Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Kimono Paper Dolls :)
My sister Charissa got me this cute box full of origami paper dolls for Christmas, and today I finally had the time to make them! I'm going to frame them and put them in our bathroom, I think...what do you think? I LOVE origami paper, and the detail in this kind is no exception. :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
My dog is an alien
Gotta love camera phone flashes; this little gem (unedited!) had us laughing for HOURS:
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Project 366--January 1-7!
(Click HERE to get your own BLANK .png copy!)
Jan 2--Had a hard time deciding which picture to put in! Paul put together his "robug," a Christmas gift from Charissa. Not pictured--Steak 'n' Shake for dinner and a quick walk around the mall with Emilie, which included FRANGO!
Jan 3--Lazy day! TV marathon in our PJs all day! (While Paul had to go back to work...boo.) This picture of Voodoo pretty much sums up how productive we were. We watched some Melissa & Joey, Buffy, and Pretty Little Liars. And ate a ton.
Jan 4--Visited Caida in the emergency room! (Her new liquid/overprescribed seizure medication caused her to throw it all up and have seizures her first day back at school, so she was rushed by ambulance to the ER and taken care of there.) She was feeling much better by the time we left--so we all went to Taco Bell. Also, Activity Days--planning meeting for the whole year.
Jan 5--Took our own curry to McDonald's so we could buy drinks. Went ICE SKATING! :)
Jan 6--Errands (including getting my phone back!), All Fired Up (paint-your-own pottery) with Emilie, Chuck E Cheese with Paul and Em! Brief stop at Cold Stone before heading to Walmart to buy a game for the kinect.
Jan 7--Good Will raids, Papa Murphy's, laser tag (pictured), Just Dance 3, Taco Bell on the way to drop off Emilie (sad day! but it was a REALLY fun weekend!).
Speaking of Just Dance 3, if you want to see embarrassing videos of us dancing, check us out here or here! :)
Week 1: done! (Fascinating, I know.) Only 51 more to go! :)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Gift of LOVE--a calendar!
I thought I would quickly share one of the gifts I made for Paul. It was probably the cheapest gift I gave him (and easiest to actually make), but it's also my favorite! As with any marriage, we have our ups and downs, and moments where it feels like we're just two roommates instead of totally in love eternal companions. To help "bridge" the gap (hence the bridge theme...I thought all the lovey-dovey calendars were a bit much for our taste) and strengthen our marriage by making it a priority EVERY. SINGLE. DAY, I made a calendar of small things we can do daily to draw closer to each other. I'm calling it our "love" calendar, although you could easily modify this for anyone, not just your spouse!
The basic idea is this:
Step 1: Go get a cheap calendar from the dollar store.
Step 2: Mark down all your special days--birthdays, anniversaries, even date nights. Any day you might already be celebrating or spending ample time together, you don't *have* to write down anything additional for that day. For example, Saturday nights are going to be our date nights this year, so I didn't write down anything else lovey-dovey for those days...it just wasn't necessary since we'll already be planning something fun.
Step 3: Write down something small every day of the whole year to do together--it doesn't have to be anything huge (see below), and you can ABSOLUTELY reuse ideas more than once! (We ended up with about 50 ideas, which ended up being rotated every two months.) In brainstorming ideas, I used a few online resources and mostly just thought of things that satisfy all the 5 "love languages," (since Paul and I have very different ones, we need to include a bit of everything!). After brainstorming ideas that have to do with touch, service, gift-giving, quality time, and words of affirmation, I just tried to rotate them as reasonably as possible (the gift-giving and service only had so many variations, but we still do a little of each a few times a month). I'll admit, since I'm a physical touch girl, we're doing a lot of that. ;) Also, in rotating things I had to make a few modifications--like only putting "pay each other a sincere compliment in public" on a day when I knew we would be together in public, or changing what we were "sharing" about each time so that the same conversations didn't keep happening over and over again. So, moral of the story--modify to be realistic to your family schedules, tastes, and lifestyle!
Step 4: Post it somewhere you will both see it every day, and make it happen! That's IT! This would be fun to put together as a date night activity--gettting your spouse in on the brainstorming is always a plus!
If you are stumped or stuck or just plain lazy (like *I* am, no judgment!), I'm including my list of marriage-strengthening ideas below. You will see a few repeats--that's because, like I said, there are only so many acts of service or compliments you can do/say. But I'm pretty pleased with the end result, anyway. So far, 2012 has been treating us awfully nicely. ;)
If you come up with your own ideas for friendship or parent-child relationships, though, let me know! :) I could always use more inspiration from YOU.
53 Daily Ways to Strengthen Marriage:
Have fun drawing closer to your spouse!
The basic idea is this:
Step 1: Go get a cheap calendar from the dollar store.
Step 2: Mark down all your special days--birthdays, anniversaries, even date nights. Any day you might already be celebrating or spending ample time together, you don't *have* to write down anything additional for that day. For example, Saturday nights are going to be our date nights this year, so I didn't write down anything else lovey-dovey for those days...it just wasn't necessary since we'll already be planning something fun.
Step 3: Write down something small every day of the whole year to do together--it doesn't have to be anything huge (see below), and you can ABSOLUTELY reuse ideas more than once! (We ended up with about 50 ideas, which ended up being rotated every two months.) In brainstorming ideas, I used a few online resources and mostly just thought of things that satisfy all the 5 "love languages," (since Paul and I have very different ones, we need to include a bit of everything!). After brainstorming ideas that have to do with touch, service, gift-giving, quality time, and words of affirmation, I just tried to rotate them as reasonably as possible (the gift-giving and service only had so many variations, but we still do a little of each a few times a month). I'll admit, since I'm a physical touch girl, we're doing a lot of that. ;) Also, in rotating things I had to make a few modifications--like only putting "pay each other a sincere compliment in public" on a day when I knew we would be together in public, or changing what we were "sharing" about each time so that the same conversations didn't keep happening over and over again. So, moral of the story--modify to be realistic to your family schedules, tastes, and lifestyle!
Step 4: Post it somewhere you will both see it every day, and make it happen! That's IT! This would be fun to put together as a date night activity--gettting your spouse in on the brainstorming is always a plus!
If you are stumped or stuck or just plain lazy (like *I* am, no judgment!), I'm including my list of marriage-strengthening ideas below. You will see a few repeats--that's because, like I said, there are only so many acts of service or compliments you can do/say. But I'm pretty pleased with the end result, anyway. So far, 2012 has been treating us awfully nicely. ;)
If you come up with your own ideas for friendship or parent-child relationships, though, let me know! :) I could always use more inspiration from YOU.
53 Daily Ways to Strengthen Marriage:
1. share a French kiss (or other "special" kiss that works for you)
2. find something free in your day that you can give to each other (flower, rock, etc.). be prepared to explain why you chose that item, though!
3. stare into each other’s eyes for two minutes, no looking away!
4. do one chore your spouse normally does today
5. share what makes you feel loved
6. share an extra-long hug before parting ways today
7. write each other a poem today and share it over dinner tonight (doesn't have to be a serious or publishable one, even a cute little couplet or limmerick will do!)
8. husband’s choice!
9. give each other 3-minute back massages
10. make a small, free or cheap gift for each other today (card, collage of things you've found in your day, a special meal, something practical, etc.)
11. play with or brush each other’s hair today
12. leave each other something special on the computer (note, picture, video, slideshow, etc.)
13. give each other 2-minute scalp massages
14. make coupon books for this week (3 things you'd like your spouse to do for you), and spend the rest of the week doing those things!
15. wife’s choice!
16. share an extra-long hug when you meet tonight
17. write each other a sincere love note today
18. make dinner together tonight (weekends, or a night you will actually be able to do this)
19. pick out a book to read together--and read a chapter each night until you've finished!
20. play footsie as you eat dinner tonight
21. dance to your special song tonight
22. pay each other sincere compliments in private today
23. work tonight to do a small random act of kindness for someone else
24. shower or bathe together
25. share where you see your life together in five years
26. Share a toast to each other over dinner tonight
27. hold hands tonight while doing something you ordinarily do
28. do one chore your spouse normally does today
29. plant something together in honor of your love for each other, and take turns nourishing it (call it your love cactus, or love fern, or love chia pet, or whatever!)
30. cuddle closely before sleeping tonight
31. do something to promote healthy living together (work out together, share an extra healthy meal/snack/dessert, stretch together, go for a walk, etc.)
32. heart attack each other today!
33. share a random fact about you
34. give each other 3-minute foot rubs
35. Send each other spicy/romantic texts/emails today
36. make(or buy) a special treat to share tonight
37. kiss “x” number of times today (especially good for special anniversaries, or dates, etc.)
38. play LDS spin the bottle (or just any question/conversation starting game, getting to know each other better) over dinner tonight
39. help shorten each other’s to-do lists tonight!
40. share a secret tonight
41. give each other 2-minute hand massages
42. create goofy pet names for each other and use them ALL day today
43. talk “very closely” about your day and try not to kiss
44. share a special touch today—anything goes
45. give each other 5-minute massages…anywhere goes
46. start a “service tag” that lasts all week
47. do a crossword, Sudoku, or other puzzle together
48. buy something small for your sweetheart today ($2 or less)
49. give each other 3-minute neck rubs
50. use dry erase markers to write little love notes on each other’s bathroom mirrors
51. share a 30 second kiss today
52. list 5 things you’d like to do together over the next week and focus this week on making your lists happen!
53. pay each other compliments in front of others today
Have fun drawing closer to your spouse!
Monday, January 2, 2012
New Year's Eve 2011-2012!
We had a nice, relaxing NYE here at home with Emilie. We went out earlier in the evening to one of our favorite restaurants, Hu Hot. They are SO good about nut allergies, we were really happy. Then we headed out for a house in Battle Ground that does their Christmas lights timed to the music of a radio station, but our car started smelling funky halfway there (it does that now, I don't know why) so we turned around and headed home instead. But it was still a fun night watching the ball drop and debating the merits (or lack thereof) of Lady Gaga...we had sparkling cranberry juice (Obi loved it, but Voodoo was scared of it and wouldn't drink any more), cheap poppers that spewed out paper bits and pieces (which Obi proceeded to eat before we could stop her...and Voodoo was scared of those, too), and sparklers INDOORS (which Obi also tried to eat, and Voodoo just watched in amazement most of the time). Not much to say, other than that we're happy and healthy and excited to get our 2012 on!
Here's the scrapbook page of our night. Incidentally, it's the exact same layout as my first week of Project 366. P.S., I'm doing my own project 366 this year, and I have all the digi pages already made up. SO if you like what you see, email me and I will get you a copy to use for yourself for free (it seriously makes the project SO easy...snap a picture, put it on the computer, then plug the picture in behind the page wherever you want it in any image editing program...paint.net is what I use since it's free, but of course photoshop is most digiscrappers' choice). Seriously, just let me know and I will get you an entire year's worth of scrapbook/project 366 pages already made up. :)
Here's the scrapbook page of our night. Incidentally, it's the exact same layout as my first week of Project 366. P.S., I'm doing my own project 366 this year, and I have all the digi pages already made up. SO if you like what you see, email me and I will get you a copy to use for yourself for free (it seriously makes the project SO easy...snap a picture, put it on the computer, then plug the picture in behind the page wherever you want it in any image editing program...paint.net is what I use since it's free, but of course photoshop is most digiscrappers' choice). Seriously, just let me know and I will get you an entire year's worth of scrapbook/project 366 pages already made up. :)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 Newsletter!
We just sent out our 2010-2011 Newsletter! If anyone wants a copy, let me know (email me at omadarland@gmail.com) and I will send it to you. Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
10 Things Tuesday: Cardboard Boxes!
Big or small, whether from packing and shipping or from merchandise you buy at the store, there are more than a few ways to reuse those cardboard boxes if you don't want to recycle them. Take a look!
10. Cars, rockets, fire trucks, etc! Didn't we ALL do this at least once when we were younger? It is so fun, yes, and even better, the kids can do all their own decorating!
9. Make a TV set that your kids can play news anchor in (or is my family the only one that ever did that?).
8. Make a pretty play kitchen! Instructions on how to do this HERE!
7. What about a nice castle? I would totally spray paint these to look sandy and have an indoors winter beach party!
6. Make a cute chair or two! FamilyFun tells you how. They are supposedly quite durable, and definitely easy for even the non-crafters among us! :)
5. How about making a locker? Could be a fun storage space for a tween's room!
4. Make a dollhouse! But beware...small pets might like it even better than your dolls!
3. I think I've shown this before, but how fun is this fake chimney for your kiddos' playroom?
2. For larger boxes, make a playhouse!
1. How about a lampshade? Use thin white paper or a pre-existing lampshade inside, and cut out your own shapes!
BONUS IDEAS:
* How awesome is this room divider? I think it's beautiful...and definitely more affordable than the real thing!
* Shape sorting game! Directions HERE.
* You can use cardboard to make your own furniture--these shelves are awesome!
10. Cars, rockets, fire trucks, etc! Didn't we ALL do this at least once when we were younger? It is so fun, yes, and even better, the kids can do all their own decorating!
1. How about a lampshade? Use thin white paper or a pre-existing lampshade inside, and cut out your own shapes!
BONUS IDEAS:
* How awesome is this room divider? I think it's beautiful...and definitely more affordable than the real thing!
* Shape sorting game! Directions HERE.
Well, what are you waiting for? :) Happy crafting!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
10 Things Tuesday: Christmas recycled crafts!
I'm going to take a break from searching this week, and instead review some of the crafts we've found that work great for the Holidays! Maybe in the middle of all your crazy parties and family get-togethers you and your kiddos can sit down and make a few!
10. Fake chimney, from old cardboard boxes!
9. Snowglobes, from old glass jars!
8. Ornaments, from just about EVERYTHING--lightbulbs, sticks, and more.
7. Magazine trees!
6. Pinecone trees!
5. I know this is a little late, but a cute advent calendar from a cookie sheet and magnetized bottle caps!
4. For your holiday dinners, how about a fork placeholder?
3. Check out this wreath, made from a hanger-circle and strips of plastic shopping bags!
2. This isn't *necessarily* a holiday craft, but if you make this soda can lantern with holiday patterns, it could be!
1. Seashell angel ornaments!
BONUS IDEAS!
*Again, not exactly a holiday craft, but if you filled this plastic bottle with water and holiday trinkets (tinsel, mini ornaments, or old Christmas earrings), it could be!
* Christmas candles, made from old tin cans!
* Christmas gifts for others--use safety can openers to open the BOTTOMS, then fill the cleaned-out cans with goodies and decorate for your friends!
* Cardboard tube candles!
* What about this Christmas choir? Some craft paper, TP tubes, old baby socks, and twine make this little choir the cutest carolers around!
Happy {holiday} {green} crafting! And Merry Christmas!
10. Fake chimney, from old cardboard boxes!
OR stick trees!
BONUS IDEAS!
*Again, not exactly a holiday craft, but if you filled this plastic bottle with water and holiday trinkets (tinsel, mini ornaments, or old Christmas earrings), it could be!
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