playful.productive.present

miscellaneous stuff.

OK Wow. My Internet does not like my blog. I can pull up any website in lightning speed - even an entire business directory -  as long as it doesn't end in .typepad.com -- so wierd. According to my Internet guy this is something Comcast needs to fix. Hopefully, this will happen tomorrow. Since I'm enjoying an intermittent moment of connection I'm going to catch up with a bunch of miscellaneous stuff.

I finished up my school shopping days with the boys last week. I took Taft on Thursday and Trey on Friday. I'm sure I've said this before, but children are different people one on one. I generally feel like I have a harder time syncing up with Taft. He has a rather complex personality and his whole demeanor can change in an instant. I feel the need to be very careful around  him and I'm never quite sure how he will respond. He is very loving, but also very guarded and private with his emotions. But after 20 minutes of him being my singular focus at Subway, the insecurity started to melt away and I was privy to some very interesting opinions and observations.

My total investment was 5 hours and roughly $350 dollars, broken down as follows:

Subway $ 9.72
Kohls $ 108.45 (I need to return the $5.99 lava lamp with a burned out bulb)
Children's Place $ 101.89
Build-a-Bear $ 12.65
Krispy Kreme Donut $ 1.09
Target $ 88.06
Payless Shoes $43.27 (bought 1/2 price boots for Addie too!)

As we drove home, I asked Taft to rate his day on a scale from 1 to 10. His answer? Googol (as in googolplex)

That's a pretty decent ROI. I ran some errands after school today and took just Taft into Barnes and Noble. I told him I had so much fun with him shopping that I think we should start having a little date together once a week. He said rather nonchalantly, "Ok. that would be fine" and then he reached out and took my hand.

If you haven't heard about the Cards for Kate campaign, I'd like to make you aware. Kate is a little girl fighting a brain tumor. She and her family could really use your prayers and your encouragement in the form of cards. You can read more about her story, by clicking here.

Kristina Proffitt, Jennifer McGuire and Jana Millen have organized this effort and I'd love to see the online scrapbooking community get involved. Pull out some paper and stickers and have a little card making session with your kids. When you're done, send them here:

Jennifer McGuire
Card Drive for Kate
PO Box 428612
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242

Speaking of good causes, I've enjoyed Cathy's blog posts about charity: water.  I'm on board! I learned about the far-reaching need for clean water almost a year ago when our friends, the DeMars, returned from a mission to Kenya.

I decided then that this would be one of my life-long "causes." I love water -- the sound of it, the smell of it and the taste of it. I can't imagine not being able to get it. I support the Clean Water initiative through LDS Humanitarian Services and recommend any effort that helps people help themselves in this way. Kuddos to Cathy and everyone that has supported her in raising nearly $5,000 (cool.)

I received an email from Kristen a week or so ago asking about the colors in my kitchen. I have used two colors of green and they come from the same Behr swatch (#400D)
The lighter green is Grass Cloth and the darker green is Grape Leaves. I keep thinking I'll wake up and decide not to like my green kitchen, but it hasn't happened yet and it continually gets a good response from visitors and friends. If you're thinking of adding more color to your home you've got my vote. If you want MORE inspiration in this department, check out this book, by Susan Sargent. It is my favorite.

Unfortunately I didn't read the email from another Kristan until it was too late today. I was headed out to meet boys after school and run errands and she was looking for a photo that I posted to my blog months and maybe a year or more ago. I had zero desire to look something like this up, so I just took a new photo. Here, for Kristan and anyone else who is making MORE sandwiches these days, is my sandwich-making drawer and cupboard.

As much as possible, I like to keep stuff you use together, together. So the lunch sacks are next to the PB & J, in the cupboard just above the drawer. The baggies and napkins and little Compendium window cards and pens are in the drawer. I bought a whole box of little baby spoons (like you find at Baskin & Robbins) a year or so ago and I keep several in this drawer too. They are perfect for little pudding and fruit cups. I thought this morning that I need to get my kids to wrap up loose change in tin-foil for milk money -- that's a HUGE time-saver too!

OK, see? That's all pretty random.

Time Tested Beauty Tips

For attractive lips,
Speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes,
Seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure,
Share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair,
Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise,
Walk with the knowledge that you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed,
revived, reclaimed and redeemed,
Never throw out anybody.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand,
You'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands;
One for helping yourself,
The other for helping others.

***
Sam Levenson

NOTE: This poem was one of Audrey Hepburn's favorites and has been erroneously attributed to her. It was read by Miss Hepburn to her sons, Sean and Luca on Christmas Eve, 1992 and also on occasion when she was asked for beauty tips.

I've been invited to help present an evening of Inner Beauty to a group of Young Women (girls 12 to 18) in a neighboring ward (LDS congregation.) I have 5 minutes to shed some light on the second line about lovely eyes. I take these things very seriously and always get so nervous. I finished my preparations early this morning and thought I'd share this poem with you because thinking about it and the theme of inner beauty has caused me to think about our children and especially our teenagers. As they head back to school and face the peer pressure and popularity contest that is an ever present thing in their classrooms and hallways, I think we should remind them that it is what is on the inside that matters and that what is on the inside will be seen in their eyes!

I absolutely believe that our eyes are our most important feature. Beautiful lips, shiny hair, a svelte body and all the poise in the world cannot make up for empty, sad or shifty eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul.

My message (in short) will be that there is a difference between seeing and seeking and that they very best way to seek the best in others is to seek the light of Christ in our lives.

I love this quote that I found:

"A sacred light comes to our eyes and countenances when we have
a personal bond with our loving Heavenly Father and His Son."

James E. Faust

Bingo Q+A and Scrapbook & Cards Today

So, we started playing Summer BINGO Monday morning and Taft had eaten breakfast, met the prerequisites and built a blanket fort in our living room by 8:30 am. He was asking me question after question and I was rushing around trying to get Trey out the door, to his theater camp. Needless to say, I had to sit down with Taft and explain that BINGO is not a race. You don't really want to have five BINGO squares filled in before lunch. That sort of defeats the purpose ... yada yada.

It's already Thursday. I cannot believe how time flies (and I am having FUN btw) we've made a few adjustments and I'm hearing all kinds of good ideas from other BINGO players. My friend Heather actually set up a Facebook group for Summer BINGO, so if you are interested, please join.

I've received several questions too, so here are some answers. Keep in mind though that when it comes to something like this, you can make up the answers. See the Mom Handbook, page 1 -- I'm joking, but YOU are in charge and can adjust, alter or completely change the "rules" at any time.

Q: Do your kids do chores?

A: Oh yeah -- however, we don't really have a job chart or specifics assignments in the summer. I just make sure I give them all something to do each day to help around the house. Before they can begin playing BINGO they have to make their bed, pick up their clothes, play the piano and complete their "dad" assignment, which is some kind of math, reading or writing assigned by Geoff.

Q: What do the "J21" and "TT" mean at the top of your BINGO cards?

A: Great question (sorry) the "J21" refers to the week (ie, June 21st) and the "TT" stands for Trey and Taft. My younger boys' cards are the same, but I am making a different version of BINGO for Chase, so his card has a "CJ" at the top. These designations are to help me keep things straight. My plan is to change up a few of the squares each week. Next week when we go to my parent's house there are several "blue" squares. These are the activities that are only available at grandma's house. Hope that makes sense.

Q: Where did you get the all yellow stickers?

A: I got the stickers and the tickets at my local Staples.

Q: Just curious. When do you think Addie will get her own BINGO card.

A: I think you could do BINGO with a very young child, but I really wanted to focus on my school-aged children. Addie has Lauren to play with and Lauren has Addie and all the boys to keep track of. For me, I just figured Lauren didn't need one more BINGO card to worry about. I do have some tickets in my desk drawer, so if I'm downstairs in my studio, my boys can come to me to "sign off" on a BINGO.

There are some REALLY FUN ideas being shared over at Facebook, in the Summer BINGO group, so if you have time and want to get or share ideas, join in. NOTE: I think I got the link right, but if I didn't, just go to Facebook and search "Summer Bingo."

When I participated in a retail event this past April in Ontario, Canada, I met up with the editor, Catherine of Scrapbook &  Cards Today. I am SO impressed with this magazine and I'm just really curious if you have seen it, read it, love it ...  It is obviously published in Canada, but it is distributed through local scrapbook stores and is FREE (with purchase) to consumers. It is also available online for FREE.
I have an idea of how Big Picture Scrapbooking might be able to work with this publication and so I'd love to know how many of my blog readers are aware and/or familiar with it. If you have an opinion to share with me about this magazine, I hope you will leave a comment.

Scrapbook a tradition and the story behind it!

One of my most beloved family traditions happens this weekend on Easter. I make giant GINGER BUNNY cookies and personalize them and then when the Easter Bunny comes, he places the cookies in each person's basket. In the morning as children search for their basket, these bunny cookies help them find the right one.

The Story:
When my mother was a young mother and preparing for Easter, she wanted to go to See's Candies and buy a really nice chocolate egg for each child (personalized) my father told her "absolutely not" and so after feeling sorry for herself for a few hours, she devised a homemade alternative that has become a favorite memory for me and me sisters and is now being continued in our homes.

Here's my little cookie pattern, made from a brown paper grocery sack (just like mom's) I fold it up and tuck it into my recipe box every year. It's now got that great kitchen patina that is a combination of flour and shortning residue. I scanned the pattern and the recipe and printed them to include on a scrapbook page

Here's the Recipe for Ginger Bunnies:

1/2 C shortning

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C molassas

Cream together and add ...

1/4 C water

2 1/2 C flour

3/4 t salt

1/2 t soda

3/4 t ginger

1/4 t nutmeg

Chill dough for 2-3 hours or overnight and roll out to 1/4" thick. Lay pattern on top of dough and cut around it with a small, sharp knife. Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Do NOT overbake. Let cookies cool and ice the tail and front ear and personalize with icing in a tube

I'm going to post the first layout I did about our ginger bunny tradition in a day or two. I'm also going to make a new page this year. I challenge you to do the same. Think about a tradition (doesn't have to be related to Easter) and take a few minutes to write down the story behind it. Be intentional about finding or taking some illustrative photos and make this story a part of your scrapbook history!

pretty, pretty Jenna and the flower girl

I'm long overdue on the "i do" report. Jenna and Deric were married on Friday, September 26th in the Spokane, Washington Temple and as far as I could tell, the day came off without a hitch. Jenna was nothing short of gorgeous and Deric is very easy on the eyes, so they made a lovely couple. The cool thing is of course the fact that they have a love built on friendship that has developed over years (first kiss was shared on the Jr. High bus) and that they were married in the temple with an eternal covenant that includes God as a partner and protector. They can look forward to a lifetime and beyond receiving promised blessings as they build an eternal family. Marriage is generally not celebrated much in our culture these days (at least not beyond the initial fanfare and expense) and I'm just really happy (and proud) of Jenna, for approaching this day with the respect it deserves.

How special is this? This is one of my 'present' pictures and it reminds me of this wonderful girl, the time she spent with my family and the way she loved my daughter. We were so blessed to have her in our home. This one for some reason is my favorite photo of Jenna and Deric together. I was of course on Addie duty and was not able to take very many photos, but I like the sense of them at the center of the wedding party, looking off -- plus, hello ... Jenna has a movie star profile!

Here comes the bride (and groom) -- shutters were flying as Jenna and Deric stepped outside the temple. I had the opportunity of helping dress the bride (with her mother and two sisters in law) and it was such a special experience -- especially for a mother of boys. I won't get to do this again for a long time, so I savored it!!

Scrambling ...

So ... I have this habit of writing partial posts that I post date and forget about -- like the candy corn kisses. Oh well. Prior to South Africa, I was putting together a bunch of Thank YOU posts to various friends that have sent me wonderful surprises and it was all supposed to be scheduled for posting while I was away. Didn't happen of course, so I'm going to stop procrastinating and get it done today!

Here, in incomplete form is a short list of cool things I have been enjoying ...

1. An adorable children's book, called Lambaroo.

Emilie sent it to me (Thank YOU Emilie) and I LOVE it. It features a lovely hidden message about being different and being loved in spite of those differences. It has already become an Addie favorite. If you are a lover of children's books and don't have this one -- get it.

2. Love my new Jack Johnson T-shirt. It should say, my friend got to go to Jack's LIVE concert and all I got was this T-shirt. But at least this way, people can perhaps think that I was there and that is a very fun thought.

3. A Year of Seeds.

What a cool gift eh? This came as a total surprise from Lori at Super Noots. Remember, my fun food boards that hang in my kitchen and attempt to help my boys eat a more balanced diet?? Anyway ... Lori sent me this wonderful collection of 12 colorful pots and 12 seed packets. I'm so going to give this for Christmas this year, as I can't believe how happy they make me. I even purchased a new shelf for my studio, so I could display my little growing pots!! Don't forget that you can use the coupon code "stacy" to save $5 off of your own Super Noots board.

4. If you've been reading my blog long, you likely know I am a big fan of Kermit the Frog. Imagine my delight at opening a fun little package with a copy of "It's Not Easy Being Green" that is only 4" tall. It's adorable and sits on my top shelf, full of Jim Henson wisdom, like this ...

" I believe that we form our own lives, that we create our own reality, and that everything works out for the best. I know I drive some people crazy with what seems to be ridiculous optimism, but it has always worked out for me."

Love that, and love even more than Yvonne thought of me when she saw this little book. That you can create a connection between two people and know that a happy thought will trigger for someone each time they look at a well-chosen gift? That's good stuff.

5. Last (for today) and certainly NOT least ...

my YELLOW purse! I love my yellow purse. Heidi Swapp brought it to me from China and I carried it all over Philly. Its so awesome. Has tons of great pockets and an amazing capacity. Trust me on this. So ... long overdue, I love my purse. Thanks Heidi!!

On the  home front, this week is turning out to be even more crazy than I anticipated ...

Darci, my sweet sister had emergency surgery yesterday for an almost ruptured appendix. So, there were lots of back and forth calls last night trying to keep up on her progress. I wish I could go be with her. Luckily she has a street full of really good friends ... I'm sure they will take good care of her. Scary though and lots of emotions.

Chase had an assignment to interview someone who lived during WWII, so even though I didn't have time for one more thing in my day, we went to visit our 83 year old friend Jay Grant and I was reminded how enjoyable it is to sit and listen to people recount memories. I went in all caught up in the to-do of my life and left thinking, why don't I visit people like Jay more often?? Think about this. The whole experience only took an hour out of my day and yet was so worth it. 

Clark, my reluctant thespian who didn't really intend to try out for the fall production somehow got casted as one of the lead males in Diary of Anne Frank, schedule to run (of course) the weekend I'm teaching at CKC in Seattle. Wow. Between school and soccer and now play practice --- ahhh!

And ... of course, Jenna's wedding tomorrow. Man am I going to miss her. Sweet Kimberlee is upstairs working hard, but I took for granted all that Jenna had learned to do and all that I didn't have to ask or explain. Boy was I spoiled.

Little Addie is struggling with mom just coming home and so much change around her, so I'm spending more time with her, which is obviously not hard to do. I missed her so much. But seriously, every time I take her somewhere she removes socks and shoes! She is sooo two -- not at all terrible, but definitely two.

All of this and more is making my head spin, but also keeping me sane. Strange how that works!
I'm trying my best to stay present and soak it all up -- and now ... I'm off to be taxi mom and prep for cub scout pack meeting.

Life is good and I'm working on my post about South Africa -- set for Saturday!!