Routine

"The body itself is to reveal the light that's blazing inside your Presence." 

-Rumi

Open the door to your true self- let the world see you!

Gift for a Teenager

Gifts for teenagers don't have to overpriced purchases from Hollister and Abercrombie. Take note of their bedroom decor and make a personalized gift that will enhance their sacred space.

This is the throw pillow that I made for my teenaged niece. Her bedroom colors are black, red and white and I knew she'd love this printed fabric. It's sophisticated and not too girly. I cut the fabric in triangles and then sewed them together to make squares and then pieced it together in a pleasing pattern.

Routine

You are amazing!

Muddy Buddy- Great gift!

Many of you might be trying to come up with a quick and easy gift for your children's teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week. This recipe is so simple and delicious! We made it as a holiday gift for our two boy's teachers and because it's non-holiday specific it's fantastic to make any time of year.

You can find the recipe here.

Make a batch and package in small plastic bags with a note of thanks!

Routine

Cultivating patience is hard work.

Girls Night Out- Painting!

Are you looking for a fun activity to do with your girlfriends? Tired of going out to bars or nightclubs where it's too loud and you leave with a sore throat from shouting to have a conversation?

In Hyattsville, MD Wet Your Palettes recently opened. Shortly after opening they offered a Groupon. I am a sucker for Groupons, this time it proved to be worth it.

You can bring a bottle of wine to enjoy while learning step by step instructions from a local artist. Every person in the class makes the same painting. On the website you can reserve your space based on the painting that will be completed.

My friend and I had a wonderful time. We spent 2 hours, laughing, talking while enjoying being creative and we walked away with a beautiful picture to remind ourselves of the evening. I'll definitely do this again for a fun girls night out! This would also make a great gift for a friend that already has everything, an evening out with while experiencing something different and creative.

Valentine's Card: worst craft ever continued....

Oh remember that horrible craft project I was telling you about with the melted crayons?

Yeah well I forgot to tell you WHY I made them. 

Valentine's day treats for each of my son's classes, oh yes that's right.... 51 of those time-sucking-trippy-crayons.

Remember DO NOT attempt this craft. It sucks!

But the bags I made to go with them were pretty cute. I used The Long Thread's free valentine's printable. 

Routine

In every ordinary moment.... I am thankful for my family.

For the joy and the messes they create.

Melted Crayons- worst craft ever!

Have you ever made one of those crafts and half way through the production you ask yourself "why am I doing this?". If you are an avid crafter, I know this has happened to you!

Or maybe afterwards you total up your receipts and discover that you could have purchased the exact item you just made for half the price?

I am not going to tell you how to make these crayons because I don't want you to make the same mistake I made. Oh sure they are cute and the kids love the trippy colors...but it's not worth your time or the money!

I spent $14 dollars on plastic molds that I now can never use for anything else. This project ate up an entire afternoon of just baking, several evenings were spent tearing the paper from each broken crayon to the point that my thumb nail was separating from the nail bed- ouch!

Do not try this at home. Just buy your kids a 64 count box of Crayola crayons and call it a day.

New Responsibilities

We have two dogs, one large and one medium hound type dogs. 

Our dogs are horrible and I mean horrible walkers. They pull you in opposite directions or will both go charging for a squirrel which results in your shoulder feeling like it's been pulled out of it's socket.

When our nine year old son, Logan, started asking if he could walk the dogs we were really hesitant. 

Every evening we take the dogs for a walk, typically the boys are on their scooters way ahead of us but lately Logan has been interested in walking and requesting to hold a leash.

So we tried it, what's the worse that could happen - right?

Well it was as if our eldest and larger dog knew that he had to be gentle, he didn't pull Logan and walked better for him than he does for my wife or I. Logan takes great pride in this new responsibility and I think really enjoys having a more mature chore around our house.