The ORANGE Party

Pup has a great imagination.  And a total obsession with the color orange.  So, when I asked him what kind of birthday party he wanted when he turned four, no silly cartoon character would do.  He wanted ORANGE.

So, we ran with it!

Orange plates.  Napkins with a candle and a giant orange flame.  Orange tablecloth.  Every orange toy we could find to use as decoration.  A complete orange menu of his favorite foods: corn dogs, spicy chicken tenders, mac and cheese, cantaloupe, carrots and orange bell peppers, and jello with little mandarin oranges.  To drink?  Orange pop.  And for dessert, a carrot cake with bright orange frosting carrots.  I even managed to find a candle with orange polka dots!

Pup was in heaven.  It was orange as far as the eye could see.  Even his presents were orange.  An orange lunchbox, orange outdoor toys and a huge box of orange snackfoods from Auntie H. 

It was a great party.  I think that smile says it all!

Tweet

Living the Dream

It seems the boat still floats, the kids still like to fish, and the dog likes to sun himself from the bow.  We're living the dream...

P.S. Would you believe Hubs took this picture with his cellphone?!?

Tweet

Starting a Collection

I'm not much of a collector.  First, I have four children...and the quantity of "things" they treasure and insist on keeping is always growing.  I'm forever purging their belongings, and the thought of bringing more unnecessary things into our house (especially while we're trying to sell it) is really ridiculous.

Second, I'm incredibly cheap.  I mean thrifty.  No, I mean cheap.  I love shopping, but I hate spending more than a couple dollars on anything.  In fact, that's kind of how this new collection of mine has started...

I love the look of vintage cameras.  Can't shoot 'em, but I think they look cool.  Don't have a place to keep them, but something about them just speaks to me.  Maybe it's that I can imagine all the places they've been and things they've seen. 

Nonetheless, I've toyed with collecting them before and never started.  I found one a few months back at a Goodwill, but they were asking a whopping $5 for it, still in the case, and I couldn't pull the proverbial trigger.  But, I've thought about that camera a million times; I've checked back at that shelf in the store every time I've been there since.  So, when I ran across this Kodak Instamatic 314 at another thrift store this morning, I didn't hesitate.

Of course, it helped that it was only a dollar.  It doesn't have a case and it's definitely broken, but I bought it anyway.  Broke the ice, so to speak.  I've discovered that this particular model is older than me, selling for $38 between 1968 and 1971.  Something totally nonsensical about that makes my heart go pitter-pat...

So, I still have too many things in my house, and it's still silly of me to start collecting anything (let alone broken relics of cameras).  But I'm gonna do it anyway.  Because it brings me joy.

Tweet

Summer Reading for the Kids

Hubs and I are trying something new this summer.  We're finding the current ages of our kids (roughly 10, 8, 6 and 4) a little challenging, and our house is still on the market, so we've decided that a good, concrete schedule is necessary for family sanity.

We've provided lots and lots of Free Choice time every day, but we're also including time for Creativity (drawing, inventing, pursuing musical interests), Exercise, Chores and Gardening.  Hubs will be working with each of them on Math skills and Science experiments, and I have time set aside for Read Alouds, Personal Reading and Bible Study.

Last year, we proposed a Reading Challenge for the boys.  They both earned their first level reward for it, but we had to nearly force them to "give up" some playtime to fit in their reading.  So, we're mixing it up.

Twice a week, I'll do Read Alouds with the big boys.  We've decided to start with Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl, and then an age-appropriate adaptation of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.

      

On the opposite days, I'll read with the younger set.  We're starting by working through my vintage set of Sweet Pickles books from my own childhood.  I'm hoping that the language is basic enough for Banana to begin to sound out words, too!

While I'm reading with the littles, the bigs are going to have Personal Reading time.  They'll be able to read books that interest them, but they're also be doing a lesson from the devotionals they've chosen for the summer.  They're both very excited about their picks, and I think they will each gain greatly from them!  C chose Devotions to Make You Stronger by Ed Strauss, and E picked Mission Possible: a 40-Day Adventure with Jesus by Chuck Swindoll.

       

And, what I'm probably most excited about, is the group Bible Study I'm doing with all four of them.  They expressed interest in learning about miracles, so after some searching, I landed on this workbook by Bill Johnson: Here Comes Heaven.  They were thrilled when I explained that it will teach us about using our power as believers to actually perform modern-day miracles!  I can't wait!

I'll let you know how it all goes!  Wish us luck!

(P.S.  All book graphics are linked, if you're interested in checking them out!)

Tweet

Cowboy Caviar

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, who probably got it from someone else, and on down the line.  Someone, somewhere, brilliantly invented it...but it wasn't me.  I do, however, really enjoy eating it.  And you should, too!

(2) 16 oz. cans black-eye peas

16 oz. can black beans

16 oz. can white corn

2 oz. jar pimentos

8 oz. can waterchestnuts

1/2 cup green pepper

1/2 cup onion

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sugar

Empty peas, beans, corn (you can use regular yellow corn, too) and pimentos into collendar and give 'em a good rinse.  Dice up the waterchestnuts, pepper, onion and celery, and mix it all together.  Dress with combined vinegar, oil and sugar.  Serve with tortilla chips or Frito Scoops for a fabulous appetizer!

Tweet

I Heart Faces: From a Distance Challenge

Football is a huge part of our lives.  Hubs has coached on and off for years, and with three sons (and a daughter who adores poms), it's likely to stick around for a while.  Son #1 was finally old enough to play in the rocket program last fall, so I have about a million pictures of his six games. 

In the absence of a better zoom lens, the shots all look start to look alike...so I had to get more creative with the composition.  I liked the way this turned out: framed by his teammates and the crisp fall foliage, the opposition intensely waiting for the snap of the ball.

Seemed like a perfect choice for the From a Distance challenge this week at I Heart Faces.

Waiting for the Snap

Tweet

The Lilypad Challenges

I've been hanging out over at The Lilypad a little bit lately.  It's a fab site with really friendly people, super designers and almost constant sales.  But one of my favorite things is the monthly challenges.  There are usually seven categories, ranging from product or journaling-oriented to templates and even a scraplift.  I have really enjoyed the direction, since I've been in kind of a creative slump.  Even better...you can earn store discounts for participation!

Here are some of the pages I've done for TLP challenges in April and May.  As always, click the picture to see it bigger...

April One-Word Challenge: Joy

Joy digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Paper: Summer Slushee by Rachel Young Designs; Stitching: String Stitches by Gunhild Storeide; Fonts: DauhnPen, Susie's Hand

April Product Challenge: Use a Bold Patterned Background

Orange Spiderman digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kits: Vintage Carnival and Play by Sahlin Studio, Summer Slushee by Rachel Young Designs; Staples: Gunhild Storeide; Font: Highland Perk

May Template Challenge

Fresh digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: Farmer's Market by Valorie Wibbens; Template: May 2011 Freebie by The Lilypad; Font: Underwood Champion

 May Journaling Challenge: A Special "Definition"

Grammy Soup digital scrapbooking layout by Chanell Rigterink Credits Digital Kit: Retro Techno by Cori Gammon; Frame: Doodley Borders by Sahlin Studio; Template: April 2011 Challenge Template by Sara Gleason for The Lilypad; Font: I Love Derwin

Tweet