Seriously. I only allow myself to check One Pretty Thing every 4 or so days because every time I do this is what my browser looks like:

All those tabs open? And even more hiding in a pulldown menu … I just can’t wait to show you.

So here it goes:

How to make paper food baskets – We’ll be doing some Life List #89 this week in our house, as I get crafty and rock my kids’ world with a St. Patty’s day house. These baskets are going to be perfect for delivering goodies to the neighborhood that we all make together.

Love your neighbor gift tags. Which will also be perfect for sending some Pay it Forward treats to the folks who share our road. (I consider this a #89 situation because both my kids love to be in the kitchen and delivering goodies … something we don’t do a ton of. So decorating the heeter out of some fun paper crafts and walking around is a grand gesture I’m showing to them, but also teaching them to show others.)

Paper banner tutorial instead of saying “Wonderland” I’m going to make one for “St. Patty’s!”

Free printable origami paper Nautical style. This is just cool.

Journaling labels For the organizational wit within us all.

Printable stationary AIRMAIL! Too cute. As I write this my daughter is writing messages to her dad on this paper for his out of town trip coming up. Messages like “I love you”, “I miss you”, “Have a great day!”

Cupcake toppers, place settings, etc these downloadable adorable’s have so many potential functions. I’m thinking of using these as cupcake toppers for my son’s 2nd birthday in May.

Glitter labels I don’t know anyone who has this many bottles of glitter to label but I don’t doubt that these people exist either. I would use them for sprinkles for cookie decorating, myself.

Printable Blog Calendar KEEP ME ON TRACK!

6 months of calendar pages that are fabulous.

I’m energized just looking at all these free possibilities for so many fun projects.

Now I just need to whip this up so I have a place to store all my goodies.

Whew!

I’m waiting for these books in my Paper Back Swap que to become available. (No affiliate links, promise)

Barefoot Contessa – A friend has this cook book and I used to stand around in her kitchen just staring at it. I hope it still has that affect on me if it does come available.

Comfortable with Uncertainty – This was a book recommended to me by Jill Tanis a while back, I think it’s one of those books that stares at YOU and when you’re ready … you will look it in the eye. I’m not anticipating this book as much as I am dreading it … but either way, I’d love to have it on my shelf.

Diabetes: Fight it with the blood type diet – I’ve been doing all kinds of reading about this online and have it on my list to reserve this from our library. This’ll be one of those books I go back to again and again, make notes, dog ear pages … so I can’t wait for this one.

The Guernsey Literary Potato Society came highly recommended from a friend who loves books and eats them for breakfast, she has impeccable taste. And reads hella-fast and those really daunting 6 inch books. I’m inspired.

Gut and Phycology syndrome this one, again, came highly recommended by a different friend. I’m interested in reading this for a number of reasons, not sure I need to own it though – I’ll see what the library has to offer me first. Still, Food and Behavior tickles my fancy.

Healing with whole foods Mmmmm. Doesn’t that just sound delicious? Another recommendation. People, if you like to read, ask your friends for their latest great finds. It’s like a crazy escape to knowledge.

House Rules Jodi Picoult’s latest book. I love her books, have read them all. I plan to keep that tradition alive and well. Can’t wait to dig in to this one. I generally devour her books within a week of reading before bed.

In Defense of Food – this one made the news a couple times … which maybe they all did or do, but I don’t often notice books because I don’t often watch news or read it. We’ll talk about that later. Reading the back panel of this book, though, got my attention. I’m excited to read it and come to my own conclusion.

Is this your child? Another recommendation from a friend … differences between food ALLERGIES and food SENSITIVITIES. And what that all means.

Juicy Pens, Thirsy Paper by SARK. I am in a SARK phase right now, cannot get enough. And infact I have enough to keep my busy for about 2 years by her.

Junk Beautiful – I saw this one in Menards tonight on my mommy/daughter date picking out paint colors for the room-redo later this weekend. I wanted to buy it so bad but thought I should check Paper Back Swap first. A no go, but I’ll still wait to see if it comes available. Drool worthy, folks. So so drool worthy.

The Last Song – Hummmana, Hummana. I love Nicholas Sparks. Also, like Jodi Picoult, I’ve read every single one of his titles published and I’m an avid stalker on his “About Me” section on his website. Yes. Yes I am.

The Makers Diet – another recommendation.

I’ve got my work cut out for me, don’t I? All this reading. All this fabulous reading.

Any others I should add to my list? Who’s your favorite author? Or the best book you’ve read lately?

Last night I spent some time clicking around from site to site and I found some gems. Some days I totally “get” the internet and have a blast wondering down the so-called-aisles of spectacular and some days I wonder why I even bother.

Yesterday was not the ladder.

Printable Easter cards for kids, adorable. You have to create an account with Scribd in order to download them, but I have already linked to some sites where you need this same ability. It’s a straight up link, I’m not getting a referral or a kickback for saying that. FCC, how am I doin?

Fluffy fun Easter bouquet – Oh my goodness I have so much yarn as I used to crochet like a madwoman … so I’m doing this. Can’t wait to have my daughter in on this fun.

Feed Your Soul, free downloaded art – so I want to share this with you because FREE ART is amazing and these artists are even better … but I also don’t want to share this with you because it’s so amazing. I want to keep it for myself and decorate my walls with splendor and pretend I spent a fortune on amazing original art. I digress. Check it out, you will not be disappointed.

Gift bags from envelopes – A) This is genius. B) Who doesn’t have a drawer full of misc. office supplies that makes you cringe but not clean out because it’ll one day be useful? Now it is. You’re welcome.

Eggcelent Eggs – decorating Easter eggs with the kids is messy, but very fun. Except your left with brown eggs because they didn’t understand that using ALL the colors at once doesn’t automatically guarantee them a rainbow egg. Also? You can buy brown eggs, so thanks kids. Now you can “pre decorate” the eggs with Awesome and let them dip to their hearts desire. At least now you’ll have brown eggs that kick ass.

Make your own gallery, template – Wow. I plan to use this template on my kids’ art. So so so much finger painting and coloring and writing of their names for the first time … I want to keep it all but it doesn’t feel right sticking it all in a box to hand to them once they’ve graduated college. Now I can enjoy it too.

Se7en – this is just a cool website I stumbled on … we have a very eager 5 year old who wants to know/learn everything and this site seems to (at first glance) do quite a bit of sharing in those terms. She’s a homeschooler mom of seven + 1 … I’m excited to dig in the archives and figure out some experiments we can do together.

Make your own Ampersand (&) – I’ve already emailed this link to half my family and they’re all planning on making it soon. My mom will be making one to put in there soon to be brand new bathroom at the cottage. This is the new shower curtain for said new bathroom, so the Ampersand will go swimingly with it.

Mini-wreaths – Ok, so I would need to spend some money for this one, but the butterflies wreath is just adorable. And if you’re into Dumpster Diving I’ve known people who can find AMAZING stuff in the dumpsters of Michael’s, Hobby Lobby etc … stickers like this even. So if you wait for it, you might be able to pull this one off for free. I’m just saying.

Easy felted flower – I have buttons and some felt that I bought while I was pregnant with my son to make booties that I never, ever used. Huh. 2+2=ACCESSORIES! So excited to try this one. I might make some small add on’s for hair clips for my daughter. She’s kind of fancy like that.

Headband tutorial, bows – Awesome. I’ll try this for the little fashionista in my life as well.

There you have it for today. Get inspired, people. Start trying something, then come back here and tell me about it – I want to hear about your adventures.

I’m working on an Easter Round Up as well – I’ll be going off of what I plan to do for the dinner we’re hosting, but it’ll be difficult to divulge all the information because I have some surprises up my sleeve and my guests read this site (Molly! Mom! Erin! Jill! Hi Sisterlie’s and Mom!) so I’ll have to be stealth about it. However, if you have some Easter ideas – please let me know and I’ll add them to the list. Or an etsy shop you want me to link to, maybe your’s or your mom’s, bestfriend’s, boyfriends’ sister’s?? I’m all over it.

In the meantime – you can stock up on your Easter candy now thanks to Savvy Chic Savings for the heads up on coupons this week/month.

I think Easter is my Christmas. That’s fair warning, right?

Get in the habit of doing grand gestures for my kids.

When I wrote this list I couldn’t get this idea out of my mind. How I wanted to be a mom who put my kids first like that. I want pretty things, but my kids want them too. I’ve been bogged down about how I don’t have time or energy to create such splendor, even if it’s to celebrate the silliest of things (A day of Jammies! A Bath for Breakfast! Ice Cream Parlor Wanna Be!) and really? Who am I kidding!!!

I have everything I need.

I have her.

I have him.

I have them.

And I wasn’t willing to wait another day playing the “reason” game on why I could hold off, yet again, on making beautiful things happen in our lives. I decided to start with breakfast.

Here are all my reasons for why I thought I couldn’t do it, when I tell my daughter every single day that couldn’t and can’t aren’t words we believe in … I was lying out loud.

# Money.
# Needing to be gluten free/healthy.
# Time.
# Not being good enough.
# Not being perfect.
# Worrying that they wouldn’t like it.
# Worrying that I didn’t have what it takes, creatively or literally (items used) to pull it off.

Here’s the truth: I own a glue gun and we have internet streaming in our house 24/7. I have everything I need to pull this off. I don’t have to spend any money. Gluten free can be pretty, too. I make the time I feel is important. I’ve never been NOT good enough, I’m their mother. I’ll never be perfect. I’m allowed to take chances. It was damn time.

I even woke up early, which is something else on my life list, to see her face when she walked out of her room. My son woke up first and the first thing he said was “Woah.” … My daughter said “You surprised me!” and my heart said “YES, YES I DID!, I LOVE YOU!”

Breakfast is a historically difficult meal for me but it’s my very favorite to make and serve. The morning my mom announced my parent’s divorce to my siblings and I was the morning she stopped making breakfast. My mom is Martha Stewart, folks. She made every single meal, every single snack from scratch. Then one morning … it all changed.

Here’s a secret: I think this is when my journey with food begins. I’ve never acknowledged that publicly before. But all of a sudden there was a void in my normal routine. Something substantial – my breakfast, the beginning was all of a sudden the end. Since that morning I’ve struggled with how to feed myself in the morning, and I generally choose to feed myself sugar, which is love to me, really. It’s no wonder I wound up with a broken pancreas. I broke it with a broken nine-year old heart and a shattered life view.

Seeing Jill Tanis has put a lot of healing into this very subject and now I eat eggs, savory tastes, every morning. I don’t always like it, I even fight it some mornings, but I’m doing more than feeding my body … I’m reminding myself – at every beginning – that I can trust that sweetness is still there, that it’s around the corner, down the hall and in my pocket … all I have to do is see it. I no longer have to eat it.

So, Breakfast. It’s kind of a big deal to me. And I wanted to start where I left off, I guess, in showing my kids how very much I love them. That I can break barriers and tear walls down to build them up. That I can do hard things. Because I can.

I’ll be cranking out a couple “history” posts and just rapidly publishing them here, I’m hoping to write them and then link to them on the About page so if you’re new here or just want more info on something I generally talk about, but need more details … it should hopefully be easy to find.

I’m trying to make this website a bit easier to navigate in terms of finding a stream of conversation on any given topic. Like, the gestational diabetes stuff. Or all the videos in one place. Or the How To’s.

Nothing else is changing – but I’m trying to be organized about this. It’s a process, to say the least.

Along with having to be super careful about what I eat because of the whole “you’re probably diabetic” thing – I can’t really have alcohol either. Except for red wine … once in a while.

For a while, after I read that Red Wine helped slow down the digestion of insulin in ones body that it was actually beneficial to a diabetic to drink a glass, I was having one with dinner most nights.

Then I read about diabetics and blood types – and how my blood type has low stomach acid and should avoid caffeine and alcohol … well, I haven’t had hardly any … alcohol … coffee in the morning is a harder one to let go of. But I’m a tea drinker too. I’m transitioning.

And tonight I had a glass of wine because today was crazy. Because it sounded good. Because I have a box of it in the fridge. Oh, yes, I do.

Then I proceeded to silly-email friends on facebook and giggle to myself about it, out loud. But after the past few days, which were total emotional wringers for me, a night like this. A light night. A happy night. A night with a little buzz. (Sorry, Grandma!) It just fits.

In other fun news – the results to our little poll on the next Cooking Demo topic are in!

So … it’s a tie for Healthy cooking and Cooking over the fire (which is a total surprise to me!) but I “test voted” once to make sure it was all set up and working and I voted for Cooking over the fire – so technically Healthy cooking wins this round.

There you have it! Details coming soon about Healthy Cooking – Cooking Demo.

Insert tiny print here: And Oh My Word, you should not read this and think I’m condoning alcohol use in any way, because please … I do not have that much power, but I know I’ll get emails about it … so just stop right there.

I haven’t been that good at remembering my camera this winter, partly because for half of it I was trying to sell it and then when someone said – I want to buy it, I’m coming to get it tonight – I panicked and changed my mind. I don’t yet have another camera to replace it, so … bad idea.

But the winter is pretty hard for me to get excited about photos. Not because it’s not beautiful but it’s pretty mono-tone. And I stay inside a lot. Or the lighting is fluorescent and then it’s just … really?

So I love that we’re getting outside more and the sun is shining to boot!

One of my favorite things to do with my camera is to follow my little people around and just click away. I rarely look through the view finder … I just aim and shoot at knee length, street level, eye level … whatever looks interesting.

Some times all I get are feet. But that’s ok with me. I love those little feet.

And the way they amble along the sidewalk.

The way they stand next to each other, having a conversation all their own.

Those are the feet that are going to, one day, take my Little’s somewhere new. And if I always aim at their smiles I’ll one day forget that those feet were carrying them all along.

22 months ago, exactly, you held him in your arms for the very first time.

Your hands have held me, and kept my daughter safe.

Countless joyful afternoons were spent swinging on your arms, feeling the breeze whisper on my face as you flung me back and forth – always careful, always strong.

Today, he felt it too.

Here’s the fam:

We went up north to The Parent’s cottage a few weeks ago and spent the time hanging out making donuts and marshmallows from scratch. YUM.

In order to eat those marshmallows we needed a fire. So I took it upon myself to lick the flame.

I may have paraded around giggling after the whole “I build fire!” thing, but it was fun … there’s a technique to building a fire – one with air flow and oxygen. It was good times.

Then we waited for the flame to die down and give us some coals in which to roast the marsh’s …

And our weekend was complete.

Moving on. It’s Friday. Happy Happy Friday and the sun is shining and I can see patches of grass.

Yesterday morning my daughter requested that we go on a walk right away after waking up, so we got ready and went downtown for some clean sidewalks and sunshine. Tulips are peeking through soil. I had my camera and she took control of it while we sat in a coffee shop and warmed our hands after the walk, drinking coffee and eating yogurt.

Some times it’s the little things.