Mail Center

I've been trying to create a little mail center with one goal in mind: keeping mail off the counters.  Having a lot on the counters increases my stress level - for real.  I try to be flexible and, a lot of times, I am the very person who puts things there, but I love to walk into a kitchen that is clean and tidy and ready for a new project.  I can get a little up-in-arms when I come into a kitchen that has to be cleaned and reorganized before the baking can commence.

My bulletin board was made with a yard sale frame (spray painted) and cork tiles from target for $5.  you can duct tape the tiles together, fit to cut your frame, and then cover in fabric.  Being the bunting fan that I am, I sewed some decorative buntings on this one (getting a little crooked on that 2nd row, oh well.)  I use this for things I need to see or refer to, trying to keep a bit off the fridge. 

The long mail slot is magnetic and very clever, I think.  I got it from See Jane Work, a site with all manner of cute office stuff.  I would like the incoming mail to go there, as well as outgoing mail, with the goal of sorting and getting out of sight a.s.a.p.  This is a work in progress for our family, but we will keep trying!

Artwork for a librarian's kid

I recently put up new artwork in Calvin's room - inspired from some favorite picture books of ours.  A very (very) talented friend did Lowly Worm and his Apple Car (from Richard Scary) and I did the Happy Lion (by Louise Fatio).

I was pleased with both of them, and I confess to be in love with Lowly Worm.  For real.  But it wasn't until I found these large width frames at Hobby Lobby - with a pinch of ornate flair - that I really thought the images popped.  And, ah hem, I paid $30 total for these sweet frames! Once Calvin outgrows them, stop by my office at the Library; they'll be on the walls there!

More doorhangers!

I am particularly proud of the cupcake - it was made just in time for a special birthday at our house. 

There is a technique to making these:
1. Make them outside! Burlap is soooo messy.
2. Acrylic paint is the way to go; buy more than you think you need.
3. Think about your shape.  The flower got tricky because it was a lot harder to cut out. (There's a pretty big error on one of the flower petals; you can see it if you are looking.  Oh well.)  The cupcake was the easiest shape I've made yet.

Tic-Tac-Toe Pouch

My sister gave us this great tic-tac-toe-board for Christmas (or maybe birthday?) and it is one of Calvin's favorite games.  The best part is him telling you where you can put your pieces.  The box was falling apart, so I thought it would be a fun project to make a pouch for it.  Since I'm working on my ability to let things go (like chores) in pursuit of a bit more weekend fun, I spent my free 30 minutes on this project instead of a task.  It's a personal triumph, for sure, and it was a sweet moment to have Calvin in my lap helping me sew.

This would be a great gift  for someone.  You could even make a tic-tac-toe game for them - I've seen some super cute ones out of rocks that look like ladybugs.  Makes me want to go find 10 or so small flat rocks, pronto!  I love the hand-stamped front; Mr. Calvin did that tic-tac-toe board all by himself.

The Curtains that almost never were

See these lovely curtains?  You'd never know the back story on a project like this - or believe that these curtains survived a 4 year old's scissors and eye for a "project" (like his mama), a series of marital miscommunications (real life), and just the general time dilemma which is always a huge factor.

I have a very, very bad tendency to need to be geared up for a project.  Oh my goodness, I wish I was not this way.  I wish I could waltz into a room with 15 spare minutes and be productive on the project I want to be productive on.  Instead, I end up cleaning a desk, picking up toys, or noticing that the ceiling fan blades haven't been dusted in a good 6 months.

On Memorial Day morning, I woke up and decided to get going on my curtains.  I walked past a kitchen that I should have cleaned the night before, keeping my eye on the curtain goal.  I cut, measured, ironed seams, and got them "sew" ready.  Half the battle, done.  In the middle of doing all of this, a precious 4 year old woke for the day and he came in and watched me, chatted, and played with my pins.

After the day got going, I was headed back to sew the curtains and - guess who I found, scissors in hand?  Yep.  A good 6 inch gash taken out of my diligently prepped project, in multiple places.  I think my heart really did stop. I felt so many things in a millisecond - anger, major frustration, tears, sadness, desperation.  Okay, so I can be dramatic.  Calvin's first response was "Mom, I was just getting some fabric, you don't need all of this; this is so much fabric!"  Bless him.  I pulled from waaaay down deep and did not get angry, but I did send him immediately to his room.  I surveyed the damage.  Thank goodness it was out of the side and not the middle. 

The left panel of my curtain is 7 inches wider than the right, but that's okay.  In motherhood, I've been surprised at how quickly a temper can flare, frustration can erupt.  I am so very glad that when I look at my happy curtains, they can remind me of a moment when I showed Calvin grace and love, instead of erupting in anger.  (Believe me, I have so many examples of the wrong way to respond.)  I do love these curtains, though. In our old house, our kitchen was lime green, yellow and coral; I miss that level of color & I'm glad to bring it back in a more, ahem, grown up way.  I've never made curtains before and 90 inches of fabric (lengthwise) is a lot. I took a tip from my favorite house/ design blog (Young House Love) and "cheated" the window...i.e. hange them higher and wider to give you the look of an even bigger window.  Here's their great post on choosing the right curtains....so helpful.

Baby Bunting

I saw this baby gift option on etsy, I think, and I just thought it was so sweet.  Seems like the etsy artist used buttons and a different variation, but I think the simple bunting is perfect.  I was happy to make these for two new babies I've met in the last two months.

My general life philosophy seems to be: let's just stop and make a bunting, okay?  And if it is a rainbow bunting, even better.

Dad & son share watermelon & a root beer

As the parent of only one child, I'm surprised by things frequently - the relentless work load, yep.  But better things, too, like when your child adopts interests that you have or your spouse has.  I did not know how sweet this could be - a genuinely precious moment, and reminder, of how much your child watches you and learns from you.  Jason loves watermelons, a love that goes back to his childhood.  There's some watermelon lore in there - how to grow them, how they grow best, when to pick, when not to pick, yellow meated vs. red meated . . . I could go on. (He could go on).

So it was just precious today at the store when C saw the first watermelon of the season (admittedly from...Mexico?) and he had a total excitement freak out to buy it.  He said he and daddy would cut it first thing for lunch and they'd eat it all up together.  And that's just what the boys did.  Two root beers were added to the mix, and they were set in their adorable, father-son moment.

New breakfast idea

Our morning schedule doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room.  A teensy bit, but that's about it.  When we started having breakfast breakdowns, I got worried - "I don't want that....I don't like _____ anymore!"  (oh yes, you do! Eat it and put your shoes on!)

So yeah, I like to avoid the above response. 

Well, raisin bread came to my rescue.  Good ol' raisin bread with honey.  It's the little things that make a mom grateful.  We added this to our morning mix, and we seem to be back on track.  I'm sure next week we will not like any of our shoes, or we might start saying that all shorts are too scratchy to wear; I'll work on that when we get there.  But for now, it's raisin bread and honey a few mornings a week.