Oh My Stinkin Heck

Oh for the love of Tokyo…

OMSH — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:51:03 +0000

UPDATE on Tuesday, March 9, 2010: The gracious Kimberly found out I blogged about their store and my favorite pen and is offering a coupon code for FREE SHIPPING at Tokyo Pen Shop through March 16!!

Use the coupon code: OHMYSTINKINHECK

I LOVE IT! My own coupon code!!!
(Also applies to Canada Jamie!)
Sorry, but notebooks are excluded.

*********UPDATE ABOVE THIS LINE*************

To some it may seem silly that I’ve fallen in love with a particular pen, but growing up the daughter of an office supply salesman, I’d have to disagree.

For an office supply junky like me, there is NOTHING silly about my love for this pen…this PERFECT pen…this PERFECTLY fine-tipped pen that never, ever, EVER spits or spurts or splats.

What is this pen that will change your life?

This pen that ~~if used to sign a treaty,~~ could singlehandedly bring about world peace?

This pen is the Uniball Japanese Signo RT. Why the RT? Because I can’t be bothered with keeping up with pen caps; I need a quick and easy click top retractable pen with bold color flowing from a fine tip .38 gel ink.

I wish I could take credit for finding this pen, but since I can’t, I’ll give credit where credit is due. While visiting Bethany and Brenda a few months ago I saw Brenda doodling in her moleskine and asked what type of pen she was using. I was currently using a Sharpie fine-tipped pen, but not quite satisfied. Brenda passed her pen across the table for me to try out and it took every bit of my character not to sock it away in my pocket to take home with me. Yes, I’m that mature.

Brenda immediately directed me to the Tokyo Pen Shop and I made both a bookmark and mental note. As mental notes go, I returned home with it stuck somewhere in the furthest regions of my head…that place that holds passwords, birthdays, and the most elusive of all information, my anniversary date (Am I the only woman in the world who struggles to remember the actual date of her marriage?).

HOWEVER, my handy dandy bookmark did not return void; I happened across it the other day and placed my first order with the lovely Frank and Kimberly.

Today my package arrived with (2) each of the fabulous Uniball Signo RT .38 mm pens in the colors orange (of course), purple, pink, black and blue. And wouldn’t you know it, they tossed in a green pen (though with a cap – may the good Lord help me keep hold of it) for St. Patrick’s Day! Oh how I love surprises!

I’m not an illustrator, am a rather infrequent letter writer, and certainly a poor excuse for a journaler (I made that word up, do you like? The actual word is journalizer, but I don’t like the way it sounds.), but these pens? They make my heart sing. And not opera either – I hate opera. If you must know…I’m singing a sort of hybrid, yet spirited, boogie band version of the Hallelujah Chorus.

Oh yeah, that’s right.
Can you dig it?

So if you like pens.
And you think they are better if they are fine tipped; I mean REALLY FINE-TIPPED.
And if you are fully aware that the earth could quite possibly roll right off its axis if you didn’t fill your pen coffers with this same delightful medley of colors, then you might want to order one, two, or three for yourself too.

And if you do – tell them I sent you.
Because I did you know.
I’m just THAT good a friend. :)

Because I know you’ll ask, the lovely Tokyo team did NOT ask me to write up their pens, but a gal’s gotta rave when she finds something she likes…and these pens? I LIKE A LOT!

Almost as much as chocolate and peanut butter.

Paper Hat O’ Comics

OMSH — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:01:13 +0000

Around here we have a tendency to take simple projects and make them “more” – which sometimes works, and other times…not so much.

This time we didn’t go overboard; we simply joined Kenny in his weekly “Developmental Activity” assignment found in his Sonlight curriculum. The girls aren’t always hip on joining-in on these activities because many of them are, in their words, “booooooooring”; for example, “fold clothes” or “tie shoes”.

I remind them that these activities aren’t joy rides through Disney, they are just meant to be developmental mile-markers so Kenny doesn’t end up in college still wearing velcro sneakers. Other activities are more fun, like “jump up and down and cluck like a chicken while reciting your vowels” (wait…that’s one I made up) and then today’s activity…make paper hats.

Everyone loves making and wearing paper hats, am I right?

You know I’m right.

For this activity we only needed newspaper, but because we have bowling balls for heads, Emelie suggested we add string, scissors (to cut the string), and a hole punch to the list so we could affix the “too small” hats to our “too big” heads.

Folding paper is fun! Don’t let anyone tell you different; they’d be leading you astray.

Emelie and Kenny begin the hats after lunch. Of course black and white newsprint would not do; THAT would be TOO boring – “Give us COLOR!” they cried.

They ARE my children after all.

Emelie pulled the comics from the recycle bin and all was ready to go.

A little fold here…

and a little fold there…the Paper Hat O’ Comics was almost done!

A hole was punched into the brim on each side…

and a string was threaded through…

and knotted.

And this was how a hat was born…

to an ogre.

This is the back. (In case you’re curious.)

For some of us it was a thinking hat.

(As a side note, I love all the educational iPhone apps. The kids do too.)

Meredith is practicing her times tables with “Flash Tables” – very simple, yet cool.

Obviously the hat is doing its magic because she scored 30 out of 30! Whoop!

Kenny wears his while doing Math; a regular Nathaniel Bowditch, that one.

He’s Captain-Math-a-matic-al.

Oh Captain, My Captain!

I even took a part.

As you can see I’m “…the SMARTEST of the SMART”.

Your love is like a drug.

OMSH — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:01:29 +0000

Did I tell you we named our homeschool OMSH-ademics? We’re still pondering the switch to OMSH-ademia (and by “we”, I mean “me”)…I need to roll it around a bit more on my tongue to make sure it best “represents” the Sanders in the house…OH YEAH!

We used to just be The Sanders’ Academy, but that sounded entirely too uppity; we are far from uppity – more like educated rednecks (the scariest kind of redneck if I’m being honest).

ANYWAY…

We took a break from reading, writing and arithmetic to dance – yes, I said DANCE.

As is the case in most families, a few of us are more gifted than others. I’m the least gifted, hence my placement as the videographer. Kenny actually has a decent groove, but he twisted his ankle so we stuck him in a basket.

Forgive the commentary, huckleberry cackle, and the random spurts of karaoke on my end. What can I say? I was “in” the moment.

For the record this is the only KE$HA song I approve of at this point. The girl has some fun songs, but the lyrics are typically below par (read: inappropriate from this momma’s point of view).

As morning comes and evening fades…

OMSH — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:27:51 +0000

Sometimes when my alarm goes off in the morning I’m ready to approach the day, content, looking forward to that first cup of coffee, work, and homeschooling. The day lays out before me and I measure it up in my head, putting all the pieces where they belong…dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s.

Other times my alarm goes off and I’m not ready to approach the day, complacent – even irritated; on these days coffee doesn’t seem enough to get me going and I dread the discipline of making it through another day of work, school and commitments. I view the day as something else to get through and I feel trapped by all the details of it.

I have yet to learn what makes the difference in that first string of thoughts – why some days I wake on the sunny side of the street and other days I’m trudging back alleys.

And around and around it goes.
Day after day.
Week after week.
Month after month.

It has been this way for as long as I can remember…since I was a child living in my parents home – when there were considerably less responsibilities and daily stressors.

The difference is almost tangible – like I could reach out and touch its presence in the very air above me. Sweet and bright or pungent and dull, it lingers.

There is no formula and it seems entirely unrelated to external circumstances; it just is…

Here’s the kicker.
I’m thankful for it.

I’m thankful for the brilliant mornings when the world is full of possibility and the sun seems to surge through my body far before it peeks its head over the horizon.

I’m thankful for the burdensome mornings when a cantankerous spirit muddles my thoughts and it takes all of my willpower to get up and get going.

Why?

Because it shows me with persistent regularity that the choice is mine…

“…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” Joshua 24:15

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7

Worshipping this morning to: Your Name

Loss and Healing

OMSH — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:35:35 +0000

When I jumped back into blogging again I posted My Personal Blog List – a few highlights of things I wanted to talk about; one of those “things” was Bruno, the Great Pyrenees we adopted from a local rescue group.

I put off writing this particular post because it’s a sensitive subject and I am fully aware many will not agree with mine and Jeff’s decision. I am not certain I can handle the ugly comments or emails that may follow, so if you do have “choice words” regarding our decision it is my hope you will hear my heart and keep them to yourself; the decision was not entered into lightly. I still struggle with the thought that maybe…just maybe, there was something else I could have done – something I missed.

In the course of writing this blog I have shared about Bruno on several occasions. The last time I wrote about him was in October 2008 – it was a post aptly named A little help with our dog. Bruno’s skin issues and discomfort had escalated and we were trying to find a way to get him off the Steroid/Antibiotics cycle.

In response to that post there were many comments and many more emails; I read each one – thinking maybe someone would lead us somewhere that could provide Bruno the much needed relief he deserved. Over the course of another year, and a few more “ideas” we were back to square one; nothing worked. It was frustrating for us, but for Bruno, it went beyond common annoyance – he became more and more uncomfortable, lethargic and sick as he was literally eating through his skin.

The final straw was his inability to sleep. He paced the house at night, unable to settle. Uncomfortable in his own skin, he stayed sick to his stomach, developed multiple ear infections, and of course, there was the constant itch. The lack of sleep was wearing on his ability to fight off infection. His skin began deteriorating fast and he lost nearly all the hair on his legs, around his bum, in patches across his back, around his eyes and his muzzle and ears. He was going downhill fast. Jeff and I knew the time was drawing close for us to step-up and do the hard thing; we prepared the kids, gave them time to spend with him, and scheduled a vet appointment.

Our vet, Dr. Green, knew Bruno and his history. He knew all the normal to outlandish things I had tried and he had been supportive throughout. That day he answered the only question that mattered…”Is there anything else we can do?” His answer was “No.”

He left the decision to me and Jeff how to proceed.

And we decided to “release” Bruno.

To some it may be insignificant that I fell apart in the office, that Jeff took care of the details so I could go outside and get control of myself. I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t strong and I certainly didn’t know, at that very moment, if I was making the right decision or not. All I knew was my dog had slowly sickened in our care and there had not been a single thing I could do to change it. All I managed was to love him along the way and to make him as comfortable as possible; which just wasn’t enough towards the end.

It has been 5 months and I can now say I am confident we made the right decision back in October – not because I’m glad to be rid of the burden of caring for a sick dog, not because there is any replacement for him, but because I am certain we did everything we knew to do and Bruno would have suffered if we tried to hold on any longer.

We turned a new chapter in our lives as dog owners and at Thanksgiving we introduced two new pups, Max and Lily, into our family; as I stated in my previous post, they are a healing balm.

And yes, I am sure some of my attachment to these two Yorkies has much to do with the void Bruno left, but Max and Lily came at just the right time – a time when both Jeff and I were ready to jump back in and give the time and effort it takes to raise dogs and make them a part of our family.

And they are VERY MUCH a part of our everyday lives…whether at play, during school, or when I work – they are always nearby.

Max is the smallest of the two pups, almost half the size of his sister. He has a beautiful stance and coat and would probably be the perfect stud, but we don’t intend to breed.

He is an absolute weenie, hates getting his paws wet, refuses to use the restroom if it is raining outside, and squeaks if you so much as look at him funny. At the same time he is a great snuggler, doesn’t get too rowdy, is a great big brother to his sister, and takes his role of household protector seriously – even if his bark couldn’t scare an ant.

Lily is large for a Yorkie – she gets hyped up easily, tends to be independent, will gladly eat her and her brother’s breakfast and dinner, and morphs into a roadrunner come 7:00 pm – speeding about the house as if Wyle E. Coyote is after her.

She is fast, extremely outgoing and friendly, loves to play fetch, and is so stinkin’ smart; I swear she was potty trained within two weeks of coming to our home. She has a soft, thick coat and a special way of looking at us that makes her look just like she’s smiling.

At 17 weeks they are a complete joy. They were also a joy at 14 weeks, 12 weeks, 10 weeks and 8 weeks; I couldn’t say what age I’ve liked better.

They are best friends, which has made having the two of them so easy on us; they have each other and they have us and it seems to be enough.

They play hard and sleep hard…claiming blankets, bean bags, the couch, and whatever other soft surface they can find to bed down.

I am enraptured and so is Jeff – and while some may say these pups are spoiled, we think maybe it is the other way around.

In a Jam

OMSH — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 06:17:06 +0000

On the way home from our field trip to Houston’s Downtown Aquarium last week the kids and I were reminded why we never, EVER want to live in Houston…traffic.

And not just a spot of traffic either, this was bumper-to-bumper, “Oh my stinkin’ heck, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” kind of traffic. I think we might have sat still for 7 minutes and 32 seconds at one point – not that I was counting or anything.

And WHY was there traffic? It was 2:30 in the afternoon for crying out loud! WHY WERE THESE PEOPLE NOT AT WORK? Lazy, idle, non-office-working people!

By the time we reached mile marker 76 we had clocked about 45 minutes of doing nothing but the hokey pokey and we were averaging less than 3 yards a minute. With about 40 miles to go this was NOT LOOKING GOOD.

I informed Emelie she needed to keep her eye out for a Starbucks because I WANTED A FIX. After all, I figured if she actually spotted one there was plenty of time to inch over to an exit – or send a kid; whichever would save the most time.

And then, like a percolating beacon, we saw it…the coffee truck. A semi full of nature’s most precious bean – brewed and delivered right there on that highway JUST FOR ME.

As we inched closer I could taste it. Salivating on the highway is ugly business. I inched closer and closer, cutting people off – NO ONE WAS GOING TO COME BETWEEN ME AND THE COFFEE!

Holy mother of Pilot Travel Centers! Not only was there coffee on the interstate, but it was the “best coffee on the interstate”! I searched for a spout, a spicket, a tube, pipe, hose, trough…ANYTHING to get the coffee FROM the huge holding vat on the back of that truck INTO MY BLOODSTREAM.

But there was none.

And as we pulled closer I got a good look at the driver – the evil tempter with his false highway hopes.

He was on his cell phone…oblivious to the damage he was causing to my psyche!

I wanted to yell, “I’ll show YOU coffee ON THE INTERSTATE!” as I envisioned ramming my truck into the side of his – creating an enormous, gaping hole.

Everything became so clear. People would stop their cars and join me in the jubilee and we would run along behind the truck, dancing in the street and drinking in its nectar; one giant human tribute to the beauty of caffeine.

Then someone honked.
And I looked up from my dream and realized it was my turn to move…a foot forward.
*sigh*

Starbucks, you should really beat Pilot to the punch and have trucks dispersed through the big city to meet the needs of your customers ON THE ROAD. Your trucks could have speakers, your car hops on rollerblades, and you could even name the service “traffic jam” as we rocked out to your beats and drank your overpriced, but delicious, coffees.

And if you do? Please remember it was my idea…I expect royalties.

The Making of Poppa Ken’s Birthday Cake

OMSH — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:31:27 +0000

You’ll have to forgive the “catch-up” posts, but even though I took a year off blogging to find a much needed balance in my life THINGS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. And of course, since things HAPPENED, I took photos. And since I took photos, I want to share them with you – the people who care (or pretend to care); in this case, the kids making my Daddy, Poppa Ken, a birthday cake for his birthday.

Back in November Poppa Ken turned 62 a year wiser. The kids came together to find an online cake recipe (the youth and chil’ens of our day scoff at actual cookbooks, don’t'cha know?) just for him – the man who would prefer to forget birthdays exist.

When there are grandchildren around one cannot EVER forget birthdays exist!

I tend to not hover over my children when they are “creating” their masterpieces in the kitchen. Messes, I realize, are part of the adventure – and when it comes to cooking with 3 kids it is absolutely, positively an adventure.

Emelie, on the other hand, she hovers.

Or maybe she was just concerned Kenny would get the egg shells in the cake mix…

…or Meredith would add in too much oil.

Either way, Emelie was on her two siblings like a dog on stink…

If that offended anyone, please forgive the use of a “dog” analogy when referencing my oldest, fantabulous daughter. She’s a pretty good kid, after all.
Most of the time

Meredith waits to initiate THE MIXER.

It looks like Meredith is initiating some kind of birthday chant over the mix too.

Hocus Pocus…
Abra Cadabra
Force my momma…
To put down the camera.

Oh wow, um…yea, moving on.

As the mixer did its thing Emelie coached Kenny on how NOT to throw the entire bag in with the mix at the same time.

And of course, he listened…mainly because he knew if he was nice it’d pay off; he’d get to lick the bowl.

I’ve no idea what is happening here, but I’m thinking Meredith is just a smidgeon excited about the smell of chocolate in the air.

Yes, you’re seeing this right.

They are LICKING THEIR FINGERS WHILE COOKING. I realize this may cause some of you never to eat anything made in my home again.

And you know what?
I’m okay with that.

More for us!

Now they gently “fold” the mix into the waiting Pyrex.
Gently.
Gently now…
GENTLY PEOPLE!

Geez louise.

With the cake now cooling on the table the girls have cleaned out the mixer and are working on the frosting.

Hmmmm…where did Kenny go?

…uh huh, right where I thought; being “tempted” at the table with the cooling cake and bowls of toppings.

I must admit to being tempted with him.
A few times.
Yum.

Once the cake cools, the girls ice it together.

It was a RICH cake; yep, very, very rich.

We like RICH cakes.

Overall, they did well working together FOR their Poppa Ken. I can’t say it was all peace and pancakes, but no one cried, poked, prodded or punched…that’s good, right?

Later on we went over to Poppa Ken and Izzy’s to present the kids’ handmade birthday cards and of course, to have cake!

The blur in the background would be Kenny; just ignore him – he’s pulling one of his “Matrix” moments.

He settled down a bit later – at least long enough to show Izzy his picture he drew for Poppa Ken.

The boy takes great care in the details
And he uses a lot of red.

The cake was a success!
Happy VERY Belated Birthday Poppa Ken/Daddy!

Lots of love all around!

Poppa Ken and Emelie’s West Texas Adventure

OMSH — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:13:02 +0000

Back in May of last year my Dad dreamed up a wonderful adventure for Emelie, his oldest granddaughter. My father, a journaling man, figured it would be exciting for Emelie to have a travel journal, detailing their journey together in West Texas.

And as is often the case, he was right.

As they set off on their journey, Emelie received this beautiful, nubby, leather-bound journal.

On the first page my Daddy wrote, “Poppa Ken and Emelie’s West Texas Adventure” and the dates of their time together. This was a rite of passage for Emelie – and Meredith and Kenny will have their day too, of course.

This was a first of many firsts! We hope – we wouldn’t want to presume, of course. :)

The next thing Poppa Ken filled-in was the flight he and Emelie would take, departure times, miles they would fly, and the airports they would experience together. He also pasted in a photo of the plane they would take.

This trip marked many “firsts” for Emelie – flying was one of them!

Because my Daddy knows how to come properly prepared for a journey, he had pens, blunt-tip (safety regulation) scissors, and glue sticks at the ready – yes, even on the flight.

Of course Emelie took full advantage of them and promptly pasted a barf bag into her journal.

Because she was 12 then, that’s why.

Other things Emelie pasted in, but aren’t pictured here, was a napkin, the wrapper of her in-flight pretzel sticks, more information about Continental’s carriers, and a gum wrapper. She also added in some drawings of what she could see from the window of the plane – including what looked a lot like crop circles.

Later Emelie learned West Texas was extremely dry and in the middle of each of those “crop circles” was a sprinkler. The extent of the sprinkler’s reach created the large circles she could see from the plane. What wasn’t watered, withered and died. What was watered made a nice and neat green circle from the air.

The things that impress kids are…interesting.

Here Emelie writes: “The Comfort Suites was a FANCY hotel with big rooms. Everyday they’d come in and make our beds, clean the bathroom, and replace items that we used. The food in the morning was GOOD except they didn’t have a lot of fruit. We met a noisy friend. She is the hotel’s elevator named Uglyeta. She beeped at us a lot.”

Already knowing several of the places he planned to take her, Poppa Ken pasted in a map of El Paso, some cut-outs from local travel brochures on Wyler Aerial Tramway at Franklin Mountains State Park and the Hueco Tanks State Historic Site.

Emelie added to these throughout the trip. Everything was to be documented with pen or camera…

…the trip from the airport to the hotel,

the views,

even a bit of comedy (comparing Huntsville, TX to El Paso, TX)

In case it is hard to make-out, the left photo is labeled “HUNTSVILLE” and shows a man mowing his GREEN grass with his mower and the Lowe’s showing all lawn mowers SOLD.

The right photo is labeled “EL PASO” and shows a man blowing dirt, not mowing green grass, and a Lowe’s showing one blower left available in the store and 120 lawn mowers for FREE!

Outside of the flight, another “first” for Emelie was her ride on the Wyler Aerial Tramway. This marked Day 2 with Poppa Ken.

Emelie wrote:
“The tramway was (and still is) a yellow box with a seat about one foot wide. ‘Can hold up to 7 people,’ is what the ranger told us. We went in the tram ALL the way up to the mountain. We grabbed 2 waters, a cap, and my travel journal and went hiking.”

The hike at the Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park is 2 miles round trip and takes about 2 1/2 hours if you go the full way – which according to the journal, they did not.

(Wow, just looking at this photo has showed me how much she has changed – even since May ‘09!)

Emelie wrote:
“We hiked up and down a mountain. We hiked 1 1/2 miles. It seems like a little bit, but it isn’t. Poppa Ken and I got tired quickly. We are professionals at getting tired.”

The third day Poppa Ken took Emelie to the Hueco Tanks State Historic Site.

Recognized for its 3000 plus rock paintings, Hueco Tanks is evidence of prehistoric peoples who found water, shelter and food at this little oasis in the desert. The rock paintings depict…

religious masks,

caricature faces,

complex geometric designs,

and dancing figures.

There are even paintings depicting the peoples’ contact with Spaniards, Mexicans and Anglos.

This one looks like a cross – evidence of Christianity.

Unfortunately, there is also vandalism present; graffiti mars some of the older drawings.

Emelie drew some of the masks she saw directly into her journal.

All of this artwork is hidden inside shelters.

crevices,

and caves in the midst of three massive outcroppings of boulders.

Emelie writes:

“This is the map of the three mountains. We climbed all over the two biggest ones.”

“Kevi Cave -> A cave you have to crawl into on your belly and then you stand up. Filled with Indian Paintings.“

Poppa Ken gets in on the action too.

Poppa Ken…is that a tight fit?

Check out the cave entry; sorta explains the “squish factor” a little, eh?

When they arrived home and were telling stories about their day in the caves, Poppa Ken talked about the wind tunnels that would build up in these caves between the boulders – and how it could physically move Emelie’s body.

Looking for a cave called Kiva.

In and out of caves, it was a full day of exploration and new discoveries.

Once inside the cave it was a cool relief from the heat outside – and peaceful.

Until it was time to crawl back out again!

If you live within a reasonable distance of El Paso, I highly recommend going for a visit. This was an amazing time for Emelie to spend with my Daddy.

This kind of interaction and experience is one of the many reasons I love homeschooling – the freedom to go, and do, and learn about the real world in the MIDST of it.

This travel journal, I hope, will continue to be filled with future “adventures” in life.

But she’ll never forget, and I’ll never forget, it started with my Daddy – his heart for adventure and his love for Emelie.

Sweater + Coat = Swoat

OMSH — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:20:32 +0000

While Jeff and I were tucked up in a cabin in the Ozarks celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary, my parents kept (or should I say “survived”) the kids.

Not that the kids are bad; they are just…all encompassing, all the time – which is a lot of work for anyone, especially if you’re used to quiet days. My kids are a lot of things, but quiet isn’t one of them.

The two younger ones busied themselves watching movies, taking turns emailing me and Jeff, playing on their DS’s, following my parents around and talking their ears off, while Emelie and my Momma (Izzy) put their creative brains together and created a swoat.

What’s a swoat?
Sweater + Coat = Swoat.

Inspired by katwise on Etsy, Izzy and Emelie hit the local New Life Resale shop, scouring for sweaters to cut up and sew into a coat. It is insane how a horribly ugly sweater can turn into a beautiful coat.

While Izzy eeked-out the details of the construction, Emelie pinned…

and sewed, or I should say “serged”, piece after piece.

Bit by blessed bit, top to bottom, progress was made.

Notice the thumbholes? I loved that detail!

I’m sure Emelie entertained Izzy through the whole process.

It is exciting to have a daughter as amazingly creative and imaginative as my Momma, Izzy. There is nothing Izzy can’t do – I’m convinced of it! Try living up to THAT you’re whole life. I’ve finally come to terms with it at the ripe age of 37 and can take joy that now she’s brainstorming ideas with my daughter, her granddaughter.

These things skip a generation you know.

This swoat? So cool. As they told me about it over email and the phone, I asked them to take photos…one must blog these things, y’know?!

It only took two days – which I think is quite possibly a record for such a large endeavor – to sew the swoat. TWO DAYS!

As it came together Emelie’s emails became scarce; the girl was busy modeling and serging…

…and piecing together a hoodie tail? What?

Anyone else thinking Dr. Seuss?

Or maybe you’re thinking of Dolly Parton’s song, Coat of Many Colors?

My coat of many colors that my ~~Momma~~ Izzy made for me…
made only from rags, but I wore it so proudly.
Well I couldn’t understand it,
I was rich as I could be,
In my coat of many colors,
My ~~Momma~~ Izzy made for me.

Check this out – the hoodie “tail” wraps around to make a scarf! And with these crazy cold temperatures here in the South…it works.

Someone get some shoes on that girl!

Anyone else thinking they need a swoat? I know I do.

Punky Brewster on crack boys and girls.
PUNKY BREWSTER ON CRACK!

I’m just crazy about it – and so is Emelie. Matches her hot pink pants, tie-dye shirt, and quilted knee-high Converse beautifully.

You probably think I’m jokin’ right?

Love is in the air in OMSHville

OMSH — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:01:40 +0000

Love is in the air…or is that the smell of waffles? Its hard to tell. Either way, Valentine’s Day is in five days and we have been preparing for over a week! I don’t particularly care for commercial Valentine’s Day cards, and the kids historically have liked to create their own (I have too), so I decided to blend Valentine’s Day with a smidgeon of learnin’ this year for a quick “unit study”.

Joined by my friend Cindy and her boys, we drove to Hobby Lobby in a neighboring city to purchase the supplies the kids needed to construct Valentine’s Day cards. A few days before, the kids made a list of names of friends and family they would consider when buying their supplies.

There were a few lessons to learn…

Lesson #1: When making cards, think of the person you’re making the card for, not so much yourself. A hard concept when choosing supplies to make cards.

Each child was given an envelope with $10 and a coupon for 40% off a single item. They were to stay within their budgeted monies, and of course, we helped them as needed with the math.

Lesson #2: Spending within your means.

Lesson #3: Learning (in Emelie’s case), or being exposed to (in the other kids’ case), the concept of saving a certain percentage off an item.

I stayed close by Kenny and helped him understand he didn’t need a sticker pack for each friend – that he could have a general “theme” and use it for a few boys – same with the girls.

He and Meredith also split the cost of a few packs of stickers and scrapbook papers; the package contained 2 or more sheets of stickers and the single sheets were larger than they needed for single cards. This proved to save the two of them $3.00 each – for the “girl” cards especially.

Lesson #4: Sharing resources; splitting expenditures.

Overall it took about an hour for all 5 kids to sort out their stickers. Because they were also making cards for each other, there was a lot of sneaking around and stashing stickers on the bottom of their baskets to keep their siblings or friends from seeing them.

I took part as well – with my own $10 budget and 40% coupon. I wanted to make cards for Jeff, the kids, my parents, and a couple of my friends.

With supplies purchased (and cardstock, as well as glue sticks, hot glue, sequins, string, paint, markets, crayons, scissors, this, that, and the other at home) we headed back to OMSHville for grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and to CRAFT.

Four hours later we had a ganormous mess all over the table, floor and kitchen, but who cares, because we also had a handful of fabulously creative, unique cards. The kids and I had several cards left to make, so we continued crafting our Valentine Cards into the next day.

When all was said and done we still needed some “filler” mini-cards to give out at the Homeschool Valentine’s Day Party for those children my kids don’t know closely (yet). Fortunately, Secret Agent Josephine released a FREE set of Mini Valentine’s Day Cards again this year; Meredith chose to use those. If you don’t remember, we used the cards she designed for Valentine’s Day 2009 at last year’s party.

Download Secret Agent Josephine’s Valentine’s Day Cards

Emelie and Kenny selected a photo to use for their cards.

The only thing left to do was decorate the boxes, and after dropping in a couple of Payless stores, we found the shoe boxes we needed! A big THANK YOU to the Payless in Conroe, Texas, for giving us 5 boxes (3 for us and 2 for my friend’s boys) to use for this purpose!

To see the entire collection of cards, check out my Valentine’s Day Cards 2010 flickr set.

Happy EARLY Valentine’s Day Y’all! Enjoy your preparations and remember to give each other BIG KISS*HUGS!