how to celebrate a weekend.

1. wake up early enough to watch teenage mutant ninja turtles. be quiet not to wake the sister. she'll make you change the channel to this or this, instead.

2. be patient while mommy makes these. if you arrive at just the right moment "to help" you may get to clean up some of the cinnamon sugar from the counter... with your tongue.

mom's been testing cinnamon roll recipes for two weeks! and believe me when i tell you these are the best she's made -- by far!

she used the dough from this recipe and the following icing.

cream cheese frosting:

1 stick of butter, softened

2 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

beat the butter and cream cheese until well combined.

add the vanilla and the sugar.

keep beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl until the frosting is light, fluffy and fully combined.

happy monday!

what i found.

yesterday morning, while doing the laundry...



when our youngest was first born, i joined a mommy-baby class at church. i remember one of our first meetings like it was yesterday. a woman in her forties whose kids were nearly grown asked, "name one big hope for your child." i answered quickly, "i hope she's a reader." i had just left my job as a third grade teacher to stay home with this new little bundle. it seemed like the natural answer, and to be honest, a genuine hope for my little baby.

years later, i can see the naivety of my hope. there are, after all, many hopes i have for my girl --that she would be caring and kind, that she would love deeply, and that she would live with integrity and purpose.

but i'm so very glad she's a reader, too.

when i was blog-hosting over at wcs a few weeks ago, i shared these book labels as a gift idea. a little heads up -- i'm working on some printable labels for you all. check back. i hope to have them up later this week, or early next.

note: melissa, shoot me an email at mrsclaus09 at gmail dot com. i've got some fun mail for you! :)

and with that, wishing you all a very...

happy wednesday!

remembering.

it's sunny out and all i can think about is how my windows need washing and the counter tops need dusting. funny, isn't it? how spring-cleaning is an urge many of us get every single spring? it was in the midst of a little organizing the other day, when i stumbled upon a few layouts. they were meant for a book project, but didn't end up making the cut. in fact, they sat in a binder on my bookshelf, not even integrated with the rest of my pages (which, at the moment, are in stacks on said bookshelf!). i'd forgotten about them completely.




it was a few years ago -- may of '08, to be exact, when we took the kids to disneyland and california adventure for the first time. we were there one looooooooooooooooooong week. fortunately, there was so much to see and do. stumbling upon this page, i realized how much i'd forgotten about this trip -- the high school musical show we attended (that anna could hardly wait to see!), the ice-cream dinner (man, i'm a fun mom!), and the cute little mickey ears the kids wore non-stop! what a fun trip down memory-lane.

i love scrapbooking.

happy tuesday!

books and more books.

anna and i both like to read more than one book at a time. her nightstand is often piled higher than mine.

i'm a third of the way through this:

and more than halfway through this:

and hoping to crack this open sometime this week:



and on anna's bookshelf is this:



and this, by the author of the babysitter's club:



and this one, that we're reading together (andrew clements writes books parents can't wait to read aloud):



happy sunday!

too fun not to share.

how's that for some weird kind of theology. ;) totally reminds me of my first landlord who's toolkit was stocked with the silver tape. i wonder if he knew it could be used for more than household repair?

like this.

or this.

i just spent a good 30+ minutes over at this site. i'm afraid my plans for laundry may be scrapped today. i think my little guy would enjoy making this!

happy wednesday!

i'm not here.

i'm blog-hosting over here today. and i'd love for you to stop by and see what i've been up to.

happy friday!

aprons on my mind.

i bake. a lot. of course, i do have helpers -- they're 5 and 7, and really good at licking the beaters. :)

a few years ago, everyone got aprons for christmas. we love wearing them -- they make us feel so official.

i bought one for my niece who was a toddler at the time. i searched and searched looking for one that wouldn't be too big. of course, i found one on etsy! this one was juuuuuuuuuuuuust right -- and it's reversible!




i loved it so much i wanted to get some for my kids, however, i knew these would be too small -- and i needed one that was a little more boyish for my littlest guy.

enter williams-sonoma. i found these and immediately ordered two with the kids' names on them. one pink, one red.

darling!

since then, i've had a little thing for aprons. i'm certain i could make one -- if only i could find a pattern i like.

a little internet search revealled i need not leave my office to find a pattern that's cute and free, even! the fabric, however, is another matter.

check out whoopsie diasies. she even does a tutorial!
and this one over at feathered nest. another tutorial!
and don't forget this over at my byrd house made out of a dishtowel and a few scraps of fabric!

ah! fun!

happy st. patrick's day!

love list: spring break edition.

i don't know about where you live, but in these parts it's spring break. that means we don't get out of our jammies until 10ish, and spend the greater part of each day making crafty-messes. :)

so for today i thought i'd share a list of crafty things i'm obsessing over.

fabric number banners. i've wanted to make one of these for years. of course, with banners everywhere these days, the urge has only gotten stronger! this darling banner looks like something straight out of anthropologie, only you can make it out of your fabric scraps. sigh. i'm in love!

felted knitted bowls. i've been knitting a long time, but this bowl could be completed by even the most beginner knitter (as long as you've got a good knitter's reference book like this one). i'm seriously obsessed with these little bowls! like, they're invading my dreams, even. :)

knitted grocery bags. since i have trouble working on only one knitting project at a time, i'm about half-way through this pattern. what a great way to use up that leftover cotton yarn in my stash! wouldn't this look cute going to and from the market full of summer veggies?

egg-carton garden. a little over a month ago, i pulled out my old jiffy greenhouse full of hope. we picked up some new jiffy pellets (aka dirt in compostable pantyhose) along with a selection of seeds. the kids planted, watered and placed in sunlight as directed. unfortunately, for the second year in a row, only a third of our seed sprouted! i found this little tutorial the other day. we're going to try this today, this time, using some good old planting soil. everything you need to make your own egg-carton garden will likely be on hand. the cardboard egg carton, the potting soil and the seeds. well, maybe not the seeds! unless you're like me and have oodles of leftovers from your failed jiffy pots! i'll let you know how it turns out.

shrinky dink necklaces. my 35 year old brother came over the other day in the midst of some serious shrinky-dink designing. my kids had plastic pages out and were coloring easter egg and cross designs using sharpie markers. then j said, "you know, if you put a hole at the top, it'll still be there when it shrinks. you could use it to make a necklace!" he showed off a big grin, like he'd uncovered one of the world's best kept secrets, to which my kids replied (without even lifting their eyes), "we know." ouch. he bounced back quickly, though, but grabbing a sheet and coloring his own shrinky-dink easter egg. he even took it home. :) shrinky dinks are magic! here's a step-by-step tutorial if you're interested.

ribbon flip flops. my kids cleaned out the front hall closet yesterday. i was shocked at the volume of flip-flops that had taken up valuable real-estate in our tiny entry closet all winter long! we quickly bagged up the too-small flip flops, making room for our more needed tennies and rain boots (we had hail yesterday, after all!). it got me thinking about flip-flips, though. in just a month we'll all be wearing them. they'll replace the rain boots as the go-to-in-a-hurry footwear, and once again our closet will be packed. a trip to michaels or ben franklin and those boring old-navy flippies go from snore to score. ;) here's a link.

happy wednesday!

it may not look like much.

if you're living in hawaii or (heck!) anywhere else but here, it won't look like much. but if you've been nearly drowning in rain and hail this just might make you crack a smile.

i did.

four straight days with no rain in sight! so says weatherbug!

what would you do with this kind of news?

here's what sounds good to me:

• have the shingles on our house stained. it's time. seriously!
• take the dog for a good. long. walk.
• thin my veggie garden.
• watch anna's riding lessons from outside the car.

it's not a long list, but it's a start.
i'm guarding my morning so that i can do a little scrapbooking. i'm working on a mini album that makes me giddy.
in other news, this week is teacher appreciation week. we've been showering our teachers with little thank yous all week. if i get my act together, i may make each of my kids' teachers one of these.
if you're short on time and just want to print something to give, check out these super cute printables over at creature comforts.
wishing you a little bit of sun today. happy thursday!

july, in review.

seriously. where did july go? i'm happy to report we did NOT spend the entire month in pajamas (not that there's anything wrong with that...), but spent a lot of time together as a family -- much needed!

we had a wonderful week, just the four of us, here. we saw spinner dolphins and went hiking in the rain forest and spent countless hours lounging by the pool. it was just what we needed after what has been a difficult spring.

we returned home excited for a wonderful week of vbs camp, followed by a visit from mike's parents. we took them to the zoo, a mariners v. red sox game and headed to the beach. in all, it was a july to remember.

happy monday. happy august!

come on over.

... to write. click. scrapbook., that is. i'll be blog-hosting all week, monday through friday, on the topic of birthdays. hope to see you there.

happy monday!

101+ creative ways to use your scrapbook supplies (and a giveaway)!

want a peek at the newest special issue put out by creating keepsakes magazine?

if you have ever wondered what else you can do with your scrapbook supplies,
then this special issue is for you. the follow up to our successful 101
things to do with your scrapbook supplies, this issue features inspiring
ideas from creating keepsakes columnist jennifer mcguire and a team of talented
scrapbookers. they will show you how to go beyond the basics to use your
supplies in new ways to create unique page accents, backgrounds and more. with
budget-saving tips, easy techniques, ideas for leftovers and more, the useful
ideas in this issue will help you stretch your dollars and make the most of your
supplies.

here's one of the techniques i share in this issue:

want to see more? believe me, i'm still working my way cover to cover! this issue is loaded with ideas i simply cannot wait to try!

i've got good news. it's available now for purchase, here. and if you spend $25 or more, you can use this coupon code (FS101B) to receive free shipping on your order through the end of the year!

even better news. i'm giving away one copy this friday. here's what you need to do to enter. simply leave a comment telling me why this issue should be yours. all comments need to be posted by friday evening, 6:00 PM PST. i'll draw a winner at random to receive a copy of 101+ creative ways to use your scrapbook supplies sent to your home free of charge. sound good? :)

happy tuesday!

sharing.

how can we see and not respond?
(you'll need to pause the playlist on the bottom right before playing the video.)



happy sunday.

happy nsd/wcs-launch/satur-DAY!

how's that for a loaded title? just a little reminder...

1) club ck is hosting tons of nsd activities today. you can read more about them in yesterday's post.

2) write. click. scrapbook. just launched their may gallery. one of my favorites this year! this month we all lifted a layout from the wcs flickr gallery. here's mine -- a lift of this fun page!


3) and did you know write. click. scrapbook. has some nsd festivities going on as well? i've been told there will be journaling prompts, photography prompts and scrapbooking prompts throughout the day, so check it out!

4) i'm in the final stretch of getting things ready for mike's birthday party. the mushrooms have been stuffed, the grocery store has been visited (4 times this week!) and now i'm cleaning. fun, huh?

5) since i'm not scrapbooking today, would you be so kind as to leave a comment telling me if you ARE or NOT? and, if you are, what you're working on? i'd love to live vicariously... ;)

happy saturday!

flash mob friday. just barely.

did anyone watch jamie oliver's food revolution tonight? i missed it. we were watching princess diaries. there's a sleepover going on tonight, and while no one is sleeping (yet), i'm holding out hope!

last week on food revolution, jamie and a group of talented students from marshall created this flash mob:



cool, huh?
sometime last year i witnessed my first flash mob via you tube, like many of you. this was all over the internet -- so amazing!



and then today, a friend posted this cool flash mob video -- i just love glee!



of course there are others. and there always seem to be cameras around when they happen.

for your entertainment:
supermarket flash mob
michael jackson flash mob
t-mobile flash mob

happy friday!

remembering.

(journaling reads: this little girl would go on to do great things. she would graduate at the top of her class. she would work in the white house under president johnson. she would be a loyal friend, wife and mother. and among her greatest achievements... she would be your nana.)

my mom passed away just a few short weeks ago, at the end of may. while it's been so very difficult losing her. Drug detox.. i am thankful for the many, many memories.

the other day, while my brother and i were cleaning out her things, we found a signed piece of artwork -- an illustration of the white house. synthetic urine best detox kit... it was signed by lbj and lady bird johnson. i don't know why mom never displayed it more prominently. :) we're still sorting through her things, remembering along the way...

happy monday.

a gift for you.

i love easter! it's my favorite holiday. christmas is a close second, though jesus' birth would be meaningless without the miraculous events that took place on easter.

like many of you, we come home from church on easter morning and continue the celebration with a hearty brunch that leaves us full to the brim with yummy foods of all kinds. there are egg casseroles like this one (believe me, folks! it's worth signing up for the free trial!), cinnamon rolls like these, and fresh fruit. this year we will be visiting my mom for easter brunch, and i'm planning on taking this to share with the fun gal who (wo)man's the front desk where my mom lives.

my recipe for granola:

6 c. oats
1 c. seeds or nuts (i use a combination of chopped walnuts and raw sunflower seeds)
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 wheat germ
1/3 c. canola oil
1/3 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. shredded coconut

combine all ingredients in a large bowl and bake on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 1 hour. be sure to stir occasionally to prevent browning. when cool, add 1 c. dried fruit (cranberries or dried apples are yummy!).

store in an air tight container for 2 weeks, or freeze.

the tag i used can be downloaded here. initially, i created it to attach to a couple of easter baskets, but i think they look cute attached to the granola jar. ;)

wishing you and your family a very happy easter.

lunchtime!

when my kids were in preschool, i'd send them cute little notes in their lunch boxes. they were usually nothing more than a few words on a post-it, but they loved them and looked forward to the little lunch-box surprise each day.

since my kids began elementary school, i've let that tradition fade. i don't know why.

the other day my littlest found a joke book at the library. we read one joke after the next -- each one ending in a sea of giggles.

this got me thinking...

and i sat down at my computer and whipped up these sweet little things --
my daughter loves jokes even more than my son, so i'm sure they'll be a huge hit when she finds one in her lunch tomorrow. :)

in case you'd like a copy, download a sheet of 6 lunch jokes here. all you need to do it download the set of lunch jokes and save them to your computer and print. if you like, you can add a stamp, hand-drawn smiley or a sticker of your choice. i added a heart stamp on each of the ones you see above.

and if you're looking for more lunch-box note printables, help yourself to these, too. you can download them here. print on white cardstock and trim. :)

check out the ones stacy julian just gave away on her blog -- so cute!

and look at this. even lunchables is getting in on the lunch-note action.

lunch notes are everywhere!

enjoy. and happy tuesday!

four on friday.

1) our shingles are being painted today. i don't know why this makes me so happy, but it does. i'll post pictures once it's complete.

2) i scrapbooked. my desk was too messy to warrant getting out any new supplies, though i did get a really fabulous box of goodies from little yellow bicycle yesterday. in my laziness, i did a digital page, which really took more mental energy than paper-scrapbooking would have. it's not my first 100% digital page, but it's my first in a long while. this could be the start of something...

(supplies: dot and brown paper, journaling snippets: crystal wilkerson; stitching: katie pertiet; frame: paislee press; stamped letters: ikari; font: splendid 66)

3) yesterday, over breakfast, anna was telling us all about how jaguars. did you know:

• jaguars are a feline, but they sometimes eat wild dogs?
• they'll hunt animals up to 160 pounds!

4) did you see that beth is blog-hosting over at write. click. scrapbook. this week? i love beth. and i love her blog. last week beth posted about her daughter's first ever muffin-tin lunch. genius! here's our own version of beth's muffin-tin lunch:

(pears, annie's bunny crackers, cheese, & plain yogurt + homemade granola parfaits)

happy friday!

unfinished projects and a little giveaway.

guilty.

i have more than a few projects that i started over break, but have yet to finish. here's the evidence:

in other random news:

... my daughter came home with a field trip form and a notice that we need to send in a check for $24. don't get me wrong, it's a COOL field trip, but doesn't that seem a little pricey?

... i made dinner last night in under 30 min. we had this, and this, and a spinach salad with this dressing. 30 minutes, people! that's a record for me!

... in addition to all the many, many unfinished projects listed above, i'm cleaning out my office, getting rid of some scrapbooking items i've yet to use and making room for some new stuff. leave me a comment by 8 pm pst telling me something you still need to finish (misery loves company, after all), and i'll draw a name to receive some fun mail. :)

... and in case you haven't popped over to write.click.scrapbook. yet this week, you're in for a real treat! jody's our hostess-with-the-mostest and you won't want to miss a single post!

happy tuesday!