Who knew?

Fun and Games!

Loook what I got in the mail!! I'm sooooo excited!

Scrabble is my favorite game! I ordered 2 sets of tiles from Ebay to play

our favorite version- Speed Scrabble.

I had fun just organizing the letters into rows to check the letter count> Looking

forward to playing at our next family gathering. Don't know how to play Speed Scrabble?

I'll post rules soon, you will love it!



No it's not me.....

So, I was browsing through this months issue of Glamour Magazine,

and there it was! My figure. In a fashion magazine.

For young, slim, pretty women.

There she was, a pretty woman who was short, and a bit round in the middle.

Wearing a shirt with the sleeves rolled up just like I do.

 (because sleeves are always too long)

  The article calls her petite, I've never described myself as petite, but maybe I will think of myself as petite from now on - I kind of like the sound of it.

And I'm going out to look for some new jeans for sure.

Flag Art

This beautiful flag wall hanging was made by the artist      Ann Carrington,

who was featured on the Bravo TV series 9byDesign.

It was made from used blue jeans you can see in the detail pics below.

Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.

             - Adlai E. Stevenson

Italian Made

My husband has an obsession with brands. It is something he thinks about a lot. He is very picky specific about what brands he will buy and wear, and very hard to shop for. Over the 30+ years we have been together I have learned some "rules" that will make for more successful birthday and holiday gift shopping. Made in Italy - to him that means quality. Clothing, sunglasses, shoes, pretty much anything 'Made In Italy' is a winner. German made = precision craftsmanship, take a guess at what car he drives. Made In China - personal conviction will not allow him to knowingly purchase anything Made In China.

So last week I picked up these Bistro Chairs to put on our patio. Made In Italy. Can you believe it? Retail $100/chair, Home Goods Price 40% off. It gets better... on clearance for 78% off retail! Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

What?!! No before pics?

I rarely go into an antique/vintage/thrift store looking for something to make over. I stop in these little stores to look for a treasure - something different and unique. I am also a little bit of a collector. I  love maps, colored glass vases, oval platters and serving dishes, and vintage pyrex. Useful, practical things. Many times I bring something home and think, I would like this so much better if it was yellow (or orange, or pink, or...).  My husband, always quick with the spray paint, gets it done for me. I don't always remember to take a before picture, so here is a few photos of the afters!

Consider this.....

College Bound

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. ~ John F. Kennedy


I love this qoute and it was meant for my 4th daughter, who has spent her school career pursuing leadership positions. She is so much looking forward to college in the fall. 
 

Isn't she cute?

If only...

If only this was true! I just ordered 365 photos printed from Snapfish, covering most of 2010. So while I am waiting for them to come in the mail, I am wondering when I will find the time to put them in order and organize them into an artfully beautiful keepsake scrapbook that we can enjoy. I want to be ready when they come so they don't sit in a shoebox for years! Any ideas?

Christmas wishes for 'millennial' parents

I read this column in my local paper this morning. As a mom of teen girls for the past 10 years thru the next 7 years, I couldn't agree more! 

By SUZY RYAN - For the North County Times North County Times - Californian
Posted: Monday, December 27, 2010 12:00 am

This holiday season, I'm sending a different kind of request to the North Pole. As a "millennial" mom, I need wisdom to help my children navigate through a changing culture. So, here was my Christmas list to Santa for all parents out there:
1. Help us be invisible "friends" on Facebook to our kids. No embarrassing posts or status updates without permission from our teenagers. And remind us to refrain from constant comments on every new photo of theirs. If the tables were turned, I can't imagine my mom writing on my "wall."

2. Help us mothers not dress to rival our teenage daughters. We are supposed to be mature, so no "Juicy" booty shorts. Please. Now, I'm not advocating Pilgrim chic, but some mothers show so much cleavage that they frighten the males in close proximity.

3. Help us age gracefully. Why compete with the younger version of ourselves? It's not all about us anymore! We enjoyed our day in the sunshine, but we should move from the starring role to a support player. Instead we push up, snip off and trim down, trying to recapture our glory days. With unlimited money, maybe it works for Demi Moore. But when will most of us learn that no amount of exercise, surgery or hair extensions will stop the aging process?

4. Help us be the parents who don't always attempt to please our offspring. This leads to confusion. Although kids may think they want a friend, deep down they really want someone who loves them enough to hold them accountable. When my generation grew up, parents didn't worry about pleasing their children. They expected their children to please them.

5. Help us not take everything personally. We need to "have the heart of the child, the brain of a scholar and skin like a rhino." Yes, it's easier said than done. After almost 20 years as a parent, I'm still struggling with this one.

6. Help us understand the college "panic" and assist with the never-ending selection process. Years ago, when we applied for school, the university gig was a simple report card, ACT and application. In today's world, students even secure themes by junior high with companion websites by high school to compete for coveted college spots.

Over the years, I've teased my "millennials" that I had it tougher than they do. I trudged uphill to school both ways ---- in a blizzard. In North County, we don't have snow, but the relentless pressure on our youth is enormous. This Christmas season, may Santa help my generation be parents whom their teenagers will not want to "unfriend" on Facebook.

Haiku

You 've gotta see this post from Alaskan Crafter it is the cutest little street artist booth I've ever seen. And a talented poet too.

Yup. Like a lemonade stand, except that she sells haiku. A little bit of existential wisdom in a 5-7-5 sized bite. AND, they only cost a suggested donation of $5.75, which goes mostly to a local poetry slam group. She even types them up on an old typewriter for you, how sweet is that? Ahhh, clever and giving at the same time, who is this wonder-woman?

http://www.alaskacrafter.com/2010/09/haiku-brilliance.html

Fluff!

I was watching a new show the other night, a crime show set in Boston. The main character Rizzoli , was eating a Fluffernutter for lunch. I love Fluffernutter sandwiches, they were a lunch box staple growing up on the east coast. So here you go, try it!

2 slices of bread, spread with 2 Tbs of peanut butter and 2 Tbs of Fluff (marshmallow creme), cutting off the crusts is optional. Delicious! Enjoy.

Sunshine Song

I sang this song to my kids

when they were babies, all six of them. Such a sweet little verse. I love it as wall decor.

(I can't recall whose blog I found this photo on, but as soon as I remember I will add a link. If it's yours, let me know!)

Blog Share

I read this post on my friend's blog and I found it inspiring. I hope you do too.
45 Things.

Today is a little...

a little rain

a little hail

a little dog

a little bit of sunshine

Thrift

I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living.
John D. Rockefeller

Spring Fever

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

- Mark Twain

"Indulgent"

I've been suffering through American Idol for the past 2 weeks. Last night was disappointing, why don't they help these kids pick the right songs? They are being criticized over and over for a bad song choice.  Randy needs to increase his vocabulary beyond dog, yo, and check it out. Worst of all is hearing Simon tell the contestants they are being "indulgent"! What he means is 'self-indulgent' , but he continues to say it wrong, now Kara is picking it up too! Look it up judges!

indulgent: –adjective

characterized by or showing indulgence; benignly lenient or permissive: an indulgent parent.

Self-indulgent (Self`-in*dul"gent) ,

Indulging one's appetites, desires, etc., freely

Day Dream

They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.

Edgar Allan Poe