Lucy's Angry Birds Party

Lucy turns 4 years old tomorrow and this is her first friends party.  In years past we let her help blow out the candles on Ani's cake and give her a few token gifts.  Makes the already crazy holiday season a little saner.  But I thought this year she deserved more.  At her request we are having an Angry Birds party.  Jacob will tell you how much I love throwing parties, but how very stressed out I am before and during the event.  Ah well...  'Tis what it is.  Today I am detailing the plan and then I will fill in the rest later with all the pictures I snap.

Guests received a very simple and cute invite:

As guests trickle in I will have them choose a bird to color.  I will make a necklace/ sign thingy out of the bird picture and they will "be" that bird during the party.

I've got plastic easter eggs in a basket that I will show them and then we will set them somewhere to "stay safe".  Then I will play for them the short intro on the Angry Birds game that shows the piggies stealing the eggs and why the birds are so angry.  I think most of them are familiar with the game, but not sure.  While we watch that, I'm going to have Jacob sneak the eggs away and hide them all around in another room.

When we discover that our eggs are missing, we'll know exactly who did it.  I plan on having a wall set up with cardboard blocks and stuff and there will be green balloon piggies tied here and there through out the blocks.  We will play beanbag toss and take turns trying to hit the piggie faces through the cardboard.  (I know, it's kind of hard to imagine, but I will post pictures -- I promise!)

After we have battled the piggies, we will hunt for the missing eggs.  Then we will hear the doorbell ring (thanks in advance, Jacob!) and on the front porch will be a giant golden egg in a nest -- actually a pinata (where's the tilde key when I need it?) and we will bring it inside and smash it open traditional style.  I don't want a candy overload, so I just plan on having their goody bags inside.  Thankfully none of the goodies are breakable.  I found some super fun things on clearance over the last few months: silly bandz, glow glasses, robot bugs, and of course an egg and some angry bird stickers.  We'll have cake, open presents, and go home!  And hopefully that will be an hour and a half worth of fun.

 

Things that make me smile at 17

I found this journal entry when I was digging through an old box in the basement trying to find something else.  There isn't a date on it, but the following entry's date is March 18, 1994 so that would put me at 17.5 years old.  It is so totally random and strange for me to read, to try and recall my train of thought as I created this list.   Weird.

Things that make me smile (it looks like it originally said "happy", but for some reason I changed that)

country roads at night with no street lamps
Sunday afternoon naps
unused pencil erasers
vacuuming thick rugs
big mirrors
fuzzy caterpillars
laughing out loud
night drives
cashews
toe freckles
flannel p.j.s
tree houses
stretching
rest stops on long trips
red brick houses
two second tickles
clipped fingernails
french braids
sun dancing on the beach
bare feet
knowing I could be bad but not
blank looseleaf
getting the right spray on the hose nozzle by putting my thumb over the top
candle-shaped light bulbs
Big Bird wearing a red-striped tie
planting trees or flowers
singing in the rain
playing soccer with a basketball
scratching an itch and knowing fat cells are dividing (must have been an inside joke?)
touching my cheek to a cool pillowcase
blasting my favorite song in the car on the freeway with the windows down
finding animal tracks
old baby blankets
family home evening
spelling "tomorrow" right
using a coupon
giving and getting hugs
strange manilla envelopes
people who talk with their hands
new expressions
the spotted pony on the carousel
oscillating fans
hide-and-go-seek in the dark
meteor showers
signing a cast
my signature
scars and their "war" stories
worn-in shoes and worn-out jeans
call waiting
thunderstorms and lightning
the poof pillow
knowing how my body works
listening to foreign languages
Calvin ball
family sing-alongs
my parents' yearbooks and scrapbooks
sandwiches cut diagonally
cold pizza for breakfast
toast with honey butter
someone to cling to during a scary movie
long and flowing gypsy skirts
bowlers, sombreros, and tom sawyer hats
fiddle tunes and folk songs
blowing a spark to make a fire
craft shows
dreams remembered
talking about anything/ everything with a friend
waving to a stranger who waves back
the feeling I get when I'm on a long trip, it is night, we stop at a gas station and I feel us slow down but I don't know where we are because I'm half asleep (whew!)
freak dancing to African music (what the...?)
shooting rubberbands
tasting honeysuckle dew
smooth roads for "zipping" on
apples and peanut butter
carpet and peach fuzz
seedless grapes
compliments
partly sunny days
bike baskets
lemonade drink mix
cheesy smiles
Deep Thoughts on SNL
baby pumpkins and indian corn
finding a lucky penny
five leaf clovers
double print photos
clock faces
switching on a 3-way lamp until you know just one more will turn it off
the orange popping flowers (I remember these!)
communicating without words
grand finale fireworks
watching home videos in slow motion
using doilies to make valentines

Look what I did!

It is widely know that I am a DI-aholic.  I get such a kick out of other people's junk.  Today I am grateful for the generous soul who donated a fake fruit swag which, 2 bucks and 20 minutes later, became the focal point of the harvest-time wreath that now adorns my front door.  Gorgeous!

Before

After

 Or how about the nasty swivel barstool that got a bright, clean, cushion makeover?  While loving the chair, I secretly wish I had snagged the other barstool so that I'd have a matching pair.  Even though I have no room for a second barstool.  But the first has found a home in my craft area where it fits nicely.

Reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, reinvent, rejuvenate,...  Bring on the junk!

Lalaloopsy doll

I made this cute thing for Elena's birthday.  They sell the large Lalaloopsy dolls at Walmart for $25 and they are hard plastic - so NOT cuddly.  I thought I could do better.  Since she really doesn't know anything about the products line, I didn't have to design it after a specific character or anything.  So I just made it up as I went along.  I used this pattern on Etsy as my starting point and found tutorials on the internet for making doll hair.  The dress was a huge pain and totally improvised - no pattern, nothin'.  Not bad, if I say so myself.  I hope she likes her!

Quiet moment

Mary Ostyn is having a giveaway and challenged her readers to share a moment in the comments.  I'm a sucker for giveaways and so I commented.  But as I composed my response, I realized how grateful I was to have the moment that I did and then to have a reason to document it.  I also felt myself getting very emotional and had to choke back tears as I recalled my feelings.  I don't even care if I win anymore.  So I decided that it was definitely worth documenting here on my blog.  And I just wrote way too long of an intro, which is so characteristic of me, so maybe you should have skipped this part of the post and just continued on to the next paragraph...

"I’m really enjoying reading the others’ posts and I’m glad for your request because it forced me to reflect on this crazy week – that’s about as far back as I can even recall these days!

I have 6 kids, 2 of which came to us through foster care/ adoption, and one of them whom I have a hard time connecting with. It is so challenging for me to instinctively love her and I feel guilty and stressed about our relationship on a regular basis as a result.

Well this week, in the midst of our crazy after school schedule of homework and chores, she looked me in the eyes and quietly asked to sit on my lap. My first instinct was to brush her off with all my busy excuses, not necessarily wanting her chubby six year old weight on my tired legs. But I hesitated long enough to change my mind and beckon her over to sit. I was so glad I did, for as she sat, she leaned back against my chest and tilted her head to rest her cheek against mine. I gathered her in my arms and closed my eyes, feeling her soft breath and smooth skin. And I was surprised by the love that washed over me and enveloped the two of us in that quiet, quick moment before she hopped off my lap and ran off to play.

Thanks for letting me relive and document this moment."

Bountiful Baskets

Today is my second day participating in the produce co-op "Bountiful Baskets".  For about $16.50 you get a basket of fresh produce from local-ish farmer.  And you never know what will be in there, but it's all fresh and it's all good!  I also added a box of peaches, a box of mangoes, and 5 loaves of 9 grain bread to my order the first time.  The peaches were out of this world and the mangoes were yummy too, once they ripened.  I really like the bread.  The loaves are smaller then your average Wonder bread, but it is denser and healthier, so I don't mind one bit.  Comes out to $2 a loaf.  Here are some photos of my first order:

9 grain bread

Peaches

Mangoes

Cantaloupe, green grapes, eggplant, banana bunch, 4 peaches, 3 tomatoes, 9 red plums, lots of green beans, 2 heads of cabbage, 1 head of green leaf lettuce, and a sack of potatoes

I think it 's worth it.  It makes me try to find ways to feed the produce to my kids (hello eggplant?) and is a fun surprise.

This week's basket included:

1 lb sack of carrots, 1 lg cantaloupe, 9 tiny bosch pears, 2 heads of romaine lettuce, 16 medium potatoes, bunch of bananas, 2 green peppers, four lg tomatoes, 5 ears of corn, a sack of green grapes, and broccoli.  And I bought the bread again.  That's a lot of food!

This looked fun

Got this from Becky's blog:  "This a list that is going around blogland. A quick sneak peak into my life . . .(just the ones in bold) If you want to, feel free to use it too . . . just one rule,  bold the ones you've done in your life, and leave the others alone.  Enjoy!"



1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (How about Las Meninas at the Prado in Spain?)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported by ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

51 out of 99 ain't too shabby (although I'm not at all proud of #67...)