Bionic Man

A Report from the Battlefield

January 23, 2012 By Ruth H. Leave a Comment

I’m sure you have been waiting on the edge of your seat to find out the outcome of the Battle to Destroy Gacky Sage. On the one hand, I hope your life is so full and rich that you haven’t wasted a single moment wondering about whether or not we actually painted. On the other hand, how could you not? It is, after all, Gacky Sage, one of the most nefarious villains known to the world of home decor.

If you don’t believe me, then you haven’t spent the last six years of your life living under the terror of it’s reign.

Of course you want to know if we have prevailed. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A House in Holland Tagged With: Antique White, Bionic Man, DIY projects, Gacky Sage, home decor, painting

What’s On Our Shelf This Christmas?

December 19, 2011 By Ruth H. 2 Comments

You may have heard of the Elf on the Shelf. Perhaps it’s a long standing tradition in your home.

Source

If you haven’t heard of it, you can check out the Elf on the Shelf official website, or check out some fun Elf pictures here.

Well, we don’t have an Elf on the Shelf at our house. That doesn’t mean our shelves are entirely empty. Nope, we have something on our shelf.

Brace yourself. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A House in Holland, Holland for Families, Postcards from Holland Tagged With: Bionic Man, birthdays, children, Christmas, Elf on a Shelf, Endeavor, family, humor, Justone, lobster, seafood, traditions

Thanks for Thanksgiving

November 23, 2011 By Ruth H. 1 Comment

Just in case I’ve never mentioned it before, Thanksgiving is probably my absolute favorite holiday.

Confession: I feel more than slightly guilty when I say that. Isn’t Christmas supposed to be everyone’s favorite holiday? At least, every Christian’s favorite holiday? While I love celebrating the birth of Christ, I’m going to be honest and say that all of the hoopla surrounding the holiday (not holy day) can be exhausting and frustrating and it is easy to lose focus on what really matters. There. I said it. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A House in Holland, Postcards from Holland Tagged With: Bionic Man, entertaining, gratitude, holidays, memories, Thanksgiving

Mother Sews Best

October 30, 2011 By Ruth H. 5 Comments

Have I told you that I’m pretty sure a man invented Trick-or-Treating? A man without any children of his own? Because seriously, folks, would a woman–a mother–invent a tradition that involved elaborate costumes and unlimited candy for children? I rest my case.

Despite the fact that I had to pack for, unpack, and organize two back-to-back out of town vacations in the past week…despite the fact that I had several writing deadlines…despite the fact that just the mere effort of turning on my sewing machine these days causes me to say creative non-swearing epithets…I told two of my children I would make their Halloween costumes.

This is what my sewing room looked like by the end of the day, yesterday.

Though it may look as if poor Hunter the Dog got too close to my sewing shears, or as if I sacrificed some small animal to appease the evil spirit that dwells within my sewing machine, I can assure you that no animals were harmed in the making of our Halloween costumes. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holland for Families Tagged With: Bionic Man, children, costumes, DIY costumes, Endeavor, Halloween, Halloween costumes, Justone, Mother Gothel, sewing, Superkid, Tangled, Trunk-or-Treat, Viking Warrior

Random

October 12, 2011 By Ruth H. 2 Comments

1. By 10 A.M. this morning, I had baked 2 batches of bread and 1 batch of muffins. I was totally impressed with myself. It brought to mind the time when the Bionic Man and I loaded up with flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder at Sam’s Club, and the clerk asked if we owned a bakery. Why yes, yes, I think I do.

2. Also by 10 A.M. this morning, my kitchen was a Disaster. Note, that it is “Disaster” with a capital D. Naturally, that is why I have escaped to my office to do some writing. Because it is one thing to bake, and yet another thing to clean up after baking. Where’s my sous chef?!?!?! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Postcards from Holland Tagged With: baking, Bionic Man, bread baking, cross country, Endeavor, fall, Justone, soccer

When Good Organs Go Bad

September 16, 2011 By Ruth H. 1 Comment

Hello, friends! First off, if the title of this post has you worried, it is NOT about Superkid. No, no, the organ I’m referring to is far more dispensable than the heart. {Sigh of relief.}

I haven’t been writing much this week, and I wish I could say it’s because I’ve been busy painting. Or because Bionic Man and I jetted off to Hawaii. Or because I have been working hard outside in the yard.

None of the above, unfortunately. Something much less fun has been keeping me away from the ole’ blog.

Fact is, it has taken three trips to three different doctors, an overnight stay in the ER, various lab tests, and a CT scan to find out that my uterus is trying to kill me. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holland Has Hospitals, Postcards from Holland Tagged With: Bionic Man, guest blogger request, medical issues

Truth Stranger than Fiction

September 6, 2011 By Ruth H. 3 Comments

In the early hours of this morning, Bionic Man nudged me awake and told me, “I just had the weirdest dream.” Then he told me all about it. I agreed. It was weird.

Only Bionic Man can come close to outdreaming me when it comes to weird dreams. It’s one of the reasons I married him. But this morning, I was not about to be outdreamed.

“I had a really weird dream, too,” I confessed. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Healthy in Holland, Holland for Families, Holland Has Hospitals Tagged With: Bionic Man, deals, embarrassing moments, Endeavor, family, fitness, Hunter the Dog, nosebleeds, shopping

5 Things I Pinned this Week…

August 20, 2011 By Ruth H. Leave a Comment

Starting today, I’d like to share some of my favorite “pins” on a weekly basis. (No clue what I’m talking about? Read about pins and Pinterest here.) I’ll feature 5 things I’ve pinned during the past week every Saturday, with links to the sites they came from. Off we go with week number one!

1. DIY Paper Plate Baskets from Sarah Hearts

Maybe it hails back to my teenage days as a “migrant” farm worker at the Bear Lake raspberry patches (such a long story), but there was just something about these cute baskets that appealed to me. Perhaps I secretly want to run my own roadside farm stand? If nothing else, it’s a cute way to carry our excess cherry tomatoes over to the neighbors. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 5 Things I Pinned this Week Tagged With: benches, Bionic Man, chairs, dining room, DIY art, garden, Justone, moldings, painting, pinning, Pinterest

Surprise Roadtrip

July 16, 2011 By Ruth H. 2 Comments

I’ve mentioned before that I love to travel with my family. Roadtrips tend to be our most frequent form of travel. (You can read about a couple of them here and here.) Even as newlyweds, the Bionic Man and I used to jump in the car and see how far we could get before it was time to turn around and head back to school.

Since we’ve had children, the Bionic Man and I don’t get into spontaneous roadtrips like we used to. Generally, we spend months preparing for our roadtrips: researching routes and destinations, planning stops and activities, putting together detailed itineraries, making reservations. Often, we depart for vacation with a thick binder that maps out all the details of our trip.

Our 2011 summer trips weren’t going to be any different. We’d been planning a family trip to see our Connecticut friends and East coast sites for weeks. And Bionic Man had been prepping daily for a special backpacking adventure in Utah’s Uintah mountain wilderness.