Tending the Eclectic Kinder-Garden

The toddler has played in the water every day since his birthday last month, and has developed the uncanny ability to sense exactly when water/sprinkler toys are nearby. We were shopping at Target (hey, a RED logo!) this morning when all of a sudden, he started singing “Waaa-deerrrrrrrr, wa-deerrrrrrrr, waaaaaaaaaaaaa-der! Ober dare, Mommy, ober dare!”

So in to the shopping cart went the new spray-water-on-you-in-the-summer-sun-toy, where the very appreciative boy sat patiently as Dear Daughter and I looked for summer shirts and shorts on sale.

Water toys are good.

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Counting down to moving, I do mental inventories of what we have, how items have been used, and where collections have been displayed in preparation for relocating every single item into our new home. New floorplan, new closet space, new family areas, new hidey holes, nooks and crannies… I try to prepare for it all, especially when friends like these deserve just the right spot:

She’s my Bunnies by the Bay “Dorothy.”

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When my husband was preparing to return home from his deployment to Iraq, he promised to bring me something pretty and red. He delivered! This rug is the last thing my feet touch on the floor before bedtime, and the first thing they touch when I start my morning:

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Remember…

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Thank you Sara for hosting

I really enjoyed visiting the participants’ blogs each day~ AMAZING!

Tags: I Saw Red

It’s been almost a week’s worth of red at this blog~ I’ve enjoyed fiddling some more with my camera to try to photograph each crimson, blush, and sunny red that has caught my eye, and today I thought I’d try that little flower button setting on my Kodak Easyshare to capture RUBY…

The setting helped capture my new ruby cell phone (complete with QWERTY keyboard…texting will be soooo much easier now!) as well as the floral details on the mat beneath it:

and worked even more magic when I tried to photograph all of my ruby rings at once. Do you know how many blurry shots I’ve taken over the years? The flower button just might be my new favorite setting on the camera!

You might think I have a thing for rubies… I admit red is one of my favorite colors, but I didn’t have a lot of ruby jewelry until my husband came along. Every year I get a new ring or earrings, but as I don’t usually wear more than three rings each day, I have to make sure to rotate through my stash so none of them feel left out.

Awww, poor me.

*snicker snicker*

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Off to spend time with friends at a BBQ~ hope you are having a terrific day!

Tags: collections, I Saw Red

Do you remember the red glitter from yesterday?

I have been looking forward to learning how to make banners for several months now, inspired by lovelies I’ve found on other blogs. Dear Daughter’s transition from junior high to high school seemed like just the right opportunity to try a new-to-me-craft idea, so I collected the materials, using mostly her favorite color, purple. I thought red glitter would be a nice contrast!

I spelled out “high school girl” in plain chipboard letters, glued, and glittered them…

Measured my 12X12 paper, marking 3, 6, and 9 inches to draw lines for triangles…

Look at these pretty purple floral pennants!

I glued the floral triangles to solid purple cardstock and trimmed with pinking shears…

Punched out squares

and hearts…

Added the glittery letters

and then used hot glue to mount the pennants on purple ribbon…

The very best thing? She LOVES it!

Next time I’ll use smaller triangles, and larger letters, but for my first effort, I’m pretty pleased!

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We’ll see what red inspiration I’ll find for tomorrow, the last day of

Tags: crafts, I Saw Red

Happy Friday! Are you wearing red for our troops?

Today it seems sunlight red has been catching my eye. A vase…

Silk flowers on the dining room table at breakfast:

A bird sunning himself on our wall:

Thanks again to Sara at Sadie Olive for hosting this Inspired Photo Event!

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Dear Daughter is officially done with junior high now!

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Here’s a peek at some red I used on her “High School Girl” banner (I’ll post the project tomorrow):

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Hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend~ I’m off to bake cupcakes!

Tags: family, I Saw Red

Are you in shock? After missing two Show and Share Thursdays, here I am, rarin’ to go!

Continuing on with I Saw Red...

This is a photo of me and one of my favorite redheads, Shannon! Aren’t we oh-so-glam? We’re both holiday girls, that’s for sure, but today’s an extra special day for her~ that’s right, it’s her BIRTHDAY! It’s a “milestone” birthday too (she had a two year head start on me), which makes me even more pleased to “show and share” her with you!

Shannon is funny. Shannon is smart. Shannon is the hostess with the mostest. Shannon is Dear Daughter’s godmother. And Shannon is creative and crafty. She made me something red the last time I visited Alaska:

Dah-lings, it’s a beaded red stretch bracelet! Go ahead, ooh and aah…

…just don’t try taking it off of my wrist. It’s MINE.

Guess who has her own Etsy shop? SHANNON. It’s called AngelKissesAlaska! Some additional photos of some jewelry…. Holiday items… Another bracelet (this time, snowy white)… You can contact her via her Etsy link to ask about special orders~

Won’t you help me wish this special friend a very happy birthday? (No, I have no clue who Grey Worldwide might be or might do, but this is soooooo up Shannon’s alley!)

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Here’s a peek at the card I made for Shannon (details AFTER she receives her birthday box in the mail):

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*Have you ever played Hot Potato? Try eating one with jalapenos! Recipe from Cream Puffs in Venice.

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Tonight Dear Daughter graduates from the 8th grade. I’m off to finish my first ever banner (paper, not fabric), bake some cupcakes, and teach my husband new breathing techniques to lower his blood pressure. She’s attending “8th grade Prom” tonight. In a black dress. Without either of us chaperoning.

He’s not doing so well.

Tags: friends, I Saw Red, links, Show and Share

I see red every day in my computer/craft nook, in the form of Russian lacquer, Vera Bradley table decor, and this, my red mock-odile accordion file:

Inside are all sorts of stickers, decorative papers and other scrapbooking embellishments, sorted after G.G. sent the case to me for Christmas. Yes, I’m one of those odd birds who LIKES organizing things. A place for everything, and everything in its place.

(Could be!)

Hobby Lobby is where I’ve seen similar cases (in powder pink, and mini-accordion files, no less!) lately… now that I think of it, H.L. also sells mock-odile hat boxes too!

**If you like the place mats, they’re Vera Bradley Americana.**

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Not only was I inspired to post about my red case, but the card-making bug bit me as well! With Father’s Day right around the corner, it seems appropriate:

More tools and doo-dads (psst…I was also inspired to make a birthday card and goodies for Shannon too! Those will be in tomorrow’s post!)…

White cardstock, green speckled paper, and family photos for the front…

photo corners…

some of my favorite letter tiles…

a complimentary green checked patterned paper on the inside…

Ta da! (I folded the cardstock ALMOST in half, leaving enough overhang for a fold to which the “Father’s Day” tiles were glued.)

Dad’s card is taken care of…what to make for Dear Husband?

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*GoodyBlog has come through, yet again, with an awesome Father’s Day gift idea! Make Your Own Cool Music Video for Dad!

*If Dad loves to camp but this summer’s gas prices have put a kabosh on those plans, why not make him a S’Mores Pie? Thanks to Smitten Kitchen!

*The Pioneer Woman Cooks a rather manly sounding side dish, Crash Hot Potatoes…

*Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen delivers for the morning crew…If Dad is the coffee shop type, why not make some Orange Scones with Rhubarb and Cherries?

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Still reading, Shannon? I told you, NOT UNTIL TOMORROW!

Happy Almost Birthday, dear friend!

Tags: crafts, I Saw Red, links

Summer fun and summer sun make for apple red cheeks and a desire to make multiple passes through the playground equipment!

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It’s June 2 and I’ve got moving on the brain. Today’s to-do list includes paper shredding, family-document-binder-organizing, letter writing, and blogroll tending. Add to that the daily chores of laundry, vacuuming, with a lot of playing with the toddler thrown in for good measure, and I have a full schedule. This is Dear Daughter’s last week of school- her “transition ceremony” (apparently it’s not called “graduation” here) from junior high takes place later in the week, along with her first semi-formal school dance. Dear Husband is having some mild heart attacks over it all, while I’m looking forward to seeing her gussied up again. She used to be such a girlie girl, all dresses, hair bows and pretty tights, but time has certainly marched on, and functional fashion has replaced the frillies. Volleyball, tennis and track will do that I guess! She’ll be a high schooler. Our eldest graduates in 2009, daughter in 2012, and toddler in, what….2022? Yikes!

Getting back on track~ the packers come to start filling my house with big brown boxes on June 24. We drive back to Oz around June 27 or so. The fourth of July will be spent in our new home, though I’m not sure we’ll have our household goods by then~ seems I need to add “posting-blogs-in-the-queue-just-in-case-we-don’t-have-computer-access-for-a-bit” to my to-do list.

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*Check out the latest edition of Kids Craft Weekly and of course subscribe for a summer full of wonderful, developmentally appropriate early childhood/family activities.

*Photo Jojo has me thinking of fun ways to take group photos…after all, for military formals, family get-togethers, etc., we always pose, huddling in, trying to smile sincerely, trying NOT to blink. Time for FUN to be reintroduced to my photography!

*Before you sign your children up for every sports or camp activity known for their summer “break,” read Children Deprived of Time to Play Are Deprived of the Childhood they Need and Deserve. As usual, I’ll be spending time with my children running through the sprinkler, drawing pictures in the sand with a stick, going for walks (either early in the morning or after dinner due to the daytime heat), playing board games, and letting them play by themselves, on their own.

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Have you been Seeing Red? Do tell, and check out the links to other participants at Sadie Olive!

Tags: family, I Saw Red, links

On a slow yet not entirely slouchy Sunday, I took time to appreciate the red pillows on my couch and loveseat. Why? This year in the Bordertown, they’ve not only brightened the brown, but they’ve supported my arm while crocheting baby blanket after baby blanket, and provided a comfortable resting spot for my family’s heads for afternoon naps, story time, or movie night. Family together time, gifts to welcome new life, a shot of color in an otherwise mostly sand and cacti infused location… thank you, dear pillows:

I’ll be posting red photos all week, inspired by this lovely blog post…

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Another “read,” this time, BLOGS!

*Lisa helped me realize all of the work that goes into making a quilt- and made the process seem much less migraine-inducing than I’d imagined it… who knows, I might actually work up the gumption to start cutting my newly acquired fabric into strips!

*Mamacita at Scheiss Weekly had me laughing and nodding with her post addressing beauty, The Emperor is Naked.

*The Pioneer Woman Cooks the nummiest looking chicken salad…

*Doug shares the Love of Classroom Teaching by Margaret Edson.

*Check out ManBabies.com for some silly photos of dads and their kids, just in time for Father’s Day! Thanks to Goodyblog for the link!

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Happy June!

Tags: I Saw Red, links