march dollar downloads

i am so fired up for march, i've decided to launch the new dollar downloads a day early. this time, introducing color! in honor of spring. i don't own a color printer (i know. it's a little shocking.), but these downloads were well worth a trip to the local print shop. (you can easily upload them to staples.com at home.) i hope you'll find them useful.

this edition features a march calendar as well as three designer note cards. my goal was to offer a swanky twist on st. patrick's day cards suitable for lovers, friends or co-workers. why let the kiddos have all the fun? i took on a new appreciation for random holidays when i worked in an office; doing paperwork, answering phones and entering data. we were always dying for an excuse to buy donuts or throw a party. the girls and i would host an office fiesta on every holiday, complete with crockpot meatballs (the men loved us), chips and salsa and bowls of m&m's. it gave us something to look forward to (and oftentimes, an errand to get us out into the sunshine). sometimes i'd sneak a surprise on the receptionist's desk.

the note cards come in a trio, you'll get all three designs for a dollar. they cut down easily (prepped with crop marks) to fit inside an A2 envelope. follow these links to purchase the pdf. file downloads. thank you!

march scratchpad calendar download (calendar only)
st. patrick's day designs download (3 assorted designer note cards)
both march downloads (calendar and note cards) for $2.00

p.s. please respect my copyright; these designs are for personal use only. you have no idea how long it took me to get that shamrock right, please respect the shamrock. happy march to you.

oatmeal white chocolate chip craisin cookies

i feel like a pioneer on the plains when i eat these. even though i am well aware that the pioneers did not cook with luxuries like cranberries or white chocolate. still, they are simply sweet. anything that calls for old-fashioned oats (and only brown sugar) seems wholesome to me. my little family loved them.

Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies
taken from the back of my ocean spray craisins package

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® (dried cherries work too!)
2/3 cup white chocolate chips (use quality brand, i like Guittard.)

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. (Watch them close, my cookies were done at only 8 minutes.) Cool on wire rack. Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

happy unbirthday little you

my little nugget of sunshine.

you have become so deeply apart of our family. i think of our married life before you arrived and wonder how we survived without discussing you and playing with you and thinking about you and loving you and worrying about you and wondering about you and jumping around with you and being in awe of you. life is better with you. knowing you makes my life full like the big bright moon. the moon (and a million other things) will forever remind me of you. whenever we're out late and you've dozed off in the car, you wake up as we snuggle you into the warm house and you'll usually note the moon and the stars, pointing upwards. you are happy to see them, as if you learned the constellations before you were born.

my love for you is enriched with gratitude. i loved you when you were born, with my entire heart and soul. you had some difficulty that first week and my heart ached with uncertainty and worry and a mother's newfound love. now, my eyes are more clearly opened to those who've lost their precious pieces of heaven all too early. as a mother, i have a shockingly new understanding of what real loss might feel like. i know to love you intensely each and every moment, in honor of the babes who are not in arms. the days don't go by without feeling ever so blessed for you (and by you). i try hard never to lose sight of the miracle it is to have you here; growing up healthy and strong and happy and smiling. i marvel at you and the fact that i get to be your mom.

lately you love afternoon dance parties, green beans, listening to me re-tell the three bears during lunchtime, doing push-ups with dad, reading scratch n' sniff books (smells. very. good.), piling up and jumping in loads of laundry, blowing in a whistle (your latest skill!), wearing your plastic fireman hat, scooping ingredients into a bowl and taking lengthy naps (knock on wood). sometimes you even have lullaby requests. of course you have your typical two year old moments. i've learned to be clever about timing outings and errands, as you are learning to be independent and want things your way. you insist on funny little things and i try to be patient. when the mood is right though, you remember your manners. i especially love it when you say please / thank you / sorry to inanimate objects like toys, books and furniture. it's quite endearing how your curiosity and imagination mix. suddenly your animals and toys are becoming your pals and pretend games are entertaining, for you and for me. you are my favorite little playmate. your vocabulary is growing every day and you surprise us with words we didn't know you knew! you have even tackled your alphabet sounds as in B is for Benji.

you are not too big, not too small.
you are juuuust right.
happy unbirthday to you.

recently

recently i colored water for dan's shooting activity.  (i thought four gallon jugs was enough. lo and behold his friends brought along a whole truck-bed full of colored water.) recently i love that dan has outdoorsy passions that he enjoys doing. recently i realized i have very little enjoyment when i'm outdoors in the wintertime. i see this as a major weakness that must be overcome. recently i've been admiring dan's beard growing back. even though i complain about his scratchy whiskers, i still love it.

 recently benji has almost outgrown his shoes. which is just in time, they are looking haggard. recently i've been wearing a warm turquoise-y sweater i snagged at a swap party. recently i fell in love with swap parties (thanks ashlynn!). it is the perfect motivation to rid your house of clutter and you end up scoring awesome new stuff. (carefully selected of course, as you don't want to replace the clutter you just rid yourself of.) recently i made oatmeal craisin white chocolate chip cookies for activity day; none of the nine year olds went after them. they all chose chocolate chip instead. it was cute watching one little gal check out which flavor cookie her bff chose before she made her decision. oh how we all do that sometimes. recently i've been documenting how my mini diaries are made, start to finish. (anyone interested in the process?) recently i have been deeply involved in re-introducing myself to adobe illustrator. a whole new happy world to explore. (thank you, alma for the encouragment.) am almost done designing march dollar downloads!

recently b hangs out in his crib reading (aloud to himself–cutest thing ever) in the morning. when he begs to take two or three books to bed at night, i always give in. recently i am wearing earrings. all the time. recently i've been snacking on plain almonds and banana chips. they sit on the counter in a cute container. recently i resisted the urge to splurge on cadbury mini eggs. recently i let benj color on plain envelopes. i like thinking that they are little artpieces for the mailman. recently i've been beefing up on new fonts. recently i ran in to get a free bang trim. this could be the best part about having bangs. yay. recently i've been wanting to see friday night lights. everyone is talking about it. recently we bought little moleskine notebooks to keep track of favorite scriptures we read and thoughts that come while we are studying (dan always has the best ideas). new notebooks always give me an excited push in the right direction.

introspection no. 02

it is often the case that my best work is done by the light of the moon.
my imagination is a night owl. how about yours? when does your creativity spark?

review / rosette cuff

krista opened up her shop, pretty eliza mae in december and it already looks like spring 'round her parts. she was sweet to send me her popular rosette cuff bracelet to review. i loved all the colors but couldn't decide and wanted her to surprise me.

the rosettes are a lovely, subtle and pretty accessory for spring. (the cuff is an easier way to wear them, especially if you can't seem to pull off trendy flowery headbands.) i am loving the dainty and yet unpolished look of these fabric buds around my wrist. my favorite thing about krista's cuffs is the fact that she uses pure aluminum for the bracelet, which allows the cuff to fit around anyone's wrist. (no worries about buckles or clasps, which is nice since most of my bracelets are a two-person task!) make it loose or tight, one size fits all. these would make any charming mother / daughter easter ensemble complete. yes, i'm totally into matchy matchy when it comes to easter outfits or at least accessories.

please excuse the photos. my main problem was photographing this cute cuff and playing the role of hand model. my hand looked so awkward, i had to hold onto something to make my hand look less lame in this photo shoot. am i taking myself too seriously?!

dan's two cents // whenever i receive a product, i usually ask dan's opinion on it. i think it might be fun to include his thoughts in some of my product reviews. when i showed him this rosette cuff he immediately suggested i wear it to the temple. (in the LDS church while attending our temples, we wear white.) i thought it was a perfect idea and am excited to have a new accessory for those special occasions! such a good gift idea for someone who is planning their first trip to the temple.

simple toddler activities

i am always on the lookout for good playtime ideas for my two year old boy. i thought i might share some of his favorite activities and perhaps you'll share your favorite ideas with me. like any mama, i try to limit television time to just a few favorites while i get my act together in the morning. i've found that he (and i) are supremely more happy if the tv is off for the majority of the day. this means a bit more planning, tidying up and discipline on my part. even though i am involved in freelancing, blogging and other outlets, remembering that being a mom is my full-time job is key. it is always at the forefront of my brain. everytime i unload the dishwasher or sweep the floor (for the hundredth time) i remind myself how much i really do love this stay-at-home-mom stuff. i love when i choose to put off everything but being a mom and snuggle up or play trucks or read or kick the soccer ball back and forth first thing in the morning with him. that is when my priorities line up like clockwork. as i've said before, i never want to miss my chance to play with benji because i know he will grow up so fast and may not think it's super cool to string beads (shaped like fruit) with his mom forever. here are some of his / our favorite things to do together.



01. stringing beads. i found this jar of beads only a couple weeks ago at my local DownEast Home. he loves it and will sit for a long time at his table stringing beads together, naming the little pieces of fruit as he goes. sometimes i can even cook dinner. victory!

02. imaginary play. this photo was taken at an art museum in our town. benji (and dan) love the teepee, the mini log cabin, playing whose tracks are those? and serving up pretend rabbit stew in this children's exhibit. i had no idea this exhibit even existed until we went to see the nativity displays this christmas! now the museum is our very special outing.

03. arts + crafts projects. when benji's friends come over i try to do something crafty with them, even if it only lasts a few minutes. i have a box of scrapbook paper scraps, crayons and stickers ready to go. we serve up ramekins of pretzels and mini marshmallows and it's a party.

04. dishwasher fun. benji loves to be in the kitchen with me. he has mastered the art of emptying the utensils, handing them to me one by one. then he gets his cars out and plays while i boil pasta or saute some chicken.

05. water painting. i love to fingerpaint with benji but it can be a big project that we don't always have time for, especially since you have to plan in bathtime afterwards. right before christmas i went to kohl's for some reason and discovered this Water Wow! paint set. it is the most brilliant (and easy) painting activity ever. simply paint the scenes with water (we've opted for a sponge paintbrush for littlest hands) and see the scenes come to life in color! just awhile later, the scenes go back to black and white and are ready to be used again. benji is thrilled he can do it all by himself and i'm happy that there is no mess whatsoever. am a huge fan.

06. cars on the road. after a long search for a nice road map rug, my cousin abby surprised benji with this adorable train tracks quilt. i might frame it when we're done with it, i love it so much. see more lovely things inside her gracie lane quilt shop.

07. train tracks and puzzles. thanks to dan for making the coolest tracks and oma and opa for introducing benji to thomas and friends. benji still loves doing puzzles too. we store wooden puzzles in this wire organizer. his latest favorites are these giant floor puzzles by mudpuppy brand.

08 and 09. large container of anything amusing. i once bought a ginormous container of alphabet cookies. after they were all gone (i choose not to think about how i helped inhale that many cookies in under a year's time), benji begged to play with the large jar. we washed it out and put some of his tub toys in it. he was in heaven. i thought it would be a one-day thing, but it has continued to amuse him when afternoons get dull. i think the coolness of it all lies in acting like it's cool. i ask him to untwist the cap like there is gold inside. we count the pieces; pour them out, play around with the contents and put them all back inside, twisting the lid on before anything hops out. one time we even played a distance drop game with the pieces high above the container. it was one wild afternoon.

i love that toddlers want to help, they want to play, they want to impress, they want to follow the rules, they want to be your best friend. toddlers want to try hard and be good and learn new things. it's all in the letting them try, letting them express themselves, letting them be heard, letting them explore, letting them learn while still letting them have boundaries. am seeing that i can learn a lot if i just sit and watch and play.

virtual book club meeting / my life in france

you're invited to join my friend, jana, and me for an upcoming event, a virtual book club! the next meeting is monday, march 7th on jana's blog. (we have two weeks!) i do hope you'll come.

i love something new and exciting! especially when it has to do with reading + blogging. a new blog friend, jana laurene (have you seen her lovely website yet? it's a keeper / she is mighty talented!) has opened up her virtual book club to everyone. i plan to read (or, lets be real, skim through) the great books she chooses every month. i have high hopes to clean up my reputation for being a lazy book club member. still, when it's online, you can peek in on all the fun without any pressure.

i'm thrilled to be playing guest host for jana's virtual club meeting in march. awesome idea, right!? we are reading (or, gladly re-reading) one of my favorites, my life in france by julia child. more details right here. we'll lead a discussion about france, food and our la la la love for julia.

see you there. (take notes in the margins.)

p.s. a week before the virtual book club meeting, jana will post a recipe for you to whip up. that way, we'll all be snacking on the same treat while discussing the same book. how fab is that?! email jana directly if you'd like to be included on her book club list to receive updates about the monthly blog meetings, janalaurene@gmail.com.

image courtesy of jana laurene.

introspection no. 01

introducing introspection / a collection of thoughts.

no. 01 this one came to me when emailing a new-to-blogging blogger who had a hard time knowing that she could indeed still add something valuable to the overwhelming creative online world. i definitely understand the feeling of it's already been done before. it is our weaknesses winning the battle. we must fight for creativity. especially our own. where do you find inspiration?

charming cozy kitchens

aren't these kitchens so charming, cozy and full of personality?!

happy birthday to my darling cousin, whit. these inspiring bowl collections remind me of the colorful anthro latte bowls stacked in the cupboards of her own cozy kitchen. she doesn't have a dishwasher so i know she washes them each by hand without complaint. (i love when something reminds you of someone you love. xo.)

have a wonderful president's day weekend.
it is so blustery here, i want to fly kites.

images via pinterest.com

hints he was here

one of the sweetest things about living with a child is discovering the leftover evidence. sometimes it's a little naughty (like sharpie pen drawings on my desk or chapstick on my couch!), but most times (if you're watching for them) it's sweet. tiny cars racing on a windowsill, trains on top of the dryer, tub toys strewn about. the little things you know you'll miss when they become bigger than big.

i didn't expect how amazing experiencing the newness of their ideas could be. seeing their imagination grow as hurriedly as their bodies do. now that our boy is talking, i can hear his mind bubbling with fresh thoughts. pure innocence, questions, excitement and clever new words spill out all day long.

the other afternoon i happened in on benji tucking his little railway pieces into the cradle that sits in his nursery. (i slept in it when i was a baby, it is handpainted and an heirloom / therefore much too precious to put into storage. plus, it holds extra blankets like a dream.) i couldn't believe what an expert tucker he is, lining them up with their faces peering out and a genuine goodbye, sweet dreams, sir topham. watching him take care of something smaller than himself is like filling up a shirt pocket in my heart with four leaf clovers.

next week my boy officially turns two and a half, i'll be devoting a few upcoming blog posts to life with a small sidekick, as many of you have mentioned they are your favorite posts. thank you for obliging me! (please let me know if there is a specific topic about motherhood / toddlerhood you'd like me to write about.)

p.s. i googled sharpie pen ink removal immediately after finding said artwork and found that a few pumps of hand sanitizer cleans it right off!! who knew?! i love that google has become my all-knowing mothering resource living in the corner of my apartment.

sidenote // for you book lovers, stay tuned. a bit of an exciting announcement is coming monday.

listen up / twitter co-founder on npr

if i twittered, i would have sent out a tweet inbetween dropping off whitney's birthday package at the post office and picking up stir fry ingredients at the store. listen up to npr.

biz stone, co-founder of twitter was featured on fresh air this morning. i found the interview interesting (and i don't even twitter). he put the rumor to bed about google buying twitter and seems like a very laid back cool guy / billionaire. yay for the entrepreneurs among us. i especially enjoyed hearing his answer about his favorite tweet yet...

"Obama tweeted that he had won the presidency. And that was just a mind-blowing thing because it was this historic presidential election, and here we had the man himself tweeting and acknowledging it. And for us, that was just a big acknowledgment of our work." - Biz Stone

listen to it here and take note of what he says about bird formations (now i get the whole bird/tweet thing) and his thoughts on information overload (i liked the idea of dumping unread emails).

image via fortheloveofgeeks.com

book report / the write start by jennifer hallissy

i was excited to receive two books from shambhala publications, inc. they kindly requested my review of The Write Start by Jennifer Hallissy (mom, writer, blogger and pediatric occupational therapist). i love writing, believe in the power of writing and hope to help my kids express themselves through writing someday, so this seemed like a book i could sink my teeth into.

i was happily pleased with the creative ideas included in this book intertwined with writing techniques and information every teacher/mom should know! the write start is bursting with ideas (fun and simple and child-friendly) to help children learn to write, love to write, and build strong creative writing skills. my son is still small, but i feel more excited about nurturing his scribbles and making writing fun. this is a perfect book to help children prepare for kindergarten and beyond. i like the premise of this book; writing is not just for class assignments, it can be a creative skill to cultivate and celebrate right at home!

with an easy-to-flip-through format (yay for shaded boxes, yay for checklists, yay for easy to follow instructions), it was simple to browse the activities (neatly broken into chapters) even when i didn't have time to read it from start to finish. i like that every activity (52 in all) is clearly defined with a materials list and then a simple how-to explanation and a few variations. there is a handy contents page listing all the activities too. i plan to star and underline the ones that become family favorites. this book doesn't feel like a chore to read, like some parenting books do. i can imagine having a fun weekly writing project when benji gets older and whipping out this book five minutes ahead of time to prepare for a little game we can do together. super easy for busy moms.

each activity has variations to fit your child at every stage; scribblers, spellers, storytellers or scholars. i love that these activities can grow with your child. a few activities that look fun to me are: secret code, listmania, message in a bottle, invisible ink, sand writing, and poetic license to name a few. another idea that looks cute is called table talk; simply use something called chalk cloth as a tablecloth (like a ready-to-go large chalkboard to wrap a child's desk in. must locate this magic material soon.) the activities reminded me of memorable projects i did as a kid. i remember (and still have) my first diary, complete with a little lock on it. i am oh so happy my parents made it a special outing to go buy it together.

i also appreciate the educational information about the importance of building strong hands in little ones for stronger writing skills, working with left-handers (my two-year old is a lefty!!), and dozens of great resources to remember and stock in my craft closet (butcher paper! bathtub crayons! chalkboards! post-its! alphabet magnets!). i am glad i have this book while benji is on the cusp of learning such important lessons. many of the activities in this book are not revolutionary, however they are just the ticket on a boring afternoon. i like knowing i have a creative resource to turn to with a collection of ideas to inspire me to teach and have fun and participate with my family.

keep up with jennifer and her great ideas on her blog; the write start.

sidenote // dan advised me, to be a credible reviewer for my product review posts, being as honest and forthcoming as possible is extremely important.. even illustrating the product's faults if needs be. i couldn't agree more. i hope my reviews will be helpful to my readers! with those wise words in mind, i still couldn't find anything wrong with this book. the first thing that came to mind is, there are no pictures (except at the back within the templates section), but it doesn't need pictures. the text is nicely formatted, very informative and easy on the eyes. it has plenty of legit info but does not feel like reading a textbook from childhood development 101. hooray.)

if you have a product you think my readers would enjoy, please contact me.

special delivery / custom business cards

desiree fawn is a labour doula in canada.
she posts beautiful pictures + words on her blog.
she won the auction for my custom designed business cards.

i love how the belly is front and center, as it should be.

lovebirds / answers + winners

hello loves. how was your valentine's day? thanks to everyone who played along with my movie lovers trivia game. i especially enjoyed hearing your favorite flicks, memorized quotes and disapprovals too. (how dare i mix Bella & Edward with Carey Grant and Grace Kelly?!) Deb and Napolean Dynamite woulda made the list if only i could've found a decent sized image of them! a few of you left some other good suggestions: Hermoine & Ron from Harry Potter, Peter & Regina from Charade, Nickie & Ms. McKay from An Affair to Remember. who else did i miss?

the mini diary winners are cara, amanda and chiara. congratulations. special honors to christina jarvis who had the most thorough lovers list (complete with quotes too)!

the lovebirds list.

• Rhett Butler & Scarlet O'Hara / Gone with the Wind / Vivien Leigh & Clark Gable
• Dan & Marie / Dan in Real Life / Steve Carell & Juliette Binoche
• Jan Morrow & Brad Allen / Pillow Talk / Rock Hudson & Doris Day
• Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth Bennett / Pride & Prejudice / Matthew & Kiera Knightly
• Harry & Sally / When Harry Met Sally / Meg Ryan & Billy Crystal
• Baby & Johnny / Dirty Dancing / Patrick Swayze & Jennifer Grey
• Mr. Big & Carrie Bradshaw / Sex and The City / Chris Noth & SJP
• photo shoot with annie leibovitz for vogue magazine 2008
• Edward & Vivian / Pretty Woman / Richard Gere & Julia Roberts
• Satine & Christian / Moulin Rouge / Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor
• Johnny Cash & June Carter / Walk the Line / Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon
• Katie and Hubbell / The Way We Were / Barbara Streisand & Robert Redford
• Princess Anne and Joe / Roman Holiday / Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck
• Joe Fox & Kathleen Kelly / You've Got Mail / Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks
• Julia & Paul Childs / Julie & Julia / Stanley Tucci & Meryl Streep
• Romeo & Juliet / Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet / Leonardo DiCaprio & Claire Danes
• Francis and John / To Catch A Thief / Cary Grant & Grace Kelly
• Edward Cullen & Bella Swan / Twilight /  Robert Pattison & Kristen Stewart

images via celebrity movie websites, respectively. 
mel ferrer and audrey hepburn above. so darling.

classic movie lovebirds > a valentine game

classic movie lovebirds 

here's a little game devoted to my favorite romantic flicks. i've collected pictures of seventeen sweethearts that have stolen my heart at one time or another. how many can you name?

the first three who email me who can name the most movie sweethearts correctly will win two mini diaries each (debuting this spring), one for yourself and a friend. simply email me the list of movie titles these sweethearts are featured in. if you're unsure, list the character's names or the actors names instead. good luck!

unveil the answers here to see how many lovebird pairs you knew!

happy valentine's day.