Take Twelve - March

Late last night I finished my third page for the "Take Twelve" challenge series presented by Ella Publishing Co.

For January and February -- one weekday and one weekend day -- I just used the 12 photos to show the progression of our day. For March, I decided to change up the plan a bit. Since my birthday is in March, I made my "Take Twelve" about me, instead of just what we did that day. I took pictures of some of my daily habits and chores, as well as details like what I wore and where I went, and along the way just snapped pictures of things I liked. At the end of the day, as I looked through my photos, I decided to make my March Take Twelve simply about things that are making me happy right now, for any reason. I like that this way still gives a glimpse of our day and our lives right now, but with a little twist from the last two months.

I used papers and elements from assorted packages from Crystal Wilkerson since her colors and patterns always fit with my idea of happy. 

I'm looking forward to April 12th. It'll be nearly spring break time, and I'm curious to see what story my 12 photos will tell then.

Making Leprechaun Mischief

As a child I was fascinated by the idea of tiny leprechauns living among the clover. Now I find joy in inviting the leprechauns to make mischief in our home on the night before St. Patrick's Day. My kids share my fascination and are thrilled to discover the mischief the leprechauns make. They have even set traps to try to catch a leprechaun and his gold, but alas, the little men are too quick!

Naturally if leprechauns are visiting, our Christmas elf, Sprinkles, would want to join in the fun and get a chance to check in on the boys. Here's a peek at the mischief we enjoyed last year when Sprinkles teamed up with the leprechauns to cause mayhem in our home:

Want to join the leprechaun fun? 

Here are a few ideas for making leprechaun mischief in your home:

• Use food coloring to turn the milk green.
• Use food coloring to tint the toilet water.
• Use a food coloring pen to color the sandwich bread for lunch.
• Cut shamrock shapes out of the waffles for a breakfast surprise.
• Sprinkle sparkly "leprechaun magic" (aka confetti) about the house and yard as evidence of their visit.
• Make a few tiny hand and foot prints with green markers (think tile floors, light switch plates, or the metal door frame for easy clean-up).
• Color or write notes on the mirrors from the leprechauns with green markers. 
• Hang green party streamers across doorways or wrap it around chairs, banisters, etc.
• Hide blocks, tennis balls or coins inside shoes. 
• Mix things up -- turn over a chair, mismatch the shoes or socks, pull open the dresser drawers, turn jackets inside-out.

If you have leprechauns who visit your home, be sure to share their mischief in the comments.

Simple Things 10

A simple pot of sauce on Sunday.

Whenever I make a pot of tomato sauce, particularly on a Sunday, I feel like my grandmother, my Nanny Gin, is near. She passed away 12 years ago, but when I make a pot of sauce, I feel a connection to her and to her traditions of loving her family and gathering them together for a delicious meal. This connection is made stronger by the fact that the table we gather around is the same table she had in her kitchen.

We enjoyed this sauce last Sunday over pasta, and ate by candlelight, just because. The sauce, the candlelight, the table, the meal -- all simple things made special.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" with Rebecca Cooper at Simple as That.

Simple Things 9

A Friday night dinner at the diner. This guy loves his "feast" at the diner -- scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, toast, and home fries. He makes egg sandwiches with the toast, dips his bacon into the syrup, and picks at every last bit of egg on the plate. He lets me share the home fries, and will often give Joey a piece of bacon. A simple meal. A simple joy watching him enjoy it with such concentration.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog, Simple as That. 

Simple Things 8

I am still trying to narrow down my one Simple Thing for this week to one photo + story. So for now, I'm going to record both.

On Thursday, I had the day off with the boys and we had a morning playdate with one of their school friends to ride bikes at the beach. Incredibly, it was about 60 degrees in February in Connecticut. The boys were delighted to race around on their bikes again, and I enjoyed catching up with a mom friend.

On the way home, we got sandwiches from our favorite deli to eat at home. They had some ninja play, then we were off to another playdate at a playground with another school friend. Tired out, we stopped for smoothies, then watched the latest episode of Ninjago the three of us together on my bed. All in all, a pretty perfect day with my little guys.

On Saturday, while my little ninjas/jedis/knights were busy playing downstairs with Daddy, I got to enjoy some creative time upstairs in my craft room (aka my bedroom). Just nice to spend some quiet, crafty time alone.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog, Simple as That. 

Simple Things 7 | A Simple Saturday

We wanted to take advantage of the mild February day with a walk at the beach for the four of us. Our dog must have thought it was a good day for the beach too, since she insisted on getting into the car, much to the boys' delight.

 

Indy Pup is 10 years old and has diabetes, and in the past, has not always been the most obedient walker. But Saturday she was well-behaved and seemed to take delight in all there was to explore at the beach. So much so that we took her back on Sunday. You could tell she was happy, and as Joey said, she had "her smiley face on."

 

It was a good trip for all of us with simple things to enjoy -- climbing the rocks, throwing stones into the water, and drawing in the sand. 

Such a simple way to enjoy a Saturday for everyone, even Indy Pup.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog, Simple as That. 

February Take 12

I did it! I finished my second "Take Twelve" layout and did it in less than a week after taking the photos, just in time for Ella Publishing Co.'s deadline for sharing.

Papers, tab label and heart are all from "A New Day" by Sweet Shoppe Designs,
offered as a free download from the Ella Publishing Co. blog two years ago.

It was helpful to work on this with a deadline. I may not be 100% sure about this layout, but it's done now, and it makes me happy to see a second set of 12 photos capturing our life in 2012.

(Hmm, just noticed that download was offered on February 17, 2010 -- exactly two years ago. Thank you Ella for the inspiration to "take twelve" and the previous download to make the layout easier!)