Spots, Paper, and Scissors

Try It Tuesday: Freezer Jam

2011-06-21T00:01:00.005-04:00

For over a year I have been interested in learning how to can! I've read bunches of books and watched plenty of Youtube videos!

I found this video about making Freezer Jam. It seemed pretty easy to me!

I purchased two packages of 8oz. jar. Each package has five jars. Love the purple lids!

Here is the pectin that I used. It is especially for making freezer jam.

Three containers of starwberries

Crushing them with a potato masher was especially fun!

All three containers of berries mushed up!

Sugar and Pectin

The berries mixed in with the sugar and pectin.

Three containers of strawberries made seven 8oz. containers of jam.

Freezer jam is delicious. It was super easy to make and tastes wonderful on whole wheat toast. This is a good and safe first step into food preservation.

Memory Monday: Memorial Day Week

2011-06-20T00:01:00.005-04:00

Michael and I took a little trip to Pennsylvania during Memorial Day week! We had such a great time! It was so relaxing! The weather couldn't have been better! Here are a few pics of our trip!

Our niece Nat watching her brother's soccer game.

Mr. I after his soccer game

Swimming and Ice Pops! What could be better?

Our niece, the adorable water baby!

Ms. G, Mr. I, and Uncle Michael

Mr. I at the beach!

Michael and I at the Jersey Shore

My sister-in-law Michelle! She is lovely!

My other sister-in law Jill. We had a great chat!

My brother-in-law and our nephew Mr. M. !

What a great trip! Wish we lived closer!

New Hobby:Strategic Shopping Part 2

2011-06-12T19:59:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more saving tips!

6. Look at Package to Determine Best Deal
Bigger is not always better. Check the packages out! For example, yesterday I purchased two 5lbs. bags of flour for $1.67 each. Most people if they wanted 10 lbs. of flour they would just get the 10lbs. bag. That was not the best deal! The 10 lbs. bag of flour cost $4.50. By purchasing two 5lbs. bags of flour instead of the 10lbs. bags I saved $1.16.

7. Carefully read the sales tags!
Here is a secret that the supermarkets don't want you to know, you don't always have to buy the suggested number of items to get the discounted price. This week at my grocery store, 1/2 gallons of milk were on sale for 4 for $5.00 or for $1.25 each. I looked at the sales tag and there was no mention of having to actually by four 1/2 gallons of milk. I don't need two gallons of milk. So I purchased two 1/2 gallons of milk which cost me $2.50. So why didn't I buy a 1 gallon jug of milk? The price of a 1 gallon jug of milk was $2.99. By purchasing two 1/2 gallon jugs instead of a 1 gallon jug of milk, I saved $.49.

8. Shop Early!
I am not a fan of large crowds. That is a personal preference. A year ago I would go grocery shopping at 2:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. This is possibly one of the worst times to go grocery shopping. The aisles are full and the shelves are not fully stocked. Shopping at a busy store was very aggravating for me. There were back ups in the aisles and at the check out. Someone always seemed to be blocking the items that I needed to get. I always felt rushed by other customers if I wanted to get out my calculator and compare prices. It was not a pleasant experience.

Now I shop at 8:00am on Saturday morning. At the stores that I shop at this has turned out to be the best time for me. The stores are pretty empty and the shelves are stocked or in the process of being stocked. I don't feel the pressure to keep going and mindlessly throw things in my cart. I can take the time to make sure I am getting the best deal on each item that I am purchasing. Another bonus, the check out lines are usually really short or empty. Getting to the store early does require that I wake up early on a Saturday, for some this might be a huge sacrifice. For me, I willingly sacrifice a little sleep to have a major weekend task taken care of by 9:00am. I get to cross something off the to-do list. I start that weekend off feeling accomplished.

9. Shop Alone.
I don't go grocery shopping with my husband. I go alone. When we first got married, we would tackle this chore together. We would go up and down each aisles and throw in the cart whatever we wanted. Our average grocery bill was about $115 a week. The bad thing is that we were not actually buying items for meals, we were just buying what looked good.We would have to come back later in the week to purchased items that we needed. That is a waste of time and money.

Now I go shopping alone with my little list. I have taken the time to plan our meals. I know what ingredients I already have on hand and what items I need to purchase. Only one impulse purchase finds the way into my cart each week. I allow myself only one item per week that is not on my list. Going alone means that there is not someone else there to pressure you into buying more stuff that you don't need. My total each week comes out to an average of $60 per week. That is a $55 savings!

I hope this post has been helpful! Be sure to check back for other money saving tips and recipes!

Cheers,
Emily

New Hobby: Strategic Shopping Part 1

2011-06-11T13:24:00.003-04:00

I already have plenty of hobbies. There is scrapbooking, photography, reading, travel, baking, and crafting. I added another hobby to the list, Strategic Shopping.

You may have seen the show "Extreme Couponing." In that show,people buy hundreds of dollars of groceries for under $10. That is not me. I do like to save money. I have reached between 25% to 50% savings on my grocery bill. Unlike those "Extreme Couponng" people, I am not filling my cart with hundreds of rolls of toilet paper or tons of mustard, just because it is a good deal. I don't have a huge stockpile of items. I am not hording stuff. I have about five cans of pasta sauce, three bottles of body wash, and two bottles of laundry detergent. Just enough on hand to replace the items that we use on a regular basis.

A few people have asked me for some of my savings tips. So here are a few tips I use to save!

1. Read Your Store Flyers
Get a hold of your local areas grocery store flyers. I shop pretty consistently at Kroger, but I do also look at flyers for ALDI and Remke. Don't forget to look at flyers for KMart, Walmart, and Target. Good deals can be found there as well. Most grocery stores and discount stores offer their weekly flyers online at their website. Get on their e-mail list and they will send their sale ads directly to you.

2.Join Store Loyalty Club
I know it can be a pain to fill out all those information cards at the store. Those three minutes it takes to fill out the card can translate to lots of savings. In my local area Kroger and Remke offer discounts on gas for shopping in their stores. Bonus savings! Yahoo! Kroger also sends personalized coupons to me in the mail based on the products that I buy. Some stores even have electronic coupons that you can add directly onto your loyalty club card. When you purchase the items and scan your card, the savings come off directly at the register.

3. Plan your Meal
Each week I plan my meals. I look through my cupboards, fridge, and freezer to see what items I have on hand. I compiled a list of meals that my husband and I enjoy eating. A few times a month I try a new recipe and add it to the list if we enjoyed it.

Each week,I look on our schedule to see what events we have coming up and plan meals accordingly. On Tuesdays my husband works the late shift. Usually a crock pot meal is planned for that day. I can pop it in before I leave for work and it is ready before my husband leaves for work! On Wednesday we have small group at church, I plan a simple dinner of sandwiches or salad on that night.

Planning meals is very helpful. You don't have to think about what to serve for dinner, the decisions have already been made. This will cut down on extra trips to the grocery store or through the fast food line.

4. Combine Sales and Coupons for Savings
Combing sales and coupons can mean big savings for you.For example, a few week ago a name brand laundry detergent was on sale at CVS for $1.98. That is a HUGE deal to begin with. Then I also had a $1.00 off coupon for the same laundry detergent. That means I got a full size, name brand laundry detergent for $.98 plus a little tax! That is a great deal.

You might be saying, "I don't have time to look through all my coupons and all the flyers to do the match ups!" You don't have to! There are plenty of websites that do that work for you.

                 Coupon Mom: She offers a coupon deal site divided by state and
                store. So you can search your local store. She also offers the
                coupon/sale matchups for national chains such as Walmart,
                Target, CVS, and Walgreens.

Cincinnati Coupons: This site offers local store matchups. She
                also posts online deals and freebies!

Money Saving Mom: This site offers coupon matchups, recipes,
                money saving tips, and fun ideas.

5. Don't Clip Coupons
Coupons are a big part of my savings plan, but I don't clip them all and try to organize them. I just don't have the time to do that. So each Sunday when I get the the paper, I take out the coupon inserts, write the date on top and put them in my coupon drawer. That is it!

Each week I go to the coupon match up sites to see what items I might want to purchase. For example the website will look something like this:
              Old Spice
$1.00 off/1 item (PG 5/1/11)

So if I want to purchase Old Spice, I will look in my P & G coupon inserts for May 1st, 2011 for that coupon. Easy! Easy! Easy! That way I am not spending hours clipping and organizing coupons. Just clip what I need.

There are three main coupon inserts. There is Red Plum, Smart Source, and P&G. Most of the websites will use the following abbreviations for the coupons: RP(Red Plumb) SS(Smart Source) and PG (Proctor and Gamble).

That is the end of part 1. Be on the lookout for part 2!

:D Emily

April Update

2011-04-23T22:22:00.002-04:00

Happy April!

Michael has taken up a new hobby, kitchen hockey!

I have been pretty busy making post-it note holders.

Here are a couple video tutorials!

My parents came for a little visit!

We took then to Findlay Market, our favorite spot for brunch!

Michael enjoying a ham and cheese crepe!

My Dad trying Jambalaya!

The most delicious waffles in Cincinnati!

We went to the kite festival! The weather was amazing! It was 85 degrees with a breeze!

Michael made a kite again this year. It was super windy during the kite festival. It was just too much for Michael's poor little kite!

Have a happy Easter everyone!

Emily

2011-03-13T13:16:00.001-04:00

My favorite show in high school and college was "The Real World." I was completely obsessed with the show! The photos are actual photos I took on my pilgrimage to see the Boston house.

1000 Gifts: 1-12

2011-03-09T17:02:00.001-05:00

My 1000 Gifts!

1. Raspberries-Ripe and Juicy

2. The feel of a hardcover book in your hands

3. A comfortable chair that feels like a hug

4. The faint gray marks of a pencil

5. When Michael plays with my hair

6. Waiting in line to donate items to charity

7. Chubby Toddler Hands

8. The flavor of mint

9. The sound of laughing children while I'm reading them a good book

10. That the timing belt didn't break while I was driving

11.Watching guys buy flowers

12. Hot fudge

Waking up early and the wonders of felt!

2011-03-09T16:40:00.001-05:00

Here is my latest Digi layout. The picture was taken and edited using an iPod. Yay technology!

Tweet Mini Book

The letter thickers are arranged on piece of printed transparency that I picked up at Hobby Lobby.Had to add felt! I am obsessed with it !! I love using it.

A place to keep my favorite iPod photos and Twitter updates.

Happy Crafting!

Flashback: Glamour Shots

2011-03-08T20:37:00.001-05:00

Me: 1995

I was a Freshman in High School. My choir was earning money for a trip to a national choir competition in Washington DC. One of the many fabulous items we ~~hocked~~ sold were Entertainment Books! There was a coupon for 50% off a glamor photoshoot. Just what every fifteen year old needs is a dash of feathers and a string of pearls! Ha!

Growing up in a very rural area, we didn't have a large shopping mall. We most certainly did not have the actual Glamour Shots store. No, what we had was a sketchy guy and his wife who set up in a shabby local motel room that smelled of stale cigarette smoke. Not the glamorous setting that I had envisioned. Thankfully my mother came along to supervise.

I was so proud of this photograph. Not only did I look far older than my fifteen years, but I also looked sophisticated.

Sixteen years later, this photo makes me smile! I can laugh at the horrible feathers, pearls, and fan. There is more to it. I can see my deep inner desire to be seen as pretty. A struggle most girls and woman go through. It wasn't until 4 years later that I really began to cultivate my inner beauty and see beyond my exterior. A continuous process of looking past my physical flaws and working towards a gentle and quiet spirit.

Thanks 15 year old Emily for reminding me to seek beauty outside of my looks!

1 Peter 3:3-4 (New International Version)

³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Psalm 139:14 (New International Version)

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Reading Now: One Thousand Gifts

2011-02-24T16:47:00.001-05:00

One Thousand Gifts

by Ann Voskamp

A few weeks ago, out in blogland there was a huge buzz about this book. I had to read it. In fact, I purchased it the day it was released in stores. That night I mowed through the first seventy-five pages. I found it all lovely. Yet, I couldn't help notice that I was rushing through it. This is not a book to rush through.

Ann has a very unique writing style that takes a bit to get used to. I took the time to go back and reread the chapters that I had so hastily plowed through. So glad I did. This is not a light, fluffy, and easy book. It is challenging. It will have you squirming on the inside. You will connect with the stories. You will nod your head in agreement. Have a pen or pencil ready to underline those passages that will jump at you.

The (in)courage blog is hosting an online bookclub of this book! Check out the video book discussions featuring Ann Voskamp.

Get ready to have your faith walk challenged!

In a rut

2011-02-10T19:55:00.002-05:00

I am in a rut.

I feel as creative as bologna.

I feel stuck.

I need a change.

I need a spark.

I need a fire to get me going again.

I feel drained...and dull...and boring.

Facebook doesn't cure it.

Food doesn't satisfy it

Music can't drown it out.

The tiny voice inside that tells me this is not it. This is not right!

You have bit your tongue too many times!

You have stuffed down the possibilities and the ideas for too long!

You have settled for the dull and boring for far too long just because it is easier. Rocking the boat is too frightening.

Stepping out and up is unknown. There are no guarantees.

What if I try to fly and crash into the depths. Isn't it easier to stay where you can see? Even if your heart and soul cries out to be set free!

There is more!

I am grasping for it!

I am gasping for it.

Candy mailbox

2011-01-26T23:13:00.002-05:00

I have been having a great time whipping up these little mailboxes! The hardest part is stopping myself from eating the chocolate! *sigh*

What to do with those Christmas cards you love!

2011-01-22T09:41:00.001-05:00

Each year I struggle with what to do with all those Christmas cards we receive. I have an especially difficult time throwing out the photocards. I love photocards! So I collected my favorites from this year and made this mini album!

The back cover is an old printed transparency that I have been hoarding for a couple of years. I finally used it. Trying to go through my stash and actually use stuff that I have. I don't care that its not the latest and greatest products! It's fun and solves a problem! So there!

Just a Wife and Mom? Just put down the pitchfork!

2011-01-20T23:54:00.001-05:00

The New Year is always a good time for a little self evaluation. A fresh start! I have really been thinking and praying about God's direction in my life. Am I doing what I was made to do?

To be honest, my deepest desire and longing is to be a wife and a mother. I think that is a pretty bold statement. My generation was told that you can be anything you want to be! Hearing that over and over has really caused me a lot of confusion. The idea of picking just one career was just so overwhelming. What if I want to be just a wife and a mother? Is that O.K?

Lately, there has been a firestorm of debate over the Stay-at-home Mom vs. Working Out of the Home Mom. This has been a issue for a very long time. Yet, it seems to be getting quite a bit of press lately. It is a decision that each family has to make. The two extreme sides of the debate seem to get most of the press. It can at times become a nasty debate.

Right now I am in a season of my life where I must work outside of the home. I have been extremely blessed to have a wonderful job! I really find a great deal of joy in what I do. I am very thankful for my job! I am blessed!

Michael and I do not have children at this time. While we both deeply want to be parents, it is just not what God has for us right now. That is a mighty hard pill to swallow sometimes, I have faith. I have faith that someday we will be parents. It could be from natural birth, adoption, foster care or by some other means.

Back to the debate! Each family has to make the decision on what works best for their families. I don't think it is fair for either side to look down at the other. We have all been called to do different things. Some have been called to be doctors. Some have been called to be teachers or writers. Some are called to stay at home. Isn't it wonderful that each of us is called to a different purpose?!

In our church small group I have been learning a pretty important lesson. Each of us has a story. You never know what another person's story is. Yesterday, I heard some pretty powerful testimonies. I never would have thought that these amazing people have gone through such struggles.

You don't know what paths their lives have taken.

So lets put down our pitch forks and agree to encourage one another. Let's agree to lift each other up. Let's agree to seek out the plan for our lives, whatever path that may be.

Scripture References:

“The Lord will guide you continually …” (Isaiah 58:11)

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5)

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass … Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.”

(Psalm 37:4,7)

Getting Crafty

2011-01-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

One of my resolutions for 2011 is to get crafty! To go along with my word of the year, I really want to make things for my family and friends! Isn't that little owl adorable!

The smaller one is attached to a hairpin.

A simple Christmas digi layout!

2011-01-12T19:13:00.001-05:00

Each year, Ali Edwards chooses a word to focus on in the New Year. I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and choose a word for 2011. I have chosen "Remember."

I chose this word for a few reasons. During the past year my short term memory has really become horrible. I've never been good at remembering things, but this year I have noticed the decline and so have a few other people. This is concerning due to the fact that I am only 31 years old.

My parents gave me an iPod touch for Christmas. What an amazing little technological wonder. I can read e-mail, listen to music, watch movies, go on Facebook, and about a million other things. I could even taze people! Ha! Ha! There is a tazer app! No joke! I am extremely thankful for the calendar function. I can plug in appointments, birthdays, and other things I need to remember! This tiny little marvel has helped me to stay focused. Well...not entirely,but leaps and bounds from even a month ago.

I also chose that little word to help me to be more mindful of others, to remember others. I have a friend named Jessica who is a great role model in remembering people. She sends out cards for birthdays, anniversaries, and just because. I always look forward to her kind words and encouragement. I asked her what her secret is! She told me that she sets aside a bit of time each month to make and write all the cards for that month! Yay for organized and deliberate kindness!

In 2011 I want to remember...

my family and friends

people in my sphere of influence

people in need

where the heck my keys and that Cricut cartridge are!

New Favorite Finds

Paper Clipping Roundtable Podcast

You have to listen! It is funny,informative and free! I love to listen during my commute to and from work. It makes the time go by quickly!

I plan to get a membership to the Paperclipping website in May when that Gym membership runs out! I had a sneak peek of a few videos and they are fabulous!

Mish Mash

An amazing blog by Michelle Wooderson! Lots of pretty cards and scrapbooking layouts.

Martha Stewart Scoring Board

I stalked this fun tool for a few months and finally purchased one. I am so glad I did! You can make envelopes and perfect cards. It is very easy to use. If I can figure it out, anybody can! Seriously!

Jr. Legal Pad Notebook cover!

2011-01-05T17:05:00.000-05:00

Here is a little notebook cover that I whipped up on Sunday! Super easy! :D

I first saw this project at a Stampin' Up demonstration by Nicole Turgrul.

Here is the tutorial that I used to make this project! Jr. Legal Pad Notebook Cover

My favorite part is the the matching pen!

This little baby is off to Texas!

Home for the Holidays

2010-12-27T08:58:00.001-05:00

We are snowed in! Yahoo!!! The East coast is getting hit with a huge snowstorm. Guess we are not heading back south today! Yahoo! Thought I would share a bunch of pictures from Christmas! These are all from my IPod. Have a bunch on my regular camera, but I am using my Mom's computer and have not had the time to upload them yet.

My niece Lexi heading home after a long, excitable, and crazy Christmas day!

My Mom and Lexi!

My brother and I! Need to get more pictures with my family memebers! I take a lot of pictures of them, but I am not in any of them.

An interesting tree scuplture outside of an adorable bookshop in Littleton, New Hampshire

Downloaded a cool Hipstamatic app! I love how this one came out!

Lexi and my husband wearing their matching t-shirts! Michael and I sent library t-shirts to our nieces and nephews back in September. Little Miss Lexi was excited to show us her t-shirt.

My dad clearing out the walkway infront of the house. Brrrr....looks cold out there!

So I am going to stay inside and enjoy some hot chocolate! Brrr! Have a lovely day!

Last Minute Christmas!

2010-12-20T22:37:00.001-05:00

Right Now...

* I am glad that I am feeling better! I have felt pretty crappy for about three weeks

* I love wrapping gifts simply

* I had a disastrous experience with Contact paper

* I am craving peppermint stick ice cream.

* I am so glad to be heading home for Christmas! I miss family a lot!

* Got a new pair of pants yesterday, but had to throw out an old pair today.

* I think NOOKs are great! Tried one out this weekend! Amazing!

Great Kid Quote:

Little Girl: Guess what I want to be when I grow up?

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Little Girl: A teacher, just like you!

New Blogs

New discoveries in the blog world

Crap I've Made

Yellow Mums

Musings of a Housewife

Eighteen25

Life...Your Way

The Picky Apple
Busy Budgeting Mama

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.

Abraham Lincoln

An amazing mail day!

2010-12-09T21:19:00.001-05:00

Most days my mailbox is filled with bills and other junk mail! Not yesterday! I received my January issues of Papercrafts and Real Simple magazine! Those alone would have made it a good mail day. What made it great?

A beyond amazing card set from Good Gravy! Wow! Not only is she super talented, but she is such a sweetie and soo hilarious! Thank you! Thank you! You gotta check her shop and her blog! The post about her husband's Halloween costume might just have you rolling on the floor laughing! Literally!

Have a good night everyone!

EDIT: Did I mention the paper she used in this card set is shimmery!? Delightful!

Santa is a Sox and a Vikings fan.

2010-12-06T21:33:00.003-05:00

I couldn't help myself! Ha! Ha! I am doing this song during Storytime this week! Just had to have a little fun while putting together the hats!

Snow Berry Beautiful!

2010-12-05T12:07:00.000-05:00

The snow has been gently falling for the past two days! This beautiful tree is in our neighborhood! I love the contrast between the white snow and the red berries!

Schmaltzy Christmas Music

2010-12-04T21:12:00.005-05:00

This time of year brings bouts of over sentimentality, aka Schmaltzyness! Schmaltzy is a word, but I added the ness for over dramatization! Yay! I love to make up words!(insert joyous clapping here)
Ok! Where were we? Oh yes, the general feelings of warm and happy sentimentality! I bake cookies! Crafts and cards are made. The traditional movies are watched. Its a great time of year. This week I downloaded two super sappy and tear inducing songs. If you want a good Christmas cry check out the videos! Grab a tissue first! Really!

Tear!

Are you bawling? When these songs come on the radio during my drive to work, I become a weepy and snotty mess! All in good Christmas fun!!!

Rick Steves! Ahhhhh! This guy is ~~geeky~~ great! In all seriousness his Europe videos are amazing! As a travel and hospitality major, this guy is the go-to guy! This morning I sat down and watched his European Christmas special. Ohhhh! Makes me want to pack my bags and head to Scandinavia!

I am off to watch all of Rick Steve's videos on his Youtube channel! Yay!

Scrap-N-Crap Gift Basket

2010-12-04T16:46:00.005-05:00

Last night was our work Christmas party. It was very nice! The food was good. The awards were good! The raffle was good. The crowd was very overwhelming. I don't like crowds.

My favorite part of the evening were the gift baskets. I love gift baskets! The picture above is the basket I put together. Filled with all kinds of scrappy goodness! The best part of the basket was the Cutter Bee scissors! The most amazing scissors in the world. You can find out about my experience with the scissors at the Statue of Liberty here . I am glad that the basket went to a good home!

Fun with Felt!

2010-11-27T22:32:00.006-05:00

I had such a wonderful afternoon! So relaxing and productive.Couldn't wait to share what I have been working on!

Giving these little felt ornaments to the wonderful ladies that I work with! Oh I can't wait to hand them out! :D

Have a great evening!!

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2010-11-27T12:32:00.001-05:00

This is what I saw outside my window on Friday!

Snow!

I am so excited! Its a bit of a miracle since it was nearly 75 degrees on Monday!

Time to once again start wearing these! My mother made them for me last Christmas! Isn't the pattern beautiful! I would love them in red, gray, and blue!

Here is the amazing homemade dessert that we had last night! Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies. Chocolate chip cookies are good! So are brownies! Put them together, magical!

Wait, what is that box in the background?

All right, they are not exactly homemade! They are from a box, but you couldn't tell! Delicious! Delicious!

Went to Michael's this morning. I had the 20% off coupon from the newspaper.Picked up some more felt, some card stock, clear glass, ornaments, a stamp, and a stamp pen! They had a ton of Cricut cartridges, but I was good and didn't get one

Michael is working today, so I have the whole afternoon to myself! A little crafting and some Christmas movies! I just finished watching "The Christmas Shoes". It had me bawling. I'm such a sap! I love a good story!

Have a good afternoon everybody!

Thanksgiving and Christmas Decorations

2010-11-25T22:33:00.000-05:00

Veggie Lasagna

Michael and I spent the day vegging out! It was fabulous! We continued our tradition of having lasagna for Thanksgiving. Instead of making the whole turkey deal for just the two of us, lasagna became the tasty alternative. Plus, at that time it was one of the only meals I knew how to make. Ha! Ha! Ha! Look at all that cheesy goodness!

They just opened up a new grocery store near my house. It is huge! It is beautiful! Can you find anything there? No! I looked everywhere for the Ricotta cheese. I asked at the service desk. I called the store. I asked at the cheese bar, but nobody knew. I ended up going to the old grocery store to find it. Sometimes big and new is not always the best!

This year I have been noticing how popular felt is. I never knew how easy it is to make things out of! I found the circle garland in Family Circle Magazine. You can see it here!

To make the dove, I just Googled "dove template." Traced the template onto some freezer paper. I ironed the freezer paper onto the felt and then cut out two doves and attached them together with fabric glue! Simple! Simple! Simple! The twine is Martha Stewart bakers twine, which I am in love with!

At Michael's the other night,I bought one of these clear plastic ornaments.I love them! So many options. Here is my first one! I put in rolls up pieces of scrapbooking paper. The outside has felt letters. Of course I added a little gem sticker!

Goodnight everyone! Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Breakfast Trifle and Women's Ministry Brunch

2010-11-21T22:50:00.002-05:00

On Saturday my church had their annual Women's Ministry Holiday Brunch. I brought this amazingly simple breakfast Trifle. I layered yogurt, raspberries, and granola in a trifle dish. A beautiful dish can make even simple foods look fancy!

Of course I made a tag to tie around the dish!

Two lovely ladies from my small group!

Another wonderful lady from my small group. She just recently became a Grandma! She doesn't look a day over 35 to me!

Our church is very big on Small Groups! While I have only been part of the group for about five weeks, everyone has been very welcoming! I love how open and honest everyone has been!

Have a good night!

Christmas Card!

2010-11-20T21:06:00.003-05:00

Here is a design I was playing around for our Christmas card!

Pilgrim Napkin Wrap

2010-11-20T08:08:00.002-05:00

In my scrapbooking club this week we made these adorable Pilgrim Napkin Wraps!

I found them on Family Fun!

Here are the directions!

Fake Pumpkin Pie and Skype!

2010-11-17T06:59:00.002-05:00

This week in Storytime we have been making adorable "pumpkin" pies. So simple. I cut dinner sized paper plates into four pieces. The kids painted away. The best part was having the kids add a spoonful of cinnamon! Really funny watching them stick their noses unusually close to all the orange paint. I think a few kids ended up with an orange tipped nose.

Yesterday was my husband's birthday! On Saturday he picked up a webcam for his gift. We had a good time playing with all the cool effects like the fish eye lens. So the best part of having a webcam is Skype. I wish I would have known about Skype earlier. My family lives in northern Vermont and I live in Northern Kentucky.Thanks to Skype I was able to video chat with them. I ate ice cream with my 4 year old niece. I even read her a story! It was fantastic! I am very homesick and the ability to see everybody had me in tears. We have set up plans to video chat again on Thanksgiving when everybody comes over for dinner! Thank you Skype! Thank you technology!

Hootin' Andies: Puff Pancake Cups

2010-11-02T07:01:00.002-04:00

This was dinner last night! Don't be jealous! It sure was delicious! The best part is that they were so easy to make!

I found the recipe on the Make and Takes Blog

Find it here

My mother-in-law makes something similar to this, but cooked in a casserole dish. She calls it Hootin' Annie. My DH renamed these little cups Hootin' Andies. Whatever you call them, they are yummy!

Autumn Books for Kids

2010-10-31T16:28:00.001-04:00

The weather here in Kentucky has finally changed! We have the cool crisp mornings. The sunny afternoons! It is perfect!

To celebrate,here is a list of my favorite Autumn themed children's books!

There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves

By Lucille Colandro

Great for 3 to 7 years old

This book is irresistible to Preschoolers. It has repetitive text that is easy to sing along with. This book tickles the funnybone!

One of the repetitive phrases is " I don't know why she swallowed the leaves, perhaps she'll sneeze." The children loved to pretend sneeze every time I read that line!

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

by Linda Williams

Great for 4 to 7 years Old

This is an excellent read aloud book! It offers plenty of opportunity for the students to participate along with the story. A series of items such as a pair of shoes and a pair of gloves follow the little old lady home. When I read this book to the children, I suggested movements for each item that followed the old lady.

A great book with a bit of suspense and spookiness, but without being really scary!

Apples and Pumpkins

by Anne Rockwell

Great for 2 to 5 year olds

A great choice for the younger ones! This one will get your child talking about their trip to the pumpkin patch!

Leaf Trouble

by Jonathan Emmett

Great for Older 3s through Kindergarten

The illustrations in this book are beautiful! Very playful and colorful! The main character is adorable and you can't help but like him. His little misunderstanding about leaves is just adorable!

The Bumpy Little Pumpkin

by Margery Cuyler

Great for 3 to 7 year olds

This is one of my favorite Halloween books of all time. The book offers a great message of friendship and acceptance!

Five Little Pumpkins

Dan Yaccarino

1.5 to 5 year olds

A book rendition of the classic fingerplay "Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on the Fence." The little ones enjoy pointing out the pumpkins, the ghost, and the cat. Older children enjoyed this book because many of them are already familiar with the fingerplay.

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

Alison Jackson

Great for 3 years to 7 years

Another wonderful book with repetitive text! The children love to giggle at the absurdity that someone could eat so much for dinner! The ending is hilarious! A Thanksgiving classic!

Be sure to check out my Amazon Listmania of my favorite Storytime books

Emily's Favorite Read-Aloud Books

Band-aid concern.

2010-10-30T16:48:00.001-04:00

One Friday morning I was in a rush to get to work. I was planning to wear shorts that day, so I needed to shave my legs.A dreaded task. I was going quite fast I nicked myself on the leg. Ouch!

The only band-aids that I had available are the large flexible ones made out of some kind of fabric. So, I put one on my little cut not really giving much thought to it. It was just the closest band-aid that I had.

Later that day, I was in the 3.5 year old class. It was a BIG deal that I had this huge band-aid on my leg. Just the size of it must have made them think I had suffered some kind of terrible accident. They are three remember!

During the whole storytime, there was this one little girl down in the front who kept looking at my leg.She kept staring at the band-aid. Then she would elbow the children sitting next to her. She kept pointing at it with an expression of such concern.

I stopped in the middle of one of the books to explain that I had just a little cut on my leg, but had put a really big band-aid on it. The children wanted to know how I had received the cut. Had someone kissed it? Did I need to go to the hospital? How long would I have to keep the band-aid on?

What really struck me was the concern that children at such a young age can exhibit. As adults we can sometimes overlook those small occurrences. At three years old getting a cut is a huge event. I love their sweet spirits. Children see the small things. They see the details.

What can I learn from this?

Slow down!

Enjoy the little things!

I believe...that the children and teenagers that I have worked with over the last twelve years have taught me so much more than I have taught them.

Packing my box for Operation Christmas Child: The Sign

2010-10-24T17:07:00.005-04:00

This time every year since 2003, I have put together a gift box for Operation Christmas Child. I always have such a good time picking out little toys, candy, and other gifts for a child somewhere else on the earth. My boxes have gone to Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe.

This morning in church they announced that we will be collecting boxes again this year! The bulletin directed us to the children's ministry entrance to pick up a brochure. After church I made a beeline to the children's minstry area. The brochures were MIA. Nobody seemed to know where they were.I was a bit disappointed.

When I got home I went to the the Operation Christmas Child website! They have such an amazing website! Very informative and just plain cool! I love the videos! This one especially inspired me!

I printed out the How to Pack a Shoe Box Gift page and took it to the store with me. The plan was to buy a couple things each week to add to the box. Ha! Was I in for a surprise gift!!

At the grocery store my grocery bill was surprisingly $20 less than normal, even after purchasing some candy and a stuffed animal for the Box Gift. Swiped the debit card and "accidentally" hit the $20 cash back button. It wasn't part of MY plan, but saw it as a sign.

Headed across the street to the discount store. Had tons of fun picking out things just right for a little girl.I don't know her personally. I hope she likes the pink jump rope and the adorable socks with the hearts on them, picked out especially for her. I hope she knows that she is special! I hope she knows that God loves her and that somebody across the world is thinking and praying for her!

At the check out counter I was surprised with how much I had actually purchased. Would everything fit in the box? Would $20 cover it? The answer to both questions is "yes!" Oh and I got some change too! Guess how much? My change was $7.00, the exact amount they ask you to donate to cover shipping costs.

After all those accidents and coincidences it is hard to believe that it is anything else but the hand of God. Thank you God for giving me this gift of putting together this box of goodies for that special little girl.

Life Lessons

2010-10-20T23:00:00.004-04:00

A lesson that I needed to hear today!

80 degrees in October?

2010-10-17T16:32:00.005-04:00

Growing up in Vermont I never really appreciated the wonderful autumn weather. The cool crisp mornings. The comfy sweaters! Here in Cincinnati the weather does not seem to understand the concept of cool and crisp! In fact, I am wearing shorts and flip flops today. It's getting a little bit ridiculous!

Anyway, I decided to enjoy a little autumn fun, even if the weather isn't cooperating!

A family in our neighborhood set this up on their lawn! I couldn't fit the giant spider in the picture! So fun!

The apples waiting for the caramel! Finding the caramel candies was practically impossible. When I did find them I let out a triumphant " Ah ha!" right in the middle of the grocery store!

This treat is brought to you by the letters C and A ( Candy Corn, Caramel and Apples)

A few pumpkins for my trifle bowl!

Thanks to my ultra tall husband for tacking this up above the kitchen cabinets!

Leaf Banner

2010-10-15T22:06:00.002-04:00

Last week in Storytime, I had the children decorate construction paper leaves with pieces of scrapbooking paper! I was was really inspired to create my own project using the same template that I used for the children's project.

Yup, those are cereal boxes! I traced my leaf template onto cereal boxes. I used generic cereal boxes. They are slightly thinner than name brand cereal boxes, thus being easier to cut more intricate details out of.

I cut up about five pieces of scrapbooking paper into squares, triangles, and rectangles.

Covered the leaves with the paper. No real rhyme or reason to it.

The squares and letters were cut out on my Cricut!

To bind it all together I started out by punching holes and attaching eyelets . I strung brown ribbon through the holes and tied it all together.

Hopefully Michael will hang it up above the kitchen cabinets tomorrow!

Sneak Peek

2010-10-15T17:03:00.000-04:00

Just a little Sneak Peek into something I have been working on!

These will be made into something adorable really soon!

Saturday!

2010-10-12T20:42:00.002-04:00

Here are a few shots of our Saturday morning!

This is a mural we passed on our way to Findlay Market. Findlay Market is a great place to visit in Cincinnati! Great food! Great handmade stuff! A people watchers paradise!

The view above the ATM machine!

Lovely Lemons!

In the window of a delightful little bakery!

A street performer!

Grapes we bought at Findlay Market and enjoyed at our little picnic at Spring Grove!

Two ladies painting the foliage at Spring Grove

Love the reflection on the water!

Have a super Wednesday!

Exploding Washing Machines, Cheeky Kids, and Homesickness

2010-09-29T21:05:00.000-04:00

My wonderful husband stayed up late last night to do laundry! Isn't he a doll? While he was watching Stargate waiting for the washing to finish, he heard some rumblings going on in the laundry room. He goes in and the room was filled with smoke. Thankfully he was able to get the thing unplugged. Another thing to be thankful for was that was the last load that needed to be done. Soo...for a few day we shall be without a washing machine. I slept through the whole thing! Hopefully it can be fixed tomorrow or Friday! Praying for a speedy fix to this problem!

Yesterday was an interesting day at work. In the youngest preschool class I almost had my pants pulled down by three adorable children! While trying to leave the classroom, three children were hugging/holding on for dear life. Me, I was trying not to expose my underwear to the world. I looked at the teacher with a look of "Please remove these children from my pants!" I finally escaped left that classroom fully dressed. 

This was a conversation between me and a 9 year old girl in Scrapbooking Club!

Me: Ok guys time to clean up! Hey I see some scrap paper on the floor over there!

9 Year Old Girl: Yeah, I see it too! (Slight smile to see if I was going to let her get away with that comment) 

Oooooo...What a sassy girl! Actually I think it was pretty funny, but you can't let the kids know that you are amused with their downright sassy-ness! 

I have been pretty homesick lately! Actually that is not really accurate. I've been really missing family.  I really wish we lived closer to our families. I can't help feeling this way. I feel like we are missing out on so much of the family stuff by living here. I know that it hurts Michael when I tell him I wanna see family. I think he feels like I'm not happy with my life here and that he is not enough. I love him so much,more than I tell or show him most of time. I'm just sick of being those people in the the picture on the refrigerator door.I would love to be the Aunt who brings the kiddos for ice cream. The Aunt who takes the kids to the park. The Aunt who goes rollerskating.Thats just how I'm feeling.

Michael loves his job! I love that Michael loves his job! I really want to support him in his career. It is just so hard when your heart really wants to be someplace else.

Here are a couple of little things I made this weekend. I originally made them to print out and frame, but I think I might print them out and send as fall cards!

Have a good night everyone!

2010-09-20T20:43:00.004-04:00

Reading

In a Heartbeat

Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving

by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy

The Tuohy family is such an inspiration. This book was very hard to put down. I spent a few l~~ate nights~~ early mornings reading this book!

Eating

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

A guilty pleasure! Those fries are amazing! Pour some malt vinegar on those babies and its all over!

One of the best ideas to come around in a long time

Malls turned Greenhouses

A Must See Movie

Waiting for Superman

Why must a good education come down to winning a lottery?

2010-09-11T13:28:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I tried to make cake pops. Up until this part I was doing great! The next step was to dip them in the melted candy chips. That part did not work. The melted candy chips never got thin enough to coat the pops. Hmmmm...What did I do wrong?

Last weekend we went to Kentucky Symphony Orchestra concert in the park. It was outstanding! They had a circus theme and even had circus performers.

Paper Bag Album

2010-08-31T20:15:00.001-04:00

My elementary school scrapbooking club starts this week! For our 1st session (4 weeks) we are going to be making a paper bag album! It is pretty simple to put together and looks oh so cool! I put this example together this afternoon. When the kids make these, I'm pretty sure I'm going to cut the patterned paper to size!

Back to Storytime!

2010-08-29T20:47:00.000-04:00

Back to Storytime tomorrow. I am beyond ecstatic! I love sharing books, puppets, songs, and stories with the children.

Favorite Book of the Week:

The perfect book for "Back to School."

Letter of the Week

Isn't Randy Raccoon adorable?!

Favorite Prop of the Week

Five Little Mice Going to School. It goes along with one of the books that I am reading to the younger children!

I am so excited! I am heading to bed early, because I know that I might have a hard time sleeping because of the excitement.

Etching Glasss: FAIL

2010-08-28T20:34:00.001-04:00

Lately, I have been seeing tons of adorable etched glass items. Lelan over at

Hello, Good Gravy made some really beautiful pencil jars as a back to school teacher gift! Lovely aren't they?!

Project by Hello, Good Gravy!

Thought I would give it a try myself. So I gathered up my supplies

Paint Brush, Punch, Glass, Etching Cream, Scissors, and Contact paper

Put my stencil on and added the cream

The first polka dot came out beautifully! But the rest didn't

What did I do wrong? Maybe I didn't leave the stencils on long enough. Maybe I left them on too long. Maybe you are not meant to go through the washing off process more than once. Maybe I didn't put on enough cream. Maybe I should use a foam brush next time.

The vase was only $1.00, so I don't feel so bad messing up on it. I'm looking forward to trying again!

Baking Skills!

2010-08-28T09:20:00.001-04:00

This week I have been in a very Martha Stewart mood. Just needing to make something. Anything really. At the grocery last week they again had the most beautiful looking blueberries. I put a container or two in my cart.

I found the most amazing blueberry muffin recipe. The sugar on top really added a bit more sweetness and sparkle to the muffin.

On Wednesday, we had a meeting for all the special class teachers. I made a batch to share with everyone! Made some pink lemonade too!

It was so nice to get so many compliments on the muffins. Several of the teachers even took some home with them!! That just warms my heart!

A Closer Look: The Button Purse

2010-08-27T20:11:00.001-04:00

This post is for you Lynette !

My mother made me this purse several years ago! The buttons belonged to my Mother and Grandmother. I can't imagine how long it took her to stitch on each button. It is a work of art. I remember going through my Grandmother's buttons and counting and sorting them. A jar of buttons could keep me occupied for hours. It still can!

I don't take it out and about much, but whenever I do I get lots of compliments.One day at the grocery a woman grabbed my bag to get a closer look. I spun around so fast that I almost knocked the poor old lady down. She apologized for startling me. She just had to look at my bag!

The sparkly one is my favorite!

Trying to get my Mom to open an Etsy shop. She is super talented in beading, knitting, quilting, and sewing! I even offered to run the Etsy shop for her! Maybe someday!

Here she is at a Red's Game :D

Sleep tight everyone!

Family Fun Does it Again!!

2010-08-23T21:29:00.001-04:00

This bright and cheerful magazine was in my mailbox today! Yay!

I've read Family Fun since 2003! I was first introduced to it by a co-worker who always had the cutest ideas. She let me in on her "secret weapon." I have binders full of articles and projects to try! Even though I don't have children, it still has come in handy planning activities for school and church! This magazine has saved the day and my sanity more than once!

The past year the magazine has really been incredible!

Back in March, I was looking for a special treat to share with one of my classrooms! The fruit rainbow was a huge hit! Just last week a student asked when I was going to make the rainbow again!

The kids in Scrapbooking club loved making these lollipop flower for the spring showcase! A number of parents even made one!!! Thinking of changing the pattern a little bit to make poinsettias for Christmas!

This game was inspired by an advertisement featured in Family Fun!

I wasn't surprised to find such a simple and brilliant idea in the September issue. I can be described as somewhat flighty. I pack nice lunches for myself, but they always seem to be left at home in the fridge. When I saw this cute reminder clip, I knew it was exactly what I needed to jog my memory on the way out the door. With my trusty glue gun ,I attached a pack of Post-It notes to a laundry clip! Easy peesey! When I'm done with it I can just take the top note off!! Brilliant!! I can't wait to use it tomorrow!

Thanks Family Fun!

PS: They have a GREAT website! Top notch

www.familyfun.com

I don't know, but he is cute!!

2010-08-20T23:30:00.005-04:00

Another adorable conversation with a four year old!

Me: Little S,what is your friend's name? (She had been holding his hand not five minutes before)

Little S:(shrugs shoulders) I don't know, but he is cute!

New Hair Cut, From the Library, and Inspiration from 1998!

2010-08-15T18:33:00.003-04:00

This week it has been about as hot as the surface of the sun. I think I sweat more this week than ever before. Up until yesterday I had long hair. It was stringy and unmanageable! My hair seemed to have a mind of its own. My hair must have thought it was a Rastafarian, all it wanted to do was make dreadlocks(aka GIANT SNARLS). Here is the before picture! :P

Here is the after picture!

6 inches shorter and so far a lot less unruly! I also got my eyebrows tamed as well!

Here is what I picked up at the library today!

1. Organize Your Life by Ronni Eisenberg

2.Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordan MacKenzie

3.Lose 200 LBS. This Weekend by Don Aslett

4. The Big Green Book of Recycled Crafts A Leisure Arts Publication

5. In a Heartbeat Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy

I have been wanting a new basket to put all my lotions and potions in! Ok...I had a basket! It was plastic! It was green! It was horrible! So I picked up this beauty at Michael's! 40% off of baskets! Yahoo! Got a slightly smaller one for Michael's bureau as well! Matching baskets make me feel so grown up!

My mother sent me a box of stuff a few weeks ago. One of the items was a journal that I started the summer before college and continued through my first summer as a camp counselor! It has been really fun reading what my 19 year old self wrote.

I love how I collected quotes!! Thank you 19 year old Emily for inspiring 31 year old Emily!

A few people have questioned why I had a razor and an apple corer in my purse! I keep a razor in my bag in case I have missed a spot or 12 while shaving my legs in the morning :P. The apple corer was in my purse because we made fruit kabobs in cooking club! A woman's purse is a mysterious treasure trove of wonders! What is in your bag?

1. Dump everything out of your bag

2. Arrange the items

3. Take a picture!

4. Post the picture on your blog!

5. Leave me a link and I'll make a post with all the links later this week!

:D Have a lovely Evening!

My guilty pleasure

2010-08-13T21:53:00.003-04:00

Everyone has to have some guilty pleasures right? Well my guilty pleasure is Youtube. I love Youtube. Here are a few of my favorites!

I watch this one when I am homesick for New England!

I love Improv Everywhere! They do some super fun stuff! It is all funny, but not mean spirited!

Ok...This one is just so stinkin' cute!

Another super cute one!

Have a great evening!

Cincinnati Sunday: Kentucky Symphony Orchestra

2010-08-08T19:43:00.008-04:00

Cincinnati Sunday is dedicated to the best of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Indiana! Each Sunday, I will feature an event, location, store, restaurant, or product that is unique to this area!

Date: August 7^th, 2010

Event:  Fun Fun Fun

(The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra Boogie Band

 returns to the simple '60s)

Location: Devou Park Bandshell

Covington, KY

After what seemed close to a month of unbearable humidity in Cincinnati, the weather finally took a turn towards the delightful! A slight breeze and the sounds of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra set the stage for a great date night with my husband!

When you think of Kentucky, you don’t usually think of something as cultured as a symphony orchestra. Honestly, I was downright shocked and delighted to find out that we have one here. There wasn’t a whiskey jug or a banjo in sight. Sorry, but I bet I wasn’t the only one thinking that!

This was the second of the three part summer series sponsored by Toyota! Michael and I were two of thousands of other music lovers who made their way up to Devou Park. We spread a blanket out on the hill overlooking the band shell and ate our dinner of chips and sandwiches.

The concert featured special arrangements of 1960s classics by pianist, conductor, and arranger Terry LaBolt. Singers in sparkly dresses were included to offer up an exceptional show! A personal favorite was a rendition of “Fun, Fun, Fun!” It was impossible to not sing along or at least tap your toes! A large group of exuberant kids danced and twirled along in front of the stage! Adorable!

This series is an excellent family friendly event. What is better is that it is free! There is nothing quite as good as free cultural activities!(Donations are welcome) To top it off, Tank offered a free shuttle service from Covington Catholic High School!

The third concert will wrap up the 2010 summer series on September 4^that 7:30pm featuring a circus theme! So bring your family and a picnic dinner out to Devou Park for unique family friendly event.

Check out the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra website for further information!

In my bag: August 2010

2010-08-08T14:09:00.002-04:00

* Sandra Lee Semi Homemade Slow Cooking Recipes

* Simply Green Giving by Danny Seo

* Creating Keepsakes: September 2010 issue

* My favorite necklace! Made out of black ribbon and gray beads

* A pink razor

* A Tiffany and Co box that has a broken necklace on the inside.

* My keys

* Two bracelets that were gifts

* A borders receipt for coffee, a milkshake, a cookie, and a raspberry sparkle cupcake

* My cellphone

* An apple corer and cutter

* Some leftover waterballoons

* Spare Change

* Paycheck stub

A lane for slow grocery shoppers?! Directional signals on shopping carts?!

2010-08-01T21:52:00.005-04:00

Each week, usually on Sunday I painstakingly go through the process of meal planning. I choose the recipes!! I organize my shopping list by my stores layout. I have a plan of attack and I’m ready to “go to the mattresses” with my handy list and my shopping cart. I charge into the store ready to grab lettuce and bread. I know what I want and I know where it is.

Today I was well, slightly agitated before even entering the store. I wanted to get in and get out! I guess the fair shoppers at my local Kroger had an entirely different agenda. Everyone was shopping at a snails pace. I kid you not there was a man in the soup section who was sitting on the floor picking up every can of soup. He was strategically placed directly in front of the cheese soup that I need for my crock pot cheesy chicken!

In every aisle there was someone parked in front of the item from my list. I was tired of saying excuse me. I just wanted to get in and get out! When it came time to go to the next aisle there was someone heading straight towards me ready to crash.A combination of battlefield and defensive driving! Am I Jedi Knight, a racecar driver, or a Midwestern suburban wife? Sometimes the lines get a little blurry!

Recently I was watching this video from Improv Everywhere

While the video is a prank, it really gets you thinking! The tourists can have a lane in which to stop and take pictures without all those New Yorkers stepping on their heals. The New Yorkers can have a lane in which to jog to work in. It is a win-win situation!

I say we take the idea of purposed lanes a step further. Why not have lanes for fast shoppers? A lane designed for those shoppers who know what they want and where it is! While we are at it lets put directional signals on shopping carts. No more wasting time in awkward moments trying to decipher where that person who is blocking your way is going to go next. Just put on your blinker to announce your intentions! These simple ideas will revolutionize the way we grocery shop!

Quirks

2010-07-30T22:56:00.004-04:00

One of my co-workers and I have a cooking club for elementary age kids. This week we made shells and cheese and hotdog sea monsters! We don't have a stove at work, only an oven. Pasta is not meant to be boiled in an oven. Oh well! It was still tasty!

I am catching up on all the blogs that I read regularly! Elizabeth Kartchner had a fun post about quirks! Here are some of my quirks!

* I do not like canned corn

* I always have to sit on the end of a row!

* I iron with my left hand even though I am right handed! (My mother is left handed)

* I do not like the words Phlegm, Panties, moist,and the name Peggy.

* I always gravitate to the right side of a room

* The sound of crunching ice drives me nuts!

What are your quirks?

Photos by Amanda McClain of Petite Productions

Games, Yummies, and a History Buff!

2010-07-18T19:50:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the game I came up with for Candy Land Theme Week.

I attached balloons to beanbags. I wrote numbers and letters on the balloons using a sharpie. Then I made alphabet cards with the same letter that were on the balloons.

The younger children got to choose an alphabet card out of the bag. I gave them a bean bag and they had to find the balloon with the same letter on it. They then threw the bean bag at the balloon.

With the older children also chose an alphabet card,but I didn't let them look at it. Instead they were given the letter sound and had to find the balloon with the corresponding letter on it!

Michael and I went to Findlay Market to have waffles at our favorite place! Taste of Belgium has the best waffles I've ever had! If you are in Cincy you should give them a try. Be warned..they are addicting!

Michael was given a huge collection of National Geographic magazines. He is having a lot of fun going through all the issues.

Gramma Nutt

2010-07-17T08:54:00.000-04:00

This week's theme at work was "Candy Land"! I got to be Gramma Nutt! I went into the classrooms to play a couple of fun games! One of the games was "pin the peanut in the basket" which was a take off of "pin the tail on the donkey". One of the kids told his teacher he couldn't play the game because he was allergic to nuts! :D :D :D

$14.99 Magazines and Funky Church Signs

2010-07-11T22:48:00.002-04:00

So I took my $20 to the bookstore to treat myself! I had the most difficult time choosing something. I wandered around for over an hour just looking. I ended up buying this special issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine!

It is a very good special issue. It had a few project ideas that I'm going to use. I especially love the mini album designed to show off your Christmas cards. The holiday season planner was also very cute! It is a definite must have if you are new to scrapbooking!

If you have been reading Creating Keepsakes magazine or Simple Scrapbooks for a while you will recognize some of the projects. I counted 11 projects that have been published in previous issues of Creating Keepsakes and Simple Scrapbooks.

I also found the price of the issue to be very steep. $14.99 is a lot for a magazine! The issue is all content except for one advert for Bazzill and a few for other Creating Keepsakes products.

It was nice to see projects created by some scrap-celebs that I haven't seen much of lately such as Stacy Julien,Erin Lincoln,and Rebecca Cooper!

All together I found this Special Issue to be very good. The projects featured are very nice. The style is pretty simple, no over the top techniques! Very doable! If you miss Simple Scrapbooks magazine,you will enjoy this issue a lot!

On the way back from church we saw this sign at another local church. :D I had to stop and take a picture!!

Here is the other side of the same sign!!

:D
Have a wonderful Monday everybody! :D

Emily

2010-07-06T21:58:00.002-04:00

Happy Anniversary to my dear husband of 3 years!

July 7th, 2007

To my husband who makes me laugh...

To my husband who stands strong when I am weak...

To my husband who is not afraid to have a little fun...

To my husband who shows me new places...

To my husband who is great with children...

To my husband who encourages me to soar...

To my husband who cooks, cleans,and does laundry...

I love you! Even though I may not say it often enough thank you for all that you do and all that you are!

Here is to 100 years more!

Bake Sale Fun!!

2010-07-04T23:16:00.001-04:00

The summer camp kids at work are having a bake sale this week to earn money towards painting their buses. I volunteered to make a little something!I found a cute idea on the Celebrate CREATIVITY in all its forms blog. She used trains for her cookies.I thought school buses would work because of what the kids are earning money for!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of the July!

An open letter to the lady who talks on the cellphone in the public restroom

2010-07-04T22:28:00.004-04:00

Dear  Lady Who Talks on the Cellphone in the Public Restroom,

I just wanted to take this opportunity to address you openly. I know that there must only be one person in the world who has the disgusting audacity to actually talk on the phone in a public restroom, so this letter is directed to you!

I most recently came across you in the restroom at the library. You were talking away on your phone to a friend describing in excruciating detail the goings on of your day. No detail seemed to be left out. You told this “friend” about your excursion to the mall to buy your daughter a bra. I am the lady in stall #1 who kept flushing the toilet. 

So let me get to the meat and potatoes of why I felt it necessary to write this letter. I hope I need not have to tell you the main use for a public restroom.  The public restroom is not the modern day version of the phone booth.  The sounds of the natural digestion process are not meant to be background of a polite phone conversation. I am sorry that you have such a busy life that you cannot put down your phone for a few brief moments to eliminate your body’s waste products. If you don’t care about the sounds of your own elimination, please offer others the courtesy. Everyone participates in the digestion process sometime, and I doubt that your social life would come to an end in a brief five minute unplug.  

Please take your conversation to your parked car. I might also suggest the bathroom in your own home if you must multitask. I hope that this letter has been informative to you and that you will discontinue your use of a cellphone in the public restroom. If by chance this letter has not impacted you, I will continue to flush the toilet until you get the hint!

Sincerely,

The Lady in Stall #1

PS: I noticed that you did not wash your hands when you exited the bathroom! Thanks so much for sharing more of yourself with the public

Humidity,Buckles, Magazines

2010-07-04T00:48:00.001-04:00

Just one minute ago I escaped the 85 degree living room to the beautifully chilly bedroom! It felt as if I was being hit by a blast of Arctic air. The relief!

It looks like it is back to sweating weather! I've always had a aversion to humidity. Even as a baby I would sweat more than most would think humanly possible for something so small. Alas,it is true. The past five or six days have been outstanding, weather wise. Sunny and in the mid to upper 70s. Back to sweating.I am jealous of those woman who can manage to look effortlessly beautiful and put together in the summer. How is this possible when the weather can be described as feeling like a "wet wool blanket"? Dreaming of sweaters,apple cider,and raking leaves!

The blueberries this time of the year are beautiful and yummy! I made a super simple and totally delicious blueberry buckle this afternoon. A buckle is kinda like a crisp and a cake rolled into one! Yummers!It was good plain,but next time I will serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

In the battle between myself and my ~~junk~~ belongings,I scored a small victory. I purged 40 magazines from my collection today. I am personally doing my part to support the magazine industry. Love magazines. I started with Seventeen and YM magazine and now happily page through Good Housekeeping and Country Living. Those buggers seem to ~~multiply~~ pile up at an alarming rate.It felt good to get that stack of magazines down to 20 or so articles/recipes that I will store in binders for later. Speaking of those binders,I need to go through those too. Humph! Will this battle over junk ever be won?

This week has been such hell. I don't wish to go into details, but I don't ever want another week like it again! Enough about that!

Tomorrow we have church. In the afternoon I plan to make some cookies for my work bakesale! Made some cutesy tags to decorate the bags with! Yay! Will share those later!

Have a wonderful 4th of July everyone!

Blank Walls

2010-06-26T08:56:00.001-04:00

This is the blank wall that greets me every time I walk into the kitchen. It's so white! It's so blank! Does anyone have some fun ideas for what to put on this wall?

How-to Video: Homemade Granola!

2010-06-20T21:55:00.004-04:00

I made some fabulous granola this evening! It really came out great!I put together a little how-to video just for you!! Enjoy!

2010-06-01T21:49:00.001-04:00

Grandpa

2010-05-31T01:18:00.005-04:00

I am really happy how this layout came out. I wanted to display bits and pieces of my Grandfather's house. I took a lot of photos while I was there. My mother and Aunts are slowly going through the house and I wanted to capture the little things before the house is sold.

While at my Grandparent's house Michael was looking through a very old family album. He came across a photograph of someone who is the spitting image of me. There was no name on that back to identify the people in the photo. Growing up I never felt like I looked like my family. It was always assumed that I must look like someone from my father's biological family. It was so neat to see that I bear an uncanny resemblance to someone on my mother's side!

More Layouts!

2010-05-30T20:39:00.003-04:00

Happy Sunday!!!

Have not been up to much this weekend! Actually yesterday I didn't go out of the house all day. I didn't use my voice until 10:30pm. Ha! I did get a lot of scrapbooking done though!

Michael seems to be enjoying his trip to Minnesota! He is really enjoying seeing his cousins! Plus he is eating lots of cookie bars! That is sooo Minnesota.I miss him so much!

(He even posted a cellphone picture of the bars)

Today I was all ready to go church and then I couldn't find my keys anywhere. So...I didn't make it to church. I found my keys in the pile of STUFF that I was donating to Goodwill. Ha! So I guess it was meant to be to bring that stuff out to Goodwill. I dropped some books off at the Library and then got some food at the grocery! Nothing too exciting!

I still have one more day to relax and chill! Yahoo!!!

Love a Long Weekend!

2010-05-29T13:09:00.003-04:00

Michael has gone to Minnesota for a few days to see family! Guess what I'm dong? Scrapbooking! Yahoo! Here are a few layouts that I just made!

What I just made!

2010-05-16T10:21:00.002-04:00

While my parents were in town we went to Heritage Village. Our tour guide really took the time to show us around. I made a little thank-you card for her!

A Quick Layout I made about my niece Lexi!

A layout using some of my flower photos!

Home, Books, Pictures, and this weeks dinner menu!

2010-05-15T22:44:00.002-04:00

We are back in Kentucky after driving most of the afternoon and evening and into the early morning today. Michael did most of the driving and let me sleep!Thank goodness!Riding in the car for so long is just so draining. Sitting on your behind is exhausting.Michael had to work today.He came home and went straight to bed!Bless his heart it has been a rough week for both of us.

Between all the driving and waiting around I was able to read two books, finish one book, and continue another.Sitting down with a good book is so comfortable.Love the way an actual books feels in my hands. I doubt I could ever use a ebook reader. Don't quote me on that one because who know what will happen in the future. So here is what I read.

1. One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber

I read all by the last two chapters in one weekend. It flows very well and leaves you yearning to read more. She discusses generosity not just in the form of financial giving, but also in terms of giving time. I loved the idea that listening is a gift. A gift that I desperately want to work more on. She also goes into hospitality and giving the gift of prayer.

2. Free Range Kids

Loved Loved Loved this book! I laughed my way through this one. Very entertaining! I found myself shouting many times,"Thats Exactly Right!"

Basically her whole idea is to back away from the "helicopter" style of parenting and allow your children to actually do things for themselves. Hallelujah! Glad to finally hear a sane voice amongst all the other parenting books out there that thrive on scaring you to death!

Here is her blog:Free Range Kids

3. The Creative Family

This books was written by Mommy Blogger Amanda Blake Soule. I greatly enjoyed this book and am planning to get a copy of it for keeps(I get most of my stuff from the library).

This book is full of ways to encourage/cultivate imagination and creativity in your children. Very Waldorf philosophyish Lots of project ideas. I especially enjoy the section about family celebrations. I totally want to make beautiful felt birthday crowns for my nieces and nephews.

Loved the book! Check out the Blog!

Soule Mamma

Finally to finish up this post I thought I'd share a few pics from the last week or so!

Our new niece Little Ms.NJ! We were so excited to finally meet her! She liked Michael so much that she fell asleep in his arms! I also got to hold her quite a bit. I'm a little hesitant while holding infants. I'm so worried about their little heads bobbing about. Miss NJ is a real doll!

Here is my little ray of sunshine, Lexi! She is so 3 years old. She asks tons of questions! She is super duper active but also loves to cuddle! Its really very funny how much she looks like my brother!

The world's longest candy counter! I love this place! Michael and I filled up a bag full of treats! We ate some of them and then we tossed them in the back seat. While cleaning out the car today,I found them in the back all melty! What a waste! Serves me right! Never put off eating candy till tomorrow!

A star from my parent's front porch. I took a ton of photos of my childhood home. My parents are in the process of selling the house. I'm a tad bit upset,it has been their home for over 40 years. I understand that they need a house that is easier for my Dad to get around it, but it still hurts a little.

My Mom and Lexi! Lexi has my mother wrapped around her little fingers! My Mom is physically unable to go into THE CHILDREN'S PLACE without buying an outfit for her! My Mom lets Lexi play in her makeup and drink as much chocolate milk as her little heart desires. Lucky!

We went to Franklin Roosevelt's House. It was on the way back to PA from Vermont.

Bitty pig tails!

Another niece is giving me back a taste of my medicine by sticking the camera in my face!

One more thing!
Here is my dinner menu for the week!

Sunday: Pesto Chicken on Angel Hair Pasta

Peach Crisp for Dessert

Monday: Grandma R's Pancakes and Sweet Sausage

Tuesday: Coke Crock Pot Roast

Wednesday: Bubble Pizza Casserole

Thursday: Sausage and Peppers Hoagies

Goodnight everyone!!!

Pondering

2010-05-11T22:19:00.002-04:00

Sitting in my parent's living room in Vermont. I am filled with mixed emotions. I am very happy to be in Vermont. I am happy to be near family. I am happy that the sun is shinning. Yet, the reason for being in Vermont is very unhappy. My Grandfather died on Thursday morning. The circumstances behind his death are quite upsetting. I am still trying to understand and come to grips with everything!

I am feeling somewhat guilty for not keeping in better contact with my Grandfather. A couple of weeks ago Michael suggested that I write him a letter and send some pictures. We had just sent some to his Aunt and Uncle in Minnesota and they loved them. How I wish I would have taken the time to send him that letter. Oh how I wish I did!

I was also planning to do some video interviews with my Grandfather to record all those family stories. Stories of my Grandfather's time in the Pacific during the war.Stories of their Courtship. Stories of their first year of marriage. Stories about my Mom and Aunts growing up years. So many stories!!

This is myself and my Grandpa just over a year ago!

Here he is just over a year ago. I'm so glad I got a picture of his hands. Their is something about a person's hands.

Grandpa's Hats

His shoes lined up!

The beautiful toaster cover! I love love love love the design.

My advice is to let your love ones know how much you love them. Tell them! Write them a letter. Don't wait for something to happen. I feel more of a resolve to document life through journals and scrapbooks. I don't want those life stories to be forgotten.