitely worth reading:

MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN:

He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. On this flight." (H.R. Stands for human remains) "Are they military?" I asked.

"Yes", she said.

"Is there an escort?" I asked.

"Yes, I already assigned him a seat."

"Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck? You can board him early," I said.

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image

Of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.

"My soldier is on his way back to Virginia ," he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. "I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board," she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia .
The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do. "I'm on it," I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

"Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks."

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, "You have no idea how much this will mean to them."

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

There is a team in place to meet the aircraft, we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, "Take your time."

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the  public address button and said, "Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you."

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of God Bless You, I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA .

Apple Of My Eye

Dear Grandma,
This man is the apple of my eye:

He is one of those people you feel lucky to know, but for me, he's my husband!!  I am really, really fortunate. 

Joe is rarely in a negative mood, always upbeat and easy going.  He's not at all high-maintenance (unlike his wife!).

He loves whole-heartedly, is a kind husband and a fun dad.  He's a family-man.  I think that is one of the qualities I love best about him.

I am not the only one who feels this way - - he's well liked by all people.

Joe is a hard worker, dedicated, smart, genuine, funny, giving and thoughtful. 

I want to wish my husband a happy birthday.  He deserves the best.  He puts up with me and that can be no easy task some days! 

I'm so happy we are together. 

I'm wishing him a very happy birthday.

Love,

H

P.S.  Think my parents like him a bit??... Mom gettin' down with her new son-in-LOVE (as they call him)...



Sticks (not stones)

Dear Grandma,
So, as I mentioned before, I've been working on some art projects for our basement that will be done being renovated very soon!  I really like this piece.  It's unique, abstract and brings an element of the outdoors in.

Materials

Inexpensive frame (w/o glass) (got this one for $2.99 at Mangelsens - I LOVE that store)

Random sticks found outside

Can of spray paint (I used the color aluminum)

Heavy duty (thick) glue/caulk

Utility knife/scissors

1.  Spray paint sticks (all sides) and frame (front, sides, inner edges) and allow to dry (overnight at least).

2.  Use some level objects to hold the frame away from the table (my husband's idea - he used four short glasses - one underneath each corner of the frame).  Oh, and place the frame front side down.

3.  Now the fun!  Arrange the sticks within the frame however you like!  You'll need to cut the sticks to fit the way you want them to.

4.  I was using tacky glue to glue the sticks onto the frame (inner edge), but it wasn't thick enough.  So my husband helped and used his caulking gun - this was perfect (I need to learn how to use that thing).

5.  Allow the frame to stay in the propped position at least overnight.

What do you think?  I really like it!  I think a series of two or even three of these would look neat as they would all have different lines within them.  I like the negative space the sticks create, so a colored wall can be seen from behind.  I also really like that they are three dimensional since the sticks aren't flat.

Grandma, what do you think? 

Love,

H

Techie Cats

Dear Grandma,

I'm an animal lover - cats, dogs..... the funny things animals do without even knowing it is part of their charm and appeal.  Watch this video...



A little laughter on a gloomy day always helps.

Love,

H

Gone To The Dogs

Dear Grandma,
I paint dog portraits.  I've advanced from scribbles in coloring books to acrylics on canvas.  I started doing this for the Humane Society.  They hung up some of my work in their newly renovated entryway at the dog daycare.  Then I was commissioned to do a few others.  It was somewhat relaxing and therapeutic to get back into art.  I missed it.

This is one of my favorites.  I painted it for my friend, Darcy.  These are her sweetie pies:

Here's a set of five dog paintings for a woman who requested that all of her babies be painted:



I'm definitely not a perfectionist at anything.  I prefer the odd, imperfect and eclectic to the exact and traditional.  But, I would say I was pretty proud of these - they turned out nicely.  I just don't have as much time to dedicate to this artform these days (or maybe it's more that I've evolved and want to do something different).  But, I have to exert my creative juices somehow - otherwise it seems as if the universe is a little bit off!  So I have been working on other things which I'll share with you later...

I did learn a lot starting back up with painting: 

*I know that if I want to do something bad enough, I can make the time for it.  (Amongst juggling a toddler, household duties, work, etc.)
*I know that I have my own style and I don't need to compare it to anyone else's. 
*I know that being creative is woven into my DNA and I need to use those skills like a person needs water.

I had let my creativity kind of "go to the dogs", so to speak.  Diving back in, head first, was an achievement, an accomplishment and a discovery.

I know you'd be proud.

Love,
H



Ice Cream "Potty"

Dear Grandma,
I remember so many fond times we had together.  One of which was our ice cream "potties" (parties - I think we said it "potty" to sound like we had accents).  Nobody was invited except for you, me and Heidi.  We would sit at the kitchen counter on the wooden bar stools, close the shutters that divided the kitchen from the living room and partake of ice cream in little plastic pastel colored dishes.  We giggled and whispered... it was really special.  It was our bonding time with you - no "real" adults allowed!

Memories are sweet....

Love,

H

At The End Of The Day

Dear Grandma,
At the end of the day (especially a Monday), whether it's been good, bad, exciting, frustrating or demanding, this is what I long to see....

He melts my heart.

Love,
H

Things To Do With A Picnic Table

Dear Grandma,
Gavin has found that a picnic table can be used for multiple things:
 
1. Sitting at to eat snacks.  Blueberry muffins, popcorn, M&Ms, they all taste better sitting in the living room at the picnic table (although the dog likes to invite himself to devour everything Gavin has if we leave them unattended).

2.  Good for lounging - put a miniature wooden adirondak chair next to the table and plop those barking dogs up there on the bench - good way to watch Elmo in the evenings....

3.  Used during the winter months for sorting out Easter eggs.

4.  Best of all though, having an actual picnic on a spring afternoon with mommy and his best bud, Bear, is definitely the way to go!

Love,

H

Music Wreath

Dear Grandma,
Today is your daughter's 41st wedding anniversary - can you believe it?  So, in honor of mom and dad's love for music, I made them a wreath made of sheet music.  Do you like it? 



I had fun making it - it was a bit of a pain touch and go at first, getting the cones of paper to stick.  Here's the process:

Materials

Styrofoam/wood/cardboard circle (not too wide in the middle - I used wood)

Sheet music

Circular mirror (inexpensive plastic)

Hot glue gun/tacky glue (I used tacky glue, hot glue might work best though)

Cardboard

Ribbon

Tape

Heavy canister

1.  Roll sheet music into cones and use a small piece of tape to keep the cone from unrolling - make approximately 10 cones at a time.

2.  Attach back row (see picture - there are two rows) of cones onto circle with glue - I left a little bit of space in between each.  The bottom of each cone should be in line with the "inner" circle.

3.  Attach front row of cones in front of the back.  You can cut off a piece of the bottom of each cone and then glue on top of the first row (you want them to be shorter), making sure each "lies" in between the spaces instead of right smack on top of the back cones.  What I did was put tape at the bottom of the cone (w/o cutting the cone), folded about an inch and stuck the tape to the back of the circle with the top of the cone folding on top of the back row, then glue the bottom, underside onto the back row of cones.

4.  Glue the back of the mirror on top of the cones.  I put a heavy canister on top to help the glue to really set in.

5.  Once mirror is firmly adhered (leave it for a few hours), flip the wreath over.  Cut a circle out of cardboard to glue to the back to cover up the messiness of the tape, etc.  Also cut a few inches of ribbon (used for hanging the wreath up), make a loop and put the ends of the loop behind the cardboard before adhering so the ribbon firmly sticks and looks neatly placed.  I also used a heavy canister on top of the cardboard backing to press that glue in well (again, leave for a few hours).

Confusing?  Once you lay out the materials, the process pretty much naturally falls into place - perhaps there is an easier way to construct this, not sure but this is what worked for me.

Love,

H



For The Basement

Dear Grandma,
So our basement is nearing completion.  Joe has done a wonderful job and seems to have enjoyed making such a nice space for his family to hang out!  We really look forward to it being done.  I will be posting some of the projects I'm working on to decorate our basement and make it feel homey, cozy and loved.  I probably won't write this weekend, I'll be working on those projects so I can show you very soon!

Love,
H

Thumbs Up

Dear Grandma,
As you probably know, I'm just not a book reader.  I lose interest easily.  If the book isn't completely captivating, then it's not on the top of my list of things to do (or on the list at all).  I don't recall you reading books either.  Mom isn't a book reader, Dad isn't, Joe isn't (maybe it's in the genes).... thankfully Gavin adores books, so perhaps the cycle will be broken! 


Anyhow, I cannot say enough about the book, "Heaven Is Real", written by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent.  It was a real mind-blower.  I read it in about three evenings and would highly recommend it!

Photo from Amazon.com

It's about a small boy who while in surgery sees heaven.  The details he gives his parents causes them to realize, there is no way he would know those things unless he really did see heaven!  Definitely gave me goose bumps!  The more people I tell about this book, the more I find have heard about/read it already.  It's extraordinary the things that children can teach us.


Love,
H

Generations of Love

Dear Grandma,
It's the year 2011.  I'm a proud wife and mother.  There's a reason for that - let me explain.

This handsome boy is my little love, Gavin:

He is a result of our love for each other:

I believe the love I have for my husband comes from them:

And my parents' love comes from you:

Love has a progressive effect, it's a cycle.   You loved my mom, my mom loves my dad, my parents love me, I love my husband, we love our son.  Notice the trunk of that family tree, it started with you. 


Thank you for causing such a beautiful chain reaction.  I am so fortunate.


Love,
H