On Saturday I helped out with our annual Homemade Holidays program at church. Grown-ups made wreaths and there were plenty of simple-but fun crafts for everyone. Kids loved squeezing glitter paint onto glass balls. Glue and glitter made pinecones extra-special, and little circles of pipe cleaner made cute little stands. There were homemade beeswax … [Read more…]
Okay, I’m officially in the holiday spirit. It was like a flip that was switched today. At the grocery store, actually. I walked into produce and Christmas carols were playing and I almost rolled my eyes, but I was appeased by a sale on pomegranates. I love pomegranates. Then I was waiting at the deli … [Read more…]
So, did I tell you that I got sucked into the whole Elf-on-a-Shelf thing? I know! You never thought it would happen to me, right? I mean, I refuse a single evening of leprechaun mayhem, and now I’m sucked into an advent calendar’s worth of cheeky poses by a plush figure. Sigh. Little J mentioned–repeatedly–that … [Read more…]
I hope everyone had a great holiday! We spent Thanksgiving night at my sister’s house–you know, the same house where we went for Easter, where everything is gorgeous. The weather was fabulous, so the girls were having a fabulous time clamoring around the backyard. And, sure, the backyard had fewer trees than last time we … [Read more…]
Cute W and the girls carved pumpkins over the weekend (my only contribution was a couple of eyebrows and a scar on one jack-o-lantern), and the girls took inspiration from Fairy Houses. . . Unbelievable! by Barry & Tracy Kane. In the book, they’d used several pumpkins to create an entire town for (presumably pumpkin-dwelling) … [Read more…]
New Update: I’ve been adding new ones as I come across ones that I like. I’ve said a couple of times that I’ve been loving doing Zumba. It’s the only workout that makes me lose track of time because I’m enjoying it so much. Right now I go to a Monday night class with the … [Read more…]
We had an excellent Saturday. We started with an early-morning soccer game, with M playing and Cute W coaching. The kids played well and won, so there record is now 2-0. Whoop, whoop. Later in the morning we headed out to pick apples. We decided to orchard-hop, heading to Lindsey’s for ladder-climbing fun and not … [Read more…]
Many years ago, Cute W met up with my sister Jane and while greeting her, he said, “You look tired.” Jane, who speaks with great passionate and vehemence on any number of topics, admonished him. “You never tell a woman that she looks tired. Or, if you do, you have to follow it up with … [Read more…]
Recently, Cute W and I were both feeling crabby. Cute W sent me a link to a TED Talk by Shawn Achor , in which Achor entertainingly argues that we can rewire our brains for greater happiness, optimism, and success. He suggested five activities to make you (or in his talk, your workers) more happy … [Read more…]
We’ve spent the last couple of days on gardening chores. Yesterday I picked up some flowers and vegetables and the girls and I attacked our forlorn container by the front porch and our small vegetable patch. We took “before” and “after” pictures because it’s so immensely satisfying to document accomplishments, no matter how small. That’s … [Read more…]
