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.