My First Paper Project!

I finished my first paper crafting project!

Quite awhile ago I saw this print on the wall of a Mom's Group member's house. I was instantly head over heels in LOVE!!! I adore every single teensy detail of this illustration. Words just can't describe how infatuated I am with this.

The girl who did the original illustration has an Etsy shop called The Wheatfield by Katie Daisy and I stalked that thing desperately waiting for it to come back in stock. Eventually, I got antsy and contacted her. She had to quit selling the print because of copyright laws. My heart was shattered. I wanted this more than I've ever wanted anything. I knew there was no way I could EVER come close to duplicating it because I have zero art skills and zero creativity, so I accepted that despite its ability to reach my heart like no material object ever has, I would have to live without it.

Fast forward a year and a handful of months later. It was time to come up with my first paper crafting project, and despite the fact that I could never replicate the genius of Katie Daisy's illustration, I realized the more important part of the print truly was the words...for me anyway.

I have mentioned it countless times, but Cole and I feel so strongly about making our kids' lives all about their experiences and not in any way, shape or form about stuff. Sure, it's cute that they have a few toys that they swear they will play with for the rest of their lives, but what's more adorable is listening to their bucket lists. So young, but so full of dreams. BIG dreams. They are completely fascinated by travel and have a long list of countries they want to visit and things they want to see there. Paris and the Eiffel Tower, London and Big Ben, Ireland's pastures, Italy and The Leaning Tower of Pisa and Rome, the beaches of the Caribbean, the mountains of Peru, a long train tour across Europe and on and on and on. (Can you tell we love travel books, Travel and Leisure magazine, and the PBS shows Travel with Kids and Rick Steves Europe?) They can't wait to zip line and hang glide and SCUBA dive (I'll sit that one out, thank you very kindly) and ride dune buggies across the desert.

This quote, and I am not into quotes, is more or less the perfect representation of how I want to raise my kids. "Tell me, what is it you plan TO DO, with your one wild and precious life?" That's what it's all about for me. "What is it you plan to do?" It kind of breaks down like this for me...

Who are you going to bless with your time, talent and treasure?

What causes are you going to support?

Where are you going to travel?

What customs are you going to adopt?

What are you going to learn about?

How are you going to spend your time?

Who are you going to share these experiences with?

So, with this in mind, I got a canvas (24x36) and painted it a charcoal gray, kind of like a chalk board. I chose bright, bold colors of paper with "wild" and "precious" being covered in glitter and made my own version of the quote.

I'm pretty happy with it. I like that it sort of looks like a chalkboard drawing. I wish I would have chosen a different shape instead of the green flowers in the corner. Perhaps the scale is just off...I don't know, but it just doesn't work for me. But this little baby now hangs over the dining room table where many a dreamy discussion occurs. I plan to get a variety of colored frames, fill them with pictures of us on vacations, doing exciting new things and surround the canvas.

Hopefully, when the boys get older they'll appreciate the fact that they never wore clothes from anywhere fancier than Old Navy and they never owned their own iPads, but by-golly Machu Pichu was a heckuva lot more impressive standing on top of it in their Target duds than it ever could have been sitting at home, wrapped in North Face on a high-def retina display.

New Year's Resolutions

I have NEVER made a New Year's resolution. I just don't get into New Year's. To me it is just another day, and I really don't understand the excitement other people have for the holiday, but to each, his own. I'm sure a lot of people can't understand why Valentine's Day is my second favorite holiday. On a scale from 1-100, 1 being the worst and 100 being the best, Christmas is a 100 and Valentine's Day is a 99.3. I just LOVE it! But, anyway, this year I'm making some resolutions that are sure to be valuable.

1. Read a book on my Book Club's list...don't just show up at the meeting.

My mom's group co-director has a burning passion for reading. This year she decided to put together a book club. I read the June book and the July book. Since then...uh, yeah...not a lot of reading going on. HOWEVER, I still attend the meetings. Basically, I participate (I am using that word very loosely) for the company. I don't try to trick anyone. Everyone knows I just show up, but I WILL read the January book. It might be the only one I read for 2014, but that's okay. Apparently, I don't like reading as much as I thought I did.

2. Continue my silent protest against songs that boss me around.

I love to dance, and that is why I LOVE wedding receptions. How often do you get to go somewhere and dance 4-5 hours straight?! After all of your friends get married, like never. A few years ago we were invited to 20 weddings in an 18 month span and attended almost every single one. It was a great run. I got to bust out all of my dance moves for hours at a time, and I was always in heaven. Until...songs with directions started blaring over the sound system. Talk about a buzz kill. I loathe songs that tell me what to do. I don't want to stomp my left foot twice or slide to the right. What kind of dancing is that? Crappy dancing, that's what kind. When I hit the dance floor, I'm about 99% sure that I look like a Lakers Girl under the creative direction of one, Paula Abdul. I basically black out and my muscles take over. If I feel like swinging my arms in large circles, I go for it. If I feel like shaking my head back and forth until I'm motion sick, I pop some Dramamine and shake it. If I want to gyrate all over like someone dropped a jar of spiders down my back, I gyrate until I'm on the verge of pulling a hammy. My point is, these moves can't be tamed, and I don't like some DJ and a bunch of people clogging up the dance floor interfering with my need to express myself through the art of dance. So, I will continue to sit down and look very surly when these ridiculous songs are played until they exist no more. Of course, these dance breaks can be psychologically dangerous for me as I often find myself wondering as I re-hydrate if, in reality, I look more like the Caddyshack Gopher than a Lakers Girl on the dance floor. But, I'm pretty sure these unfounded, delirious thoughts that creep into my head are just due to my elevated body temperatures from doing wide, lunging jumps while pumping my arms like I'm running.

3. Take my paper crafting to the next level.

Levels. I remember the first time I talked about taking something to the next level. We were in the homewares department at Macy's, and I found some giant cookie cutters. I held them up and yelled across the department to Cole, "I have to get these. They would really take my cooking to the next level." Cole gave me the strangest look and said, "Making pancakes...in different shapes...is what you consider taking it to the next level?" Initially, I was hurt. But, I eventually saw his point and agreed that maybe, just perhaps, my "levels" were spaced a little too close together.

This is going to be different! Every year, I spend approximately 16 hours, that equates to nearly 2.65 minutes a day, paper crafting. Yowza. This ain't no joke, people. 2.65 minutes A DAY! Anyway, after many, many, many holidays of asking, this year for Christmas Cole bought me...

A Silhouette Portrait cutting machine!!!

This was a totally rockin' Christmas gift! I spent, ahem, eight hours yesterday playing with it. The boys thought I was working, as in, doing things for my part-time job, since I was focused for so long. Not my finest mom-day. I had grandiose plans for putting all of my hard work together today, but it snowed and it's 15 degrees and I just don't feel like going to Champaign for supplies. By one o'clock I might not be able to suppress my creative urges anymore and load us all up in the car anyway. I can't wait to reveal the finished product. Oooooh, the suspense is killing me and I haven't even started it yet! Just know that this time when I say I'm taking my paper crafting to the "next level," I'm talking Cameron Tucker from Modern Family style.

Observe:

Cameron: Our adoption attorney told us it would be a good idea to make a photo-book to show prospective moms.
Mitchell: But he thought that Cam's version was a little to artsy, so we’ve decided to take a few rugged shots at the ranch to balance it out.
Cameron: I don’t think it needs balancing out.
Mitchell: Really?
Cameron: It’s called production value.

If all goes well, I can see my daily paper crafting average going from 2.65 minutes to, gosh, maybe 6 or 7 minutes. The boys' party invites should be totally out-of-this world fantastic (even more so that usual), and who knows what other creations of paper filled goodness I'll come up with. You might just see me on a Vistaprint commercial this time next year talking up the 2500 business cards I ordered to promote my paper company: "Crop till you Drop." Who knows? WHO. Knows?

4. Realize my physical limits.

This sounds like a weird one, but last year I spent a lot of time aching because of stupid stuff I did while trying to impress the males of this family. Like the time I tried to show the boys how to run and jump onto a sled belly first. That was a dumb idea. Not only did the sled move little more than two inches, the boys weren't impressed and for days my back felt like I'd fallen from the top of a four-story building. Mom=FAIL.

Then there was the day that I decided I would REALLY impress the boys by running through the house, essentially kicking open the screen door and landing in the yard where the boys were waiting for me. Yeah, well, this time the boys weren't even looking and when I landed something popped in my foot causing me to collapse to the ground and scream in pain. For weeks, literally WEEKS, it hurt to walk, wear shoes, look at my foot, etc. It was such a stupid idea that seemed so incredibly epic in my mind. Mom=FAIL.

And just last week I decided to test my athletic prowess (quit laughing) by jumping and touching the dining room ceiling. Cole missed my amazing display of athleticism and wanted to see me do it again, and since I was feeling like such a bad ass, I agreed. This time, however, when I landed I twisted my knee (the good one, not the one that sounds like crunching gravel while I walk) and was fairly certain I was going to need crutches for the next week. Wife=FAIL.

5. Blog more.

I remember when I first brought Ian home from the hospital. At that point I was just absolutely positive that I would keep detailed records of every single day of his life. Then I realized that I had more to take care of every day than just my baby. I had a home and husband and dog and MYSELF to take care of every day. I eventually started blogging when Eli was 16 months old, and it has been a great way to document the little and big moments of our lives. It also helps to keep our family connected to all of the people we love but don't get to see very often. Recently, I haven't been keeping up with the blog like I wish I would have. So, I hope to get back to blogging on a semi-regular basis. I love writing so it doesn't feel like a chore, but it seems that I always have other things that take priority over the blog. Hopefully, there is someone who enjoys reading this silly little corner of the internet that will hold me accountable. Time will tell.

Update of Happenings Over the Last Two Months

Oh, me. Oh, my. How time really flies. So much has happened in the last couple of months. A lot of it doesn't warrant it's own post but is still worth mentioning so here goes...

::At the end of September I completed the Prairie Pedal. It was a 43 mile bike ride around Decatur. It took me a long time, and I really wasn't sure how I could possibly finish the last 10 miles. My muscles felt fine, but I forgot to take Aleve before the ride and my arthritic knees were SCREAMING. I slowly rolled across the finish line, which kinda stunk, BUT I rolled across the finish line! That's right, I completed a 43 mile bike ride. That was my goal, and I did it! I went from NEVER riding my bike to riding 43 straight miles with only 11 weeks to prepare. I was the ONLY person on the 43 mile route with a bike from Toys 'R Us without a $5000.00 bike. I know this for a fact; I was passed by EVERYONE. Not an exaggeration. At one point I passed a couple with snow white hair. I must admit, it was a tremendous ego boost despite the fact they were probably in their 70s. However, they went flying by me about eight miles later. I said some pretty foul words in my head when that happened.You know, words that rhyme with "duck" and "fit." I thought there would be other "novices" on the 43 mile route. I was dead wrong. I mentioned this to my neighbor who bikes a fair amount. He looked at me like I was insane. Apparently novices don't do 43 miles. Well, now I know why. But...I'm pretty sure I'll do it again next year. :)

::We had Parents' Night at the boys' school. For an hour, your children give you lessons on all their favorite Montessori materials. I spent the first 30 minutes with Ian, then swapped with Cole and finished the night with Eli. I l-o-v-e, LOVE Montessori, and I adore the boys' school. The materials are so beautiful and sturdy and just wonderful. We also had parent/teacher conferences a couple of weeks later, and that went well, too. All in all, school is going very, very well, and everyone is very happy.-

::I turned 31. I am now officially "in" my 30s. I was sitting on the cusp for the last year, but now I'm definitely "in." It's total bullcorn.

::I stumbled, and I do mean stumbled, into a part time job. What?! Yep, that happened. So, my neighbor is a Swine Veterinarian, but also owns a company that creates educational, multi-media training for the pork industry. Did you know that career even existed? I love weird jobs nobody ever thinks about. Anyway, she got a contract for a new training series and needed some extra help getting the project organized. I started helping her out, and as it turns out, we work well together (she has three other full-time employees), so I now have a part-time job. Right now I'm mainly working on the big training video project, but I am learning other tasks as well. I'm enjoying working again, and since it's only while the boys are physically at school, it is a match made in heaven. I also have the flexibility to work from home when needed. Yahoo for a boss who is also a mother and gets that family comes first!

::After eight years together, it was time to say goodbye to my second Monte Carlo. She had 209,000 miles and about three days of life left in the transmission. It was a sad, sad day. I told Cole that I wanted to get tons of pictures with me and the car doing ridiculous stuff...tea parties, reading magazines, me spraying the car with a hose, then running the hose through the car window so the car could "spray" me (but it was 20-some degrees outside so that didn't happen), etc. Then I wanted to set the pictures up to cycle as Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You" played in the background. Didn't happen. But we did get a picture of me looking pretty sad before we pulled the Monte Carlo out of the driveway one last time. Here's the new car...

It's a Sonata, and the color is "Sparkling Ruby" which is so perfect for me. I LOVE the color. It's not new, but it's new to us. We really like it...even though it looks like such a "mom car." The boys LOVE it. My two-door car was not cool, according to them. I have a feeling they'll change their views as they get older, but maybe not.

::We are getting ready for Eli's 4th birthday. (How is that possible?) This year we're having a Lumberjack party. The invites turned out well and were some of the easiest I've done. That's a win. Poppy (my dad) is even growing a beard for the occasion.

::Monday morning I had my FIFTH wisdom tooth removed. I had four removed in high school, and when I went for my last cleaning at the beginning of October...two more appeared in my x-rays. It was disgusting. So, Monday I had one removed. It was breaking the gums already. The sixth will be extracted later. I have never had teeth, other than my wisdom teeth, pulled, and I was completely unconscious the first time around. Listening to the cracking and feeling the tremendous pressure was HORRIFIC! I feel like I've been punched in the face...repeatedly, but I am glad it's over.

:: Cole's getting ready to judge another LEGO robotics competition in a couple of weeks. He was asked to be a corporate mentor to a high school/junior high team last spring....I need to ask him whatever came of that....hmmm. Anyway, I'll probably take the chums for a little bit. Last year when we went I gave Ian some Chapstick, cherry of course, in the car because his lips were hurting. When we pulled in the parking lot, I cracked up. He looked like that old lady who puts her lipstick on during a turbulent flight. I'll remember "No Chapstick" this year.

::This weekend we will finally start decorating for Christmas. Ian has been dying to start, but I've stood firm with "not until after Thanksgiving." I'll definitely update with this year's decorations and new time capsule ornaments. Greatest tradition ever!

Seriously, What Century is This?

At the end of September, the boys came in after school one day and were too hot. Eli took off his shirt and I almost passed out. His left arm was covered in what looked like mosquito bites except they were almost green. I fuh-lipped out. As I got to checking him over, I realized they were also around his jawline and a couple were on his right arm. I called around to a few trusted mom friends and quickly decided we needed to head to convenient care. I got to convenient care, and right as I was walking through the door, got a phone call from another mommy friend/neighbor/nurse. She suggests...chicken pox. "I don't think so," I tell her. "He's been vaccinated." And she tells me, "Well, he can still get them."

The pictures are so poor. You can't really tell anything is going on.

I get into convenient care, metaphorical guns blazin', and insist that my kid needs immediate attention because he is having an allergic reaction to something. The registration nurse takes one look at him and says, "I think it's chicken pox. If it is, we have to quarantine you. Let me get another opinion."

Well, what do you know, the next nurse says, "Looks like it to me," and we are whisked away to an exam room. We're in the room 20 seconds and two other nurses come in, look at the little man, and agree...looks like The Pox.

So, after a while a doctor comes in, again says, "It's Chicken Pox," and sends us on our way. I then had to go home and notify the other parents at school that we have a confirmed case of The Pox and unfortunately have exposed everyone else. That's right. Eli was "Patient Zero."

Luckily, Eli only got about three dozen spots over the course of The Pox. Even calling his case "mild" seems exaggerated. But regardless of the severity, we were still confined to the house for five days. Plus, Cole has had Shingles TWICE so all of Eli's care (which wasn't that bad) was my responsibility because we didn't want Cole to possibly get Shingles for the third time at the ripe, old age of 29.

Anyway, it's done and over, and now we have a great "can you believe this?" story to tell.

What Century is This?

What do you do with a box of dot matrix printer painter in 2013?

Use it to make banners, of course! At least, that's what we do.

Ready to Get Our Learn On.

I have two kids in school! How did that happen?! I'm still trying to figure that out, but in the mean time the boys are learning a lot and having a great time.

Montessori houses don't have grades. They have age ranges of three years.

Eli is in his first year at a 3-6 house. 

Ian is in his second year at a 3-6 house.

Two brothers after a great first day of school.

I've Waited a Year!

Last winter I saw the most adorable knitting bag on the planet in a magazine's "things we love" section. Well, who could blame them? It's amazingly stupendous! I, of course, went home to buy this little beauty and...it was sold out. Grrrr.

I checked Yarn Pop at least weekly for ELEVEN MONTHS waiting for this bag to be in stock, and a couple of weeks ago, when Jupiter was in its seventh house (or something of equally great cosmic importance was happening) it was FINALLY available! I have never processed an online purchase so quickly in my life. I had waited eleven excrutiatingly long months to own this owl patterned, canvas goodness, and I was not letting it slip away.

I've put her to good use over the last couple of weeks. She's currently holding pieces of a sweater for Ian, a cowl for me and scrap yarn from a couple of pairs of socks I just finished for the boys, but pretty soon she'll be full of Christmas projects for the people I love most. (The yarn for some of those projects should be arriving tomorrow. Yay!)

It seems so silly to be so smitten with a knitting bag, but I waited for so long. I never gave up on her, and she was well worth the wait. :)