All Sam's Idea

The End...

2011-09-26T16:55:00.002-04:00

I've gone back and forth, back and forth, about what to do here on All Sam's Idea. The truth is, I adore this blog, and all the content I have created here. I also adore my readers, very much. I don't want to see any of it go.

That being said, I need to consider the fact that I just don't have the time to keep up with it. Having a purely personal blog just doesn't fit into my schedule right now. As much as I love this blog, it's time to move on.

I truly hope you move with me though, over to my new blog, Chica Cheeks, which will, like All Sam's Idea, be a mix of life, crafts, and fun. If you liked what I have been posting here, I think you'll enjoy what I have going on over there too. :) Chica Cheeks is very new (I just published my 15th post) but I already love it and, more importantly, I love writing it.

Check out my new blog!

Thank you so much everyone! Thanks for reading, for commenting, for your support, and for being my friend over the last 3.5 years. *hugs to you*

Day 30: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-16T09:34:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of yourself and a family member.

Erin and I at one of the many Red Sox games we went to when we lived in Boston. She would drive down from Vermont often to hang out with us for the weekend. The look on her face when she knew that Papelbon was coming out to pitch was totally priceless too. So glad she's a baseball fan now. :)

Day 29: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of something you did that you never thought you would.

Me? Run? On purpose? I used to fake a stomach ache to get out of that day of gym class when we had to run a mile. I used to think that the only way I would run at all was if I was being chased by something that wanted to eat me, like a bear or panther or I particularly hungry turtle (don't laugh, turtles can be vicious). Now, though, with my runner husband influencing me, every time I go to one of his races as a spectator I wish I wasn't just a spectator. It's an awesome crowd, and one that I need to get even more involved in. I feel like I did a very "Minnesota" thing though, running two 5k's this winter in freezing weather. (16 degrees out and wind coming off the lake we were running around. I thought my lungs would freeze from the inside out!) It was fun though and I would certainly do it again. And I will. :)

Day 28: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-14T09:08:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of your hobby.

I started sewing when Kristen and I bought the same sewing machine because we just wanted to learn, and we figured that it would be easier to learn together (which it totally was!) I regret not learning sooner since I love it so much. Fabric is my new addiction (when I was scrapbooking regularly it was paper) and I'm totally ok with it. If you don't know how to sew but would like to learn, buy a book, google some things, get a machine, and just start. It's not as intimidating as it seems. (Also, as you can see in the photo, Everett is really good at laying on my foot petal. :))

Day 27: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-13T09:32:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of something that means a lot to you.

I recently blogged about this necklace that my friend Sue got me, but I'd like to mention again that it makes me so happy every time I wear it. It's so special and I cherish it.

Day 26: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-12T09:45:00.001-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of someone you miss.

Every single day I wonder why the heck we moved away from Boston, away from my best friend. Instead of hanging out every weekend and getting drunk together on random Tuesday nights (of course that happened) we now see each other just a handful of times a year. We talk a bunch online, text and FaceTime and email and chat, but of course it's not the same as actually getting to hang out, with no plan, just being together watching random movies and eating her amazing cooking. Hopefully someday we will live closer to each other and I won't have to miss her so much. Mwah girl!

Day 25: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-11T09:44:00.002-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture that can always make you smile.

Part of a seriously awesome visit when Kristen came to see my last Spring... I took her to the famous Spoon and Cherry in Minneapolis and, since she had a new camera to put to use, we took advantage of it. She propped it up on her camera bag and set the timer and ran to me, laying in the grass. It was a fantastic day full of touristing (yes, that's a word now), laughing, good food, photos, and fun, and this photo makes me think of all those things, and how silly we are together. :)

Day 24: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-10T09:25:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of your day.

Most of my days involve writing/blogging or crafting and photo editing (to be published on blogs). I work at home, which is amazing and I am so grateful to get to. It's not exciting, but I love it and it's the right thing for me right now. I do something every day that I enjoy and I am comfortable doing. Not many people can say that and I am so appreciative that I can.

Day 23: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-09T09:18:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of your favorite book.

My favorite book of all time is Lamb by Christopher Moore. If you are very religious, then perhaps this isn't the book for you, however, if you have a sense of humor of any kind, you should check it out. I don't re-read books very often, but I have read this book 3 times. It's just so imaginative and out of the box and just a really great story that always makes me giggle.

Day 22: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-08T09:35:00.003-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture from your favorite vacation.

So far, our honeymoon in Aruba was the best vacation yet. This isn't just because it lasted 2 weeks (though that did make it quite amazing in itself) but because we were just us, doing our thing, relaxing and drinking and having a good time celebrating our marriage. This photo is one of my absolute favorites of Jason and I. It was our first night there and this restaurant was right next to our hotel, so we thought it would be perfect to check out since we traveled all day and didn't want to seek out anything too far. The restaurant is actually up two flights of stairs and completely open air, so you can see the ocean really well. We got upstairs, got seated, ordered our drinks (tropical fun ones since we were on an island!) and they brought us these huge glasses, a full liter, of mixed drink deliciousness... each! We had a great dinner, another round of fruity drinks, hopped off our stools, and then felt just what was in those drinks besides fruit. Rum. Lots of rum. We stumbled away giggling and reached the top of the stairs to get back down to the street. Oh crap. We did not think this through. Holding onto the handrails and giggling even more, we made our way safely to the street and to the sign that is behind us in this photo. I had to have us pose for this photo, on the first night of our honeymoon. Jason's shirt is askew, my hair coming down from it's clip, our faces are flushed, and my smile is bright. It was such a great night, a happy memory, and an amazing vacation.

Day 21: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-07T09:21:00.003-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture from the best day of your life.

Hands down the best day of my life was my wedding day. I couldn't (and can't) remember a day when I was more happy, more content, or had more fun than on that day. It's an incredible thing to experience all those people in your life who you adore, come together as one to celebrate the relationship you have with your partner and your future together. It's seriously incredible and I savored every moment of that day.

Oh, hey, this prompt just happened to fall on today, July 7th, our 4 year wedding anniversary! HOLY CRAP! 4 years! I honestly can't believe it's been that long. It seems like it was last summer, at the most. I can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. We have so much fun together, love spending time with one another, and just love each other so much. I am the luckiest girl ever. I love you honey, until the day after forever!

Day 20: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-06T09:01:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

Ideally Italy and Greece would be part of the same trip. I've actually blogged about it before. It's one of those things that I just need to see for myself.

Day 19: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture and a letter.

Dear Me (and anyone else who may need to hear these words),
Keep being yourself. Maybe even try harder to be yourself.
Keep in mind that, if you started doing the things you really want to do when you started thinking about them, that you would be that much further along now.
Do the things you've been putting off for so long. Yes, all of them.
Hug the people you love harder and longer.
Call your Mom.
Care less about what people think, but don't let that stop you from getting some exercise and taking care of yourself better.
Worry less about things that are out of your control. Do something about the things that you can. Let go of the rest. (And really try to know the difference.)
Try not to stay up until 3am too often because it never really works out for you (unless you're being super productive, then stay up until you crash. ;)

A Beautiful Day

2011-07-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

Hanging out at Target Field today with some friends. Sunshine + baseball + beer = happy me. :) Hope you're having a fantastic day as well!

Day 18: 30 Days of Photos

2011-07-01T10:47:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of "home" to you.

Home for me will always be Vermont. We move often and never really know where we are headed next or even how long we'll be where we are, so home is where I grew up. I wasn't mature (or smart?) enough to realize it when I lived there but it's a seriously beautiful place, my parent's house. They live in 14 acres of land at the base of a mountain. You can't see anyone else's house from theirs and the front porch looks out over the horse pasture (my Mom has three horses) and a view of the ledges on the mountain across the fields. It's the best place to watch thunderstorms. I'm lucky to get to visit multiple times a year. :)

This photo was taken when we were home last, which was in March. The night before we went home about 2 feet of snow accumulated over night. I still can't believe we were able to get out of the driveway, never mind to the airport in time for our flight. Crazy.

Make a Difference: Girls for A Change

2011-06-30T10:02:00.010-04:00

The following is a post sponsored by Yahoo! Every time someone clicks here to make Yahoo! their homepage, they're showing their support for Girls For A Change.

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

When I was in college I was part of a group celebrating women in technology. Since I was enrolled in a primarily male college (all engineering) this made a lot of sense. Us girls though, we stuck together, and the organization was a way for us to bond, just us girls, and help each other out. It was also a way for those of us who were upperclassmen (that's me) to help out the freshman who may not know anyone.

It was so much fun to meet the girls coming in and bond. We organized and held a fun overnight conference at the school so that we could bond even more. We had a fancy dinner where we could network with other women at the school and mingle with each other. We had activities and lectures and even did some fun community service together. It was so much fun to plan and be a part of. At the end of the conference it was always easy to keep in touch with the women I met there too, because they were so great. I loved being a part of it and knew that we made a difference.

About This Campaign

Yahoo! will donate $10 to Girls For A Change (GFC) for each person who clicks here to make Yahoo! her homepage by July 1...up to an amazing $10,000! We're counting on you to help us find 1,000 people willing to make a change worth $10,000 to this fantastic cause.

About Girls For A Change

Clever Girls Collective selected GFC as the non-profit for this generous Yahoo! campaign because it matches our mission of empowering women to help each other. Clever Founder Sheila Bernus Dowd was a GFC volunteer and member of the advisory board, so we have first-hand experience with their commitment to helping girls become community leaders. Here's how they describe themselves:

“Girls For A Change (GFC) is a national organization that empowers girls to create social change. We invite young women to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle issues girls face in their own neighborhoods. GFC empowers girls for personal and social transformation. The program inspires girls to have the voice, ability and problem solving capacity to speak up, be decision makers, create visionary change and realize their full potential."

Day 17: 30 Days of Photos

2011-06-29T10:45:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Perhaps this is a little weird, but Everett has made quite the impact. Puppy love and cuddles and fluffy paws are now part of my every day life. He brings structure to my day. He requires that I go outside and go for walks (rain or shine or heat or blizzard.) He's incredibly entertaining and funny and adorable and I have no idea what I took pictures of on a daily basis before we got him. He keeps me company in a way the cats couldn't (he cares that I'm around... hehe.) It's great to have him in our home and we're so glad he found his way to us.

Day 16: 30 Days of Photos

2011-06-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of someone who inspires you.

Here we go again... This one is legit though (well, so were the others... hehe.) Jason has been running for a while now and recently finished his 5th half marathon. That's 13.1 miles. Can you imagine running that far? He gets up early to work out, comes home and runs outside if the weather is nice, goes to the gym if it's not... He's incredibly dedicated and inspiring. I need to find the motivation to run as well, since I'd love to be able to join him in races. That's a loooong way off though since he's come so far in his training and is registered for a (gulp) marathon in October (that's 26.2 miles... all at once!) Go Jason go!

Samson the Foster Pup

2011-06-27T15:02:00.002-04:00

Today (actually, in about an hour) Samson's new family is coming to pick him up. We've had him for a little over 2 weeks and he's a really great dog. It's really hard not to get attached to our foster dogs, but especially hard when they are as sweet as this guy.

It helps that Everett loves him too. They play and play and then nap and play some more.

He loves toys and whenever I try to pick up all the dog toys and put them in the basket he just takes them out again. Apparently they don't belong there, they belong all over the living room floor.

The family that's adopting him is going to give him an excellent home. He will be the only dog in the house so he'll have more attention than he knows what to do with. They have already bought him toys and treats and everything he could possible need, and more.

The couple adopting him have an 11 year old girl and an 8 year old boy. The girl is especially excited to have a dog. When I was visiting the house last week she told me that the evening after meeting Samson they were sitting down to dinner and the little girl was going on and on to her father about how happy she is to get a dog and how cute he is and how he would sleep in her bed... and on and on. The mother told me that she sat back and thought that "this is one of those moments in life. One of those that you remember. One of the important ones."

I almost started crying right there. I had a hard time choking back the tears, knowing how perfect that was for her to say, and how she didn't even know how perfect it was for me to hear. "Moment" is my One Little Word for 2011 and it's been close to my heart all year. I knew that this family was right for Samson, and that they would give him a loving home, but at that moment I knew that they were perfect for him. I'm sad to let him go, but excited for him and the family.

Day 15: 30 Days of Photos

2011-06-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of your night.

My nights are long and always look different, but on a good night (especially in the winter) I am in the tub with a good book. I'm seriously spoiled now that our house has a whirlpool tub (though, Jason has appreciated it after long runs as well.) I don't know that I'll be able to live in a house without one now! It's magical.

Day 14: 30 Days of Photos

2011-06-26T10:36:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

These prompts are getting somewhat repetitive in that the answer to a lot of them is the same. Obviously the answer to this one is my husband. :) I won't bore you with more mushy gushy stuff about how much I love him, just know that he's the one I couldn't imagine my life without, and hope I never ever have to.

Day 13: 30 Days of Photos

2011-06-25T10:34:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of something in your home.

I kind of wish this machine had a better story, but here it is: I wanted an old Singer sewing machine so I looked on Craigslist and someone was getting rid of this one. So I bought it and brought it home and now I'm in love with it. Right now it lives in our living room where I get to see it every day. Isn't it beautiful? (And the kitty too?) Though I love my sewing machine that I actually use, this one is much prettier. I wonder who used it and what has been sewn on it. I may try and fix it someday... I think it just needs a new belt. We'll see. For now I just love looking at it. :)

Day 12: 30 Days of Photos

2011-06-24T10:26:00.000-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of something you love.

My friend Corinne is responsible for this obsession of mine. She originally introduced me to the awesomeness that is the cupcake when we lived in Boston. Since then we've planned a cupcake tour (5-6 bakeries in one afternoon!) in Boston and San Francisco. Like the pennies, I seek out cupcake shops and bakeries when I travel to make sure I get to taste the local cupcakes. If you ever need to know where the best ones are in Minneapolis, I've likely tried most of them by now.

The above photo was taken by Kristen. The cupcakes are Black Velvet (some of the best I've ever had, and that's saying something) from Cocoa & Fig in Minneapolis. We refer to this photo as a Cupcake Glamour Shot. :)

Day 11: 30 Days of Photos

2011-06-23T10:23:00.001-04:00

Today's Prompt: A picture of a collection you have.

A few years back for Christmas Jason got me a book to store squished pennies in. I had been saying that I wanted to start collecting them (Jason and I are both collectors by nature.) He got me a book and even did a little research and found out that pennies which were minted prior to 1982 are best to squish. So he looked through a bunch and also wrapped up $5 (or some obscene amount) of pennies which were the best for squishing. :) Since then I always have to check to see if there are penny machines where we travel. People even look for them on their vacations and bring them back for me! This hand full is a small fraction of the squished pennies I have... these are actually all just from Disney World, where it was like a huge scavenger hunt to find the machines. :)

Day 10: 30 Days of Photos

2011-06-22T17:55:00.002-04:00

Ha! Jason told me I wouldn't be able to keep up with this project. Posting every day is hard, even if it is structured like this. Instead of stressing about it, I'm just going to keep going. So, enjoy the rest of this series of photos of my life. :)

Today's Prompt: A picture of a relationship you admire.

Jason and Erin have the best relationship. They even have nicknames for each other which started around the time of our wedding. Erin is SIL and Jason is BIL (Sister-in-Law and Brother-in-Law.) They goof around and act like siblings. You can tell that they love each other and it's amazing to me that two of the most important people in my life can be so close.