Archive for July, 2009

Posted on July 30, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Girls Weekend 2009: Marco Island

This past weekend The Estate Manager had her annual long weekend getaway. This is the fourth year that Slade has graciously allowed me to have some time away and get some much needed R&R. This year I met up with my girlfriends from Florida and we went to Marco Island.

Here are some of the stats: There were seven of us, who attended and between all of us, four of the girls are pregnant. Five of us are married and two are available. (Just in case you are wondering I am not pregnant.) We have known each other ten years or more. Five of the girls live in Florida and two of us have moved away. We all have our faith in common and picked up right were we left off. I couldn’t ask for a better group of friends and miss you already.

It was such a great time and we had so much fun catching up and sharing what is going on in our lives. We stayed at a beautiful resort and took advantage of the beach whenever possible. I feel really refreshed and ready for the last few weeks of summer.  Here are some highlights of the trip.

Posted on July 30, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Hearthstone House As Seen On:

The Estate Manager is really excited and pleased today, Hearthstone House has been spotted on other popular blogs around the web. The Crafty Crow had a link to Hearthstone House for Froggy Jello, under a posting for “What are little boys made of?” The Crafty Crow is one of my favorite sites for craft ideas and is one of the most extensive.  And also one of my photos was used on an Apartment Therapy Chicago post about bedside tables. Apartment Therapy is another great resource for interior design and features tours of homes around country. I am really honored to be featured on both and am glad to see that Hearthstone House is getting some recognition.

Posted on July 18, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Zoo, Botanical Gardens and Nature Center

Here at Hearthstone House we think exposing the girls to nature and wild life is essential in them knowing that they are one part of a giant world that God has created. In the past month or so we have been to the zoo, botanical gardens and the nature center. We have also been enjoying our yard and learning about native species of plants and animals. These trips have made summer exciting, and have given me opportunities as a mom to teach the girls about caring for our environment and enjoying it. Here is a sampling of snap shots from our trips and some our finds.

Posted on July 14, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Road Trip: Florida

I finally worked up enough courage to drive down to Florida alone with The Bird and Meebs last week. I have been putting off traveling with everything going on and finally Slade convinced me, packed us up and sent us on our way. We left on Monday morning around 10:30 am and arrived at my mom’s house at 6:45 pm. The girls were well behaved with one exception: a three hour stretch of Meebs crying and The Bird throwing objects at me out of sheer boredom. The incident resulted in mom pulling the car over to the shoulder of the road and explaining the importance of basic safety regulations and common courtesy practices to the toddlers. I am not really sure if they understood what I was saying but I think the look on my face explained my level of frustration. Soon after the pep talk we made it to our destination, Grandma Deb and Grandpa Dave’s House! The weather did not cooperate too much while we were there but we were able to fish, see manatees from the dock, play with Kabuki (Grandma’s Maltese) and visit with family.

The second leg of the trip we drove down to Slade’s parents and visited Grandma Pam and Grandpa Bob. The girls enjoyed themselves in the mornings at the beach. This was Meebs first time playing in the sand and experiencing the ocean. The Bird made friends quickly and was amused by finding small fiddler crabs and periwinkles in the sand. The girls also liked playing with Odie (Grandma and Grandpa’s Dalmatian Pup), Nana’s jewelry, and Grandma’s extensive collection of reading glasses. We made it home safely yesterday and spent today recovering and unpacking. A future Hearthstone House road trip is being considered and planned for Ohio, if Ohio will have us.