calico

Top Three. by Berkley Illustrations.

2011-12-14T22:55:00.002-05:00

I may add Winnie Cooper as a close runner up,

but this is pretty much perfect.

I love you, Berkley Illustrations.

Find their Top Three print here.

Christmas Past. circa 1980 something.

2011-12-13T07:37:00.001-05:00

Sorry, little bro. I solemnly swear never to decorate you again.

the winner...

2011-12-12T08:33:00.002-05:00

Hooray!! I emailed, ya, Buggsby.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and pinned, and facebooked!!

this is it.

2011-12-08T20:42:00.001-05:00

When you think your kids are watching a movie, but somewhere in the middle of dvd saturation they all become red carpet guests into DreamLand. {Except for the one upstairs who opted out of movie time}. Conan calls me in to see our kids, fast asleep.

This is when you want to stare at them in the dark for a really long time.
because when you squint you see them differently. Eternally. As companions, gifted to me, here to teach me. Somehow, as they sleep, their purpose is clear and powerful.

This is when it's clear:
I need to learn. I need to watch. listen.
quiet. still and humbled.

I grab my camera and we turn on the light to take a picture - because a picture lasts.
My patience and memory doesn't.

We carry them to bed.

We carry on.

I forget, and I get busy, and I get frustrated.

Thank goodness for that moment when you randomly decide to browse iphoto because you just want to do something that takes no energy and no prisoners. And you find the picture. And you want to stare for a really long time.

this is it.

This is what they teach me when they're asleep.

to watch.
and remember.

still. quiet.
humbled.

grateful.

Merry Christmas in the shop.

2011-12-05T10:25:00.001-05:00

I have just listed a whooey of stuff in that etsy shop.
And it's all marked down pretty good with free shipping! hooray!!

This calls for a giveaway. -THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED-

Leave a comment with what you'd get from the shop if you had an extra free $30 laying around, and if your name is chosen {randomly} that's what you'll get....anything you want up to $30!
Including a custom order. That means, let's say, if you really really want 4 Paper Cut Heart Quotes that say "I'm awesome" to hand out to your friends and family this holiday but all the heart quotes are sold out, it doesn't matter because you have that big red heart up there that says anything you want.

And you will be awesome. for real.

Mention it on facebook and get another entry.
Pin something from the shop on Pinterest and get another entry.
Just leave extra comments telling me you did.
And please give me a way to get a hold of you in case you win. Or else that would stink.

Giveaway closes 11:59pm Sunday, December 11th
winner will be announced Monday morning, December 12th.

Yippee!

I've been making.

2011-11-23T09:39:00.001-05:00

My sister in law, Lori, and I are participating in the Candy Cottage Holiday Market this coming Monday at Rocky Hill Elementary School. So I've been buried in MAKING STUFF!!

Hooray! It's been a while.Here are some of the things I will be selling:

The paper cuttings will be available for custom orders (your own quote around 5-6 words on the 5x7 hearts) at the Market. I will have 4 of the Grinch Christmas quote cuttings for sale there, but the rest will be done at home and delivered by December 16th. (Frames not included.) (I can take 30 orders, so if I don't get that many at the market I'll let you guys order some in that shop I've ignored.)

I've got a bunch of bags and aprons, too. And some rice bags (to warm your toes) and some table runners and some cute little girl flannel skirts. I'll post some pictures of those this weekend.

The market is from 4-8pm at Rocky Hill Elementary School on Monday, November 28th - if you live in Knoxville and you wanna come.

And if you see something on my blog that you don't see at the market, just ask while you're there and we'll see what we can do. Depending on how many orders I've gotten. I want to spend my December drinking sparkling apple cider and eating bon bons by the tree in my $6 Old Navy jammies and fuzzy slippers while listening to Bing Crosby croon the season away. so I'm limiting special orders. You understand.

Cassy's Puny Party.

2011-11-21T08:30:00.001-05:00

I am interrupting this blog drought to share with you yet another awesome party by my amazing sister Cassy. May I introduce, the Puny Party...

My nephew turned one, so of course she had the perfect party planned, complete with tiny door and 18 tiny 3 layer cakes. Yes, I said 18.

You have to go here to see all the amazing details.

And her KungFu party.

And the Tangled party.

I love her.

Oh, and here is just a quick picture of her Justice League costumes this year, THAT SHE MADE!!

Tea

2011-11-02T22:27:00.000-04:00

I got an email a while ago asking if I was interested in some clothes from
Tea Collection.

Uh...yes please and Thankyou.

I can't tell you how much I love these clothes. They're affordable (clearance section) and they are such good quality! Much softer than our typical Target purchases. My new very favorite place for children's clothing. I feel like a fashion goob for not knowing anything about them before.

But here is what I love most about our Tea clothes:

These are Joey's French Terry Cargo shorts (they have pants, too) for $14.50. He wore them every day until it got cold, and now they wait on the stairs for him to get home and change into his "most awesome shorts called tea", as they have been rightfully dubbed.

Usually Joey's "bottoms" only last a month or so until we have holes in the bum and the knees (due to the obvious ninja lifestyle he leads), but these babies are going strong!!

And they've kept their color and softness after being washed 50 ga-million times.
Seriously. ga-million.

We love them. We need more.
And we need to convince Joey to start standing on his feet. maybe.

Joey: Andale Taxi Tee, French Terry Cargo Short

Andy: Goril Graphic Tee

Jake: Tigre Graphic Tee, French Terry Cargo Short

Kacie: Ancho Chile Stripe Dress, Skinny Stripe Leggings

"Where the whooey are my hair bands?"

2011-10-28T17:21:00.000-04:00

"What the? Why are these...murmur murmur...
stuck around the...murmur murmur..."

"Wha huh?...."

Apparently there's a secret Barbie Underground.

Super Mario Bros. Hat Tutorial

2011-10-28T17:14:00.002-04:00

So, just in case you didn't have anything to do this weekend, I finally have a Mario Hat Tutorial for you.

Because I'm assuming you are all last minute Halloween-ers, too, like me. You guys have 3 whole days left to make costume magic!

So I'm really not that late in posting this, really.

Since everyone else in the world procrastinates just like me. I know it.

Here you go:

This is not an exact science.

Wonkiness is okay. Mario is wonky.

The top piece is a circle with a 9 3/4" diameter.

I "egg" shaped the top to make it stand up more.Mario style.

The measurements on that middle piece are kind of hard to read.

Here they are:

Top: 4"

On the right: 1 1/2" and 1 3/4"

Bottom: 1/2" and 2 1/4"

I doubled my felt over because I had a lot of hats to make,

so I cut for 2 hats at a time. If you're making 1 hat, just use one layer of felt.

You'll end up with this:

I pinned the bottom just so it wouldn't shift around while I was pinning the puckers. But now you need to take that bottom pin out

so you're working with just the middle of the hat.

Fold JUST the middle piece of the hat, remember it is no longer attached to the top piece!

Now pin the top and middle pieces together again, wrong sides together.They should match up well now that the puckers aren't puckers.

Okay, here is a big fat disclaimer.

I took these pictures of the first prototype,before I figured out it was better to sew and cut the puckers, rather than leaving them puckered. So from now on in these pictures,ignore the puckers.

Your puckers are sewn and cut.

no longer puckers.

Sweet. You're done. Mario Hat...

Man, that feels good. I actually for real posted something on my neglected blog.

I'm sorry, sad blog.

I'd like to say I promise to spend more time with you, but I've heard stories about empty promises.

okay.

I wrote the stories about empty promises.

I miss you.

at least now you have a cool hat to keep you warm in my absence.

note of paramount importance to my sugar addicted self...

2011-10-14T19:30:00.000-04:00

don't buy the Halloween candy 3 weeks early.

you can't handle it.

Mario Party, and I want some bon bons.

2011-09-21T09:56:00.000-04:00

There was no blogging last week, but we did have a party!

Dani and I found most of the ideas online, but I couldn't find an easy hat tutorial so I figured that one out. And I actually took pictures while making them, so I'll share a tutorial on those someday.

And the quilt? Sitting unfinished on the chair in the Corner of Neglected Projects. It didn't quite make it to the baby shower. I hate that.

I'm dying to sew. To just be creative, somehow. I have been so married to "busy" lately that my creative brain, which seems to be dominant, is getting very angry with me. So I'm cranky.

This pile of fabric is sitting on my desk, waiting for some attention. I sit down and just look at it sometimes. Sketch pictures of what it could be. Then get up and move on. Sad.

Busy isn't nice. It's obnoxious.

time to simplify.

Again.

birthdays and baby showers = busy

2011-09-09T15:47:00.001-04:00

Just when you're ready to get back to the blog, you're not.

I bin busy.

I'll share the party and the blankets when they're good and done.

blogs and bon bons = next week.

{fingers crossed}

the winner...

2011-09-08T08:29:00.000-04:00

SUSAN!

I'll email you all the instructions, Susan.

No more shutterfly for you.

My Memories Suite Giveaway - CLOSED

2011-08-29T14:48:00.012-04:00

Back to school and back to blogging.

Let's start with a giveaway.

I used to scrapbook all the time. A LONG time ago. I look back at those scrapbooks now and just sigh. I wish I wouldn't have cut up those pictures and spent so much money on all those funky embellishments. Sure, it's nice to have memories, but my style has changed so much that now I think most of my pages are tacky, and my pictures are all chopped up. I guess those scrapbooks will serve as a good reminder of my wonky style. Like the 80's.

I've heard of digital scrapbooking before but have never paid much attention to it. Then the people at My Memories contacted me about their software and asked me to take a look. I was curious, to say the least.

Their My Memories Suite software was easy to download. I quickly started browsing their page layouts and embellishments to see what this was all about, then downloaded some photos off of iphoto and started making some pages. After about an hour too long and dinner being neglected, I needed to stop. Oh, the possibilities.

I like to give grandparents and the kids photo books for Christmas. This software is just what I need to do that. Wouldn't it be fun to have a little spiral book with funky faces of all your relatives? Or a recipe book. Or an I-Spy book. Or thank you cards.

You can share your pages online, print them at home, or send them to a professional printer. You can also include music or movies to your pages. I'm not a facebooker, but that would be cool to have a talking scrapbook page on your update thing. (Can you do that? I dunno. I'm behind.)

My pages are really simple and basic, just how I like it. I didn't dive into all the possibilities here. There are a lot of embellishments, backgrounds, and templates you can use...I just made my own.

We made Andy's birthday invitations in about 10 minutes.

My Memories wants to give a copy of their My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbook Software to you, a $40 value!

1. Please visit their site and leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite Album Template.

2. The giveaway closes midnight,

Wednesday September 7.

3. The winner will be picked by random.org and announced Thursday morning.

4. This is a download of their software, so check their system requirements before you enter!

AND...just in case you don't win, they will give you a $10 discount off their My Memories Suite version 2 plus a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store when you use the coupon code STMMMS35749.

If you'd like to know more about their software, here's a video tutorial:

You can also check out the reviews on Amazon.com.

Good luck!

joey and kacie.

2011-08-29T14:19:00.005-04:00

Joey started kindergarten today. He's ecstatic. I'm happy for him.

Kacie's miserable.

She misses her best friend.

She told me today while shopping at Sam's Club,

"Mom, you're nice. But this would be a lot better with Joey."

Then she cried because she knew Joey would want an ice cream.

When we came home she decided to watch Power Rangers for her quiet time.

She hates Power Rangers, but Joey loves it.

When the carpool dropped Joey off, Kacie was first to the door.

They got themselves a bowl of ice cream

and held hands as they went to finish her quiet time.

Watching his show.

In one year Kacie will be in school, too.

and it all changes.

I'm ready.

But I don't think I'm ready.

I love how they love eachother.

this blog has been officially swallowed by summer.

2011-07-29T19:35:00.005-04:00

with only two weeks left, I'm giving in.

I will no longer pretend I'm going to blog about our days.

Summer wins.

see ya in a few.

moments.

2011-07-19T23:42:00.007-04:00

Crouched on the concrete, Joey watched it flutter and land, flutter and land. With 100 kids splashing and yelling in full swimming pool pandemonium - he and a few sat watching that flirtatious butterfly swoop and stop on the edge of the deep end. With palms open he sat, carefully studying and waiting.

Still, steady, patient.

Flutter, land.

...slap.

With a satisfactory smile, he slowly opened his hands to reveal his prize - but didn't even lift his head to notice it fly away. He stared in amazement.

His palms dusted.

I could barely hear his astonished whisper...

"it's magic."

It was a brief keepsake, watching Joey in the midst of chaos.

And a sweet reminder...

There is magic in mayhem.

just what I would expect to find in my flowers...

2011-07-18T08:24:00.001-04:00

...Barbie. Tied up to the stake.

After standard interrogations

we learn she's in isolation, awaiting trial.

yup.

I dunno.

It's best not to ask questions.

2011-07-15T13:32:00.000-04:00

{image found here}

I sewed!!

2011-07-12T14:24:00.004-04:00

Joey wanted to buy his friend Sarah some Polly Pockets for her birthday. "Sure, but they have small pieces and they always end up all over the house." I said. To which he replied, "you can just make her a bag!"

grin. lightbulb. "Why yes, yes I can."

So this apron started out as a simple Polly Pocket Organizer Handbag, but the idea transformed. I thought about how Kacie tries to stuff all her "little things" into her pockets, and carries a huge bag on her shoulder all day so she has her special stuff with her ALL the time. And I thought, how convenient that would be to have a cute apron to wear all day every day with a special compartment for special stuff, and an extra pocket for other treasures. She can wear it outside in the dirt and fill her pockets with acorns or dandelions, or in the kitchen with mom, or on a playdate...and all her Polly Pockets are right where they should be. In her pocket!

It felt good to sew.

I'd like to live in a barn.

2011-06-26T01:11:00.005-04:00

{Virginia Creeper Bike Trail, Spring Break 2011}

Not this exact barn, of course. A girl would like to stand up straight while tweezing in her master bath...no-can-do in this little shed.

But we're going with the vibe of the rustic barn, not literal. The open space, inside and out. The golden ground, the blue skies that wrap around you. Rope swings. Hay bails. Provident living. calloused hands. Quilts and rocking chairs. Shelling peas. Things as they really are.

I'm kinda bored with sidewalks and cement.

I need a barn.

And a potty trained Old Yeller dog.

shabby apple winner...

2011-06-18T09:08:00.001-04:00

Adelle!

from The Good Life.

awesome. Congratulations, Adelle.

this baby's yours:

kacie wants it to snow.

2011-06-14T16:45:00.003-04:00

good luck with that, sweetheart.

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway - CLOSED

2011-06-10T14:04:00.016-04:00

One thing I noticed on our vacation was skirts. Yes, I stared at people's food and at their clothes, and they were all wearing cute dresses and skirts. Where are the jeans, ladies? I need to move past jeans. So I've begun paying attention to simple, wearable, modest women's dresses.

Enter: Shabby Apple.

Shabby Apple is my favorite place for vintage inspired dresses and skirts. They also have awesome accessories, aprons, little girl dresses, maternity dresses, and swimsuits - which I love.

As I was browsing their site, I found their Oh La La collection, straight from the streets of Paris! It was so fun to see all their photos and be able to say "I was just there! Really there for real!"

After I compared my own ham and cheese baguette picture to this one taken in front of the VERY SAME fence (mmm hmmm), I found their Roamin' Holiday Collection! Swoon. I love it.

This cream flower applique dress is called the Spanish Steps Dress - and Shabby Apple said you can have it! For real! I love this fancy tee shirt dress. I kinda want to win my own giveaway.

Just leave a comment, and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win.

The winner must be willing to supply me with their address, phone number, and dress size so Shabby Apple can send the dress directly to you.

This giveaway will be open for one week,

closing at 11:55pm on Friday June 17th.

I will randomly pick a winner and email her Saturday morning.

AND...Shabby Apple is giving you 10% off your next purchase! Just enter the code calico10off when you check out, and its yours.

they're on facebook, too. If you "like" them, you can get even more exclusive discounts and promotions.

Hooray! A free dress and discounts! What could be more exciting?

gelato.

tickets are on sale!!

2011-06-10T13:40:00.003-04:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

at Fandango

Ciao, Roma.

2011-06-09T08:14:00.004-04:00

{Palatine Hill. Cassy and I stared at this garden forever trying to figure out what kind of awesome parties were held here 2,000 years ago.}

Palatine Hill is where all the Emperor's, and the important people lived. Legend says this is where the Lupercal is - the cave where the twin brothers Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf who raised them. They grew up, killed their great-uncle who had the throne, and decided to build their own city. Romulus killed Remus, and Rome became Rome.

Then you have the Roman Forum...a giant marketplace where most of the government activities took place. Kinda where Hercules knocks down all those pillars in the movie.

Here's a good example of the city being built around ruins...we were walking along and saw this hole in the side of a beautiful building. This is what was inside:

Totally. Real live ancient architecture. They built the place around it. If you look in deep, you can see the ruins go all the way inside under the building. My brother in law speaks a little Italian and he overheard a tour guide telling his group that most of the buildings there in Rome have ruins like these in their basements. Seriously? hey Fred, let's take our lunch break in the cellar and eat our pastrami on rye amongst the 2,000 YEAR OLD ANCIENT ARTIFACTS!! fascinating.

This is Piazza Navona:

This was one of my favorite places. There was music everywhere, gorgeous art of the city, and crazy performers dancing to "Livin' in America". I bought a painting of this window, that now sits on my mantel next to the legos and the library books we're pretending to read.

Vatican City:

I didn't get many pictures of the inside of the Vatican Museum. I was too busy staring at the ceilings. The picture above is the Sistine Chapel. You weren't allowed to take pictures in the Chapel, but I snapped this one behind the gate on my way out. This place was fascinating. You walk into this incredibly crowded hall, and everyone is staring up. There are guards standing on a platform yelling "Quiet Please! No photo, no photo!" It was loud, which was sad. This a very sacred place, and it wasn't treated that way while we were there. I could have stayed forever listening to our audio tour of Michel Angelo's paintings, but my neck hurt. And I got claustrophobic. And hungry.

{Restaurant Bistrot 23 by the Vatican. The best gnocchi I had the entire trip, and I ate a lot of gnocchi.}

Okay, this is St. Peter's Basilica:

Can you see all the tiny people at the very tip top of the dome up there? No? That's right, you can't, because it's SO HIGH! When all the guys said "of course we're going to the top of the dome", I thought "well yeah! how cool. of course we are! We're in Rome! Why wouldn't we go to the top of that wimpy little dome?" um.....hello. Never call a dome wimpy. Especially this one.

This is inside the church:

You go inside the dome first, where those windows are way up top. I got a little freaked out while we were watching these tiny little tourist ants at the bottom. My stomach kept doing flip flops like I was going to somehow fall through the giant mesh fence that holds you in, down into the sacred ceremony below. But I kept my cool, took some pictures, and Hooray! We went to the top of the dome! nope. we didn't. Then you take more of these tiny little turny hallways you have to squeeze through, higher and higher and higher and higher and higher, and then out you pop ON THE VERY TIP TOP OF ROME! Like, with the birds. I've never been afraid of heights before.

Cassy and I both hung to the wall for a bit, then I finally convinced her to step to the edge so I could take a picture...hello...we're in Rome for heavens sake. No room for chicken's in Rome.

I told her she didn't have to open her eyes.

We eventually warmed up to the edge, enough to say goodbye to Italy.

Goodbye Italy.

I'm absent.

2011-06-08T15:25:00.004-04:00

{Joey's pretty sure he's awesome. He's the one ready to dive.}

Summer has taken control. All the kids are doing swim team this year, which I think I love more than they do, so we've been at the pool every morning and evening for the last two weeks. My house is a wreck, dinner's are quick and boring, and there is no clean underwear...but Dani's back stroke is rockin'. The pool rules.

I'll have the last of Rome posted tomorrow (it's time to let go), and then an awesome giveaway from Shabby Apple on Friday. if all goes well.

I'm dying to sew something. anything. If only I could have all the time in the world. I'm not asking much, just a token really, a trifle.

yay, summer.

From Paris to Rome.

2011-06-01T15:12:00.007-04:00

We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast in Rome, behind this big beautiful door:

The best thing about where we stayed was this:

Right next door was this basement bakery, open 24 hours. So we'd get something on the way to the metro in the morning, and stop on the way home 16 hours later. Those were long days. Our bedroom window opened up into the courtyard of this building, and the smells from the bakery would fill our room while we were gone all day. I fell asleep to patries. Now cake smells like Rome.

There are springs all over Rome, so they have these drinking fountains everywhere. You just put your finger at the end of the spout, and it shoots up for you to get a drink. So cool.

Rome definitely had a different feel than Paris. Much more relaxed, and "grungy", if that's an appropriate word. Not dirty or rough, just more edgy. More grit. Just different.

After we dropped our stuff off, we headed to the Coloseum.

The Coloseum was amazing. It was completed in 80 AD, which makes it 1,931 years old. It was called the Flavian Amphitheater but later got the "nickname" Coloseum from the gigantic statue Emperor Nero made of himself, named the Colossus (because it was HUGE). Nero had the statue moved from Palatine Hill in front of the Amphitheater during his reign.

The Colossus remained there for years, being remodeled into the Sun God Helios, and then with the heads of different Emperors. It was believed to be magic. Hence the 8th century prophecy, "As long as the Colossus stands, so shall Rome; when the Colossus falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome falls, so shall the world."

The statue was brought down during the medieval era to recycle the bronze it was made from. They also recycled all the marble from the Colosseum, leaving only the concrete brick skeleton.

The arena was covered with wood and canvas, and a layer of sand to soak up all the blood. In fact, the word "arena" derives from the Latin word for sand. The numbers our guide gave us for how many animals and people were killed here was astonishing. During the opening festival, which lasted 100 days, over 5000 wild animals were killed. And I don't know how many gladiators. It was sobering.

{I caught Seth, the paparazzi man, trying to sneak a picture of me acting natural}

Okay, here's my big Rome tip, for anyone who plans on visiting the city some time in their lifetime: Don't get the sandwiches from the carts. Those tomatoes were sliced in half and slid all the way to the front of the sandwich to join the tiny slivers of cheese and the one half sprig of lettuce. lame. Those Italian cart guys are sneaky smart. taking advantage of us poor, ignorant tourists. shame.

{Circus Maximus. Think Ben Hur.}

Walking the streets of Rome was amazing. You'd be passing an apartment building, and then this. Ancient ruins, molded into every crack of the city. Actually, a modern city molded into each crevice of these thousand year old ruins. The whole place was fascinating. There aren't many subway lines in Rome, because they keep running the tunnels into ancient artifacts and discoveries under the city. It truly is amazing.

{Trevi Fountain at night.}

{holy cannoli}

{Spanish Steps. Seth took this picture; I love it.}

{metro home to my bakery smellin' bed}

The last of Paris.

2011-05-27T09:35:00.002-04:00

{Napolean's Tomb in Les Invalides. There are 6 separate coffins in there, made of iron, mahogany, two of lead, iron, and the outer coffin made of red porphyry. Surrounded by 12 pillars of victory.}

{Cassy is so photogenic. She always knows what to do for the camera. This was her defiance, in essence saying "I'll give you something to take a picture of, crazy paparazzi man." My brother in law Seth did an awesome job of catching just the right moments.}

Au revoir, Paris. Merci.

I love you.

first day of summer...

2011-05-26T09:20:00.000-04:00

Looney Tunes.

Paris: the Louvre and Montmarte

2011-05-25T10:48:00.005-04:00

We did the audio tour for part of the Louvre. It was fascinating, but there was so much information we couldn't possibly take it all in. After 4 hours, we quit. Seth and Cassy are listening intently to the audio description of the Mona Lisa (I think), which is at the other end of this hall.

{There she is, surrounded by a huge, pushy crowd.

I was trampled. Barely made it out alive.}

{The Winged Victor of Samothrace}

Next was the Opera House (I think. I can't remember the order we did everything, but my outfit is the same in these pictures so I can safely deduce this was all in the same day). It was absolutely beautiful.

Then we headed to Montmarte. This is where Paris became less "city" and more "quaint Parisian streets". There were artists in a big square selling their artwork (beautiful) and nice little shops scattered everwhere. Still, a busy area so the shops were pretty touristy. But fun. At the top of the hill is the church Sacre Coeur, or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris. There were great views of Paris.

man, I've got a ton of pictures. There are a couple more posts coming from Paris, because I love it, and then we go to Rome, because it's incredible. And then a giveaway, and then I sew. Hopefully. Because I need to make something soon or I'm gonna bust. This blog will return to its crafty roots...eventually. maybe.

It's officially summer, which officially means one thing:

2011-05-23T09:31:00.002-04:00

Eiffel Tower.

2011-05-20T14:36:00.006-04:00

{This is under the tower. iphone Photography at its finest.}

{Sunset over Paris from the 2nd tier of the tower. See that thing lit up at the bottom? MmHmm. Carousel. I'm so glad we didn't go all the way to the top - I got sicker than snot just on the 2nd level.

You could feel it sway...}

Arch de Triomphe

A walk down Champs-Elysees. dinner (at an Italian place. go figure). metro home. bed. we're tired.

Paris: Notre Dame.

2011-05-18T19:28:00.010-04:00

Tuesday morning, we dropped the kids off at school, delivered their bags to the babysitters (Aunt Lori and Grandma Kay. Bless you.), cleaned, packed, and then Conan and I drove to the Atlanta airport to meet the sisters and husbands.

There was a news report on the radio about finding the black box of the AirFrance flight that crashed into the ocean two years ago. Uh...sure, I'm not scared. Actually, I was super scared. I am terribly afraid of flying over the ocean and was secretly trying to pretend I wasn't. But I was. Am. Luckily we left late at night so I slept through the whole flight. When I woke up I noticed that the little cartoon airplane on the screen in front of me was flying over land, not ocean, so I got up the guts to look out the window. And there was Ireland:

That was my first moment of Oh my goodness.

We landed in France around 2:00 in the afternoon, jumped on the train and headed to Hotel De La Porte Doree in the 12th arrondissement. It was such a fantastic place to stay. I loved it.

We dropped off our luggage, checked out the internet connection, and the bathroom, and headed for Notre Dame. eek! So exciting.

This is what we see coming out of the metro:

Beautiful, Beautiful buildings. with History.

hello little boy.

Every building was beautiful. And these carousels...all over Paris. I couldn't stop taking pictures.

Enter Queen Picture Bomber:

It's Corrie's favorite thing to do. And she's good. She's real good.

(She has a good, quick recap of Paris, here.)

So we're walking down these beautiful streets when I see this sign:

"Uh...wuh? Is this Notre Dame? Like the real Notre Dame? As in Hunchback...of Notre Dame?"

Oh yes, there it was, right in front of me. The real deal. I had to catch my breath and check my reality ticket to Avenue Wonder and Amazement. I was staring at a building built over 600 years ago. (Esmerelda sang in there.)

Notre Dame took 182 years to build, and was finished in 1345. During the French Revolution, rioters beheaded the statues of the biblical Kings of Judah, thinking they were kings of France. A school teacher watching the destruction collected the heads and buried them on his property. They were found in 1977 and are now on display in a Paris museum. There were so many stories like this that just came to life for us. It was fascinating.

Once we were done in the church, we got crepes.

I asked for un jambon et fromage (ham and cheese), but she didn't hear the jambon part. Probably because I was nervous to order in French and mumbled a bit. Luckily, even though I had studied French Recipe Books and French Culinary Dictionaries for months, most everyone (who works around the tourist areas) speaks English, so I didn't have to use it much. But alas, I ended up with a cheese crepe. Which was good at the time, but I didn't realize until later, upon eating delicious crepes, that it wasn't that good. But it was French. Who cares.

We strolled...

And then headed to the Eiffel Tower...

{I only had my iphone for pictures. Not bad, eh? All the photos that include me were taken by my Brother In Law, Seth. I quickly learned to use and abuse his nice picture taking skills and sweet camera. Thanks Seth.}

Bonjour!

2011-05-13T16:25:00.006-04:00

I've been absent. For a good European cause!!

I just got back from France and Italy (squeal) with my husband and my 2 sisters (and their husbands). I'm still trying to get back into making dinners...nothing is reaching that same French caliber. I bought 4 French baguettes, some prosciutto, and fancy cheese from Sam's Club yesterday. I'm dreaming about macarons and gnocchi. My kids are begging me to speak in English. And I can't settle on the perfect ouef cocotte recipe for Sunday lunch.

I have ten million pictures of amazing history and architecture to sift through, and all the photos of everything I ate (very important...one must never forget the food...escargot, thank you very much, pastries, pastries, crepes, sorbet, gelato, pastries, not enough macarons, and pastries).

I'll share soon!

strawberry season.

2011-05-02T13:59:00.002-04:00

the Fruit and Berry Patch.

Dani's room.

2011-04-28T10:04:00.001-04:00

Remember this? This is the plan Autumn Clemons put together for Dani's room. Asking Autumn for help was the smartest thing I did in this room. (She has helped me with our entire downstairs, too. I'll show you those later. Awesome.)

Well, we're done (almost). I still need to add a few little details that Dani could care less about (like a bigger bookcase and ruffles and pillows and knobs, and pictures in the empty frames - you know...candy).

Autumn made this project really easy for me...she listed everything very clearly - where to get it, how much it cost, and why she chose it. So in case I couldn't get that exact item, I knew what to look for - matching the scale and colors, etc. There are only a few things we had to compromise on because of unavailability (like the awesome stainless steel desk from IKEA, blah). But the compromises still work.

I had her shelves all clean and organized once upon a time, in a far away land, but then she moved her stuff in. I kept sneaking in and rearranging everything, but she kept rearranging it back. So I backed off. It's her room, not mine. It's not my room. This is not my room. Hers. not mine.

let it go.

Dani and I made the headboard. I think it's pretty amazing. I took pictures along the way to show you how we did it, but I'm really not sure how it all came together. It was kind of a miracle. I didn't realize I didn't put the last row of buttons on until it was on the wall, and I'm not taking it down...and don't let that lead you to ask me how it's mounted to the wall (Dani is totally safe, but it's not pretty). There will be no tutorial on that one. I used the power tools before Conan came home and told him not to look closely. I got the "eyebrow". Code: unauthorized power tool usage. bad.

The chalkboard wall has been the biggest hit. It was well seasoned at Dani's birthday party...which deserves the mention: No, she does not love Dmitriy. You're welcome for pointing that out Dani. Because I know all the 6th grade reads my blog.

The peace sign is my favorite (found at Home Goods for $5). And that's Dani's mini apartment she made out of her cardboard stash. Okay, I'll show you around. It's awesome:

Yup, that's a toilet, and a shower curtain. And you can't even see the toilet paper roll.

So, Dani's room is now officially awesome to match the girl. Conan and I like to sit in there and talk all night, it's so nice. Then Dani comes in and kicks us out. Just kidding, she asks for us to leave very nicely. Just kidding, she wants me to stay in her room FOR-EV-ER.

Thank you Autumn!

And thank you, Dani, for being so wonderful. I love you.

I love this fabric.

2011-04-27T21:39:00.004-04:00

{White Tail. Lewis and Sharon Textile Co.}

It now lives in our office.

And it's very happy there.

time to plant.

2011-04-20T12:45:00.004-04:00

We decided to put building our house on hold and stay here for awhile. The market just wasn't cooperating. blah.

Every time we've tried to build, it just hasn't worked out. Not the right time, not the right budget, not the right economy, etc. So everywhere we've lived has been just a stepping stone till we build on the land.

When we live on the land, that's when all our dreams will come true.

I have a binder full of house dreams. It's 10 years full of ideas and wants and wishes, just waiting for "the house". The hardest part of putting "the house" on hold...again...was putting my binder away...again. Back to temporary living. Until my wise (and handsome) husband said to me, "Why can't you have those things now? What are you waiting for? Go through your notebook and make it happen where you are."

He's so smart. I've just been waiting, not seeing. Not planting.

So the first thing we've done is put in our garden!! Hooray!

4 raised cedar boxes for vegetables and herbs, 2 long rows of 24 blackberry and raspberry bushes (that's right, 24. I'll make you a cobbler), and 4 blueberry bushes. And they look lovely in our fenced in neighborhood not-the-land back yard.

The rest of the house is coming...slowly. That's where I've been: lost in the huge world of design, and my notebook.

In the mean time, I'm enjoying where I'm planted.

Just waiting for berries.

My sister's amazing Tangled party.

2011-04-18T22:06:00.005-04:00

My sister is amazing at everything, but today we're talking about her parties.

Namely, this one.

I'm not even going to post pictures so you have to go over and see them all...because then you'll see not only the adorable invitations, but the giant yellow braid hanging out her second story window, and that same braid strewn all over the entire house until it ends up in a very awesome home-made Tangled Tower.

And you'll also see the incredible Floating Lanterns mural she painted that I want in my living room.

And the Snuggly Duckling menu, served in frying pans.

And the treasure hunt for the missing satchel.

And the frying pan shrinky dinks.

And the hidden Royal Sun paintings.

And THE CAKE!!! yup. for real.

And then I kind of cried as they all let their biodegradable yellow lanterns float into the sky.

And she's funny, too. Read it.

She has a crush on Flynn Rider. Like for real.

She makes magic for her kids. I love her.

Happy Tomatoes.

2011-04-06T14:41:00.009-04:00

I have this tomato print {found on Etsy} hanging above my sink. It has become the perfect place for me to organize mealtime.

I don't like making the same thing for dinner over and over. I get bored easily and I want my family to eat good food, so I try new things a lot. Dinner time can be hectic, so I have a system.

The Happy Tomatoes.

I have a great collection of cookbooks (I love them), a binder with recipes I've ripped out of Food Network Magazine, a nice array of online recipe boxes from various websites, and food blogs bookmarked like crazy. These are my resources...plenty of them.

Every two weeks I make a new menu. I pick just one resource...one cookbook, or my binder, or a website, etc. This way I know where to find each recipe and I don't confuse myself.

Then I spend an hour or so picking out around 10 good recipes. I write them down (with a dry erase marker) on the happy tomatoes, and then right down all the ingredients I need on my grocery list. I try to find recipes with similar ingredients, to save money and not waste anything.

Then I pick 3-4 "flex" recipes from my head. You know, the easy quick ones you always remember. The ones you can whip together at the last minute.

I put a little circle by the recipes with the ingredients that will go bad quickly, so I remember to make those first (not pictured. I was lazy this week). There's nothing worse than buying green peppers just to throw them away a week later. ugh.

In the top right hand corner I write down some side dish ideas.

The bottom right is dessert, snack ideas.

So while I'm standing over the sink snarfing down a brownie after breakfast, I can choose what to make for dinner and I know I have the ingredients for it. I have a variety of recipes to choose from (which is good, I like choices...I might not feel like having Italian on Tuesday, or Pizza on Friday. Sometimes I want Rigatoni on Mexican Monday...you know? variety.), I know exactly where to find the recipe, and I can prep anything I know I'll need for the 5:00 dinner rush.

I'm happy.

My family's happy.

We have Happy Tomatoes.

Mates of State.

2011-03-28T15:35:00.011-04:00

They're my favorite right now.

This song chorus is going on a pillow:

Everything's going to get lighter, even if it never gets better...

{without the visual of the sad bear and the dynamite. Poor, sad, destructive bear. Poor, unfortunate woodland creatures.}

Thank you for sharing, Candace.

Her husband makes us (meaning you and me...us) an awesome mix each month. You didn't even know he was doing that for you, did you? now you know. you're welcome.

of life and artichokes.

2011-03-24T20:27:00.008-04:00

I try to keep things real. You know, a messy clean, comfortable and simple. I enjoy simplicity.

You may not think blogging about what Joey got stuck up his nose this afternoon is relevant or influential, but it is good stuff. Believe me, someday you'll remember that lady's blog you read once whose kid liked to eat chocolate syrup and parmesan cheese for lunch, and think, wow...that kid was inspiring.

for real. you might.

So we've all established that my days aren't full of things that lift and inspire and motivate and make a difference and change the world and yooey whooey.

I'm common. and I like common. I'm comfortable with common.

But for real...

sometimes don't you wanna just be deep and intriguing? Don't you want to go volunteer at a free clinic across the ocean somewhere? It'd be nice to be the queen of something, like a parade. Someday I'd like to blog about the barn I built by myself out of reclaimed wood I hauled from a historic farm in Virginia, or about that huge race I just ran in my awesome umbros without throwing up. I'm not complaining, I just want to be the mayor. just sometimes. For a minute.

So I sit down and try to be intelligent. uh...

I know I have something profound to share.

I'm totally interesting. I know it.

Shouldn't I have a penetrating, thought provoking moment to exploit?

Can't I just pretend to be entirely captivating and have really real exciting experiences to pretend to be humble about?

Couldn't we all just decide my mundane is awesome; couldn't someone just ask me to be a Mormon Message already?

but alas...

look at the awesome artichoke lamp I got for 30 bucks!

that's all I've got.

In all actuality, I'd probably turn down the parade invitation. But thanks anyways.

My name's Cally.

I'm a wife and a mom.

I live a wonderfully common life,

I have a green artichoke lamp,

And I'm a Mormon.

awesome.

instant chocolate cakes.

2011-03-22T12:34:00.007-04:00

I've been eating instead of crafting.

These cakes are good. I ate one and a half today after lunch (it was a healthy lunch so I have no guilt), and I'm not telling who's half I ate (okay, guilt for that). I will only tell when whoever it is notices half her cake is gone and starts screaming at her siblings for stealing her cake; then I must come clean. It's the right thing to do.

We made Food Network's Instant Chocolate Cake recipe last night, and I was surprised at how good they were. Rich and dense (not light and fluffy, so don't give it a bad review when it's not betty crocker), and yummy yummy yummy. Each one was way too much for the kids to eat, so most of them ended up in the fridge. Hence, my afternoon treat. and a half.

Food Network Instant Chocolate Cake:

Whisk 1/4 cup flour, 5 tablespoons sugar (we did four), 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (we did one), 1 egg, 3 tablespoons milk, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and a dash of vanilla extract and salt in a large mug (we used ramekins) until smooth. Microwave until puffed, about 2 minutes (we did 2 1/2). And we added some mini chocolate chips.

Dani got an etch a sketch.

2011-03-15T10:27:00.001-04:00

dear blog,

2011-03-14T10:08:00.005-04:00

It's been one month since my last entry. don't be mad. I'd like to say it's because I've been busy, but not really. I've been ignoring you. We unplugged, you know, and although I did not include you in the official "unplugging", things just worked out that you were horribly and sadly left in the dusty corner of all things put aside. You were in good company...waiting patiently with American Idol and Emily Henderson. You have valiantly sacrificed your hunger for domestic attention in order to reconnect a family in need. Thank you, dear blog.

Here, I'll feed you with a few project pictures. yummy:

Ignorance no longer, poor, sad, blog.

there, there. it's all over.

I'm here.

savethewords.org

2011-02-15T17:33:00.005-05:00

We are now the proud owners of the word:

FOPPOTEE

{a small minded person}

a favorite website for us word lovers:

savethewords.org

Fuzzy Valentines.

2011-02-11T09:47:00.005-05:00

They didn't want the Valentine to say WARM,

because that word implied to much cheesy-ness.

Someone could get the wrong impression, you know

So the WARM FUZZY Valentines became just FUZZY.

They wanted blue hearts,

because boys don't like pink.

And girls are okay with blue.

The plan was to put a small message on the Valentine

that said something like "use this clip to post

warm fuzzies to your family."

no thanks. They said that was cheezy.

Again, the word warm has too many implications.

Keep it short and as mushless as possible, mom.

Jake is just dropping a fuzz in everyone's bag,

without a clip and without a note.

I asked how they're going to know who it's from?

He said he'd make an announcement.

so as to totally avoid any pleasant sentiments.

fyi. we used a glue gun, which took some serious lessons to teach the kids how to hold the fuzz on the very top so they wouldn't touch the glue...but don't let them do the eyeballs! Ouch city.

Joel Henriques

2011-02-10T14:12:00.000-05:00

Laura gave me this link to Joel Henriques' Paper City. I love love it. {thanks, Laura}

His blog, made by joel, is even more awesome. I want to download and make everything. He has a book coming out in the Fall, perfect for a 2011 Christmas gift.

fyi. awesome.

Dress up like you're 100, for the 100th day of school.

2011-02-08T08:10:00.003-05:00

Andy is all or nothing.

He moaned when he walked out the door.

And complained he had a hernia.

Dani made him a hearing aid out of modeling clay.

Andy chose not to listen to me all day, just to stay in character.

He said he was sorry, he had his aid turned down.

hey sweetheart,

2011-02-05T17:23:00.006-05:00

You really don't have to get me anything for Valentine's Day, because your undying love and devotion is quite sufficient.

However, should you choose to declare your love in an ... hmm ... accessorizing kind of way, any of these will do:

{ARMELLE jewelry}

Unplugged.

2011-02-02T13:45:00.006-05:00

We unplugged everything.

The announcement went well:

{We're re-doing our living room, hence the naked-ness of the room.

Just so you're not wondering why we're living in a bare brown box.}

It's an experiment. A Social Study on Exploration. Conan and I noticed things felt off with our kids; they were too connected with technology and not enough with each other. They were missing things as they really are. Their actions and interactions had one end result...screens. Creativity was lacking and authentic leisure was obsolete. So we unplugged.

Back to literature, music, arts, sports, imagination, developing skills and talents...exploring.

Once they get the work done, they can choose to explore whatever they want, as long as it's safe, affordable, and within the confines of gospel teachings. We will help them explore whatever they want. Explore a good story, history, a person. Explore drawing, glue, clay, woodwork. Explore the ocean, space, Africa. Explore our neighborhood, the dirt, the dishwasher, cooking, golf, instruments, massage therapy...Whatever! They seemed pretty excited once we presented it that way.

We asked them each what their hypothesis's on the experiment are...mostly they said they were going to die. But slowly they've started to talk about being better friends, having quieter moments, and more fun. Sigh.

Conan and I are hoping that by disconnecting they will re-connect with what's real and important. With each other, with us, with themselves, and most importantly with their Father in Heaven. That life saving relationship comes in the still moments when they can think, feel and listen. we need more of those.

So far so good. It's only been two days with just a couple minor meltdowns from Mickey Mouse detox, but we've already noticed a difference.

In the last two days we've gone to the gym, made green chips, made playdough, went to the park, played with playdough, made more playdough, cleaned up the playdough, made cookies, played Blockus, vacuumed dried playdough, explored the woods, made plans to build a dog house (for the dog we don't have), had piano lessons, dance parties; and they've played ninja, who can throw the ball against the wall the hardest, super hero doctors, and I think there was some cowboy mermaids in there too.

Homemade Playdough:

It's now memorized.

2 cups flour

2 cups water

1 cup salt

2 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp cream of tartar

Stir in a big pot over low heat for around 10 minutes, until it pulls away from sides of pan and isn't sticky anymore. Let it cool and add food coloring. If it's sticky when you take it out of the pan, nuke it for 20 seconds and the moisture will absorb.

I've scoured homeschool websites and kid's crafts ideas to keep the little kids busy, but I'd love suggestions and ideas, if you've got any. It's a new way of thinking and planning and executing for me, not just the kids. It's kind of exhausting, but the way it should be.

Kacie says, "Mom, is the compooter plugged up?"

"Yes, honey, it's unplugged."

"Is the Wii plugged up?"

"Yes, sweetheart, so is the Wii."

"Is the music plugged up?"

"No, we can listen to all the music we want."

"Okay. Let's dance to Super Mario."

Life is good.

Dani's room.

2011-01-26T07:48:00.011-05:00

Dani's awesome, and she turns twelve next month. This combination of coolness means two things...I'm old, and she deserves a monumental celebration! because she's awesome.

Since this is the Year of the House (and the Year of Good Health, and the Year of the Good Read, and the Perfect Sunday Roast, and Cheeescake) we decided to put our generous give-backs from the United States government (aka tax return) towards a new bed room for Dani.

It's needed. She deserves a cool place, to be cool.

I tried to come up with a plan for Dani's room by myself but soon realized I needed help to reach the level of greatness we were trying to achieve, so I asked Autumn, because she is awesome too, and she has been a huge part of our Year of the House so far. I knew she'd make it great. And she so totally did.

Here is what I sent her as our inspiration:

{Premier Prints via fabric.com}

{target.com}

{Beauty Will Save the World by Raceytay

found via Creature Comforts}

Dani loves giraffes, and the owl lamp, and purple - and I loved this color inspiration - and Autumn turned it into pure awesomeness.

Dani is very crafty and has needed TONS more storage space, and Autumn gave her that with all the shelves and bookcases. And all these pieces are grown up enough that Dani can take it all with her when she leaves home {I'm told that happens. they leave. eventually. sniff}.

So we're painting today, and buying a bed tomorrow, and waiting for Uncle Sam to deliver the rest.

I'm super excited. I mean, Dani's excited. It's all for Dani. My addiction to beautiful design and my desire to change everything this year has nothing to do with it. It's not about me. It's about the children.

We're both pretty excited.

i love it when I find great pictures on my camera.

2011-01-13T11:09:00.000-05:00

Coco Moke City.

2011-01-11T13:38:00.001-05:00

Dani and I designed this lion for my nephew, Jaden, for Christmas. Dani wanted him to be a flying lion, but he ended up looking like a dead angel lion with the wings, so she left them off and he became just a normal lion without any superhero quirks. Jaden named him Coco Moke. but he already has a monkey named Coco Moke, so my brother suggested he pick another name so as to not confuse the two. Jaden agreed, and changed the lion's name to Coco Moke City. perfect.

I think this year I'd link to pretend "launch" a Coco Moke City line of animals in that Etsy shop I opened. But, you know, it's the year of little commitment. So who knows. But it's also the year of following through. And the year of simple projects. And the year of the cheesecake. Which has nothing to do with Coco Moke City, but I'm hungry.

oh the conflicts of a good craft!

Wouldn't it be great to have a cow, and a pig, and a hedgehog, and a flamingo (just kidding. tricky.) made with soft, washable, recycled, sentimental tee-shirts? My head is full of ideas.

hmm. I wanna.

don't let me forget.

because I'll get busy and I will.

you know it.

January makes you think. and buy cute workout clothes.

2011-01-10T14:49:00.012-05:00

{Joey and Andy in Orlando this summer}

I've been absent. I know. I blinked, and the holidays were over. Andy went to college. And the kids need new shoes.

I miss DisneyWorld.

I remember doing an assignment in Elementary School, watching my hand write the year 1987 in the top right corner of the page, and thinking...whoa. I'm getting old. We wrote about what life would be like in 20 years. I wrote we'd be able to plug cars in, have little tv's you could carry in your hand, and you could push a button on the side of your head and talk to whoever you want.

visionary.

I think I also invented the chocolate fountain that day.

Then I went home and listened to Pop Goes the World on my walkman.

Time is moving. fast. And sometimes I forget I need to go with it.

And sometimes I forget to blog. because I'm busy trying to slow down so I won't forget to watch time move.

I'm trying not to blink again. I want to live this year slowly.

and do a few other things.

2010-12-31T18:56:00.007-05:00

I got a manicure today. And a pedicure. I don't usually "icure" anything. My sister and I went to get groceries and stopped off at the nail place because her nails always look so good and mine...don't. So I sat in the big chair with my feet in blue water and the guy pushes a button and says as he walks away, "if you don't like the buttocks, just push the buttocks button."

uh, huh?

I looked at my sister with a "seriously?" face, showing gratitude for the treat and contempt for uncomfortable primping rituals in the same nose crinkle. And as she laughed at me with some serious satisfaction, knowing what was coming (and finding it quite hilarious), the chair started shaking, making my guts vibrate with those giant rollers rolling around, "massaging" my back, shoulders, and...whoa mamma...I pushed that button. off.

thank you very much.

Side story: Kacie climbs into bed with us some mornings and warms up her cold feet by tucking them under my legs. One morning she said, "Mom, your legs are spicy!"

She meant prickly. I hadn't shaved for a while. no judgements necessary.

So, I got a pedicure with very spicy legs today.

And although it was a bit awkward and I saw the lady's eyebrows raise at the amount of calous on my heels as she shaved them with a giant cheese grater...my nails on both ends look lovely.

a nice way to end a good year.

black out.

2010-12-18T16:07:00.002-05:00

i opened a shop.

2010-12-10T14:24:00.004-05:00

I've been wanting to for a while, but I've been chicken I guess. I've needed a place to sell all this stuff I make, and Etsy was the logical choice, but I've been dragging my feet. I wanted to wait until I had a good stock of stuff, and a really good business plan, and a good unique product, and good marketing, and good packaging, and lots of time to spend on it.

things just don't happen that way in my world.

So I jumped in. I took pictures of the stuff I had, and just did it. It was hard! Wondering how to word things, how to describe the item, is it not enough info?, too much?, what the whooey do I say about myself on that profile page?, yadda yadda. A lot to take in.

I did decide on free shipping ($4 to Canada. Sorry fellow Canucks.). Because I like free shipping. And I decided to keep it really simple. Nothing fancy. I like that.

I'll just post different things when I can, and see what catches on, and just go with it right?.

So check it out, and tell me what you think. What would you like me to put in there, what should I change, what should you do with your hidden stash of Halloween candy in the cupboard? eat it.

I have a few more ideas of things I'd really like to get in there by next week before Christmas (including but not limited to some dolls and more bags and an apron or two), but that all depends totally on how much fun we have here at home and how much I can get done. Which may not be much because we just signed up for Netflix instant streaming through our Wii and we can't stop watching PeeWee Herman's Great Adventure and Garfield and the Secret of Kells and all the chick flicks I've missed. awesome.

Be sure to order if you wanna by DECEMBER 17TH in order to get it by Christmas.

good day.

2010-12-08T22:55:00.001-05:00

Embroidered Gift Tags

2010-12-06T07:58:00.003-05:00

I did a guest post for Chris over at Pickup Some Creativity this weekend on how to make Embroidered Gift Tags. She's got sewing tips and projects all month!

Check it out.

shop share.

2010-12-01T08:08:00.011-05:00

I love talented women with an enterprise:

amme & neb by Lori

Bejeweled Beads by Chelsea

10 minute pajama pants tutorial

2010-11-24T13:12:00.006-05:00

Remember way back to Halloween?...Joey needed some last minute ghost pants, but I didn't have any white material I was willing to use so I improvised. I grabbed one of his pajama tee-shirts and used those. It was so easy and so quick because I didn't have to hem anything or fold over the waist or finish any seams. It's my new favorite. I've been cutting up my huge pile of goodwill shirts all month.

Here's how:

Cut a piece of thick elastic an inch or two less than the measurement of your child's waist.

Kacie's waist is 21", so I cut the elastic 20". This way her pants don't fall down. phew.

done! That took 8 minutes and 23 seconds. awesome.

Now make this one:

Now sew elastic around the top the same way you did for the pants.

And you have an awesome skirt in 10 minutes.

Matt.

2010-11-17T22:18:00.011-05:00

I've been thinking about home.

My home is here, where I sit and type.

where my children sleep.

But home is there, too. that barn in Canada,

where I've never lived but spent each summer of my life.

I like to breath the air there.

home is where I love the most.

Home is my family.

Where I'm loved the most.

Here.

and there.

It's where I've been.

Where I'll be again

with Conan and our children, forever.

and ever.

The place I don't remember, but I know.

Where I can rest.

My cousin passed away last week.

It's been a long thinking week. about him. about home.

about family. time. the important stuff.

We spent a lot of days at that barn.

I love my family. It's hard not to be with them now.

Not that there's anything I could do for them

to make it stop.

but it's hard to be

away.

it helps to know,

Matt's home.

resting.

and I'm pretty sure he likes the air there.

so excited for the new album.

2010-11-09T17:11:00.007-05:00

{here.}

if I were a Liberty of London...

2010-11-08T23:15:00.003-05:00

I'd be jealous of all the other girls.

Look at her florals.

and then I'd pass by the mirror

on accident

and say,

"my my, you're lovely."

I'd be my favorite Liberty.

And then I'd throw myself all over

everything and make the world

beautiful.

I'd love myself.

It's All Good. Bag Auction for Cancer Research!

2010-11-03T15:10:00.010-04:00

Chelsie was 19 when she was diagnosed with cancer.

She's been cancer free for 5 years now, and is celebrating by raising $25,000 for cancer research. {And by running a marathon in Ireland with her 4 older siblings - you can read all about that here.} Awesome.

I've made 4 bags that are up for auction on ebay, and all the proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. {Chelsea only needs $3,000 more to reach her goal! Every bit helps!! Christmas, Birthdays, A Good Cause...}

Chelsie's sister, Desi, told me Chelsie always said it's all good during her treatment.

So I put a tag with that humble reminder on each bag; because it is.

Each bag is listed below,

with a link to its ebay page.

Auction closes Wednesday November 10th.

thank you!!

nice bow tie.

2010-11-03T15:07:00.004-04:00

i love green.

2010-11-03T14:56:00.005-04:00

little blue bag.

2010-11-03T14:50:00.004-04:00

oh dear.

2010-11-03T14:02:00.005-04:00

this bag is being auctioned on ebay.

closes Wednesday, November 10.

all proceeds go to Chelsie.

just in case you needed to know.

2010-11-02T21:53:00.003-04:00

Gloop.

Options of removal:

cream of tartar or vinegar.

Neither are pleasant.

fyi.

costumes.

2010-10-30T17:08:00.004-04:00

we went totally simple this year.

It was great.

Once Kacie caught on that the boys

got to spray paint their hair,

she had to be pink.

So we made her bubble gum.

And Dani's Twix bar costume fell through

so she "whipped up" the fridge.

And just in case you can't figure out

what Andy is...

he's a smorgasbord.

A Bakugan suit, star wars belt, cowboy,

dinosaur footed goblin with a bad hairdo.

awesome.

Best Dressed Onesie Tutorial.

2010-10-28T20:46:00.003-04:00

Jasmine just had a baby boy, after 3 girls.

I wanted to give her something very BOYish,

and I thought of ties.

But, hello, he's a baby.

So we stuck some on a onesie.

The bowtie was easy and quick,

but the necktie took some chocolate

to get me through. I finally figured

it out and thought I better document it

in case I get questions. It's best to be prepared.

So here's what you do:

with the skinny side on the right!

happy handsome baby.

bags.

2010-10-25T13:44:00.003-04:00

I've been making bags. The purple one was a birthday present, the houndstooth bag is my new laptop home. And that "bowtie bag" will be up for auction on Ebay next week, along with 4 other bags I'm working on to help Desi's sister celebrate being cancer free for 5 years by raising $25,000 for cancer research. All five siblings are in Ireland right now running a marathon on her behalf. I love it. So come back in a week and bid, bid, bid! Every little bit will help.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

2010-10-19T22:03:00.006-04:00

for my sister Cassy, who couldn't come because she's having a baby, and who had to have counseling when Dumbledore died. She's totally a wizard.

and for my other sister Corrie. Who loves it when I post hilarious pictures of her face.

I posted all the pictures here, so you can zoom in and stare a long time, Cassy.

And I made a movie here, because it's so much better with music.

Love, your muggle sister.

recuperate.

2010-10-18T14:49:00.003-04:00

We just had the best vacation ever.

Now it's time to regroup, refocus, reminisce,

and get back to real life.

drat.

{ps. thanks for your super nice comments about the dress!}

{pss. I dreamed I was dangling from a roller coaster last night,

and Steven Tyler kept telling me to jump before my kids

ate all the chocolate chips. I woke up in a panic and checked

the pantry first thing this morning. Had a handful, and was at peace.}

{psss. Do you guys cry when the all those boys are taking ET

to the forest on their bikes? Just wondering.}

Dress Design for Shabby Apple dresses.

2010-10-07T18:48:00.015-04:00

I've been wanting to challenge myself by sewing clothes for myself, and I've had this dress in my head for a while, but I just haven't had the motivation to put the two together. Then I saw this from Shabby Apple and thought...hmmm...

I love Shabby Apple dresses.

I should do that.

It's a contest. You design a dress {you don't have to sew it; you can draw it} and they pick their 15 favorites. Then we get to vote on our favorite and it becomes part of their Spring line! very cool.

I've run across some other entries online and have just about chickened out, because they're awesome. Beautifully designed and made. {I don't think I know how to sew. I'm a fraud.} But I'm trying to remember the advice I was given by Miss Montana in the Miss America pageant I watched when I was 13...Don't try and be the best because there's always someone better than you. just smile and try. And vaseline your teeth.

{no thanks.}

So I'm doing it.

Just to try.

The dress:

It's made out of a soft gray baby silk; I wanted something "flowy" with a natural drape, and comfortable!

I needed a dress I could squat down to toddler level in without splitting something.

And it had to have pockets! Pockets are a must when you've got kids handing you wrappers and love notes and grasshoppers all the time.

I like loose fitting stuff. It's hard to find a flattering dress that's not tight and fitted, accentuating the nice long thin waisted curvy women of the world. I have a short, cushy, pencil waist, so tight doesn't work well for me. This does. My muffin top thanks me.

I learned a lot from making this dress. Mostly, I love my seam ripper. We're bff's.

for conan.

2010-10-06T12:40:00.008-04:00

Hey sweetheart, watch this video and tell me what you don't see.

yup, that's right.

no drips.

I fixed it.

{I love you, too.}

i'm making a dress

2010-10-05T07:36:00.005-04:00

{staring in the mirror contemplating

the unwanted poofiness of the first draft.}

and a quilt

and bowties

and hemming pants

and two bags

and a pillow

and dolls

and a mad mess.

waiting for the simplicity of lists.

why does one believe it is possible

to do 50 million things at once?

maybe I should just make

dinner.

there.

simple.

and everyone's happy.

Monster House.

2010-10-01T00:02:00.003-04:00

happy october.

we like shaving cream.

2010-09-28T23:06:00.000-04:00

I sewed.

2010-09-27T20:58:00.004-04:00

finally.

and it felt good.

Tiffinie's having a girl, and she said she wanted

lots o baby bling, aka headbands,

so I started making headbands.

then I stopped making headbands because

they needed an outfit.

matching separates, if you will.

I had a bag and a blanket and a jumper

all designed in my head to go along

with the headbands...

but I had to stop.

because, really.

I believe in moderation.

The headbands are super easy.

Especially the one made out of a sock.

yup.

that's what I said.

Here's not so much of a tutorial:

Let me know if you're like,

"uh, that's a lame explanation",

and you actually want to make one,

and I'll give you better pictures and stuff.

I love to sew.

{it's so rainy today, so no good sunlight for photos. sorry.}

{I love rain.}

patience.

2010-09-22T21:24:00.004-04:00

I love the slow, breathable space that sneaks in between busy and consumed. The soft spot of time, when everything's clear and smells of contemplation. That time when I'm allowed to linger.

Until I get bored with the scenery.

It's ingratitude, I think.

Impatience for sure.

When I'm anxiously waiting for the view to change {to build our house, when all our dreams wil come true, etc}, just because I want it to; and the Lord tells me to stay put. Learn to love where you are.

Okay. I'll stay. But I still think it will be better over there.

So He gives me this:

"The seeming flat periods of life give us a blessed chance to reflect upon what is past as well as to be readied for some rather stirring climbs ahead. Instead of grumbling and murmuring, we should be consolidating and reflecting, which would not happen if life were an uninterrupted sequence of fantastic scenery, confrontive events, or exhilarating conversation.

Patience helps us to use, rather than protest, these seeming flat periods of life, becoming filled with quiet wonder over the past and with anticipation for that which may lie ahead, instead of demeaning the particular flatness through which we may be passing at the time.

We should savor even the seemingly ordinary times, for life cannot be made up of all kettledrums and crashing cymbals. There must be some flutes and violins. Living cannot be all crescendo; there must be some counterpoint."

-Neal A Maxwell, Patience 1979

Humility. I can only pretend I know what's best for me, but I don't.

He knows for real. He knows I'm not ready for the crescendo.

It's time to linger in the flutes and violins with gratitude.

and patience.

hello hermione's hair.

2010-09-20T13:48:00.005-04:00

it seems Hermione grew up.

when did this happen?

She's beautiful.

but I'm not ready for this.

I suppose I should embrace the hair,

but it all just screams YOU'RE OLD.

Me. I'm old.

entering the unknown.

oldness.

teenagers.

cell phone bills.

attitudes.

forgetfulness.

who we talkin' about?

metabolism.

all because Hermione cut her hair.

rubbish.

my kids won't eat ramen.

2010-09-14T21:26:00.002-04:00

what's up with that?

we kept this birthday simple. and happy.

2010-09-13T14:12:00.002-04:00

He's celebrated,

and can tell me all his secrets,

and can eat whatever he wants for dinner.

we all have a happy day.

You're pretty remarkable, Andy. I'll write a book about you someday.

things I've learned lately that may be of use to someone.

2010-09-08T09:10:00.006-04:00

Sleep governs me. I'm worthless when I'm tired. worthless is a bad adjective.
worthless: poor-quality, low-grade, cheap, shawdy, tawdry, crummy, ineffective, fruitless, inadequate, unproductive, empty, lame.
I don't like being a bad adjective.
Creme Brulee cooks for 1 hour @ 250, not 45 minutes @ 220.
You can see a lot of Transformers and Bunnies in the clouds when you have company.
This is funny.
When you pray for your weaknesses to be made into strengths, you're shown your weaknesses.
It's humbling to see your weaknesses.
If you're uncomfortable being humbled, it means you're not very humble.
Humility is a strength.
Hmmm.
I get anxious if I don't make something.
I love Conan more than I thought I did.
Weight Watchers is a torture method.
Food affects how I sleep. Sleep affects how I eat.
My weaknesses are front and center when I'm tired and hungry.
Hmmm.
one eternal round....
Listen to this: you'll cry. It's all about perspective.
It's hard to blog when you're a bad adjective.
Ants will invade your kitchen if you don't sweep. inevitably.
I very strongly dislike ants.
You don't sweep when you're worthless.
moral: if you go to bed at midnight, you'll have ants.

Charlie.

2010-08-31T21:52:00.006-04:00

My boys are all about Go Go's these days. I love them too, so we encourage this.

You can submit Go Go videos on the website, which the boys have gotten super excited about.

So, taking cue from Lori's stop motion Sundays, we give you: Charlie.

at dinner...

2010-08-31T21:15:00.004-04:00

Mom: I officially give everyone permission

NOT to eat the mushy green beans.

Jake: Sweet.

Dad: They're not that bad.

It's like eating slugs.

Slugs are yummy.

Dani: gross.

Andy: Mom, it's like those chicken poop beans.

Mom: Uh, you mean chickpeas, Andy.

Andy: {pause} yup.

good one.

the long drive.

2010-08-30T11:49:00.011-04:00

I can't let go of the summer.

After Nauvoo, we stopped in St. Louis and did the zoo.

Which wore Joey out.

Then we stopped in Omaha to catch a movie (Despicable Me) and eat good food from Brewburgers...a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives feature. (When I die I want Conan to drive me across the country in an RV so I can eat everything I've ever seen on this show) I ate this:

Those are french fries drowning in Alfredo sauce, with bacon and chives.
I dream about them at night.

Then we headed to Mount Rushmore. and ate awesome ice cream.

Conan couldn't go with us all the way because of work, so we dropped him off in Great Falls to fly home (boohoo) and drove the rest of the way el solo. Just me and my GPS, who accidentally on purpose told me to take the wrong turn so we ended up driving an extra hour; no biggie. It was a beautiful mistake through the mountains. I kept stopping to take pictures like this:

And the kids would yell at me from the car to stop taking pictures and just take them to Canada already.
To which I'd reply...I brought you here and I can leave you here, so leave me and my camera alone!
To which they'd yell...You have 50 million pictures already! It's just a boring mountain!
And I...Someday you'll appreciate this mountain! You'll have this picture hanging in your living room! Stop yelling at me!
To which the nice biker couple snapping photos a couple feet away would reply...Oh, they grow up so fast. Enjoy them sweetie.
And so I offered to take their picture in front of the beautiful boring mountain so they could send it to their grandkids to hang on their wall. Which really irritated the van load of whiny kids.

Our destination was only 35 minutes away from the battle of click and shoot vs. adolescence. My home and native land, where we spent 2 1/2 weeks of cool weather bliss.

But this long winded post is about the drive, not the stay. Let's continue.

Now we go home, which was much faster. We didn't even stop at any of the other delicious drive-ins Conan mapped out because we were anxious to get home. A decision I now regret in my hungry state.

We met Conan in Great Falls, he admired our tans, pointed out my awesome Canadian accent I always pick up, we hugged like crazy, and drove.

When you have 5 kids who need to go 2 different kinds of potty 5 times a day for 4 days, that's 5x2x5x4, which equals a lot of this:

ew. public restrooms. I will say, I love those Xelerator hand dryers. You know, those ones that blow so hard the skin on your hands look all creepy and the kids cheeks blow up and look hilarious when they put their faces under them like they're not supposed? love 'em.

We stopped in Yellowstone:

right in time for those escaped convicts from Arizona to hide out there. We just barely escaped.

and in Wall South Dakota we stopped at a place called Wall Drug (they have 10 million signs all over the world with 9.8 million of them on the Interstate we stared at for 3 days), which was so completely unenjoyable because there were so many cool things to look at and eat and I loved it so much that Conan and I almost had a heart attack keeping track of the kids.

They had really great doughnuts. We love doughnuts.

So that's it. Let's end this trip with the doughnuts.

Whew. That took forever.

i love food.

2010-08-27T10:25:00.010-04:00

{graham bars. a busy nest.}

Seriously, I love food. It makes me happy. And I love smart ideas with food. And pretty food. And fresh food. And preserving food. And growing food. And gourmet food. And simple food.

I love it so much I want to marry it.

There's a girl I know, her name is Jennifer Hughes, who has a very envious relationship with food. She is a genius in the kitchen, has a garden I dream about, and enters her own recipes in the Tennessee Valley Fair every year. And wins.

She's a dream.

So last night we had a class on what to do with your garden, and Jennifer shared some pretty awesome stuff. Then told me she had a food blog with her mom and her sister.

Uh...what?

I said.

You mean, all this delicious Jennifer goodness is consolidated into one wonderful place of convenience and public knowledge?

I said.

You mean, I have an official online resource manual to my unspoken personal journey of becoming a real live Jennifer?

No way.

I said.

It's called A Busy Nest. And it's pretty much awesome. I'm sharing it so we can all aspire together to make and eat great food, because they have made it simple for us. And I'm pretty sure sometime soon they'll be inspired to add an official "Tips in the Kitchen" section that will give us that "ah-hah" moment we love so well on a regular basis. maybe. please.

{Peach Raspberry Pie for later. a busy nest.}

This Peach Raspberry Pie idea was my favorite. You freeze everything in the pie plate, then put the whole thing in a freezer bag. Then all you do when you want a pie is slide it into your pie plate, put crust on top, and bake it! really? yes. really.

I had to share, because I'm just assuming some of you have the same ongoing quest I do to make my kitchen a place of delicious, organized, genius yummy goodness.

I'm hungry.

Nauvoo.

2010-08-26T11:18:00.006-04:00

We spent two days in Nauvoo, Illinois.

This is such a wonderful place;

you can't help but disregard the sweltering heat

and soak up the history and the reverence.

I didn't really want to leave.

“I was in Nauvoo on the 26th day of May, 1846,

for the last time,

and left the city of the Saints feeling that most likely

I was taking a final farewell of Nauvoo for this life.

I looked upon the temple and City as they receded from view

and asked the Lord to remember the sacrifices of his Saints.”

Wilford Woodruff

Metropolis.

2010-08-24T21:44:00.014-04:00

All right. Summer's done. Lunches are under control. Design Star is over. Pictures are (semi)organized. Early morning wake up wonky brain syndrome is becoming...manageable.

Travelogue: commence.

We're pretty big Superman fans around here. He's just cool. So when we mapped out our trek to Canada this summer, we had to stop in Metropolis. duh.

Metropolis, Illinois is a tiny, old, charming little town, with a big statue of the man in front of Town Hall. awesome.

And there's a pretty sweet store.

We hung out for a while, browsed the comics, then ate Sonic Burgers in our car because it was too hot to eat at the park.

Then we drove.

to the Midwest.

Then the Great White North.

Lots of summer to share.

and then maybe we'll put the vacation officially to rest

and do some crafts or something.

It's hard to let go.

ps. Joey turned into a ninja sometime in June. makes it interesting.

the Great Canadian Andy Dance

2010-08-18T09:18:00.006-04:00

I know, I haven't blogged.

I'm still trying to edit and sort my 836 pictures and videos from our trip, and get used to making school lunches again. ugh.

So in the mean time, here's Andy and his sweet moves at the Great Canadian Barn Dance in Hill Springs, Alberta.

be inspired.

happy end of summer.