Remember Today 1.5.11

{remember} how difficult it is to get a good self portrait shot.

 

 Collage made with Shape Collage (try it, it's free, and very fun!)

Remember Today 1.4.11

{remember} ditching the to-do list to make this:

Scrumdidliumptious!

Here's the recipe I found on the Andes Candies display at the grocery store:

1. Bake a Devil's Food cake according to package directions in two round pans.
2. Use a potato peeler to shave chocolate slices from long side of Andes mint chocolate candies until you have about 1/2 cup.
3. Chop remaining candies to use in frosting including the little bits from step 2.
4. Beat 8 oz package of softened cream cheese until smooth.
5. Continue beating on low speed and add 16 oz. non dairy whipped topping (like Cool Whip).
6. Fold in chopped chocolates.
7. When cake is completely cooled, frost one layer with about half the frosting.
8. Place second layer on top and frost with remaining frosting.
9. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

Enjoy!

Remember Today 1.3.11

{remember} that it's easier to keep a clean house clean than to make a dirty house clean.  Wonder how long I'll be able to maintain the declutteredness?

Remember Today 1.2.11

{remember} how good it felt to be a white tornado and get this house in order before the boys all return to school tomorrow. 

My stUdio went from this:

to this:

Tomorrow it will be time to destroy it again!

Remember Today 1.1.11

{remember} that happy feeling when you wake up and know it's the first day of a brand new year, full of possibility and potential, full of the desire to make it the best year yet!

Hello 2011! {and hello to you, long lost little blog}

Somewhere along the way, this little blog got pushed to the way-side,
shoved into a dusty corner and forgotten
to other more seemingly important tasks.
And I miss it.
I miss taking a moment to reflect on the beauty of the day;
to jot down something that I learned,
or a reminder of how each day is a gift,
or a snippet of a moment that would have otherwise been forgotten.

I miss looking back over the photographs of the everyday bits and pieces from our lives,
photographs of people who will look completely different in a year or two,
pieces of our lives that will never be quite like this again.

So this year, this brandy new, fresh and open year
I am making a promise to myself and to this blog
to dust off the {remember today's} and get back to posting here.
I promise.

January's word: Catch-Up

Last year I took on a word for the year.  I though about it, reflected on it, pondered it, strived for it, and held it close all year.  It worked out ok, but partway through the year I felt a bit locked in.  I wanted to work on other words, I wanted to focus on other areas, I wanted more.

This year, I have decided to take on a word of the month.  For the month, I will focus on this word, I will carry it into my daily living, I will sleep with it by my side at night, I will work with it and mold it into my being.

I'm easing my way into the year with an easy, not deep, no-nonsense, nothing glamorous or dramatic, word.  My word for January is





Maybe it's the feeling of coming off of the holiday rush of craziness, and that I feel like I can breathe a bit.  I feel a sort of energy around completing tasks that have been pushed aside.

Here's to January and catching-up!

Remember Today 12.30.10

{remember} how obsessed this guy is with how tall things are: is it taller than you, is it as tall as Daddy, is it 6000 feet, someday I'll be 6 foot 10 (sorry, honey, not with your genes).

Today he built a Lego tower taller than me (and ultimately taller than anyone we know), and was super proud of himself.

A {not so} Typical Summer Day

Perry is off for the next week, so we are soaking up family time like it's rays of sunshine.

freshly made apple cider donuts

a bowl full of fresh picked deliciousness

nature trail walk

I believe in serendipity

Sometimes it feels as though
all the planets align
in just the proper way
to allow our dreams
to take shape
and our hopes
to take flight.

Sometimes all it takes
is a touch of serendipity
to bring the right people
together
at the right time.

And it's all happening.
Right here.
Right now.

I can hardly wait.

My favorite song of the moment

and this video is even more amazing

the way i feel today

do you ever feel
so filled up
by the feeling of
possibility
that your heart feels
like it will burst open? 
and when it does
it will spill out all
your hopes and dreams
right onto the floor,
but before they hit the floor,
your dreams will sprout beautiful
butterfly wings and fly
into the sunset filled sky,
and as night falls
and the sky darkens
to reveal the stars,
your hopes and dreams,
the possibility
of your potential,
will dangle from delicate strings
strung on the glistening stars.

Do you ever feel this way?

This is how I am feeling today.

It. Feels. Wonderful.

I need...

• more hours in my day
• some chiffon or rayon fabric to make these:

• 
  
  to learn to draw
• black foam core board to make this:

• to design and sew an apron for myself
• this book

• 
  
  these tools

• 
  
  this lens

•  E6000 glue

What the . . . ??

I have a mini-album idea I want to jot down here so I won't forget. Gotta use this blog for something! The album will be called wHat ThE. . .??? and it will contain all the wacked-out things my youngest does. Here's a taste of the content:

The one that started it all:

After Logan gave Maddox his old "i-pod", Maddox thought the best way to really make it feel like his own was to *customize* it. Yup. With lots of red and orange paint. Tell me again why I keep these paints within his reach?!

And then there's this one:

Just days after getting his haircut, Maddox thought it wasn't quite to his liking. So, {snip-snip} he added his own signature style. I'm not even sure his dad has even noticed it yet, or maybe he's learned to just keep his mouth quiet about such things!

And then tonight:

and:

We go into the bathroom to brush teeth, and I can't see the toothbrushes anywhere. Gee, wonder why Maddox has that smirky grin on his face. Ahh, clever boy decided we didn't need the old traditional toothbrush holder anymore.

I'm sure there will be plenty more content for my little album, and I'll add it here as it comes in!

today i...

1. made a fabric covered journal
2. made flowers out of dryer sheets
3. made a new art journal out of boxes from our recycle bin (think crackers, waffles, cereal, etc.)
4. made a mini journal from a kleenex box
5. made sculpey clay animals with the boys
6. nearly finished a layout with MLS product
7. started a layout that uses a bandana as its background
8. started an art journal page

all in all a very productive day.  just wanted to make a note of it.

i'm in production mode, and want to savor every bit of it.
i know it won't last.
not being pessimistic,
just realistic.
it's just how it goes...

oh, and i threw an UNO's deep dish pizza in the oven and called it dinner!

Time flies (and a touch of creative ADD)

photo credit: dictybloke @ flickr

Has it seriously been over a month since my last post here?  Shameful. Really.  It's not because I have nothing to say.  It's not because I've been too lazy (ok, maybe just a little), but I've been busy: crocheting, scrapbooking, cleaning and organizing, schlepping the kiddos around, testing (this one's top secret, sorry), and just doing the general living thing.  And time is not my friend lately.  It's too easy to get lost in a sea of blogs bouncing around from one to the next, or surfing for songs at Playlist (check out all the new tunes I've added to mine--lots of new-loved artists!), or researching html gobbledy-gook to make my blog look better, or adding some layouts to the CK gallery (that's how I spent the better part of tonight).  It's all too easy, and then I look up at the clock to find that it's nearly midnight, or it's already time to fetch Maddox from school.  Yes, time is not my friend lately.  There's simply too much to do and not enough time to do it all in.

And as if that wasn't enough, I can't seem to focus on any one project.  I want to do it all--mobiles, flowers, embroidery, sewing, scrapbooking, photo organizing, blogging, designing, cardmaking, crocheting, banners.  All of it.  And often I find myself flitting from one thing to the next and really accomplishing absolutely nothing at all.  Not to mention the utter disarray of my stUdio.  A fabric drawer partially dumped on the floor--an organizing session derailed.  A slew of projects and scraps strewn across my work surface.  A rug littered with pens, papers, thread, and itty bitty bits of paper.  Yup, I am an utter and complete mess.

Someday I'll get back on top of things.  Someday.  But for now, I'll just sit here at my computer, listening to my tunes, and dreaming about what I want to be when I grow up (that's a post for another day!). 

Here's a line from a Jason Mraz song that I really like: What a beautiful mess this is, It's like picking up trash in dresses.  And I'll just leave you with that.

100 Things I Love

Some blogging friends have created lists of 100 comforts. They have inspired me to do the same, so in honor of Valentine's Day, here are 100 things I love (in no particular order):

1. hugs from Perry just when I need them most
2. smiles on my kiddos faces
3. walks along the beach in Maine
4. the Marginal Way in Ogunquit
5. hot honey vanilla chamomile tea with two vanilla creamers
6. ice cold Newman's Own lemonade
7. climbing into bed after a long and exhausting day
8. the sound of the dishwasher running on a rainy day
9. a clean house
10. eating a dinner that I didn't have to cook
11. lots of time to create
12. reading a good book for long stretches at a time
13. sleeping late b/c Perry got up with the boys
14. the smell of rain in springtime
15. the smell of sunscreened kiddos in summer
16. the smell of fallen leaves in autumn
17. the smell of burning wood coming from a chimney in winter
18. Jelly Belly jelly beans
19. any candy, really
20. free time to spend however I want (usually creating)
21. overhearing the conversations my boys' have when they're being kind to one another
22. creative sparks of energy
23. time to play
24. Maddox's drawings
25. watching Camden play hockey
26. listening to Logan play his guitar
27. sunflowers
28. my boys' excitement over holidays and birthdays
29. love notes
30. my camera
31. a smile from a stranger
32. pilates
33. girlfriends
34. color
35. a brand new calendar
36. the smell of a new born baby
37. the sounds from a new born baby
38. yarn
39. long phone conversations about nothing
40. my sewing machine
41. rainbow order
42. a snowy day with no where to go
43. new crafting supplies
44. anything homemade
45. blogging and reading blogs
46. listening to good music
47. a fully stocked pantry with lots of meal options
48. feeling connected
49. remembering
50. that deep down happy feeling
51. photographs
52. my laptop
53. footy pajamas
54. slippers
55. pajama days
56. snuggly morning wake ups
57. pretty fabric
58. belly laughs from the boys
59. laughing until I cry
60. t-shirts and blue jeans
61. seeing Perry in a t-shirt and blue jeans
62. singing along with the car radio
63. making lists
64. lots of checkmarks on my list
65. organizing
66. hearing my cat purring in her sleep
67. filling the house with fresh air after a long New England winter
68. turquoise and lime
69. the view out my stUdio window
70. movies that make me cry
71. scrapbooking
72. crocheting
73. knitting
74. waking up happy
75. dinner out with Perry
76. Target
77. nice people
78. making all the green lights
79. monkeys
80. owls
81. watching the boys sleep
82. my stUdio
83. the warm sun on my face
84. museums
85. a visit to the city
86. airplane flying
87. being alone
88. getting a new magazine in the mail
89. feeling inspired to create
90. getting comments on my blogs
91. a long soak in a hot bath
92. anything lemon flavored
93. my ATG tape gun
94. pens with blue ink
95. chocolate in the house when I'm pms-ing
96. things of old
97. changing seasons
98. traditions
99. freshly painted nails
100. blankets

Well, there it is 100 things I love (could also be termed 100 things that make me happy). I'm thinking this should be done every year. I last wrote such a list about 6 years ago when my middle was just a baby. Of course, I can't find it now.

Check out my sister's list, and my friends' ones here and here. So what's on your list?

Snapshot Saturday 2.13.10

He:

• got his 4th perfect spelling test in a row
• has a penpal in CT
• "works out" in the basement flipping himself upside down on the exercise bar and running on the treadmill
• takes a llllooooooooooonnnggg time to do his homework
• plays songs by ear on his guitar
• still asks me to pick him up once in a while

He:

• ran 3 miles on the treadmill
• is getting sad that hockey is almost over
• scores a goal (or 2) in hockey nearly every week
• gives me a run for my money
• loves his Daddy dearly
• loves to "tustle" (basically wrestling his brothers to the floor)

He:

• draws amazing people and inspires me to draw more
• calls me boss (you bet, boss), and Miss Michelle (ok, Miss Michelle) when I ask him to do something
• has the naughtiest mouth: stupid, idiot, freaking
• kisses me lots & pats my back when he hugs me
• prefers to draw over playing video games (bless his heart!)
• crawls into the kitchen cupboard to draw and calls it his office, sending mail through the sponge holder

And just like that, a new purpose is born

During the first year of each of my boys' lives, I took a monthly photograph of them with their teddy bear in the rocking chair in their bedrooms. I paired these pictures with the goings-on in their little lives and the milestones from that month, and created scrapbook pages of their first years. I love the snapshot these pages gave into their lives, and can now remember many of the pieces of their babyhoods because of it.

The other day I got to thinking about how I have lost touch with this blog. {Remember Today} is hard to keep up with on a daily basis, and because of that, this blog seemed to lack a real purpose. And as I recently preached to my sister, (who just began her blogging journey here), your blog needs to have a purpose, otherwise, you just won't use it.

So here I am, ready to breathe new purpose into this old, dusty blog. I'm calling it *Snapshot Saturday*, and it's where I will document the goings-on and milestones in the boys' lives on a weekly basis. These days are so fleeting, I can't believe how fast they're already growing up. Every day older I get, time seems to pass even faster. And since I can't stop the hands of time from ticking away, at least I can capture the ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) in the days of our weeks.

two-ten-twenty-ten

Today is my birthday. I actually turned a year younger today. In the days leading up to my birthday I somehow got it in my head that I was turning 37. This morning Logan asked me how old I was today. "37," I replied without hesitation. Camden happily piped in with, "No, Mom, Dad's 37. You're 36 today. Here's a calculator; do the math!"(he knows his Mom so well with the calculator bit!) So today I turned a year younger. I think I may have unlocked the key to the fountain of youth!

Here're some highlights of the day:

• waking up at 7:38 am because the boys had been mouse-quiet all morning
• loads of happy birthday hugs and kisses from the kiddos (I love how my birthday is more exciting for them than me)
• receiving these precious cards and gifts from the boys (you know I will be saving those coupons for the most desperate of times!)
• finding the playroom totally cleaned up courtesy of the boys
• spending some time sitting on the couch in P's office crocheting while the snow fell outside
• lots of birthday greetings on Facebook
• phonecalls from family and friends
• a 2-hour phone call with my brother on some philosophies of life
• yummy calzone for dinner
• this birthday cake
• watching The Time Traveler's Wife with P (the book was so much better, of course, but watching the movie made me fall deeper in love with the book)

Yeah, it was a darn good day. Full of all the things that matter most: love of family and friends, a bit of creative time, and a clean playroom that I didn't have to scream my head off to get!!