#iPPP: Valentine's Day...A Year Later

Holy camole macarole!!!  Looking back, my last #iPPP post was last year, this same week!  I knew it had been quite awhile, but geez!  Um...well, then...hello again. :>

This year, we found some really cute li'l heart printables with the perfect Valentine's sayings for the themed pencils we slid through the cut out hearts on Pinterest, of course.  You can find them on Or So She Says where Sharon, from Lemon Squeezy shared them.  Loved that they were a fun non-candy option!

But, since I've annoyed myself and forgotten to snap a pic, let's move onto what I did remember to document from Valentine's Day.  And that is what has quickly become a favorite tradition:

hubs brings living flowers for me

and for his sweet li'l girl too.

When we keep them alive long enough, they can be planted in the backyard next month.  Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn't.  I hear there's this little thing plants like called water???  So far, they're looking good and my girl's old enough now to help remind me of that tiny life sustaining necessity. Fingers crossed!

Finally coming back for an #iPPP visit with

G*Funk*ified & Jumping With My Fingers Crossed & Angela Amman

#iPPP & WW: Valentine's

Thanks to Pinterest, Valentine's Day was a glowing hit here!

Looking for something for upper elementary age kids that didn't include candy, I came across these glow stick bracelet Valentine's.  Initially, I was just thinking of these for my older boy, but the wee girl thought they were so cool and wanted to make them for her class as well.

Source: theteacherwife.blogspot.com via Karen on Pinterest

 

 

Glow sticks send me zipping down Girl Scout memory lane....but, that's another story for another time and another day.

 

Party City had the glow sticks (though, with 49 kids to buy for, these were the most expensive Valentine's we've ever made or bought!) and thankfully, the wee girl had the time and hand cut out all 49 hearts for both her classmates and her brothers.
 

Hubs has never been big on flowers, but ever since having a daughter, he brings me live flowers to plant in the garden every Valentine's Day.

And another one for her!

 

Hope you're enjoying your February.
It's one of my favorite months of the year!

 

 

Linking up with these awesome sites - come join us!

#iPPP with G*Funk*ified & The Sunday Spill

Word-less/ful/ish Wednesday at Seven Clown Circus, Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia,  Live and Love Out Loud, Jenni from the Blog

10 Clues You Are Living in 2012

How do you know you're living in the year 2012?

This is how:

* Pinterest has sucked you in and it's not letting go...thank goodness.

* You're a Droid user and you are finally allowed to play with the cool kids on Instagram.

* Though 365 projects have been around for awhile, finally playing with said cool kids and their snazzy app has you jumping in on the whole photo-a-day thing.

* You open an honest to goodness print book and think Wow, the typeface sure is small... And you're truly not sure if your thinking has skewed you that way because of the number of ebooks you've read this year where you've had the luxury of increasing the font or because you're simply getting older.

It's the ebooks, definitely the ebooks.  No, really it must be those ebooks.

* With the premiere of Breaking Dawn Part Two in November, the Twilight Craze will be coming to an end.

* You have Carly Rae Jepson's Call Me Maybe, Gotye's Somebody that I Used to Know, Kelly Clarkson's Stronger, Maroon Five's Moves Like Jagger or Payphone, Pink's Blow Me One Last Kiss or dozens of others stuck on an endless loop in your head.

* There's some girl named Snooki pregnant and having a baby (or just had a baby) and it breaks into mainstream media...as news.

* You turn on the tv, see a ton of trash talk and when you look at the guide you realize you're not watching reality tv...oh wait, it is reality...it's an election year.

* When commercials for major brands include social media jokes as the vehicle to demonstrate the lifestyle you would have if you bought the car they're selling.

* When instead of consulting your refrigerator for what's for dinner, you post on Facebook, tweet on Twitter, search your food board's pins on Pinterest.

* When you talk about taking yourself, a human being, offline for a day or a weekend and not simply a product, a guitar's amp, a hairdryer, a computer.

Okay, apparently, I got into identifying with this 2012 year since I've got eleven on my list.  Don't tell on me, 'kay? ;>

What about you?  What screams 2012 for you?

Link with Love Inspires Change

Source: linkwithlove.typepad.com via Karen on Pinterest

I've had the Link with Love badge on my left side bar since Kal Barteski started this campaign (she loves Pinterest and shares her thoughts here).  It's all about linking our images & pins back to the ORIGINAL source.  Whether you are a writer, photographer, artist, or foodie & post your original recipes, your work should be credited when all the great information and inspiration are spread across the interwebs.

When I pull a pin from Pinterest and put it on my blog, I hunt down those original links or I don't use the image.  And sometimes that's taken a lot of time.  Why?  Sometimes the links are simply broken, but often an image is pinned from the main site, not the specific url, linking directly to the page where it came from.  Other times, it is pinned from someone else's site, but not the original source.  That means going back three, four, sometimes five or more links to find the original source.

Kal has had her original artwork spread across the web (which she's not objecting to) and then copied and sold for profit by others (which, of course, she does object to).  I applaud her proactive effort to encourage everyone to be the change.

Will you be the change?  Go to the Link with Love site (here's the link to the specific page with this image) and pin the above image to one of your Pinterest boards.  Spread the word, join the movement, and as Kal says, be the change!

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Friday Fun: Star Wars Geek Love

In honor of Star Wars being re-released in 3-D today, starting with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, I thought I'd share with you a li'l Star Wars Geek Love.

"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... "

Source: boingboing.net via Karen on Pinterest

...there was Steampunk R2-D2, made from a beer barrel...

Source: boingboing.net via Karen on Pinterest

...and he has a scrap metal, steampunk friend.

But, in case these aren't the droids you're looking for...

Source: ffffound.com via Karen on Pinterest

...there's always Google to help a Stormtrooper out.

"You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon? ...

Source: shitterwasfull.tumblr.com via Karen on Pinterest

... It’s the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs."

But, if ships don't do it for you...

Source: mimuller.tumblr.com via Karen on Pinterest

"Laugh it up, Fuzzball!"

Let's get serious now...

“These blast points — too accurate for sandpeople. Only imperial stormtroopers are so precise.”

Source: manmadediy.com via Karen on Pinterest

Now, that's precise!

And in the end, Darth Vader has the right attitude...

Source: weheartit.com via Karen on Pinterest

...who knew Darth could be so zen?!

Maybe this is just before Luke pulls Anakin Skywalker's mask off, ya think??



"May the Force be with you."

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Plane, Train, Automobile, or Armchair

Is your soul filled with wanderlust?  Are you most content at home?  Do you travel the world?  Do local experiences give you what you need?  Does your mind do the wandering for you, across photos, books, websites, stories read and heard?

Me?  I'm not a big traveller, though I did journey out of the area more before having kidlets.  I married a homebody who is quite content to enjoy the nest.  And while we (or I) still take some jaunts around California, traveling isn't something we're partaking a whole lot in right now.

Thankfully, my Four Musketeers and especially my brother, like to travel and fill my head with their out of area adventures.  Wanderlust and my brother are very well acquainted with each other.  Sometime back I shared just a bit from his summer trek up to Mt. Everest Base Camp and if I can convince him to let me, I'd love to share some of his other travels across the continents.

In the meantime, in addition to the well travelled loved ones in my life, guess where I've turned to, filling my eyes with magical locales and destinations?  If you said that place where many of us just can't stop clicking 'See More Pins' one more time, Pinterest, you hit the mark.

I keep two boards primarily geared towards this new armchair travelling:  Dreamy Destinations and Favorite Places and Spaces.  The first are places that peak my interest or are simply beautiful; the second, are places or approximations of spaces I've been.

These boards actually began as something else entirely.  They began as visual inspiration to use when I write, fiction and/or memoir.  Having a photograph to spark a memory or as a jumping point for a scene can put an entirely different spin on words click clacked out across the keyboard.

And now?  I use my boards for both writing inspiration and the ever fabulous, entirely inexpensive armchair travelling.  One of these days, I'll get to some of the destinations on my list, but in the meantime, just one more reason to read tales in exotic locales, wander the web, listen to friends' adventures, and keep pinning!

When Julia travels to Burma to search for her missing lawyer father, she discovers much more than she expected. Join From Left to Write on February 1 and read posts inspired by the book,  The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker.


As a member of From Left to Write, I received a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

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Quotable Bits Zwei

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Source: mercurialme.com via Karen on Pinterest

If we live in the past, we take from our present and give ourselves no new future.  That's something that has taken me years to learn.  And while I still occasionally need reminders, thank goodness for a man from humanity's past to remind me!

Sidenote:  Actually, there are so many uber awesome things that man said, wrote, gave to the world, I expect I'll be sharing another one or two from him again. :>

Guess what time it is?  It's time for Bits of Bee's #QuotableBits!  I loved her link up last week and am just beyond tickled pink that she enjoyed my { Magic } post so much that she's highlighted it as her favorite from her first meme!  Thanks so much, Bianca!


If you are here, looking for my Write on Edge, RemembeRED post, scroll down or click here!

{ MAGIC }

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Source: madiillustration.blogspot.com via Karen on Pinterest

~ Ronald Dahl

Magic bits of our days carry a key for me.  That key unlocks all those little bits and pieces, small moments that make me smile.

Laughter floating through air, a leaf coasting upon it.

Sun shinning through a spider's night shift masterpiece.

Felines stretched long; furry bellies soaking up sun.

Painted toes, never seen beneath a warm winter shoe.

Fresh crayon boxes, filled with pointy rainbows.

Overflowing tubs of broken crayons; hand pressed stories in every break.

Rain water's curbside travels, breaking at each tiny pebble in its path.

So thankful to believe in the magic.

What about you?

Happy to be linking up with Bits of Bee today on her meme hosting maiden voyage!  I have always been driven by, inspired by, made better by taking in the words of others.  I've had quote journals, walls covered in quotes written on post-its, and now, thanks to Pinterest, a Letters Word Type Talk board celebrating words themselves.

And a meme dedicated to that very thing I love?  Perfect.


I found the above image on Pinterest and via that, have had an opportunity to check out the rest of the artist's site.  Definitely go see Madi Illustration for yourself!

We said Good-bye, We say Hello!

Did you have fun ringing in 2012 last night?  We were mellow, at home, kidlets asleep at their usual time, but there was a fun, fresh energy buzzing about that made me welcome in the New Year!

Before the kids went to sleep though, we had one last 2011 task.  I printed out a li'l something I found at Pinterest:

Source: thirtyhandmadedays.com via Karen on Pinterest

Mique has great things to share at her site, 30 Handmade Days - go check it out, she's oh so Worth the Click!

I knew my girl would be all over this and she didn't disappoint.  And while I thought my older boy wouldn't be too thrilled, he jumped right in and filled it out!  Way to make this Mom happy!

I may be a tad late to the this tradition train, but I still think it's going to be pretty cool to have them fill something like this out every year and watch them grow.

I'll be back tomorrow with my One Little Word for 2012 to share.  In the meantime, tell me what you did to welcome the New Year in last night, or even today!

Happy New Year!!!

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Worth the Click: Holiday Inspiration & Freebies

Hopping around the interwebs, I've found a few fantastic holiday freebies to make your season just a bit more festive.

Becky Higgins has free templates with instructions for your Holiday Cards in three different sizes, including the one you can use to have Costco print your photo cards.  They even provide the matching envelopes!

Jessica of vol.25 has free unique holiday tags that you can print, including wood grain to cut into strips for paper ribbon.  How cool is that?!

What about fonts?  Fonts, especially free ones make me shake with glee!  dafont.com has a handful of free holiday fonts with alphas and images.

Katie at Smile Like You Mean It has a cute handmade snowman ornament tutorial you can check out.

And if you're simply looking for Christmas ideas?  It's Pinterest to the rescue.  I'm having an all out love affair with that scrumptious online rendezvous.

Feel free to check out my Christmas Pinterest Board for some ideas!

Are you starting to feel a festive spirit?  If you don't celebrate Christmas, I'd love to know what holidays or traditions are special to you in the coming month.  I love to hear what makes people smile!

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Walk on the Wild Side

"You're wiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllllllllddddddddddddd!" she calls out, throwing her head back, her eyes smiling even brighter than the one on her face.

Oh wait. Whoops falling into an '80s movie memory. It's such an easy slope to slip 'n slide. Wild animals. That's why we're here.

@NorthWestMommy from The Good Life has us listing up all things wild and animal like.  And I'm listing along!

Sometimes the animal just needs a tasty treat.

Source: missindiedesigns.blogspot.com via Karen on Pinterest

Sometimes they just need a cuddle.

Source: cuteoverload.com via Karen on Pinterest

Sometimes it's about location, location, location.

Source: youmightlikethis.com via Karen on Pinterest

Sometimes you give a hand some paint & the wild develops on the page.

Source: jellyfishjelly.com via Britney on Pinterest

Sometimes the wild animal and the wild child meet, greet, and merge.

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Katie on Pinterest

Sometimes that wild owl turns on the charm and tops the cake.

Source: karaspartyideas.blogspot.com via Barbara on Pinterest

Sometimes even owls fall from grace, get all angry bird, and meet the snack platter, looking all tasty.

Source: littlefoodjunction.blogspot.com via peadoodle on Pinterest

Sometimes the wild migrates to the classroom and lands its victims in detention.  Don't you forget about me, don't don't don't don't.... Whoops, on that '80s movie slip 'n slide again!  I've got it under control now, I swear.

Source: reelmovienews.com via Alicia on Pinterest

Sometimes the wild world reminds us it's all about the love.

Source: weheartit.com via Karen on Pinterest

Sometimes the animal world, wild or domesticated, reminds us it really is okay to trust.

Source: webdesigncore.com via Karen on Pinterest

Sometimes a walk on the wild side can bring you right back home.

It's Labor Day here in the States and all of us are home today, from school, from work, from shuttling kidlets back and forth.

We began our day with some cuddles and a whole lotta giggles.  Hubs whipped up breakfast for all of us and we've enjoyed a nice leisurely morning.  It's been a fantastic three day weekend here.  What have you been up to?

Friday Fun with Cartoon Inspiration

The firestorm of cartoon character debates that flew through our living room when I answered Bruna's Let's BEE Friends interview questions for my feature on her blog today were wide and wild.  Everyone had their opinions as to who the best was and the reasons why were as varied as the cartoon characters were.

I haven't been able to get a few of those characters off of my mind.  Let's welcome the weekend in with some Friday Fun and take a stroll through a few things that have been created with a couple of these characters in mind.

Tweety Bird

~ one of my nicknames as a kidlet ~

Source: flickr.com via Karen on Pinterest

That cake ROCKS!!!

Source: etsy.com via Karen on Pinterest

Crayon roll ups are great in the car & for coloring in unexpected places!

Source: bakerella.com via Karen on Pinterest

How cute would these be at a party!

Wonder Woman

Okay, I realize now, I wasn't thinking of Wonder Woman from the comic or a cartoon, but rather Lynda Carter kicking some butt!

Source: onecharmingparty.com via Karen on Pinterest

I want one!

Source: readymade.com via Karen on Pinterest

This gives me so many ideas for kidlet wallets, party favors, a way to include more pics, journaling, or memorabilia on a scrapbook page!

Source: etsy.com via Karen on Pinterest

So sweet. Outwear that reminds me of Underoos. I can't remember if I had Wonder Woman, but I know I had SuperGirl!

And since I'm still singing La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, laaaa...and I do adore Neil Patrick Harris and Project Runway with the fabulous Tim Gunn started last night and Jayma Mays is cute as a button...

...did you sing along?  You did, didn't you.  It's okay, you can admit it.  Wouldn't want you to get blue or anything over it. ;>  Will you be getting Smurf'd and seeing this 'reimagining'?  I promised the kidlets one more trip to the movies this summer, so it's this or Winnie the Pooh.

Happy Friday!  Hope you're on your way to wickedly fun & wildly wonderful weekend!

Pinterest Inspired: One Bowl Wonder

I took a break from Pinning over at my favorite place to escape, Pinterest, to actually look at my boards and see what I've pinned.  And while looking at my food board, Tastebuds and Eyes, I saw that I had collected a few fresh corn ideas & recipes.

Source: italian.food.com via Karen on Pinterest

Already beyond the dinner hour and completely not in the mood to hit the store for specific ingredients, I decided to use these three as inspiration, rather than a recipe.

Source: sensiblelessons.com via Karen on Pinterest

Source: authenticsuburbangourmet.blogspot.com via Karen on Pinterest

I grabbed leftover ears of cooked corn, cut off their kernels into a bowl and headed to the fridge to see what else we had. 

I had already reheated the baked chicken & brown rice leftovers for the kids and there was about a quarter cup of rice and an ounce of chicken leftover, so while I was initially going for a salad, I threw them in.

Grabbed an organic red bell pepper, red onion, and avocado, sliced them up and threw them into this One Bowl Wonder.  And I dressed her up in lime juice and a little sea salt.

It was absolutely delicious!  I think it could be even better with some zucchini and chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro, depending on your preference.

I will definitely make this again.  And you want to know what else is cool?  This delish dinner is GFCF (gluten & casein free) and since it was a One Bowl Wonder, there's minimal clean up!  Now that's what I call a perfect summer meal.

What have you been creating in your kitchen lately?  Are you Pinning on Pinterest?  Are you bringing your Pins to life, literally or simply inspired by?