a game called "things"

it's a game called things.
it poses a subject.
you give an answer.
players guess who said what.

that's it.
pretty simple.
but it yields hours of fun, and silliness and embarrassment.
a round with adults was too much fun.
making fun of nerds - including the ones I love.
and snicker at off color jokes and innuendo.

but playing with andrew . . .that was something else.
he was clever and funny and sly.
he joined in like one of the adults.
he answered (censored) questions.
and stumped us with his humor.

question "things you do not want your surgeon to do during an operation"
andrew - "text"
no one guessed it was him.

question - "things you would ask a psychic"
andrew - "will i ever eat steak again?"
random, but clever.

question -

andrew - "a remote control raisin and a 49,000 year old potato"
he gave himself away with that one.

not so family friendly but definitely a fun game for a group.

ETA:  Have a happy 1.11.11!

goodbye christmas - card project

this weekend we put away christmas.  always a little sad about it but it felt good to get some much needed space back in our house.  i don't have a lot of decorations so it went pretty quick.  we even put the boxes away so that they don't sit on the garage floor for 6 months.

a few years ago i struggled with what to do with all of the christmas cards we get throughout the season.  now that everyone is sending photo cards i just couldn't throw them away.  so here's what i came up with.

here's how we display our cards as we get them.

Photo from 2009

i tape them directly to the wall.  i love having them on display like this.  after christmas i carefully take them down and remove the tape.  i pick one card where i like the graphic or the colors, a traditional card not a photo card.  that card becomes the cover of the book.  

this is the one i picked this year:

i loved the colors, and the cute little birds.  i take some chipboard, usually packaging from something i ordered and cut it to size.

i measured it to 6x7.5 inches.  i use my exacto knife and ruler to cut.  then i use my cropadile to punch holes in the chipboard.  i glued the card to the chipboard and added the year with red glitter stickers.

i use the chipboard as a guide to punch all of the cards that i am keeping.   i am considering getting one of these to make it even easier next year. for this book i used basic office supply rings to keep them all together but you can use ribbon if you have that on hand.

unfortunately, i did not get a picture of the finished product.  it's already packed away, but here are some pictures from my other books.

sometimes i get fancy and paint the chipboard or stamp the date.  here i used ribbon to keep the books together.

i realized that i never bound my book for 2009, so i did that one this year too.

in december i pull these out and put them in a basket as part of my holiday decor.  we all enjoy looking through them.  eventually i will throw some of them away.  but for now it is an easy way to keep them together.

what about you?  do you keep or throw away your cards?  

five on friday:: inspiration

this past week i have felt so inspired.  maybe it's because i have my sensors in full awareness mode. it's definitely a fun space to be in.  here are five of things that are inspiring me.

1.

francesca ramos

i plan on getting this printed and hanging it over my work area.  you can too here.

2. the king's speech

b and i watched this the other night.  a simple movie about relationships, courage, unconventional methods.  i loved it.  mostly because it was a simple story but with so much heart.  

3.  this speech:
Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability | Video on TED.com

"vulnerability is the birthplace of joy, creativity, of belonging, of love."

i've seen some of her other talks.  she's funny and thoughtful.  you can also check out her blog here.

4. this piece of art by kelly rae roberts:

here's the story.  i was thinking, as i always do, about journey and decisions and taking risks.  i was reading kelly's blog and wondering about taking steps towards something, not knowing what that something is.  and then i went back to the "real world" on an everday errand to trader joe's.  i was at the cash register and looked up and saw a greeting card with this art on it.  i instantly recognized her work and had to have it.  it was timing and a sign that i was moving in the right direction.  even if the destination is unknown, i am listening to my intuition and moving forward. it's sitting next to my bed as a reminder.

5.  this video:

love what he does for a living.  my favorite part is when he says that he spends 4-5 hours a day walking around new york or paris or milan with his eyes open, reacting and relating to the world and capturing images of it.  dream job!

some interesting things to think about over the weekend.

next week i plan on posting about cooking, some of my favorite photos from the holiday season and my completed december daily album.  thanks for reading along this week.  leave a comment and let me know which post was your favorite or what you would like to see more of.  it will help me work out the structure for this blog.

have a good weekend.

one little word

focus
FOCUS
F-O-C-U-S

i have been saying this to myself a lot lately, and i will be all year long.  i feel like this is a year of transition for my family.  not that anything is going on.  it's just a feeling i have.

i've been thinking about my dreams and the direction that i want my life to go in.
is this the year i go back to work?
in september all three kids will be in school during the day.  what will i do to fill my day?
can i turn my passion into a career?
do i even know what my passion is?
and in the back of my mind, i wonder if this is the year that someone's career really takes off, that we move, that we win the lottery.
what would this mean for us?

all of these things float around in my head, and keep me up at night.  i wonder and worry and try to figure out what direction to go in.  this is one of the reasons i chose the word focus.  thinking about one thing at a time.  starting or finishing a project. not losing track of what i want.

i am taking this class at big picture classes.  need i confess my love for ali again?  she is teaching this year long course that focuses, for lack of a better term, on making your word more visible throughout the year.  just what i need.

our assignment for january, after choosing our word, was this page.  define, quote, and invite this word into our life.

supplies: pink paislee house of three page protector, bella blvd, pink paislee and cosmo cricket patterned paper, pink paislee ticket, k&company felt butterfly, maya road mist, american crafts precision pen, ali edwards journaling squares.

i look forward to

• being reminded throughout the year that i chose to focus more.  
• creating some beautiful layouts and documenting this journey.
• seeing how my word evolves throughout the year.
• what i will discover.

if anyone is interested in taking the class it will be open all year long.  check it out.  maybe you will discover something too.

little black camera

this is as important to me as my little black dress.  having a camera that i can have with me at anytime.

for christmas i asked for, and got, a new point and shoot camera.

i didn't give up my "real" camera.  i am saving my pennies for this one.  and, thanks to my christmas job, i have saved up almost enough to get it.   but i love having a small camera that i can carry in my purse, or take on fieldtrips, or hand over to someone else to snap a family photo without having to explain about fixed lenses and aperture.  it is so convenient to have a camera that i turn on and just shoot. and i had one of those.

the thing is. . .technology is changing at such a rapid rate. cameras now have more megapixels with each generation of model. this one has 14.1 compared to my SD800 that only has 7.1.  it really doesn't make a difference unless you are blowing pictures up.  but i do some editing and cropping and that's when i can see how more megapixels would be helpful.

what i love

• it is so tiny.  smaller than my iphone.  
• i can easily put it in my pocket. 
• the screen on the back is almost 3 inches.  that's bigger than my rebel.
• it can take fisheye pictures.  i just love the look of these.

• it is great at taking low light photos.  my other camera was useless in low light. (this was one of the reasons i wanted this camera)
• it has image stabilizer, to get a clearer picture even if your hands a little shakey.
• i just love canon.  it has been an easy to transition to this new camera.  
• that sofia can take the camera and get shots like these while we wait at the orthodontist's office.

if this were my only camera, it would be perfect.  it is part of my collection of cameras that i have and i love.  i shared this quote with someone this morning, and it fits today.

“The best camera is the One That’s with You. Images aren’t about dynamic ranges and megapixels. They’re about stories and moments.”

~ Chase Jarvis

so whatever camera you have make sure you are capturing those moments and telling your story.  happy wednesday

this boy

who turned my world upside down.
who made me believe in prayer and faith and resolve - as i lay in bed for 16 weeks praying with all of my being that i could make it to the end with a healthy baby.
who taught me to put it all in god's hands.
who i remember holding in my arms like it was yesterday.
who showed me that life is sweet and grand and amazing.
who makes me proud.

who taught me to appreciate literature and the fun of reading.
with an imagination beyond his years.
who wonders about the world and human  behavior.
with more compassion than most adults i know.
who has friendships that will last a lifetime.

who resists change. . . and then accepts it.
who challenges me in thought and emotion.
who surprises me with what he can do.
who will take on any challenge - with a little bit of encouragement.

who puts more pressure on himself than anyone else could.
who takes life seriously but with an amazing sense of humor.
who has confidence, self awareness and pride - i could use some of that.
who is almost as tall as i am.
who protects and loves his family.

who worries that someday he will "act like a teenager" and hurt me.
who sets his mind to something and makes it happen.
who can turn lego pieces or a piece of paper into anything he wants.
who will change the world in some way, big or small.
who reminds me that anything is possible if you love and believe.

this boy turned 12 on january 1st.  and as is our tradition we stayed up until midnight to ring in the new year and to sing him "happy birthday".  i love you with all my heart, sweet boy.

goals for 2011

happy new year!

2010 was a wonderful year for us.  lots to be thankful for and so many memories that filled our year.  i love that so much of it was documented on this blog.  i love that i got to share it with my family. and i am really looking forward to this new year.

with that i do have some goals that i am hoping to achieve this year.  first off i wanted to share my word for 2011.  i have chosen a word for the last few years and it has been helpful in getting me to tackle some of the areas in my life that i feel need to change. my words have been RESOLVE, GRATITUDE and last year my word was TIME.  i wanted to work on taking better care of my time, not giving away my time, being to places on time, not wasting time.  i say it worked pretty well.  i was very conscious all year about making the best use of my time and being realistic about how much time i have.  there are still things that i need to work on, like making more time for certain chores around the house and getting to bed earlier.  but overall it was a success.

this year my word is FOCUS

 i have to say that this word chose me.  i was thinking about it for a while and as i became open to possibilities this word kept popping up.  and it is such a perfect time for this.  i have been feeling scattered and all over the place lately.  i worry about what could happen, i have a hard time getting things completed.  and i think my problem is focus.  i have a hard time working on, thinking about, and dealing with the task at hand.  i am thinking about what's next.  i am washing the dishing and get distracted by the "ding" from my email.  i have so many areas in my life where i just need to simplify and focus on what i really want/need.  it just seems to suit my life right now.  so focus i will.

and i really want to start here.  my blog is such a great place for me.  but i feel like i am missing something. i love sharing stories about my family but i feel like there is more i want to share.  i know i started my food blog a while ago but my heart just wasn't into keeping it up.

so my thought is to expand this blog and incorporate other things that make me, me.  i have a weekly schedule that i will start out with and adjust as i go along.  see what works and the response i get.  i will include posts on food, crafting, family and home, photography and a little section i will call "in focus".  things that i want to share that may not fall into any particular category.  i also intend on sharing the post more widely.  on facebook and twitter.

i am super excited about taking this on.  i plan on treating this blog like a job for a while.  who knows maybe it could turn into one.  if nothing else, and my real purpose for doing this, is to discover what i want to focus my life on.  sofia will start kindergarten in the fall and i want to move in a direction that i can spend time doing while they are in school.  i am hoping that writing posts about the things that i love will help me focus in on out what that is.

looking forward to it.  and thanks for reading along.