Just Make Stuff

First week of school emergency snack gift...

I love to give little happy first day of school gifts to the administrative staff in the three departments I work in...something to hopefully brighten their day amidst the multitude of tasks and more emergency tasks they have to contend with. This year I went simple with a colorful snack. 

Over the summer Sean and I discovered the gummy bears at Sprouts grocery store...or rather I did because I saw the cute colors and was intrigued. We bought a small scoop to try and learned that they are delicious. 

So I packaged some up, put together a matching stripe pattern and tags indicating that they were an emergency snack...when you just need a couple of bites of something sweet.

Then I discovered these little containers at, where else? The Container Store. I resized the tags to fit and the gift was way cuter. 

I mean, look at that tiny scoop! I cannot handle it. I have PDFs of the tags to share...

Download Colorful Stripe Cards

Download Emergency Snack Tags

and wish I had gummy bears to share with you all too.

A new teacher's first day of school gift...

Sean started school four weeks ago...four! And this year there is a new teacher hired for Sean's department who is actually brand-spanking new. He is doing his credential student-teaching as a paid teacher. Sean was asked to work with the university credential program to be the mentor teacher...which meant Sean's wife had to gather a gift for this wonderful brand-spanking new teacher.

We brainstormed some essentials...good kleenex (not the cheap stuff that starts to hurt your nose), a big bottle of hand sanitizer, some Ibuprofen for headaches, some mint gum to wake up, some blue painter's tape to hang things up around the classroom, a couple of baskets to help organize a desk drawer, and nice blue pens to sign IEPs. Sean has learned that using blue always helps him quickly realize where any original forms are.

I used a cute lunch box note digital kit to make a couple of tags... 

Thankfully this brand new teacher didn't think Sean's wife was too cheesy and he is already a terrific addition to a great department of teachers.

I put together a sheet of the tags since they work for any teachers brand new or totally old (like Sean), you can download them here... First Day of School Teacher Gift Tags

Vegas & Sedona

We met Mac out in Vegas for his birthday a couple weeks ago and then Sean and I went on to Sedona for a couple of days. It was amazing that just a few days felt like so much time away.

We took Mac to lunch and celebrated with his dad's family with a cake my mom ordered for Mac. It was a big day that seemed to thankfully work out the way Mac was dreaming it would.

The morning after the birthday fun and excitement Sean and I were up and out the door early. First we back-tracked a bit to see the Seven Magic Mountains.

Then we headed out towards Sedona. We went out of our way though to see the Grand Canyon for the first time. 

It was beyond amazing and someplace we definitely want to come back and spend more time at. I dream of getting visit with cooler weather and long, long walks along the trail.

Then we got to Sedona and settled in for the night. The next morning we went on a little bit of a hike, we shopped a bit, had lunch, then we went golfing, swimming and had a late dinner. There was even an amazing lightening-filled monsoon that I foolishly wanted to stand outside during (growing up in California means any rainstorm seems amazing to me). 

In one day we packed in more relaxing than we often get in a month...and then we had another day and half more to enjoy. There really is something to being on vacation.

Just a little bit left...

Sean has a week left of summer vacation and I am trying not to be mopey about it. We have had plenty of time and we love our jobs and will be just fine when we get back in the swing of things. Granted, he needs no convincing of this, he is one of those people who loves Mondays...and every other day of the week. 

I have had this as the front of my planner all summer (I included this card on our summer mantle too), since these really have been great, great days. Thankfully we still have a few left.