:: Crafty Tuesday ~ Party Time! ::

Posted on by

While I’m not sure this constitutes actual craftiness, it’s the best I’ve got!  We’ve known for a while that there would be a definite dinosaur theme, so when I found this adorable little digital scrapbooking set, I thought I’d give it a whirl making his invites.  They turned out so much better than I could have hoped.  We simply printed them on white cardstock and sent them as postcards!

Party Invite Web

Party Invite Back

Post-birthday party I’m sure we’ll have lots more pictures of the festivities and some of the other little crafty fun we’re planning for the cake and goodie bags.  He’s already so excited and I can’t believe it’s coming up in just a couple of weeks!  Yowsa, Mom better get busy!

This is the first time I’ve really ever done anything with digi-scrap stuff.  I suspected I would like it, but playing with this I think I’m hooked.  I’m not quite sure about how to use some of the embellishments, especially the cute cords and ropes, or getting things to have that sewn effect.  Any digi-scrappers out there with tips or hints.  Not that I need any more blogs to add to my reader, but if there are places with good tutorials, I’d love to learn a bit more!

Be sure to swing by Carrie’s for some creative inspiration!

:: Team-up Thursday ~ Snow ::

Posted on by

 tut-snow-warm2

I wouldn’t have imagined that Jaimee and I would have had an opportunity to tackle this theme together and in such a similar way given our geography.  There is a certain sense of awe, wonder and beauty that comes with a fresh blanket of fallen snow.  I admit I do have an affinity for icicles, twinkle lights, and a good cup of cocoa after a hard afternoon’s play.

For this week’s interpretation of our theme, I turned to one of the two winter weddings I had the pleasure of photographing.  After one two three computers crashed since late-November, hundreds of my pictures spent far too long sitting in loneliness on our external hard-drive.  How fun that today they came out to play! 

So far, it’s been really fun to see how our images and interpretations of our chosen theme come together.  I love the way these are both shot from behind the subject.  The way the river draws the eye, the fact that the gals are both on the same side of the guys…there’s just too much to love!  In fact, at a time of year when most Michiganders are pretty much over the novelty of snow, today’s challenge has made me happy to have it around for at least a few more weeks!  Thanks for the great shot, Jaimee!

Be sure to visit Melody and Megan to see what other’s are teaming up to share this week too!

~ A Little Bit of Everything ~

Posted on by

I’ve had a million little things floating around in my mind, so here’s my best attempt to “download” them for posterity and hopefully not bore you all to pieces.

  • I’m completely fascinated by the ways in which my kids are developing as language learners.  They both love books, and maybe it’s because he’s older, but Calder simply can’t get enough.  Whether he’s quoting Barnyard Dance in the car,  recalling specific details from one of the 13 Magic Treehouse books we’ve read – “Yeah, Mom, I’m being like Dusty, you know, Slim the cowboy’s horse from when Jack and Annie were in the Wild West.” – or even making up his own stories, he loves books, words and creativity.
  • We just found an awesome rub recipe that’s sure to become a new go-to.
  • It’s amazing the food preferences we pass on to our kids.  One of our favorite things to eat is a concoction I learned about from one of my colleagues.  “Cottage cheese treat” is a mixture of FF cottage cheese, applesauce, walnuts and cinnamon.  It’s tasty and fairly well-balanced. 
  • Seneca’s favorite saying as of late is “Don’t Say That!”  It’s hilarious to hear her screaming it at Calder in the mornings when he’s awake and trying to convince her to wake up too!
  • In honor of the research projects my 7th graders are doing, I’ve spent the past two weeks at school on Sunday creating a 3D Olympic Torch on our classroom door, and an Olympic Ring bulletin board in the hallway.  This week we’re starting our “Olympic News” collage on the wall in the classroom, to hopefully get them noticing all the coverage.
  • Garth and I recently commented about how we feel like we’re either going at break-neck speed, or totally crashed.  Which is precisely why we both fell asleep before the opening ceremonies on Friday night.  Shh, don’t tell my students!  I brushed up online so I know about the faulty trapdoor…
  • I’ve discovered a new obsession with Netflix. 
  • If you haven’t read the Percy Jackson series – you MUST!  They take Greek mythology and put it into modern day setting.  The movie of the first book just came out this weekend!
  • Another great YA read is Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  I think they’re listed as Sci-Fi, but they almost have a historical feel to them too.  Another favorite Sci-Fi book I recently read is Feed by M.T. Anderson.  This one is amazing.   A bit heavy on the language, but totally scary to think about how accurate this might be…
  • Having been pregnant or nursing from July 2006 through October 2009, I was beginning to see the toll, which is why this little investment has saved me a lot of money, time and the recovery from a cosmetic surgery I was sure I’d need!  I’ve shared my excitement over this newfound little gem with at least a few friends who also swear by the fit!
  • I’m amazed by the way the world converges on itself!  I taught poetry to my 8th graders, then found this dinosaur book the same author of poems I used with my students.  Calder and I happened to start the Magic Treehouse books because the first one was Dinosaurs before Dark – and now, we’re 3 books away from Hour of the Olympics.   I just love serendipity!
  • In honor of a new series we started at church, Garth and I are challenged to pray together every day for the coming week.  Sounds so easy, right?  It’s something we should be doing anyway, right?  Looking forward to some amazing growth as a result of this new spiritual discipline.