Excel and Pool Fun ~

 I had a training in town this morning, an Excel class for my new job next year.  I doubt I'll use it much, but it was a great training, and now I know how to use it!  After training, I headed over to the new Windsor Rec Center Pool to join this wild bunch!  Tabby and her boys, Sharon and her girls, and Stephanie and her kiddos (though they went to lunch when I took these photos so they arent in any of them).  Jordyn had a sleepover at Andrea's last night, so this was the perfect place for a kid switch!

 As you can see the pool wasn't crowded at all, so that was awesome!  Also notice, that tall spiral staircase...that leads to the waterslide, which spins around and around outside the building, and then you come sliding in through that green tube.  It was a lot of fun, and the kids loved it!

 The weather started out nice, but then started to get pretty cold by the afternoon, so the hot tub was nice to soak in before heading home!   After 3 1/2 hours at the pool we decided to get home to beat the snow, so home we went.

 What a great day with a great bunch of friends!!!

Minecraft Date at the Black Bear ~

 Thankfully we didn't get as much snow as they predicted, and of course, it was gorgeous out the next day so most of it is already melted.  We are happy about that because Tabby and London were headed up so that the kids could have a Minecraft Marathon at the house...and of course, it was a celebration for Tabby and I as well!  We are both celebrating our new jobs!  Tabby was hired on to be a medical assistant for the youth clinic, so that is awesome!  And I will be the media/tech at Stove Prairie still, but now I will also be the school secretary as well.  The hours will be a little bit longer, and the contracted days are a little longer too, so it was a move up financially, while still allowing me to work with kiddos...so I'm pretty excited!  Hooray for playdates (er, momdates!)  !

2018 Masks Exhibition & Benefit

 10 years ago, my friend Kendall and I came to this exhibition to see her piece, and since then I've always wanted to participate in this benefit.  With the new job having less demands on me than in previous years, I was able to finally participate!  Only instead of creating a piece by myself I collaborated with Jordyn on one.  How it works, is each artist gets a blank white ceramic mask to work with.  They can create whatever they like, but the mask must be incorporated into the piece somehow.  This is the 13th year they have done this show, and its become quite popular with the community!  We were so excited to be chosen, since this was our first time and there is usually a waiting list to participate!

 When we got to the exhibit, they had a table with name tags for all the artists.  She was so excited and proud to be wearing a badge that read, "mask artist" on it!  The first hour of the reception was for artists and their guests only, and each artist received two free drink coupons for wine or beer, along with a delicous spread of appetizers.

 The atmosphere was very welcoming and fun, and it was cool talking with other artists to learn about their piece, their inspiration and their techniques.  Because we were wearing name badges, several artists asked Jordyn about her piece, and she was so excited to talk with other artists and share her work.  The artists were very encouraging and said many kind and beautiful things to her.  She said she felt like an adult at the reception and enjoyed the whole "grown up" evening!

 Here is the professional photo of our piece that was taken for the catalog...much better than the shot I took of it!  And this is a photo of the artist statement which reads,
"My daughter has recently discovered the art of origami and she began making paper cranes, which I found all over the house.  This inspired, Imagine.  We collaborated on a piece that stirs the imagination.  Both avid readers, we love to imagine a different world and where it might take us!  We hope this takes you on a beautiful journey!"

 And here are some pictures of some of the other masks at the exhibit that we really liked!  It was really fun to see how different each piece was!  We definitely plan to do this again!  What a great evening!

Coloring Eggs ~

 I only got a couple of shots this year of their egg dying fun...but as you can see they created some very colorful eggs!  Happy Easter everyone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day ~

    

Baileys in my coffee and a crock pot full of corned beef and cabbage...let the shenanigans begin!

Goldfish, Gonefish...

 Jordyn went to a sleepover at her friend Kelsey's house and the next morning they went to a carnival!  She won three goldfish and was excited to bring them home.  Looks like Kitten was excited for her to bring them home too!  She watched them for an hour.

Alas, as hard as we try, our house gets too cold at night, so the fish didn't survive.  She knew there was a chance they wouldn't make it, so she was a good sport about it, but I was sort of sad...I forgot how fun it is to watch fish.  Goodbye, Tom, Jerry and Bob.

Flash Forward ~

 So we were having a little fun with the Magazine Cover App...and check out Jordyn!!!  Wow, I guess we have an idea of what she will look like grown up (assuming she wears that much make-up)  :)  I can see a bit of my mom in her too.  And here's my magazine cover too...too funny!