Hey There!

I’m lucky that my mother is a teacher because she finds some of the best stories and resources.

She was fortunate enough to actually meet the author of The Worthless Penny when he came to speak at her school. She loved the story so much that she bought Little Bit her own copy.

The Worthless Penny follows the life of a sad, little penny that never gets spent. He spends all of his time in a little boy’s pocket wondering why he never gets to leave when the nickels, dimes, and quarters do.

I won’t spoil it for you, but it teaches children to value their own self-worth and to ignore naysayers. It’s truly a warm and fuzzy feel-good book that everyone should experience! (Yes, adults too! We need a positivity check every now and then as well!)

You can get a copy on Amazon HERE.

Let me know what you think of this adorable story!

Hey There!

When we go to our monthly SCA meetings, we usually have a campfire in the evening. We sit around and talk and sing.

Some of our group favorites belong to a band called Great Big Sea.

They’re one of those bands that have two distinct styles, but The Fellow and I only care for one side of their style. This makes it hard for me to listen to their recordings, but I LOVE to sit by the fire and hear certain songs sung by the guys in our group.

One song that’s been stuck in my head is “Old Brown’s Daughter.”

The lyrics are sweet, and the video HERE cracks me UP. Seriously, this poor guy gets SO into the music and is SO frustrated with the screaming fans not letting him just sing. He’s trying so hard.

I laugh every time.

There is an ancient party at the other end of town,
And he keeps a little grocery store. The ancient’s name is Brown.
And he has a lovely daughter. Such a treat I never saw!
Oh, I only hope someday to be the old man’s son-in-law.

Well, old Brown he sells from off his shelf Most anything you please.
He’s got juicy tarts for the little boys, lollipops and cheese.
And his daughter minds the store, And it’s a treat just to see her serve.
I’d like to run away with her, But I don’t have the nerve.

And it’s old Brown’s daughter is a proper sort of girl.
Old Brown’s daughter is as fair as any pearl.
I wish I were a lord mayor, a marquis, or an earl.
And blow me if I wouldn’t marry old Brown’s girl.
Blow me if I wouldn’t marry old Brown’s girl.

Well, poor old Brown now has trouble with the gout.
He grumbles in his little parlor when he can’t get out.
Oh, and when I make a purchase, lord, And she hands me the change
That girl she makes me pulverized. I feel so very strange.

And it’s old Brown’s daughter is a proper sort of girl.
Old Brown’s daughter is as fair as any pearl.
I wish I were a lord mayor, a marquis, or an earl
And blow me if I wouldn’t marry old Brown’s girl.
Blow me if I wouldn’t marry old Brown’s girl.

But Miss Brown she smiles so sweetly When I say a tender word.
Ah, but old Brown says that she must wed A marquis or a lord.
And I don’t suppose it’s ever one of those things I will be,
But by Jingo next election I will run for trinity.

And it’s old Brown’s daughter is a proper sort of girl.
Old Brown’s daughter is as fair as any pearl.
I wish I were a lord mayor, a marquis, or an earl.
And blow me if I wouldn’t marry old Brown’s girl.
Blow me if I wouldn’t marry old Brown’s girl.

Hey There!

Oooh, my.

You know how you watch a TV show and laugh at how accurately they describe situations in life?

Well, up until now, I never really had that moment with Friends.

I mean, I like it, but a lot of it hasn’t held up too well over the years (like Ross and Rachel’s relationship . . .)

BUT. There is one thing that has been popping into my mind the past few weeks, as The Fellow and I have been interacting with Little Bit, that has me chuckling.

In one episode, Ross is trying to make his daughter, Emma, laugh and finds himself singing “Baby Got Back.” Rachel is, of course, horrified that he sings this to their child, but hey – it works!

Well, somehow The Fellow and I have found ourselves singing, “Hello, I Love You” to Little Bit. She cracks the biggest smile and giggles!

Not the worst song ever, but definitely has some creep factor to it. Actually, a lot of 60s/70s songs are just creepy if you stop and listen to the lyrics, but that’s a post for a different day.

Anyone else besides Ross and me wind up singing weird songs to your kids? Tell me about it!

Hey There!

My mother is OBSESSED with the statistics about children’s literacy and how reading to your child impacts their overall learning/skill set development.

Considering how much she read to me and how big a part of my life books were as a child, I’m not surprised.

We’re already reading to Little Bit, and family story time is one of my favorite parts of the day! We read to Little Bit, and then if we have enough time we switch to mama and papa’s book. Right now we’re reading The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers.

So be prepared for a few book reviews as we go forward and we find new stories that we love.

Over Christmas, we got the chance to read Kami Kangaroo Has Too Much Stuff.

It’s a sweet story that accurately describes exactly what happened when I tried to clean my room as a child . . . and sometimes now. You try to get things tidied up, but then there are distractions, and before you know it . . . hours have passed.

The illustrations are beautiful, and the message behind the book is something that is relatable to both kids and their parents. I love that it gives parents a fun way to address a common problem and handles the concept so gently.

If you’re looking for a book series with a life lesson in it, you should absolutely check out Kami Kangaroo!

Hey There!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that can be so stressful for people. You either love it or hate it. It’s wonderful or terrible.

I’ve had my share of ups and downs with this one for sure. For real though, some of my favorite V-Days have been spent downing a pizza and snuggling at the house wearing sweat pants.

No matter if you’re a mushy, gooey Valentine’s Day type or a sit back and watch a horror film type, I hope that today you know that you are loved.

You are a wonderfully unique human. You bring something to the world that no one else can offer, and I hope that you appreciate that about yourself!

So if I’m the 100th person to say this today or the first, you’re amazing and deserving of love. In fact, won’t you –

Hey There!

For my birthday last year, The Fellow gave me a metal casting kit that I’ve had my eye on.

I haven’t gotten a chance to play around with it much. We’ve only really done one project – a necklace for my mother for Christmas which was a catastrophe.

Working with metal though has been something I’ve been interested in for a few years now, but haven’t done much with it outside of some research. The original goal was to be able to cast my own SCA accessories (Viking brooches, belt ends, jewelry, etc.), but now I think that I’ll probably be doing a ton of other things as well!

I’ve started carving some models to cast, things like basic necklaces and tokens. Once I get a few carved, I’ll do a batch bake of the clay models, and we can start testing them out to see how they cast!

There is something magical about seeing something as hard as a metal slowly liquify and roll around the crucible, and then seeing the finished project come out of the mold. I can’t wait to make all of the things! (Now to get over my fear of using a blowtorch.)

I’ll keep you posted with updates on how it goes!

Hey There!

Does anyone out there still make old-school scrapbooks?

When I was a kid, I remember my mother sitting at the table in the dining room with a huuuge Sterilite box of various scrapbook pages and stickers and boxes of photos.

I tried to do a few scrapbooks myself when I was younger, but they were so time-consuming, expensive, and never looked that great.

With cell phones being so prevalent, I don’t usually even print individual pictures. I ordered our engagement photos online in a printed photo book. I even hired a VA to edit/assemble our wedding photo book for printing.

But with Little Bit’s arrival, I’ve become picture OBSESSED. I didn’t want to risk something happening to my phone and erasing all of the cuteness that has been her first few months.

So, now I’ve got envelopes of pictures that I haven’t had time to get into an album (It’s like the 90s all over again!), but I did plaster the entire wall above my desk with pictures of her . . . (I know, I’m obsessed.)

How do you handle photo storage? Are you a sim card/USB backup, cloud storage, or old-school type? Let me know!

Hey There!

It’s been interesting getting used to being at home all the time. I’m working with a few clients and enjoying all of the baby snuggles, but with Little Bit’s late bedtime (No matter what we try, I’m up until 11 or 12 with her.), I’ve been having the worst time trying to get out of bed early enough to get things done before she gets up.

One thing that I’ve started doing though is taking a few moments each morning for some quiet reflection.

I start the coffee, then sit down and light a candle at my desk (having a candle lit has become one of my favorite things), read a short devotional, and write in my gratitude journal.

It’s nice to take just a moment to focus on being grateful and present before I jump into the craziness of the day.

What are your morning routines? What can’t you skip or everything seems off for the rest of the day?

Hey There!

We’re nearing the end of January and that means heading full-on into achieving goals for 2020.

At the end of last year, I was challenged to create a vision board. If you’ve never done a vision board, here’s what they are:

A dream board or vision board is a collage of images, pictures, and affirmations of one’s dreams and desires, designed to serve as a source of inspiration and motivation and to use the law of attraction to attain goals.

I now have mine hanging above my desk to remind me of what I’m working for.

My board has some inspirational quotes to help guide me:

“Breathe.”
“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”
“Discover Excellence”
“Happy Place”
“Value yourself. Be confident.”

In addition to these quotes, I included some imagery: a woman working at her computer desk (I can already tick that one off the list!) a cup of tea, a forest retreat, a mom playing in the living room with her family, and a woman relaxing reading a book.

I like having all of these things right above my head while I work, so I can do a quick check-in and keep those goals in front of mind.

Do you make a vision board? What types of things do you put on yours?

Hey There!

If there is one thing I know for certain, it’s that I have questionable taste in movies and music.

I’ve mentioned this before here, but I LOVE Meatloaf.

Now that I’m home, I’ve been listening to more music and fewer podcasts (I need to get back into those!), and some days I just want to listen to some old favorites, which for me . . . is Meatloaf.

This song, in particular, gets a bad rap. It’s been made fun of in commercials, graphs, and memes, but I love it! All 8 minutes and bizarre monsters on a motorcycle of it!

You’ve Guessed it! It’s –

I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)

So, without any further ado:

And I would do anything for love
I’d run right into hell and back
I would do anything for love
I’d never lie to you and that’s a fact
But I’ll never forget the way you feel right now
Oh no, no way
And I would do anything for love
Oh, I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that
No, I won’t do that

Some days it don’t come easy
Some days it don’t come hard
Some days it don’t come at all, And these are the days that never end
Some nights you’re breathing fire
Some nights you’re carved in ice
Some nights you’re like nothing I’ve ever seen before or will again

Maybe I’m crazy, but it’s crazy and it’s true
I know you can save me, No one else can save me now but you As long as the planets are turning
As long as the stars are burning
As long as dreams are coming true
You’d better believe it, that I would do Anything for love
Oh, I would do anything for love
Oh, I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that
No, I won’t do that I would do anything for love
Anything you’ve been dreaming of, But I just won’t do that
Some days I pray for silence
Some days I pray for soul
Some days I just pray to the god of sex, Drums and rock ‘n’ roll Maybe I’m lonely, that’s all I’m qualified to be
That’s just one and only, the one and only Promise I can keep

As long as the wheels are turning
As long as the fires are burning
As long as your prayers are coming true
You’d better believe it, that I would do Anything for love
And you know it’s true and that’s a fact
I would do anything for love, and there’ll never be no turning back
But I’ll never do it better than I do it with you, So long, so long
I would do anything for love
Oh, I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that
No, no, no, I won’t do that Will you raise me up? Will you help me down?
Will you get me right out of this godforsaken town?
Will you make it all a little less cold? I can do that
I can do that Will you cater to every fantasy I got?
Will you hose me down with holy water, if I get too hot?
Will you take me places I’ve never known?I can do that
Oh no, I can do that I know the territory, I’ve been around
It’ll all turn to dust and we’ll all fall down
Sooner or later you’ll be screwing around I won’t do that
No, I won’t do that Anything for love
But I won’t do that