So I went online to figure out dates for a trip to Cincinnati for the US Open Series this summer. We weren’t able to go last year because it started at the same time as the kids’ school year. When I went to check out the school schedule for conflicts with this year’s event, I…

The sweetest spring bulbs from a lunchtime trip to Trader Joe’s.  One of countless whimsical clocks at the hospital where we went tonight for another MRI. This appointment was the better part of four hours, so I wandered around, got a soda in the cafe, sat in the chapel. An older woman was working the…

(can you see our house?) (More pretty out of focus than in.)

I swear, these are the most resilient flower bulbs. For two years in a row, I’ve tried to dig them up and throw them out. Yet here they are again, popping up through snow and frozen ground on Friday.  Then yesterday, one of the boys had “company” over to watch a movie, so I excused…

“Well girl, if you won’t love me, then I know your sister will.” Above quote is now the status on one of my kid’s facebook pages as a result of last night’s Buddy Guy and B.B. King concert. “Buddy Guy is the King of the Blues” is another status. Yes, it’s official: my kids have…

Whoa, Country Bear Jamboree sculpture has traded his big red Valentine’s Day bow for a shamrock boa.  (You know their neighbors have got to be cringing.) 

I think I like colorful crosses better than the smudgy kind that’s on my forehead right now. I feel like I’m wearing my Lenten Lutheran guilt. But I guess that’s just what you do on Ash Wednesday. The good news is that I didn’t have an empty pew this time, unlike with Advent. The bad…

from Spot’s flickr photostream Westminster Dog Show coverage and this ridiculously cute photo on today’s flickr’s blog post are NOT helping me curb my desire to own a dog. *sigh*

My neighbor’s azalea bushes looked more like cotton plants with yesterday’s snow — perfect little puffballs.  

…a Happy Valentine’s Day*, Chinese New Year (hey, Tiger) or (what my son has dubbed) Single Awareness Day.Whatever you are celebrating, may it be wonderful. *made-from-scratch Valentine cupcakes for my favorite boys!  

Ahhh, I think I’ve found the source of the recent pitter patters on my roof and gutter. The snow is mostly gone, but he’s probably wanting to get away from stuff like this….

Another trip to the hospital today, this time for an MRI and a CT. Two down, one to go in two weeks. This was one of the lengthier appointments, so I had time to wander around the hospital and gift shop. One of the great things about a pediatric hospital is the use of color….

Today brought a road trip to one of our hospitals in Illinois. As I headed into town, I noted a “Historical Marker” sign on the side of the highway. So on the way back, I took the little side road to see if I could find it. It’s safe to say that the less treated…

You just gotta know where to shop. Or have friends who tell you where to shop. Happiness arrived on my doorstep in the form of a tiny cardboard box today. Actually, happiness took the form of panda bear ear buds that my friend Amy found online and told me about. Thank you, Amy! I am…

Every now and then, a table in our lunchroom contains a few platters of leftover food from a lunch meeting, cake from an office celebration, or even leftover Halloween candy to help someone remove the temptation from their home. It’s sort of an unspoken tradition of sharing: whatever it is, if it’s on the table,…

Picked up a book after checking out a review in the New York Times, as well as an impulse purchase from the children’s section. We had “Where the Wild Things Are” at some point, but it’s disappeared over the years. I so cannot figure out how they managed to make a full length motion picture…

(Photo by Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images) (Getty Images) More than 100 snowmen from Slava Polunin’s Snow Show. Evidently they do this every year in a different part of Moscow (after a heavy snowfall) to promote the performances of some famous Russian clowns. I don’t care for clowns, but these snowmen are so much fun. 

Slightly snowy day and two sleepy boys called for a warm, made-from-scratch breakfast. Pancakes… …followed by a trip to Hobby Lobby with Tanner to pick up materials for a school project — and some stuff for me. Today’s project (while doing laundry and listening to college basketball) was to develop a lighting contraption so I…

From time to time, the kids and I have seen random sneakers dangling from power lines or (my personal favorite) single shoes on the side of the highway. (Seriously, how does one lose a single shoe out a moving vehicle?) The single shoe seems more accidental — a random act of dumbness. But the sneakers…

Given my line of work, I usually love visiting our hospitals. Except, of course, when the visit isn’t work-related. Today brought a trip to the hospital to see how Drew is doing. We have to go back for a few scans, but today’s results were great. His hearing and vision are normal, which is good…

Subject quote is from the “locksmith of love” himself, Pepe Le Pew — my other black and white animal love, second only to the panda. I informally collect the larger Pepe glasses (Hardee’s Collectibles, circa 1973) to repair the emotional damage done when my beloved Pepe glass broke in the dishwasher when I was a little…

After an entire night of Drew’s coughs echoing throughout the house, all of our sleeping patterns are turned upside down. (Including Violet, who twisted and turned across the foot of my bed. My tossing landed poor Murphy on the floor several times.) Today I worked most of the day from home so I could keep…

When the kids were little, if you hid a toy and reintroduced it later, it was like giving them a brand new toy. As it turns out, the same thing happens with the cats. This Ikea cat house (uncovered from basement storage) made Violet uncharacteristically bonkers this afternoon.  Trying not to think about the fact…

We’ve had cats cackling at both the front and back doors this morning. A light dusting of snow has sent the birds to the feeders, so little bird tracks are all over the place.  The story out front is a gaggle of robins. They are everywhere. At one point, we had more than a dozen…

So next week, both Tai Shan and Mei Lan are headed to China. The two biggest sources of my beloved panda porn are boarding a plane bound for Chengdu. I’ve been reading all day about the big shin-dig they’re holding for Tai Shan in D.C. tomorrow, but I’ve kind of wondered why people want to…