Seriously Behind

This is going to be one huge round up of projects. Huge [I didn't realize I was so far behind. Not as far behind as I originally thought. Thank heavens]! If it's not your thing, that's too bad. I sure had fun making them!

This is a party in a box. A birthday party to be exact. I revisited the party popper idea from a few months ago. I always wonder if they actually pop like they're supposed to. *B* was getting really irritated with me because I kept popping them off and he kept having to reset them. Not to mention the confetti I was getting everywhere. I don't know what his deal was. He understands prototypes ;). After all, I had changed the confetti I used and needed to make sure it wasn't too heavy. A few different times. I seriously get the biggest kick out of them. They make me happy.

This is the label for said party in a box.  It's always really exciting to get a sneak preview of  fun contents with a pretty package label. I have happy mail aspirations.

Because of my happy mail aspirations I started working on a postcard pack with quotes and words of encouragement instead of photos. I have been really inspired lately by words and the different and wonderful ways people are putting them together. I love postcards. I love that every person who touches it from here to there gets the message. Which is why I thought word art was perfect for this sort of thing [and just in case you were wondering it was the purple card letter cutting that led to the previously mentioned hair cutting]. As I was formatting the postcards for printing I realized that if I just dropped in a photo and some journaling I would have some pretty cute layouts. Sweet! Bonus pages.

And just a little peek at the postcards. All cut out and tied up with a ribbon. Way to much fun. Now... who to send them to?

The end. For now.

Girl Friday

This girl gave herself her very first haircut on Monday. I was really hoping that by never mentioning hair and cut in the same sentence that we would just tip-toe past this phase that kids seem to go through. I was really, really hoping. We were cutting out letters from paper and it must have been when I turned to scan them into the computer she worked her magic on her hair. I didn't even notice until quite a bit later -- she had walked away from the project while I was busy with the scanner. When I saw her pretty little blonde curls on the table my heart fell. I immediately went to inspect the damages. Thankfully it wasn't too bad. Especially with the rest of her hair down around her face. I pulled it back for the photo. She seemed to only cut the parts that tend to hang in her face. On Tuesday I took the girl to get her hair fixed. After it was washed and combed the stylist informed me that she had cut quite a lot in the back as well so a pretty big trim was necessary. Hmm. I wondered where all that hair went? On Tuesday night *B* found quite a large pile of cute little blonde curls under his fishing bag. The Girl hid the evidence. Sheesh.

This mom gets her hair cut approximately once every three years. I just don't have the patience for it. The benefit to doing it this way is that, by the time I get around to cutting it, my hair is long enough to donate to locks of love. It really does grow insanely fast. So here I am. Shopping around for a cute haircut. Suggestions welcomed.

ps. That's blueberries on her face.

More Than That

On Saturday night I attended the annual Relief Society meeting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As always it was amazing and inspiring. Sister Beck opened the meeting. In her talk she paraphrased Christ teaching Martha she said something to the effect of, "you could be doing more than that." That really hit me. I thought, how could I possibly be doing more? And after thinking about it [and putting it into it's correct context - because, well, that's always a good idea] it wrapped back around nicely to be tied up in a pretty bow of less is more. And then Elder Uchtdorf talked about good sacrifices. "Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?" Probably the thing I most needed to hear right now. Funny how that works.I chuckled when they announce that Elder Uchtdorf would be speaking. I leaned over to my friend and commented that he is such a fabulous champion for women that they seem to be pigeon holing him to the cause. And then it occurred to me that he is probably the priesthood leader specifically assigned to watch over the organization. I always enjoy hearing him speak to us. His genuine love and caring for women is apparent. 

I loved when he mentioned spending many hours stitching the title of the lesson onto potholders for every member of the class. This is where the whole "less is more" thing really came together for me and I had an epiphany... Martha = Martha. Don't get me wrong. I love Martha Stewart. I think she's brilliant and these types of things make life fun. However, if I'm feeling overly stressed about something I now have a guide to step back and ask myself, "is this something Martha would do?" If it is perhaps I need to sacrifice it for something better.

Girl Friday

This girl was thrilled when one of the neighbor grandmas let her borrow a huge box of Barbie dolls. Thrilled. I love that she hates it when they're naked. She likes to change their clothes, but is quick to let me know that running around naked isn't okay. They need to get dressed. Did you know Barbie is evolving? There's quite a variety here. Some with the typical big chest/ skinny waist/ big hips, some with not so big chests, some with not so defined waist/hips. It's kinda nice to see that they're making new molds. Her favorite is Erika from Barbie in The Princess and the Pauper movie. She sings. And The Girl sings along. I love that.

This momma was inspired by an intriguing question [asked by the fabulous, and always inspiring, Kal Barteski] that was right up my alley. How are you evolving? Life is constantly changing. I am regularly trying on new hats, wearing them around for a while, taking note of what I like and what I don't, so that hopefully the next hat will be a better fit. Right now I'm making more of an effort to take our food back to basics. I've started making my own yogurt. We're implementing the use of more whole grains like amaranth and millet. We've bottled up loads of vegetable soup/salsa from our garden. Oh, and we got chickens. I think I might be evolving into an urban farmer. It makes me happy. 

ps. We survived our trip. More on that later. I'm working on a video...

pps. If any of my favorite thrifty yard sale ladies ever stumble across a batch of Barbies that are in good condition for what you consider a good price [I haven't the foggiest] I would love you forever if you'd snag it for me. The girl will love you forever as well. Promise.

2.for.Tuesday

Today I am...

one: here.

two: and here.

Girl Friday

This silly girl will occasionally have breathing issues. It started when she was 5 months old and hospitalized for three days with pneumonia/dehydration. Since then we've run the gamut of nebulizer treatments and doctor visits with the occasional trip to the ER. This weekend we rushed down off the mountain after we ran out of medicine and she was not breathing any easier. After getting her blood oxygen level checked we were advised to go home, give her a breathing treatment and take her to the ER if she didn't improve. A few hours later we found ourselves in the ER. Girlie has pneumonia. She also loves blueberries.

This silly momma will occasionally have issues that involve awareness/backbone. After putting The Girl on oxygen, giving her the appropriate medications and waiting for what I am assuming to be an appropriate amount of time, the doctor came in and said he was taker her off the oxygen for 10 minutes to see what her blood oxygen level was holding at. After about 6 minutes her saturation level was 92 or 93%. He put her back on the oxygen, stating that her level was dropping too fast, and said he was admitting her to the hospital. Now here's where the awareness/backbone part would be helpful. Good questions to ask: At what point does her blood oxygen saturation level become unacceptable? Is admitting her to the hospital really necessary? Could we wait a bit longer and check it again before proceeding? All excellent questions I thought of after being with her in the hospital overnight and into the afternoon [while we waited for our pediatrician to make his way over and discharge her]. On the children's floor her blood/oxygen saturation level hovered around 89-90%. They monitored her levels but never once put her on oxygen - when I asked if she needed it [I believe my exact words were - in reference to the tiny oxygen mask the ambulance transport people left, "So, does she not need this?"] they said her levels were fine. And here I though the only reason she was admitted was because she had to be on oxygen. Silly me.

ps. I like blueberries too.

pps. In case you were wondering, the girl is fine. Wild and crazy, as per usual.