I know the blog has been quiet and a little slow lately - it's just crazy birthday and spring life-related stuff... hang out for a little while and the postings should pick up again!
Ten Tips on Moving:
1. Gather enough boxes - your stuff will take up more than you think!
2. Pack away stuff first that you know you won't use so you can start the process ahead of time and do it a bit at a time.
3. Try to pack without the kids! Play dates or movies are both good for this!
4. Label where each box should go in the new place! If you aren't sure about the organization of the new place then be specific about what is in each box when you label.
5. ...or number each box and have a master list about what is in which box!
6. Towels or plastic grocery bags work well for packing fragile items - or out of season clothes would also work.
7. If possible, weed through and declutter before you pack. If that's not possible then accept it and just pack everything, knowing you will be moving things just to toss them. Don't try to unclutter and pack at the same time.
8. When moving into your new place, if possible, stand at the door and direct boxes to each room - piling them in each room against a certain wall so that beds/couches/etc can also be placed and used before having to move or unpack boxes.
9. Bribe friends to help - watch kids, pack the truck, move the furniture, etc. Pizza and cold soda often work.
10. My favorite: Just don't move
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Ten on Tuesday: No Topic
There was no topic today, so instead of a list of ten things all you get is:
HAPPY SPRING!
HAPPY SPRING!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Food Friday: Birthday Cake
For the birthday we had last week (she's now double digits!) we had two cakes. One of them was the chocolate cherry cupcakes I've already shared the recipe for. We brought those to chess club on her birthday and had them at the end of dinner that night. The other cake was made for her party. Lily is much more adventurous when it comes to cakes than the rest of us. She often picks a recipe out of my cake doctor books and has me go for it while the rest of the family will only choose ones we know and love for our birthdays. Her cake was so yummy though!
It was a Macadamia Fudge Torte (although we made it with pecans instead of Macadamias). It was in my original cake doctor book, and it reminded my husband of our favorite chocolate scones (probably because they both are chocolate with cinnamon, but they do also taste similarly besides that).
It was a Macadamia Fudge Torte (although we made it with pecans instead of Macadamias). It was in my original cake doctor book, and it reminded my husband of our favorite chocolate scones (probably because they both are chocolate with cinnamon, but they do also taste similarly besides that).
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Another Baby Gift
This has finally started turning into something for my new niece. I know her parents sometimes read this blog, so I won't be posting anything else until it's done and received, but it's such a pretty color and nice yarn that I couldn't skip posting something about it!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Baby Shower!
I finished the baby shower gift!
I've been wanting to make this vest for a long time, but I wasn't with it enough to make it for my son when he was that small, and we didn't know ahead of time we were having a boy anyway. I might now make this same pattern larger for him. It turned out really cute.
I loved that the 6 month and the 12 month sizes both had buttons on the shoulder to make it easier to take on and off:
And it's tradition now that I make a bear. I should make some up ahead of time and have them ready, but I never plan to make them until I need a baby gift.
I think the baby will fit better than the bear did though...
I've been wanting to make this vest for a long time, but I wasn't with it enough to make it for my son when he was that small, and we didn't know ahead of time we were having a boy anyway. I might now make this same pattern larger for him. It turned out really cute.
I loved that the 6 month and the 12 month sizes both had buttons on the shoulder to make it easier to take on and off:
And it's tradition now that I make a bear. I should make some up ahead of time and have them ready, but I never plan to make them until I need a baby gift.
I think the baby will fit better than the bear did though...
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Ten on Tuesday: Songs for a Great Mood
Ten Songs that put me in a Great Mood
(I guess a Great Mood is kindof a subjective thing, but I do enjoy myself while listening to these):
1. Tubthumping by Chumbawamba You gotta love getting knocked down, as long as you get up again....
2. I'll Be Waiting by Adele I've been listening to this CD since Christmas and I think this (or fire to the rain) is my favorite on it
3. Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer Drop your worries and let your hair down!
4. True Colors by Phil Collins I prefer this one to the Cyndi Lauper version
5.Tonight's gonna be a good night by Black eyed peas just remember, any time you run out of words, just start singing the days of the week Sesame Street style
6. Something to Sing about from Buffy Although I wouldn't recommend this show to just anyone there is something about making it through 5 or 6 seasons and then getting a payoff of a musical show with fun music and funny lyrics that reference the previous seasons. I do enjoy thinking about the difference between someone giving you songs versus something to sing about.
7. King of Anything by Sara Bareilles I love the visual of a map planned out with someone's name on it in all caps
8. 100 Years by Five for Fighting This song remind me of both how long and how short life is
9. The To Do list and Favorite Things by Hilary Weeks there are just some fun silly songs - I should have put a real song of hers on this list, so check some out.
10. The French Revolution (to the tune of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga) My girls watched this recently for school and it's that catchy tune that you love from Lady Gaga but with historical words that the kids can actually sing... It's gotten stuck in my head a few times
(I guess a Great Mood is kindof a subjective thing, but I do enjoy myself while listening to these):
1. Tubthumping by Chumbawamba You gotta love getting knocked down, as long as you get up again....
2. I'll Be Waiting by Adele I've been listening to this CD since Christmas and I think this (or fire to the rain) is my favorite on it
3. Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer Drop your worries and let your hair down!
4. True Colors by Phil Collins I prefer this one to the Cyndi Lauper version
5.Tonight's gonna be a good night by Black eyed peas just remember, any time you run out of words, just start singing the days of the week Sesame Street style
6. Something to Sing about from Buffy Although I wouldn't recommend this show to just anyone there is something about making it through 5 or 6 seasons and then getting a payoff of a musical show with fun music and funny lyrics that reference the previous seasons. I do enjoy thinking about the difference between someone giving you songs versus something to sing about.
7. King of Anything by Sara Bareilles I love the visual of a map planned out with someone's name on it in all caps
8. 100 Years by Five for Fighting This song remind me of both how long and how short life is
9. The To Do list and Favorite Things by Hilary Weeks there are just some fun silly songs - I should have put a real song of hers on this list, so check some out.
10. The French Revolution (to the tune of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga) My girls watched this recently for school and it's that catchy tune that you love from Lady Gaga but with historical words that the kids can actually sing... It's gotten stuck in my head a few times
Friday, March 09, 2012
Fiction Friday: Einstein
Today's book is actually non-fiction. I've been meaning to read it for about 9 months, but it's big and intimidating, and I borrowed it from someone who said no rush, so I kept putting it off and reading books that were due from the library. I finally decided recently that enough was enough so I started reading it, took a couple weeks off, and then finished reading it this past week or two. I finished last night:
Here's some thought provoking Einstein quotes:
Speaking of the discovery of one of his theories: "The thought is amusing and seductive; but for all I know, the good Lord might be laughing at the whole matter and might have been leading me up the garden path."
An entertaining observation as I start cutting out some junk food: "The mass of a body is a measure of its energy content."
He was able to come up with ideas for his theories because he believed: "Nature is the realization of the simplest conceivable mathematical ideas"
When times got hard he told a friend: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
He worked for years at the end of his life trying to figure out a unified theory, but never did. "Every man may take comfort from the fine saying that the search for truth is more precious than its possession"
Here's some thought provoking Einstein quotes:
Speaking of the discovery of one of his theories: "The thought is amusing and seductive; but for all I know, the good Lord might be laughing at the whole matter and might have been leading me up the garden path."
An entertaining observation as I start cutting out some junk food: "The mass of a body is a measure of its energy content."
He was able to come up with ideas for his theories because he believed: "Nature is the realization of the simplest conceivable mathematical ideas"
When times got hard he told a friend: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
He worked for years at the end of his life trying to figure out a unified theory, but never did. "Every man may take comfort from the fine saying that the search for truth is more precious than its possession"
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Double Digits and Women's Day
Happy Women's Day - here's some music to celebrate!
As women we need to remember to be kind to ourselves
Perfect by Pink
(language warning and this video has disturbing images - really, it's an important message, but, dad, don't click this!)
...and help raise the next generation to be better than ourselves
daughters
...and I kept looking for Angels, by Julie deAzevedo and couldn't find it anywhere online, but here's the lyrics
...and one last song! (nothing to do with women's day) Remember to enjoy the day and dance a little!
and it is my daughter Lily's birthday today. She's finally hit double digits - but she's still sweet enough that when I asked her what her favorite song was so I could honor her in this post she chose a primary song from church.
As women we need to remember to be kind to ourselves
Perfect by Pink
(language warning and this video has disturbing images - really, it's an important message, but, dad, don't click this!)
...and help raise the next generation to be better than ourselves
daughters
...and I kept looking for Angels, by Julie deAzevedo and couldn't find it anywhere online, but here's the lyrics
...and one last song! (nothing to do with women's day) Remember to enjoy the day and dance a little!
and it is my daughter Lily's birthday today. She's finally hit double digits - but she's still sweet enough that when I asked her what her favorite song was so I could honor her in this post she chose a primary song from church.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
The Motivation of Public Goals
It was about a week and a half ago that I took a picture of the mending pile and then set them off to the side of my craft basket.
It was about a week ago that I put a blog post together with a picture of my mending pile and a hope that it would magically get done.
A couple of days ago that post was published.
Last night I finished the last item that was in the pile. They are all mended and in usable condition now! (well, except one of the pants that wasn't in the pile - one of my daughters saw me tackling the pile and brought in another pair of sweatpants. It is now patched and she is free forming some more decorations around the patch)
Letting other people know about your goals does seem to help!
(now to decide what my next public goal will be?!?)
It was about a week ago that I put a blog post together with a picture of my mending pile and a hope that it would magically get done.
A couple of days ago that post was published.
Last night I finished the last item that was in the pile. They are all mended and in usable condition now! (well, except one of the pants that wasn't in the pile - one of my daughters saw me tackling the pile and brought in another pair of sweatpants. It is now patched and she is free forming some more decorations around the patch)
Letting other people know about your goals does seem to help!
(now to decide what my next public goal will be?!?)
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Ten on Tuesday: Things in my Purse
10 Things you would find my in purse (well, my big stripe bag right now)
1. wallet
2. keys
3. little notebook and a pen/pencil
4. mp3 player
5. measuring tape
6. a kid toy (either for distraction or confiscated)
7. a book to read
8. at least one craft project of some sort
9. almonds and candy
10. small first aid kit
notice there is no cell phone (usually in my pocket) and no baby stuff (yes, my kids are finally all toilet trained and eating real people food).
1. wallet
2. keys
3. little notebook and a pen/pencil
4. mp3 player
5. measuring tape
6. a kid toy (either for distraction or confiscated)
7. a book to read
8. at least one craft project of some sort
9. almonds and candy
10. small first aid kit
notice there is no cell phone (usually in my pocket) and no baby stuff (yes, my kids are finally all toilet trained and eating real people food).
Monday, March 05, 2012
Mending Pile
I need to sit and mend... but I have so many more interesting things to do, so I keep putting it off. My hope is that by posting it here I will actually get it done soon.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Fiction Friday: Grimm
I recently finished a very fun YA book called The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman. It was a fun fast read that I immediately handed off to my daughter when she was heading up to reading time before bed. She finished it that night (I think she reads faster than I do) and handed it off to her sister the next morning. Curly is now about half way done and her Grandma has claimed that she gets it next.
It's about a teenager who doesn't fit in well at school or home and so when one of her teachers recommends her for a job she jumps at the chance. It happens to be a job at a library in New York that lends items instead of books. After she's there for a while (and in the midst of confusion and possible mysteries) she discovers that there are a couple of special collections in the building. The story is fun but not too complicated, and definitely held my interest. I think it's kindof the flavor I hoped the Grimm television show would be before I watched it and discovered what it really was.
(I also read Prisoners in the Palace - a YA book about Princess Victoria, and Midnight in Austenland - an adult book about a place where people can immerse themselves in Jane Austen for a couple of weeks vacation. Both were fun, neither grabbed me as much as Grimm legacy...)
It's about a teenager who doesn't fit in well at school or home and so when one of her teachers recommends her for a job she jumps at the chance. It happens to be a job at a library in New York that lends items instead of books. After she's there for a while (and in the midst of confusion and possible mysteries) she discovers that there are a couple of special collections in the building. The story is fun but not too complicated, and definitely held my interest. I think it's kindof the flavor I hoped the Grimm television show would be before I watched it and discovered what it really was.
(I also read Prisoners in the Palace - a YA book about Princess Victoria, and Midnight in Austenland - an adult book about a place where people can immerse themselves in Jane Austen for a couple of weeks vacation. Both were fun, neither grabbed me as much as Grimm legacy...)
Thursday, March 01, 2012
New Fabric
A Joann's store recently opened up near me, and of course I got a coupon to use at their grand opening. I picked up some fabric for 2 pairs of pants for one of my girls, and for a dress for each of them:
(and some stitch markers and yarn needles to replace my supply my daughters keep taking)
I also recently traded on Ravelry. Someone was wanting to barter away some of their fabric for some fiber, and it just so happened that they lived locally. I looked on their page, they looked on mine, we bartered back and forth, and then she dropped by my church building before church started last Sunday and I swapped some fiber for this:
(that's some denim, some flannel, some brushed twill batik, some christmas cotton, and a small piece of dora and diego cotten my son happened to see while I was browsing)
Any bets how long it will be before I have the first finished item from any of this new fabric?
(and some stitch markers and yarn needles to replace my supply my daughters keep taking)
I also recently traded on Ravelry. Someone was wanting to barter away some of their fabric for some fiber, and it just so happened that they lived locally. I looked on their page, they looked on mine, we bartered back and forth, and then she dropped by my church building before church started last Sunday and I swapped some fiber for this:
(that's some denim, some flannel, some brushed twill batik, some christmas cotton, and a small piece of dora and diego cotten my son happened to see while I was browsing)
Any bets how long it will be before I have the first finished item from any of this new fabric?
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