Get Sketchy!

If I were going to design a baby shower invitation based on a movie premiere, this would be it. Based on Get Sketchy #56 (http://getsketchy.blogspot.com/2010/09/gs-56.html), this was a whole lot of fun to make - thanks to Summer for pointing me toward such a fabulous contest!

Changes for the holidays

It's almost the equinox, folks. How crazy is that? Where does the time go? Why do I always feel like quoting Monty Python right about this same time every year? "A year passed: winter changed into spring, spring changed into summer, summer changed back into winter, and winter gave spring and summer a miss and went straight on into autumn... until one day..."

The questions, they have no answers.

At the same time that I'm considering simplifying lots of things around me, I'm planning on ramping up others. Like the holidays. Most years we just send out a printed photo card from Sams Club - and that's fine.

But to paraphrase Dr. Seuss - "maybe [the holidays] mean a little bit more". So I'm thinking handmade cards for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yep. And more handmade gifts, quite possibly personalized by the kids. And food gifts.

Because really - don't we all have enough brightly colored plastic bits around the house already?

What are you planning to do for gifts and cards this holiday season? Any particularly awesome ideas or recipes to share?

Journeys

So: lots of new things going on in ye olde brain.

First, I am doing my best to rid my life of time sinks that get me nowhere (yes, I'm talking about you, pointless yet incredibly addicting Facebook games). I have a brain (a pretty good one, in fact, and one I spent a lot of time cultivating) that is so not challenged by "ooh, look - a rain god tiki head! click! click! I can level up my glass of water recipe to one that looks exactly the same! click! click! click! crap, I'm out of energy - must visit other farms so I can continue growing pretty pixels!" So yeah: not doing those anymore. I may slowly reintegrate them but I need to complete my 12-step Clickers Anonymous program first.

Second, I actually scrapped last night - at home. This has not happened in forever. Hopefully it will continue! I would love to get Ian's book done, or at least brought up to date.

Third, I'm writing again. But more on that later.

Fourth, working on getting the house in good working order so it just takes a little time each day to look awesome!

Fifth: I've taken a few steps on a faith journey.

All of these things conspire to make me happy.

What are you all up to?

Things, things everywhere and no place to put them.

I know most of you feel my pain - the pain of too.much.stuff. and not.enough.space. NEVER enough space. I think that's why I love photography so much - pictures (particularly digital ones) take up very little space and they can be fit anywhere: on a wall, leaning on a mantel, tucked under the rim of a bulletin board. Of course, all the *stuff* that goes along with my photography habit (namely, my scrapbooking habit) is copious - but more on that in a moment.


And so, in the name of gathering toys together to pass on to a friend, I have come up with some goals for myself - and a question for all of you.


1. Reduce. My stuff (and the kids'). By at least 25 percent.
2. Reorganize. Make better use of the space we have.
3. Redecorate. OK, so this one is kind of a cheat, as I've already started. We're painting the house and doing all the things that (had we been smarter) we would have done almost nine years ago when we moved in. Yay housing market collapse! :(


What are you holding on to, and why? Take it as abstract as you want. It can be a flowerpot that you painted when you were six that doesn't go with your decor *at all* but you love it because it's bright and cheerful and it reminds you of when school meant pencil boxes and papier mache and those thick jars of glue. Or it could be the weight of the world. Your call. But tell me - I wanna know!

And a picture from this afternoon of Missy whacking herself on the head with a flower. Love that girl.

A question for Sunday

Before I head off to Target to check on the clearanced toys, a question: What's one craft you've been wanting to do, and what's been stopping you from doing it? It can be a specific project, or a type of crafting - anything. What's on your mind that needs to be out of your hands?

Coming home, projects and questions about toys

A bittersweet trip all around. Flying down to the state of my birth where I spent a number of my formative early-childhood years brought back many memories - some of which I hadn't thought of in decades. Getting to see family members I haven't seen since my wedding in 2001 tallies in on the positive side. The passing and laying-to-rest of a wonderful man, my grandfather, tallies in on the negative, although getting to go down and be a part of it? Positive. In a lot of ways, it was like coming home after an extended absence.

Yet my own home was sorely missed (and missing). Ian had a hard time saying goodbye to me at the airport (on the drive home, he kept asking to "go back to the plane house and get Mommy"), and lord knows I had a hard time saying goodbye to him, Missy, and Jason. One of the happiest sights was watching Jason in my little red car driving around the circle to pick me up, the huge smile on Ian's face as they pulled up and he saw me, and the constant hugs and snuggles from Missy at breakfast once she realized that I was actually there to stay.

I love coming home.

This is going to be a weekend of projects. Finishing one baby blanket, continuing work on another, and a couple of art projects for the kids' rooms (Megan's in particular). Possibly more painting of walls.

And a quick non-existent segue into the world of toys. For anyone who has toys with big footprints, at what point did you decide to get rid of them? For example: we have had a Fisher Price activity table and a Laugh n Learn home since Ian was little. Both of them take up a goodly amount of space and both of them were loved and played with extensively (as in, for 30-40 minutes at a stretch) by the little man. Missy, on the other hand? Has maybe five minutes of interest for them. My question to you is: if she hasn't played with them much as yet, is it likely she's suddenly going to get interested? Or should I just pass them on, as she's likely to find other interests at 18 months?

It's been a while.

My dad called on Friday to let me know that my grandfather had not eaten or drank anything for three to four days, and that he had at most days, if not hours. As they're in western GA, it wasn't feasible to drop everything and fly down immediately - we waited for the call. It came on Saturday as I was on my way to scrapping with friends. So there will be no update until at least Thursday - I'm sure y'all understand. Be well in the meantime, and I'll catch you on the flip side.

In about three hours, the family will pile into the car to go to the airport. I hate traveling. I particularly hate traveling by myself, so having Jason and the kids there will make leaving so much better - even as it makes it harder - but I know that on Wednesday I will be able to come off the plane, leave the airport and see my beloved faces again.