A Fun Surprise for Me

Yesterday, my friend Kristina was visiting from MN and she said she had a surprise for me. She is the VP of Hot Mama, and a buyer for 17 of their stores. Whenever she or Megan (the founder of the stores), come to visit, I am always excited to see what is new in fashion by what they are wearing.

sidenote: When I saw Megan this summer, she was wearing a very cool 'sweatshirt' that I envied. It is made by the company Prairie Underground, and after hearing what it retails for, I realized I was out of my league-ha! It was beautiful, organic cotton, made in the USA(what I didn't remember was that it was made in Seattle), and had very unique style.

So, when Kristina and I went into the city for the surprise, I thought it was maybe regarding a vendor of hers, but I couldn't think of who had factories in Seattle, except possibly Eddie Bauer(which is not Hot Mama's style and they probably aren't really local anymore). When we pulled up to the warehouse and I saw 'Prairie Underground' on the door, I was jumping up and down on the inside(because I had to act cool on the outside-ha!) It was so much fun for me to go in there and meet the two founders of the company, see their sketches, the fabrics, the patterns, hear their stories, and see how this all worked-in Seattle, mind you! It is truly made in the USA. I loved it! Then, the owner said to me, that my hoodie was the one over there that she had just steamed!! What??!! MINE??!! I was so touched. Of course it wasn't totally from the company, they sold it wholesale and this was a gift from my dear friends, Megan and Kristina (for the rest of my life I think!), and I LOVE it! I have never seen an operation like that before and as one that enjoys fashion and clothing, it was right up my alley. I even got a sneak peek at the spring line-wow! Thanks Ladies-it was so wonderful!!

ps. you can check out some of Prairie Underground's stuff above by clicking the link and if you want some Prairie Underground for yourself, I have it under good authority that Hot Mama carries it!

Brothers

I love watching the two boys interact. Justus is 11 now and Kwame is 4, but they still have a great brotherly bond, despite their age difference.

Today, as Justus was running out to go to a soccer carpool, Kwame said, "Wait, I need to give him a hug first." Justus waited for Kwame, gave him a hug, then Kwame said, "Now run, run, run (to the car), ...good job, that's my boy!"

Kwame cracks me up!

Happy Birthday Daron!

I wanted to write a blog post on Daron, but he wants me to spend time with him, so I guess his birthday present is to NOT write a post on him....as long as tomorrow he isn't mad I didn't give him much of an online birthday post.

Notice he only had one candle left signifying one girlfriend!

t.

Happy 10th Birthday Greta!

Today is Greta's birthday, so we continued on with our tradition of breakfast in bed. She chose to have Hills and Humps and the rest of us were happy she chose that too! :) We were also excited because the 'trick' candle finally worked! I bought them for Ella, but they tricked me and didn't work. Greta had fun with it-she has a great sense of humor, and that is one of the many things we love about her!

I had fun today because I found a couple pictures from Greta's 4th birthday. It is neat to remember back and also see how much she has grown up now! We are so lucky to have her in our lives. I love you Greta!

When Greta was born ten years ago, we lived in Chicago and were waiting (not so patiently) for her to come into this world. She was a week late and after being put on bed rest for many weeks because Justus was so early, I was VERY eager to meet her. The moment she was born, we were in love and she has kept us on our toes ever since!

One thing I admire about Greta, is that she has always been full of life and ready to try anything...it might have something to do with traveling to NH at less than a month for Daron to candidate for a new job and then moving there when she was 2months old. Thanks for being flexible, Greta! :) She has also been so creative and full of joy! Many kids love dolls and such, but one thing that Greta has loved since she was little, was paper! Today, she was thrilled to get a very special birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa J. -a Cuttlebug. It is a paper embosser, so she is busy making lots of cards! Keep an eye out for her creations....

We love you Greta! I hope you have a fantastic double digit year!