tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50582295287297316772024-03-13T11:04:17.721-04:00Winds in the East...adventures in domesticity!BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-90912896408777909862014-12-01T23:12:00.001-05:002014-12-01T23:13:39.161-05:00Greeting the Season<div>
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Most likely there's no secret that I'm the biggest fan of magic,
childhood, fantasy, and enchantment. So obviously, it's my most favorite time of year. There are lights, music, wonderful
smells, and surprises at every turn. A feast for the senses! </div>
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It might help that I never quite
stopped believing in Santa. I consider it a huge honor as a parent to assist in the joy and wonder all year long, but especially now.</div>
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honestly had too many ideas and pictures to share, which has
overwhelmed me...leading me to do, well nothing really. But I will say
that those ideas and pictures have meant that we've been having fun,
creating memories, and going through the day to day rather enchantingly (minus the 3rd grade homework). <br />
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So let's just jump back on the
blog-my-life train here. Right now. My favorite traditional start of
Greeting the Season is having the cousins for a spend-over on
Thanksgiving. There is so much classic and creative play, I almost get
distracted from pulling out the Christmas decorations. <br />
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Almost.</div>
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There
are Christmas trees, cousins, and Clemson football (35-17!)...it's the
most wonderful weekend. Add in some card signing, movie matinees (Hunger Games!!!), board
games and Wii games...perfection. </div>
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Never mind the list left
to do (it's part of the fun, right?) or the mess on the porch (it wants badly
to be a garland). Let's all get Christmasing...I'm SO excited!<br />
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Seems as if Jingles the elf is well on her way to add some extra magic around here after finding Homey's drawing of her. Wonder what she's up to...BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-1882027771164643862014-11-17T21:49:00.001-05:002014-11-17T21:53:01.516-05:00Still Little<div>
There are times within most days that I think she's just getting so
grown up...</div>
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She's my sous chef, my fashion consultant, and now knows
more lyrics to top music 40 than I do. <br />
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But there are other times
that she is still my Little. </div>
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She ended her day asking to read a
children's novel we've been reading together (published in 1950), while
snuggling her most favorite Boomer the Koala.</div>
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I was reminded that there's still time
for the innocent, the wholesome, and the lovely to win the day. That's the best and coziest feeling...<br />
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Sorry rainy, cold, Monday...we beat ya today!<br />
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<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-63156687439292350162014-09-08T21:09:00.001-04:002014-09-08T21:09:50.437-04:00Project begets project: DIY Kitchen TableSometimes the goal is quite simple. But the path is ridiculously complicated. For example:<br />
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I have mentioned that my kitchen leaves a bit to be desired. But before I jump the gun on cabinets, counter tops, flooring and paint I want to know how this room wants to be used. It doesn't have excellent communication skills, kind of like my Fireplace Room. In fact, at times I think the two spaces have ganged up against me.<br />
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Here's the problem. The "eat-in" part of our kitchen is just fine for our 3 person family suppers, for play date snacks, for lunch with a friend. It is not fine for having several families over for dinner. There's just not enough room. But there has to be a solution. Since we don't need room for more than 3 people on a daily basis, we'll move the bigger table and find a smaller table for the kitchen. I had an idea where and how to use the bigger table, but finding a reasonable kitchen table was tricky.<br />
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There were several lovely and reasonable options.<br />
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IKEA <br />
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West Elm:<br />
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But call me crazy (no really, it doesn't phase me in the least!)...I felt like Goldilocks trying to find a table size that was big enough for three place settings, but compact enough to keep my kitchen workable. IKEA's 41.5 inch table was just a bit too large. West Elm's 30 inch table was too small. Plus, since I don't really quite know my end goal for the kitchen as a whole, I hated to put money into a new piece of furniture that may be a short-lived member of the family.<br /><br /><br />
At this point, it's time to squint at what existing pieces are in the
house, the attic, the garage. Or the backyard. Yes, the backyard! An
extra patio table. With a piece of plywood affixed to the wrought iron,
we could make the table whatever size we wanted. Basically for free!
With plenty of pretty table linens (vintage, anyone?!), I didn't have to
worry about having a perfect piece of furniture. Just a perfect size
to see how the kitchen would evolve. Check it out (first some before photos...so excited to have a new place to use my bigger table):<br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the table that was too tight of a fit...especially if you want to pull it out for a larger crowd. PS I can't wait to redo this kitchen!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"New" DIY table!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's not much, but thinking outside the retail box is awfully helpful sometimes...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">With a tablecloth, we have a perfect fit for now.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">With vintage linens on hand, it's actually fun finding an "outfit" for our table :)</span></td></tr>
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Next up...finish the playroom and finally give the Fireplace Room some purpose. It's been such a lazy team player so far...<br />
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<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-5700820748550738472014-09-04T08:16:00.001-04:002014-09-04T08:16:46.450-04:00Room Swap: The Our Room EditionReady for more room swap fun? Time to relocate the master bedroom. Like I mentioned in a previous post, it started to make more sense to simplify and take a smaller room as our "master". We don't have tv's, or work spaces, or reading nooks in any of our bedrooms. Ha, if I had a reading nook or chair of any kind in a bedroom, I'd never hang up another piece of clothing. At least I know this about myself. <br /><br />The most beneficial thing about moving our room is the ongoing reinvention of its overall feel. The bigger room had more than it's share of poison arrows that made it impossible to decorate. To me, decorating is so much more than finding a color and fabrics that create a cohesive and interesting room. "Decorating" to me is using things I love to create spaces that envelope you with a nice feeling; walls that live and breathe the aura of my family. If you can't look at a room in my house and either smile or squint, saying "Is that another flying pig? Huh...she's an odd lady!" then I've not done what I set out to do.<br />
<br />Take a look at our first bedroom in "as good as I can get it" mode. Note: These pictures were an afterthought and done right before we started moving it...messy and bad light. Sorry!<br />
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<br />Eh, it was okay, but there was the struggle between the very traditional matchy hand-me-downs I had, and the way I actually wanted to decorate a bedroom. Just. Wasn't. Working. Especially since the door to the wonky bathroom that leads to the ONLY back door of our house is located just outside the left edge of the picture. Weird.<br />
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Then there's this.<br /><br />
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<br />Again, that stack of prints didn't usually stay there, but this corner made me crazy. Plus it was the one visible from the hallway. I have a thing about how a room looks from a hallway. Clutter and confusion doesn't scream "welcome to my home". So now we change it all.<br /><br />Ready, set, room swap!<br /><br />
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My new idea for our room was a bit more homespun and bohemian than what we'd had in the past. Mixing textures, words, images, to make a restful and happy little place to land at the end of the day. Follow my <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/julieb325/bedroom/" target="_blank">board</a> on Pinterest to see the ideas I've got in mind for this room. <br /><br />
The snippets you'll see here are still a room in progress. The curtains aren't finished how I want them to be. The walls aren't showcasing everything I want them to. The light fixture is still very...meh. I like to
take decorating and creating a space rather slowly. Especially when I
don't have a job :) <br /><br /> I'll show you what we have done though. No matter
what, I can attest that I sleep way better in this little cocoon of a
room. We even overslept this morning. Oops. It's just that peaceful
already.<br /><br />
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<br />I did prioritize the view from the hallway. So far I like it. <br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Final curtain idea in the works; walls waiting for a little texture</span> <span style="font-size: small;">and interest.</span><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gallery wall started, certainly not finished</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I opted to use clothing storage as a bedside table. It works. The ceramic feather agrees. So does Emily Post.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This guy. I love my newspaper RCA dog. Santa gave him to me last year. Why have I not named him?!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">His grandmother's, my grandmother's. Vintage family awesomeness. Elephants and purse. They co-exist peaceably with some favorite books of mine.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">While we have a ways to go before it's how I want it, it's perfectly lovely. It's not a grand master suite, but it's all I've ever wanted in a bedroom. Cool and comfy. Full of homespun love.</span></div>
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<br />Grab a book, snug up under the covers, sleep well. There are rooms to finish swapping!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-79645096691925560562014-08-28T16:20:00.000-04:002014-08-28T16:20:08.060-04:00Ten<div>
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A decade is an peculiar amount of time. (I was going to say it's "odd", but it is in fact "even" as luck would have it.) <br /><br />In
so many ways, it feels like it was just last week. In other ways, it's
remarkable how much can happen and change in ten years.<br />
<br />Ten years. We spent the first year of marriage anticipating our
daughter. She was born about 3 weeks after our first anniversary (if
you've ever known a lady that's 38 weeks pregnant, you can imagine how
romantic that first anniversary was!). Then somehow time went by...we
bought a house to bring back to life. We made a ton of fantastic
friends. We watched our daughter ride her trike, then her bike through
the neighborhood. We lost a very special dog. We gained another dog
who's pretty daggum cool in her own right. Oh we got a weird cat too
(got to give Emilie a shout out).<br />
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Ten years...swine flu, the economic bubble, ice storms,
emotional storms. A lot has happened in ten years, but because we've
gone through it, learned and grown together it seems like it was all
just yesterday. Being married is not all fun and games. It's a
decision to love someone every single day, to be a united family front.
Most days, that's an easy decision. On occasion, it's not. <br />
<br />But that's the point...all the good and the bad; all the wonderful
and the insane...those are the things that you only have in common with
your spouse. Only time can create a relationship like that. And if you
try to do it right, that's what keeps making the friendship and love
deeper over the years. There's only one person that's in the trenches
with you every single day. Worrying over fevers, celebrating career
successes, rinsing dishes, packing lunches. No one else is quite as
"with" you in these moments as your spouse.<br />
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I am very much looking forward to the rest of this
adventure. Happy anniversary, Kevin! Ten years since I married you,
nineteen since I met you...it has just flown by. </div>
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It's always been you.</div>
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BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-30289727855532562462014-08-21T12:35:00.000-04:002014-08-21T13:08:44.527-04:00Neighborhood Halloween Fun<div>
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I have always had a hard time planning for Halloween. I'm getting
better at it though! Living in the Vortex helps. Plus I've figured out
that All Hallows Eve is 5 out of 7 times a school night. Funny how that works. So that means a
mad rush to get into the costumes that the Littles are so excited to
wear, get dinner fixed and eaten, and get to trick-or-treating all before school night
bedtime. It's exhausting, and the children are manic to go through
their candy (that they can only have a few pieces of anyway).<br /></div>
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Enter
Neighborhood Halloween Party! This is a great way to either skip
traditional trick or treating all together (some neighborhoods have very
few participating candy giver outers these days) or add some extra time
to leisurely be in costume.</div>
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I love my neighbors. Truly.
And this collaborative effort for the kids (and, um, us adults too) was
so fun. Here's the recipe that makes it work:<br /></div>
Friends!</div>
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This party is potluck style...spooky treats, prizes, decorations and
games provided by several neighbors, friends and family members. <br />
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Food!</div>
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Halloween
can make preparing the food items so fun. Just look at Tracy's
skeleton vegetable tray. She is the queen of vegetable tray art. </div>
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Individual
cups of mandarin oranges get made over into Jack O'lanterns. White
paper bags become a ghostly way to hold popcorn or snack mix. Also check out our (non candy!) favors and prizes in the Jack O'bucket. Stickers, glow sticks, straws, tattoos, pencils...all good stuff. None of it leads to maniacal children, so I'm a huge fan.<br /></div>
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<br />Hot dogs and crescent rolls make great mummies. Be sure to make the spiderweb ketchup and mustard for dipping.</div>
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And
just because there should probably be some form of candy, Reese's cups
and pretzel sticks are perfect witches' broomsticks. </div>
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<br />If
you want to go the extra step, especially if it's chilly out (you never
know here in South Carolina) make a crock pot of soup or chili to serve
with some fall ale and cider. <br /></div>
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Games!</div>
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If
you're working with a group of friends, chances are that you all have
some sort of Halloween game somewhere. The spider web toss,<br /></div>
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<br /> a themed
twister mat...the things that go on clearance and you impulse buy
because it's cute. </div>
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<br />Even if you don't have those store bought games,
here are some more fun activities the kids loved:</div>
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Toilet
paper bowling...put a pumpkin costume on rolls of toilet paper and see
if you can knock 'em all down. You could also use orange solo cups.
Our kids love building and knocking down solo cups. Best toy I ever
bought ;)<br /></div>
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<br /><br />Another brilliant idea of Heather's (and I
hope you all have a Tracy and a Heather on your street for parties like
this...they're the coolest) is marshmallow eating contests! Heather
drew ghoulish ghost faces on marshmallows with a food safe pen, and we
strung them from the ol' magnolia tree. Kids had to try to eat
them...no hands! That really kept 'em busy, let me tell ya.<br /></div>
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One
more quick and easy idea...chalkboard pumpkins!! I swear, I will
chalkboard paint anything that will sit still long enough. A can of
spray paint goes a long way, so I just picked up the craft pumpkins at
Michael's and painted them. The kids can make all sorts of Jack
O'lantern designs on these. So cute!</div>
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Just a few more pictures of all the (non school night, sans candy overload) fun. I hope you'll think about adding a get together to the Halloween plans this year.<br />
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<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-10208889350280820242014-08-14T16:43:00.000-04:002014-08-14T17:29:19.785-04:00Room swap: Her new room<div>
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Ready, set, room swap! The first room we tackled was
the Homey room. Two main reasons made this move make sense. It
was time to turn our little kid's room into a big kid room. And by
putting her in a smaller room, we could allow most of her toys and games
to relocate to a larger space. Having sleep and play space combined in
just a medium sized bedroom just wasn't working anymore. <br />
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I really did love her little girl room: </div>
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Such good memories of cribs and Little People worlds (I swear we had all of those worlds just lining the room).<br />
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Now we start new memories of Barbies and Fashion Plates. Chapter books and diaries.<br />
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All
of the furniture (mostly family pieces) was reused, the decor just got
streamlined and bit more Big Kiddish. </div>
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As far as cost was concerned, we
only bought a gallon of paint, a new quilt ($30 at Marshals), and 3 12 x12 frames (40% off 3 visits to
Michael's!) to frame our Barbie fashion art. <br />
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Plus a new
light fixture ($30 at IKEA). </div>
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Most of the fun stuff from her first room just got slightly redone in the new room.</div>
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Such
a great update for her stuff. There are still some dolls and such in
baskets under her bed, but most toys now have their own happy space down
the hall in the new playroom. And even though it's a smaller room, there is still plenty of space still for organizing fashion magazines with German Shepherds. (Does a child of mine really love fashion...this can be attributed to neither nature nor nurture.)<br />
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In the world of room swapping, just remember that now that the Homey room is done, there is an office/playroom living in the Fireplace Room and a master bedroom to move. No rest for the domestically weary!<br />
<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-46498184588621349322014-08-09T12:56:00.000-04:002014-08-14T17:11:38.567-04:00No Rules Decorating<div>
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It's no secret that we love our neighborhood. Think Ozzie and Harriet, Ward and June. Think Wally and the Beav riding bikes and trick or treating. It's just charming and friendly here. The houses are lovely, the lifestyle is perfect for our family. But the one thing that isn't lovely and perfect can be the layout and space of the houses. Each one, while full of life and character, poses it's own challenges for using the space and finding storage options. It's worth my while to figure out how to make it work so that I can continue to call The Vortex home. <br />
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A house is more than a series of walls that dictate
how we use the space within them. Depending on the layout and demographics of your home,
it's probable that at some points along the way, you want to pull your
hair out. The closet isn't big enough. The toys won't fit...where on
earth do these stuffed animals go?! My table just won't work with me in
this eat-in kitchen. I don't think families in the 1950s had nearly as many stuffed animals and small appliances as we seem to.<br />
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Buy there's nothing demanding that you use the rooms in their traditional sense. Here's what I mean:<br />
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The largest bedroom with direct access to a full bathroom does not necessarily want to be your master bedroom.<br />
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Your wonky cooking and eating space doesn't have to be so frustrating...it's just asking for a little more thought.<br />
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The
extra room with no real purpose (our infamous "Fireplace Room") can do
double duty and help alleviate some of the problems from those other
rooms.<br />
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When all your rooms start thumbing their noses at you, it's time to have a conversation with your home-sweet-home. Start reconsidering how the spaces are being used and how they could translate into easier living.<br />
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A
word of warning: If you do think room swapping is in your future, just
be ready. It's a great time to purge and organize (read: it's a hot
mess). It's a perfect opportunity to redecorate (read: you may be
repainting every single room). But it's so worth it in the end. Just be prepared to work fast because this is just one photo of the during:</div>
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Dreadful.<br />
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Follow
along with the pretty major changes we made, as we swapped the purpose
of each bedroom, introduced purpose to the Fireplace Room, and started
the journey of figuring out how to best use our kitchen.BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-88828739491262528032014-08-03T14:54:00.000-04:002014-08-03T14:54:40.822-04:00Kitchening 101<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've said this many times, but I think the best way to save money and eat well (in the sense of both taste and nutrition) is to cook mostly at home based on some sort of weekly menu. That's the first step to making feeding the crew less of chore. Because that's what it's can easily become, isn't it? Even if you like cooking with and for your family, if each step is less than convenient the process becomes something you dread.<br />
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I love cooking, reading cookbooks like they're a novel, and putting meals together into nice neat little lists. And I'm the freak that actually enjoys doing housework. Except unloading the dishwasher. I hate unloading the dishwasher! (Although I make a point to thank the dishwasher daily for making such a contribution to our household. I hate hand-washing dishes more than unloading a dishwasher). Even weirdos like me who enjoy cooking and cleaning can dread supper time when things aren't quick and easy.<br />
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So, here are a few thoughts about avoiding the inconveniences that make cooking a chore.<br />
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Know what you're having for dinner. Hemming and hawing over what to cook might have been fine when I was single, wild, and free. And it might be fun on a random date night when you choose to stay in. But day to day, knowing what you're having saves time and mental energy (things that are not usually in surplus at the end of a busy day).<br />
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Know that you have the ingredients on hand. It's helpful to have your basic meal plan before you make a grocery run. Make your list accordingly. Then you are ready to roll when it's time to cook. There will always be a time that you've missed an ingredient. It's not a complete fail when you have to run out to the store for something you're out of or text a neighbor to borrow. Luckily, Tracy is my neighbor so when you need the most exotic of ingredients, she probably has it. Alternatively, know when you can exclude an ingredient. Sometimes it won't make a huge difference.<br />
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Keep your knives sharp. When your knives are sharp, prepping anything is quick and easy. When they're not, it's a dreadful mess. <br />
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Overcome your obstacles. I have absolutely no counter space to speak of. But I do have an oversized cutting board from IKEA. It easily fits over one side of my (needs to be replaced) sink, and expands my work space. Everyone's obstacles will be different, but most can be overcome with a little brainstorming.<br />
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Finally, have a kitchen that's ready to work in. Make sure the dishwasher is unloaded before you start working. Nothing worse than a pile of pots and pans ready to wash when the dishwasher is full. If you don't have a dishwasher, and I've lived this reality, then make sure your clean dishes are put away. Hand washing loads of dishes, however, when done as a team, makes some really intimate talk time for man and wife. Or parent and child. Make the best of it if you have to. ;)<br />
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It's so cliche to say "Work smarter, not harder", but it's the truth! These things save me time and fend off frustration during the witching hour when everyone's blood sugar just plummeted. It's what turns the apron into a super-hero's cape. Give it a shot. Since I'm not immune to occasional cooking dread, comment if you have time saving advice to getting food on the table. Keep home-cooked meals fun and instead of something you don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole. I promise, you'll enjoy it (your budget will too!). <br />
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<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-67391742848085359182014-07-31T12:27:00.001-04:002014-08-03T22:12:29.168-04:00Pickled EggsThese are the people in my neighborhood.<br />
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Stand still chickens! We'll get better pictures of them next time, I promise. Perhaps a poultry pageant of sorts. <br />
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Those are actually just a few of the chickens in my neighborhood. I have the unique opportunity to be "in the city" not so far from downtown, but also directly in the middle of two great neighbor friends with six chicken each. That means, I have fresh eggs! Sometimes lots of them if we're chicken sitting. <br />
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So let's use eggs. Pickled eggs, just to be different.<br />
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Just a quick note: I love eggs and finding creative ways to use them. But I do not like hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs, or anything similar. This recipe is a favorite of the other 2/3 of the household, though. We can't all stop because of what I don't eat, right? Right.<br />
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Here's what you need:<br />
Hard boiled eggs, as many as you want to make. We usually do right at a dozen.<br />
Pickle juice<br />
Maybe a large jar if you're doing a big batch that won't fit in your existing pickle jar.<br />
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That's all! <br />
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Boiling fresh eggs is a little different. Boil the water first, then carefully lower your (very well washed) fresh eggs into the water. Make sure the water is covering the eggs. Once they're covered and boiling, set a timer for 15 minutes.<br />
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Prep a bowl of ice, so when your egg timer (Oh wait! Now I get why it's called an egg timer.) goes off, you're ready to go. Strain your eggs into a colander then put them on ice. Top off with cold water, and chill.<br />
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You can literally go chill while your eggs cool off. Homey took this opportunity to hop in her pj's...you can totally continue with your evening routine with cooking projects like this. Why not get your pj's on?<br />
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We did this little family activity one evening after dinner, so a lot of these pictures are not the best quality. And eggs and pickle juice aren't very photogenic either, I've decided. I do, however, include the above picture as an example of how all of us (minus Emilie the cat) manage to squeeze into the same square foot whenever anyone is trying to do something in this tiny kitchen of ours. All I can do is shake my head, sigh, and resign myself to appreciating that we're all here enjoying time all together. ALL here, all together. <br />
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Anyway, once the eggs are cool, just tap them on the edge of the sink and peel away!<br />
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To take regular ol' hard boiled eggs to a new level, just pull out those jars of pickle juice that you've saved. I have more reasons than just pickled eggs to save those, so just hang on to pickle juice going forward, won't you? For now, just put those eggs in the juice. Little Homey hands and arms make this an easy task. The eggs need to sit in the fridge for about a week to properly pickle. But I guarantee if you like any form of hard boiled eggs, you'll like this variation.<br />
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The insanity doesn't have to stop there, though. Tracy got us started pickling eggs when she served up some perfectly precious pink "peviled eggs". She pickles hers in beet juice! I don't eat those either! But given the way everyone but me gobbles them down, I'm betting they're good. Go get wild, and pickle an egg. <br />
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<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-87156283821283119802014-07-27T19:29:00.000-04:002014-07-27T20:52:09.250-04:00Weekend 10: Downtown editionThe Weekend 10 is a really great way to pick up your camera and really learn to get better at taking pictures. I'm thankful to<a href="http://www.libbywilliamsphotographs.com/blog/" target="_blank"> Libby Williams</a> for the idea (follow her blog, use her talent if you're close enough)...whether you're as talented as Libby or just a novice-hobbyist-picture-taker like me, this little challenge is super fun. I haven't been great about doing this regularly but certainly intend to keep it up.<br />
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Welcome to the Downtown Greenville edition. Yeah, that Greenville. My little town has gotten so big and popular. It didn't used to be like this. When I was little, there was nothing to really do downtown. Even when I was in college, there were only a few shops, a handful of restaurants, and my groovy coffee hangout.<br />
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It's not like that anymore...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So artsy!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fmkdbNp1OqY/U9V8V6F5HoI/AAAAAAAABsg/Ykfgt14817g/s1600/IMG_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fmkdbNp1OqY/U9V8V6F5HoI/AAAAAAAABsg/Ykfgt14817g/s1600/IMG_0236.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So colorful. Happy hues!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Homey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a wonderful spot for the Littles to cool off.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art and History co-existing. I love it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liberty Bridge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneak peek of the Shakespeare stage.<br />
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What a great afternoon out being a backyard tourist! We made it home before the afternoon storm. And time well spent is never wasted, not even on a lazy afternoon with nowhere to be.BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-70255768925879395072014-07-25T16:48:00.002-04:002014-07-25T16:48:52.951-04:00Christmas in July?<div>
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It's July, and most of our time has been spent swimming, playing with friends, taking long weekends at the lake. Summer stuff. I don't even want to look at the back to school ads yet.<br /><br /></div>
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So
you can imagine my surprise when my daughter woke up with a look of concern one morning this week. She had written a letter to her Elf the evening before, and there had been no response. <br />
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It's July. Are you kidding me? Elf correspondence
already? Don't those lovely creatures need a break?? It's bad enough that Jingles can't even get lovingly packed in with the Christmas decorations for a long summer's nap. It's imperative that she stay out and on display in Homey's room year round.<br />
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With no loose teeth or notable holidays in the near future, I have to
say that the magic muchness of this house must have been in hibernation. But just when it seemed our elf might not reply, Jingles sprung into action,
writing back to explain the seasons of the elves. It was something
about being on elf-cation, and that the elf community would soon be back
in full effect. Hanging out with the kids to see who's naughty, who's
nice. Watching the little humans go back to school, admiring their
Halloween costumes, and of course, getting into their Elf-taught ways of
figuring out what to put in Santa's sleigh on Christmas eve.<br /><br /></div>
Jiminey crickets. Thank goodness for Jingles. That elf
really does have the vigilance of the Tooth Fairy to keep in touch with
the Homey the way she does. I know I'm worn out just thinking about it. So Good Night, Sleep Tight! The elves and fairies have got this under control...<br />
<br />
For that I'm thankful because just today I found this...<br />
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Here's to dreaming of a white Christmas. Five months in advance. Looks like it's going to be a Very Fashion Christmas.</div>
BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-53321911872405517482014-07-23T13:52:00.001-04:002014-07-27T21:53:17.637-04:00Buttermilk Ice Cream<div>
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I doubt
it's a shock that I love most things that are quintessentially
southern. Unless we're talking squash. Or boiled okra. Don't be
mistaken, I don't love those things. </div>
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But let's talk buttermilk. Usually, as a southerner especially, you
think biscuits or fried chicken when you think about reasons to have a
carton of buttermilk in the house. However, I just remembered the idea
to use buttermilk as a dessert. A basic, and ridiculously rich, custard
ice cream is just the ticket. And what Little doesn't love the
anticipation of ice cream churning on the porch? Ah, another reason I
love summer!<br />
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The custard is a rather basic recipe. Just keep in mind that
if you're going to make southern things like mac and cheese or any
custard, you have to be ready to stir. Before you gather your
ingredients ready yourself to stir for 20-30 minutes. Collect your
iPhone and ear buds to either listen to your favorite playlist or the
newest podcast on handling Disney World like a pro while keeping it a
complete surprise from Homey. <br />
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Oh, I digress. I'll delve into that later...</div>
Now gather your ingredients. </div>
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2 cups heavy cream<br />
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided<br />
6 large egg yolks*<br />
2 cups buttermilk<br />
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or half a vanilla bean, scraped and simmered with the cream*<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
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*Varying custard type recipes will call for
varying numbers of egg yolks. Up to a dozen! I have the exceptional
opportunity to have mostly "vortex fresh" eggs in the house. They are
delicious and richer than store bought. We will use 6 (because I want
to save the whites to use later this week! I don't know what to do with
12 egg whites at the moment). Also, I'm using homemade vanilla extract,
but I would probably opt for the bean over store-bought extract. All
that to say, whatever you have on hand is completely fine.</div>
Bring the cream and sugar up to a simmer over medium heat.
Beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar. Remove the cream from the heat,
and temper the egg yolks. This is what we did on the greek chicken
soup. Carefully use a ladle to add the hot cream to the yolks to bring
it up to temperature. We don't want scrambled egg ice cream.</div>
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Once the eggs are tempered, add them to the cream, whisking
constantly over low heat. Now is when we sit and stir for a bit. When
the mixture coats the back of a spoon, it's ready. Like this:</div>
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Strain this mixture with
whatever straining mechanism you have (I don't really think you need
specialized equipment for this...there wasn't much to strain out). </div>
Now stir in the buttermilk, vanilla, and salt. Let that bowl
of awesomeness get good and cold in the fridge. Prep your ice cream
maker too. Yeah, they say "quick and easy" ice cream on your churn, but
everything needs to be cold. We must have ice and rock salt too. So
make sure you have your ducks in a row while the mixture gets cold.
This is a great make ahead dessert because it can sit in the fridge
overnight and while you prep your churn the next day. Then shock and amaze people by
serving up this rich, unique ice cream at this weekend's cookout. <br />
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<br /></div>
When you're ready, just dump the mixture into your churn, and
let it go. Let it go. Don't hold it back anymore. (I'm sorry, I love
that movie, and I'm geeked out about going to Disney World for the first
time. Please don't tell Homey she's going).</div>
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Oh how I love modern plug-it-in
ice cream churns. As much as I love the idea of Opie Taylor churning by
hand on the front porch, while Andy strums the guitar and Aunt Bea knits or mends on the
front porch, there is something in me that appreciates plugging
something in and letting it work.</div>
Give it 30-45 minutes. The first time we checked it about 30
minutes in, it was a tad goopy. We want it to hold it's shape when
we crudely swipe a finger through it.</div>
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It's so divine!
It holds together straight out of the churn, and it stays pliable days
later. Actually, with the eggs and buttermilk, it is reminiscent of licking the beater after making
pound cake.</div>
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Eat it straight up or throw in the summer staples of
peaches and blueberries...whatever you have on hand! Delightful,
sophisticated, quintessentially southern, and really quite fun and
affordable. Enjoy!BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-60068313631447324352014-07-20T18:23:00.001-04:002014-07-20T18:27:01.770-04:00New name! (Same url, for now!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a lot of thought and deliberation, I am changing the name of the blog. <br />
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It's
taken longer than I thought to actually find something fitting. I felt
like I had Hermione Grainger, Dorothy, Alice and Peter Pan all in my
head at one time. <br />
<br />
I'm not sure why most of them are British, but I knew that one of
them would show me something bloody brilliant to represent what I'm
trying to write about here. <br />
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I wanted a literary reference to
magic that could link to both children and adults . I was right. But
it was Bert from Mary Poppins that I was missing. <br />
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"Winds in the east, mist coming in. / Like somethin' is brewin' and bout
to begin. / Can't put me finger on what lies in store, / But I feel
what's to happen all happened before."<br />
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I feel like this has all be
brewin' for a while. Time to stop giving in to the industries that make
it hard to stay home with a sick child or to even take a week's
vacation. I want to fall into magic craziness like Alice, or wield a
wand and defend house elves like Hermione. I want to be the Pan like Peter. But I'm not those
people. I'm not Mary Poppins either, but I so totally identify with
her. Surly at times. Kind and understanding, most always. Providing
magic at as often as possible. I almost think I could fit a floorlamp in my
pocketbook.</div>
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Winds in the east are very rare here, just like the
chance to reinvent day to day life. I have to be very careful as I choose
my next step, but at the same time I choose to be as confident and
surefooted as Mary when she dove into the life of the Banks family. <br />
<br />
This is my family, and this is our life. We want a certain
"muchness" out of it, and this is my time to ready myself for a career
that allows me to give my magic and muchness to my family.</div>
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So I am Winds in the East. Right now, it's misty. But something is
absolutely brewing and about to begin. I can't put my finger on what is
in store. But I'm loving that no matter what, it'll be different than
before.</div>
Now I need to go watch Mary Poppins. Chim Chiroo!!BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-53453516355900463772014-07-15T15:42:00.002-04:002014-07-15T18:20:53.228-04:00Party like a Padawan<div>
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I feel the need to throw a party, but since I'm not going to just yet, here's a great one to try for your little Jedi.<br />
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There's nothing like Star Wars. Except Harry Potter. But that's a discussion for another day.<br />
<br />
Star
Wars has it all. Jedi's, good vs. evil, creatures big and small (who
doesn't love Wookies and Ewoks??). And there's Leia to give a nice
feminine edge to the whole thing. I was totally going to wear the gold
bikini to throw this party, but ya know...it didn't seem the best for
serving cake and helping with x-wing fighters. Carrie Fisher has me
beat on that one.<br />
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I was thrilled that my nephew was
going to let me try my hand at an epic Star Wars party for his birthday. The planning
turned out to be incredibly easy. It's helpful that Star Wars never
really seems to go away. I was able to find a lot of already themed
items for decor and favors, and the color scheme of black, silver, and
blue was easy to work with, too.
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This party has very similar core ingredients as any party I
throw for children. You want some theme elements in the food, decor,
and activities:<br />
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For the food, I just got creative with renaming a
couple of favorites. Drinks became Jedi Juice, Cheez-its became Darth
Cheddar, cookies became Wookie Cookies, and snack mix became Ewok
Niblets. Super easy. Even funnier, if you have something that requires
a fork, please use the label "Use the fork, Luke" on the table. That's
just hysterical, right?? Also hilarious is to serve mini pizzas and name them "Pizza the Hutt". Oh my word, that's funny. <br />
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I happened upon a cupcake set at William
Sonoma in a Star Wars theme and on sale! That was a definite way to
make things easy and affordable too. </div>
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If I had not come across that set,
I probably would have looked from something similar on Etsy. I'm just a
fan of using a themed cupcake pick; a nice alternative to a themed cake
from a store. While I love when people are talented enough to create
adorable cakes, I do not love grocery store character cakes. Oh, and
one more way to stretch that set from William Sonoma. I didn't need the
cupcake liners since I ordered the cupcakes, so I used them to line
clear plastic cups holding snack mix. A quick way to use what I had and
add to the decorations on the table.</div>
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The rest of the decorations also doubled mostly as
activities. Jedi training was a huge hit for the Littles. I made scads
of Jedi robes out of a $9 drop cloth. </div>
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Displayed on hangers from a
tree, it just takes you right back to Endor, no? After being bestowed
with the robe, each Padawan was given a light saber. We made these from
pipe insulation and colored electrical tape (far easier...and
cheaper...to wield than a pool noodle). </div>
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Now we play!<br />
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There were Stormtroopers to
fight. Just draw their weird faces on helium balloons. This little
course was so much fun. It was even fun to watch the Storm Troopers
float away through the neighborhood.</div>
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Next we made X-Wing fighters (aka paper
airplanes...so easy, and the kids were so into it!). </div>
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Winner of the
flying contest got Jedi street cred. Congrats to Emily! She nailed
it.<br />
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I made sure to meet with the birthday boy to make sure I had
relevant and accurate things to use during the party. He let me know
that there was one element that was very important to include. "Lava. I
want lava like in Episode 3." Oh dear. Okay. I'm thinking on the
inside "Are you kidding me?? That's a terrifying scene when Anikan
actually becomes Vader." But what precious child wants, he gets. The
obvious idea was to just make it a game of "the floor is lava"! Always a
classic, right? Tissue paper to mimic the fire/lava and a wooden board
from the garage to make it a bit of a challenge. This silliness was
actually the biggest hit of the party, as far as the kids were
concerned. They kept wanting to duel! </div>
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The part I liked the best was the Death Star pinata
that the Hub made. </div>
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Ah-mazing. Actually ridiculous. It took the most
man-hours and made the biggest mess of anything done for this fantastic
party, but it was so worth it. Look at it. It's amazing! Just paper
mache and some crazy dorky craftiness for us to create the crater, tape
off the lines, add the glitter. </div>
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Oh the glitter, what a mess. It takes a
special man to agree to work with glitter in his garage. It looked
like Tinkerbell's lair for quite a while. </div>
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<div>
Anyway, we packed it full with
candy and treats. Any pinata is awesome because for some reason kids
love to hit things. But to destroy the Death Star?! Yes. The
culmination of all the Jedi training we'd just done. Epic! These kids
weren't playing around. </div>
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I'm pretty sure this homemade pinata was harder
to break than store bought things like our Jabberwocky. I could be
backward on that, but I do know the Death Star was an brilliant prop
hanging over the party and an even more enjoyable activity. Kids love
to destroy things ;)</div>
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One more activity, that's easy to adapt to a lot
of party themes: the red solo cups. Build them into a pyramid, add
some Star Wars figures. Let target practice with Nerf guns ensue. The
same idea could be adapted to a water party with squirt guns. This was
the second favorite for the kids. "Again! Let me do it again!" (I
advise that you get a wing man to help you set up the pyramid over and
over again. Just a tip, but trust me on that one).</div>
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Finally, I had a quick idea to try for this
particular party. Like I mentioned, Star Wars merchandise is still
really easy to find. So as my nephew's gift to take home, I bought and
framed a Star Wars poster (seen in top picture) and used it as decoration during the party.
Depending on the theme, I think doing something similar is an excellent
idea to add to the decor and provide a (non-toy!) gift for the birthday
Kid. </div>
Off to dream up more parties! May the Force be with you always.<br />
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<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-63309900500477282682014-07-14T13:31:00.003-04:002014-07-14T13:35:26.098-04:00Meal Plan Monday--Summer Edition<div>
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I've talked about the joys of making a plan and the elation of making a list. But I have to admit, summer
meal plans are tricky for me, even though concocting a weekly meal plan
is usually one of my favorite games! In general, I think that it's
beneficial and makes sense to take an inventory of your pantry and
freezer towards the end of a week, make a general plan, and have the
supplies and plan ready to go by Sunday or Monday.<br />
</div>
But summer is so hot. And normal routines and schedules are
put on the back burner (where my mashed potatoes should be!). There are
baseball games to go to and pools to stay in until sunset. Who wants
to call everyone away from the fun at 5:30 to pull a meal together?<br />
</div>
Despite the heat and lack of motivation, there are some
wonderful things about summer eating that we need to focus on: fresh produce and grills! So to stay on task and inspired,
I've given myself a rough outline of what a week's worth of meals should
look like in the summer:<br />
</div>
1. Serious grilling.</div>
2. A form of taco.</div>
3. A form of pizza.</div>
4. Silly grilling.</div>
5. A form of breakfast.</div>
6. A meal that uses up ingredients (most likely from Serious Grilling day).<br />
</div>
A quick breakdown:</div>
<b>Serious grilling</b> will most likely
involve a wonderful cut of meat you've found on sale: rack of ribs, pork
loin, london broil, or whole chicken. Just add two sides or so. The
beauty of this meal is that not only are you feeding the family some
high quality delicious food, you will most likely have leftovers.<br />
</div>
<b>Taco dinner </b>can change every week, but it gives you a jumping
off point. Traditional beef tacos, carnitas, fish tacos, shrimp
quesadillas...there are so many variations on this simple theme to keep
dinners interesting without spending a ton of time or money.<br />
</div>
<b>Pizza dinner</b> works in very much the same way. The
possibilities are endless. I keep a pizza dough from Trader Joe's in
the freezer most of the time, and when we have random ingredients in the
fridge you've got your pizza theme. Bacon cheeseburger pizza, spinach
and mushroom pizza. Plus you can change it up by grilling pizza one
night, making mini English muffin pizzas, or a French bread pizza.<br />
</div>
<b>Silly grilling</b> is not really silly at all! But it is a safe
and easy bet, if not the healthiest choice. Think burgers, hot dogs,
kielbasa, grilled chicken for sandwiches or salads. Less hands on than
Serious Grilling, usually faster to hit the table as well. Pair with a
pasta salad and fresh tomato slices, and you're done.<br />
</div>
<b>A form of breakfast</b>. In the winter, so many cozy meals can be
served as "breakfast for dinner". In the summer, it is just too hot
for breakfast casseroles and such. But poached eggs over asparagus...wonderful!
A quiche with local produce is a fast and easy meal too. Pioneer
Woman's <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/ree-drummond-migas/" target="_blank">Migas</a> recipe will make use of the corn tortillas left over from
Some Form of Taco night. Ah, I love it when a meal plan comes together!<br />
</div>
Finally, <b>Make Use of Ingredients</b> night. Just a few examples:
if you serve a Beer Butt Chicken on Sunday, then you can debone the
chicken and make Chicken Divan or Chicken Salad. It's so much tastier
with grilled or smoked meat. If you serve a pork loin over the weekend,
then make Cuban sandwiches with the leftover slices. A perfectly
cooked flat-iron steak makes great steak sandwiches or a version of a
black-and-bleu salad later in the week. You get the idea...<br />
</div>
I only outlined 6 of my "form of..." meals since I figured you
may be able to reinvent your leftovers more than once, you may get to
eat out one evening, or maybe you take turns collaborating meals with
family and friends. This week's meal plan in the Vortex turned out pretty well. It looks like
this:</div>
Skirt steak, baked rice with mushrooms and onions, roasted parmesan asparagus. (Serious grilling)<br />
<div>
<br />
Meatballs
subs (I made <a href="http://www.dinneralovestory.com/great-grandma-turano%E2%80%99s-meatballs/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> and served it over vermicelli a couple of
weeks ago. The rest went in the freezer to have subs. Homemade
meatball subs make me so happy. It's almost too hot for a hot sandwich,
but I'll sacrifice just this once. I guess this qualifies as "Make Use
of Ingredients" night.)<br />
</div>
<div>
Traditional tacos. I'm taking the easy uninteresting way out this week. I'll get fancy next week.<br />
</div>
<div>
Steak
sandwiches with a spinach salad to use up the rest of the sub rolls and
that gorgeous steak from last night. (Another Make Use of Ingredients
night).<br />
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<div>
Spinach and bacon quiche. (Form of breakfast).<br />
</div>
<div>
Nacho
night! This should be a form of pizza night, and usually Fridays are.
But when we have traditional ol' regular tacos, I usually have
enough left over to make a tray of loaded nachos (or a taco salad if you
want to take a healthier route. I choose nachos.)<br />
. </div>
I still have Form of Pizza and Silly Grilling to consider
for my 7th night! Oh, it does feel good to not have to think about
dinner anymore this week.<br />
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Happy heat of the summer cooking! BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-60990553451416075932014-07-13T22:49:00.001-04:002014-07-13T22:51:30.404-04:00Living Intentionally<div>
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I think, once given an opportunity to just be for a
little while, that it becomes apparent what you and your family as a whole is
all about. As it relates to the blog, I've found myself wondering what
in the world to post next. When I think about it that way, I end up
with a brain full of whirling ideas...egg recipes, party ideas, places
in my town I want to showcase, decorating, and tons of anectdotal
shenanigans. When they start whirling, I end up with little time or
energy to focus on any of them.<br />
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</div>
But I have a favorite new author that has helped me change the
way I think about living, in general. Just to give a quick blurb, <a href="http://tshoxenreider.com/" target="_blank">Tsh Oxenreider</a> (not a typo...it's Tsh, pronounced Tish) has a blog and some
wonderful books that focus on the the art of simplifying. One of the
best things about her is that she focuses more on the word "intention"
than "simple". Simple can sound boring. Intention conveys a lot more.<br />
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</div>
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</div>
Understanding that one thing makes me have a focus for not
only what I want to blog, but how I want to be and how our family best
spends our life together. To put it basically, we try to live with the
space and the items we already have (swap rooms when it makes sense, use
family pieces in whatever way works best for our space...). We enjoy our
own neighborhood and the surrounding areas to foster important
relationships with friends family that helps us understand our roots in this area, but
at the same time we allow time and money for traveling to enjoy music we
love and have adventures outside of our own local niche. And we strive to use our own
hands as much as possible to improve our home, cook our meals, and
create new things to enhance the little world we live in. <br />
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To me, that's the magic. Using our ideas and hands and friends to
make things happen. Every lifetime needs a little bit of magic. I
intend to provide that.</div>
That being said, perhaps not every idea here will be original,
but if I post something it will be important to one of the ways we
choose to be intentional in our day to day. Stay tuned!BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-48077854137575216542014-07-09T15:54:00.001-04:002014-07-09T15:55:25.198-04:00Lacy Lavender Oatmeal Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u0zEBHuKr_U/U72c37tMUhI/AAAAAAAABmA/REJl_TRWtKY/s1600/6a00d83451ccbc69e20192aa3cb37c970d-400wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u0zEBHuKr_U/U72c37tMUhI/AAAAAAAABmA/REJl_TRWtKY/s1600/6a00d83451ccbc69e20192aa3cb37c970d-400wi.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
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I don't in any way consider myself to be an accomplished baker, but
it is nice having homemade cookies in the cookie jar. And we like
cooking and baking with Homey as much as possible to work on fractions and measures
and to keep her comfortable working with kitchen equipment. She's
becoming quite the sous chef! She and I decided to make this <a href="http://www.bhg.com/recipe/desserts/oatmeal-cookies/" target="_blank">oatmeal cookie</a> this week.<br />
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This is a great summer cookie. It's light and lacy, with the unexpected
hint of lavender just to be different. It's a more sophisticated take
on the basic oatmeal cookie, but the kids love these too.<br />
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I like to stick to the tried and true cookie recipes on sites Better
Homes and Gardens, as I remind you all again that I really don't bake.
This basic oatmeal cookie is consistently successful and a great base for
variations. Add raisins if you're into that kind of thing. Gross. Or
add chocolate chips for a great afternoon snack for the Littles.<br />
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I guarantee you'll have most of the basics on hand: sugars (white and
brown), baking soda and powder, quick oats, 1 1/2 sticks of butter,
cinnamon and vanilla. <br />
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To
keep things light and summery, we're going to add lavender. (Bonus points for the chipped grimy fingernails...you're only 8 once,right?) I found this at Target, so I imagine you can get it at any grocery store with a decent selection of spices.<br />
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Follow the basic recipe, omitting the cloves and adding 1 teaspoon of lavender. My batches took about 9-10 minutes, so just start watching them after around 8 minutes in case your oven is hotter than mine. The edges need to begin to brown or else the lovely laciness will turn into lovely crumbles.<br />
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Not that that's ever happened to me. Just trying to set you up to succeed.<br />
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The lavender makes you want to pull out fancy, frilly plates and invite ladies to lunch. So good! Enjoy! And I'd love more ideas for embellishing the very basics in baking. Let's just keep it very basic.<br />
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Off to repaint Homey's fingernails! :)<br />
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<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-5418124205113532012014-07-03T23:39:00.000-04:002014-07-03T23:43:15.046-04:00Summer!!<div>
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I quickly snapped this photo of the "poster wall" in
Homey's room (a rather new development that I have a love-hate relationship with ;) ). I happen to be a huge fan of Frozen; I don't even get
tired of the songs! And I
think Olaf is completely on to something here...</div>
<div>
<br />
I
have absolutely always loved the idea of summer. Long days, lightning
bugs, ocean waves...all of these things point directly to family and
freedom.<br />
<br />
As a mother, though, it's been one of my more difficult
seasons. I'm so glad for my daughter to have a much deserved break from
school. I'm so glad that the neighborhood comes alive with grills lit
and cooking, children playing, and friends hanging out at a more
leisurely pace. But working full time takes a little bit of that summer
joy away. Maybe not for the children, but as a mother, for me, it
does. When a mom works full time, you still have to get the kiddo up at
an early hour, and maybe even drive further than you would for school
for day camp. Plus, I'm just missing out on seeing or being a part of all the fun she's having. A lot of moms do it and do it well, but it's never
settled well with me. </div>
<br />
So when my company was sold and my
position eliminated a couple weeks ago, I do have to say that I thought
of Olaf. Oh I've always loved the idea of summer!! </div>
<br />
Being
in between jobs...careers even, is not necessarily ideal, but the timing to regroup
could not be better for the mother in me. And the blogger in me. I
don't have an exact plan. I'm not sure I need one quite yet. The one
thing that has resonated in my head ever since "the transition" is Psalm
46:10 "Be still and and know that I am God." He doesn't want me to
worry. He wants me to trust His plan. Because it's way better than
anything I could think up.<br />
<br />
<br />
So for right now, how about let's be a mom and blogger. I'll be still and listen for the next step.</div>
It's
hot as all get out down in South Carolina, so I'm looking forward to
some really good air conditioned blogging time in the heat of the day.
The rest of the time, I'll be trying out some projects or recipes that
I've been meaning to get my hands on, tweaking my blogging skills, and
playing with my Little. Homey and I have a lot of things we want to do
with our time together...might make for some entertaining anecdotes. I
can almost guarantee it will. </div>
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Happy Summer!!BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-78687616041408748252014-06-01T23:09:00.000-04:002014-06-02T07:55:33.731-04:00#Weekend10, or, maybe 6...I heard about the Weekend 10 project through a friend of a friend who's an<a href="http://libbywilliamsphotoblog.com/?p=1609" target="_blank"> amazing photographer.</a> It's a great idea! Pick up your camera...your DSLR, your point and shoot, your iPhone. Just pick it up and take pictures. Usually for me that's an easy game. I take tons of pictures. I try to shoot well, but I'm no photographer.<br />
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Even still, I'm game for posting the best shots I got from the weekend:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9791-H-8CQ/U4vjoFVPQ1I/AAAAAAAABj8/jlXO6Yji1Ws/s1600/photo(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z9791-H-8CQ/U4vjoFVPQ1I/AAAAAAAABj8/jlXO6Yji1Ws/s1600/photo(3).JPG" height="640" width="442" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Taken after swimming in the evening, but the blur factor reminds me that time flies when you have a Little. How is she already so big, so strong, so able?! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AZQ8XTRjY4g/U4vjqVOzU8I/AAAAAAAABkI/eo4Bu02xkzI/s1600/photo(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AZQ8XTRjY4g/U4vjqVOzU8I/AAAAAAAABkI/eo4Bu02xkzI/s1600/photo(4).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">My magnolia. Just a quick snap while walking down my driveway. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4IkVvLIFG1w/U4vjpGuOQ0I/AAAAAAAABkE/HoDaRLCdBb8/s1600/photo(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4IkVvLIFG1w/U4vjpGuOQ0I/AAAAAAAABkE/HoDaRLCdBb8/s1600/photo(5).JPG" height="640" width="560" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wish you could smell it!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-04swUywRU_g/U4vjuBMkhtI/AAAAAAAABkU/bSbUSnDpKJU/s1600/photo(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-04swUywRU_g/U4vjuBMkhtI/AAAAAAAABkU/bSbUSnDpKJU/s1600/photo(6).JPG" height="614" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Playing with my Meg. My shadow looks like a clothespin doll. Whatever...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0vb-wDaQkw/U4vjvvrfvAI/AAAAAAAABkc/axGDM5XcvKA/s1600/photo(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C0vb-wDaQkw/U4vjvvrfvAI/AAAAAAAABkc/axGDM5XcvKA/s1600/photo(7).JPG" height="506" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Emilie the Cat eating Meg's birthday dinner.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HwMnzPKNEvg/U4vmqNMSkfI/AAAAAAAABko/zkradjMgiSg/s1600/photo(8).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HwMnzPKNEvg/U4vmqNMSkfI/AAAAAAAABko/zkradjMgiSg/s1600/photo(8).JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Megsy, my Birthday Girl.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-31928556996203086512014-05-30T09:38:00.000-04:002014-05-30T11:25:02.360-04:00Decorate-A-Doormat<div>
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Sometimes things around this house just need a "well, that's better!" moment. </div>
I'm
all about adding a little quirky and fun into whatever real grown-up
living is supposed to be about. This isn't rocket science or creative
brilliance, necessarily. It's just taking a fun idea and actually doing
it. Or displaying Nanoblox on the piano. Or decorating with flying
pigs. We'll get to some of those things later, I promise.</div>
Today, we're just working with a typical doormat. A two
dollar plain grass-woven doormat from IKEA. In five minutes, you can
personalize it however you want. I just wanted something very
understated, small, and sweet. Grab a permanent marker; it's all you'll
need!<br />
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I will say that writing on these mats is not totally
easy. First of all, it's permanent. That's what has kept me from
pulling the trigger on this quick project. Sure, I can go get another
$2 doormat, but IKEA is an hour and a half from here, and I can't find
the same type mat locally (mostly due to my inner agoraphobia, aka I
don't like to shop. I'm sure a similar mat is out there somewhere in my
town...).</div>
After getting over the "I might mess up!"
anxiety, I just grabbed the marker and gave Homey the camera. I had a
quick plan for "I might mess up!" and decided I'd just create some
sort of border with the marker to cover up a mistake. Having an "I might mess up!" plan might just light the fire to actually try a project you're hesitant about. Trust me.</div>
Here's the quick and simple info:</div>
Decide what to write. I decided on something genius like "hello". That's awesome, right?</div>
Space
it out on the mat. I used the "air writing" method, very similar to
air guitar to those that are familiar. If a stencil feels easier, then
by all means, give it a try.<br />
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</div>
Ok, just do it. Write the
word already. Like I said, it's not super easy to just flow over the
grass matting, but go slow and steady. Go back and fill in. Sink the
marker down as needed to get low spots. That's all!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K0cafz5VbSI/U4iJWUz4maI/AAAAAAAABjI/OY4rDJeXIr4/s1600/IMG_4788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K0cafz5VbSI/U4iJWUz4maI/AAAAAAAABjI/OY4rDJeXIr4/s1600/IMG_4788.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Photo creds to my homey Homey.<br />
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BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-79560213806843346812014-05-27T16:19:00.000-04:002014-05-27T22:37:16.366-04:00Front Porchin' It<div>
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The porch. </div>
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<div>
<br />
<br />
To me, both of my porches
are more of a living room than my actual living room ever will be. I
don't sit on my own couch very often. Usually I am on one of my porches. I've even actually managed to turn the word porch into a verb somehow. I do weird things like that sometimes.</div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
It's why we ended up here, in our perfectly weird house. Upon driving up to see yet another house with our realtor, I remember saying enthusiastically "Can we buy it?! Can I have it?!" before even walking inside. The front porch just spoke to me.</div>
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This brings us to right this second, seven years later, when I'm still sitting on the front porch, typing. Because it's just my favorite place here. </div>
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Here's why I need to be on the porch. It gives me sunshine and fresh air. I can
therapeutically sweat out the cares of the day in the late afternoon sun
here. It affords me both the ability to be at home and interact
with the outside world. New neighbors, old neighbors. If it's not
between November and February here, we're all out for one reason or
another. Yards to weed, bikes to ride, cartwheels to turn, neighborhood
blocks to be run (do I really have to run today??). There's a chance
to catch up with someone a few doors down, return a dish from a recipe
someone shared, or just throw a hand up to wave at someone passing by.</div>
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Since I spend so much time here, on my trusty porch,
I finally felt like it really needed to be treated like a room instead of an afterthought.</div>
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The bare bones version is this: my awesome porch swing and my vintage bouncy chair.</div>
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It's
okay like this. The swing itself is freakin' fantastic. It has cup
holders! But the space as a whole was just deserving a little more love
considering how much we use it.</div>
Like the rest of this house...the front porch
is wonky. It's not symmetrical, nothing quite fits where you want it
to. But regardless...we'll just figure it out! Ready? Let's go.<br />
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So much better! I anchored the sitting area with a $30 outdoor rug from Target. It defines the space, and adds the first layer of softness and texture to the hard brick and wood of the porch. I also added some pillows, almost for free! The middle pillow is an Etsy find, and I made the other two out of a $7 drop cloth (with tons of fabric to spare). I hand painted our house number and a graphic ginko leaf to add a little personality. They actually wash pretty well!<br />
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For form and function purposes, I added an existing white melamine tray to the end table. It adds contrast in texture and color, plus it adds a great sturdy surface for drinks and snacks.<br />
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Also "free-ish" is the throw on the back on the swing. It's actually a swim suit cover from Old Navy. I'll just grab it when I need it but leave it here in the meantime. Makes a great picnic or play blanket for all the time we spend in the yard!<br />
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The other end of the looks way more alive and lovely with some container plants and a vintage plant stand. I'm not allowed to touch the plants, as they'll die upon contact. But I really do enjoy them as long as someone else is taking care of them. Thanks JMom! I love that we planted out the old mailbox. Since they discontinued mail delivery to the door a few years ago, I figured it would make a great repurposed planter.<br />
<br />
Now, it's time to go porch it and see what's going on in the Vortex. BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-76284484929043102352014-04-30T21:59:00.002-04:002014-04-30T21:59:38.186-04:00Spinach smoothie<div>
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Energy is a tricky thing. Like "spare time", there's never enough of it no matter what stage of life you're in. Right now, I'm in a work full-time, still get in all my domesticity, continue to start and/or finish projects on the house, and have significant play time with the family kind of stage. Oh, and try super hard to establish a successful blog kind of stage too. So, I'm tired. Who knew I'd find a golden energy source in a silly little green smoothie.</div>
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Green smoothies have become very trendy lately. Any time
I scroll through Pinterest, there's another version to try. As with
most food trends, I find it easy to stop clicking on the pins altogether
and disengage. Especially something like smoothies. Almost every
single recipe has some banana in it. If you know me at all, you know
that to say I have an aversion to bananas is an understatement.
Blech--I can't stand those things! I'm really glad I didn't skip over
the green smoothie though. No banana required! (Continue to support your favorite banana farm though if you can stomach those buggers. I hear they're a great source of potassium!)<br />
</div>
At first the thought of drinking spinach made me very wary. I
love spinach--cooked, raw, wilted--I love all of it. Sipping it
through a straw made me very uneasy though. Turns out it's delicious!
Addicting even. <br />
<br />Here's what's addicting about it. Yeah, it's a healthy snack. But
most healthy snacks honestly leave me still starving and unfulfilled in
general. This smoothie, especially as an addition to your morning
routine, will give you an amazing boost. I'm used to powering through
the first half of the day jacked up on caffeine. But the jittery
feeling that comes along with energy is so unnerving. The spinach
smoothie just gives you complete energy. To the point of watching how
late in the day you drink one. Past a certain point, your second wind
may turn into a third wind. You may never get to sleep! </div>
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But boy, were
you productive!! ;)<br />
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Here's what you'll need:</div>
<div>
Fresh spinach (I use baby spinach leaves)</div>
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1 apple. Any apple.</div>
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1 stalk of fresh pineapple</div>
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frozen berries</div>
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I have a rather stout Cuisinart blender, so I let it do most of the
work. Cut the apple from the core in chunks, cut the pineapple into
large pieces, throw in a generous handful of spinach leaves, then a
smattering of frozen berries.</div>
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Add just a bit of water, just enough to help it blend.</div>
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Then
blend! I use the "ice crush" setting on my blender. It takes a few
goes to get the mixture whirling. If fact, I often have to shake the
pitcher a few times to help it along. Once it gets going though, you've
got an amazingly healthy beverage. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlMjctaVOg4/U2GpZsuY7gI/AAAAAAAABgM/Y1AcoKLmK-Q/s1600/IMG_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WlMjctaVOg4/U2GpZsuY7gI/AAAAAAAABgM/Y1AcoKLmK-Q/s1600/IMG_0136.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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It's really thick; reminds me of applesauce, with a
definite berry flavor. The pineapple really only lends a bit of
sweetness, and the spinach gives it an earthy wonderfulness. All three of us have really gotten hooked.</div>
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Of
course there are a myriad of smoothie concoctions out there, all of
which are probably healthier than most go-to drinks or snacks.
Check out this list of recipes by A Beautiful Mess for more ideas: <a href="http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2013/08/its-smoothie-time-.html" target="_blank">http://www.abeautifulmess.com/<wbr></wbr>2013/08/its-smoothie-time-.<wbr></wbr>html</a>BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-27950240237986786652014-04-22T22:24:00.000-04:002014-04-30T22:03:58.567-04:00Homey's Adventures in Wonderland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLb30zGHS5U/U0INnQ2ElZI/AAAAAAAABas/iwQL_1zJqIw/s1600/292743_10150366617848816_543273165_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tLb30zGHS5U/U0INnQ2ElZI/AAAAAAAABas/iwQL_1zJqIw/s1600/292743_10150366617848816_543273165_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
You can see the planning process and back story <a href="http://2busybs.blogspot.com/2011/02/anatomy-of-birthday-party-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a> and<a href="http://2busybs.blogspot.com/2011/02/anatomy-of-birthday-party-part-1.html" target="_blank"> here</a>. <br />
<br />
As
previously mentioned in the other posts, it's a priority of mine to
make magic out of a birthday. That's doesn't have to be expensive! You
can use things you already have or buy ahead. Can this sweet little dress from Target be an Easter
dress? Can she also use it during her Alice party if we add a little white apron? Can she be Alice
again for Halloween and "storybook character" day at school. Yes. It's
done.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Buy real clothes that lend a nod to the theme you have in
mind. It will serve you well! Then delve into the story.</span></td></tr>
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Wonderland
is an intriguing, exciting, and magical place to be. So let's pick
apart a few elements and make them work to create a bit of magic for the
children. <br />
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In this particular case, there are clocks, mirrors, decks of
cards, hats, roses, and many beautiful quotes. When you get
past the gimmicky silliness of most "theme" parties, you can make a
more in depth personal magic for the children. Just got to get started a
little bit earlier.<br />
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Here are the details for Alice:<br />
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There has to be a tea party (also known as: the children have to eat). For the menu, we did a simple little spread: <br />
Sandwiches cut to look like cards in a deck (shapes cut out of fruit roll-ups)<br />
Heart pastries (palmiers from Trader Joe's)<br />
Lemonade for "tea"<br />
Assorted fruit to round out the lovely snack<br />
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For decor on the kids tea table, I pulled from what I had with a few small additions. A vintage table cloth, in Alice blue, worked perfectly. I added some cake plates in varying heights to hold the food. We made color copies of a vintage Alice in Wonderland book (text pages and illustrated pages), cut with shears and tied together with ribbon to make a table runner. A<a href="http://www.miceonmain.com/mousehunthints.html"> Mice on Main</a> figure as the dormouse sleeping in a teacup round out the decorations. <br />
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Like a lot of children's parties, there was a significant adult presence, so we had a separate food table for us grown ups.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Setting up the other food table up inside, is another chance to bring the "world" we've created to life. Along with showcasing the birthday cake (away from bugs, heat, and little adorable grimy icing-hungry fingers), the indoor table is perfect for more quotes, decorations, and nods to Wonderland. It spreads the magic and gives the adults a chance to take advantage of the air conditioning and grown-up conversation. At a 6 year old's birthday party, those are both huge. Speaking of grown-ups...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had a brilliant idea right before this party. Literally the day before the party. I went to the local beer and wine store to find a lovely beverage to tie into the theme. Even asked the guy working there if they might have a label that featured a caterpillar with a hookah. Maybe I went a little to far on that one. But look what he did find...are you kidding me?? Who knew there was Mad Hatter IPA?! We'll take it.</span></td></tr>
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In true "we're all mad here!" style, I tend to get a little, um...specific for my cake orders at the bakery. For our party in Wonderland, I really wanted a cake similar to the Disney version. <br />
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It's a time honored family tradition to get a cake from <a href="http://strossners.com/" target="_blank">Strossners</a>,
a local bakery that tickles your senses the second you walk in the
door. The smell of sugar and the artfully done cakes and pastries
provide a magical place to spend time taking home special treats or
ordering the annual birthday cake. I think they may dread seeing me
walk in the door during birthday season, as there's a tendency to turn
the order sheet over and draw what I want the cake to look like. I
really need to let go sometimes. They did a great job putting my scattered ideas together for this!<br />
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I find that it's easy to get caught up in the pretties of the party,
creating the landscape, perfecting the menu (simple as it was). For a
child's birthday party, I suppose the children will want, well,
activities. Games and shenanigans to burn off the excitement and
sugar. Keeping in mind that this and that most of our parties are equally
split between little girls and little boys, I couldn' expect a tea party
to tide them over for long. So let's play!</div>
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One of the main
parts of the Alice story is croquet. Not everyone has croquet handy.
Honestly, I wouldn't have if we hadn't acquired a vintage set from a
family member. Since I like to take it to the next level, I figured I
could mimic the card figure wickets by adhering inexpensive cards to our
wire wickets. Cute, no?<br />
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There was also the chance to play dress up, Mad Hatter style. I
collected various hat and headbands...flower headbands for the talking
flowers, Tweedle Dee/Dum whirly-gig hats for the fellas, and various
other fun hats in a hatbox I usually store scarves and purses in. With a
little mirror and the fun quote from the Caterpillar "Who Aaaare You?",
it created a fun pretend play area for the littles. Plus, these little
adornments were part of the take home favor. Kill two birds with one
stone? Yes, please!<br />
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Lastly, and most proudly, is our pinata. I think the pinata idea is a
great idea for most parties. Plus, I've decided that these days they
can be adapted to most themes. There was an epiphany moment while deep
in the Wonderland of brainstorming that I decided that we should Slay the
Jabberwocky. Fantastic! It lends a slightly darker, less girly angle
to the party. And for the kids, it's really just a great reason to beat
the dickens out of this papier mache dragon. Great fun!<br />
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Finally, it's time for favors. <br />
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They've picked their hats to
take home, but a few more trinkets never hurt anyone. Since it was
everyone else's "un-birthday", I chose that quote for the favor bag
label. The bags included silly straws, pocket mirrors for girls, decks
of cards for boys, and Pepperidge Farm chess cookies.<br />
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We may all be mad here, but this was a fun and magical party. Full of Wonder like it was intended to be. <br />
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*Special
thanks to Grammy for lending her backyard and house since we had some
unfortunate house repairs come up right before Go Time*<br />
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BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5058229528729731677.post-457657205666354622014-04-16T07:00:00.000-04:002014-04-20T17:23:57.713-04:00Her point of view<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Her point of view. Her take on life. I hear it all the time, and I don't listen enough. But every day I try to be more in tune to what she's seeing through her little eyes. She'll never be this age again, so I'm trying to soak up her 8 year old soul.<br />
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She knows things that I'm not immediately cognizant of. Her thoughts are a reminder of what daily life is all about.<br />
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She woke up at JMom's after a spend-over (also known as a sleep over crossed with a spend the night party) just this past weekend and said "I love the smell of morning". She knows that the day has just started and anything is possible. Nothing's gone wrong or haywire. It's going to be a great day full of fun, good food, and family. I want to love the smell of morning like she does.<br />
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Once she was back home, we resumed the normal weekend routine. Sunday morning, we went to church. Any kiddo can get a little restless in a church service, so we usually have a little something for her to do during the service. If for no other reason than to save the offering envelopes that the church paid for. (I drew on those a LOT!)<br />
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As long as she stops to pray, participate in the readings, and stand to sing the hymns. For the second time in as many weeks, I've noticed that she literally pumps her fists (hissing "Yessss!") when we get to the Gloria Patri. As a long time fan of traditional hymns, I think fist pumping is completely appropriate. I have no doubt that Heaven is full of such excited shenanigans!<br />
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But it took an 8 year old to remind me of these things.<br />
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For tomorrow, I think I'll try to see what morning smells like while humming the Gloria Patri. That cannot be a bad start to my day. BusyBshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09931121910242315573noreply@blogger.com0