Just Make Stuff

How to scare your husband around 11 o'clock at night...

You call him into your bedroom, have him sit down on the bed, close his eyes and wait. Then you turn on your camera and start recording a little video..

I should probably explain further at this point because that initial description sounds kind of questionable. :)

Yesterday was June 29th and marked the 11th anniversary of our engagement. In just over a month we will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary and I have known what I wanted to do for over a year. I made the plans months ago and tried to decide between surprising Sean on August 6th or give him some fair warning. I decided to go the fair warning route but I still wanted to surprise him.

So I ordered the same salt water taffy we gave as favors at our wedding. It's from small company in Maine and arrived yesterday afternoon right in the nick of time and since he was home I lied and told him it was a birthday gift I ordered for my mom's best friend. 

At first it felt cheesy to record this and the poor guy almost seems panicked...but I love how he reacts when he realizes what's going on and especially felt compelled to share it because the look he gives me at the end when he said he'd marry me again just means the world to me...makes me even more excited for August 6th...

 

The same priest, the same chapel at the elementary school I attended growing up, and just Sean, Mac and I...

 

10 years later.

The list...

 

Okay I need to get to bed but before I do here's the weekend re-cap...

Watched my niece and nephew on Friday night so my sister and her husband could go see Mac's musical...we played with just about every outdoor toy we own, blew lots of bubbles, ate a spaghetti dinner, gave baths and failed to get them to sleep...but I got 163 photos

I made a 30 link paper chain to help Mac count down the math chapters his teacher asked us to work on this summer

I refilled the little bowl full of various punches and envelopes to add as a thank you in Etsy orders

I got my wrapping table cleaned off of all the various bits of projects that had piled up

I wrapped gifts...the cutest pile of pink girl clothes for my niece's 1st birthday...and a church birthday gift for my nephew (I'm his godmother and the one thing I learned at the pre-baptismal class was to celebrate his baptism every year which I thought was super cute...I got him this book)

We went to my niece's cupcake themed first birthday party...my sister invited my sister so we got to introduce her to family and friends...I am incredibly grateful that she has a similar sense of humor so we can laugh about how awkward this still is...oh and Mac helped knock down the cupcake pinata, picked up just a couple of pieces of favorite candy and watched the little kids pick up the rest...he and I stood back together as I marveled at the fact that he really is growing up

Sean and I went to the Apple store tonight to check out iphones since we have looked into new phones for awhile and it's finally time...I asked 78 rapid firequestions about them and then we spent dinner analyzing the possibilities...I'm thinking we very well might be new iphone owners tomorrow

Red, white and blue...

The fireworks stands are starting to pop up all around our house (we're in one of the few cities where they are still legal) and I am wholeheartedly embracing all things red, white and blue.

I have a box of party supplies ready to go for our block party...including some bunting, flags, and cute little buckets I couldn't resist.

I mailed out little patriotic packages to my niece and my sister.

 

 

I decorated the mantle and finished the project that I die-cut all those canvas stars for...

 

 

 

I'm also trying to craft up a simple ribbon headband...I tried one this morning and made it too small for my big head...hopefully second time will be the charm.

Okay this is too much fun...

Packs of dictionary pages were one of those things on the brainstorming list...

 

And as I was getting this collage out to hang again this summer I decided to try to have prints made of it...

 

I know I said it the other night, but really am like a kid with a summer lemonade stand...thanks so much for humoring me with this... :)

Oh my goodness thank you...

 

I have had such a wonderful time getting things organized today and putting together more packets of fun.

I also am really looking forward to making the trip to the post office tomorrow with a stack of envelopes and little boxes...thank you so much for all the support...I'm incredibly grateful for this chance to share. 

And speaking of sharing a little package will be going to comment #18

oohhh....this is fab! Off to check out the shop!

Posted by: MichelleG | June 23, 2009 at 04:53 AM

Michelle please e-mail your address so I can add your envelope to the post office pile. :)

Lemonade Stand...

 

So here's the little something I wanted to share...

An Etsy Shop

I've thought of it from time to time, but it wasn't until I had a few of these leftover that I decided maybe I should really try this. So for the rest of the month of May, as I was buried in schoolwork and party planning, I dreamed of the summer when I could open up shop...like my own little lemonade stand on the corner. I brainstormed little lists of what might be fun to put together and what favorite crafting and wrapping supplies I could share.

I've been futzing with it this month...not getting a chance to finish as much of the list as I wanted...and then kind of steeped in self-doubt wondering if anyone will like this stuff. Regardless I am battling through my silly confidence crisis, starting here with a few ideas, and really look forward to the opportunity to send out little things from my house.

Oh and to celebrate I have one of these to share...just leave a comment if you'd like this little package sent off to your house. :)

Little something...

I'm really enjoying these...

 

This week I wanted to make a little card for a neighbor

 

To go along with a little bread

 

And I have another little something that I've been working on and am excited to finally share tomorrow...

Lucky us...

Mac and I are endlessly fortunate that eleven years ago Sean said he wanted to spend his life with us. He carries us through so much...sometimes literally...

Mac usually is with Bryce all day, but it just happened to work out that we'll have Mac until the early afternoon so that will give us a chance to go to an early lunch (my mom's idea) and then I'm making him dinner while we watch the U.S. Open...oh and then there's his gift...

 

Just looking forward to celebrating him tomorrow.

Summer Lovin'...

 

Yesterday was Mac's last day of school and although he will be attending the reading program Sean is working at for summer school it is a far more relaxed schedule.

So here he is right about 10pm last night...hanging out with me watching the Food Network (we're big fans od Unwrapped and especially Diners, Drive-ins and Dives)...Paddington is napping next to him...and I was finally posting a couple of recipes (including Sangria).

We love summer.

Invited...

Oh did I obsess over these even though they are super simple. We went to half a dozen stores since I needed just the right size and style popcorn bag to use as an envelope...and we ended up having to buy a box of 1,000 so if you need any let me know. :)

 

This worked perfectly stamped onto tickets and this helped make the cardstock look like big tickets.

So glad these are off in the mail...

Two weeks later...

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the "movie theater" set-up we wanted to try out...projector on the ceiling and the couch bed pulled out...

 

Can you tell what movie we were watching just from that one scene? I hadn't seen the original in years and Mac asked about it recently so we watched it tonight....hopefully a good part of our summer will be spent right here.

My life summed up in a book order...

Last week my dad sent me a belated birthday gift...but come to think of it he doesn't really ever get me birthday gifts anyway so I'll take late.

I had joked with him for months that every time he's shopping for books on Amazon (which is pretty much the only thing he knows how to do on the internet) he should send me a gift card to help me tackle my ever-growing cart on there.  

Well no gift card, but a good old fashioned check helped send this stuff to me...

As I unpacked the box yesterday I realized this is a pretty random conglomeration of text.

And before I even chance you thinking, "Oh wow look at all this stuff Nora reads" please let me preface this list by letting you know I don't really read...I dream of being a voracious reader and certainly have plenty to dive into if and when the day comes... so pathetic as it is there is a high likelihood that I'm merely adding to my waiting collection.

The Way We Never Were:I was looking for something else when this book piqued my interest...I'm always interested in the social phenomenon's of the 1950's. I think I actually referenced this book in a paper I wrote at some point...apparently I have been in school soooo long that I have no clue what the paper was about or for what class is was for.

The Second Shift:I have wanted this for awhile...the division of domestic labor is another topic I'm fascinated by.

Feminism: A Very Short Introduction: I had to read the one on Globalization for a class this past semester and was interested in checking out the summarizations of other subjects

Capitalism and Modern Social Theory:Is it bad that I really have no desire to read this? Honestly I just bought it because my social theory professor quoted the book often in his lectures...I figured it'd be a good idea to own as a reference.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day:The idea of my house smelling like fresh baked bread and being able to say, "Yes, I actually did bake this bread myself" made this an irrestiable purchase 

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts: Finally this bible of sorts...just another necessary reference tool. :)

So that's the literary update from around here...got to get back to cranking out birthday party invitations...

I promise I wasn't being lazy...

I've just been a little busy. I did get the gifts finished including a Father's day gift for my dad (I couldn't resist making him a DVD slide-show after I had so much fun making one for my mom)

 

I made the little recipe books for Mac's teacher's gifts...

 

 

Made cards and got them all wrapped up...

 

 

And had fun with green and gold wrapping and card making...

 

 

Next up on the to-do list invitations...4th of July block party ones and Mac's 13th birthday party...

It's getting pathetic...

The more I'm on vacation the less productive I seem to be getting. Lots of tasks are getting started but not quite finished...this week I am bound and determined to change that...hopefully.

Two of the things that are half done around here is a graduation gift for a family friend...

 

A shadow box for the mementos from graduation...I pinned the announcement and a little yarn tassel in there for now...and it's all green and gold for the University of Oregon...now I need to wrap it and craft up a green and gold duck card.

And teacher's gifts...

A little corn on the cob kit that I need to complete with recipe books...they're all done on the computer (here's the file if you're interested Download Corn on the Cob Recipes) I just need to print, assemble, and try to make cute.

So these two tasks (and several more) should be finished tomorrow...please feel free to admonish me if they're not.

Be back later tonight...

but for now here's this...

 

Utterly shameless...

 

This is my husband Sean...as you well know...but did you know that this morning he ran the Camp Pendleton Mud Run? Well yes he did (which helps explain the way he looks in the photo) and I am about to shamelessly brag about him. First though here is a little video of him in the last mud pit before the end of the race...he's the one that is running up to the pit by himself as I yell for him...

Okay and here's the brag-a-thon...Sean finished the 10K with numerous obstacles in 55:20...out of approximately 2096 individual participants Sean finished 78th....he finished 12th in his age bracket.

I am just a little ridiculously proud of him. :)

Warming up...

Trying to get back to some scrapbooking after all that school stuff got in the way. I got a couple of simple layouts done to kind of warm up to it again...

And then today I got back to the random stuff...a page for no reason, stamping on patterned paper,and a mish-mash of stuff...

 

I missed this.

No news is good news...

 

When Mac left for Hawaii I had two requests...a call to tell me they had arrived safely and then a quick phone call every other day or so.

I got a call in between their flights and a text message at well after midnight that read, "I am here alowa I made it". The "alowa" was totally my favorite part. Then nothing. I tried to hang in there and not bug him but by 10:30pm last night I just had to check in and see what he was up to...

Snorkeling

Para-sailing

He was thrilled...and don't get me wrong I'm thrilled for him...but these are not the kind of activities that your relentlessly nervous mom should be hearing about.

I think I'm already worried about the next Hawaii report. :)

From the weekend...

It's Monday night so I'm kind of late with any discussion about the weekend, but we ended up at a late dinner and dessert with my mom and brother so I didn't get a chance to post last night. It was a good weekend filled with the usual errands and tasks around the house...no movie theater set-up yet but we'll get there...and there was this...

 

This is my new official sangria jar and it holds two whole gallons. On Saturday night we went over to a friend's barbecue with this filled to the brim and worried that no one would like it that much. We actually came home with it empty so I guess I can make some decent sangria....4th of July block party here I come.

Sucker...

So Mac is on the way to the airport for the big trip to Hawaii...he is armed with the carry-on we packed last night full of surprises since I am a complete and total sucker when it comes to packing stuff for a trip...you have to have some new fun stuff to help pass the time on a plane...and something cozy too (so I HAD to get him this travel blanket when I saw it last week...even though he kind of already has two...it was just so soft)

 

You also need gum, too much candy, and a notebook to do the journaling that was requested as an assignment since he'll be missing a week of school.

Mac was beyond thrilled to be leaving...more proof of that came from texting with Sean this morning...

 

Mac also ever so carefully picked out his travel outfit...and let me get pictures of him before he left...the first real photos I've had of him in a loooong time...

 

I'll share more of them next week...definitely have to make something with them...

Being at home...

I finished up my internship yesterday so today was happily spent at home in pajamas.  I can't believe that week two of summer vacation is almost done but still the end of each day is still coming all too fast and those "Oh I should blog about..." ideas are being put to the wayside.

And today is pretty much the same way...but here a couple of things that have made me happy lately...

 

This was a little house project for the laundry room that I have wanted to do for months (after seeing the idea in Better Homes and Gardens). I finally got the chance when I went to The Container Store with my mom last week. I picked out a jar and metal scoop for our detergent...much more fun than the old rubbermaid container it was in before.

We started Netflix for the summer...we're are really hoping to get a chance for a movie night this weekend...I'll have to show our idea for putting together a little theater in the house (something Sean suggested years ago but we hadn't tried out until we did my mom's birthday slide show).

Okay I have to get back to packing Mac's carry-on full of surprises for the big trip tomorrow...

Housewarming...

Our good friends invited us to a housewarming party for their daughter's absolutely adorable new playhouse since they thought it's be a fun reason to get together and eat really good food (and drink really, really good sangria which is officially my new favorite thing).

I couldn't resist bringing her a housewarming gift which I've made before for my friends...