Using a New Tool-Fotobabble

I discovered a new tool that I wanted to try out. It is called Fotobabble and you can add audio to your photos. It is pretty easy to use. It is advertised as Talking Photos. Of course I had to use a photo you may have seen already--the 4 "Grand-kids". Go to the web site and try it out. It is pretty cool!



NOTE: To hear the audio portion, click on the Play button arrow above.

Photo SlideShow

Latest Photos of My Favorites--It's A Party!

My Favorites!
Kalub-4 (back, left) Front-l to r--Sam-2, Charlie-5, Avery-1

Here are the latest photos of my favorites: the grandchildren!

This was at Charlie and Avery's birthday party. Charlie turned 5 and Avery 1 on Sept. 23. We celebrated in the park on Sunday. (The extra hands holding onto Avery are Aunt Michelle's). She flew home for the week-end to help celebrate.

I made 150 cake pops for the party. It only took me 8 hours on Saturday, but they were enjoyed by all.

Charlie and the cake pops

Avery had her own cake, but she did not like it--wouldn't taste it and did not like the frosting mess on her hands.
She is such a " little lady".

Not a cake fan!   

The Boys

Look what I made Grandma.

Waiting for lunch (wearing the sweater knitted by Grandma for her birthday).

Precious baby-doll!

July-an Update

We had a great time with family and friends for our 4th of July celebration. Thanks to all who came and spent the day with us. Some other things got done as well--besides the partying that is. Sarah now has a wedding gown. The bride-to-be, all the bridesmaids and junior bridesmaids, a personal attendant, the Mother of the Bride and 2 aunts went on the shopping trip, had lunch together and gave many opinions about various dresses, styles, fabrics, etc. Sarah got the dress she wanted and we were even able to bring it home. So we won't have to worry about not having it on time. I can't post photos in case the groom is reading this blog or sees it on Facebook. It is beautiful and Sarah looked gorgeous in it. Of course she will be a beautiful bride!

Tim and Marisa stayed a few extra days. Steve and I went to the house yesterday and helped them paint the new siding on the garage and the boards that we had to replace on the house. We just primed it all as we haven't picked a paint color and have not decided who will do the painting. It is going to have to be done by professionals as none of us want to climb a ladder or work off of scaffolding to get to the second story.

Sam's arm is not slowing him down much. He is as active as ever. For those who didn't hear, he fell on Father's Day and broke a bone in the upper part of his right arm.

I took lots of pictures at the family/friend gathering so I will post them soon.
TTFN.

Summer 2011

I have neglected updating this blog for a very long time--no good excuse, just didn't make time to do so.
During the last few months, life has moved quickly.
Avery is now going on 9 months and is adorable. She has a lot of personality and is a very happy little girl. She laughs at her two brothers and their antics.

Sam is now a 2 year old who loves to climb, explore, is very, very busy. He is also adorable.

Charlie is a typical 4 1/2 yr. old. He loves playing Wii--especially Mario games. He is very good older brother to his brother and sister. He is also wonderful.

Kalub will be 4 in August-hard to believe. He loves getting together with his cousins. His Daddy is still his favorite. He makes friends easily, has a gorgeous smile, and we love having him come over too.
I think our happiest times are when all of our children and their children are together with us.

Sarah and her fiance, Tyler, are making plans for their wedding which is coming up on May 5, 2012. Actually Sarah would rather that I just plan it all and she could just show up as the bride. That sort of worked for Nikki and Matt.

I am now looking for a new job. I am no longer at my previous position--not going to make any other comments about that here. If you want the scoop, just call and ask.

Nikki is planning the family and friends 4th of July party. It will be a lot of fun. I designed a logo for a t-shirt for the event. Tim is getting the shirts made. I believe the shirts will be navy blue with either a silver or white logo. Everyone will want one of these, so get your order in early--just contact Nikki. They come in adult and children sizes.

 

 Other than my grandchildren and my own children to keep me busy, not much is going on--oh, a job search is underway and I am working with a job coach firm to get things moving along. Steve is keeping very busy--since it has rained so much lately. If you know of any job openings and can recommend me to a hiring manager, please let me know ASAP. Any and all help is appreciated. I like having summers off again, but this little vacation won't pay the bills or provide health insurance.

Keep cool!

One Week Old

Avery is one week old today and is doing very well. She is a very happy baby. Her two older brothers are doing quite well too.

Here are some more photos:

Avery Elise

Mom and Sam

Avery, pretty in pink

Cousin Kaiden and Charlie

Avery Elise--with official birth information

Avery Elise Fitzgerald: TheNewest Family Member Has Arrived

She arrived early the morning of September 23, 2010, on her big brother, Charlie's 4th birthday. Of course she is adorable, and perfect in every way. More to come! The big brothers have met her and Charlie wanted to hold her. Sam didn't know what to think.

Sam is One--The Cake and Blowing out the Candle

Sam had his first birthday party on Saturday. Family gathered for the usual birthday party activities: eating, opening presents, the cake ceremony and just general fun and chaos. :)






Waiting for the candle blowing ceremony
and the CAKE!




The big cake was a Cubs theme. The special cake for the birthday boy had lots of fun colors on it. Charlie helped Sam with the candle blowing part. Sam did his own thing with the little cake.

Spring!

Happy Easter Week-end! April has arrived in Iowa with some nice sunshine and warmer temperatures--one day it hovered around 80. That was too warm. I like the in-between temps--60-low 70's. It should be a delightful Easter Sunday for spending time with family. What are your plans for the day?

Michelle and her Aunt Brenda are in St. Thomas and will be returning to reality tomorrow. Sarah, Michael, Kristi, Kalub and us--the parents/grandparents will meet at the sunrise service and then have breakfast at church to help support the youth group activities. Then, later in the afternoon, we will get together with Nancy, the girls (Emily and Kirsten), Nikki, Matt, Charlie, Sam, Sarah, at the House and grill with Michael, Kristi, and Kalub. Hopefully the weather will stay nice and we can have some play time outside.

The next time we get together will be for Sam's birthday  which is on August 16. He will be a year old--hard to believe. And he is walking around like he has done it all his life. He is so quick too. You should see him go up stairs! He is a very happy child. Charlie and Sam were over last night while Mom and Dad took some time together and did some things to get ready for the Easter bunny. Both boys had a great time and were constantly showing us how "smart" they are with the things they can do. At least Grandpa and Grandma think they are very smart. Kalub is also right up there with all the things he knows and can do too. I can't wait to see him tomorrow. Kalub came over last week and we dyed some Easter eggs--something this Grandma loves to do and would probably do even if there were no grandchildren as an excuse for it. One of these days I will get some more pictures of the boys posted.

I have been busy with little projects. I am making 30 cloth napkins and some cloth treat bags for a friend who is having a 90th birthday party for her mother. The party is this summer, but I have to get started on it now. Of course I always have pillowcase dresses to make. Does anyone have any more pillowcases to donate to me??? Please???? I need them desperately.

Have a hoppy, Easter!

March Has Arrived

I think we have turned the corner--weather wise that is. Although, you can never tell--it is Iowa after all. The Girl's State Basketball tournament just finished and typically we have bad weather during that tournament, but NOT this year. We got some light rain yesterday which helped to melt some of the snow. We still have about 12 or so more inches to melt. Now everything is just dirty looking and messy!

It is birthday week-end for the Miller girls. Emily turned 10 last Wednesday and Kirsten turned 10 on Saturday. We are having a little family get-together this afternoon. They got to have a "friend" party last week-end.

The Dress a Girl Around the World is exploding! There are lots of wonderful people sewing dresses all over the country. It is very exciting. A group is currently in India and they have distributed dresses there as well. You can read about their experiences on the Dress a Girl Around the World website at:
http://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/
They have charmed snakes and ridden on elephants. Some of their stories are heartbreaking.

Have a good week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Once again it is snowing here. It is very pretty, coming down softly and silently, but we have had enough! How will you be spending this Valentine's Day? Watching the Winter Olympics? Shovleing snow? Taking your sweetie out for dinner? We haven't made any specific plans.

I am excited about the sewing possibilities of using T-shirts and men's dress shirts to make dresses for Dress a Girl Around the World. Check out the web site for Dress a Girl Around the World-Lake Charles, IA. The dresses are very cute! It adds more possibilities when we run out of donated pillowcases. The sleeves could be used for belts, headbands, extra pockets on the dresses, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Maybe I will spend the day sewing. Hmmmm.

The grandsons are still a major focus in my life. I love seeing them, being with them, playing with them. And now there is going to be another grandchild. Yes--you read that correctly. Nikki and Matt will add one more to their crew of Charlie and Sam. This baby is due in the middle of September, just a few days before Charlie's fourth birthday. How exciting! Sam will be 10 months old this Tuesday. He is so adorable, very active and eager to walk. He is walking around the furniture and is curious about everything. Charlie's reaction to the news of another baby was great--he doesn't want to talk about a sister though--wants another brother. Kalub will love having another cousin to play with. He likes being with his cousins. He sent us the cutest postcard valentine. We got it in the mail yesterday--just in time for Valentine's Day. It made my day!

Gotta go get busy on my sewing.
Have a great sweetheart day!

Happy New Year!

The new year is upon us--day 3 that is. I didn't make any specific new year's resolutions--that way I can't break any of them. I do have a lot I want to do this year, but I always have a lot I want to do. We spent New Year's Eve at home. My brother and his wife joined us. So did Nikki, Matt and sons, Sarah and Tyler and Nancy and the girls. We ate, played cards and just spent time together. It was pretty quiet. Sam and Charlie spent the night with us so their parents could go spend time with some friends. Sarah left early too. In fact, our party was over by 11:00 p.m. No hangovers for us.

I have been catching up on some of my knitting. It is too cold to go out and do anything, so sitting at home with my knitting is very nice. I finished some socks and am working on the second sock of another pair I started a while ago.

Tomorrow it is back to work--I dread the walk from my car to my building. It is very cold and it isn't likely to warm up any time soon. You can bet I will dress for the weather--lots of layers too.

So, here is wishing you a

Happy New Year

with health, happiness,

and lots of family and friends

to surround you in

2010!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas day is almost here. We are bracing ourselves for a big winter storm--ice, rain, snow--just in time for Christmas day. I am praying that my children make it home safely. Michelle is scheduled to fly in from Denver tomorrow, Christmas Eve. Nikki and Matt are scheduled to fly home today from their trip in Mexico. Their 2 sons have been staying with Grandpa and I. Grandpa has to go to work everyday, so Charlie, Sam and I  have spent the days playing games, watching Sam try to get where he wants to go by rolling everywhere and just generally having fun. Steve and I enjoy having the grandchildren here and love being grandparents. Of course we have to deal with the diaper changing, potty training, feeding and bathing. But reading stories and laughing with them more than makes up for the daily drills.

As you can see in the photo at the left, Sam enjoys his meals. We wear almost as much as we eat. He is a mover which makes it hard to hit his mouth every time.

Charlie and I went with Aunt Nancy and cousins, Emily and Kirsten, to drive through a holiday light display called "Holly Jolly Lights". All the proceeds go to the Make a Wish foundation. There was a long line of traffic--took us over an hour just to get to the point where you pay for your ticket in. Then we sat in the line another 20 minutes or more. We were just creeping along until we finally got to the spot where the light displays began. Kirsten slept through part of it. Charlie didn't. He was very chatty the whole way. I was glad that Grandpa stayed home with Sam. It ended up being a late night.

Frosting cookies at Grandma's house!

The best part is eating the broken ones. That is a rule you know. If it breaks, you eat it right away--at least that is Grandma's rule.

This year I got to attend Charlie's first Christmas program. His daycare had a holiday show and the children learned a lot of songs. They performed very well. Charlie was great the first half of the show. You can see he is happy when he was singing and holding the butterfly.

The mood changed quickly however. The children left the stage and put on some little costumes. I am not sure what happened, but the second half of the performance was not a happy one for Charlie. Although he didn't cry outloud, he had a very sad look on his face and didn't sing the songs. It was pretty typical behavior for a 3 year old.

Not a happy cowboy!

Even giving a present to his mom didn't bring a smile to his face.

Although I haven't been able to spend time with my other grandson, Kalub, this week, we did get to take care of him a couple of weeks ago. He was thrilled looking at the ornaments on our Christmas tree. He had fun finding Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Tigger.

 He is growing up so quickly too. He is talking a lot more and loves to come and play with Charlie and Grandpa. The first question he asked when he arrives is "Where papa? Where Charlie?"

Dinner time!

Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
May all your wishes come true!

The Steinbronns

Trying out Voice Thread

The above slide show has sound. Click on the arrow to move to the next photo. The first photo has two commentaries because I wasn't sure that I actually recorded anything, but apparently I did. One photo doesn't have any recording on it. Oh well. It was easy to put the photos in and do the recording. But next time I will make sure my email isn't running in the background--which is why you will hear a "ding" in one of the slides. Oops.
Voice Threads is the program. Very easy, very fun to use.

Awesome

The weather is colder--had a few flakes on the yard and deck yesterday morning. It was pretty and it melted before the day was over. That is the kind of snow to have. I spent the day cleaning again. I know, it is not in my nature to get so organized. But I now have a spare bedroom with an actual bed in it. Of course it has a McQueen pillowcase on the pillow for the grandsons. When Charlie saw it, all he could say was "Cool"--out of the mouths of a 3 year old. Now to tackle the sewing room. I would show you before and after pictures, but it would be embarrassing.

Nikki gave me photos of the boys. They are so cute!!!


Sam is almost 6 months old. He smiles very easily, has the most amazing laugh and wants to be where all the action is. He talks very loudly--according to his Dad, all the time. He is delightful. See his two bottom teeth in the photo?

Charlie just turned 3 last month. I guess when this photo was taken, he wouldn't smile without his tongue stuck out. Oh well. His mother will think it is adorable in about 15 more years. Grandma thinks it is cute right now. He is a busy boy and really likes to come to Grandma's house. That is perfectly fine with me.

Isn't this a precious photo? No one has to encourage Charlie to show his love for his little brother. He is so proud to be the big brother and is very loving and caring.

Here is my other precious grandson, Kalub. He is such a happy boy--he makes friends with everyone. His smile just draws people to him.

I love this photo of Kalub with Aunt Sarah's dog, Marshall. Right now Kalub seems to be in control of this puppy. But in a few months, the tables may be turned. Marshall is a growing lab.

Thanks for letting me brag.

Pillowcase Dresses

Have you seen, or heard, about dresses for little girls made from pillowcases? They are darling and I need help sewing some for a lady to take with her to Honduras on December 1, 2009.

If you know of anyone who would like to donate pillowcases--they don't have to be new, but should be in good condition--double-fold bias tape (it takes 2 yards per dress), ric-rack for trim, elastic (1/2-inch wide--12" per dress), I would like to hear from you. Donations can be sent to my home address. Email me (drgrandma@gmail.com) if you would like to make a donation and I will send you my address.

Here is the link about Pillowcase Dresses 4 Uganda. One of the churches mentioned is Community Church of Joy (Phoenix, AZ) where my brother and sister-in-law attend. Audrey e-mailed me to request help with sewing the dresses to send to Honduras. Of course I love to sew so I am happy to help. I am organizing a sewing night at my church's craft night to get some dresses ready to send. Here is a link for the pillowcase dress pattern.

My personal goal for this project is 100 dresses. Can you help? I need pillowcases!!! To reach this goal (I would like to have more than 100 dresses to send) I would need to sew 10-12 dresses per week--between now and Thanksgiving. It is possible to reach, and surpass, this goal. Help me spread the word, send me materials and of course prayers are always welcome.

The Birthday Boy--Kalub

The Birthday Boy--Kalub
Originally uploaded by Peggy Steinbronn

Today is Kalub's 2nd birthday! We celebrated with some family and friends on Sunday. The theme of the party was Nemo. Kalub was so excited about it. When he got up from his nap, the party decorations transformed his world into Nemo's. He had a wonderful time.

Click here for more photos.

Vacation in the mountains

The vacation in the mountains was an adventure, to say the least. That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger! More on that later...





Peggy Steinbronn

July

I seemed to have "lost" a couple of months. Sam was born and there were many other things to do. I have spent the last several weeks going through the accumulated "stuff" in the house and garage of the last, almost, 23 years of living here. It has taken almost all my free time and the help of my husband, a daughter, my son, and a very good friend to plow through it all. It is certainly not finished, but at least now it is more manageable. We gave away a lot and put the rest in a rented dumpster. The dumpster was full to the top when it was hauled away. It is a good feeling to have some space back and to have things a little more organized--except now I can't find things. I am trying to stay on top of it so that it doesn't get in that kind of shape again.

The grandsons are growing by leaps and bounds. I actually made Sam laugh out loud last night. We will be spending some time with the kids this 4th of July and that always makes me happy. The parade, the carnival, a cookout, games and the fireworks will fill the day. I am so glad we have Sunday to rest up. The only little one missing from our family activities will be Kalub. He and his mom will be in Minnesota visiting the other grandparents.

I am always surprised that my children expect a certain kind of celebration for July 4th. The way we spent the day while they were growing up really does mean a lot to them and they want to continue the "tradition". Michelle is driving home from Denver and will arrive sometime today. Michael will also be back from taking Kristi and Kalub up north so that he can spend the 4th with us. We will have the usual kinds of foods--cook some meat on the grill, potato salad, rhubarb pie (homemade with the rhubarb from mom's garden), and other side dishes that everyone else will bring to share. The afternoon will be spent playing bocce ball, croquet, ladders, and corn hole. Corn hole is a beanbag toss game. At the end of the day everyone will migrate to our house and we will sit in the driveway, eat popcorn, drink lemonade and watch the fireworks. I am sure we will let the kids have some sparklers to end the evening.

It is always a good time. I am just amazed that the 4th of July came so quickly this summer. I guess with all the cleaning, throwing out stuff, etc. the time just flew by. It seems that the lazy days of summer are few and far between. When does it "slow" down? I need to make time to relax and enjoy.

A Poem in Your Pocket

April is National Poetry month. And so, tomorrow, April 30th, is "Put a Poem in Your Pocket Day". You are encouraged to carry a poem in your pocket and share it with someone. To acknowledge National Poetry month, I have written a poem about Samuel--also in honor of his birth. He will be 2 weeks old on April 30th.


The poem is written in the style of an *acroustic. I am sure it could be improved, but I am satisfied with it--for now anyway. If you click on the image, it should open in a new browser window and it may be a little easier to read.

*Acrostic poems are simple poems in which each the first letter of each line forms a word or phrase (vertically). An acrostic poem can describe the subject or even tells a brief story about it.