Joanne Heim

F is for friends

Friends are the first thing that comes to mind when I think of F. I am so blessed/fortunate/glad/thrilled/lucky/excited to have the friends I do. I have so many friends--best friends even!--and each one of them adds so much to my life.

Of course, not all my friends live here, so I do have those days where I feel a little lonely for a friend and wish there was someone across the street or next door to hang out with. Wouldn't that be lovely--a neighborhood where all your friends lived next door, across the street, or just down the way? I suppose that's what heaven will be like!

Lately I've really been missing my friend Hanna, who lives in Spokane, and wishing she could come and hang out for the day. As I think about winter, I'd like to learn to hook rugs (I know...another craft might be adding a little much until I finish all the things I've got going!) and Hanna makes beautiful ones.

I've been missing my friend Sarah in Seattle too--it's been a while since we've talked and sending a few emails back and forth the past couple of days has made me miss her a lot.

Of course, I miss my friends in San Diego, and am wishing for a morning when they could all come to my house for coffee and a morning of knitting or sewing or just chatting and catching up. I miss hanging out at the bus stop in the afternoon with Brenda and Marie!

Writing about England yesterday made me miss my friend Heidi and the silly teenagers we were together! I suppose I could go get some blue eyeshadow, electric blue mascara, suntan pantyhose, and some dangly earrings and have a little flashback by myself...

In the midst of missing these great women, I'm also looking forward to time with friends coming up... A day with Holly down in Colorado Springs, some time with Jen this weekend to meet her two new daughters from Ethiopia, a morning with another Jen learning to make paper flowers, and a day with a bunch of great women at the Women of Faith preconference in a couple of weeks.

Making time for friends is very important to me. I've told the story before of how I went a little nuts after Emma was born. I was stuck in "mommy mode" and felt a little stifled. Toben sent me off to Paris for a week with some girlfriends to celebrate my 30th birthday and it brought me back to life. Ever since then, I plan time with other women--Bible study, prayer group, time to visit on the phone, lots of emailing back and forth, girls weekends whenever I can...

Friendship is absolutely necessary for my life!

Here are some pictures of Sarah, Emily, Michelle, and me and some of our adventures together!

***

F is for Friedenstein--my maiden name. Yep, I got called Frankenstein a lot as a child.

F is for Fraulein Maria (as Toben pointed out!). I do love The Sound of Music.

F is for french--a language I started learning when I was 11 and kept on learning until I earned a degree in it in college.

Finally, F is for Facebook--something to which I'm quickly becoming addicted! Go join and we can be friends there too!

We interrupt this meme for a little bit of blog housekeeping...

I've added some new things to the sidebar on the left. There are MP3 files of some of the Living Simply interviews I've done--the Homeword interview is the one that aired today (part 2 will air on Monday). I have no idea how long they'll take to download...and couldn't get them to list alphabetically--something that really bothers me! The Midday Connection interview is all one interview, but the show was divided into four segments around station breaks.

Below that are some interviews for the book Toben and I wrote together, Happily Ever After. The Harvest Show interview is a television program--the link will take you straight to YouTube where you can watch it. The Focus on the Family interview is from their radio broadcast and the link will take you to their site where you can order the program. I think I have a copy and will try to put it in MP3 format soon.

That's all!

E is for England

My family lived in England in the 1980s--in North Yorkshire. My dad was stationed at Menwith Hill and we lived near a town called Harrogate.

We lived on base for a few months until we moved into the village of Pannal. We went to British schools, a British church, and lived our lives as British as possible. I'm always surprised when people get stationed overseas and then live their entire lives on the American base.

I have such great memories of living in England and often say that if I could get my entire family (that means everyone) to go too, I'd move back in a heartbeat. The pace of life is slower, it seems more family oriented, and it's just so peaceful.

Toben got to see where we lived when he and I visited Harrogate in 2003. I thought he'd prefer London, but he fell in love with Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales. We spent a cold, Sunday afternoon at Fountains Abbey, walking around and imagining what life was like when it wasn't in ruins. And we had an amazing Sunday dinner at the pub in Grassington, a wonderful and charming village out in the dales.

This is Fountains Abbey:

And this is the house we lived in:

I can't wait to take the girls to England someday so they can see how wonderful it is. We've talked about all (Mom and Dad; Wade and Kristen and their kids; and us) renting a house in the dales to use as a base and then going from there to visit York, London, and Scotland. But I think we need to wait until Ava and Tyson are just a little bit older. I think a transatlantic flight with two small children just might put Kristen over the edge!

(Okay, lots of links, I know, but these are all great places to visit if you're ever there!)

D is for Daisy

Daisy is my dog. She's a miniature beagle and the sweetest, most loyal dog. Toben gave her to me for Valentine's Day one year--she was so tiny she could fit almost in the palm of my hand.

Daisy follows me everywhere throughout my day. There are days where I'm up and down and sitting for only a few minutes at a time, and she looks at me as if to say, "Would you just sit still for more than half a second?!" She lays at my feet while I wash dishes, sits under the dining room table during dinner, and stretches out at my feet while I write.

(Daisy is a good sport--and wears sweaters I knit for her!)

She does NOT like to ride in the car--so she never really goes anywhere beyond our morning walk, which is too bad, because she loves people and is very mellow. She also snores very loudly--even when she's awake at times. Goofy dog.

Most beagles tend to howl and dig--two things Daisy does not do. She prefers to follow me around and sleep for however long I sit still.

Broadcast update

The radio interview I did for Homeword earlier this summer in California is going to air in two parts this week--part one on Friday and part two on Monday.

Here's the link for broadcast information. In the column on the left, you can click on station information to find a radio station in your area, or you can listen online afterward here.

More on charm bracelets

Since some of you asked, here's the skinny on charm bracelets...

I counted and I have 63 charms on my bracelet. And though Toben thinks I should start a new one, I think there's plenty of room for more charms! I love having it full and jingly. And, no, it's really not too heavy!

Here's a picture:

A great place to get charms, braclets, and charm bracelet info is My Charmed Life. Rings n Things also has a good selection of charms at a great price. James Avery also sells silver charms. (Sometimes you can find charms at Hobby Lobby or Michaels--but they're usually made of pewter, and sterling silver is really best.)

If you're buying a bracelet for a little girl, go ahead and get a bracelet that will fit her as an adult. Mine has a lobster clasp on it, so when I was small, I just attached the clasp to one of the loops rather than the end clasp to make it small enough to fit my wrist.

Charms can be soldered onto the bracelet--which usually costs about $10 a charm. Not cheap. So now I use split rings to put mine on. I bought a bag of 100 from Rings n Things for about $10. A much better deal. Of course, it's up to you. My mom still likes to solder all of hers onto her bracelet because it is stronger.

To find charms when you're traveling, you often have to go to really tacky, really fun touristy kinds of shops. These charms often have a little flag attached to them, telling you where the charm came from. But for bigger monuments like the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you can search the charm websites.

There are also charms for every hobby imaginable, as well as blank charms that you can have engraved. I have two little girl heads on my charm bracelet with Audrey and Emma's name on them and the dates they were born.

Any other questions about charm bracelets? Ask away!

C is for my charm bracelet

I'm pretty sure I've blogged about my charm bracelet before--but it was a long time ago. For my seventh birthday, my parents gave me a silver bracelet with a Happy Birthday charm and I've collected charms ever since.

Many of the charms from my childhood are from places--a squirrel from the Grand Canyon, a bear from the Grand Tetons, Minnie Mouse from Disneyworld. At one point, I put the bracelet away and didn't wear it or think about it very much. But I started to wear it again just before Audrey was born and began collecting charms again in earnest.

I think there are close to 60 or 70 charms on it now. I'll have to count. I wear it almost every day and it's great for keeping kids occupied--mine or other peoples. "Find the dolphin," I'll tell Emma while we're waiting in line at the grocery store. "Tell me about the lobster," Audrey will ask while we're sitting on the couch.

My most recent charms? A water skier from my mother to celebrate the water skiing gene we share and put into practice each summer at Lake of the Ozarks. A chair lift from our trip to Breckenridge this summer. And a cadet from the Air Force Academy that I found at the visitor's center last Saturday.

The girls each have a bracelet too--I started collecting charms for them while they were still babies and now they love to search for new ones when we go places.

I met a grandmother recently trying to decide what to buy for her nine-year-old granddaughter. Get her a charm bracelet, I said. Charms make great gifts, it lasts, and it's full of memories. I'm happy to say that she did get a bracelet--instead of the asked-for $110 jeans that her granddaughter would outgrow in less than a year!

***

C is also for Charles--my dad's name, or Charlie as my mom calls him.

C is for my camera--downstairs in my purse and thus no picture of my bracelet!

C is for communication studies too--one of my majors in college.

B is for Books

Yes, definitely books. I love books and could read all day every day without ever getting tired of it. When I read, I disappear into another world and time stops.

I mostly read fiction. I love historical stories, children's fiction, and stories that give me insight into how other people live. And I read my favorites again and again.

My first job was at the base library at Menwith Hill Station in North Yorkshire, England, and later on I worked at a bookstore in high school. After college, I worked for a publishing company as a copywriter and editor. Nothing like being totally surrounded by books for a great day at work.

I've learned to read nonfiction and really enjoy it in the past couple of years. Mostly I read books on Christian spirituality--with a few parenting books thrown in there for good measure. I've just ordered a bunch of new nonfiction from Amazon to help me with my next book project.

And speaking of books, I began in earnest on my next book this morning. I've done lots of thinking and planning and outlining up until now, but now it's time to get it down in a readable format. I've scheduled some serious writing time throughout each week and hope to have a rough draft completed by the end of October so I can tweak and add and edit until it's due January 1. (Think I shared year or so ago that writing the last book wore off a bunch of letters on my keyboard--no E, S, D, F, L, C, N, or M and only half an A. Not sure there'll be any letters left after this next book!)

***

B is also for Buddha--the nickname Toben gave me when we were dating in high school.

B is also for my Bible--it's so marked up and drawn in and stuffed with notes from Toben and the girls and other special people. I can't imagine losing it and trying to recreate all those "extras" it contains.

B is also for Brownies--a big part of our lives since Audrey was in first grade. But she's now a Junior Girl Scout and Emma's bridged to Brownies.

And speaking of books, B is also for the Boxcar Children--it's time to go read to Audrey and Emma before bed!

A is for Air Force

I'm going to copy an alphabet theme that I've seen out and about in blogland. Think it'll help me focus some and get back into the regular blogging habit--in addition to all my back-to-school schedules and lists! Oh, how I do love a good list.

Anyway...

A is for Air Force

I grew up an Air Force kid and because of that we lived all over and moved every three years or so. I went to a lot of schools and starting a new school where I didn't know anyone wasn't all that unusual for me. We lived in Redondo Beach, California when I was born and stayed there until I was six, moved to Colorado Springs through fourth grade; lived in Montgomery, Alabama for the ten months of fifth grade; moved to North Yorkshire, Englad for three years; and then came back to Colorado Springs until my dad retired from the Air Force.

Moving like that was all I knew and so it seemed perfectly normal to me as a child. Looking back, I'm thankful for the opportunity to live in so many places and to meet so many new people. In fact, for a while I wanted to go to the Air Force Academy too.

A is also for the Air Force Academy--my dad taught there (the first time we lived in Colorado Springs), I went to high school on base at Air Academy High School, and we went camping there this past weekend. (Yes, really!, for those of you who know us well. And Toben even loved it. And we stayed in a tent. Hard to believe, huh?!)

A huge steam locomotive came chugging down the tracks on Saturday morning. Dad was so excited. We waved to all the people on board headed to the state fair and later put pennies on the tracks to get squished. They did--flatter than pancakes!

Had to take the girls to the visitor center while we were there. We were excited because they had lots of charms to choose from for our charm bracelets.

The guys played golf and we took the girls horseback riding. These horses were NOT excited to be out on such a hot day. Jack (Audrey's horse) wouldn't move for the longest time--no matter how hard I pulled on the rope.

It was a short ride--Ava wasn't too sure about her pony.

Happy Birthday, Toben!

This was taken a couple of years ago when Toben took us to Carmel for a surprise Thanksgiving trip. Yep, that's just how he is. There's no gift we could give him that would compare with the gift he is to us.

We love you and we're glad you were born!
Joanne, Audrey, and Emma

School routine

Okay, so I know I've been a bad blogger. At one time I was so very consistent, then summer came and I was not so consistent, and now school has begun and I'm still figuring out our daily routine and haven't quite found a spot for blogging. Here's why.

I used to blog at night, while the girls were getting ready for bed. But part of our new school routine is me being a little bit better/more consistent about some things that need to be done during that time. Making the coffee for the next day, putting all the clean dinner dishes away, cleaning up the kitchen, and packing lunches for the next day. These things all make the mornings go much more smoothly.

(Speaking of lunches, Janine sent me this great link for lunch help--it seems a little on the spendy side, but I'm just dying to get my hand on the book they offer. We didn't get new lunch boxes this year, so when ours wear out I'm going to get these.)

The girls are also setting out their clothes the night before, so I'm checking outfits while they're getting in and out of the tub, making sure everything matches and is suitable for the next day. They're both pretty good at this, though Audrey likes to wear her favorite outfits over and over again and Emma just likes to mix all of her favorite colors together--regardless of pattern or style.

Our afternoons have changed some too. I'm doing my best to have a snack ready when the girls come home from school (something healthy and filling--they are STARVED when they get in the car after school!), and then I send them off to play. Audrey tends to want to start her homework right away, but I'm convinced she needs to go play for a while before tackling any more school work. Then at 5, we sit down and do homework at the dining room table.

I've put together a homework tool box--an old toolbox filled with markers, colored pencils, sharp pencils, pens, highlighters, crayons, rulers, erasers, glue, calculator, scissors, in short, everything we could possibly need for homework. Plus a folder for me to keep things that come home from school. So far, it's working well. If I need to be in the kitchen preparing some things for dinner, I'm still close enough to hear what's going on and answer any questions.

We've moved dinner back to 6:30, quickly followed by a bath, teeth brushing, and then into my bed at 7:30 to read. So far we've made it through a Magic Treehouse book and we're now onto the Boxcar Children. Then it's 8 o'clock, time for prayers, and off to sleep.

Of course by that time, I'm yawning up a storm and am ready to get ready for bed and read for an hour or so before turning out the lights at 9.

Then it's time to get up and do it all again. Maybe I'll start blogging while the kids do their homework...this seems to be working pretty well!

Gettin' itchy!

Oh my goodness...I haven't been crafty in forever and I'm starting to get itchy. Once I get the girls' friends home from our sleepover last night I'VE GOT TO MAKE SOMETHING!

Seriously, I need to be creative and make something. Maybe I'll finish a bag, or start a dress, or even the great halter/sleevless top I bought a fabric and pattern for (BEFORE my probation!).

Pictures to come...!

First day of school: Fourth grade and first grade

The first day of school went great and the girls were excited to get up and out the door again today. They're downstairs watching High School Musical with their friends while we wait for High School Musical 2 to begin later.

Just wanted to share a couple of first day photos real quick...I gotta get downstairs too!

Last day of summer...

School starts tomorrow and so today is our last day of summer.

It's such a mix of emotions. Floating around the pool yesterday afternoon I was NOT ready for summer to be over; going to Lemonade on the Lawn at school last night I started to get excited. We visited the girls' classrooms, met their teachers, saw friends, and now the girls are anxious to get back into the school routine.

Can I just say how much I LOVE our school? We left last night feeling so high on school. Audrey's teacher this year is the most energetic, joyful teacher I've ever met--and she's getting another degree in science and space studies so everything the kids do this year--math, science, language arts--will be against a backdrop of space studies. They're going to build satellites even--and when I mentioned that my dad does just that, her teacher was so excited and wants him to come talk to the kids.

Emma's teacher has everything in her classroom labelled in Spanish--and Emma is thrilled to think that she might get to learn another language this year. Her best friend is in the class as well as so many of her friends from Girl Scouts and she loved meeting her teacher and seeing that she gets her own desk for the first time--the kind that has a top that lifts up even!

I'm reminded of how my mother always says that life happens in seasons. And while I'm sad to see this season end, it's also fun to look forward to what's coming next. All except packing lunches--I do NOT like packing lunches.

Back from camp

Audrey and I got back from camp at Tomahawk Ranch yesterday afternoon--tired and a little cloudy (as Toben's nana would say), but happy. It was a service unit camp--so everything was already organized and prepared and we just shuttled our girls from one activity to the next and helped them with their projects. The theme was "Lost in Space" and we learned a ton.

Glow-in-the-dark constellations, night hikes, water bottle rockets, telescope ins and outs, alien creature crafts... Not to mention campfires, sing-a-longs, mattress surfing, s'mores...

A full, fun weekend. But, wow, was it good to sleep in my own bed last night!

I can fly!

For Audrey's birthday, Toben and I took her skydiving. Not the kind where you jump out of a plane, but indoor skydiving at Skyventure Colorado. There are a handful of places in the country where you can do this, and one just happens to be right down the street from us.

We've gone and watched before, and Audrey was totally intrigued and determined to try it. She has lots of stuff, so we thought getting her a new experience for her birthday would be a great way to go. She's a natural!

Then we came home and had a party. Such a fun day!

P.S. There's a DVD of us flying...I'll have to see if I can upload it into the blog. Not quite sure how--if you know, send me a very detailed email with instructions and I'll be forever grateful.

***

Audrey and I are off for Girl Scout camp for the weekend this afternoon. See ya Sunday!

Happy Birthday, Audrey!

Look who arrived nine years ago today--after 36 (nope, not a typo!) hours of labor. Where has the time gone?

Happy birthday, sweetie!

Zucchini harvest

Today I harvested 10 zucchini. When I looked the day before yesterday, none of them were big enough to pick. As my friend Bill says, they're like an alien life form come to take over the planet.

That one I'm holding? It weighed in at four pounds!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups grated zucchini
3 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts

Beat eggs until light and foamy. Add sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix well. Add everything else and mix. Bake in a greased loaf pan at 325 for 1 hour. It’s done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 2 loaves.

Fabric restriction

Okay, I'm putting myself on double secret probation and major fabric restriction. It's getting out of control.

I know it seems like I produce a lot of crafty stuff--but I buy waaaaay more stuff than I get done. Truth be told, it's just so much easier to buy things for a project than it is to actually make a project.

I spent all afternoon cleaning out the basement--AGAIN. And while I was filling trash bags and bags for Goodwill I decided that I'm going to use up what I have. It may require a few trips to the fabric store along the way--but only for a zipper or purse handles or whatever I need to finish the projects I have in the works.

So if you see my showing off new fabric you have to call me on it. Send me a nasty email and mock me. Because I really mean it--no more new stuff until I use what I have.

Saturday

We got up and went to the Paris Street Market yesterday (yes, even Toben!). I saw lots of people I know, something that makes me feel like we really live here. When I'm out and about I love running into people I know. It's one of my favorite things that makes me feel like I really belong somewhere.

We ran into Kimberly and her family--so I got to give her a little baby gift. And she brought me a quilt frame she's not using--thank you, Kimberly! I set it up in the living room and hope to get a quilt on it later today.

We also saw my friend Jennifer--we were best friends in preschool and she and her family moved to Denver earlier this summer from LA. It's been great to reconnect and get to know each other as adults rather than 5-year-olds!

Mom and Dad came (and brought Audrey and Emma who had spent the night with them) and I also ran into Lizzie, who runs the Sweet William Market, and a gal I met earlier this week who runs Mind Your Manor--a great antique shop in Littleton.

Such fun.

Of couse, I found some treasures. A bag of old wooden spools, a bag of old dominoes, a little something for Tyson, and a little something for my dad. I also got a big bag of quilt squares for only $2.99. Look how fun they are!

I washed and pressed them and am having fun thinking about what they'll become. Zippy purses for sure, possibly belts, and maybe some coasters and bookmarks. I'll let you know...

The chair I've been refinishing is now white. After staining many coats the stain just wasn't soaking into the wood quite right, so Toben sanded it down and restained it. No go. So now I'm on the final coat of spray paint. (Of course the spray paint is only $1.97 a can, the stripper and stain and steel wool and such was more than $30. Frustrating!) I'll post a picture when it's all dry and cushioned and put in its spot in the living room.

Emily's been staying with us this weekend since she had a class at DU on Friday, Saturday, and today. I love having her here and tried to convince her to stay an extra night so she could go to Denver Fabrics in the morning with Janna and me. But she misses her hubby and her puppies, so she's headed home after class. Darn.

She's a perfect guest--as she and I say, she's not company at all. She just fits right into the family and we all are so glad when she's here. We've had great conversations and wandered through the fabric store and bounced creative ideas off one another.

Before we moved to California, Emily was my next-door-but-one neighbor and I so miss being able to just run down the sidewalk to see her. But 35 minutes away is a lot closer than California, so I guess I can't complain!

Seems like there was something else I planned to blog about, but the paint fumes have totally gone to my brain. I think I need a lot of fresh air today!

New friends!

I've said it before--and I'll say it again: Making virtual friends is the best! And it's especially fun when you get to meet these friends face to face.

Last weekend, Holly came up for the Sweet William Market on Saturday. It was so wonderful to meet in person and to carry on the friendship we started via email, blogs, and talking on the phone. We've already planned what we want to do next when the kids all go back to school.

Today, Janine and her girls came over for lunch and to play. They live in Chicago and we've emailed back and forth for the past few months. Turns out they vacation in Colorado every year and are staying at a hotel just across the street before heading up to the mountains this weekend.

It was fun for Janine and I to get to know each other better--and fun to see the girls all become instant friends too. I'm thinking they may have to become swap buddies and pen pals. The girls want to see each other again before they leave, so they may come to the Paris Street Market on Saturday with us.

(And Kimberly and her family might be there too--another virtual friend who's now a friend I know in person too!)

Joey cat, a never-ending project, and a new bag

So here's where Joey cat usually sleeps...with the chickens on top of the farm cupboard. It must be the coolest place in the house when it's hot because that's where he usually can be found.

But a storm is blowing in tonight and this is where I found him just now...on top of Josh and Sarah's quilt-in-progress. A snuggly warm place!

**

Yesterday I began what is becoming the never-ending project--refinishing a Danish-modern chair I inherited from my Great Aunt Sissie via my mom. I thought I'd just put on some liquid sander, wipe it off, and then add a coat of stain.

I should've known better. Especially when Toben made two more trips to Home Depot after our initial run to get started. I'm on day 2, stain coat number 3, steel wool round 4. And that's after three coats of stripper and three rounds with the sander.

But it's going to look really good when it's done.

The chair has hideous green upholstered cushions--the super scratchy kind that itch when you sit on them. But in cleaning out a crate in the basement today I found a floral pillow sham that fits the seat cushion perfectly. I'm not sure if it will work in the long run--but it will at least look good while I find something more permanent--assuming, of course, that the chair gets done in the near future.

**

And, finally, a new bag. Two placemats on clearance at Anthropologie + a pair of round handles in my stash = a cute new purse for me! And there's even enough fabric left for a zippy purse or two.