Yippeeeeee!

Okay, so here I am with my adorable boys, celebrating my birthday. I'm wearing my new tie dye tee shirt, but of course you can hardly see it because my husband and boys got me 3 bottles of diet Coke and 5 bags of Ruffles for my birthday! LOL! Too funny :) We had a great day - a really busy day! But with a TON of birthday love sent from near and far. THANK YOU EVERYONE! I'm going to take a few days to catch up on the gazillion errands and chores I need to do - and hopefully finish that INFERNAL BED of mine once and for all! WHAT bed you say? Oh you'll see. Youuuuuuuu'll see :) 

happy birthday to ME

happy birthday to ME

happy birthday DEAR MEEEEE.....

happy birthday to ME

:)

Magnet Board Tutorial

Remember me telling you I would have a tutorial this week? Well here it is - it's WAY cute and it's right in time for holiday gift giving! These are simple-to-make magnet boards.
Here are your materials, all of which can be found at craft type stores. 

• 12x12 metal sheets with holes in the top approx. 2" in and 1" down. 
• However many decorative magnets you like. 
• About 12" of ribbon (I'd say no wider than 1") 
• 2 decorative brads to secure ribbon through holes. (you can omit brads and tie a simple knot if you'd rather) 
• Mod Podge glue and sponges to apply it.  
• Decorative paper, vintage wall paper, fabric - the choices are many - to cover the magnet board. At least a 13x13 piece. I chose a tea towel I had because I wanted the crocheted ends to hang off the bottom edge of each board. 

Test your magnets with whatever material you choose to make sure the material is not too thick.
The rest of the directions are pretty self-explanatory. Cut your paper/fabric to size making sure at least an inch will wrap around the back. Cover your metal sheet with a good amount of Mod Podge.
Center your paper/fabric to make sure it is centered and comes out even. This took me a few tries since I was using fabric and it needed to be stretched a bit. Then make sure you work from the center out, securing the paper/fabric to the metal sheet, and getting out all air bubbles or wrinkles.  
Wrap your material around the back and secure it with Mod Podge on the borders of the metal sheet. Since I was using fabric and there was some stretching involved, I secured the edges with clips (and used the weight of my paint bottles) until the Mod Podge had dried.

Now you're ready to thread your ribbon through the holes from the back. You will need a screw driver or an awl to pierce the material. Roll the ribbon and pull it through. Decide how much ribbon you want at the top, and how much you want it to hang down the sides. 
Cut ribbon, secure with the decorative brads (or tie your knot) and hang them! How totally CUTE are they!?!?! And of course, I must give all credit to my friend Rochelle (who's dipped rice crispie treats will be our next tutorial) for this adorable craft. She's The Queen of all things crafty and/or yummy and I bow down to her frequently :)

~ Happy Thanksgiving ~

I am very thankful for my country, and for all my many blessings.

Best Buddies Ever

Okay I can't stand it..... are they just too cute or WHAT. This is my oldest son, the Red Power Ranger, and my niece, California Surfer Chick. They are both 22 years old. They are only 6 weeks apart. They are best buds. I absolutely *adore* them. And I've had them on my mind a lot because they are spending Thanksgiving at Surfer Chick's home. I'm sad the Red Ranger could not make it home for Thanksgiving... sniff... but I am so happy they could spend time together at California Surfer Chick's house. Especially because I know my sister-in-law (Sister-In-Crime) will be making a traditional Thanksgiving feast. And if you remember correctly, I am still trying to get over the trauma of a recent high school anatomy assignment and will not be cooking any type of fowl in the future. We are having pizza.
Just LOOK at how cute they are! They should have been born twins - they are attached at the hip even though they are going to different universities. They are two peas in a pod. They have so much fun together. They look out for each other. They dispense advice to each other. They shop together. They laugh and cry together. They expel heinous amounts of gas together. 
It has been so much fun - no, it has been a true JOY - to watch these two grow up. Here they are at the Cheesecake Factory. This was the time when California Surfer Chick ordered "the Chipotle Burger - but please hold the chipotle". We love to remind her of that :)
Here they are "helping" with Thanksgiving last year. I think they were burning something.
Here they are "doing the dishes" after our Thanksgiving feast. It's true: the Red Power Ranger has a great butt. 
This photo was taken when they saw each other again after being apart for nearly three years. So cute!
And needless to say, these two have many adventures together. I am thankful for them both. They are not only awesome kids, they are awesome people. I love them with all my heart. And wish for them many, many more adventures together :)

XOXOXO

Spotlight on 3 Etsy Artists

Is this not the most adorable set of crocheted items for play? I fell in love with Crafty Anna's Cute Colorful Crochet store. Talk about eye candy! After coming up with the most creative ideas for imaginative food play, she has painstakingly made extremely affordable patterns with directions, so you can make fun sets of crocheted toys children will love. She does not sell the finished sets, mind you - she sells her copyrighted PATTERNS, simple enough for beginning to intermediate crocheters. Stop by her Etsy store so you can see for yourself, what colorful, creative sets she has invented!
I knew I would get your attention with this little guy! This is Charlie. He's just a small bird, but as you can see, he has a LOT to say! Enter Brainiac the Art of Matte Stephens, and you enter a world of soft, pleasant colors, quirky but endearing characters, and unique retro style. Matte sells both his original gouache paintings, and his very affordable prints here in his Etsy store. His work could easily stand alone, or would make a fantastic grouping of several.  Go on one of his "family vacations" and see the wonderful cast of characters he has created for all to enjoy! 
Okay, now seriously. You didn't think I would forget my precious diet Coke did you? When I came across these ingenious ornaments cut out of diet Coke cans, there was no way I couldn't spotlight them! They came from Jenn's Recycled Things. They are backed with a foam backing - no sharp edges - and hooks are included. And they are so fun and affordable, how could you possibly go wrong? Of course other products are represented as well (Dr. Pepper earrings anyone?). Just a very fun idea to represent one of our favorite obsessions during the holidays :)

Please let me know if you would like to see more Etsy spotlights in the future. And definitely let me know how you liked the ones I just featured! I enjoy spotlighting others' creativity, so if you're all for it, I'd be happy to continue periodically. And of course you can always visit Etsy yourself - but I warn you, it might be days before you come up for air!

OOOPS!

I forgot our TGIF photo! So it's a few days late but here it is. This is a shot of Paris, from inside the Eiffel Tower elevator, on the way to the very top. How cool is that! I figured we've all seen tons of Eiffel Tower photos, so why not highlight a different view :)

THIS WEEK we have lots of things to look forward to, including a cool TUTORIAL, Rochelle's RECIPE from my hot cocoa post (per reader demand), and I'll also be spotlighting 3 ETSY ARTISTS I came across and loved their work! Stay tuned!

Note Card Sets! Finally!

Yippeeeeee! I am finally done making my note card sets to sell in my Etsy store, Wild Child Arts! They turned out sooooooooo great and I am very excited. Just in time for the holidays, affordable 8 card sets with envelopes, boxed in a clear plastic stationary container, tied with a simple ribbon. Each 5x7 note card has a different 4x6 photo mounted on it. There are 3 sets in all - and stay tuned because more are on the way! You can reach my Etsy store by clicking on any of these annoying hyperlinks (heh heh), or look in the right margin and you will see my store spotlighted. Did I mention I was just a little excited? :)

This is the Flowers Note Card Set :)

This is the Paintings Note Card Set (close-ups of my original art) :)

This is the Vignettes Note Card Set :)

I hope you like them! 

Enjoy!

Of Mice And Men

Okay... this post really isn't about my son's mouse - even though I think he did a capital job of taking this close-up of a constantly moving target(!) And this post is certainly not about the actual novel, Of Mice And Men. Which, by the way, I detested. Almost as much as I detested the worst novel ever written on the face of this earth: A Farewell To Arms. And while we're at it, The Brothers Karamazov. Yes I know - everyone that reads it loves it sooooooo much. Ugh. Ugh and Double Ugh. Ugh infinity. But I digress.

My youngest son has been nicknamed The Mouse since the day he was born. Tiny Mouse. From a sweet character in a Cynthia Rylant story. Oh, there have been many variations over the years - Mousie, Mouse-like, Baby Mouse, Mouse Mess........ you get the idea. Friends, neighbors, friends of friends, family, the Queen........ he's Mouse to everyone. We'll bump into an old friend we haven't seen for years and it just cracks me up that after all this time they will still call him Mouse. And I can't tell you how many times we've been in a public place and, without thinking, one of us calls to another, "Hey, where the heck did that Mouse go?". Only to have some poor woman scream "MOUSE!?!? A MOUSE!?!? WHERE!?!?". Heh heh - that one never gets old ;)  
Just look at this sweet Mouse :) That sweet face. That fuzzy little head. His Converse high-tops. He was about 6 in this picture. I still think he's 6. The Mouse who's neck I love to nibble. The Mouse who is full of air and goo and laughs like an elf. The Mouse who crawls in bed and snuggles with me every morning. Who constructs Hot Wheels tracks and bakes Creepy Crawlers. That is the Mouse I always envision. Even though the Mouse just turned 13. Can you see where this is going now? Sigh......... I'm having some issues. My heart is playing tug-of-war. 

I do love watching my boys grow up. I love how each one is his own amazing person, and I delight in seeing that develop. DELIGHT. I'm not a "just you wait" teenage-hating mother either. I think every stage has it's ups and downs - mostly ups - and I am a big fan of finding the positive side, even when it's really, really hard to find. I *love* who my boys are. I *love* who they are becoming. But letting go of that last baby..... especially Tiny Mouse..... I have to admit - wow, I did not see this one coming. I would never have guessed it would be this bittersweet. Ouch.  
When the Mouse recently graduated from 6th grade, that was big. Collectively, my boys had been at their little neighborhood elementary school for 17 years straight. To have him move on and leave it behind for good..... the finality was much harder than I thought it would be. Yet he could not WAIT to leave it behind for good! And in true Mouse form, he asked for a barbecue for graduation! I don't mean a party with a barbecue. I mean he literally went and picked out his own barbecue grill! That crazy Mouse will put an apron on and grill the best doggone cheeseburgers ever!

And while we're on the subject of graduation, get this: He insisted on wearing a kilt for the graduation ceremony. A SCOTTISH KILT. As we say very frequently in our family, "Only the Mouse....... only the Mouse........".  

So now the Mouse has braces, and likes girls, and listens to loud music, and frequently acts like he's from another planet all together. He still loves Sponge Bob, but will read any non-fiction account of WWII. He can still decorate a cake like a pro, but he would rather be outside, covered in army gear, pelting all his buddies with air-soft be-be's. He still loves the denim quilt we made together, will kiss me in front of anyone, and yet hauls butt on his dirt bike, and lives to blow up just about anything. And his cell phone ringing nonstop? Yeah, it's usually a female voice on the other end. That Mouse can be playing Halo like a killing machine (shudder), and yet his heart is so tender he will do anything to help an animal. He can slide down an ice luge track at 40mph with nerves of steel, and then have a freaking come-apart if his brother looks at him cross-eyed.

But that's what's so awesome about the Mouse. He is such an individual. And he's such a contrast in talents and hobbies. He'll be selling grilled hot dogs on the street one minute and trimming all our bushes with the hedge trimmer an hour later. An hour after that he'll be watching Drake and Josh and later on he's made two batches of Rice Krispie Treats. Seriously. I can't keep up with that Mouse. I've accepted that. And I know he'll always be the Mouse to us, but I've got to let him be himself too. And I have a feeling my heart is not the only heart playing tug-of-war. Part of him still likes being a child. A lot. Part of him is very excited to grow up and experience whatever is in store for him around the bend. And there is a LOT in store for him. The Mouse will be a man.

"Only the Mouse.......... only the Mouse............".

Porch Challenge Results!

Well all-righty then! The results of my Front Porch Challenge! Above is a reminder of my old, tired front porch.

And here is my new, fun, happy, colorful - and clean - front porch! Yippee! I love it. LOVE IT.

My front door is thanking me because it got a nice orange oil bath. Actually it's thanking my youngest son who did such a good job. And it smells so good too - yum! My coleus plant is a bit embarrassed because I gave her a haircut - so she is flying under the radar near my front door. I do realize the balance is a little off - my wooden bench works better in it's old location, but after a bath in orange oil for her too, she needed to have a turn in the spotlight :)
Let me tell you, I grew up with this sweet little bench. She was in our mountain cabin, and her job was to hold all our games, puzzles, etc. We have been through a lot together. I sanded and re-stained her a few months ago and she looks so sweet and happy. I just love her :)

And would you believe my dear husband brought me these flowers last night! Serendipity! 

The wine rack by the window is a piece my cousin Shelly actually found. I could hardly believe it - the small nameplate reads "Cambria", one of my all time favorite places on earth! Oh, and I guess I should mention that my door mat is made from recycled flip-flops - cool.  
The worn red stool is a favorite piece of mine - and I actually found it in Cambria! And you all know how my vintage croquet balls are the loves of my life :)
I have a small collection of child-sized chairs, and this is one of my favorites because I love, love, love turquoise. The little hand-painted finial is not a finial at all - it's actually a carved wooden vessel that mounts on the wall to hold flowers or whatnot.
Now this is really cool. These sleigh bells actually belonged to my great-great grandfather. He had a team of Clydesdale horses. These bells are one of my prized possessions. 

And now when the front door slams, they make a really wonderful sleigh bell sound :)

Oh, vintage croquet balls, how I love you! Your colors, your textures, your nicks and cracks........ And oh, how any of my readers that know anything about vintage croquet balls are so very green with jealousy, seeing that I own a rare pink one :)  heheheheh ;)

Good Morning & Porch Challenge

Good morning from California :) After my youngest went off to school I stayed out front for a bit to take some photos of the sun just starting to hit my front porch. I'm loving these morning photos.
It's 9:30 here, and I've already got 2 loads of laundry going, started the dishwasher, read my scriptures (I'm not allowed to do zip until I do that - one of my few rules I actually won't break), checked my e-mail (Jerry Seinfeld is coming to Santa Barbara! Thank you Lisa! We are SO going!), contemplated pi, and made sure the planets were all in alignment (I just hate it when they're not). I would have saved the world too, but I'm thinking God probably has his own agenda on that, and who am I to interfere.
One thing I did discover though, was how dirty and tired and shabby - with an extra emphasis on SHAB - my front porch has become. Holy Moly. I'm big on front porches and entry ways because they're the welcoming factor to the entire house. For guests of course, but most especially for the family that lives there. You've already seen my tiny entry way, but here is my also-tiny front porch. 
Covered in dead leaves and dust and cobwebs and ashes from recent fires (yes, our neighborhood still smells like it was barbecued). Even my poor front door is sun bleached and screaming for help. And I don't even want to know how many black widows are lurking under my little bench! (LOVE spiders, HATE black widows - that's another post)
So I have decided to do a front porch challenge. You are all invited to do it with me. In fact, I would love that - the more, the merrier! I will consider these photos my "before" pics. Stay tuned to see the "after" pics sometime tomorrow (Friday). 

Oh NUTS - my washing machine's making that awful I'm-unbalanced-so-I'm-going-to-knock-down-this-wall sound. And if you can believe this, someone just this second knocked on my front door while I'm sitting here in my underwear. I'm totally serious! Gotta go!

"Inspire-Optimist Magazine"

I have a very tender heart. I always have. The indecencies of this life weigh upon my heart until at times it feels like an anvil in my chest. My personality is that of an optimist, though many times it is an uphill battle to remain an optimist in our world of constant turmoil. Atrocities break my heart and try my faith. The media makes sure as much of it as possible is pushed into our face day and night. 

The optimist in me knew that for every unjust horror in this life, there was at least as much goodness. For every awful deed, there was a regular person just like you and I, quietly doing something to restore our faith in mankind. For every sorrow, somewhere there was at least that much joy and inspiration. There had to be. We just rarely heard about those moments because the media thrives on negativity. 

Many years ago I had an idea to someday start my own magazine. It would contain nothing but true inspirational stories. Loads of them. Anyone and everyone could send in stories from all over the globe. I would print them into a magazine and distribute it to thousands of weary souls longing for something uplifting and positive in their lives. Knowing that yes, there was still good in the world, would nurture their optimism - would lighten the anvil's heavy load. I would name my magazine "Inspire-Optimist". Perfect! The thing I didn't know, was that someone had already created that magazine. "Guideposts".

"Guideposts Magazine" was launched in 1945 by the famous inspirational speaker and author, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, and his wife Ruth Stafford Peale. An amazing couple, an amazing man - that is a post in and of itself. Dr. Peale wrote over 45 books, including the best seller, "the Power of Positive Thinking". The Guideposts organization in unified around this mission: "to help people from all walks of life achieve their maximum personal and spiritual potential". I realize that's a huge mission. All I know is, after being such a long-time, faithful reader, I couldn't live life without Guideposts! The stories are beyond amazing, beyond touching. Average, ordinary people going above and beyond, rising to the occasion, stepping up to the plate, going the extra mile. Stories that are so inspiring, they constantly restore my faith in others, in the world, in God, and even in myself. Each little magazine is filled to overflowing with precious gems. So go check them out - they have a terrific website as well, and you can even sign up for daily inspirational posts via your e-mail. Click on the link - you'll be glad you did, I promise.

Guideposts Magazine