photo book

There are so many companies out there who make photo books. For me, I don't just want a book with my pictures on it. I want a book where the colors are vibrant, the paper feels nice and thick and the presentation is above par. 

 

I figured I didn't have to look any further than Apple. They deliver quality work every time I have purchased one of their products.

I knew they couldn't mess up my pictures, and they really did a great job. Above and beyond in fact!
This is the book I made for Ben this Christmas.

This would also make a great Valentines Day gift. Pricing is about $1 a page and you don't even have to scrapbook ANYTHING!

Do you have a photo book company you love?

low expectations = high excitement

Christmas presents are quite simple around our home. I don't make a big fuss about "what do you want Santa to bring you this year?" That way there are no let-downs. 

Usually I find used or almost new toys and so far they have been a BIG hit. I keep it to about 3 or 4 presents per kid. 

By the time you throw in presents from both sets of Grandparents, cousins, friends, extended family, etc; there are a lot of presents under the tree.

This year I went ALL OUT and they each had at least one BRAND NEW present.

 I think my personal favorites are the hand-made gifts. Sterling is quite enamored with the Pixar film Wall-E. 

Great movie......

but it didn't do so well in the toy department. 

So rather than give up on giving him a Wall-E toy, I decided to make my own. Say hello to Eva, she is now a family favorite!

 And Christmas wouldn't be complete without some quick work for Puj. I will have to tell you about this sewing machine sometime....I LOVE IT! It is the very machine my mother bought herself in college. Hooray for all machined metal parts!

Thanks Mom!

What is your Christmas morning tradition?

exotic fruit update

Though I had some naysayers (ahem....brittany!) the exotic fruit in the Christmas Stockings was a HIT! It certainly did not hurt that Santa decided last minute to also throw in some gourmet root beer.

 They loved picking out the pomegranate seeds. Notice there are some homemade cinnamon rolls : see! we sill had treats.

(please excuse the Captain Hook arm)

What does Santa leave in your stocking?

christmas stocking + exotic fruit

Candy has become sort of a problem in our house. I never buy it, and yet somehow my two year old is always finding some. He could eat candy all day if I would let him. Don't get me wrong, I love a great treat, but I want to keep it just that. A treat! And if he gets it on a regular basis then it's no longer a treat.

 

And so, I have a new tradition I want to introduce. Or rather, a new tradition I want Santa to introduce. Instead of a stocking full of candy canes and chocolate, I want Santa to fill the stockings with exotic fruits. Goodies like kumquats, goose berries, star fruit and crab apples.

Just think! We'll have fun exploring foods we've never had before. And they will be a true treat without all the refined sugars.

But don't worry, Santa is not a total Scrooge. I have little pack of trail mix with plenty of chocolate in it.

What does Santa put in your stocking?

wingbat

 

Recently the boys completed their reading charts and so we thought it was time for a reward that was bigger than a Trader Joes Organic Sucker. 

They each got to choose a Beta Fish.

 These fish needed a new home, but I was not about to buy three fish bowls at $20 a piece and then fill the bottom with a bag of $6 marbles.

 

Mason jars are pretty.

And as much as I love "What About Bob" the jars just felt temporary.

So what do you do? You head to your local thrift store and find 3 fun glass jars for $1.99 and then let the kids fill the bottom with their own toys, money, rubber-bands, etc. The kids are so proud of the finished product and they each named their own fish.

Hooray for creative rewards!

How do you reward your kids?

iPad gift idea

Need an easy handmade gift idea? Well if your recipient has an iPad you could make a little cozy for it. I made ours from some dear-skin leather (super soft). It was really quite simple

 I just cut the leather and fabric lining .25 inches wider on all four sides. Flapped over the top and sewed all round it.

 

I chose a navy & white stripe that I found at IKEA as my liner.

  

And because the fabric had a fun little hole I thought I would turn it into a little design detail and let the fabric stripes show through the hole.

Now my iPad can ride along in my bag scratch free.

You could also do this very easily with some felt that you double up for thickness.

Now I just need an easel to prop it up while we watch our Pixar shorts. For now these two rolls of tape are working quite well.

jump

I like to jump.

There is something about the weightlessness and the freedom that causes me to propel myself into the air and hope for a good landing.

Growing up I was a gymnast and a diver who was always bouncing off of something.

In college it was snowboarding, wake-boarding, and rock climbing.

Now I am a mom and I am mostly just looking to giggle like a little girl.

Below are some pictures of our jumpy weekend on the Oregon coast with good friends...enjoy!

I hope in some way that these pictures have inspired you to be weightless and free. But most of all I hope you go do something that makes you giggle.

"get candy get candy"

(Superheros eat 10 grain cereal for breakfast!)

 Mr. T was needing a Halloween costume this year. So, being the smart buyer that I am, I went to Goodwill and got a fun green super hero costume for $3.99. What superhero you might ask? Well, I am not exactly sure, but I think it was a Power Ranger costume. I just picked one that was colorful, cheap, and had potential.

Now, all I had to do was make a fun Super Headpiece and we were in business.

(He added the black mask to the costume all on his own. It was a great way to add mystery to the costume)

So, using some materials I already had on hand we whipped up a fun Superhero hat. I got my inspiration from here (thanks Kelli). 

He loved the Superhero costume and has been making superhero sound-effects ever since.

Hooray for cheap and fun costumes!