Jason & Michelle & Carter & Sabrina

images for classes in poulsbo

2010-10-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

Some pictures to inspire you this holiday season...

I'm teaching classes this winter at Rubber Soul in Poulsbo.

This is what my life is like these days

2010-10-13T20:43:00.001-07:00

Sabrina made this silly video for you...

Father's Day Mini-books (Part 2)

2010-07-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

This is the second album I made for Father's Day. This one was for my father who joined us for the 4th of July celebration we had at the cabin. It was a great weekend and fun to play cards and be silly like when we were on vacation as kids. The cousins were all together and it gave me a chance to be grateful for my family and the chances we have to get together to just be.

Album 2: You Make Me Smile mini-book
This album was made using a kit I received at the Technique Tuesday Bliss weekend (which was awesome!). It was very quick to put together - just glued on the paper and rounded corners. Cropped the photos and placed them on with some quick journaling. It was fun and I'm happy with how it turned out. For the journaling, I asked my kids what they liked best about Grandpa and just created a simple list to go with some photos I had around. Took me a little over an hour to pull together.

Father's Day Mini-books (Part 1)

2010-07-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day this year I made mini-books for my husband, father, and father in-law that turned out super cute.

Album 1: Shrimping with Dad and Grandpa
Mother's Day weekend was one of only a few days you can shrimp on Hood Canal and we had fun taking the kids out for their first time. Carter (5) decided he wanted to try to kayak by himself this weekend too, so it ended up being a lot of firsts for us! I was glad that I got to document it for our family and knew that my father in-law would like to look at the pictures over and over again.

I couldn't find a decent chipboard album last minute at the craft stores I visited so I had to improvise. I bought wood rectangles that were super light and adhered the pictures directly to the wood. After trimming the pictures with an exacto knife, I used sand paper to even up the edges and give them a little white border. Then I took some white ink and stamped directly onto the photos - but the ink took forever to dry. I used my hot gun and it still didn't dry. The stamps are all Ali Edward's from Technique Tuesday. A friend gave me a tip to just put some paper towel over to soak up anything that was still sticky and that seemed to work. I think they turned out awesome!

Part 2 coming soon!

Make something cool: Pup tent

2010-06-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

Ran across this great idea today on the interwebz. Who doesn't want a pup tent? So cute!

Another version to try too - this one starts with a sheet and looks easy:

Summer drinks: Watermelon slushee

2010-06-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

We are having fun experimenting with summer drinks at our house. We've master the orange julius, iced almond coffee, and chai tea blended drinks. Yummm... Today we invented a watermelon slushee and it was delicious! Great mocktail for using up watermelon that has gone a little mushy.

Watermelon Slushee

4 cups seedless watermelon cubed
4 T sugar
juice of one lime (optional)
8 ice cubes

Put it in the blender and let it go. The longer you blend it the smoother it will be.

Enjoy!

Make something cool: ruffled shrug

2010-06-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

I just saw this adorable shrug on one of the blogs that I follow. It is made out of a t-shirt that was stained and looks simple enough to attempt. What a great way to repurpose clothes! I'm raiding my daughters dresser as we speak...

Make something cool: Iced Orange Cookies

2010-05-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

These are yummy and theoretically good for you since they contain whole grains. Good for Christmas or special occasions, they look fancy and taste great. These are soft and cake-like cookies with a creamy frosting.

Iced Orange Cookies
From King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking

Dough
11 T unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 egg
1/2 cup orange juice (grate the zest before juicing)
2 T grated orange zest (rind of 1-2 oranges)
2 c whole wheat flour

Icing
2 c confectioners' sugar
2 T butter, softened
1 T grated orange zest
1/4 t vanilla
1/8 t salt
2 T orange juice

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

Prepare the dough. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and soda, and salt in medium bowl. Beat in the egg, then the OJ and zest, scraping the bowl. Will look curdled. Add the flour, beating until smooth. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared sheets.

Bake cookies, reversing pans midway through until they are just barely beginning to brown around the edges, 10 minutes. Remove cookies fromt he oven and let them cool on the pans for 10 min before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Prepare the icing. Beat the sugar, butter, zest, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Beat in the OJ till the mixture is spreadable. Spread icing on the cookies when they are completely cool, using a generous 1 teaspoon icing for each.

Making marriage work

2010-05-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a ParentMap lecture by Dr. John Gottman at Town Hall in Seattle. It was insightful and entertaining. I thought I'd share my notes with you so you can benefit from what I learned.

Dr. Gottman studies couples and makes observations based on their interactions. Evidently he’s been able to predict with 90% accuracy which couples will succeed or fail based on how they interact. He’s found that the ratio of positive to negative interactions for a healthy marriage is 5:1 measured in number of seconds.

The ability to repair after a negative reaction is key. Listen openly, quick to forgive, etc. Most of the time we are emotionally unavailable when we need to be (statistically only 9% of the time are we both available at the same time). Odds are stacked against us. What makes repair work?

“What can make relationships work is surprisingly simple. Happily married couples in their day-to-day lives have hit upon a dynamic that keeps their negative thoughts and feelings about each other from overwhelming their positive ones. They support each other’s hopes and aspirations and build a sense of purpose into their lives together.”

What can you do now to make your marriage work?

1. Nurture the friendship in your marriage
- Build love maps – maintain awareness of your partner’s world. What stresses you out? Values, hopes, aspirations. Learn it and remember (will get you more sex too!). Present problems as “our” problems that we kick around together (vs “you are the problem!”). Avoid criticism. Complain when you are upset, but tell what you need and give a chance to repair that doesn’t feel like attack.
- Share and nurture fondness and admiration – and express it to each other. The marriages that work build a culture of appreciation and respect in the small moments that build up. Like spontaneous gratitude. It is a habit of the mind – scan for mistakes and offer “constructive criticism” vs ignore the mistakes and look for things to compliment and appreciate. What is going right? Communicate your affection and respect, don’t just think it (gentlemen). Listen to complaints that are specific and gentle vs an attack on character. Avoid whining or acting like an innocent victim. Accept responsibility within the first three minutes (especially the ladies) – goes a long way.
- Turn toward each other instead of away. Manage stress as a team. Contempt is ugly – saying something from a superior place or talking down to each other. Avoid insults, name-calling, correcting grammar, condescending tone, etc. Lack of responsiveness is bad. Emotional bank account gets filled up when bids for attention are responded to (master couples responded to bids 86% of time vs 33% of time for couples that divorce). Each bid for attention is a “sliding door” (the movie) opportunity and is a choice you make.

2. A positive perspective occurs when the friendship in your marriage is strong.
Be a good listener and respond. Don’t stonewall or shut down. Instead, take a deep breath and calm down and try to listen and engage. You have to get to a positive perspective to make repair work, couples will do a cost benefit analysis and if it is more heavily weighted toward disaster they will bail. It gets to the point where you cant switch from negative to positive, so have to cultivate along the way. The litmus test for a marriage is friendship – if it isn’t working you are running on empty in the bank.

3. Deal with your relationship issues and learn to manage conflict.
69% of time we don’t resolve conflict, deal with perpetual problems.
- Accept influence from your partner. Be open to compromise.
- Discuss your problems. Take turns listening to one another about ongoing problems. Resolve solvable problems. Talk about the perpetual ones. The topic doesn’t matter, figure out the underlying issue (talking about money vs what does $$ mean to us?). Often the issue is related to something in their love map (dreams, values, etc.).
- Practice self-soothing to keep yourself calm. You have to relax or else you will dig in heals and hit gridlock.

4. Find ways to make one another’s life dreams come true.
Make sure you know what they are first. Don Juan DeMarco movie.

5. Create shared meaning.
Build a shared sense of purpose. What is your mission and legacy? Celebrations. Holidays. Intentional conversations about what they should mean. How do you want to be treated when sick? How deal with economic setbacks & failures? Goals. Mission. Values. Legacy.

Clean up your room!

2010-05-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of angst around cleaning up rooms right now. And I'm not sure why it is so especially frustrating. I'm tired of yelling to motivate my kids and need a new system. It seems like they get overwhelmed with the number of tasks or requests you give them. My son is always getting frustrated because I've asked too many things of him at one time. So I created a little chart in Word to laminate for their room. There are images and words so that they can theoretically work independently on picking up all their stuff. I will let you know if it works. Here's what it looks like:

Very Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-04-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is my all-time favorite recipe for cookies. I don't even care that it is made with whole grains. It is that yummy. My family agrees. I like that you don't have to bring the butter to room temperature - it makes the whole thing go faster and allows me to make cookies spontaneously. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Good to the Grain

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dry Mix:
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Wet Mix:
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 c dark brown sugar
1 c sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Instructions:

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper (especially if using big chunks of chocolate). Can butter the sheets instead.
Sift dry ingredients together.
Mix together butter and sugars in stand mixer, just until butter and sugars are blended. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Add the four mixture on low until barely combined. Add the chocolate all at once (I add some chopped nuts too at this point).
Scoop mounds of dough about 3 tablespoons onto baking sheet about 3 inches apart (6 to a sheet).
Bake cookies for 16-20 minutes, rotating half way through, until they are evenly browned. Transfer cookies on parchment to cool on the counter. Cook the rest of the cookies.

And did you see that Amy posted her cheat sheet for her favorite recipes? She posts them on her fridge so she doesn't have to look them up each time. I think that is brilliant! And I've made a bunch of these and they are yummy. For real. Go make the chocolate cake right now. You will not be disappointed.

Disappointed

2010-04-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

I am a big John Mayer fan. I think he is so talented and have enjoyed following his career. But when I saw his latest interview with Playboy, I was really disappointed. I mean, really? My heart sunk on so many levels. Thinking about all the kids that idolize him, about the grip that porn has on his life, and how sad things are generally for youngin's trying to hook up. This article in NY Magazine communicates how I feel about this issue eloquently.

Spring is here

2010-04-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

I am loving the longer days and the sun shining through the trees in the evenings. Kids playing outside and happy. It makes me so thankful to live where we are. We had a great Easter weekend - Sabrina had a birthday and we got to hang out with both sides of the family.

This is the digital scrapbook page I pulled together to remember Easter. My first digital spread all by myself! I used an Ali Edwards template to help make it easier and I'm hoping it'll go faster next time.

Now I need to work out a new process and work flow for processing my pictures. I would like to be able to import the pictures, review them and mark my favorites and tag them, then edit the pictures I like if they need it, and then share them with my friends and family or print them at Costco. There has to be a more efficient way to do that. I like how iPhoto organizes the photos, but don't like how they make another copy. I think I'll download Picassa to organize and tag the photos, Photoshop to edit the pictures, and then pull them into iPhoto to facilitate sharing.

Make something cool: Felt toolbox

2010-04-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

I love felt. And this project is adorable! Tutorial is here.

Walmart may be the best source of local produce?

2010-03-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

Really? Potentially better than Whole Foods? Really? Hate them or love them, WalMart may be single handedly bringing back small farms. Really?

Interesting article from the Atlantic, where chef prepares side by side comparisons for discerning pallets with surprising results.

Listening to life

2010-03-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

I started a new book tonight in the quiet moments when my husband was giving my kids a bath. I love it when that happens! I would like to become a more contemplative person and I'm hoping the book "Let Your Life Speak" by Parker Palmer will help.

I wanted to share the opening poem with you because I think it is beautiful:

Some time when the river is ice ask me

mistakes I have made. Ask me whether

what I have done is my life. Others

have come in their slow way into

my thought, and some have tried to help

or to hurt: ask me what difference

their strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say.

You and I can turn and look

at the silent river and wait. We know

the current is there, hidden; and there

are comings and goings from miles away

that hold the stillness exactly before us.

What the river says, that is what I say.

- William Stafford, "Ask Me"

Tell me a story

2010-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

I promised that I would publish the instructions for a craft I led recently at our MOPS group. This post is terribly tardy. And I apologize for those mama's waiting for this information. God bless you!

I first ran across story dice on Amy's blog and promptly ordered a few from etsy and this great artist. When they arrived I squealed with delight. The packaging was beautiful and it feels good to buy things that are made individually by such talented people. I think I was more excited than the kids were. Aren't they cute?

But then I discovered this great tutorial for making them and asked the author to post the illustrations she used. And she did! So now you can make them too. They are super easy and you can find the blocks at JoAnns or Michaels depending on what size you want. I've used 3/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch blocks with success.

These are pictures of the dice that we made for our craft. We put them in cute little purple bags. I think the moms really liked them!

I originally ordered these dice as a cure for our witching hour between 4-6 in the afternoon when I am trying to make dinner and am spent from the day. I think it was after I read the Creative Family book and they talked about drawing together as a family and just making supplies available to the kids to create when they want. The good stuff too. And it does help. I think my kids will be even more into this as they get older, but just creating the little booklets was really fun and they are filling them up with pictures and 'stories'. Now that they can write letters this will be a fun activity to re-introduce.

This is our little story center. It is setup in our dining room so the kids can access it anytime.

Have fun!

My quest for a fashionable camera bag

2010-03-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

...has not been easy, let me just tell you. My goal is to find a bag that is cute that can hold my dSLR, an extra lens and flash and the battery charger in one place. Ideally it'll have some padding to keep everything safe. And it should be beautiful - not boxy and black. I'm not a professional photographer.

Here's what I've found so far:

I love that this bag is quilted and roomy.

This bag is beautiful! And according to this blog, is roomy enough for what a girl needs.

This is cool because it has dividers and was intended for photography.

I like this one too - again designed for a DSLR. Small too, a bonus.

But the one I tried first (in part because it was cheap!) was this cute bowling bag from Amazon.com:

I think it is going to work, though the hubby isn't thrilled with the design. I think he was hoping for a bag that he could lug to sporting events. This is not that bag. But really, when are we apart for said events? It fits my Canon and an extra lens, but not much else. You might be able to shove the battery charger in there - it is a bit of a tight squeeze. The bag has a little padding, and will keep everything nice and clean when not in use (a concern for households with curious kiddos). It is small enough that I can throw it in a larger bag or purse too if I go on a trip.

Will keep you posted. Anything else I should be considering?

If you really want to know me...

2010-03-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

You should look at what I'm reading. Anyone who knows me knows that I read a lot. And as I was cleaning up I was noticing all the places I'm tucking away books because I don't have shelves up.

In my kitchen, I've placed my go to cookbooks by the oven so they are handy. I love these books. They are the ones I use over and over and over.

And these are the books on the table by my chair. Notice the books stacked up on the piano? My husband did that after he got sick of the tower of books on the table that kept falling over.

What can you tell about me from my books? I like to cook and bake, I have kids and am trying to figure out this parenting thing, I'm crafty, and I am our family's memory keeper. You already knew this? Look closer. These books tell you even more about the type of parent I want to be, the kind of life I'm carving out for my family, the kind of art that excites me, and the adventures I want to take.

I'm curious, what are you reading?

More projects for valentines

2010-02-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

I ran across a couple more ideas that I think you are going to like!

How about a personalized flip-book from Color Me Katie? Super simple and won't cost you a thing.

You can find lots of creative gifts that are hand stamped and personalized at my buddy Carissa's etsy shop here. (I found a super cute gift for my sweetie but don't want to spoil it before the holiday!)

Lots of great ideas here too.

And over 30 printable valentines are listed here for you to use.

On a related note, I finished making my heart garlands and they turned out so cute! I brought them to our local parent fair to decorate our MOPS booth and they looked great. I also made simple pendants that were super cute too. What do you think?

My friend Kelli dropped of a Vera Bradley catalog with lots of pinks and reds in it and I used a heart punch and some invisible thread to pull this together pretty quickly.

And for these I just cut a 12x12 piece of scrapbooking paper in half and then folded those in half, identified the center of the open end and used my paper cutter to cut out a triangle. I threaded some cute red twine through the center and secured with double sided tape. I cut out the letters on my Cricut using Sure Cuts A Lot software and Gill Sans font.

Hoping you are inspired!

Sabrina, the ballerina

2010-01-27T14:30:00.001-08:00

Lookout America's Funniest Home Videos!

And she recovers with a strong finish...

My first little dress

2010-01-20T23:11:00.000-08:00

It is official. I feel like I've graduated to a new level of craftiness. It is one thing to sew squares for pillows or quilts. It is another thing entirely to fashion something you can wear and make it look good. I am one that cuts corners. Not someone that relishes in the little details that make a project look really professional. But I have to say that I am quite happy with this little dress:

She liked it so much she started dancing!

It was made from one of Jason's old shirts. I love re-purposing old clothes! It makes me feel good and it costs no money! And if I hate it when I finish - no big deal.

Anyways, I know you want to go into your husband's closet and start cutting apart one of his shirts. Go for it! I found a detailed tutorial here. Follow it to the letter. Do not deviate. I found the belt part a little confusing because I didn't understand that the elastic for the waist does not go inside the tube that you create, it goes between the tube and the dress. When I make another dress (and I will), I won't make the neck as scoopy or deep. And I broke a button sewing up the collar because I wasn't paying attention - so make sure you have enough fabric to create the casings before you cut the neckline/hemline. But everything else turned out great. And I already have the pattern set to go for another one.

I really thought that this would be something I could do in an hour or two. Not sure why I thought so... Cut off the collar and sleeves. Shape the dress and sew up the sides, throw in a little elastic and you are done. And that may have worked (seems like a couple ladies did that with good results). But the tutorial has lots of finishing work that helps it look super! What do you think? Here are some pictures of the project in progress.

And this is what was happening all around me when I basically took most of the day to make this dress:

Some more dresses to inspire you:

Valentine Goodness

2010-01-20T22:32:00.000-08:00

I don't like to make a big deal over Valentines day, but it is nice to focus on your sweetie and tell them you love them. And the kids love holidays. It is crazy how much they anticipate each holiday. We started a tradition last year of having a fondue dinner together on Valentines and it was very fun. I made some chicken, asparagus, sweet potato fries, and pita triangles to dip in a cheesy gravy I made. And we cut up strawberries, bananas, apples, and brownies for a chocolate sauce that I made. It wasn't fancy, but it was very delicious and silly.

Sabrina liked it!

For those of you looking for a cheap and easy valentine for your kiddos check out this free printable valentine and little bookmarks. These would be so cute with candy hearts in celophane bags for class or teacher gifts. I love the owl theme!

More cute printable vintage valentines for you:

Or if you wanted to get fancy, you could whip up these a-maze-ing valentines:

Feeling crafty? How about making some tea towels?

Or maybe a beautiful wreath made out of fabric roses?

Or this adorable garland made from magazines.

Or leave your sweetie a simple note with heart shaped paper clips?

Have fun!

Make something cool: breezy easy dress

2010-01-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Take an old men's shirt and use it to make one of these beautiful dresses. Sounds fairly simple and I'm definitely going to try it. Tutorial with limited instructions here. And some more ideas for repurposing mens shirts for more advanced sewers here.

Free birthday calendar

2010-01-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

For those of you looking for a little organizational help this year: Download a free printable calendar that keeps track of birthdays each year.

Repurposing sweaters

2010-01-12T23:16:00.000-08:00

I ran across a couple of ideas this week for using sweaters in a creative new way. I think you'll like them.

Cereal is for suckers

2010-01-09T15:19:00.000-08:00

Ok. That was harsh. Sorry. But it is how I feel this week. I told my husband yesterday that I felt guilty eating breakfast lately because it is so *dang* good and it made me feel sorry for the masses that consume cold cereal daily. But I've never been a big fan of breakfast, so that may be a contributing factor.

I'm in love with oatmeal. Yep. You heard me. Oatmeal. But not your instant quaker oats, just-add-hot-water-and-stir oatmeal. I've officially become an adoring fan of steel cut oats. Cooked slowly on my stovetop until they are creamy and perfectly chewy and yummy.

It all started with this recipe Jason sent me, encouraging my healthful eating kick I've been on lately. It was so good, I even made some for breakfast on christmas morning. It was that good. And good for you. Stick to your ribs. Feel great all morning. Good. You should make it. I highly recommend that combo of dried fruit in the recipe, but might I suggest a couple of alternatives that will knock your socks off? Dried pineapple. Solo. Don't add anything else. Tastes like Hawaii to me. Then try some with dried figs and cranberries. A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I'm just saying - I don't think you can go wrong here. Even plain with 1/2 mashed banana and some cinnamon are quite tasty.

It is a commitment. You will need to spend 30 minutes making oatmeal. But it isn't hard. You can do other things. And I make a double batch and store it in the fridge and eat it all week. Slow down folks! It doesn't take that long to warm it up in the morning and you will thank me. You will.

You are welcome.

Garlands

2010-01-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

I'm obsessed with garlands and I don't know why. I have to make one soon. (I have no idea where I am going to put it with 25 foot ceilings, but that is besides the point people!) I've already purchased what we need and this tutorial is really very simple. Seems easier than the holiday one I was going to do. I was thinking about doing one in fall colors the shapes of leaves, using little cookie cutters as a pattern. Seems like a good project to do with the kids - tracing, cutting, and then sewing them in a line. Something we could do in an afternoon together. I'll let you know how it goes.

Take a fancy picture of your tree

2009-12-19T23:15:00.000-08:00

For those of you with fancy cameras, you should try taking a picture like this. Full instructions are here.

Miniature knitted ornaments

2009-12-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law asked me to gather some free patterns for her so she could knit up some quick ornaments. I thought I'd share what I found on Ravelry to inspire you.

More fun ideas for the holidays

2009-12-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

How cute are these little gingerbread houses? You can download a pattern and see the tutorial from notmartha here. They are based on the recipe for these amazing gingerbread snowflakes from Martha.

Don't want to do all the work to make the houses and put them together? Buy these cute cookie cutters and be done with it. The cookies sit on your mug!

Need a partridge in a pear tree to round out your holiday giving? How about this beautiful linzer cookie?

Looking for some last minute knitting projects? These are two of my favorites that I've seen in the last two weeks.

I love this destroyed cowl. Pattern is a free .pdf on Ravelry here.

You can wear it long like this or around your neck twice more like a scarf.

Who wouldn't love these bunny slippers? CRAFT magazine offered up the free pattern here.

How about a quick project for a little kiddo in your life? Here's a free pattern for a felt crayon holder.

Are you inspired?

Make your christmas lights fancy

2009-12-17T23:00:00.000-08:00

Learn how to use a manilla envelope to make your lights pretty here.

Advent calendars

2009-12-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

This year we were excited to get Playmobil advent calendars for the kids. They seem to love them. But the obsession on 'stuff' this year is a little out of control. Maybe it is just preschoolers, but I'm guessing that it only gets worse. For some reason I thought the toy calendars would be better than the cute chocolate ones, but they are still focusing on the stuff and not what we are counting down toward (ie Baby Jesus!). So next year I am going to either make a felt advent calendar like this one:

[Instructions for similar one here.]

Or I am going to make an activity one using baby socks like this one:

Instructions here. I love how simple this is. I was thinking I would fill it with activities for us to do as a family or to help prepare for Christmas. Any tips?

Make something cool: sweet deer

2009-12-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

I can't wait to make this! Headed out to buy some felt for the deer body today and will likely make him look a little more like this or this. Download a free pattern here. Cute!

Creative gift tags

2009-12-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a great little gift card that looks like a vinyl record. You can see the tutorial here and download .pdfs of the artwork so you can make your own.

Make something cool: coffee sleeve wreath

2009-12-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

What a great way to reuse coffee sleeves! I love simple crafts that you can do with the kiddos, and there is no reason you couldn't use other textures of cardboard from the recycle bin. Check out the detailed turorial here.

Make something cool: gift card wallet

2009-12-13T22:23:00.000-08:00

Are you giving gift cards for Christmas? Add a home made touch by making these cute little wallets.

Peanut Butter Balls

2009-12-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

We discovered these delicious candies this year. The kids love helping me make them and they are great little gifts too! Instructions are here.

free: holiday funtime garland

2009-12-04T15:05:00.001-08:00

what a cute craft to make with your family! click on the link to the image and look at the biggest one to download and print. think we will be making this in the next day or two.

the girls

2009-12-04T12:17:00.001-08:00

How cute are these little girly clothespins? Super fun gift for the kids friends, I'm thinking...

More holiday things to make

2009-12-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

I have a few more things to add to my list...

I'm sure there will be more that we come up with!

How can you resist these?

make something cool: ruffle skirt

2009-12-02T18:36:00.001-08:00

Very fun project for little girls! Check out the awesome tutorial here.

make something cool: mitten ornament

2009-12-01T07:18:00.001-08:00

I saw this pattern last year and didn't get around to making them. I love this little ornament and am hoping to squeeze it into my holiday crafting this year. You can find the free pattern here and see how the oliver + s folks are using them for an advent calendar. Cute!

Thanksgiving activities for kids

2009-11-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

I was just printing out some fun things for us to do today with my preschool aged kids and thought I'd share.

Have a great day with your families!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T15:14:00.001-08:00

This is the first Thanksgiving I'm hosting in a very long time. And I'm getting excited. I've simplified the menu this year and am only making the things I care about most:

Everything else (rolls, drinks, pie, etc.) will be bought this year and brought by my parents or in-laws. Possible exception - I think my mom will bake a Marionberry pie if we are lucky. Yeah!

But as I look around my messy house, I'm realizing we are hurting on the decor front. And I haven't thought about a gratitude project so I need to get crackin'. Some good ideas for decor (I mainly care about the table at this point - it is a little late for everything else!):

Mayflower centerpiece
Turkey placecards and more here
Quick natural placecards (I actually have a handful of these I picked up outside the knit shop a few weeks ago)
Finger puppets
Awesome corn husk votives

I heart owls

2009-11-25T14:39:00.001-08:00

Click on the image for more information. You can download free owl brushes for Photoshop here.

Photoshop lesson 2

2009-11-24T14:29:00.001-08:00

Scrappin' fun

2009-11-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

I'm taking another Photoshop class from Jessica Sprague and I really like it. This is the layout I made during the first lesson:
And while this may look simple, I think I had almost 40 layers in Elements before I finished. I even turned the photo to sepia manually and colored in Carter on his bike. I'm feeling very fancy right about now.

Photoshop layers and masks

2009-11-22T09:12:00.001-08:00

make something cool: marshmallow shooter!

2009-11-19T20:23:00.001-08:00

Things to make for christmas

2009-11-19T19:43:00.000-08:00

I love being crafty, but things get so out of control before Christmas. Thought I'd make a big list of all the things I want to make before I figure out what I will realistically have time to make. Here goes (see how overwhelming this is?):

christmas garland
dinosaur play mat
snow globes
ornaments a la skunkboy or adorable felt toys
fabric crowns or maybe felt?
knitting projects: 5 hats and surprise?!?
christmas card wreath display
kids craft: gumdrop pops
activity books for kids: coloring pages, connect the dots, etc.
kids craft: Snowflakes and snowmen
kids activity or gift: vintage paper dolls
microwave caramel corn with chocolate chips added at the end (or nuts, white chocolate, coconut, orange zest, cinnamon, etc. depending on how i feel)
peppermint cocoa or layered
peppermint bark popcorn or peppermint candy brownies
pin cushion gift with pinecone elves
black apple dollies
christmas countdown garland
photo advent calendar
christmas planner for gifts (another one made from index cards!), and printable forms for getting organized
gift tags and photo gift toppers, as well as mitten clips

Other good ideas:

sock or glove critters
piggy mittens (pdf)
drawstring bags using up my cute stash of fabric
repurposed t-shirt pants
christmas tree scrapbook
gifts in a jar, including smores in a jar
monkey bread
christmas sayings, and kitchen gift sayings for cards

Things to do for christmas

2009-11-19T19:34:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of celebrating family, here are some of the things I'd like to do this year:

Put up the tree thanksgiving weekend and being decorating house
Plan weekend in leavenworth
Write letters to Santa
Family game night weekly
Christmas movie nights
Bake christmas cookies and decorate
Christmas stories with kiddos
Picnic around the fire
Fondue night
Make a snowman
Video chat with family
Christmas eve at Grandma Peggy's with the aunties
Christmas morning with Auntie Lindsey & Uncle Brett
Christmas dinner with Grandma Maria & Grandpa Keith (and family)
Hot cider and cocoa
Christmas carols
Family service project, operation christmas child
Make peppermint cocoa to share with friends
Eggnog french toast
Craft projects
Send out christmas picture
Write a letter

December Daily Album

2009-11-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

I've decided to create a December Daily scrapbook album before Dec 1 and got a great start on it yesterday. I am so inspired by Ali Edwards and love her sense of style and imperfect approach to capturing everyday life.

More links to projects and products for my, I mean your, inspiration:
Another December Daily album done in July in preparation.
Holidays in Hand class by Jessica Sprague - which I am also planning on doing this year.
Journal Your Christmas with email prompts

My goal is to slow down this year - be intentional about creating christmas magic, focus on experiences (not stuff) and savor every moment. I'm hoping these projects will help!

make something cool: pretty dresses

2009-11-19T09:39:00.001-08:00

I would love to make this dress:
I love this dress. And I have lots of Jason's old dress shirts that I could use. But I've never sewed clothes before. I aspire to make this for Sabrina but fear by the time I get around to it, she'll outgrow the dress shirt!

Also, a sewing tutorial from Oliver + S that is great for those learning to sew.

My first digital scrapbook page

2009-11-16T22:08:00.001-08:00

I made my first page today, do you like it?

Jessica Sprague taught me how. I took a free class online here.

Basic Photoshop stuff but I needed it. It's been over 10 years since I really used Photoshop! I'm very excited. Taking the next class now...

IMG00218.jpg

2009-10-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

First fire of the season. Toasty! Kids enjoying picnic dinner on pirate plates. Bean bags are out for full lounging benefit. And paper bag lanterns that Carter invented. Good times.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Piano man

2009-10-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

I came back from my trip to Nashville to discover that Carter learned to play piano while I was gone. See for yourself...

Here's the original Coldplay song he is playing:

And of course Sabrina couldn't miss out on the action...

Not bad for the first lesson - can you see how proud of herself she is?

Every time I leave my family, Jason does a great job with the kids. A little too good if you ask me. I'm not sure how he gets them to sit still for long enough to learn piano, for example. That just doesn't happen when I work with them. He is so incredibly patient and creative when teaching them that it is wonderful to watch. But it is starting to make me look bad...

make something cool: recycled plastic messanger bag

2009-09-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

for another weekend when i'm feeling crafty, i want to make this!

Cricut Contest Entry

2009-09-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is contest entry for those crazy folks at TodaysMama and Cricut. Be sure to check out Cricut's cool new cartridges and the chance at $30,000 in travel for you and your friends at the Great Gypsy Escape site!

Great Escape Meme
1. If you could escape to anywhere in the world where would it be? Hawaii
2. What song do you play when you are by yourself in the car? Viva la Vida

3. If you had a night to yourself, and money was no object, what would you do? Spa, hair, pampering generally
4. What is your guilty pleasure? anything baked, especially chocolate
5. What is the farthest place you have traveled away from your home? Munich
6. Last book that you couldn't put down? Edgar Sawtelle
7. When you want to escape into another time, what movie do you watch?
8. What is your favorite local escape? Point No Point beach with the kiddos
9. How do you escape on a budget? Parks, beaches, long walks, picking blackberries
10. Best food you've ever had while on vacation. Sushi in hawaii - so fresh and yummy!

I had to have these stamps

2009-08-25T17:16:00.001-07:00

I'm in love with them. Can't wait for them to come!

It's like learning to ride a bike...

2009-08-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

We had the best day on Sunday. It was the first day in over a month that Jason had the day off and we made the most of it. After church we visited with his parents and then headed to the ball field to try out the bike with no training wheels, something we'd been talking about all summer but haven't had time to do. Carter was convinced he wouldn't be able to ride a bike until he turned 5 (just a couple weeks away) and he was quite apprehensive about it. But Daddy knew best. He knew Carter was ready, but he just needed to want it. And he did. We took his bike to the baseball field and spent the afternoon riding and taking a break and hanging out in the shade and riding some more and just hanging out. It was really nice.

Here's a video for your enjoyment:

Carter learning to ride bike 4 from Michelle Anderson on Vimeo.

The Seven Lesson Schoolteacher

2009-08-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading John Taylor Gatto's "Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling." I was beside myself. It really helped me to think critically about the kind of education I want to give my kids. I'm not sure how much I buy into the Totalitarianism or conspiracy to dumb down our kids, but it did get me thinking which is a good thing. I'm consolidating my thoughts and need to talk it over with my husband before I publish anything here, but here is a copy of The Seven Lesson Schoolteacher speech that Gatto gave upon accepting an award for NY State Teacher of the Year in 1991. You should read it. And another chapter of the book, a speech he delivered in 1990 when he acepted an award from the NY State Senate for NYC Teacher of the year is entitled "The Psychopathic School."

Inspiring Layout: Hearts

2009-08-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

I ran across this beautiful scrapbook page yesterday. Enjoy!

Gyoza!

2009-08-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

The kids and I made Gyoza tonight and it was very fun. Missa taught us how to make Gyoza last year at our MOPS steering retreat and I still dream about them. I came across a blog post about Gyoza and it inspired me to make my own. It was a bit of work chopping and folding them up, but the kids got into it and I just made sure we had plenty of time this afternoon.

And here are the results!

If you want to make your own Gyoza you definitely should. I followed the recipe here, but added a little sesame oil and shitake mushrooms. I didn't mess with the cabbage, just cut up the leaves and mixed them all in with pretty good results. But I made a sweet and sour sauce that Missa gave me to dip it in. Can't find it right now but can give it to you if you want. It rocks!

Here are two different videos on how to fold Gyoza:

Silly Songs with Carter and Sabrina

2009-07-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

As we were cleaning up and getting ready to go home from the Cabin, the kids started goofing off. Luckily I remembered to grab the camera!

GoFish's "Get Your Jammies On"

Sabrina Beat Boxing - Watch her turn into Action!

God You Reign

Mighty to Save

Magically clean inbox

2009-07-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

I just found a cool trick for cleaning out your gmail inbox. When I started my gmail account the transition from folders to lables was akward and I had so much space it didn't seem like I'd ever use it. But now that I'm a GTD convert (sort-of) it really bothered me that I had 10k emails in my inbox. So I deleted some obvious spam and then archived the rest (see: http://www.ainotenshi.org/cleaning-up-your-gmail-inbox). Now my historical email is still there, and I can process the rest as it comes in by labeling and archiving if I want to save it. But I delete a lot more email than I used to and the satisfaction of having the Inbox at 0 messages is huge!

Time flies

2009-07-15T23:27:00.000-07:00

wish I was having fun though. ParentMap uses word to keep track of employee time, and even excel is a bit annoying for this task b/c it doesn't handle calculations of time well. It can subtract time if i enter start and end times, but summing time becomes problematic when you get to 99 hours.

I looked for a free tool, because this is a simple task I want it to do. Start, end, date, project. Keep track for me and then add it all up at the end of the month, but break it down by day or project or both if I want.

I downloaded and started using HourGuard, and it is great except that I can't break down the report by day. Suck.

Other free tools:
simple - http://online-stopwatch.chronme.com/ allows you to keep track and export to csv
http://www.toggl.com/ - looks clean and simple
http://www.trackmypeople.com/ - seems fancy and am afraid they'll charge me to export csv or something
http://klok.mcgraphix.com/klok/index.htm - seems clunky to me. maybe just ugly.

I'm trying Toggl next. But I downloaded their widget for mac and setup an account and my login/pass failed so that is annoying. But it is nice that they have an online interface. We'll see how it goes. Any suggestions?

The new more efficient me

2009-07-15T23:25:00.001-07:00

Ahh...the illusion of productivity. In an attempt to get organized, dump tasks out of my head and associate them with projects I went online looking for a good tool to keep track of my tasks. And I quickly discovered the world of Getting Things Done (GTD) and the cult of productivity that seems to flow from that. I hadn't heard of GTD before but some of the ideas resonated - that I function better when I get stuff out of my head and on a list. That there are some things I need my computer or the internet for that I can't do at the cabin on the weekend, but other things that I need to be able to sit and think which doesn't happen with the kiddos underfoot.

Anyways, I wanted to use the task feature in outlook/entourage. I like that I can assign categories to them, and due dates and priorities, etc. But I didn't want to pay for office. So I downloaded iGTD and I kind of like it. My only beef is when it comes time to process tasks - I'd like a view where I can see everything on my list grouped by project so I can sort it and still see everything in one place. Maybe it does this and I just haven't figured it out yet.

more GTD resources:
good place to start - http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/08/getting-started-with-getting-things-done
5 sentences - http://www.43folders.com/2007/07/12/five-sentence-email
Quicksilver - http://www.43folders.com/2007/06/19/buffington-igtd-01
http://blog.circlesixdesign.com/2007/06/21/my-personal-igtd/

Note: I resisted buying office for my mac b/c i didn't want to spend anymore money just so I could work. I already own 2 licenses for the PC and switching to a mac was pretty expensive already. But the home edition isn't really that much and I broke down. Open Office just didn't cut it for the excel data minipulation I needed to do (lots of data in many tabs, pivot tables, vlookup, if/then statements, etc.) - it choked or it just didn't work. I'll concede that it is possible that I didn't spend enough time learning the interface on a few of those, but the choking with big data sets (only 10k rows) was a big waste of time.

Salmonberries

2009-07-07T23:27:00.001-07:00

DSC08285
Originally uploaded by egerdahl

Uploaded our pictures from this summer to my new computer and they are so cool! I was playing around with my camera and took these pictures of the salmonberries we picked...yummy

Book: Outrageous Learning: An Education Manifesto

2009-07-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

I devoured Scott Oki's book this weekend. I found it easy to read and well organized. It was written in straight-forward prose that everyone can follow and is packed with ideas for incremental change on 11 main planks, as he calls them. It made so much sense to me that I was surprised that some of the recommendations were even there (which highlights my ignorance on how public schools work). For example, do we really not give principals the ability to hire whatever teachers they think are most qualified? Or, do we really not pay our teachers based on how well they perform?

The book makes me want to buy copies of the book for some of my smartest friends and gather them together to start a conversation about Bainbridge public schools. So if you get an invitation, you'll know that I think you are very smart. But if I'm really honest, it also makes me want to seek out the best alternatives to public schools for my kids. I really just want to run the other direction. In the preface of his book, Scott states that he “believes the lack of sufficient emotional energy to make a positive difference in public education is due to the fact that we, as individuals, feel powerless to fix a problem that is a multi-headed hydra of gargantuan size.” That is how I feel.

Scott's premise is that there is not a unified view of what the problem with our schools actually is. He thinks the real problem “is rooted in just a few essential things. First, there is an almost total lack of freedom for school leaders – principals and superintendents – to innovate, make policy corrections and change any number of things when warranted. Second, there are an insufficient number of capable, insanely great teachers in the classroom, and there are many weak teachers who should receive heavier and more frequent doses of professional development, or who should seek another line of work. And third, in many places, there is a lack of involvement of parents and neighborhood communities in improving local schools.”

Makes me think about a story I heard on This American Life last year about underperforming NYC school teachers that were sent to a holding room for weeks in lieu of firing them. Facinating. And scarry! But alas, I digress...

The 11 suggestions for improving public schools in Washington offered in the book are:

Let local leaders lead. Need to start with “inspired leaders who are empowered to make key decisions and who accept responsibility for delivering results.” “Teachers should be able to make the decisions that impact the learning for each and every one of their students without the burdensome constraints of bureaucracy.” “As the school's CEO, the principal should be ultimately responsible for the quality of the teachers, the effectiveness of the instruction and the health of the school's learning community.” He suggests each principal has a Board of Directors helping him to succeed.
Insanely great teachers. “We should create a meritocracy in which good teachers are recognized and paid for superior teaching performance...We should allow schools to hire qualified teachers from the broadest talent pool possible...In addition to attracting top talent, constant and continual improvement should be a part of the teaching culture.”
The freedom to choose. “Yet when it comes to one of the most important decisions affecting the future of our children, their education, parental choice is often nonexistent in public schools. Parents are largely told where to send their child and what teacher the child will have...In contrast, no one would dream of accepting a system in which a government official assigned each citizen to use only the public gas station within two miles of his house especially if the gas were underperforming and overpriced.” “Without consumer choice, managers, whether public officials or company executives, have no incentive to innovate, improve quality, provide inspired leadership or create a culture of excellence.”
More time spent educating. Some reasons kids don't keep up in school include: “student-to-teacher ratio, quality of instruction, quantity of instruction, pace of instruction, and duration of instruction.” Consider “lengthening the school day, increasing the number of teaching days in the school year, and/or adopting a year-round school calendar...”
Early learning rigor, optional high school. Only half of the children entering kindergarten are ready to learn. “...a person's foundation for how they feel about themselves, self-esteem, is established in childhood and that lifelong intellectual curiosity is shaped in the earliest years.” The Hart-Risley study found that “the level of income, ethnicity, and level of parents' education had no explanatory power in determining the level of cognitive capacity that the children achieved. It is all explained by the amount of language dancing, or extra talk, over and above business talk, that the parents engage in. It accounted literally for all the variance in outcomes [of success].” “...if parents and caregivers would simply engage children in adult conversation with more frequency, children would be more intelligent than if not spoken to in this matter.” “We have to stop warehousing teenagers where the educational self life is quite limited, based on where we would like them to go (college), and get them into learning environments that are appropriate for their long-term goals. I believe many students will flourish if we engage them in classes they find meaningful, excite their interests and are relevant to their futures.”
Muster an army of volunteers. Parents, mentors, tutors, Teach Corps. “Parents are teachers of their children, and can meaningfully contribute to the learning by checking homework, reading to young children, asking questions, engaging kids in conversation, and the thousand other ways parents create a stimulating learning environment at home.”
No standardized curriculum. “While managed instruction strategies are ideal for the earliest grades, more freedom and flexibility in pedagogical approaches is necessary for the higher grades.” “We should return to a more focused approach [to curriculum], with more class time devoted to a smaller number of essential subjects. Even though the breath of subjects would be more limited, we should embrace many different ways to teach the same material.” First Move program taught chess to second and third grade students in order “to stimulate higher-level analytical thinking skills and to improve the learning outcomes in the areas of math and reading”. What does it mean to be educated? At minimum, “upon leaving school our children need to be literate, with strong working knowledge of spoken and written English, to have mastery of mathematics (including geometry and algebra, though trigonometry and calculus are probably overkill), to understand the natural world, to grasp the core concepts of science, to understand how democracy works, and to know the history of their country, region, and state.” But most important is the ability to think critically.
Early intervention and specialized instruction. Leaders should focus on immediate, micro-remedial action to help kids showing the first signs of difficulty. Stop social promotion, all kids need to be prepared before advancing. Stop teaching to the least common denominator, lowers the rigor of the lesson and wastes resources babysitting and disciplining. Segregate special needs if appropriate, to target to students individual needs.
Spend money as though it were your own. “We are the only country in the world where non-teaching administrative positions exceeds the number of teaching positions.” Outsource whatever tasks you can, including transportation and food service and consider nurses, therapists, security, janitorial, clerical, and administrative positions. Eliminate the costs associated with WASL and other standardized tests. Let capitalism work and it'll be obvious which schools are suceeding.
Plant the seeds of success in life: values, character, leadership. Boy and Girl Scouts as model to “focus on values, character and leadership, and the equally important goal of establishing a pattern of accomplishment for kids”.
Establish a culture of excellence. Excellence DNA “takes many forms: open and honest communication; teamwork; the elimination of bureaucracy; a shared vision and passion for the work to be done; a unified view of wanting to be the best; a commitment to constant improvement; the elimination of the attitude, “That's not my job.”” Develop level 5 leaders as described in Good to Great. Example of Toyota culture based on continual improvement and mutual respect.

Tackling all of these issues seems daunting, but Oki recommends focusing first on choice. All else will flow from that, but have to focus on four areas of choice:

Student. Using the Disabilities Education Act as a model, Oki recommends some rights for students, including: assessment of each student's present levels of performance, allowing students to choose the school suited to their learning style, if student experiences learning difficulties a team will convene to develop a detailed plan for addressing, explanation to parents of the need for intervention, alternative or modified assignments, specially designed instruction, in-class teachers aides, and access to other related services that lead to effective learning progress.
Classroom. Improve on the quality of the students entering colleges, implement new curricula for teacher that optimizes teaching in a customized way, increase the starting salaries for new teachers, offer bonuses to entice more teachers to pursue math and science or teach in tough schools, create new compensation that is merit based, create better system for assessing teacher performance (Lakeside school and Ohio Teacher Initiative Fund evaluation criteria).
School. “Granting greater freedom to principals would lead to increased responsibility and accountability.”
Community. Girl and Boy Scouts, YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, mentoring, tutoring, etc. Specified outcome might include “reducing behavioral problems at the school, decreasing truancy,improving study habits, improving subject matter competency, or building a more involved parent community.”

Ends with Japanese concept of Kaizen – management concept for incremental, gradual and continuous improvement. Success “relies on the long-term view of encouraging everyone to participate in making small improvement suggestions, frequently and regularly.” Can lead to substantial change.

Add to mission statement of schools: “Provide a joyful education that allows every child to pursue his dream.”

I want to reread or go find the following sources sited in the book:'

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Annual Report, 2008
Washington Learns, World Class, Learner-Focused, Seamless Education 2006 Report chaired by Gov Chris Gregiore. Current generation is less educated than parents for the first time.
Lakeside schools and the OTIF teacher evaluation performance standards and peer review guidelines
Good to Great, Freakonomics
Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation by Robert Lynch
Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children, by Betty Hart and Todd Risley
Disrupting Class by Dr. Clayton Christensen
First Move, American's Foundation for Chess

Workin' 9 to 5

2009-06-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

I had just decided that I was content being home with my kids. It had been a year since I took a project consulting and I was grateful to not HAVE to work. But we ran through our savings and things were getting uncomfortably tight. A girl can only go so long before she needs a new pair of shoes.

Contentment is something I’ve been struggling with since I had kids. I think it is part of our nature but I think the culture we live in plays a big part. To long for what you don’t have. To think that satisfaction lies in the next ‘thing’ acquired. That if we just had XX our life would be so much easier. That if only we finished this one project on the house it’ll fit us perfectly. It seems like there are so many things that I was coveting and longing for. When you and your husband are working full-time it is easy to buy most of what you want or need – new clothes, cars, furniture, crafts, etc.

My decision to quit work was not hard for me. Carter was 10 months and I knew I wanted to have kids that were close in age. And the project I was working on at Amazon wasn’t challenging me and didn’t feel like it would make a difference. After you’ve influenced the growth of a billion dollar business, launching an incremental feature on an ad server just wasn’t cutting it. It was easy. I could do it in my sleep. And I was getting paid relatively well to work a couple of days a week in the office. But boys at 10 months are very fun – Carter was starting to walk, was very responsive, content, happy, exploring and just a delight. I figured I might as well start trying to have another baby it could take a while. And it would be nice to get diaper/preschool years over with and get back to building my career as quickly as possible.

And I really feel like kids need their moms close. That so much happens developmentally in formation of self before the age of 5. That I was best equipped to care and love on my kiddos. And that mothering full-time is the most important job I could take on – even if it was mind numbing at times and incredibly tedious. And generally I’ve been happy with that decision.

Except when I’m not. When what I do doesn’t feel significant. When I feel like my brain is fried and my memory shot. When I never get a pat on the back or praised for how smart I am. But it is really hard to network and drum up work as a mom, especially in the recent economic climate. Finding childcare to have lunch with former colleagues much less finding cash to pay for lunch wasn’t happening. And I didn’t have the energy or quiet time on the phone to make calls to people I haven’t seen in a couple of years to ask if they had projects they wanted to farm out off-site on a part time basis.

So when Sarah Bryar called me a month ago and asked if I’d consider working part-time from home I was surprised and at the same time not surprised at how excited I was at the prospect. The fact that Parent Map is a virtual company of a couple dozen women that work from home on a mostly part-time basis sounded unreal. And the fact that they needed help developing products on the web to generate revenue and meet clients needs fit right in the sweet spot of what I am good at – analytics, strategy, and online marketing. And the fact that they haven’t had anyone thinking about this piece of their business means that I can walk in and add value quickly makes this a no brainer. And it doesn't hurt that I AM the target customer, that I am in the thick of parenting and intimately know the customer. And I get to work ‘just enough’ - No more or less than fits in my life. Cha-ching! You can see why I’m excited. I’m a month into the job and loving it.

It isn't perfect. I need to get some help with the kids - I have no idea how I’ve worked 20 hrs a week this past month but I have. Things feel a little out balance right now. But once summer settles down a little and swimming lessons are over and I get a little bit of help, I’m looking forward to having blocks of time to think and be creative and feel productive. I can’t wait to see what we can build over the next few months and years.

The JW came knockin'....

2009-06-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I invited them in. The two older gentlemen seemed so friendly and I just thought about how much nerve it takes to knock on someone's door and how much rejection they must face as they try to share their 'good news'. And I was a little curious. My grandmother is Jehovah's Witness and I've never really tried to understand what they believe or why she converted after her husband died so many years ago.

Admittedly, my experience with the Jehovah's Witness is limited. I've grabbed flyers they were handing out at public events and have shoo-ed them away from my door when they knocked in Seattle. I had heard that the JW believe that the sky is falling and that only 100k people will be chosen to live with Jesus in heaven forever. And that just seems crazy and hopeless to me. Isn't the point of religion to give you some sort of hope for the future and comfort in our current condition?

So this is your official warning. If you are not a Christian or don't like to talk religon skip to a different post...I've had quite a few people ask me about this so I decided to post the progress.

It was almost two months ago that I first invited the JW in to 'talk'. I let them believe that I was open to what they wanted to teach me, but was in control of the conversation. Within one additonal meeting, they suggested I meet with some women - that it might not be appropriate for the men to meet me alone in my home with my kids. I had already decided that they were not serial killers and was comfortable chatting with them, but didn't object to the handoff. Turns out they weren't equipped to have the type of conversation/debate that I was engaging in so they brought in the big guns - Phyllis and Mary. Turns out Mary is a leading teacher in the area and her side kick is a new recruit. So I had to bring them up to speed. They came weekly for 4 weeks and then I told them that I needed to take a break, that I wasn't satisfied with their answers to my questions and didn't feel like they were prepared to talk about what I asked. So I made a copy of the the four questions we had been addressing and made them take it with them and study it. And they are coming back next week to talk about it after a month haitus.

It has been an interesting game of cat and mouse. I posted my research/notes that I used to prepare for our talks and I think the approach worked well. At this point, I have them on the defensive. The strategy was to focus on one issue and force them to address the issue before we moved on. I made them look at me when we spoke - somehow that took them out of debate mode and I think it helped them to hear what I was getting at. They are very well prepared and will throw lots of scripture at you to demonstrate how much they know as they talk you in circles. But if you really listen to what they are saying - it sounds like crazy talk! Nothing is directly answered. It is very frustrating and takes lots of patience. I've published my rough notes with scriptures here. I spent up to 4 hours a week preparing for a 1-2 hour conversation.

I didn't engage in this debate to 'convert' them. I really did feel sorry for them because I perceived that there is so little freedom and joy for the JW and I wanted to understand. I think I wanted to connect to my grandma. I wanted to get a feel for how someone could be drawn into to a religion like this. And I wanted to demonstrate another way of thinking - critically understanding truth and struggling to come to my own conclusions. I've gotten what I wanted out of our meetings and think I'll cut it off after I hear the response to my questions. They are now inviting me to local JW events and I don't want them to waste their time on me or mislead them as to my intentions. They are working hard for their salvation, and every door they knock on and every convert they are able to 'save' gets them one step closer to heaven.

The next thing for me

2009-06-29T09:48:00.000-07:00

I've found my next big project. When I decided to have children, I knew that it would come up. But it is just so big and overwhelming, and I feel so small and inadequate. Who am I? But I saw this video on the Julia Roy blog and it really got me thinking....

It got me thinking that even if the public schools were delivering on the basics, they still aren't going to be sufficient.

I moved from Seattle to Bainbridge in large part because I wasn't happy with the public school situation in Seattle. I didn't want to have to work in order to send my kids to private schools, and I wasn't happy with the crazy life I saw families leading. I wanted the option to stay home with my kids and work when I want to on projects that are interesting and fulfilling. And I wanted to slow down our lives and focus on the little things that matter. Bainbridge and Belleview had the highest scoring public school systems in the area. Little did I know that these schools also teach to the WASL so that they can maintain the high scores, or that the class sizes were growing significantly each year, or that even in a district of highly-affluent well-educated citizens the schools wouldn't be able to gather the funding they need to fix leaky pipes or replace a school that has outlived its usefulness and may be a safety hazard. Of course most of this information is second-hand from other moms with older children or from what I read in the local paper. But I really do not want to have to home school my children - I would be a terrible teacher. I am not patient enough and it just seems like so much work. And I don't feel like that is what I'm being called to do.

So, I was listening to a conversation with Scott Oki, a former Microsoft exec turned philanthropist, on NPR about a month ago that sparked my interest. He was offering some ideas on how to improve public schools that sounded simple and achievable. He wrote a book entitled "Outrageous Learning: An Education Manifesto" that I ordered and received in the mail last week. I cracked it open this morning and am looking forward to this read. I would love to introduce it to our book club and start a larger conversation.

The problem still feels huge and I have no idea where to start, but I do know that I really need to get on top of this issue and figure out how to plug in. I don't think it is OK for us to opt out of the public school system because we can afford to do so. All of our kids deserve a chance at the best educational opportunities we can create. Really. Not just talking about it, but really making it happen.

Simple foodie pleasures

2009-06-24T15:08:00.001-07:00

it is the little things that matter. today i had the opportunity to have a long lunch by myself and it was lovely. most people are uncomfortable dining alone but not me. i get the chance to slow down and think and savor. potato gnocchi with pesto cream sauce. ice cold sweet tea. almond cake with bing cherries and whip cream. delish. i was working through lunch but even that was nice because i had time and space to be creative.

Feels good to be outside w/o a parka or scarf

2009-04-15T14:32:00.001-07:00

Look what you can find on a walk if you look for it.

Wired Kids

2009-04-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I attended a session on “Unplugging our Kids and Plugging in the Family” by Gloria Degaetano. Gloria was an engaging speaker with a fascinating background and I left feeling very passionate about something I knew very little about before. She validated concerns I had about exposure to electronics in kids, but more importantly helped me to understand the science behind why these tools can be harmful to kids as they develop. Here is a transcript of my notes from the 90 minute presentation she gave.

Look what we did today!

2009-04-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

I got a new scrapbooking tool called a Cricut that cuts any shapes I want. It is very fun and a little addicting....

Hair Clips and Headbands

2009-02-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

I cannot get over how expensive the little hair clips are around town. For some reason Sabrina won't keep them in even though her hair is driving her crazy! I'm going to make some, but am surprised there aren't tutorials or ideas out there. Lots of hideous ribbon concoctions...

I stumbled across these ones and think they are great!

So, I think I'll start with these cute clips from the AngryChicken site and some more ideas, and then make some headbands and play around with ribbon on alligator clips. Going to get supplies tomorrow and will let you know how they turn out!

Simple Pleasures

2009-02-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

Who knew the doctors office could be so fun? Nevermind the fact that we have trains at home. This was the first time I hoped the doctor was running behind... We spent over an hour setting up and playing with the Brio track, which included a ferry and a cute draw bridge! Very fun. You know that when I find one for him to add to his train set he won't play with it for more than 5 minutes. Such is life.

Beloved Bainbridge

2009-01-29T11:35:00.001-08:00

Another article from the NYT, this time about our little island and geared toward the wealthy. I hadn't really thought about Bainbridge as a vacation desination beyond the Puget Sound but I can see how people would fall in love once they visit. Still feel lucky to be here...

What a relief!

2009-01-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

As a mom you get so much information in our culture about the next thing you should be doing for your kids to make them happy and healthy. And most of the time you feel like a failure because you didn't think about that or you lose sleep over the vulnerability that you unwittingly exposed them to. I love that someone is telling me that dirt is good. That my messy floors might actually be helping my kids. That using all the anti-bacterial stuff isn't really helping. That it is ok to take a deep breath and for kids to be kids and get messy.

Eating Real Food

2009-01-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Michael Pollan's book "In Defense of Food" and I highly recommend it. It really changed how I think about what we eat and made me relax a little bit about weight and reconfirmed my commitment to being healthy generally. Like "Fast Food Nation", it describes in some detail how 'food' is processed and manufactured, highlighting how different grocery stores are now then they were when my great-grandmother did her shopping. Little in the store (except the perimeter) is real food. Even stuff you think is made of good stuff (like bread) is often highly engineered. But the most shocking part to me was how much of the nutrition info we are given has very little scientific basis. As a numbers person, I liked reading about the statistics and scientific process that goes into the underlying studies with the latest health claims. I walked away from the book trusting no one (not the FDA, not the American Heart Association, etc.) because endorsements are bought or negotiated. Much of the health claims on food aren't based in science. For example, the mini-wheats i've been feeding my family because they have a lot of fiber claim to increase attentiveness in kids by 20%. But Jason read that is compared with kids who have no breakfast! Eek. Makes me want to crawl in a hole. I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist but we are setup to fail in so many (often sublte) ways.

The tenets of how he thinks you should eat are summarized here. They are quick and punchy principles that can't hurt as far as I'm concerned. Common sense but not always easy to do.

Ultimatly, it made me take my role as mom even more seriously. No more processed foods at our house, as much as possible. No cereal, crackers, bars, etc. I'm planning on baking bread, crackers, cookies, etc myself. And we'll eat fruit as opposed to fruit-like stuff for kids. I'd already done some of this, but I'm more committed than ever.

I'm even planning on baking bread and making my own yogurt at this point. Somehow high fructoce corn syrup made its way into our house in these products...eek. Kari recommended a book on breaking artisan bread in 5 minutes a day. Really. It just came from amazon, I'll try it out tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm really excited.

Fun Stuff - Visual Personality

2008-09-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

I actually like it!

2008-09-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

I finished a project that I actually like. Yeah! It is made with a lucious wool yarn that is so soft. It is a little big, but it is so warm and I don't want to take it off. I actually finished this in the spring, but finally took a picture this week. Just thought I'd share.

We miss the summer concerts!

2008-09-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

Wishing summer wasn't over... We loved the concerts at the park, even when it rained and we had to be inside. A couple of videos for your enjoyment! Don't laugh at my sideways video - I was just getting the hang of this...

Do-wap dancing

Sabrina's the center of attention...at least at first.

You've got mail!

2008-09-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, the excitement of getting mail. Combine that with a birthday and Carter was over the moon! After opening the gift from auntie melissa today, the kids had fun playing in the box. Go figure. You'd think they would grow out of that by 4...

I lost my camcorder. How does that happen? It has to be around here somewhere!!! That's the problem with getting a big house with little storage. It could be anywhere!

Summer Swimming

2008-08-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Carter loves the water and had a great time in swim lessons this summer. Check out some highlights from his last lesson. He's jumping and swimming by himself! His teacher Eric calls him Welcome Back Carter, which Carter doesn't understand at all. Over the 8 sessions they shared all kinds of info - including the color/description of their houses, details of our upcoming camping trip, info on his family, the olympics, etc. Seems Carter was a chatty one in the class. He definitely had fun. Sabrina had a hard time sitting by and watching. I think this is the last time we'll get away with that.

Life Jacket Race

Show off

Jump!

Jump and swim under the rope!

Backfloat

This is our first foray into digital video. I used my camera to capture these videos and they turned out alright and it was easy enough to put them up like this. But I think I need to work on it....any ideas?

The Pony

2008-03-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

Sissy in a pony tail! She is such a big girl and she knows it.

Sicko

2008-03-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

We are so tired of being sick...going on week 4 of this terrible cold/flu bug and no sign of it letting up. It wouldn't be so bad if EVERYONE wasn't needy at the same time. And if we could go out and do something fun without fear of getting everyone else sick. Between the ear infections, pink eye, and the hacking that is going on around here - we are a sorry bunch.

But I've been very productive knitting - finished making another hunter hat I lost (after wearing it once...) and am getting close to finishing my shrug. Hopefully I can get unstuck on the shrug tonight - I made some modifications that are tricky to fix.

Carter is growing up fast all of a sudden. His vocabulary is growing exponentially again - he uses lots of suddenly, actually, prefer, and makes this weird clicking sound when he starts a new idea - where did he pick that up? He is loving preschool, mostly playing with his friends and the play dough. It seems like other kids are painting and creating lots of artsy things and all carter wants to do is the play dough. So this week I made some at home - Sabrina likes it too, but it only keeps them busy for about 10 minutes. Now, if I could just come up with 10 more of those ideas I might be able to really boost the productivity of this household!

Sabrina is so girly too. She brushes her hair out of her face in a very grown up way. Loves wearing dresses. And likes to pretend with dolls. I broke down and bought her a Barbie the other day - Easter Barbie was at safeway for $7 - how could we pass that up? Being home sick for weeks will make you buy just about anything to keep the kids busy and happy. She's so articulate now - she can communicate what she wants very well. But she is also little miss temper tantrum when she doesn't get her way. Intense, face bright red, arms wailing, scratching, angry temper tantrums. So watch out! Our mantra right now is "don't give in" "don't give in" "don't give in"...

But we have been enjoying the sunshine and dry weather. Today Jason cut down a cedar tree by our house - it was very exciting. And we've started our walks with the double stroller again - the kids like to get out of the stroller now and push it or just dawdle and that really reduces the exercise benefit of the whole walk. But it is good fun, so it balances out. The frogs are coming out and we walk across the street to a huge puddle/small pond where they are really loud. Sabrina loves all the different sounds - frogs, birds, airplanes, etc - she gets really excited when she recognizes them.

Generally loving winter and our house and the island. Life is good.

Finished but not loving it

2008-02-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows about my knitting habit likely knows that most things I end up knitting I'm not crazy about. I'm still learning why that is and as frustrating as it is, knitting is relaxing for me and something I can do while hanging out with the kids so it satisfies my need to 'feel' productive.

Take the latest:

I'm not sure why I thought a beret would look good on me. All the women in the patterns I looked at are so chic. And I'm chic (right), so then the beret should look great! Not so much. First it is huge. I have a big head but this hat is huge. Second, it makes me look like a blob. Not what I was going for. Jason just cracked up and insisted on taking a picture - so there you go. I'm about to rip it out and just make a ski cap. I really like the color of this yarn, I can't wear much green but I like this one I found in Hawaii while we were there. In case you want to make it, it was in the most recent issue of Knit Simple magazine.

Some finished objects to share:

I finished Teva's capelet and I hate it. The pattern was messed up - the shoulder shaping was confusing because somewhere along the pattern they forgot about 20 stitches, so that was frustrating. I finished it up as best I could but the shoulders looked silly when I put it on and the neck was too wide. It was a bit too short and it made me look like a blob. Not sure why I keep picking blobby patterns to make. So much for using up my stash. Think I'll make a vest with the yarn instead. Right now it is shoved in a bag. It was a good project to learn how to make cables, though, so not all is lost.

Things I'm currently working on:
Cowl neck from Last Minute Knitted Gifts - http://www.purlbee.com/cashmere-cowl/
And I love the Fitted Knits book I just got and cast on for these quick ones first:
Back to School vest - http://yarncrawl.typepad.com/fittedknitsalong/backtoschool_uneck_vest/index.html
Shug - http://yarncrawl.typepad.com/fittedknitsalong/twotone_ribbed_shrug/index.html

like i need another craft...

2007-11-26T14:40:00.001-08:00

i took a needle felting class in october and it was so fun! i made a little lamb and a penguin out of raw wool and it actually turned out cute. anyways, my friend marci gave me some alpaca and i am dying to work with it. not sure yet what i'll create with it but i wanted to document the steps before i forget. so here you go.

1. washing alpaca fleece: http://www.owning-alpaca.com/washing-fleece.html
2. cool characters and teachers site: http://www.woolpets.com/

well sabrina woke up - so much for a brain dump. at least i can clean the fleece now!

what's done is done

2007-11-26T14:36:00.000-08:00

well, i did it. i wanted something new and i got it. 'nuff said.

fall photos!

2007-11-14T14:08:00.001-08:00

i'm uploading and sending out new photos from kodakgallery*. if you didn't get the email link, let me know and i'll send it to you. things we've been up to over the past month are captured there including:

our recent trip to appleby's (who knew it would be such a great photo op?)
scrapbook weekend '07 and my favorite pictures from lindsey's wedding
our impromptu picnic on the beach (shiver - bad idea in november but couldn't resist a sunny day!)
my bolero sweater i've been knitting for sabrina but ran out of yarn so one sleeve was longer than the other. i've since fixed it but it is a little big for her so maybe it'll work in the spring since it is short sleeved now?
playing in the leaves. it really feels like fall around here, the crisp air and all the maple leaves on the ground. we get to see even more sunshine now that all the trees are bare!
and mr b. carter and i made an ugly doll. he wanted one but i couldn't justify it so one day when sabrina was sleeping and carter didn't want to nap we whipped up this tooth shaped doll. he loves it!

* why am i still using kodakgallery, you might ask? for a few reasons, but mostly because it requires people to sign on so i know who is watching my kiddos. plus my family (read grandparents) know how to use it and all of our pictures are stored over the past 5 years. plus uploading is easy and i don't have to pay for space. so i've got a great/free copy of all of my favorite pictures.

what to do with my wednesday

2007-11-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

our day started at 6.30am today and we were having a hard day by the time 8.30 rolled around so i knew we needed to do something and get out of the house. so we headed to silverdale to return some things to target (generating cash :) and went out for lunch. i wanted to try the new weight watchers menu at appleby's and i hadn't been there in a while. the salad i had wasn't very good, but they comped me the salad and i just ate a chicken strip from carter's plate. however, we shared a small dessert and the kids had so much fun eating in a new place. sabrina did this funny thing with her spoon - she was so proud that she could hold it in her mouth without using her hands - and we were cracking up. almost rolling on the floor, uncontrollably laughing. everyone said my kids were so cute (duh!) and we had fun tearing up the place. it was definitely kid friendly - and it helped that they put us in a back corner so we could run around a bit. a souvenir for you from our trip...

knitters tea swap 4

2007-11-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

hey there,

i'm just going to pretend that i've been posting regularly all this time. when there is a lapse in posting it is hard to get started again because nothing feels significant enough. anyways - i finally posted a thank you for a knitting swap i did online. i forgot to take a picture of the package that I sent, but it was fun to get a nice surprise of tea and yarn. you can see my post and picture here.

We're back

2006-07-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back online after a tough few months. Adjusting to our expanding family is taking all of my energy right now. I used to think that people called fussy babies colicky, but I now understand that Colic is a very real (and difficult) thing to deal with. I'm excited that Sabrina is here and am looking forward to the next few months getting easier. I'll go upload photos and repost links once they are ready. Hope all is well with folks and would like to talk to you soon.

It's a girl!

2005-10-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

We found out yesterday that our second baby, due April 9th, will be a girl. Needless to say, we are very excited for this new adventure and are frantically trying to get ready.

First Birthday

2005-10-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Carters first birthday on September 3rd at Hood Canal and had a great time with our family. He was not into the presents or cake, but more excited about playing with his cousins. Who could blame him? We've had a great first year and I'm looking forward to next year. Some final monthly milestones for you:

Carter is blubbering, all the time. He is talking away to himself when he is reading stories or playing on his own, and he'll walk up to you talking gibberish and expect you to understand what he wants.
He's surprisingly good at communicating what he wants and it is clear that he understands a lot of what we are saying. You can tell him to go find his shoes and he'll track them down from his bedroom. Some of his favorite words include ball, shoe, hat, truck, up, down, boat, and Chewy (Keith & Maria's dog who is staying with us this month).
He loves books. He likes you to read to him, but he turns the pages and determines the pace. And he'll take all of the books off his shelf one at a time to have you read them to him. He also sits and reads to himself.
He pretends to talk on the phone. He holds the phone up to his ear backwards and starts jabbering. Really cute.
He's doing better at playing independently - he loves taking stuff out of the kitchen cabinets and getting into the garbage. Time to install some locks on the drawers...
He's fascinated with buckles - tries to unbuckle his highchair or car seat.
Easily frustrated if something isn't going his way. And he gets overstimulated quickly if there are too many people around or it is too noisy - Gets very fussy. He also started biting when he is mad. We've got to work on that.
He's a good eater - loves eggs, grapes, edamame, beans - pretty much any finger food that isn't crunchy. We've got to work on the vegetables a little bit. Still having a reaction to tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots. But it is nice because we can feed him food that I prepare for dinner.

I posted new pictures to his first year album from the birthday party. I've also created a new one for his toddler years since there were almost 180 pictures in the other album. Enjoy!

11 months

2005-07-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Almost one year - I need to get busy planning his birthday! The highlights

- Carter is starting to understand that objects can go inside other objects. It is very fun to watch him carefully remove a block and then put it right back in the bucket. Really cute.
- He carries around a big truck his grandma brought him that he can also put stuff in the back and take it out and put it back in and take it out and put it back in.
- Loves walking - will take your finger and walk back and forth. Most of the time though he pulls himself up on furniture and then takes off across the room without help. No place in the house is out of reach now - and he loves practicing this new skill all the time. He also grabs onto the Jeep on the ExerSaucer and walks around in circles dragging the jeep with him.
- Carter is a ham - he's totally social. He'll walk up to folks and get right in their face to force them to look at him. He loves playing with other kids and doesn't understand when they get scared (because he's running to them to talk or wants to give them 'kisses' with his teeth!)
- Teething - Is working on his 8th tooth right now.
- Is starting to get adventurous with finger food. Is still very picky about texture and takes some coaxing, but last night he liked to munch on noodles, cheese, peas, and tomatoes.
- Favorite toy is a wooden alligator on a string he pulls behind him walking up and down the hall.
- Talking a lot - now has entire conversations with you in jibberish, he likes to join in on any conversation in person or on the phone, and can say up/down (one word more like p-dow) in addition to truck, dad, mom, dog, annika (an-ka). sometimes will mimic words right after you say them.
- Still not loving the sign language we are working on. Will use all-done but the rest he understands but won't use himself yet. He's already trying to say the words we want him to sign.
- Started to throw temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. Starts screaming, face all red, body all stiff, pulling at your arm or finger hard and arching his back so you can't hold him. This is going to be fun...