I can't stop singing Heal the World.

waiting for daddy.

spills.

This is orange juice. An gigantic jug of spilled orange juice.

Hard to look at, but totally clean up-able.

Jake cried and cried and cried and cried, because while he was helping to bring in the groceries, he set the orange juice on the counter, and it fell. He watched it seep out the cracked bottom of the gigantic jug sitting on the floor. And he cried.

Before we cleaned it up, I sighed one of those spill sighs, told Jakey it was okay-he could stop crying and crying and crying, and then I took a picture. Because of this:

When Jakey is 17 and Princess Ahpios breaks up with him for that other guy, and Jake cries and cries and cries and cries...I can show him the orange juice picture.

Remember the spill, Jake? I'll say. There was orange juice everywhere. It took every clean towel we had to soak up that orange juice; and even after that, it took two days of mopping to get rid of the stickiness and three more days of finding orange juice on the curtains and walls and windows. It was a huge mess. You cried and cried and cried and cried.

Then he'll nod. Remembering the dripping citrus smelling beach towels he carried to the laundry room. Then I'll say...

That was a bad spill. You felt pretty rotten. But we cleaned it up, eh? Every spill is clean up-able, Jake. It seems unbearable when you're staring at the never-ending pool of sticky orange juice, but every spill is clean up-able.

And he'll start to get it. But he'll be mad at me because he doesn't want to clean up the spill because he really likes Aphios, and thinks he might even love her, and he really wants to be that stupid other guy, and he just wants to cry and cry and cry and cry.

So we'll get out the towels, and spend two days - or two months cleaning up the sticky mess. And Jake will eventually feel better.

And that's when he'll laugh at the orange juice picture.

Until the next spill.

emersyn.

Good weekend.

We did go bike shopping...we walked into Target, looked at the pricetags, and went home. Good trip.

And we did barbeque, but I was too busy eating yummy yummy food and talking to fun people and counting kids so as to make sure none were lost in the land of color smoke bombs to take pictures. And my hands were permanently glued to 3 pairs of ears during the big firecrackers, so no pictures of those either. Good times.

But I did take pictures of our trip to the zoo. Good weather.


This is me touching a rat. They tried to tell me it was cute. Whatever.
But I touched it anyways so the kids would think I'm cool and not a wuss.

I did not enjoy touching the rat. Bad rat.

Natural Tunnel Park

Last weekend we went to Natural Tunnel in Kingsport, TN with the Real Cruze's. We had a picnic in the park, a short photo session, and then a small hike to the tunnel, which we couldn't go in. So we just looked at it.

Lori and I took Lydia and Kacie down on the chairlift, while the dads were left with 8 kids and a stroller. I felt bad, a little.

This is Lover's Leap. The legend is, an indian warrior and princess from different tribes fell in love but were forbidden to be together so they climbed this ridge and jumped off as the sun rose, hoping they would be together in the afterlife. The kids didn't get it. Why did they jump off? That doesn't make sense! They were crazy. I'm never falling in love! So romantic.

This weekend is bike shopping and barbeque. No tunnels.

Sullivan South.

Conan grew up in Kingsport, so on the way home from Tunnel Park last weekend we made a nostalgic stop at his alma mater, Sullivan South. 10 kids running around exploring the place Conan and Scott spent most of their highschool existance; the field.

TEN KIDS!! Whoapa. We got a lot of kids.

nyla's dress.

Nichole wanted Nyla to be able to wear it next summer, so we shirred it. And you can just move the buttons up if the straps get tight.

I love a dress you can grow into.

With a ruffle.

And red buttons.

recycled magazine mobile.

My sister in law came over while I was figuring out how to make my magazine basket. She held up its beginnings and asked if I was making a mobile.

No...I said...wheels turning...but we totally could!
She's a genius.

So here it is.

Now comes the artistic trial and error segment.

Tie on buttons and your leftover magazine rolls for decoration. If you tie a button on one side, you need to add some smaller magazine rolls (or another button, or pompom, or whatever) to the other side. Keep cutting off one segment of the roll until it balances with the button.

Keep cutting and trimming ends until it hangs and twirls nicely.

Happy Weekend!

recycled magazine basket

My dad bought me a new phone (yippee). As a result, I needed a new basket to put by my new phone. I had seen one recently at Marshall's for $8 that I examined carefully; taking it apart in my brain to figure out how they did it. So I decided to save the $8 and the trip back to Marshall's and make my own. It totally worked and I love it.

I didn't take pictures along the way because, frankly, I wasn't sure it would work.

But you can follow this tutorial from HowAboutOrange.
Here and Here.

I used my sewing machine instead of glue or staples like she did. But I think it would be a lot easier her way. duh. I also painted mine with ModPodge since it's in the kitchen and I wanted it to be semi-water resistant.

Check out these other recycled magazine crafts:

bowls.

jewelry.

gift bows.

boxes.

coasters.

and coasters.

flowers.

very cool.

Aunt Katie's sweet.

One time, Aunt Katie sent Jake a postcard from Serendipity in NY.

Jake became obsessed with the place. And more specifically, the frozen hot chocolate.

One time, Jake stayed up way too late, and I yelled...uh...spoke loudly at him to turn off his light and go to bed. Then he handed me an incredibly sweet and witty letter he had been writing to his Aunt Katie about frozen hot chocolates. And the word serendipity. And how he wanted to be a librarian and have a huge library in NY. I kissed him goodnight, and we mailed the letter in the morning.

One time, soon after, Jake got a Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate in the mail. And it was the most yummiest happy discovery we've ever made!

Some time, I think I'll write Aunt Katie my own letter. I like Crumbs. And RicePuddnig.

Kitschy Digitals Vinyl Frame Decals

Danielle Thompson of KitschyDigitals has created these beautiful full color vinyl frame decals, and I love them. She is doing a pre-order right now, and you only have 2 more days to get yours! They are very reasonably priced, I think, for vinyl cuts of actual photographs she's taken of vintage frames. You can also get flat cut frames, like the green one in the first photo.

We're going to sell our house soon and build on our land, so I didn't want to buy them now and not be able to take them with me to the new cool house. But I don't want to wait. I'm ordering 3, and keeping them safe in the closet until I have a new wall to put them on.

I'm excited. For the frames, and the house.

conan.

I'm pretty sure I'm totally in love with him.

When I'm staring at him with sore cheeks admiring his humble hilarious story-telling, and he lets me tell the punch-line because he knows I love a crowd.

When I'm sure I've used the wrong cliche in a horribly destructive way, and he's watching the road with a huge grin and I know he's not laughing at the asphault. He just keeps driving, and smiling, because he thinks it's cute. How I slaughter the English language in embarrassing ways.

When he talks about fabric.

Or when he lets me take a nap on Fathers Day.

When he gives me the last mango popsicle. His favorite.

When he tells me what's going on at work, and I have no idea what he's talking about but I love looking at the gap between his teeth when he says the word deadline.

And when he watches Food Network with me. Or validates my ridiculous commentary on the Lakers game. Or acts impressed, again, when I tell him, again, how I danced at a Nuggets game half-time.

When he dives hard to catch my pretend curve ball.

It's when he looks at me. Like I'm the most perfect thing on Earth; knowing better than anyone I'm not.

I'm pretty sure I'm really totally in love with him.

It's when he carries them to bed, holds their hands at the park, wrestles them silly, has "classified" conversations with them, puts their cranky needs first, pays them 10cents for every weed they pull, talks about their talents instead of mistakes, laughs at their tantrums,

and looks at them like they're the most perfect things on Earth; knowing they're not yet.

I'm pretty sure he's really totally in love with us.

And that pretty much makes him perfect.

Whatever. by Meg Duersken

I came to the computer for bizness purposes, and I was somehow crazily un-biznessly led to this blog. I don't know how I got here. but I can't stop.

I am in love with her house.
I think she's going to invite me over soon.

And her photography.
And check out her 365. Color and life everywhere.

I'd like to live in her blog. Or just her house.

I'm going to pack.

pink tuxedo dress.

I love this dress.