Spring organizing GIVEAWAY!

We're nearing the end of winter (YEAH!), & I for one am ready to welcome spring with open arms! By spring I mean spring weather, because here in New England we've got about 6 more weeks of winter weather, but we signed up for this, right? :) I'm looking outside today and it's a delight to see that winter has finally rolled out a green(ish) carpet of grass to welcome spring.

What is it about going from winter to spring that makes me want to clean, toss, simplify, and organize? Spring really is about change and rebirth...who doesn't LOVE this about spring?! OK, the process of spring cleaning may not be "fun," but the result sure feels great ('til the next tot-made mess). Seriously though, let me tell you about some FUN organizing I've been up to that you can actually benefit from....did I mention there is a giveaway involved?

Recently I won this studio jk vinyl label giveaway on ilashgirls (co-run by Leigh Anne Wilkes, author of yourhomebasedmom). Check out the {studio jk vinyl} Etsy shop. Owner, Jamie Kay has lots of fun designs, both organizing labels & home decor, and she's wonderful to work with.

I was so excited when my kitchen labels arrived, and my simple little kitchen got a fun boost...& a little more organized too. Organization is a happy thing. I ditched a set of silver canisters we've had since moving to Boston. They ran their coarse...thank you, Costco, {& no, the canisters are NOT the giveaway}. I replaced the old canisters with new glass canisters from Target, and labeled 2 of them for the staples "flour" and "sugar", and a third label reads "cookies" for my long awaited cookie jar. Along with organization, cookie jars are a happy thing! Do you remember your grandma's cookie jar? When my grandma's cookie jar was filled with lemon whippersnappers, now THAT was a treat! Check out the recipe HERE on my SIL's food blog.

Back to the labels....I won 6 labels, so I put the other 3 labels in the pantry on a few air-tight containers holding staples we don't go through quite as fast. Here's a link to Alton Brown's pancake mix recipe.

Jamie's kitchen labels make a pantry look snazzy!

I was so pleased with my prize that I emailed Jamie and let her know I'd LOVE to "pay it forward" with this prize and offer this giveaway to my friends, family, & blog visitors. The retail value of the labels is $15. If you don't want or need kitchen labels, you can use the $15 credit for anything in Jamie's Etsy shop.

To participate in the giveaway, just leave one comment on this post. This giveaway ends Tuesday, March 3 at midnight & I'll announce the winner Wednesday morning, so be sure to check back, and/or leave your email in the comment (if you don't think I have it already).

PS. If you're in the market for kitchen canisters, check out Target, Wal-Mart, or take advantage of this sale at Container Store- 20% off everything ENDS MARCH 1, 11:59pm CST.

Good luck!

&

Happy Spring...anticipating, cleaning, blogging, whatever you're doing!

Mommy Notes & The Friend online

Wesley made it through the sacrament today!  Progress!  He loves the hymn book and shares his booming singing/hollering voice freely.  Dear Wesley did have an omelet for breakfast, and some oatmeal just before church, but when he saw the sacrament bread he let out a gasp of excitement and showed the same enthusiasm for the water....enough to make me blush and "Shhh!!!"  I love my babe.

In sharing time, Thomas recognized a story that was told about President Monson's life, not from the Friend magazine the teacher was reading from, but from the movie about Pres. Monson's life that they showed between General Conference sessions in October.  Sometimes they really ARE listening, and things really ARE sinking in.

When I thanked Thomas for being ready for church early today and noted how that made the morning more peaceful, he smiled, agreed, and said, "You're welcome."....a little positive reinforcement to encourage a pattern of behavior (Please!).

We are nearing the end of the Book of Mormon, and the kids want to read and read and read.  Granted tonight wasn't without the, "Hey, I was sitting there!" or "It's my turn to read!", but even with the minor interruptions, we had great conversation about Ether 3, 4, 5 (& part of 6).  Grace read chapter 5, which she prefaced by saying, "I feel like singing this chapter."  I didn't have a problem with that as long as it wasn't ridiculous, so we listened to Grace's song of Ether 5...unforgettable.  We marveled at the 344 day voyage across the ocean, and that the people were thankful throughout the journey.  I imagine it was stinky & I hope I would have been so humble, (even among the bees).

My MIL recently pointed out that the Friend magazine now has an online interactive page.  I put this link on my toolbar, so the kids can play there when they are ready for church.  Today is the first Sunday in I don't know how long that church prep at our house ran smoothly.  Christina got on The Friend's online site and put together a bunch of coloring pages, word searches, etc.  for Grace and Caroline to do after the sacrament.  Caroline and Thomas played on the website for a while  and  we were 15 minutes early to church.  We're on to something, I hope!  There's always tweaking and issues that come up, but I'm quick to note the miracle in a smooth sailing Sunday, esp. when Wayne was gone from just before 10am to 8pm.  Wayne had an exceptionally full Sunday, but we're proud of the way he serves & and is leading the YM.  XOxoxoxoxoxo! 

A Work in Progress & Proud of it!

The following took place on January 28, between 4 & 5pm.  Events occurred in real time.

Grace came up to me and showed me the following paper....

She said, "See mom, this shows that I'm not that smart."  She wasn't sad, just matter of fact.  

I was taken aback hearing her interpret this marked up assignment so negatively.  I said, "That's absolutely not true, Grace.  This doesn't mean that you're not smart, rather it shows me that you're learning with the rest of us.  You make mistakes like the rest of us.  You're a work in progress.  Do you know what you did wrong?"

"Yes," Grace said, and she corrected each problem.

"See, Grace, you are smart!"  From the look on her face I knew she knew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

....the best part is that later that evening I was in the kitchen making dinner and lo and behold there was Grace's less than perfect assignment hanging on our bulletin board for all to see.  There's no way I was that secure in my youth.  

Even as an adult it's taken time for me to be able to celebrate my work.  Years ago I made a cross-stitched design for Wayne's grandparents.  I had never cross-stitched before and didn't know to separate embroidery floss.  I cross-stitched the whole thing using 6 pieces of floss through a needle.  After it was framed I felt like something was off; the design was "thick," but I supposed that was just the look.  It wasn't until after I gave it to Wayne's grandparents, and it hung on their wall that I could see my small mistake.  It glared at me, but in reality the few missed stitches were insignificant.  I knew I put a lot of time and love into that project, but couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed about my oversight.  I even pointed it out to several people (including Wayne's grandma) who had paid me a compliment.  I said, "Thanks.  It's not perfect though, see?  I missed a few stitches here."  Wayne's grandma sincerely embraced the gift, noting it's beauty and my thoughtfulness, and didn't give my oversight a moment's notice.  Grandma B. has a special place in my heart because of moments like this when her simple reaction taught me a life lesson.  She was always good to me.

Then along comes my flesh & blood, Grace, who not only knows that pretty = divine nature, but also has enough self worth to grasp in a moment that she is in fact a work in progress, and that feels good.  Effort and progress are to be CELEBRATED!  I celebrate that my children are learning this long before I did.

Thank you, Grace.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a super yummy Valentine's breakfast....blueberry pancakes & fresh strawberries. We use Alton Brown's pancake mix recipe & keep it on hand for mornings such as this.

*A note on the serving plate...When we moved to Boston we had one babe in tow and it was easy for years & years to make the drive to Manhattan to visit my big brother.

We love NYC and have great memories of playing in Central Park, the Shake Shack, Chat 'n Chew, Empire State Bldg., Statue of Liberty, the temple, Central Park Zoo ($3 per kid!), the Met, Museum of Natural History, cabs, getting caught in the rain, Broadway, Grand Tacino, Manhattan Childrens Museum, Grays Papaya, Chinatown, Madison Ave., Patsy's Pizza, the outdoor market at Union Sq.....& that's just off the top of my head. Every trip we made included a stop at Fishs Eddy where we'd purchase a random plate or two (this morning's serving plate being one of them). The online store shows the lines they carry, but in the shops they have a wide variety of dishes from all over...country clubs, universities, towns, racquet clubs, etc. So if you have dinner at our house you'll note that no two plates are alike...lots are from Fishs Eddy, some were plates that once carried treats from friends, and others were made with love by our kids at the local pottery shop. At each meal it's nice to have a reminder of fond memories and acts of kindness. Family traditions can be this simple.

Cozy

Gracie: Mom, will you come cuddle me?

Mom: Sure.

We lay there snuggled under the ginormous flannel patchwork quilt I made for Wayne years ago. 

Mmmm... cozy.

Mom:  Do you feel pretty?

Gracie: (without hesitation) Yes.

Mom:  Why do you feel pretty?

Gracie:  Because God made me.  (pause)  But, sometimes life isn't so good. I get cuts and bruises and when I was born my heart didn't work.

Mom:  But God who made you is watching over you, healing you, and helping us take good care of you.

Gracie: I know.  (pause)  I'm going to miss you when I grow up and go away.

Mom:  You think you're going to get away from me?!  Not a chance!  I'm going to hide in your suitcase when you go off to college and I'm going to chase you wherever you go.  (Yes, I'll be a stalker mama)  No Gracie, you won't miss me because I'll always be near.  I love you.

Gracie:  I love you more.

Mom:  Impossible.

Mmmmmm......cozy.  

Creative Valentines

I wish I found these creative valentine ideas a few days ago BEFORE I picked up a box of pencils and store bought valentines from Wal-mart. Yes, they were 2.50, but next year I'm thinking outside the box.  I love all of these inexpensive, kid-can-do ideas....

MadLibs

bookmarks

photo cards

heart & lolipop paper flowers
oragami bookmarks
folding hearts

Happy valentines creating!