A Silk and Wood Childhood~ and a Giveaway!
/Mary Beth had an interview the other day for a babysitting job. The little girl, around three, had a bright, colorful collection of playsilks. Mary Beth made quick work of those silks, neatly tying them into beautiful gowns and fluttering capes. And, almost instantly, they were fast friends. Mary Beth is a playsilk master because playsilks are very much a part of our every day work and play. Our home is filled with silk and wood and lots of tools to fuel the imagination of children and the grownups who love them.
We've made silks into bridal gowns, hung them from soccer goals, strung them between the trees as banners, draped, caped, and escaped in them. We love our silks!
You can imagine how delighted I am to welcome Sarah's Silks as a sponsor.
I've got a thing for Sarah in silk:-).
Playsilks are incredibly verstile, amazingly beautiful fabrics that are pure fodder for imagination and glee. At Sarah's Silks, you'll find a wide assortment of silks in different shapes and sizes and lots of suggestions for how to use them. You'll also find simple, beautiful costumes that beg to be brought to life by children still eager to infuse playtime with wonder.
Playsilks make a lovely drape over a nature table. They are the perfect backdrop for small doll play and they serve infinite uses in a playhouse.
Sarah's Silks is offering a free star print mini-silk to everyone who places an order of $50 or more. Just enter the code FAMILY at the checkout. These would make a very nice drape on an advent table.
But wait; there's more!
This beautiful pink fairy dress will make one lucky little girl smile. To win it sign up at Sarah's blog to receive a newsletter or become a fan on Facebook. Then leave a comment below and tell me how sweet these silks are!
Have a happy imagination kind of day!
Crisis Management in the Laundry Room
/ESPN has 24 hours of non-stop basketball airing right now. In honor of pre-seasons that work just as well as post-seasons, I'm returning to this laundry strategy. For 24 hours straight--because I'm certain it will take that long:-)
How to Climb Mount Never-rest
This post is for people who have giant mountains of laundry in their houses. It is a not a post about how to have a sensible, workable, successful laundry system. Other women have written about those, women who are wiser, women who are more disciplined. This is about crisis laundry. I am a woman who has a very bad laundry situation.
After a few weeks of intense basketball playoffs and tournaments that collided with soccer season and a string of unexpected doctor appointments and my failure to work one of those brilliant systems, I have twenty loads of laundry to do. So here's what to do (because, well, I've been here before, so I know what to do).
Bring all the dirty laundry to one location, preferably somewhere out of the main traffic areas of your house. This is not a short-lived operation. Yesterday, I had Patrick carry all our dirty laundry to my large master bathroom. Sort the laundry. This is laundry triage. The first pile is "Daddy's Laundry." All of Daddy's clothes go there and they are washe
d first. The second pile is towels. These are the second to be washed. That means that when Daddy gets home, all his clothes will be clean and he will have his choice of clean towels. If he ignores the piles in his bathroom, he can operate under the illusion that laundry is all caught up and his wife is an exemplary homemaker.
Then there is a pile of jeans. Everyone's jeans (except Daddy's) go in this pile. It gets washed third and we can know with certainty that everyone will have bottoms to wear very soon. Then, there are piles of lights, darks, pinks, sheets, and dishrags. I confess to have already washed all diapers before the grand laundry project began.
Laundry moves from the bathrooom to the washer and then the dryer and then ends up in the family room. The only exception is that first load of Daddy's Laundry. That gets taken back upstairs and put away immediately (remember the illusion?). As we progress through the piles upstairs, the pile downstairs grows. By the time the first game of the NCAA basketball tournament begins, there is a healthy pile of clean clothes on the couch.
You tell a bunch of eager boys that the only way they will be allowed to sit here in front of the television and watch hours of basketball is if they fold clothes. Timeouts are for the putting away. It works. They fold. They put away. You are quite sure you are a genius. At the end of the first day of March Madness, you only have 15 loads left.
And then the baby throws up in the van on the way to soccer practice. Your mind lurches in fast motion. More sheets in your future. More towels. Several changes of baby clothes. How many people will throw up? Where will they throw up? How much more laundry will they create? Stinky barfy laundry will move to the head of the triage piles. And it will not wait its turn in the master bathroom--ew.
Dear Lord, thank you that it's only the first round of the tournament. Thank you there will be almost endless games all weekend. Thank you for an abundance of clothing, for high efficiency washers and dryers, for laundry detergent and Mrs. Myers lavender dryer sheets. And God, thank you for basketball, for oh-so-many reasons.
Sponsor Introduction and a Giveaway
/Please help me warmly welcome Lynn from Inspired Baskets by La Bella. I've asked Lynn to share with you a little about herself and the sweet little shop she has going.
From the time I started working, I remember writing up little business plans for my future "gift basket" business. It sounded lovely and creative and fun, but real life comes with words like capital, inventory and marketing... well, my little backroom basket business never materialized. (I've come to find out there are quite a few others like me!) Fast forward about twenty-ahem-years and my business finally found me. Now I am an "older" mom of 3 kids under 9 with a hectic load and still a need to contribute to the family income. I found a way to have an online gift basket store and I'm exploring the new world of internet marketing, but also building wonderful friendships with people from everywhere, thanks to my store. My creativity is exercised in finding new ways to connect with people, and offering gift consulting services to those who need help finding something special. I'm also able to mentor others who, like me, want to have that gift basket business at home, and I truly enjoy seeing them succeed. In all of this, it's my hope to use my business to share the light of Faith with everyone I serve, in some small way. If you're my customer, you can count on my prayers!
Inspired Baskets by La Bella is my online gift store home. Since I’m a Catholic homeschooling mom who needs to work from home, it’s been such a blessing for me to partner with La Bella Baskets, a wonderful company that supports and fulfills orders for my business, so that I’m able to help my family, but not get bogged down in the details of production. I’m “inspired” to offer warm and attentive service and to help busy people eliminate the stress of running around town, assembling, wrapping, packing and shipping a gift. My store offers the largest gift basket selection you can find online – over 300 choices for every person and occasion on your gift list, with flat rate shipping all over the continental U.S. The baskets are really filled with good quality items, not lots of paper filler! Other selections include delicious shortbread cookie bouquets, fresh flowers, and baby items with free personalized embroidery – just to name a few. We also offer a 30% off corporate memberships for companies with volume gift needs, and we can set up online fundraisers for organizations as well.
Christmas items will be added in the next few weeks!
I love gift baskets. My very favorite baskets ever were left for us in a charming cottage that a very generous hostess offered to us when we traveled to New York for a family reunion. Unfortunately, our hostess was on the other side of the country during our stay, but she very thoughtfully sent two huge baskets of fun to the cottage for us to enjoy during our stay. It was such a thoughtful and very personal touch and we enjoyed them immensely.
Lynn wonders what your favorite baskets have been? Fruit, flowers, fludge? Leave a comment and let her know and follow her on Facebook and you will be entered to win a very special prize for the heart of your home. Lynn writes, "For your lovely readers, I will offer the winner her choice of one of our 6 Premium Scented Candle Gift Sets. The set includes 3 round votives, a votive holder, a 13 oz. octagon pillar, and a 7.5 oz. tumbler (jar candle). Total burn time is up to 180 hours. The scent choices are aromatherapy, fruit, floral, bakery, coffee or Holiday. Check out the details here."
Oh, I love candles, don't you?
Follow her on Facebook and leave a comment here, letting us know what your favorite basket delivery. Giveaway winner announced here next Monday.
UPDATE: For those who aren't on Facebook, Lynn also has a blog where she posts similar topics related to gift baskets. You can follow there!! Also, the early-November special of 10% off all items, has been extended until Nov. 30th. You can pre-order and schedule delivery for any time - great for holiday gift planning. Be sure to enter the code NOV10 at checkout!
On Monday Morning
/I find myself:
::noticing God's glory
I planted sweet blue pansies a few weeks ago and they look at me--all cheerful little faces turned to the sun-- and promise me that they are hardy fellows and will do just fine when the weather isn't so kind. Some people are roses; I think it would be fine to be a pansy.
::listening to
Crazy Girl by the Eli Young Band. I'm pretty sure that if this song were required listening for marriage prep and every guy understood its message, the length of the average married argument would be cut by more than half. (But I don't like the video at all. I hate it when a video nearly ruins a song.)
::clothing myself in
three quarter length sleeves. I like my sweaters to have three-quarter length sleeves. They don't get in the way of frequent washing up or cooking or paints or such.
::giving thanks for
a very quiet weekend past, particularly when I look to the very not-quiet weekend ahead.
::pondering prayerfully
November 3:
Think: "When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." ~Chesterton
Pray:
God, remind me (gently?) not to take anything for granted. Give to me the gift of sensitivity. Make me ever aware of the many blessings you have bestowed for which I am truly grateful.
Act:
People who are survivors--who have survived accidents or illnesses--are often graced with an enhanced appreciation for life. They have learned, through pain and suffering, not to take a moment for granted. They know the fear that comes with having life threatened and so they have an acute awareness of the hope and joy that comes with having the threat subside. They might awaken in the morning after the crisis has passed with the sense that with the sun dawns a new life. And, despite the lingering pain, they feel the joy that comes with knowing that they will live to do His work. All the simple things that "regular" people take for granted are so sweet to the survivor that they bring tears to her eyes. That is the gift, the great reward on earth, that comes with suffering. The gift is there for each and every one of us. Unwrap the gift in all its wonder. Enjoy your time, your life. Don't take a moment for granted. Take them all with gratitude.
From Small Steps
::clicking around these links
Here are some of the places I've visited recently:
Thoughts on how hurried we are and how being like a child means slowing down.
Andy Rooney on Women over Forty (wise man, that one).
The heart of the Penn State tragedy
Beautiful thoughts as a daughter comes of age.
And this one brings tears to my eyes every time I re-read it.
::turning the pages of this book
Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman. So, that's what you call the demon I've been fighting all my life. Good to name it. God bless Emily, for giving voice.
::thinking thoughts as I go about my daily round
I have so very much to do between now and January first. My mind is spinning.
::creating by hand
A new quilt! I have four squares finished now and I'm just so very pleased. I love, love, love this art..
::learning lessons in
quilting. I can't get enough of this ecourse at Whipstitch. I'm so glad I jumped in.
::encouraging learning
Despite herself, I think Mary Beth is finally seeing the merits of her anatomy class. I got quite the lecture the other day on how we're all woefully calcium deficient. And she's probably right.
::carefully cultivating rhythm
Ugh. We've been without our big van for a couple of weeks now. And then Mike's car broke down. Oh, and Mike has been in France for a week. And mary Beth has had dance rehearsals that don't follow the class scheudle at all. When the driving routine gets rocked, rhythm is seriously disrupted and it makes me a little crazy. He's home now and I think we'll get the car thing solved immediately. All will be well.
It's the morning after a homecoming; I always feel like all will be well on the morning after a homecoming.
::begging prayers
for two people very close to me who had big medical deals last week and will learn results this week. Praying for stength and grace and courage for all of us.
::keeping house
I had so hoped to have painted and finished a few dozen of my renovation tasks before decorating for Christmas, but details got ensnared and we delayed beginning. Now, I'm thinking we'll just wait until January? I don't know...
::crafting in the kitchen
with pomegranates. I love them and my kids know they are special and share a short season with peppermint shakes at Chick-Fil-A. Did you know that pomegranates have long been held to be a fertility fruit? I have six babies born nine months after pomegranate season. I'm a believer in that there myth.
::loving the moments
when the big boys' girlfriends play with my little girls. A big family bonus, for sure.
::planning for the week ahead
lots of car details today.
Patrick plays in Columbus tomorrow. He had a pretty amazing game last week. Every day is an adventure with that child.
a very intense week of rehearsals.
Kingdom of Sweets and Holiday Rhythms on Saturday and Sunday.
Patrick has two soccer games this weekend.
Nicky has at least three games and Stephen has at least four.
I will spend the week making sure we're ready for the weekend:-)
::capturing the images of my days
