Bullet Journals Part II

Here is a statement taken from bulletjournal.com

"Whether you’ve used a Bullet Journal for years or have never seen one before, The Bullet Journal Method will show you how to go from passenger to pilot of your life through intentional living."

Intentional. Living.

Intentional...

Living...

This has given me something to ponder.

Was there anything intentional about me eating so many store-bought frosted sugar cookies last night?

To deepen the wound, my four-year-old counted the empty slots in the plastic container and

asked "Mom, did you eat (embarrassing amount here that I'm intentionally leaving out) cookies?"

I unintentionally answered "no," because I was only half listening.

Hubby replied, "Don't lie Mom..."

and then I had to fess up...and laugh...when I realized he'd call me out on my crime.

I'm glad there's not a bullet journal graph for cookie eating. You would not be impressed...

or maybe you would be impressed but for all the wrong reasons.

There should definitely be some time set aside to think deeply, however, about whether or not you are a pilot in your own life... here are some bullet journal templates to help ensure that you are on the right track.

Point of View

"Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times."

--My friend Jenna doesn't adhere to that code.

On a recent short trip with her, we ended up on some back roads.

She saw a storm rolling in and tore off in that direction.

She does this frequently.

Maybe I should rethink who I consider my friends...

She has an amazing eye for photography.

I just had to share our varying perspectives.

Here is what I saw...

Here is what Jenna saw...

Insane, right?

What a gorgeous shot!

One more -- here is what I saw... 

 Here is what Jenna saw...

Maybe I can see why she can't help but heading towards the eye of the storm.

Is a creative mind a scary thing? Or a scary thing to waste?

I can't remember the old adage for certain...

How about this -- highly-creative seven-year-olds know how to put the fear in their mamas...?

G thought it would be a good idea to set up a tight rope walk.

Fortunately he showed me his setup BEFORE he tested it out.

I am seriously fascinated by the way his mind works... He has created makeshift go carts, lawn mowers, etc. in the past - but this circus act truly took the cake.

Get out the packing bubbles -- I'm wrapping him up.

Transportation Celebration

Lexington, Nebraska knows how to throw a party ya'll -- 

I mean, they really know how to throw it down.

This weekend we were invited by my sister-in-law to join her at Lexington's "Transportation Celebration."... this translates to "epic pretend driving party for little boys"

Picture a private airport with forty different types of vehicles and equipment... ambulance, police cars, boom truck, cement truck, tow truck, bus, tractor, combine, army truck, livestock pot trailer, backhoe, crane, etc.

I can't remember them all.

Then picture your kids being allowed to run free and pretend to drive any of the aforementioned vehicles/equipment.... it was a rush!!

We got down to kid-friendly music on the party bus!!

We learned what it felt like to sit in the back of a cop car...

...and how it felt to sit in the driver's seat!

We learned about ambulances...

We learned about cranes...

And it soon became very apparent that the favorite place to be

was the inside of the pot trailer...

Thank you so much to the Lexington YMCA for hosting a fantastic event..

and to my sis-in-law for inviting us!!

Neck tie up-cycled to... Neck tie?

Drum roll please!

Watch with amazement as an abandoned neck tie morphs before your very eyes into a....

different form of neck tie!!

That didn't have the ring I was hoping for... but check it out!

My wonderful, amazing, smart, beautiful (shall I go on?) mother

helped me make a vision come to life!

I'd seen this done online and was dying to give it a shot.

However, my sewing skills are...shall we say sub-par in comparison to my mama's.

So she helped me...er... um.. did it for me.

And look how adorable it turned out.

She did such a great job that I gave her twenty more neck ties!

Isn't she lucky?

I still believe in Iowa.

Iowa has had a tough few weeks...

but I don't feel sorry for Iowa.

I feel sorry for the families of the individuals affected by

the recent tragic events -- so devastating that I don't want to

tarnish my blog by mentioning any of the specific details.

I raise my kids here intentionally.

I LOVE this state.

I love how the seasons change.

I love how we rank in agriculture and cattle.

I love the beauty that can be found in the uncommon...rustic barns, bales of hay, baby calves...

and until recently I loved how safe I felt residing here.

I'm not giving up on humanity... not yet.

Without sounding like a corny country song... I still believe most people are good.

I still believe that the odds are in our favor to live a full life with minimal tragedy.

I still love Iowa and want to be buried in Iowa soil.

Mourn the losses.

Unite in love.

Believe in people.

Be the good.

Calling all List Junkies (Bullet Journals Part 1)

Raise your hand if you believe that Bullet Journals are all the rave.

Lift 'em higher... I can't see the ones in the back...

Have you heard about this craze?

If not, let me enlighten you.

If so, let me enlighten you regardless.

I am a self-proclaimed List Junkie. I live... L-I-V-E for lists, calendars, any form of paper-based organization. So when I came across images of Bullet Journaling, I had to know more.

I'm also a Journalism/Mass Communication/Visual Communication major. I love...L-O-V-E visuals.

The best and briefest definition I can give is this:

Bullet Journaling - The art of maintaining schedules, goals, lists and the likes using visual elements

Hmmm.... that wasn't great. How about I just show you instead. 

Photo credit : Teal Notes

Here are some that I have designed for personal use.

Is anyone else already journaling this way?

Would anyone be interested in downloadable templates? I have many more and will be continuing to add to the collection...

Let's talk about chalk bombs...

At our annual "Art at the Yard" event, a local business sponsored a sidewalk chalk area.

It was a lot of fun... and I was so appreciative of their donation

One of the items that was available for the kids to use were these nifty things called

Chalk Bombs.

They were fun. The kids could launch them at each other and they would

ignite in a "poof" of colored chalky powder upon contact.

My kids brought home an extra one...and recently, they rediscovered its "magic."

Hubby claims he turned his back for mere minutes...

and I came home to this...

I actually came home to this AND two little boys in time out chairs.
When I asked them why.... ("Why?!?!?")
They each responded that it was because it made the other one laugh.

I have no words.
...and they have no chalk bombs. :)

When Good Cross Stitch Goes Bad...

 My mama taught me how to cross stitch when I was younger. I loved it.

Until recently I hadn't cross stitched for years... 

but there are too many cute, snarky and hilarious patterns out there that are all the rage!

I created these from patterns I found online - I wish I could claim them as my original ideas, but they are not. Check 'em out!

If I get enough blocks put together, I'd like to sew a quilt or wall hanging.

Birth-Related Events

Whew! It's been a whirlwind of a long weekend for me!

I took a trip to Texas to visit family and while I was gone I 

missed a baby shower. I had offered to make center pieces for the shower

and since the theme was baby farm animals, here is what I came up with:

A combination of painted mason jars, burlap ribbon, printed and laminated cartoon farm animals, skewers and white dry beans. Wha-la -- baby shower check!

Next up - the perfect gift...

Since the soon-to-be dad and mom are avid Iowa State Cyclone fans as well as

cattle producers... I went with the obvious choice and designed them this tee shirt:

(Their last name is Schaben).

I paired it with an adorable cow book that I found at TJ Maxx.

Check. Check.

Lastly I needed birthday gifts.

The reason for the Texas trip was a combined birthday party for three sisters all born in the month of September. Their last name is/was McReynolds so here is the tee shirt design that I had printed up for them:

Check. Check. Check.

Time to party.

Personalized Seating

We were gifted some great hand-me-down stools for our breakfast bar...

and the kinds perch on them every day to enjoy toaster waffles and the likes.

(I never claimed to be Betty Crocker.)

The chairs were a light stain originally and this didn't match any of the mid-tone wood stains that we had used throughout our home... so I decided to chalky paint them.

I liked how they turned out - they added an accent color to our dining area.

I also decided to personalize them with our kids' initials just to give them a little more character. I used sticky letters and blue paint tape to create the above look.

Marsh & Candy

So, now that I've told you a little bit more about Marsh & Spice -- please, walk with me, as I embark on round two of this wild short story ride and allow me to introduce you to Candy...

Candy is a new character I plan on revealing in my newest book, entitled "Marsh & Candy."

(Rocket science, huh? You still with me?)

Marsh has decided he's "looking for love in all the wrong places."

(Better go blow the dust off your old VHS version of "Urban Cowboy now that I got that song stuck in your head...)

Marsh decides he has tried it all : 

But don't worry -- he is certainly a determined little guy.

You are now fairly aware of the book's premise... if you 

want to read the whole story, you'll just have to be patient with me.

"Marsh & Candy" will be coming to a blog near you soon.

Goal - End of October 

Marsh & Spice

So... what the heck is "Marsh and Spice?" you may be wondering.

And although I would not expect you to take a walk in my shoes -- to take a drive inside my mind -- in fact I would discourage it (for your sake),

I will do my best to explain...

Facts : 

I think marshmallows are adorable.

+

I had a strong desire to write/illustrate a book.

=

I concluded that a marshmallow would make a cute main character for a book.

Marsh was born...

Marsh needed a friend... so along come a spice jar called "Spice."

Throughout the book, the two unlikely friends navigate the ups and downs

of the corporate world.

The book is full of puns, subtle humor and obvious humor.

I think you will enjoy it... and while it is very "PG" and suitable for children,

my vision is actually that it will be gifted to bosses, coworkers, high school and college graduates, interns, etc.

 If I've at all peaked your interest, snag your copy today:

http://oddduckgiftscom.fatcow.com/store/index.html

Grandma is partly to blame...

...but you must realize I say that with love.

My boys spend a lot of time with their paternal grandmother.

She is the mother-in-law you wished you had -- just saying.

But she's mine and I'm not sharing.

When I say she is partly to blame, here is what I really mean.

She encourages play.

She encourages nature.

She encourages discovery.

She encourages messes.

She encourages learning.

She encourages facing fears.

In fact - the more I think about it - there are few things that she discourages, 

minus the obvious...rudeness, intolerance, etc.

Recently when I picked our little guy up from our house, he and Grandma were outside enjoying the day. They were on the back patio. Little Guy had an old kids-sized cowboy hat in his hand, flipped upside down, and he was filling it with acorns.

Grandma smiled. She was enjoying observing his resourcefulness.

The hat and the acorns were then brought to our house... where he proceeded to trail them inside the front door. When I asked what he was doing, he proclaimed that he was trying to "catch a pet squirrel."

I wonder if Grandma encourages feral pets. I love that woman.

Stitch Kits

Oh to be a kid again...

What I mean is... aren't we all guilty of purchasing toys for our kids that deep down, if we are being honest, we truly desire to own ourselves?

It's a little tricky for me to navigate this.

I want to buy my kids mosaic tiles, cutesy notepads and art supplies.

They want tanks... weaponry... really anything related to death...

but I digress.

Where were we?

Ah yes... stitch kits.

I visited my favorite local lumberyard, where I purchased a sheet of standard brown pegboard,

and asked their very charming and enthusiastic (*sarcasm) employee Keith if he would be a dear and cut it into small squares for me. He obliged... grumble, grumble. Sometimes Keith doesn't see my visions... but I like him anyway.

Back home, I got on Photoshop and created several patterns -- my "vision" was that kids could stitch these patterns onto the pegboard squares using colorful shoelaces.

Here are some examples of the patterns I came up with:

...and here are some of my favorite kids (and borrowed kids) giving the product a test run: