Lorri

Full Stop

August 13, 2014
Lorri
3 Comments
All About Me

I totally fell off the face of the earth. What happened to me? I got bronchitis. Seriously.

It’s true. Ain’t NOBODY got time for that. My life ground to a complete and full stop. I would drive Pumpkin Girl to her summer dance class and that would do me in. I spent a good 4 weeks lying on my bed, watching movies on YouTube or Netflix. At the end of the day I would be completely exhausted.

And then, just when I was feeling better, I caught a cold which tried to kill me. I hauled my sad self back to urgent care, where I discovered that I still had bronchitis and also a sinus infection.

In the end, I was sick for 42 days in a row. I’m not a good patient and I was feeling very sorry for myself. It wasn’t pretty. And did I mention that both Phil and Boo were gone for a good portion of this time, and Pumpkin Girl was at class all day? Just me, my phlegm and my little boys. Worst. Summer. Ever.

But I’m back now, my energy levels have almost returned and I’m not even taking OTC meds anymore.

Pinterest Win: Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwiches

I found this idea on Pinterest last June, just in time to try it for July 4th. It is so simple that you can just look at the picture and figure out what to do. An easy project with high impact – it’s just full of Pinterest Win. Just roll ice cream sandwiches in red, white and blue sprinkes, wrap them back in their original wrappers and freeze.

The only thing to watch out for is the ice cream melting faster than you can work. I would just unwrap each sandwich as you need it, rather than doing them all ahead of time. I would also recommend making these ahead of time and letting them refreeze.

Wouldn’t these be fun to make with different kinds of sprinkles to match the occasion?

My inspiration for these is from this post at A Thrifty Mom: July 4th Dessert Ideas

Red Robot for Pipsqueak

After a much needed blogging break, I am back and excited to share all the projects I’ve been accomplishing. Every so often I need to rejuvenate by doing a little crafting. And don’t worry, I will have both the May and June Christmas planning pages before June is over.

When your 3 year old asks you to make him a red robot (a red one, not a bluuuuue one), well, what can you do but comply? I mean, look at this cutie. He’s got me totally wrapped around his finger.

I actually found a pattern to make a toy robot on Etsy. The pattern is for a bluuue robot, but I’m pretty smart and bought red felt for the body instead.

He wasn’t hard to make, just time consuming with about a million pieces to trace, cut, sew and embroider. The instructions called for an overhand stitch to sew the pieces together, but that never turns out well for me. I learned to embroider from my aunt and my grandma one summer, and they taught me the importance of using small, neat stitches. So I used the blanket stitch where ever I could.

Red Robot took about 2 weeks to put together, which seems kind of long. I spent 30 to 90 minutes working at a time and I didn’t work on him every day. So it really wasn’t that bad.

I’m pretty happy with the way he turned out, but even more importantly, Pipsqueak loves him!

You can find the pattern here: Retro Robot

All Is Calm: April

Yes, I know it’s May. Good grief already! Life is just getting in the way over here. I guess that’s why I like to have a plan in place so that I can get back on track. So let’s just pretend that this post was written two weeks ago, OK? And let’s also just assume that May’s pages will be on time. Onward…

This month I have 4 new pages for you.

The Craft Supply List goes with the Crafts Planner from February (links to previous pages will be at the end of the post). In February, we listed all the Christmas crafts we hope to make. If you haven’t already, get the patterns and instructions for those crafts and print them out or make copies. Stick them in sheet protectors or a poly folder made for binders so that they are all in your Christmas Planning Binder for you to find easily. But first, list all the supplies you will need on the Craft Supply List. This is now your master shopping list. Watch those Sunday ads and if you have a smart phone, get the app for your favorite craft store. They usually have a coupon and you just have to show the cashier your phone with coupon and there’s a code they will enter. Nice! I’ve provided space for you to write the store name and the quantity of the item, if you need it. Once again, every 5th line is red which is to help you group list items together. If that’s not helpful, just ignore it. So once your Craft Supply List is complete, you are ready to shop! But make sure you have one designated spot for your supplies so that you can find them again! Maybe use one of the note pages I’ve made for my All Is Calm series and write down where you’ve stashed that stash.

Next up is the Family Fun page. This one goes with a page back in January where we listed the things that make our ultimate Christmas. Write down the family activity, where it is, the cost and any relevant notes. Maybe you like to see the Nutcracker on a certain weekend, or have a cookie exchange with your daughter’s friends, or go caroling with your church. Whatever it is, write it down! You can search for family Christmas activities or Christmas bucket list to get some ideas of what other people do. Don’t forget to look at the list you made back in January and include those ideas, too.

The Projects for Kids page is for you to list the kid-specific plans you have. I’ve made space for the project name, the source (book, magazine, website) and supplies needed. You should add the supplies to the appropriate shopping list, like the Craft Supply List from this month or the master Shopping List from last month. I’m hoping that this list will keep me from letting some things fall through the cracks this year. I always have so many great plans…in my head! Maybe this is the year those plans become reality.

The Holiday Pantry Inventory is the same Pantry Inventory that you can purchase in my Etsy store, but prettied up for Christmas. Some baking and cooking staples have a long shelf life, so you can buy them on sale ahead of time. The trick is to remember what you already have. Just write down the name of the item and circle the amount that you have. And here’s another tip, non perishables can be stored somewhere other than a kitchen. Grab a container and find space anywhere you can. Just make a note right on the inventory sheet so you can find it all again. If you have food in bags, like brown sugar or chocolate chips, just make sure you store them in a sturdy plastic box with a lid and keep it off the floor. You wouldn’t want any critters to get to them.

All of this month’s pages are available to download here: Christmas Planner April

The previous month’s pages are here:

January, Part 1
January, Part 2
February
March

He’s An Eagle

It’s a pretty amazing thing when your child sets his sights on a goal and achieves it. Words really cannot express how proud I am of Boo for deciding to be an Eagle Scout and for reaching his goal. He was 15 years old, 1 month and 20 days old when he did it.

The presentation table was set up with his scarf, medal, pins, flowers and a candle display. Each candle has a BSA rank badge beneath it and they were lit during the ceremony by a scout of the same rank.

Outside the room was his scouting display table. Starting at the left were his Pinewood Derby cars and trophy, and his red Cub Scout vest. When we received his Arrow of Light at the end of Cub Scouts, his den from back in DC where he started, sent him the same arrow given to all his former den-mates. When he crossed over to Boy Scouts, an Eagle Scout shot an arrow at a target as each boy’s name was announced. Boo’s arrow hit the bull’s eye. Both those arrows were part of the display.

Next was the guest book and a basket to hold any cards that came. Then was his Eagle display. (I made the decoration in the background from an idea on Pinterest.) We had a flag flown at the US Capitol and it’s there in a frame. Another Pinterest idea was for a shadow box with each of his rank cards and badges, with a space waiting at the end. His Eagle certificate is just out of the picture, as is his Order of the Arrow sash. The framed certificate is his registration into the National Eagle Society. We put all his official congratulation letters into a binder for people to flip through. We call it his Book of Kudos.

Here’s what the whole thing looked like.Here’s my Eagle Scout with his cake. I think they both turned out nicely.

I managed to hold it together, just like I did for Nutcracker. I had to keep dabbing at my eyes the whole time, though. Look at him – He’s an Eagle.

(You can check out my Eagle COH Pinterest Board to see where I got some of my inspiration here: Eagle Court of Honor.)

Loss and Recovery

April 15, 2014
Lorri
All About Me

Seven years later and I think I can talk about this.

One of my very first blog posts was about my favorite bookmark. I’d had it since I was a little girl. It was always in my favorite book of the moment. It had aged over time and gotten wrinkled. At some point I had gotten an ink mark on it and I tried to cover it with some White-Out. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the paper wasn’t actually white, so my repair probably made it worse. I covered it with Contact Paper to protect it from further assaults.

My bookmark had no real value, other than I loved it. I actually I have a whole collection of bookmarks from my childhood…somewhere around here. But this one was special. Over the years it would sort of float around, get lost and get found again. But I always found it.

When I was young and would check out 15 or so books from the library at a time, I learned to check each book quickly for bookmarks before returning them. I have done this faithfully my entire life. Without fail. Never.

And then it happened. My favorite bookmark was being used in a book I was reading to the children. A highly illustrated, glossy page edition of “Alice in Wonderland”, if I remember correctly. The children went to library with their dad and that particular book needed to be renewed.

It was not checked for bookmarks.

My bookmark did not return.

It seems silly, doesn’t it, to grieve over something like that. I could delve deeply into my mind and explain it all to you, but I won’t. I will sum it up, though. It has to do not only with the memories of a lifetime of wonderful books but with the way I take care of the people and things that I love. Or fail to take care of them, through no fault of my own.

Pumpkin Girl says I have a wonderfully tragic back-story. She’s right. Losing the bookmark symbolized so many other things, which is why it has taken me this long to talk about it.

My bookmark is gone. There, I’ve said it.

The one saving grace was that I had scanned it for this blog which meant that I still have the little illustration. I tried printing it off, but it came out fuzzy so I gave up and put it out of my mind.

A few years later I tried again but it was still fuzzy, even with my mad Photoshop skillz.

And now I’ve figured it out. I recreated it. It’s not the same, but it is close. I can put that particular loss behind me. And I can make Pumpkin Girl her own copy.

Getting Ready

April 11, 2014
Lorri
Family Life

We’re in the final days before Boo’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor and it’s taking up all my spare time. I’ll catch up with you all on the other side…

Faux Disney Day

April 1, 2014
Lorri
Adventures
Disneyland

Warning: This post contains some highly skilled iphone photography. Brace yourself.

I had to get up early last weekend and take Pumpkin Girl to dance at the mall. Usually, this is not that noteworthy, nor does it require any special effort on my part. However, that day was not just window shopping with her dancing along instead of walking. She was actually in a show, with costumes and makeup and music.

When we arrived, the mall was unlocked but not really open. All of the stores were closed and the only people around were those associated with the day’s festivities. I had Pipsqueak in tow because Boo was hiking up Pikes Peak, as he does, and Bip and Phil were having fun at Pinewood Derby.

The mall is actually a very cool place first thing in the morning, but really, there is no call for being up that early unless you’re going to Disneyland.

I thought maybe I could make the best of it and pretend that Pumpkin’s performance was the rope drop show and later we could ride the kiddie train around the mall to complete the effect.

And then this happened…
We spotted Mickey! Really and truly, there was Mickey Mouse (or a somewhat close facsimile). In this picture, he’s chatting it up with Tchaikovsky. I don’t know why, I didn’t ask.

So Pipsqueak and I watched Pumpkin’s show and I got this high quality picture.

Her dance is hip hop and she’s quite cute in it, though it amuses me muchly to see my graceful ballerina of a daughter hip-hopping. But when you’re in a dance company, you dance what you’re cast. And you work it.

Later, we tracked down Mickey for a little character meet and greet.

Then Pumpkin got ears.

I decided against the train ride because it would have set us back $12 and I was saving up for a Dole Whip, which we never did find. If only we could have found one, or at least a churro, our fake Disney day would have been complete.

When there is no planned Disney vacation in sight, you have to do what you can.

All is Calm: March

Whew! I’m a little late with this month’s pages because I was without my computer for about a week while we disassembled our entire office to make room for a new desk. Pictures for that, later!

I really can’t believe it is the end of March already. And yes, I do say that every month. First off, go back and add some notes to your Year in Review page for March. Did you go anywhere interesting during Spring Break? My boys started taekwondo in March, so I’ll make a note of it – and future ranks will be noted throughout the year. So when it comes time to write our annual newsletter, I can be sure to mention it.

Today I have 3 new pages for your Christmas Planner. These are prettied-up pages of what I’ve used for years to prepare for Christmas cooking and baking. The first page in the file is a notes page, which I always throw in, just in case you need it and so you don’t have to go looking for it in an earlier download.

Holiday Recipes Index

I love to make lists, obviously. This page is for you to write down the names of all the holiday recipes you’ll be using. There is a line under the title for you to write a category, like cookies, breads, candy, Christmas dinner – whatever will make it easier for you. Then write in the recipe name and the source. The source can be your recipe box, the name of a cookbook, a Pinterest board or other online recipe site. You can also do a page of recipes you want to try, and if they are a success, add them to your index.

Gather up all those family favorites and start writing them down on the Holiday Recipes index. And while you’re at it…

Holiday Grocery List

Add the ingredients for each recipe to the Holiday Grocery List. Sometimes Christmas goodies require ingredients that you don’t use any other time, so you need to make sure you write it down on this list. You don’t need to write down basic staples unless you use a lot of something. For example, I go through a lot of butter, powdered sugar and flour over the holidays. Keep a running total of how much of those kinds of things you need and add the total to the grocery list.

When you have finished, you will have a master shopping list that you can refer to year after year. I keep my master list in my binder and copy it to our weekly shopping list as we get closer to the holidays. Also, when these things start going on sale, you can plan your shopping accordingly to get all that sweetened condensed milk for the best price.

Holiday Meal Planner

This page is to help you plan out your big meals. We actually have a traditional Christmas Eve meal as well as a big Christmas Day dinner. Hmm, we have some Christmas breakfast traditions, too. Make sure that all your big meals have their recipes and ingredients included on the recipe index and grocery list. Then use the meal planner to make sure you’ve got everything covered. There is enough room to write the recipe name, along with the person making it. You can start filling this page out now, especially if you menu stays the same every year.

And since we’re thinking baking and cooking, now is a good time to assemble a Christmas Cookbook. You can copy or print out all your recipes and put them in their own little binder. Or you can put them in different section of your holiday binder. If you make a cookbook, you can use the recipe index as a table of contents.

This can be a time-consuming project, so that’s all I have for you this month. You can download the Holiday Meal Planning Pages here: Christmas Planner March

So tell me, how are you liking these pages? Do you think they will be helpful when we get closer to Christmas? Is there a particular planner page you’re hoping to see?

Stir Crazy

We have lived here for 4 1/2 years, which is an eternity in Army years. This is the longest we’ve ever lived anywhere. I’m getting a little stir crazy. It’s time to shake things up a little.

I never dreamed this would happen to me. When I was growing up, we moved 3 times. Once, we relocated to a new city. Then we bought a new house, moved into a rental for a few months while the new house closed, then moved into it. I was the only person I knew who moved. It wasn’t traumatic but it made me feel different. All I wanted to do when I grew up was to live in one house for the rest of my life.

So I married an Army guy. An Army guy who was supposed to finish his commitment, then go to law school and set me up in a lifestyle to which I was looking forward to becoming accustomed.

Yeah, so 4 years turned into 5 and if you’re going to do five, you might as well do 10. And if you’re going to do 10, you might as well stick it out til 20 and get retirement benefits. Which is exactly what we did, and moved 9 times. Nine times!!!! An average of 2 years per assignment.

And now it’s been 4 1/2 years in the same house and I need a change. I’ve been on Pinterest and somehow I’ve convinced my long suffering husband (sorry dear, payback for all those moves) that we need to rip the carpet up in the living room and replace it with hardwood. And rip up the carpet on the staircase. And if we’re going to do that, while we’ve got the banister down, we might as well replace the balusters with wrought iron. All 89 of them. And paint the laundry room, dining room and the whole interior, actually. New front doors would be super nice, since our front porch looks so grand.

Here are the inspiration photos for all my upcoming projects. And don’t worry, I’ll be sharing this whole journey right here on the blog!