October 21, 2009
–noun
| def. | a group of attendants or associates, as of a person of rank or importance: The opera singer traveled with an entourage of 20 people. |
*On another note, I think I now see why we were getting a lot of stares in Southern CA. Wow. Do we really have 4 kids?*
October 15, 2009
We just got back from our long weekend in California and I have to say, we are already thinking ahead to when we can visit there again. The wedding was beautiful, the beaches were lovely and the weather was perfect. Best of all, we got to spend time with relatives that we hadn’t seen for years (or ever in my kids case). I have lots of pictures and stories to share after we get a little more settled, but this picture seemed to sum up the mood of the trip for me; breezy, mellow, happy and colorful…
October 8, 2009
This has been a crazy week trying to plan and get ready for the many events I have going on right now. I have girls scouts to entertain, church parties to decorate for, parent-teacher conferences to attend, a filthy van to clean out and 6 people to pack for. As of tonight, I’ll have 2 down, 4 to go. Believe me, by Saturday night I will be one tired Momma.
Don’t get me wrong. These are all things I love doing, it’s just with all of my busy-ness, I don’t feel like I have been able to be the kind of friend I like to be for my friends lately. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t pass up buying this card at the store today…
Now, if you know me, and you have called in the last week ever, you are probably nodding your head and laughing at this. If you don’t know me, but are a mom, dad, grandparent or day-care provider I’m sure you all understand too! I could think of at least 5 people that I wanted to send this to, so I thought it might be easier to post here and let it be considered an open invitation to anyone who might be worried that I’m too busy to chat.
I’m never. ever. too busy for you, my friends. I just might have to clean out my closet for you first…
Happy almost Friday!
October 5, 2009
Over the weekend, Maddy, Miranda and I finished my centerpiece I had started last Thursday at my card group.
It all started with a cheap satin witches hat and some fun accessories: we have ribbon, flowers, a crow, some beaded “twigs” and a big spider from Michaels. Some skulls, a skeleton and mini spider rings (with the ring cut off the back) from the dollar store, and some feathers, glittery pom poms and netting from my friend Shenise who gave me this great idea.
We then got busy sewing some satin flowers, “blinging out” the spiders and skulls with some mod podge and Martha Stewart glitter and figuring out the placement for all of our decorations.I think I used at least 5 hot glue sticks putting it all together…
And here is the finished product! Isn’t it great? I may have gone a little overboard with all the “stuff”, but now there is a little something for everybody on it. The flowers for me, Jake picked the sign, everything shiny for the girls, and Patrick likes the skeleton and skulls. (such a boy!)
We had a relaxing weekend for the first time in a long time which was a good thing as this little project took quite a bit of our time. Now it feels a little more like fall here in the land that doesn’t get cold. We had lots of fun and can’t wait to do more crafty projects.
The girls’ favorite part?… playing with glitter and making some new rings!
So what fun things did you all do over the weekend?
*See Alys’ hat here*
October 3, 2009
I don’t think I have ever gotten excited about Halloween decorations in the past, but after starting my little centerpiece (pictured above) last night, I think I might be hooked! Maybe it’s just because I got to play with mod-podge and glitter at the same time. Nothing like having teeny glitter all over your hands (and face, clothes and everywhere else) to get you in a festive mood. I’m so glad I have creative friends who hold my hand through projects like these. I seriously don’t know how all of you creative people come up with original ideas. Really. You all have crazy abilities to make dollar store items look like something Martha Stewart would sell for fifty bucks. I salute you.
I had to go to three stores this morning to get all the proper bling to finish out my project. Have you noticed that if you try and buy cute craft items less than a month before the upcoming holiday you are way behind? and the best/cheapest stuff is totally picked over and it’s only October 2nd? I hadn’t until today. Wow! The crafting world is a whole different breed of people. You know, the kind that actually plan ahead and all that.
I actually felt like I had an upper hand today though. I have been all over the crafty-blog scene recently and was able to buy some things ahead, knowing exactly what I would use them for. Again, another first for me. For example, while in the dollar store I found the exact sign used in this post and so I snagged a few. Now I have a fun craft for me and my girls to do over the weekend while we watch conference. Well, after I finish up my witches hat of course. Oh, and all of the other sewing projects I have started. Good thing that fall break starts next week!
While I’m pretending to be all crafty, I’ll go ahead and post some pictures of last months card swap. I know how all of you love the card pictures! September’s theme was masculine/blank, but as you’ll see, some of us just don’t do masculine.
Don’t I have talented friends? I have to say, some of my favorites this month were the non-masculine cards, so you won’t hear me complaining about going against the theme. Well done girls!
I actually had a hard time doing a masculine card this time as well. Mine was very simple like last time. . . maybe even a little too simple, but it’s hard to embellish a card and keep in looking manly at the same time. I liked it enough to make a few extra for those times when you need a basic blank card. (If you are in my world, you end up needing those more than you think you would!)
Now that baby Geoffrey is 3 months old I feel like I am settling into more of a routine where I’m not afraid to make a little mess completely destroy the house in order to do some fun projects. I know that eventually I will find the time to clean it up. Eventually. I have a lot more projects up my sleeve, so don’t be surprised if you see lots more posts like this. I’ll try to do some tutorials for some cards and such. And I’ll even start posting the pictures on flickr for easy reference and your crafting enjoyment. I’m good like that. But I’m not fast these days, so it may be a slow process. Be patient with me, mmkay?
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Why don’t you ensure some of your friends have a wonderful weekend too by validating? Just a thought… 
October 1, 2009
This is my third attempt at writing this post outlining my goals and hopes for this project. I have tried writing about all of my influences, why I feel so passionately about this idea and why everyone should participate, etc. but I think we’ll have much more to discuss after the experiment gets started. Instead I’m just going to put it all out there and then you can take from it what you want. Okay? Great. Let’s get going!
Here’s what you’ll do if you choose to participate:
That’s it! It’s easy, it’s free and it will bring some sunshine to many people. So get out your address lists and get going! Thanks to you all who share positive messages all the time, like this video. If you didn’t this idea would not exist. . . Please share your stories and updates as you go. I would love to post some stories (anonymous or otherwise) here during the next few months.
If you haven’t already seen the video that inspired this project I posted it for you below. I think I have watched it ten times now. It gets better and better. {The above photo is there simply because it makes me smile}
Good Luck and Happy Validating!!!
September 29, 2009
Last week I unintentionally interrupted my friend giving a piano lesson. She came to the door and we spoke briefly so she could get back to teaching. The little girl at the piano looked over her shoulder, then ran over and gave my 8-year-old a big hug, then without a word went right back to the piano bench and started playing again. I didn’t recognize the girl and assumed it was a friend from school.
Later that night I was sitting with my family at a local restaurant when my 5-year-old darted from the table to greet one of her little friends who was walking in. I don’t think either of them said a word. They giggled, hugged and just smiled at each other. As Miranda sat back down at our table, I asked her who the little girl was. “One of my best friends from school.” “Really? I asked. What’s her name? “Hmm. I don’t know” she said shrugging.
I have been witnessing scenes like this quite a bit from my daughters and I can’t help but be moved by the easy and simple love shared between them and their friends. Not only that, but I’m learning that to them the term “friend” is pretty much anyone that they recognize from the playground. How wonderful to be young and unapologetic in the giving of your affections.
With that in mind, I have had this video in my thoughts ever since I watched it a few weeks ago, and now I can’t get a certain project idea out of my head. (If you haven’t seen this video, you should. During this time of political debates and general disrespect to our fellow man, this seems especially timely). As I have learned from past experience, it does me no good to ignore these bits of strange inspiration. I don’t have time to share now, but check back tomorrow for an experiment I have been conjuring up in my little brain and can’t wait to get started.
Speaking of little brains; I’m going to keep an eye on these two. I think they have a lot more to teach me…
September 16, 2009
No time to post today, but Patrick picked this just for you…
and he fetched the paper for me too. What a great little helper I have!
Happy Wednesday everyone!
September 9, 2009
It’s time to start getting our garden ready for planting and Patrick’s all ready and excited. However, with temperatures still in the hundreds, I’m not sure that I am!
Happy Wordless Wednesday everyone. Go here for more WW entries.
September 5, 2009
“It’s time to grow.”
Someone I respect and admire said this to me the other day and I knew exactly what he was talking about. It is time. Time to reinvent myself and start anew. Again. It seems like every 6 months or so I go through a sort of metamorphosis that helps me get a little bit closer to the person I am striving to become. Every change is a small step forward. With an emphasis on small. It seems to be a very long process.
This week I feel like I took 3 steps backwards. I didn’t spend quality time with my family in the ways I wanted to. I didn’t stick to my workout schedule. I let myself get caught up in issues that really, are quite unimportant in my life, especially in regards to my goals. To be concise, I fell short. I am better than this…
Though it’s frustrating, I’m glad I’m aware of these setbacks as it gives me a bit more motivation to work harder and not repeat the same mistakes. As I’m coming up on my second year of this blog, I find myself reading old entries and reminiscing all that has aspired during that time. I have to say, I am proud of my personal growth and the positive changes in my life that have come despite all of my shortcomings. No doubt there is some direct correlation there.
Another thought I had while reading all the comments I have received was just how much I love my readers. I don’t care if that sounds cheesy, it’s true. When I see the familiar names, and get to know the new ones, I have a very vivid picture in my mind of who you all are. I see your blogs, your pictures, your words in my head, and I feel like I know so much about you. That is why I truly love the blogging world. Writing is so personal. Everyone has their own style, talents, quirks, passions; it’s a great little community where differences are appreciated and often celebrated.
With all these things in mind, I decided during this particular self transformation that I am going through, it was high time for me to share something a little more personal. My name. When I started this blog, I was not sure what to expect and was a little leery about how much information to put out here. But most of you who come here regularly know it already, and it seems like the right time to make that change. So…
“Hi, my name is Karolee. I live in Arizona, I am LDS and I have a wonderful family, great friends and a fulfilling (sometimes crazy) life. And J? Yeah, that’s Jake. My husband and best friend for the last 11 years. Madeline (Maddy) is my oldest who just turned 8. Miranda is my precocious 5 year old. My 3 year old ‘Pitter Patter’ is actually Patrick, (though we often do call him by his nickname) and our newest edition is 2 month old baby Geoffrey.
Nice to meet you”…
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