tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84389926672406068182024-03-05T05:15:14.767-08:00The MettlingersSus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-74580719734813150702013-09-09T18:31:00.000-07:002013-09-09T18:31:47.833-07:00Quintessential Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Baseball</div>
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Lawn mowing</div>
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Frog catching</div>
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Reading</div>
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-9874557312272412392013-07-19T17:00:00.003-07:002013-07-19T17:00:49.535-07:00PracticingI practiced with my macro lens tonight. Abby and James helped me find bugs. And then they helped me scare them away : )<br />
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Closer.... </div>
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Closer... </div>
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Closer...</div>
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-56263592037808547542013-07-16T18:07:00.001-07:002013-07-16T18:21:44.497-07:00Bear MountainWell, we did it. We hiked the highest peak in CT, a whopping 2,323 feet (not to be confused with the highest <i>point</i> in CT which is on the way up to a peak that resides in MA). It was a bleak and dreary day, and sadly, we didn't really get to revel in the supposedly amazing views. But I have to say that this time around, the views took second fiddle to the company.<br />
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<i>(Given the absolutely flat and boring light, I decided these pictures were perfectly suited to be black and white.) </i><br />
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Yes, that little dog hiked the whole way.</div>
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Snacking at the top.</div>
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Wow, check out that view! </div>
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Despite the lackluster views, I do have to admit the trail was pretty darn fun. A) We hiked on part of the Appalachian Trail. It's just one of those things I like to be able to say I did. B) We had to do some scrambling to get to the top. Oh how I miss scrambling! C) Abby and James were amazing. The hike was 6 miles long*, and not easy. Abby hiked at least half of it, and managed to maintain a positive attitude most of the time. James napped some and the rest of the time he hummed a little tune of encouragement to Alex. At one point, during the scramble when it was pouring rain, Abby said to me in a triumphant voice: "I'm going to be like James and just deal. It's no problem." I love her.<br />
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James--just dealing. </div>
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Abby--super-trooper.</div>
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If you come visit us, maybe we'll go back. Maybe we'll actually see the view.<br />
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*<i>So, we may have hiked a tad more than 6 miles, due to some unfortunate backtracking that may or may not have been my fault.</i>Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-67810441585933913712013-07-11T10:47:00.001-07:002013-07-11T10:47:22.949-07:00Lazy BumI'm a lazy bum. That's why I haven't posted anything in forever. Here are some random pictures to make me feel less lazy.<br />
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-64622267882536001992013-05-31T12:38:00.002-07:002013-05-31T12:38:33.367-07:00Did you hear?Beth got married!! Congratulations to the MacMettlers. I can't wait for them to start a blog together.<br />
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<i>(Yes, it was more than a month ago. What of it?)</i><br />
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Let me start by saying, not in an obligatory sister-in-law sort of way but sincerely, that it was a beautiful ceremony, the reception was ridiculously fun, the bride was fantastically gorgeous, and the groom was a handsome devil. I'll let you be the judge of the last two, but you'll just have to trust me on the first two counts.<br />
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This is just a cute picture. Not really wedding related. <br />
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Moving on. Here we have the bridal party getting mani-pedis. (If you're salon illiterate, like I <i>used</i> to be, that's short for manicure and pedicure. Be warned. Pedicures tickle.)<br />
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Abby and James, ready for the rehearsal. <i>(Incidentally, Abby wanted to wear that dress to the park the other day. I said no.) </i><br />
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At the rehearsal.<br />
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The rehearsal dinner, at the Mettler house.<br />
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Getting our hair done.<br />
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"How shall we do Meghan's hair?"<br />
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Don't you think mine's the best?<br />
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The bride got her hair done at the hotel by a REAL expert.<br />
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Uh oh. Dan can't find his belt!<br />
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The flower girl gets her shoes buckled.<br />
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The Dress is Readied.<br />
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Tie 'er up!<br />
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Ready to go! <br />
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Isn't it every girl's dream to be the focus of attention of a group of handsome well-dressed men? Or maybe they're looking at Alex...<br />
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Beautiful ladies all.<br />
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Now, take a moment to imagine a wedding ceremony.<br />
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...<br />
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Nice, wasn't it? I was in it, so I didn't get any photos. James was in it too, since that's the only way we could keep him from screaming. He was eating graham crackers and crumbling them down the front of my dress. Did I mention they were in a plastic bag? The kind that crinkles REALLY loudly when touched? Yep. But no one noticed. They were too focused on the main show.<br />
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Alright, enough of the bride. I did get ONE shot of the groom.<br />
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Dancing!<br />
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A few family shots.
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"The kids are in bed! I look ridiculous! Let's party!"<br />
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Surprise karaoke to end the evening. What a great wedding.<br />
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Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-51160883413166412682013-05-22T08:12:00.003-07:002013-05-22T08:12:43.349-07:00The NeighborA month or so ago we finally met our neighbor. He's pretty hairy, and a bit twitchy, but cute. He should brush his teeth more often though.<br />
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"Guys! Guys! Are you seeing this?? He's moving! Quit messing around!"<br />
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"Back to the hole!"<br />
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-72384761289514509892013-05-13T18:33:00.000-07:002013-05-13T18:33:33.303-07:00Medium: Charcoal on CementAbby is very creative. She loves "crafting." A while ago, she came up with the brilliant idea of using charcoal from the fire pit to draw on the porch. <br />
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Of course, at some point you knew that James would join in the fun.<br />
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We had an impromptu bath-time afterward.<br />
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-970585628680504882013-05-13T18:21:00.001-07:002013-05-13T18:21:09.136-07:00Bathtime FunSome gems from tonight's bath.<br />
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Me: "Hey Abby, grab James and put him in your lap for a photo!"<br />
Abby: "Ok!"<br />
James: "Blargh ack dadadada!!!!" <br />
*<i>James head butts Abby</i>*<br />
*<i>Abby starts crying</i>*<br />
*<i>Mom takes a picture anyway</i>*<br />
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"Hurry up. I'm trying to play here."<br />
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-33220367452772065872013-04-12T16:00:00.001-07:002013-04-12T16:00:41.084-07:00Camp Pennsylvania (Title By Abby)Last weekend we took a trip to Pennsylvania. Who knew it was so close? It took us 2.5 hours to get to the eastern side of the Pocanos. The ultimate purpose of our trip was to attend the wedding of one of our good friends from Ann Arbor (it was beautiful!). We decided to roll it all into a weekend camping trip. Unfortunately, most of the world apparently believes that early April is too soon for camping. Whatever. We finally found a campground that was open and booked an RV site (because the tent sites weren't open yet). (To our friends on the west coast: there is hardly any forest service land out here, so all camping must be done at designated campgrounds. Crazy, right?) The campground was sadly located quite near to the highway, but was also right on the edge of the Delaware river. We had the whole place to ourselves (thank goodness, because the tent sites were honestly like 2 inches from each other. I can't imagine camping there in the "on" season with two kids and two dogs). James has already been camping once, but at the time it was much too cold and he was much too young to really appreciate it. This time around, he was in heaven. SO MUCH DIRT! That kid seriously loves dirt. Abby is already a fan of camping, so no big news to report there.<br />
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I took many pictures at the campground and on our various hikes and exactly 0 at the wedding. I know. What was I thinking? Well, I'll tell you. I was thinking "Oh my gosh, did James just get into the kitchen again? Is James climbing up the stairs again? Did James just grab that person's butter knife? Is James unplugging the iPod again?" Etc., etc. So you'll just have to make do with the photos below.<br />
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Ready for the wedding! Pretty shocking how clean they look, given the photos later in this post.<br />
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Contemplating the Delaware River. (James was an absolute nightmare by the water. When do kids develop the ability to consider consequences again?)<br />
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Another view of the Delaware river.
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Raymondskill Falls.
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Rock skipping.
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Rock catching.
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Sittin' on the fence. (I think this is the one case where it's a good thing.)<br />
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Hiking. (Can you believe he can hike??)<br />
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Our little squirrel.
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Saaaaaannnnnnndd.
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Pigpen.
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Tail end Charlie.
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Mighty conqueror!
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Mighty hole digger!
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Camping in style.<br />
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Dirt ball. The good kind.<br />
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Sweet heart. The good kind.<br />
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Doing the dirt dance.<br />
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Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-32739903761277788472013-03-31T18:07:00.001-07:002013-03-31T18:07:26.406-07:00A Spring DayIt was beautiful yesterday. Somewhere in the high 50's, sunny, and breezy. We decided to go to a nearby park to enjoy the weather. So did the rest of the world. But we still enjoyed ourselves. I can't wait for longer stretches of nice weather.<br />
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My boys.
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Blowing bubbles.
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Looking for trouble.
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Just got in trouble.
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Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-31361505487519175972013-03-31T15:42:00.001-07:002013-03-31T15:43:40.710-07:00Bird HousesSeveral weekends ago, Abby suggested we build some bird feeders (picture me wanting to jump for joy, but playing it cool--"Oh really? That could be fun."). We looked at some Google images online, and then made a trip to Lowe's to by a little bit of wood for the project. We built a platform feeder and a hanging feeder. I was very proud when she helped me with the drill. But she wanted to hide when I ran the circular saw, so still need to work on that. James was all around unhappy with the power tools, unless they weren't running. Then they were the most awesome things in the house. By far, Abby's favorite aspect of the project was painting them.<br />
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Construction of the platform feeder. (I am giddy with joy as I take this picture.)</div>
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The screen has been attached. </div>
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Successfully mounted in the backyard. </div>
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The first visitor! He is clearly admiring the amazing artwork.</div>
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Since then, we've had Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Tufted Titmouse, and Black-capped Chickadees.<br />
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Construction of the hanging feeder.</div>
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James watching the official hanging. (Hm. That sounds bad. You know what I mean.)</div>
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-68630818841979814482013-03-22T19:19:00.005-07:002013-03-22T19:19:49.821-07:00Trouble MakerThis guy is nothing but trouble. <br />
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Just a few weeks after he learned to walk, I found him doing this:<br />
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And tonight, I turned around to find him perched here: <br />
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But it sure makes him happy.<br />
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Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-74612391908586841302013-03-22T18:46:00.001-07:002013-03-22T18:46:25.226-07:00Pigtails and Blue EyesI know. I've neglected the blog.<br />
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-77721796846543363442013-01-29T13:22:00.002-08:002013-01-29T13:22:14.337-08:00Haha!It's nice to know that my mom took pictures of me when I was upset. I don't feel so mean now.<br />
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-81916981129321739362013-01-19T08:46:00.006-08:002013-01-19T08:46:55.563-08:00Like Father Like DaughterYou thought Abby looked like Alex? What about now?<br />
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-41130154667549821322013-01-19T08:06:00.005-08:002013-01-19T09:33:56.929-08:00Christmas Take TwoThe Mettler clan came for a Christmas visit last week. We had a great time. Here are a smattering of pictures from the visit, in no particular order (because I'm lazy).<br />
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-76118094189246559882013-01-13T10:58:00.001-08:002013-01-13T10:58:25.267-08:00Fun with Mirrors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="20" height="320" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file-24.jpg" style="border-color: black;" width="213" /></a><a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="20" height="320" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file-25.jpg" style="border-color: black;" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-82275587021371165492013-01-10T07:16:00.001-08:002013-01-10T07:16:29.624-08:00This Baby Is Cute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-82923393050919152302012-12-27T09:09:00.000-08:002012-12-27T13:15:58.013-08:00My Foray into MiniaturesAbout 5 months ago, I decided I was going to build Abby a dollhouse for Christmas. She had seen one at a toy store and was so enchanted with it. I checked into buying one. I found that you could buy some for a little over $100 including furniture (see first image) up to $800 without furniture (see second image). While the first was not totally unreasonable in terms of price, I just didn't like the "plastic-y" feel of it. And obviously, though amazing, the second was completely unreasonable in terms of price. Thus the decision to build one. I figured I could do it for less than $100 and could probably still manage to make it cool.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/public/z-m-zU7iZ3tcfKZR7ypULyI5G9kvSPgNDmV06iSlFtmGICz80gYw5tN33WBGSEs0BhMlMfg1NLASUG9XmCVsnxHnnyzvoAGSBLfsXPoU81fLG7euDTF_HFHbVnd1AD5NaxNeItaIU7FEXPBj4DbbfaDkCLCcsSpDIRr_mBeNaJ7as5YoW-kDwQT_mRlpIJabNFQ=s220-c" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/public/z-m-zU7iZ3tcfKZR7ypULyI5G9kvSPgNDmV06iSlFtmGICz80gYw5tN33WBGSEs0BhMlMfg1NLASUG9XmCVsnxHnnyzvoAGSBLfsXPoU81fLG7euDTF_HFHbVnd1AD5NaxNeItaIU7FEXPBj4DbbfaDkCLCcsSpDIRr_mBeNaJ7as5YoW-kDwQT_mRlpIJabNFQ=s220-c" /> </a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/public/XSGRp8sYy7oB-9SRS2rhK3k912vf5Gc_IDy_urb86DZ1tFejoQfpCl_jO5dYhutW7EATjpEH-_K0kzkjGt0K_QHS5RX6a9m-gYJc_OvQ8FZJToriHRdVvU3Sfxb2cDhOoIwtBDAYskSAoHQJBd8ASm0iSB4404qqh_U_jmW8q0aeV5wqeGadUhU0OgHBauR4B8OU=s220-c" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/public/XSGRp8sYy7oB-9SRS2rhK3k912vf5Gc_IDy_urb86DZ1tFejoQfpCl_jO5dYhutW7EATjpEH-_K0kzkjGt0K_QHS5RX6a9m-gYJc_OvQ8FZJToriHRdVvU3Sfxb2cDhOoIwtBDAYskSAoHQJBd8ASm0iSB4404qqh_U_jmW8q0aeV5wqeGadUhU0OgHBauR4B8OU=s220-c" /></a></div>
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Fast forward to 2 weeks ago, when I realized I only had two weeks to construct the house. Yikes! As a Christmas present to me, my mom advanced me $75 to spend on building materials. Then she spent an undisclosed amount of money to ship out a truckload of crafty materials to use in the process. She also collaborated on the planning process. Best Christmas present ever, mom!</div>
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Construction began in the evenings, after Abby was in bed. I soon realized that I could work on bits and pieces during the day without Abby figuring out what I was doing (and even get her to help!). I managed to pull together a mostly complete house, though it is not even 50% of what I would have loved to have done. The good news is I can keep working on it, and Abby can help, for years to come!</div>
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These pictures are mostly for my mom, who has so far only seen crappy phone pictures, but have a look if you like!</div>
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(I think if you mouse over the pictures below, it will tell you details about it's content).</div>
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<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-3.jpg" title="the whole house" width="425" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-14.jpg" title="doors open and close on dowel hinges, pie: foam bits glued in a beer bottle cap, faucet: bent nail, taps: tacks, tiny pots: from mom, stovetop: washers with buttons glued on." width="640" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-16.jpg" title="miniature food: folded card stock with packing tape cover, wine glasses: pill capsules glued to tack with nail part cut off, " width="640" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-29.jpg" title="Stove knobs actually turn! dowel cut in slices, tacked onto a thin board (from orange container), then backed with cardboard with holes cut for tacks so they can still turn." width="425" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-18.jpg" title="bread: craft foam in bag taped from plastic, fruit: made from bead clay" width="426" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-20.jpg" title="bigger view of kitchen, fridge artwork: colored by Abby! rug: rag rug from felt, cake: layers of craft foam with bead cherries glued on top, chairs: wood" width="640" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-10.jpg" title="toilet: plastic easter egg, towels: cut-up sock, and yes! the lid opens and closes" width="425" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-22.jpg" title="bathroom: mirror is a broken compact, tub: aluminum baking dishes, shower head: water bottle cap" width="426" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-19.jpg" title="oh, just paper printed small and glued together. The watch face is destined to become a grandfather clock." width="640" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-21.jpg" title="living room; couch: wood covered with fabric and cardboard back covered in fabric, christmas tree: from mom, presents: christmas tree ornaments, lamp: easter egg on wood." width="640" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-8.jpg" title="bookshelf: made from bottom of an orange container, books: printed dust covers wrapped around bound magazine pages." width="426" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-32.jpg" title="parents bedroom" width="640" /></a>
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-12.jpg" title="bunk beds and bird cage" width="426" /></a>
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Abby and I started a list of additional things that need to be added. I think I need to build an addition to contain everything on the list! We started right away, and built this changing table yesterday.<br />
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<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/Christmas12/file-33.jpg" title="drawers are folded card stock, handles held on by tiny brads" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-10142906738227594772012-12-27T07:50:00.001-08:002012-12-27T07:50:23.924-08:00Merry Christmas!I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I sure did.<br />
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Make Christmas cookies.... check!<br />
Do puzzle.... check!<br />
Eat pie.... check!<br />
Eat Alex's gourmet food.... check! <br />
Drink good beer.... check!<br />
Nap.... check!<br />
Play.... check!<br />
Build things.... check!<br />
Get fresh air.... check!<br />
Watch a new release.... check!<br />
Run... check!<br />
Work.... ABSOLUTELY NOT!<br />
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<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/file-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="470" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/file-23.jpg" title="Merry Christmas!" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-23844533438621839472012-12-11T10:48:00.002-08:002012-12-11T10:48:31.125-08:00Thanksgiving Was Fun!<div style="text-align: center;">
Playing with kids.</div>
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Backyard fire!</div>
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Hiking at East Rock Park.</div>
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Abby climbing rocks.</div>
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Charlie checks the view.</div>
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This is a squirrel that sneaked up on me and James while he was eating. It was very distracting to James.</div>
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Finding walking sticks for everyone.</div>
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The gang.</div>
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Pigtails!
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Last, but not least, Thanksgiving dinner. Wow. Alex is an amazing cook.</div>
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Uncle Matt and Aunt Meghan, can you please come back?</div>
Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-63171271766850503652012-11-17T05:29:00.001-08:002012-11-17T05:30:27.837-08:00Look Who's Crawling!At 7 months and one week...<br />
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(Also, I recommend turning the volume down. Turns out, my voice is rather shrill.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzeCn-wvImmuUbNwALxHzzA0TyflepEior5z5v-DQcpEOdEx3KCCwDCJQmWnTOQIVkHm1qXdKW2fXyQ7cmVPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-13340096751955612412012-11-07T06:18:00.000-08:002012-11-07T06:18:58.033-08:00Adventure!!This year has been pretty busy, what with Olivia getting married in February, defending in March, having a baby in April, moving in June, starting a new job in July, Portland in August, and Utah in October. So I can't really be surprised that by the time November rolled around we hadn't been camping, even once.<br />
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Fortunately (and you know I don't REALLY mean that), Hurricane Sandy rolled through causing an uproar about the New York Marathon and spurring me to cancel. Instead, I registered for Manchester City Marathon up in New Hampshire. Now, the northern part of New England is a lot different than Connecticut--much less densely populated, with hills and almost-mountains, and even a big chunk of forest service land in Western Vermont. So it is really the perfect destination for camping. We couldn't pass up the opportunity, even though a cold front was scheduled to move through that weekend, with nighttime
temperatures in the high 20's. <br />
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We drove up to New Hampshire on Saturday and stayed in a hotel that night. I ran the marathon on Sunday morning. It was a beautiful course, with a couple of sections of trail, a couple of picturesque lakes, and plenty of hills. It was also really windy--especially from mile 15 on. Let's just say I didn't run negative splits. Well, unless you count the last 200 meters where I was forced to sprint by a man behind me who was yelling at his wife "Come on! You can take her!" She didn't take me.<br />
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As a side note, I think that Alex got more notice than I did at the race, toting a 7 month baby, strolling a 3 year old, and controlling two large dogs. What a guy.<br />
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Directly after the marathon we hopped in the car and headed to Western Vermont where we found the perfect campsite. We were the only people within several miles, next to a DIRT road (unheard of in Connecticut), where the dogs could run free, and there were no stinking port-a-potties.<br />
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We made a blazing fire and ate some basic pasta with sauce for dinner. James wasn't super thrilled to be stuffed into his winter suit since it restricted his movement. But hey, he was warm. We hit the sack around 7:30. Early, yes. But we were all tired, including Abby who started asking to go to bed at around 7:00. I brought the memory foam top from our futon and the cushions from our
outside porch swing (mostly for the dogs). We put a few space blankets
under the foam pad, which we oriented sideways with the swing cushions along the bottom at our feet. Then we layered two fleece blankets under a down blanket
for me and James, while Abby and Alex shared our zipped-together mummy
bags on the other half of the pad. We were surprisingly toasty all night. I think Ella was in heaven, sleeping together with the whole family. <br />
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In the morning we were greeted with snow flurries and ice on our table. Perfect.<br />
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<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/file-18.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/file-18.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); display: inline; margin: 5px auto 10px; padding: 8px;" width="500" /></a></div>
Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-35854127393152453442012-09-23T17:45:00.002-07:002012-09-23T18:21:24.985-07:00A Fall SundayToday was pretty much a perfect fall day. We set out around 9:00 for a family run. As a double bonus, this weekend was a "short" weekend--only 10 miles! The weather was perfect. I actually wore a shirt. We picked up an iced mocha from Dunkin' Donuts for our "recovery" drink, and headed to an orchard. We picked a few apples, bought a few pumpkins, and ate a few donuts. Then, after nap (Abby and James), we carved up Abby's pumpkin while we (Mom and Dad) shared a pumpkin beer. Then we got pizza from our favorite pizza place and ate some chocolate-caramel-toffee-whipped cream cake for dessert. Perfect.<br />
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<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file_zpsf4ae5aa9.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file_zpsf4ae5aa9.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); display: inline; margin: 5px auto 10px; padding: 8px;" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file_zpsed1fd3e1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file_zpsed1fd3e1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); display: inline; margin: 5px auto 10px; padding: 8px;" width="500" /></a></div>
Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8438992667240606818.post-24864612186085578072012-09-23T16:21:00.000-07:002012-09-23T17:50:15.561-07:00Ummm...Adorable?Some cute sibling pictures.<br />
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<a href="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file_zpsb8bfb78b.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv171/susmess/James/file_zpsb8bfb78b.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(200, 200, 200); display: inline; margin: 5px auto 10px; padding: 8px;" width="500" /></a></div>
Sus Mettlerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14120802393876452755noreply@blogger.com3