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come home tommy

I got an email from my friend, Ashley, yesterday informing me that she is about to be an aunt again! Then, later, I got this picture from her:

Ashley explained to me that after a 2.5 year process, her oldest sister and her husband have finally received a referral for their newest little boy: Tommy, who is awaiting his new family in an orphanage in Ethiopia. He is 9 months old and they'll soon be on their way to pick him up! The 3 kids in this picture are his new "welcoming committee", two big sisters and a big brother.

I love this picture so much!! And can't wait to see more pictures when Tommy arrives. Thanks for sharing the exciting news, Ashley!

new post, again!

Another post on 843 acres today: To Sacrifice or Not To Sacrifice?

That is the question. It's based on a statement made by Mrs. Obama in an interview for Prevention magazine, which doesn't hit the shelves until November. Some interesting points have already been raised in the "comments" section. Check it out to see the varying perspectives!

need book storage + side table?

I do!! I've recently realized that I have nowhere to store anymore books. The tiny, sad excuse of a bookshelf (although a wonderful piece of furniture!) that I'm using now is completely full, and there are still more books that need a home. Check out this DIY project that solves the answer to all the world's problems, basically (...unless you decide you want to read one of these books holding the table together).

Still, what a very, very cute and creative table!

red & yellow

Not for Chi O and cardinal & straw. Not for McDonalds to make you hungrier. Red and yellow: in celebration of 60 years of communist China.

That's the way the Empire State Building in New York City will be illuminated until Thursday. Is this a joke? I sure hope someone somewhere is laughing about all the gullible people out there, because this can't be real. Why in the world would we be celebrating China and their success of communism for more than half a century?

more beautiful images



I could look at Design*Sponge all day, especially when there are posts & images like this! This might just be the most beautiful wall I've ever seen. I will say, patience and painting don't usually go together in my head, but if I could ever muster up ENOUGH patience... every room in my house, er, apt would look like this!
(Paige, you better not let Abbey see this!)

party for the bride & groom

The time is drawing nigh for Maggie and Neal! Only two weeks to go now. Last week, we had a big celebration dinner for the upcoming wedding (AND a joint birthday party for Maggie and Aaron!), and it was a blast. The pictures of the cake are my absolute favorite! Don't you agree?

The BIRTHDAY GIRL, LA, Lara and Michelle at our feast!

Kyo testing out the food.

Seriously, isn't this the cutest cake ever?! Thanks Neal!

1 candle for 24 years!

The soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. Winterhof!

flat stanley visits new york

Mayce's class read the book Flat Stanley, and I was lucky enough to have him come visit me for a few days in the Big Apple! Look at all we did:

Went to Central Park
Took a stroll through Times Square
And he was kind enough to hold my place while I paused from reading Harry Potter at work.

100cameras.

Last night I went to an event for a non-profit called 100cameras. Through several friends at Redeemer, I've become more familiar with this truly fascinating organization. The vision is to provide a "better tomorrow for children" (who have suffered some type of injustice- social, economic, racial, etc) through the use of photography and hope for a better education. 100cameras started with a trip to Africa and recently completed a project with inner-city kids in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This week, Susanna Kohly (the executive director) was featured on NBC Nightly News to tell about what she's doing. Check out the video below, I think you'll be as intrigued as I am by this incredible mission!

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video.

such a sad image


So many childhood memories are encapsulated in this one theme park in Atlanta, Georgia. Now... all under water. Will the Scream Machine ever be able to recover?! I sure hope so.


Animal Farm, anyone?

I haven't read the book Animal Farm since I was a senior in high school, but this is a frightening depiction of what happens in that book. Whether you agree with Obama's politics or not, this is an all too real representation of what is beginning to happen everywhere in our country. People are starting to believe what sounds good, not because they are informed or knowledgeable on the subject (hey, I know I'm not!) or because it makes any sense, but just repeating what they've been told. What kid in elementary school knows enough about Obama's politics to say he has "great plans to make this country's economy #1 again"?! I have an 8-yr old niece, and while she is very brilliant and extremely smart, I'd put money down that she doesn't even know what the word economy means! And while our president still deserves the utmost respect from every member of this country, this seems a bit over the top.



To read the whole article about these school kids in NJ, click here.