Happy Valentine's Day to Me!

I stayed up way too late last night making this...

The silhouette is from Martha Stewart and I found it here. She intended these poppies to be used for paper cutout cards but I thought they were perfect for a freezer paper stencil. I hadn't done anything with freezer paper since December and last night, I saw the Poppy template and had to make it.

I didn't get started on it until after 11:00 last night. Crazy, I know. But, now I have a shirt to wear in honor of St. Valentine! Happy Valentine's Day to me!!!

Overnighter

My baby girl spent her first night away from home this past week. She packed her own suitcase with all the essentials for a night at Grandma and Papa's. She asked a million questions about where she would sleep and what she would do. She had us confirm over and over again that if she needed to come home, we would come and bring her back to her own bed...pronto. She was so excited but none of the adults were sure that she would make it the whole night. We fully expected to get the call in the middle of the night to come get her.

That call never came.

She did just fine with out us. I, on the other hand, had a tough time walking by her empty bedroom. I felt an empty feeling when I went to bed without kissing her goodnight.

My baby's growing up! Here she is all set to go with her suitcase and Lambie...

Gosh, did I learn a lot today! I learned just how far away the half a block to the Grandparent's house is. I learned that my kiddo is OK without me. I learned that each night that I am given the opportunity to kiss both of my kids goodnight is a blessing. Going to bed without that kiss makes me cherish it so much more!

Origami Birthday Card

Martha Stewart had some "Antique-Style Valentines" in her Craft of the Day section of her website. I don't know about the antique part, but to me they looked like origami fun. I love origami and we had a 5 year-old's birthday party to go to on Saturday, so it was the perfect project for me.

They were super easy to make. Martha's direction are a little confusing. In the comments, there is a link to a video tutorial on another blog that make it so much easier to understand.

All you need is one square piece of paper. I used a 12"X12" piece of scrapbooking paper.

In the picture above, you can see how the finished project looks. It folds into itself and becomes its own envelope.

Here's how it looks when it's opened up. Blogger won't let me turn the picture straight! Sorry! I used paper that had a bar code and brand name written on the back, so I cut a 4"X4" piece of coordinating paper to cover the writing on the finished card.

At the party, I had so many parents asking me how I made it, that the birthday kid's mom brought out a piece of paper and asked me to demonstrate. Talk about pressure! I had to rack my brain and make it work on the fly. Luckily, my memory didn't fail me and was able to duplicate it without the tutorial in front of me.

A cool thing that I learned about these is that they truly are "antique-style valentines." The tutorial says that these are called "puzzle purses" and that they were exchanged as early as the 1790's. I love the history behind it. That makes a successful valentine even sweeter!

All Wrapped Up

It's been a long time...

My sick little guy has wanted nothing other than to be cuddled and held. His poor tummy just hasn't felt very good. I wore him on my back much of this morning and he was so content. It's been a long time since he's been willing to ride back there without us being out and about. It felt good to have my baby boy on my back again snuggling into the back of my neck. I love the closeness of having him in a wrap on my back or front, sharing our warmth, feeling his sick body relax into contended peacefulness knowing that he is safe next to his mommy. I love that little guy!

The wrap that I am wearing is a Sky Blue Indio Didy. It originally held dear little Grace and I have the privilege of using it to hold my child. What a beautiful history this wrap holds!

One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days?

One of those days where your patience is tested to the limit?

One of those days where quotes like these two are particularly true...

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it. -- Harold Hulbert

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. -- Franklin P. Jones

One of those days that you swear it must be a full moon until you look out the window in the middle of the day and are bummed to see that you can't blame it on that...

One of those days where you really could use a nice stiff drink but you settle instead for the buzz that you get from drinking way too much coffee and this caffeine laced stuff...

Well, today was one of those days at our house. It was rough. It was tough. But, by God's grace (and a whole lot of Dr. Pepper), we made it through the crabbiness and tantrums and lack of naps.

We eagerly welcomed Daddy home from work and as a family discussed how we could make the evening better than the day. Our daughter suggested that we have a fire in the fireplace and read stories. She says that this makes her "peaceful." We were too exhausted to haul the wood in for a fire so we settled for 3 pillar candles in the fireplace instead.

We had a peaceful time by the fireplace. The children played and we read stories and both kids were in bed by 7:30. I wish I could tell you that this was the pleasant end to my day. I wish that I could say, "...and they lived happily ever after." But here is the real life end to our day.

After tucking the kiddos into bed, my hubby and I had just sat down in front of the fireplace to relax before heading to bed when we heard a cry. We both knew that cry and bolted up the stairs. Our son was in the process of getting sick all over himself. Our peaceful night turned into one of changing sheets, giving a bath, changing clothes, starting laundry, researching symptoms online and cuddling a sick little one.

So, it was one of those days but the kids grouchiness was telling me something. Now let's just hope it doesn't spread through all 4 of us!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day!!!

Yesterday, the furry little prognosticators predicted 6 more weeks of winter! I figure if Punxsutowney Phil and Woodstock Willie can rouse themselves in the dead of winter for a silly tradition, surely I can get my lazy butt out of hibernation and start blogging again. Yep, I'm back. But while the groundhogs may predict the weather, I have my own prediction...blogging daily was a great challenge for 2008, however, I predict that in 2009 I will not blog daily! 2009 on Something 2 Learn Today will have no rules or restrictions, just blogging when I feel like it.

Building a Table

Today, my four-year-old taught me how to build a table.

First, you take the milk crate that Mom has filled with hats, scarves and mittens and you dump out the contents.

Then, you take four scraps of wood of similar lengths out of Daddy's workshop.

Place the wooden "legs" through the corner holes in the milk crate.

Borrow one of Mom's tin signs and place it on top of the four legs.

Finally, pull up a chair and enjoy your new table!

Today, I was inspired by her ingenuity. She was determined to build a table. She walked around with her tools looking for inspiration. Several attempts failed but she persisted. In the end, she was so proud of her table. Her little brother enjoyed it too... it's just the right size for him and she was willing to share. Everyone wins!