Tending the Eclectic Kinder-Garden

Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

Hearts, flowers, candy, cards, romantic emails, delicious you-don’t-have-to-cook-or-clean-up-afterward meals… it’s all good in my mind. I’m missing making those valentine mailboxes this year as I’m not teaching. Empty shoe boxes, covered with bright paper, decorated to the hilt with doilies, stickers, glitter, lace, sparkles, and students’ names…Valentine’s is actually my favorite holiday to observe in school each year. My kindergartners so enjoy delivering special cards and treats to their classmates, and every child loves opening his or her “mailbox” to see all the illustrated, names-neatly-written expressions of friendship- if they are accompanied by a new pencil or lollipop, or even those little message hearts, all the better! Wearing my sparkly heart jewelry to work, no matter how gaudy, is a *must*, though my husband and kids prefer being seen with me in public in less over-the-top accessories.

Daughter will be delivering her goodies and cards to friends today, Toddler will enjoy his Valentine jelly beans, I’m sure (though the vacuum will certainly eat its fair share of them during naptime), and hopefully Husband will like the motorcycle book the kids picked out for him. I’ll finish off the chocolate covered strawberries and stop to smell the roses (thank you Honey) as I pack for my trip, and then try to figure out what we’re doing for dinner (did I mention the no cook/no clean preference?). But before that, here is my list of “loves:”

~Family, of course. Perhaps mine is non-traditional, but it’s our own permutation of affection, care, concern, and involvement, spread out over the miles. It grows, it changes, it evolves, and it endures.

~ Friends, because they are my chosen family. Each knows me in his or her own way, knows how far I’ve come, and is looking forward to finding out (or acting as partner-in-crime to) what new adventures await me. Yes, I even have friends who would help me hide the body if it ever came to that!

~ Vera Bradley placemats and tablecloths. Why? Yes, the colors and patterns are vibrant, wonderfully seasonal, and thankfully, machine washable. I love using them to set our family’s dining table daily, and for the first time in over a year, we’ve all eaten together, nightly. Deployments will do that to a military family. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that we can all sit and eat together.

~ Random acts of kindness.

~ Full-on hugs. No air kisses or ooh-don’t wrinkle-me requests here!

~ Discovering new music. I’m reading This is Your Brain on Music to find out why (it’s a GOOD READ!).

~ Being a “maker.” I enjoy crocheting, cooking, baking, decorating, and doing other crafts. While I’m happy to find treasures and purchase them, it makes me feel good to know that I can put my own tastes,wishes, and skills into making things for my family and friends for truly personal expression.

~ Treasure hunting in flea markets, vintage shops or antique stores. Isn’t it recycling? Adopting what was once used elsewhere, by some other person? Some of my treasures beg to be rescued and taken care of, like heirloom Russian icons, old china, and books. Why buy new when you can find something with personality, character, and experience? Items that have a story to guess, tell, or imagine have strong appeal to me.

~Candid photos of family and friends. Posed can be nice, but candid is so much more memory-inducing.

~Silly girlfriend chats, generating cry-your-eyes-out-hoarse-voice-oh-my-goodness-I’m-going-to-pee-my-pants euphoria.

~The freedom to express myself, which I don’t take for granted.

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Link Time!

* Seeking Everyday Beauty & Velvet Strawberries shares her beautiful heart collection

* Mamacita at Scheiss Weekly shares the story of Cupid and Psyche

* Terri Terri Quite Contrary tries to help Mars understand Venus for year-round harmony

* Bent Objects gives us a sweet moment that will probably keep me from eating any chocolates received today (no, no, it’s not bad- in fact, it’s….SWEET!)

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I’ll be out of the loop and away from the computer until next Monday or Tuesday. If I find the time and inspiration, I’ll post some more here today to tide you over, if not, I look forward to touching base with you again in a few days! Have a terrific weekend!

Tags: links, Show and Share

I’ve been doing “the mom thing” today. All day.

I’m going on a trip on Friday- a*four day* trip- back to Oz to see friends, their new babies, and do some treasure hunting. Yes, only four days. Get there on Friday afternoon, and leave around Monday, lunchtime. But to visit Oz, I am leaving my dear husband, my thirteen year old daughter, my toddler son, and my cat here in the Bordertown. For four days. Without moi. So the “mom thing” that I’ve been doing has included:

~anticipating any and all grocery needs/emergencies/cravings

~ shopping for said groceries

~making sure the laundry is done

~making sure Daughter puts all of her school and social activities on the calendar

~making sure Daddy knows to *check the calendar* in case he has to pick her up from school (and he WILL have to)

~ watering the plants

~ and any other housecleaning-type-jobs that I just won’t feel good about leaving undone before leaving.

So when do I pack? When do I figure out what toiletries to take, clothes, shoes, etc? Eh, the night before. Packing doesn’t stress me out- I’ve told friends I’m not a “panic packer.” If I forget something, I know how to stop at a store to correct the situation. No, what to wear, what to bring, how much room I’ll have to bring stuff home…these things don’t bother me.

Imagining the state of disarray the house will be in upon my return…THAT bothers me. While secretly grateful that my husband will have a smidgen of a taste of what I’ve done for years while he’s been TDY or deployed, I still know Daughter will end up taking up the slack. A lot of it. The toddler has entered a Destructo-Mode recently, requiring much more hands-on time, and exponentially more clean-up time, and the cat has begun to feel more comfortable expressing her displeasure with the boy whenever he chases her under the beds or couches. I fear the phone calls I’m going to receive. I’ve had nightmares for the last two nights in a row. I know, I’m over-reacting, but hey, it’s “the mom thing.”

More “mom thing” related documentation:

Daughter’s Valentine Treat Bags are almost done (just need cookies and the pecan/rolo/pretzel nummies added, then bows tied on), as are her cards:

Cookies? What cookies? Oh yeah, I need to make cookies! Red and pink sugar was added later:

While cleaning out the fridge, I found a lone pie dough roll…oh darn, I guess that means I’ll just *have* to make date and marmalade pastries:

For a pick-me-up, I enjoyed a snack, er, “taste test” of the cookies:

…and then right as I was wandering back toward Worrysville, darling husband appeared with these:

Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t worry about him, the kids, and the cat…

Maybe.

Tags: crafts, family, military life

These will be around a bit longer than the flowers my husband is bound to get for me and our daughter- and I can take the bouquet apart and use the flowers again in the months to come for new arrangements, decor, and crafts. For now, they cheerfully greet any and all who come through our door.

Start to finish:

Tags: crafts, February, home decor

Done! And not a moment too soon:

The 3-D hearts were a wonderful discovery yesterday at Target- did I save the packaging so I could give proper credit where it’s due? NO~ apologies! Target- Scrapbooking Section-Stickers/Embellishments-About 60+ in a pack. Hope that helps!

Tags: crafts

Red Velvet at CakeSpy

Love Songs suggested by YourHeartOut

Valentine Imagery at V&A Prints

Duda Daze illustrates a girl choosing a prince from her selection of frogs …

InspireCo produces a heart/ticker of a clock…

Rosebud Design Studio keeps the valentine humor pretty …

There is No Place Like Home’s vellum valentine banner is quick and easy to make…

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Show and Share Thursday’s Theme this week: Love (of course!)

Tags: links

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the candy heart/rolo/pretzel combo works out as well as the pecan/rolo/pretzel nummies always do…because we ran out of pecans!

They are *cute* though…

Actually, it’s spread all over my table for the time being!

My sister’s-in-law birthday is coming up, as is my father’s-in-law later in the month, so I’ve been making birthday cards this week. Darling daughter has decided against store-bought valentines this year for her friends (family still gets a visit from Hallmark however), hinting last night that “Uh Mom, now I have twenty-nine girls on my card list, do you have any ideas about cards for them?” Translation? “Mom, make some cards for me!”

They’re in process right now, still needing the text for the fronts, insides…and her signature of course! She’s asked that the pecan/Rolo/pretzel nummies accompany the traditional candy message hearts that she’ll give in goody bags this year, so I’ll be making multiple batches this weekend (any earlier, and they’d all be not so much “eaten” as INHALED by us!).

The cards were actually pretty simple, using what I already at home: decorative papers, plain cards from the clearance shelves at Joann’s (did I say “plain?” There are some glittered cards too!), stickers, photo corners, round and heart shaped brads.

The birthday cards are the regular size, while the valentines are the same cards merely cut in half (teen girls like “cute” sized cards, right?). Once I find just the right font and some valentiney phrases, I’ll print them out and add them.

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Now while I personally LOVE these (you’re learning that my sense of humor occasionally *twists* a bit, aren’t you?), I won’t include them on any of the valentines I’ve made this week:

“I love you like zombies love brains!”

“Roses are pink, your feet really stink!” (It’s a book I read to students each February)

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Here’s what I’ve flagged this week:

What is it with me and chairs?!?!? Decor8 found something that appeals to the secret gypsy within me…okay, lots of things!

Several friends have recently had (or are soon-expecting) babies! Hostess with the Mostess reviewed How Fast They Grow’s digital photo albums.

I’m on a brownie kick, and thankfully this recipe from Homespun Living does NOT include bacon!

Tags: cards, crafts, humor, links, Show and Share

Something’s coming over the mountains today:

I’m glad to have something idea-inspiring to read when the dust kicks up, wind starts howling, and tumbleweeds go whizzing past my windows:

Hearing so much about Somerset from the crafty bloggers I read each day made me take the fifteen-dollar-plunge at B&N this past weekend. Guess what? I’ll be subscribing.

Talking with my husband last night, I introduced the idea that once our new duty station comes through and we have floorplans for our future housing, I’d like to figure out a way to have my own craft/sewing workstation, perhaps sharing a study with him. Ideally, I’d love to have my own space, free of children, toys, seasonal clothes in storage tubs, and frankly, my husband’s stuff. Hunting gear, guns, military awards, and Harley logos are not what get my creative juices flowing…his support of testing gravity by letting all magazines, papers, catalogs, receipts, brochures, business cards, etc. live on the floor of his study is also a major obstacle to overcome before we could seriously share a space. I think I’m talking myself out of it here!

How do we share space in the rest of the house? I’m the boss, that’s how. You see, my husband’s job requires that we move regularly. MORE than regularly in fact. We’ve moved four times in the past five years, with another move coming up this summer. The kids and I don’t get a say in where we move to, what jobs or friends we have to leave behind, nor how long we’ll stay or how quickly we’ll have to leave again. So the public parts of the house are decorated the way I want them to be with my husband and kids having their own spaces reflecting their personalities and tastes. Yes, I make sure my husband has his man-cave, and the garage is always his. But because we have no say in the move-us-cross-country-or-even-OUT-of-country decisions, I lay down the law when it comes to home decor, storage, and household chores. We may not get to choose where we’re going to have to live, but I *will* have my family living in a clean, comfortable, soothing, and inviting home, dadgummit!

Once I get an idea of what kind of housing we’ll be in, I need to figure out a way to effectively create my own space, keep other family members (and the required military/social visitors) from encroaching upon it, and scheduling time for myself to spend in it, seeing creative ideas come to fruition. Until then, I’ll continue to explore, collect ideas and a few bits and bobs and inevitably, see what happens after this Bordertown’s windy season.

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Here are some blogs I’ve recently been enjoying:

Sally Jean: I love her charms- so sweet!

Cari Kraft’s What Should We Make Today: Creative banners appeal to the teacher AND mom in me…

And if you need a good laugh or a “saucy” story, get your fix over at Bloggedy-Blog-Blog.

Don’t forget our soldiers this Valentine’s Day (or ever!)- An Army Wife’s Life has posted links and ideas about cards and care packages for soldiers and veterans. Even if you miss Valentine’s Day, remember it’s never “too late” to show our soldiers how much you care- even plain ol’ Tuesday is a holiday when an unexpected care package with goodies and treats or a “thinking about you” card or letter is received.

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Please vote. Before you do, please think. Think about something deeper and more relevant than gender or race. Thanks.

Tags: Bordertown, family, links, military life, weather

I finished a week before February- and I have enough little hearts to make another wreath!

Here’s the pile of wreath fixin’s:

A wreath form, fabric, tulle, and the puffy hearts…

I wrapped pink fabric around the wreath form, then cut strips of tulle, tying them around the fabric. Poofy!

Time for the hot glue gun- thankfully (amazingly), I didn’t burn myself!

I added some pretty polka-dotted ribbon…

and voila! February’s wreath!

I have a lot of extra fabric, so we’ll see what other goodies I can think up!

Tags: crafts, February, home decor

Today I’m tying up loose ends: finishing up the latest baby afghan (pink!), finding a nice “rule” font for the plain notecards I decided to dress up with patterned paper and stickers (”embellish” is too-grand a term for what I do, Queen Scrapbooker/Mixed Media Artist I am *NOT*), packaging up giveaway books in preparation for mailing on Monday morning (check Kindergarten’s 3 R’s to see how to enter), and taking Daughter back to the dentist to re-repair a chipped tooth. All this while my husband prepares for his latest hunting trip (which any military spouse will tell you is like a mini-TDY, so the house will finally be CLEAN!) and I try to decide what Valentiney-type of craft to busy myself with this weekend.

This afghan brings my baby-stash up to eight:

These are the cards that despite my lack of embellishment know-how still look more appealing with the little work I DID do to them:

And here are the giveaway books, nestled in and ready to move to their new home where I’m sure they’ll be shared and enjoyed:

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Some sites to share with you:

Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy now has a site all about HER up and running now, and has some very cute crochet patterns (available for purchase and download) that I’ll have to take a closer look at now that I’m wanting to take a short break from afghans.

Songs for Teaching has a list of songs for Valentine activities for February. Some of the songs have sound file samples you can listen to- my favorites are “Valentine’s Song” by Hap Palmer and “Valentine, Valentine” by Denise Gagne. Head back to the home page and you’ll find recommended songs for academic subjects, holidays, etc.

Though I’ve never been a Room Mother myself, Parents.com has some wonderful Valentine Treat recipes that have me looking forward to the time when the toddler has his first kindergarten class party several years down the road- I can hear the oohs and ahhs already!
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Remember, if you have a craft, recipe, photo, or idea to share as a teacher, blogger, crafter, parent, or military spouse, feel free to email me at michaelek1(at)yahoo(dot)com by each Wednesday of the week so I can add them to Show and Share Thursday- yep, I’m happy to link back to you!

Tags: cards, giveaway, links, Show and Share