orange you glad for coffee? :: personal story

when my son was learning about "knock, knock" jokes, i would always tell him the same one:

knock, knock

...who's there?


orange


...orange who?


orange you glad i told you a joke?


after that, he involved the word orange in every joke he told and most of them didn't make any sense at all.  we started using "orange" in normal conversations around my house to help him understand the punchline.

orange you happy you don't have to do chores today?

orange you hungry for breakfast?

then it became this ridiculous inside joke and i started drawing faces on his oranges i would pack for school.  on the back, i will write...  orange you happy i made you lunch?.

i'm convinced that this sort of behavior is normal as long as you have children.  i'm not sure who i'll blame once they're grown.

anyway, this slow monday morning, all i can think about is... orange you glad for coffee?

paper tree :: holiday decor dyi

we have never had vaulted ceilings before.   i am loving all the space above our kitchen cabinets to decorate!  i have decided to create a christmas forest display.   my sparkly cousin made some of the glitter trees for me.   i think my paper trees are a good addition to the collection.   i still have plenty of room left up there though... more holiday tree tutorials coming soon!

new use for an old wreath :: holiday decor

new use for an old wreath:  centerpiece base.  love it.

treasure soap :: project idea for boys

i sometimes have a hard time coming up with homemade gift ideas that my sons can give as gifts.  good gifts anyway - not just a colored picture or a jackson pollock imitation painting.  it is also equally as hard for me to shop for grown men like uncles, brothers, etc.   most men i know want very little and when they do want something, they go buy it themselves.

so.   i was thrilled that our homemade treasure soap worked out.   it smells super yummy, contains a fun surprise, and encourages my children to make gifts using their talents. (not that this takes a lot of talent).

instructions for treasure soap:

1. melt glycerin soap base cubes in a microwave save bowl for 30 seconds.  stir and keep heating at 30 second intervals, careful not to burn.
2. poor liquid soap into a mold of choice.
3. add aloe, and a scented oil.  we used wood cedar so it would smell masculine.
4. drop a treasure into the liquid slowly and carefully so it's doesn't splash out.  be sure to place your object up-side-down so that when the soap is finished, the object is facing the right way.
5. let dry and harden for an hour, then pop out of mold.

custom toy portrait :: gift idea

the paintings have arrived! jen did an amazing job, don't you think? i am so so so excited to see the look on the boys' faces when they open up these for christmas.

glitter gift wrapping :: project idea

prepping for the holiday has begun at our house.   cue the glitter.

december 2011 :: free desktop wallpaper

to download your free desktop background, click on the image above. then right click and save.

happy december friends!