For the love of WASHI

Claire's birthday is next week. She will be ONE YEAR OLD! It's so crazy! The time really has flown by. Annnnyyyywwwaaaayyyy, we are having a little party to celebrate our little bundle of joy next weekend. I have been busy trying to get as much done as possible this past week, as today was my first day back to work. My summer break is over. :(   I picked the theme "You are my sunshine," and it is a pool party. I am trying to keep it pretty low key, and just a very  few of our closest friends are coming.

This is where the washi tape comes in to play....I wanted to have a little clothes line up with Claire's baby pics from birth on hanging for everyone to see how she has changed over time. I couldn't have just plain clothes pins, of course, so I thought an easy way to pretty them up would be to use...you guessed it...washi tape. (I also used some for super quick and easy cupcake toppers, and on the invitations.- more on that later.) I bought some  yellow chevron and yellow striped washi tape from Michael's the other day, and had some turquoise that I had purchased from Groopdealz a while back. I am sure you all have seen this done before, it's not anything new...

What you need:
washi tape
clothes pins
craft knife
cutting board

3 Easy Steps:
-Unroll the tape, sticky side up. (on cutting board)
-Place the clothes pin on the tape.

-Use craft knife to cut excess tape off.

And...you are done. Quick, easy, and cute. 

I will post more for the party later this week. Also, sorry for the awesome quality of these pics. I didn't have access to my good camera, and had to use my iphone. :)

Happy Friday-

Tracy

Whatcha Dooooo- ing?

(Just for the record, the above title is a Phineas and Ferb reference, and should be read in the voice of Isabella...a fact that is actually a nice segue-way into this post..)

So. What ARE you doing?

It's been a long while since I have asked, I know.  There aren't enough blogs out there to fill the void, and you've been missing me (and I you), I know. So. What have I been doing?
Well.... this...

Ok, so I haven't actually been in labor for an ENTIRE year. Although, honestly, that might have been easier than what I have been doing. (More on that later.) 

Moving on, Meet Claire Yvette Crosby. :) Here is a most recent pic of my little lady...

She's kind of a doll, right? Yeah, I could post pic after pic of this little monkey. However, I must stay focused. 

My last post was in June of 2012. Whoa. It's really hard to believe that I have let that much time go by. Last summer, when I was hugely pregnant and ohhhhh sooooo HOT, I totally just lost all energy. I was running around after the other two monkeys, (My sweet Cash and Luc- have to get a pic in of them, too!)

working on house repairs/fixing up the nursery, and did I mention it was HOT last summer? 

YES, tried to stay out of the 100 degree weather.

So I lost it. Lost my energy, lost my motivation.  Creative block.

After Claire arrived, I thought things would get back to normal pretty quickly, but come to find out...the old "normal" was not to be seen again.  Which is ok -really(!)- I just had to figure out a new "normal."  My husband, who had been the stay at home dad for a while with the boys, went back to work.  My maternity leave ended, and I went back to work. Cash went to 1st grade, and Luc and Claire went to daycare for the first time in their lives. 

Ensue crazy weekdays from sun up to sun down. My husband has to be at work super early, so for the most part I would get the three kids up and going, as well as myself. (Of course, the hubz did help as much as he could before he had to get out the door!) The little ones were dropped off on my way to work, and Cash went with me to school. **Pretty nice teaching at the same school my kid attends!**  After school there was the "I must loose the baby weight power walks" with my teaching partner, then pick up the kids, and head home. Some days there was baseball practice or games. Once home, the action didn't stop. Homework, dinner, lunches, Phineas and Ferb, dishes, baths, laundry, yeah, it was all waiting for me. As I said, my hubz was a stay at home dad for a while, so I kind of got use to him being there to help me with all of that stuff. Plus, he has ALWAYS been the household chef. He likes to cook, and I mean, who am I to take away his happiness?? Well, now he doesn't get home from work until 6:30. Needless to say, I was struggling to come up with dinner every.single. night.  (Hello, crock pot and pinterest.) 

I know. I know most of you out there are welcoming me to your world. Hello. Nice to see you. Glad your here.

All of this to give you a peak into my life, which probably reflects a lot of other people's, to say, I didn't get my mojo back like I expected. 

But I want to begin again. This blog was originally started to keep me accountable to my creativity. My creativity may not come across the same as it did before, as I think my interests have veered somewhat over the past year. However my creative side chooses to surface, I want to hang on to that. It's part of me, and no matter how busy life gets...I can't loose myself. So. I am going to try.  I hope you all are still around, and I hope you enjoy it.

XXOO-

Tracy

Belletristic Skirt Society: April and Oliver

The month of May was my month to pick a title.  I chose 

April and Oliver

by Tess Callahan

Since I usually write my thoughts about the books the other girls pick, I thought it might be nice to get a different perspective this month.  I actually found the book on Julie's Good Reads page, so it is kind of fitting for her to pass along her review.  You've met Julie before, here on Paper Wings, she guest posted last August giving us a fabulously southern fried green tomatoes recipe. YUM. Check it out here if you missed it last year.

Here is Julie with her handsome husband, Kevin! :)

Ok, so here's Julie........

I don’t remember what actually drew me to this particular novel, but it had been on my “to read” list for a couple years. Obviously, I was in no hurry to read it. Then Tracy it selected for the Belle Skirts to read.

April and Oliver is a dark story of a dysfunctional family and their experiences with tragedy. The theme of the book is loss and grief, and how everyone deals with it differently. It is also about how friendships change and develop over time. In the beginning, the book was a little confusing due to jumping around in different time periods, but the beautiful prose made up for it. Callahan did an exquisite job writing this story. The scenes were surreal and the characters were well developed, the only problem I had was truly connecting to the characters.  April and Oliver were both sensitive and intelligent, but many of their life choices were a little far-fetched.  It seemed to take April a long time to grow up and deal with her life.

There is a lot of sexual tension between April and Oliver as the book description implies, but I had a hard time getting past the fact that they were cousins, albeit step-cousins. There were a few twists in the story, but much of it was predictable. This being said, I would still read another novel by this Callahan if she writes another. Overall, I give April & Oliver three stars. 

There you have it! Thanks Julie for writing this for me, especially in the summer time when us teachers are suppose to be "off." :)

June's pick is

The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

Happy Summer Reading!

Tracy

10 Father's Day Ideas

Hey Folks!

Father's Day is upon us...SOON! Here are some fun  ideas for those awesome men in your life. :)

From Paper Wings:

Father's Day for My Hubz

Six Pack of Sweets

What caught my eye on Pinterest....

I love Daddy pic- can't find where it comes from, but cute idea!

Father's Day photo collage by Positively Splendid

Father's Day Printables by The Fickle Pickle

Daddy Back Rub Shirt by The Blue Basket

Cute Pic idea by Two Girls Stuff

Sweet Father's Day Bouquet by Funky Polka Dot Giraffe

Cute printables (I used these last year!) by Amanda's Parties to Go

Printable card by A Proffittable Lift (used this last year, too!!)

Enjoy and be sure to celebrate those fabulous fathers!!

L-

Tracy

Belletristic Skirt Society: Into the Forest

For the month of April, the Belle. Skirts read 

Into the Forest

by  Jean Hegland

It was Rondi's month to host. 

 Isn't she pretty? :)

Here's what Amazon had to say about it:

Set in the near-future, Into the Forest is a powerfully imagined novel that focuses on the relationship between two teenage sisters living alone in their Northern California forest home.

Over 30 miles from the nearest town, and several miles away from their nearest neighbor, Nell and Eva struggle to survive as society begins to decay and collapse around them. No single event precedes society's fall. There is talk of a war overseas and upheaval in Congress, but it still comes as a shock when the electricity runs out and gas is nowhere to be found. The sisters consume the resources left in the house, waiting for the power to return. Their arrival into adulthood, however, forces them to reexamine their place in the world and their relationship to the land and each other.

Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, Into the Forest is a mesmerizing and thought-provoking novel of hope and despair set in a frighteningly plausible near-future America.

Ok, so I am not totally sure how I feel about this book.  I enjoyed reading it, and I found the plot line to somewhat parallel the plot line of Impatient With Desire. I thought it was interesting, and I liked the characters....it's just that... I don't know. There was something missing. At least to me there was.  I didn't care for the ending, either. I felt kind of ripped off, and left hanging. HOWEVER, it was good, and I didn't have to make myself read it.  I wanted to keep going. Does that make sense at all?

May's pick is

April & Oliver

by Tess Callahan

Stay tuned, and keep reading!

Tracy

Mother's Day Printables

Sometimes life goes by super fast, and before you know it...tomorrow's Mother's Day. To remedy this, here are some printables that might just keep you out of hot water! :)

Homemade Gifts Made Easy

Homemade Gifts Made Easy

Homemade Gifts Made Easy

Creative Mamma

Pumpkins and Posies

Anything But Perfect

Be Different, Act Normal

Lovely Living

A Proffittable Life

Nifty Thrifty Things

Amanda's Parties to Go

Hoosier Homemade

Hello, Good Gravy!

Hope all the mothers out there have a fantastic day tomorrow!

You deserve it!

Tracy

Summer Recipes

During the summer, I usually get really excited about trying new recipes.  I suppose it's because I am off during the summer, and there is more freedom and relaxation. Anyhoo...my summer starts in about 2 weeks! EXCITING!! I have been perusing Pinterest to collect my MUST TRY recipes for the next month.  Thought I would share these yummy prospects with you all! :)

Summer Vegetable Crepes

Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwich

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken

Avocado Pasta (I kind of have a thing for avocado)

Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, and Feta Salad

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Feta

Lighter Chicken Enchiladas

Hope these inspire you, like they have me! Happy cooking.

Tracy