Pushing my buttons, so to speak

I've been trying to work some creativity into my daily life lately.  I easily fold 2 baskets of laundry a day, make a bunch of beds, contemplate 3 meals and 2 different snacks, push around a bunch of papers and waste at least an hour on Facebook daily.  I forget that taking the time to be creative is truly a psychological outlet for me.  Hence, the altar.

These little cuties are bracelets I've been making.  I have a button machine dedicated to making silly swimming buttons.  The kids decorate their swim backpacks with them and I've made a little money selling them at swim meets.  When I saw the bracelet concept in the button supply catalog (yep, there's a catalog of those kinds of things)  I couldn't resist trying it.  Super FUN!

I went throught some other catalogs I had around the house.  You probably have the same bunch, Garnet Hill, Pottery Barn, West Elm.  I found patterns that were appealing and got busy.  They are really cute and add a little punch to any outfit.  You know me and bracelets and the people who wear them.


Lookie there, money saved on therapy.

Vivir la vida al maximo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I have created this altar for a friend.  She proves to be an inspiration to me time and time again.  It has been a pleasure to try an art form that is outside of my heritage but definitely follows my

 "use what you have" philosophy.   It's my hope she loves it.

The theme revolves around tequila.  Tequila is one of the things that brings us together.  The vintage bottle in the middle is filled with the lovely gold goodness inspired by tequila, note the worm crawling out of the bottle.  The sides of the altar are wallpapered with "One Free Drink" tickets.  The skeletons represent our friends with sharp dress and angel wings.  It's a fun and different way to thank them for just being them.

Live life to the fullest!  Every day.  Seriously, every day!

The one where I use my noggin and don't go to Hell.

I have a list of to-dos that could wrap around my house about 30 times.  I cross one thing off and then add 5 things.  I know I'm not alone.  All of you out there deal with the same stuff.  I actually have become more lenient on myself.  A few years ago, if I didn't get a birthday present out in time, I was probably going to Hell.  Seriously, in my mind there was judging..... lots and lots of judging.

Well, that's where today's story begins, a birthday present.  And you thought it was where I was going to Hell, silly you.

My darling nephew is turning one year older TOMORROW.  Look what's sitting on my ironing board.  Yep, it's his present.  And guess what, I have to ship it.  Yep, it's gonna be late.  But, that isn't even the real story.  Look at that cool Skylander (as seen here) and then a stack of candy which any good Aunt would send, then look at that snazzy boyish, yet hip gift bag.  No licensed characters.  Just a great combo of turquoise and red.  Complimentary colors.  Yum.

Well one cannot have a gift bag full of Great Gift, if there isn't tissue paper to fluff it, stuff it and make you work for said gift.  It breaks gift wrapping rules in some universe.  My universe.

Solution?  Indeed.

I came home with the infamous Target plastic bags.  Apologies to my friends out there who remember to take their reusable bags into the store.  I am not one of you, I forget.  EVERY TIME.  I love that bullseye design.  It's just nice and graphic and WAIT! the colors are perfect for what I am doing.

Armed with my scissors, I cut up those bags and created my own pieces of "tissue paper."

NICE!  The remaining parts of the bag will go into the shipping box as packing material or will be recycled tomorrow curbside.

The package is stuffed, fluffed and ready for delivery.  The gift tag is obviously a paint swatch/color sample.  Turns out it works beautifully.

I cannot wait for his gift to arrive at his doorstep.  He won't care that there is "tissue" paper but I do.  Happy Birthday, Roman.  Don't eat all that candy in one sitting and welcome to the addiction that is Skylanders.  It's my way of torturing your Dad.

Remodel Step One. The hardest part of any journey is taking the first step.

Step One.  Or "the first financial decision" we must make.

Here's what we are looking out of currently.  French doors one side opens, the other is a fixed panel.  It opens directly into our kitchen table.  That's annoying.  To make it even MORE annoying, the wood blinds clank incessentantly.  No one can break into our house because of those damn blinds.  WAIT..... Call off the reno!

The window, oh the window.  It's seal has blown.  My running joke is that we have a pet pterydactol.  It seriously looks like a pre-historic bird took an enormous (which goes without saying I guess, those old birds were big) shit on my window.  It's been a fun joke, but at this point I'm just ashamed.  Ashamed.

We have over thought so many options here.  New window, sliding door?  Two sliding doors?  A terrace door and a slider?  Let's blow the whole thing out and put in a greenhouse (never really an option.)  Who knew you could talk about doors so much?  Who knew you could fall asleep and still talk about doors?

We believe we will go with a 12 foot slider.  It requires a little more engineering ($.)  But we are trying to make smart decisions for our current situation and then when we plan to sell, which might be tomorrow considering the number of children in my driveway today.  I've become that adult.  I just have.


So.... step one.  You've been warned.

Robert's Rules of Order, What's new and What's missing, It's all about Dog mama or perhaps dogma..

I personally would like to call this blog post to order.  The following are in attendance........ well, me.  That's something.   I have been attending a lot of meetings lately that require the use of Robert's Rules.  I'm a sorority girl ya' know.  I learned the "rules" when I was in college.  They make me feel comfortable, orderly, in charge.  I love being in charge.

The meetings have been mostly school district stuff.  At first, it scared me.  I felt intimidated.  Education is more than showing up and pulling out your crayons.  Of course, I know this.  However, the "business" side of education, public education, is most interesting.  So needless to say, I've heard some "moving" "seconding" and "holy shit man, you need to stop talking, let's put that on next month's agenda."  AMEN!
However, I have a whole new place to experience Robert.  I plan to hang with a friend of mine at some Utah Swimming Board meetings.  Just so I can feel like I'm in charge.  I plan to come up with some dooozzziiieees when Public Comment is encouraged.  Or at least stand up when that seems to be missing from the agenda.


What's new?  Seriously?  How have you all been?  I'm sorry I've been absent.  I get thinking about writing then I have to do laundry.  I find a picture I want to base a post on then I end up at the grocery store.  So here's the newest, new at our house.....

This is our "old" kitchen.  It is still intact.  While it appears really nice, it just doesn't function.

With the guidance of our builder,  we put our cabinets on our local classified website.  They sold.  Seriously?  They sold.  And, the buyer can wait.  So I am currently caring for these cabinets better than I cared for any of my newborn children.  Wiping them down the minute they have a mess on their face. Someone bumps into them, I hip-check them into the next room.  Damn it, we don't own these anymore, have some respect!

So my thought is, as I bring this blog to order in these next few weeks, I will be showing pictures of our kitchen re-do.  Lots of dust and plastic and maybe some carrerra marble or Kashmir white granite, cabinets and me holding my knees, rocking in the corner.

What's missing?  Besides my lack of inspiration for blog posts?  Well, something big.  She was big and beautiful and part of our family for 11 years.  She was ready.  We weren't but it wasn't about us.  Emma was the most wonderful English Mastiff friend a family could ask to love.  Love her, we did.

Foster mama, a nanny of sorts.

Here's our fabulous, crazy and totally loved Lola.  She believed Emma was her Mama.  Emma was her mama and gave her the best instruction and guidance any dog mama could give.  Another reason we are thankful for our Emma.


Hugs.

Jesus is coming......look busy.

I saw that on a bumper sticker yesterday and the Catholic in me (who is already feeling super guilty for missing Ash Wednesday) thought "Well, there you go.... get your Lent on."  Lent.  I don't know.  I mean I remember back in the day when I gave up candy.  As if candy was flowing out of every cupboard and drawer of my childhood home.  It wasn't.  My mom kept York peppermint patties in the freezer and Doublemint gum in her purse.  She also love(s)(d) a good Hershey's bar with Almonds... but it's not like she fed us pixie sticks for breakfast and Nerds for lunch.  You are what you eat by the way.

I have many a vices.  Many.  Not quite a bucket full but I lack some self control.  I know that about myself.  I have a few things I could work on for Lent.  But then "Ash Wednesday" turned into "What the Hell, it's already Friday" and then tomorrow is gonna be "We are going to get some shit done, Sunday."

I have decided I will take a little more time to focus on what the hell it is I am doing here (as in the space I share with my family.)  I will focus on me.  Just little ol' me.  And what it is I need to do.  Should I sew something? perhaps.  Should I organize the junk drawer? most definitely.  Should I improve myself?  you betcha!

Because I dig her like a pot gut [The term "potgut" is a Utah slang name or nickname for the Uinta Ground Squirrel which is usually only recognized and used by Utah natives (possibly a popular term in Idaho and Wyoming too). However, in Utah the people will usually just call any rodent-like creature a potgut.] **    digs up a Park City backyard.  This is my song dedication to the terribly talented Kate,  this is my Lent song.

Okay friends.  check in with you later.


**  I Love me my Kate.  Cuz she's a talented writer.  I used "dig" in the literal sense when I threw out the comparision and therefore am not comparing Miss Kate to a pot gut.  She is not a rodent.  She is a wonderful loving mother, wife and all around human being.  Oy.  I should stop blogging.

It's like Cupid on Crack.

Valentine's Day is once again upon us and I,once again, achieve to over-achieve.  Elvis, the first grader, of course, is first on the list because let's face it.... 5th grade boys have no interest in creating valentines because "it might send the wrong message."  And in 8th grade, you are either making out or you aren't, and thank my lucky stars Ladycakes aren't!

So Elvis is just slightly, mildly.....okay, overly obsessed with a video game (I swore I would never introduce them or guns as toys, I failed on one.)  Skylanders.  If you have a 6 to 11 year old boy, you probably know what I'm talking about.  In my effort to spin all things positive, I decided to take Skylanders to the level of valentines.

Let me just clarify, if you have tried since Christmas to find, touch, look at or even come in the vicinity of, much less throw down cold hard cash for one of these Skylanders you are out of your mind.  They are 2011's Tickle Me Elmo gone amok..... why, why do I fall for this stuff?  So it would make sense to push them forward to the next holiday, am I right?

Holy Shit, you can get Pokemon, Star Wars, Hot Wheels, Phineas and Ferb, Justin Beiber or Dr. Dre Valentines but not Skylanders?  Well, probably not Dr. Dre.....

Each Skylander character comes with a "trading card" so I put my color printer to work and got started on some super cheesy sayings (this is where an 8th grader really comes in handy) and we were like Cupid on Crack.

The resulting valentines are not only handmade ( I love this kind of stuff ) but also something Elvis will be excited about handing out and totally unique.

Next stop a 5th grade party!  As Room Parent, how do I come up with something different for kids that have been decorating cookies for years?  I'll fill you in next time.....


This is my way of forcing myself to post more than once a month!  See you soon!