Wow!!!!! With the addition of color...

And a little helper......

We get this!!!! Wow..what a difference!

We have lived in our house for three years now and haven't started to paint (except MC's room!!) ...but we have now!!! We came home from vacation to our family room and kitchen painted and it looks awesome. SWEET!!!!

Here's our FR..
With little MC sitting on the couch down there!


And our kitchen...

And this week Scott and I painted MC's new playroom. We took our living room furniture and put it in Scott's cave (the basement!) and we are going to turn the room into a fun, creative space for Makenna. The paint turned out great and I can't wait to decorate it. Tomorrow we are going to IKEA to get a bookshelf for her toys and books. Welcome to your new play zone MC!! The painter is coming back this week for the foyer ( I don't do 20 ft walls!) and I think Scott and I are going to tackle the downstairs bathroom next! It is so addicting but soo fun! Have a good night!

Dad's in Atlanta and ate at one of his favorite restaurants...

It's a great little place called The Vortex, and it's been here for years. They've got a very deep beer list, the best damn burgers around, and you can upgrade from fries to tater tots...tell me how that gets any better?

This is the entrance. I think it's a requirement that staff have at least two tattoos and/or piercings. Or both, for that matter.

Tonight's special? I roared...you can tell you're in the south. A fried bacon sandwich (yes, deep fried bacon), smothered with sausage gravy on a bun. I asked whether or not they call the ambulance with the paddles and arterial stints when they drop the bacon in the fryer.

Here's the entrance to the place:


Need we really say anymore than that? It was a great evening, and right now I'm watching a speech by a man who, by all accounts, should be the next President of the United States.

I've been traveling to Washington, DC, for work for the past six or seven years, mostly in the wake of September 11th. Our Congressional Representative is Judy Biggert, a Republican. I've had the opportunity to meet with people in her Washington, DC, office, and could ask to be put on a list to get a tour of the White House. I've refused to visit it while the current occupant inhabits it.

Come next year, I will ask for that tour and I will proudly walk through that hallowed building as an Illinoisan and a citizen of the United States, a country which will once again return to a position of prominence and respect on the global stage.

Pool Fun!

We had so much relaxing by the pool and playing in the water in the hot sun. Makenna went around the pool saying HI to everyone and giving each person her customery blown kiss. She melted many hearts and made quite an appearance.
Chillin at the pool bar with Papa...Apple juice and Ice hit the spot!!
Splish Splash is so much fun...watch out Ga Ga....I love to play in the water!
Hangin with Mama... Tired out from all the playing...I think I will take a nap right here in the pool..

Makenna taught herself how to twirl in the pool...she had so much fun and we had a blast with her!! ( Play the clip to see MC show off her talent....what a little fish!)

Beach Photos

I had fun with my SLR camera this trip and really feel my skills and eye are advancing with each picture. It helps that I have upgraded my lens but I am also learning how to direct the camera settings to achieve an appropriate photo. I love to capture a picture that shows pure emotion, a relationship of people, a moment that is held preciously still in time. I just love it!!!

We had so much fun on the gulf, walking through the water, playing in the sand and collecting sea shells. Makenna wasn't so sure of it at first but started to enjoy it after a few days. She also loved to cuddle up with Daddy and take an afternoon snooze while we were walking the beach.

Does it get any better than this????? ...In my world, this is perfection!!! Oh how these two make me sooo happy, content and in love every moment of every day. Family photo!!

Playing in the sand with sun kissed skin.
Yes, I know I am so adorable!
I love my Dada....
Sun fun at the beach!!
Part One....I have soo many great pictures...the second wave will come tomorrow. Bye bye for now!!! xoxo

We Are Home!!!

We are back from our vacation on Sanibel Island in Florida. There is something to be said for having a vacation where the biggest concern is should I go in the pool, read a book or perhaps take a walk on the beach.?? Hmm, not a bad gig at all ????!!!! All the Case's had a wonderful time and although we did feel the effects of Tropical Storm Faye throughout the week, there thankfully was not a hurricane. I have a zillion pictures to look through and then I will update the blog with some of the best ones in the next day or two.

We came home to a beautifully painted house...at least our kitchen and family room...and boy is it beautiful. Wow...I feel like it's a new house. Now I want to paint every wall as soon as I can. But, first things first, need to unpack and do lots of beach laundry and wash the sand off of our shoes. Better go do that......xoxo, Kelly

A missed meeting: Fay update

When we went to bed last night we expected this morning to be buffeted by wind and rain and...fortunately we escaped pretty much unscathed.

The storm made landfall about 55 miles south of us and turned inland, so all we received (and are still getting) is wind and rain, but certainly nothing as bad as the storm that blew through Chicago a couple of weeks ago and sent us scrambling to the basement for the evening. I bugged out after a bite to eat with my buddies Killshot Nick and Schmidlap, both of whom got stuck at the clubhouse of the course where the power went out and the tornado sirens went off.

So potentially long story made short, we're all good. Makenna has a bit of cabin fever, but we hope to get out and wander around this afternoon. Now if the place that I get my espresso jones taken care of would only open...

We might meet somebody new on vacation...

Her name is Fay. She appears, at the moment to be fairly irritable, slightly organized, and hellbent to breakfast to introduce herself to us in about two days.

That's Fay as in "Tropical Storm Fay."

If you grab a look at that map, we're right there where that point says "8 AM Tuesday" (at least, as of right now on Sunday afternoon.

Other than the threat of an impending storm which screwed up our trip here about four years ago (just google Hurricane Charley) and you'll get some idea what that one was like, they've been pretty quiet here on Florida's Gulf Coast on the storm front. Fay's only packing winds around 55 - 60 mph and is going to cruise over Cuba and track due north up the West coast of Florida. We're within the range of places where a hurricane watch has been issued. The main concern is that when it clears Cuba and hits the Gulf of Mexico (where thanks to the season water temperatures are running 85 - 90 degrees), it could strengthen. THAT is the variable nobody knows about to this point.

So for now...we gas up the car, maybe book a few rooms at a Country Inn and Suites somewhere up I-75 in case we need them and watch and wait.

Other than that, it's been absolutely gorgeous and warm in true Florida style. High 80's to low 90's and oppressively humid...you know, just what we were looking forward to.

Another GREAT Weekend of FUN

WOW..how we LOVE our time together on the weekends. The days always seem to go by soo fast, but that is just how life works. This weekend we took Makenna Claire to Brookfield Zoo and did she have a blast!! Here is just a snapshot of what made her such a happy little girl....

Meeting and petting the goats. She gave them lots of hugs and even a kiss... Riding in her red corvette from place to place...
Enjoying a outside picnic but finding it hard to eat and resist the playground. However, she thoroughly enjoyed the occasional treat of juice. Yummy!!
Learning all about ladybugs in the Children's Play Zoo and being able to hold a handful of them.
And letting the ladybugs travel up her arm!
Oh, and being such a water baby, she had to test out the water sprinkler pad. She had a blast running with the kids..

and ducking her head in the sprinkler!

What an awesome day!! We hope you had a great weekend too!

.