What is Your Furniture Name?

So, if you were a piece of furniture at IKEA, what would you be called? Check out this awesome name generator and let me know what you really are. Apparently, I'm a ...

Yeah. A dresser. At least I'm not a chair like Tim and Oscar.

Ragweed

I'd like to start blogging more frequently. It's just when I sit down to do it, I think of all the way cool things I've just read on my RSS feed (Google Reader is either a wonder or it is my bane...). Anyway, I sit down to post and I feel like I really have nothing to add. So I've been thinking about something that is unique to me, something that I do that you probably wouldn't read on any of the cool crafty-mom network of blogs, something that I could contribute. And I think I've come up with a solution. I'm gonna do a by-weekly post on my little book clubs and the funky themed snacks I bring! (As long as the book and snack is worthy of writing about and as long as I have the drive to keep at it, that is.) It's something that I have a fabulous time doing, plus I always put a lot of research into it, so who knows? It may be helpful to someone else doing a book club. Hope you think it is a fun as I do!

So, I host two book groups at a local library - a third grade club and a fourth grade one, too. (They used to be combined, but it just got too big - like 28 kids at a time, big. SCARY.) I do one every two weeks, so that I don't lose my mind.

My last group was this past Monday, the fourth graders, and the book we read was Ragweed by Avi. It's the prequel to the famous Poppy series and is a cute little story about a country mouse who leaves the nest and goes to the city. (I can identify with him!) This story starts off a bit slow, but eventually you get introduced to a funky green-haired skateboarding chick mouse named Clutch, and the party begins. The evil villain is a fat white cat who wants things to "return to the good ole days" and has plans to exterminate the rodent problem in her city. Well, la dee-da! This is a decent read for fourth graders; they all seemed to enjoy it once they got into it. Who doesn't enjoy skateboarding mice that play in a rock band?!?

Onto the snack... This is a big part of the fun. I always try to made something wonky for them as a special reward for reading the book and for coming. It's kinda a big deal and it seems to make their day, too. At my last group, we read The Chocolate Touch and I made some chocolate-covered bananas and some fudge. One boy was biting into his banana and he gasped and looked at me and said, "Amazing." I think I almost cried. Let's get one thing straight about me, NOBODY ever says that about my cooking. This is why I go overboard for these kids. They make me feel like a million bucks.

And so, without further ado, here is what I served my fourth graders. They went nuts. I didn't have any leftovers. Not even cheese. The mice are peanut butter cookies with M&M ears, tiny semi-sweet morsel eyes, and candy sprinkle noses with licorice tails. I got the recipe here and if I was to make them again, I'd want to think of ways to maybe make them somehow creamier. (To any of you seasoned cooks out there, any suggestions?) Otherwise, they turned out pretty decent. Here's to another success.

Busy Bee

Here comes a brag post. (Sorry, but I need some place to showcase this jive. I live with a bunch of boys and they could care less, know what I mean?)

I have been getting some great thrifted denim lately from my momma and have been at work putting together some cool things. I made a couple of marker rolls for some of my favorite little people... yeah, my own pattern but based loosely on this one. These made for great Christmas gifts! Let me know if you are interested in the measurements.

Also, I made some fabric toy boxes for Oscar's bookcase! These I'm quite proud of.

I went through several needles and loads of patience before coming up with something that works. It really cleans up the clutter, too. I got my inspiration for this project from these two creative bloggers - Jodie and Jill - Jodie has a great tutorial. I altered it a bit and came up with some soft denim cubes. I just couldn't seem to find anything that would fit into this space and hold all the extra books and toys, so I decided to make EXACTLY what I needed. Now I wonder why I wasted so much time searching!



My cubes are 10 inches all around, with extra fabric at the top to fold down and give it a bit of extra stability. What I did, because I wanted my cubes to be 10 inches wide and tall, was basically quilt strips together. I say "quilt" because instead of using interfacing, I used a thin batting between the layers. This gave the cubes the extra thickness it needed, but fraking killed me on the sewing machine! I swear, I must have gone through 3 or 4 denim needles on this one project. I don't do "breaking sewing needles" in a pretty way, either. Oh well. I like the way these turned out, so I guess it was worth the drama.

101 Things in 1001 Days

Okay, so I'm going to throw down the gauntlet and issue myself a public challenge. (This is in no way prompted by the last good movie I saw, Julie and Julia - wait... who am I kidding? It totally is. I'll admit that want to be Amy Adams when I grow up. Uh oh - aren't we the same age?) Well, I was inspired by the Day Zero Project and my love for making lists, so I figured I should really go for it. Anyway, I figure if I POST a somewhat yearly "to do" list, I'm far more likely to at least do one or two of the things I've got written down. So here it goes... my list of things I want to get done in 1001 days. Notice I'm giving myself more time than just a measly year... Day Zero says it's best to include more than one season so you can realistically get your jive done.

*** EDIT***
I've been a long time in creating this list and posting this (about 4 days), so please note that I have completed some of these tasks. Go me. They are starred.
***********
1. study 6 different cultures per year; have a themed weekend for each with food, music, culture and geographical info for the family.
2. make a quilt
3. buy a house
4. go fly a kite
*5. get a new pair of shoes (got me some funky brown boots)
6. make a first aid kit for my car
7. learn to make crepes
8. create a dance mix for me and Oscar
9. go through my closet and get rid of or refashion my old clothes
10. share/conquer my biggest fear
11. make a stranger smile
12. call my sister at least once a month
13. watch all of the star trek movies
14. re-read a favorite novel
15. meet some new mommy friends
16. plan a weekend getaway
17. finish Oscar's baby book
18. throw a fancy party
19. learn how to edit movies
20. handwrite someone a letter
21. skype with the grandparents at least once a month
22. get dirty and plant some veggies!
23. make business cards for "the purple peachicken"
*24. find a good church (in process...)
25. get rid of at least two boxes in storage in VA
*26. eat/drink a pomegranate (did this on 1-19-10! it had an interesting texture)
*27. take my kid to story time regularly (so far, so good - 3 in a row!)
28. watch an old tv series (like mork and mindy or something)
*29. check off 5 things on my NYC list (Project Runway Day was 1 of my things... 4 more to go)
30. finish my european trip scrapbooks
31. grow some flowers from seeds
32. create my own crafty pattern and a tutorial for my blog
33. organize the guest room closet
34. play with a yo-yo
35. make a felt playhouse for Oscar
36. post a blog entry about each of my family members
37. work on building my etsy site
38. visit Mystic, CT
39. have another baby (!!!!) yes, really.
40. tour a working factory
41. learn to cook at least three new meals (successfully)
42. write up a living will
43. make a recipe cards and copy down/organize all of our recipes
44. compile a "year one" oscar video
45. reorganize the storage in the basement
46. redecorate/paint our bedroom
47. take a class with Tim
48. make a slipcover for the bedroom chair
49. go on a road trip to at least 4 different states
50. update/redesign my blog and oscar's blog
51. sew up Oscar's car play mat (bought some super cute material at Purl Patchwork...)
52. go through all my magazines and save only the good parts - recycle the rest
53. get a new bicycle and start taking family bike rides
54. learn to make some jewelry
55. learn to do wool felting
56. make lots of felt play food for Oscar
57. get caught up in my photo editing/posting
58. figure out some crafty things to do with my millions of baby food jars
59. reorganize my craft cabinet and reconfigure my crafty space altogether!
60. learn more about different types of fabrics and how to use them
61. get a real (non-point-and-shoot) camera
62. purchase (and learn to use) a serger
63. do my first cartwheel
64. visit 5 different museums (that I've never visited before)
65. clean out my (scary) garage
66. rent 26 movies (I've never seen before) each starting with a different letter of the alphabet
67. create a font out of my own handwriting
68. try a new food, regardless of how frightening it is...
69. go camping with the boys (Andy can come too.)
70. read a classic novel that is over 500 pages long
71. lose 20+ pounds and keep it off
72. floss my teeth every night for a month
73. buy a stunning little black dress and go out on the town
74. learn how to fold 25 different papercrafts
75. watch all of the James Bond flicks, from start to finish (currently on the netflixs que...)
76. memorize one of my favorite poems
77. watch 10 movie "classics" that I've never seen before
78. visit Seattle with Tim
79. write and illustrate my very own children's book
80. use the GPS to try geocaching
81. go for a ride in either a helicopter or a hot air balloon
82. reconnect with an old friend
83. clean out my filing cabinet
84. make Tim take me to Cape May for Victorian Week
85. go skinny dipping, preferably some place warm
86. learn how to build a good camp fire
87. research our family tree
88. learn how to cut my kid's hair
89. walk in a marathon of some sort
90. weed my book collection
91. figure out how to use my stupid cell phone
92. drink more water daily
93. watch 10 movies from the year I was born - 1979
94. put together a giant puzzle with hubby
95. win a giveaway or a contest of some sort
96. create something using iron-on printer fabric sheets
97. learn how to properly use chopsticks
98. go see a hockey game
99. read a biography, 100+ pages, at least...
100. host my very own cocktail party, dresses and all
101. spent a week on the sea

So did you actually read the whole list? If you did, thanks. I appreciate it. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to put on this bad boy. And reader, if you create a list, I'd love to read what you have on your itinerary. Leave me a comment. And don't judge me for watching too many movies.

Project Runway Extravaganza

Oh, I'm what you might call a Project Runway fan... maybe even an addict. I'm thrilled whenever I can immerse myself in a season. I also know enough to recognize that I'd stand a better chance competing on Survivor than to attempt getting on this show, but it's so fascinating to watch. (Alas, I am such a voyeur.) Anyway, my friend Emily and I have been talking about having a girl's day for the longest and we decided that this would be a fun way to spend a Saturday - taking a fashion walk Project Runway style! And since I'm such a tourist, I made sure we took cheesy pictures. Here is where you can enjoy them at your leisure... but I also made a video for your enjoyment! And be sure to note the music. If you are a true fan, you should recognize it. (Word to the wise, if you are viewing this on FB, the video may or may not show up... you may actually have to physically GO to my blog. Oh the humanity!)

What's My Type?

Saw this on one of my favorite blogs and gave it a whirl... it is surprisingly accurate! Give it a try right here. It's easy. He'll ask you four questions about your preferences and diagnose you (P.S. - the password is "character").


My resident psychiatrist says my typeface is "Archer Hairline." It's "a modern type face with a straightforward appearance but one that has tiny outbreaks of elegance and tiny dots of emotion, only apparent on closer examination." Excellent! He said that I'm "outwardly composed but will occasionally run into the bathroom for a quick laugh or a quiet cry, only to reemerge outwardly composed again." Yes. It's true. He knows me!

Merry Merry

Happy Christmas. I hope you have a delicious time with family and friends - whoever and however you choose to celebrate this time of year... Here we are in front of our tiny tree. Optical illusion. It's actually a 4 ft. tree on a table so Mr. Dennis the Menace doesn't completely destroy it in his fascination with "LaLaLa Lights." (And yes, his current unicorn bruise has been fashionably photoshopped out. So sue me - this is a picture of Christmas as it SHOULD be.)

I still have things to do before tonight; some cookie baking, present wrapping, stocking making (oh time crunch!)... It's the usual last minute rush-about. But at least we made our annual pilgrimage to see Santa today. We did that this morning and I just have to say that our little photo elf kinda sucked. There were tons of moments of cuteness, but she didn't seem capable of capturing them. Oh well. I did get a video of the fiasco. (And at least my kid didn't scream bloody murder like the preceding children and the ones that followed us. Holy Excedrin Tablets!) Here is Oscar meeting Santa. Watch for the "wow" and then followed by the terror of the "who the heck are you, creepy man holding me?!?" then chased by a polite wave.



Our photographer elf left us with this charming picture that seems to says "Santa is infectious and I now need to wash my hands." What a wonderful way to capture a memory. Anyway, Merry Christmas.