"How's the campaign going?"
It's the question I get most often. It's also the question I'm never quite sure how to answer.
Good? ... Great! ... Your guess is as good as mine. ... We'll see May 17th!
The truth - I suppose - all depends on what you're measuring.
This weekend we hosted a Winter ONE-derland party in honor of Felix's first birthday. Considering this child was born during a snow, it seemed like an appropriate theme. Well, the weather had other plans and it was 70 and sunny! I could have hosted the dang party outside!
For my 30th birthday, I created a list of 30 things I wanted to do. One was to write a historical fiction short story. This is the story and as Ruby keeps calling to me here lately. I thought I'd share it here.
One of Nicholas's New Year's resolutions was to try freezer meals. He'd prepped meals for the week on and off through 2015 and wanted to see how it would work to prepare an entire month's worth. Then, we could just pull a meal from the deep freeze, throw it in the crockpot, and on a busy day dinner would be waiting for us.
Recently, I looked around my home and realized I WAS DOING ALL THE THINGS.
I am lucky enough to have a husband who cooks and does most of the grocery shopping. But guess what? With church and community events and family obligations, we can go days and days without eating dinner at home, which means he is basically off the hook.
But breakfast? Packed lunches? Laundry? Picking up? Cleaning up? Plain ole KEEPING UP?
That was ALL. ME.
Little known fact about me. I want to write a book. I want to write a book so badly. The problem is I. am. terrified. by the prospect. There is a voice in my head that yells so loudly when I think about writing a book. That voice tells me I have no idea how to write a book. That voice tells me I have no idea worth writing a book about. This voice tells me no one will read it.
I am trying desperately to quiet that voice. The only way to write a book is to start writing. Last year, I tried writing every day with a dear friend and one challenge we gave ourselves was writing an adventure tale.
This is my tale. I hope by sharing it - by just putting my words OUT THERE - I'll realize that starting is the hardest part ... but not as scary as the voice makes it seem.
So, here you go. My adventure tale.
People are talking about gun control. Over Facebook, over dinner, around town, I’ve found myself in multiple conversations about gun legislation and mental health and Constitutional rights. The tragic shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, - and President Obama’s impassioned speech afterwards - seemed to have sparked honest reflection on what we as a nation are doing wrong when it comes to guns.
I’ve noticed a reoccurring argument in many of the conversations I’ve had over the past few days. It’s an argument as old as guns themselves.
“Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”
This theme is followed closely by a call for enforcing the gun control laws we already have and increased outreach care for the mentally ill.
No one - especially me - is going to argue against enforcement or attention to mental health. However, particularly with regards to mental heath - as my friend Kristin passionately argues here - there is no simple answer.
I stopped by News-3 This Morning recently to talk about products "Made in America." I've been noticing that the internet is once again acting as the great equalizer when it comes to American-made products. Instead of factories churning out mass-produced products stateside, American companies are creating well-made, high-quality products that thanks to the internet are available to a worldwide audience.
I'm just going to be honest. When my husband told me he wanted a $89.00 hoodie, I laughed at him. He had read a Slate article declaring This is the Greatest Hoodie Ever Made and decided he needed one. I was semi-convinced reading all the praise but it wasn't until I held an actual American Giant hoodie in my hands (and had one on my body) that I really got it. Y'all, this hoodie is SO. NICE. So nice my husband and I are constantly debating whether an event is American Giant worthy. Will there be fire? No go, don't want our amazing hoodie smelling like smoke. Will it be warm and require us to remove our hoodie? Nope, our hoodie might get stolen.
Have you ever picked up a vintage piece of clothing and thought, "Why don't they make clothes like this anymore?" Turns out, they do. American Giant does and they do that by spending less on distribution, retail real estate, and marketing, and by spending more on quality materials and American manufacturing.
Critical Cycles is another company cutting out the middle man and using the internet to offer a superior product - made in America - to a wide audience. I first learned about the company from a friend, who is also a dedicated cyclist. I had told her I was looking for a bike and she quickly recommended Critical.
Critical designs, manufactures, and sell top-notch bicycles at an affordable price. They do all the research and development in-house and handpick all the components themselves. They sell a finished hand-built product shipped directly to you - no middleman so better products!
Critical Cycles is offering my readers 10% off orders over $100 with the coupon code BluegrassRedheadsSaveGreen!
Founded in 2013, FOUNT began with the creative husband and wife team of Phillip and Jackie Wachter pursuing their passion for leather bags and accessories. Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, FOUNT is using the highest quality leather and materials that are not only special because they are handcrafted in America but because they are destined to become heirlooms.
These bags not only look beautiful but smell and feel amazing. Holding a FOUNT bag is similar to holding an American Giant sweatshirt. You feel what you feel when you encounter an amazingly vintage product that has the heft of something well-made.
I've already written about all the reasons I love my Sonnet James play dress, but I wore the dress during the segment because it another company reinventing the Made In America label!
All Sonnet James dresses are made here in San Francisco, CA, with fabric made in New York. Again, by thinking beyond the traditional manufacturing model, Sonnet James is offering a superior American-made product!
Happy Comic Book Day! I thought I would share Griffin's four -year-old birthday party when Super Griffin banished the Party Pooper forever!
The invitation was my absolute FAVORITE part!
Are you on the podcast bandwagon yet? If not, get on board!
Don't listen to the radio you can't control or music you don't enjoy! Listen to some of the smartest, funniest, most insightful people out there sharing content that makes your life BETTER!
I listen to podcasts while I walk in the morning, in my van, even while I knit at night. In fact, I have a weekly podcast schedule. (I know! I'm a dork!) I listen to work-themed podcasts on Mondays, creative podcasts on Tuesdays, fun podcasts on Wednesday, and parenting podcasts on Thursdays. I am constantly amazed by all the great tips and stories and advice I get from these programs.
Here are my favorites.
I'm a BIG Gretchen Rubin fan so it's no surprise I love her podcast, which she cohosts with her sister Elizabeth Craft. They talk "about how to build happier habits into everyday life, as we draw from cutting-edge science, ancient wisdom, lessons from pop culture—and our own experiences (and mistakes)"
Just discovered The Lively Show and I absolutely love it. From Jess herself, "Each Tuesday on my podcast, The Lively Show, I share ways we can apply this Values-based approach to our possessions, personal habits, relationships, and career. And Thursday episodes feature a guest interview designed to uplift, inspire, or help you add a little extra intention to your everyday."
Conversations revolving around creativity with Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and my personal hero. What more do you need to know?!?
In full disclosure, Sarah and Meagan are my good friends, but I'd swear I'd listen even if they weren't. I mean they have EIGHT kids between them. Trust me. They're experts.
I first heard of Rob Bell through Oprah.... which really is enough. Then, I sort of rediscovered him through his podcast, which I find so inspiring and insightful.
What are your favorite podcasts?
When I first read about Sonnet James on Cup of Jo, I was immediately obsessed. Basically, they had me at "play dress." I LOVE to wear dresses, but I am the mother of three boys and these dresses need to be realistic. No short hems. No flimsy fabric. Something with sleeves!
So, if a company was describing their dresses as play dresses - as in I could wear these dresses and still play with my boys, I was all in.
For Griffin's third birthday, he chose a Play-Doh theme. Considering today is Play-Doh day I thought I would share one of my favorite parties I've ever thrown. PLUS, I want to reminisce about when my baby was three instead of SIX GOING ON 20!
Inspired by the us in russ, I decided to go with a Play-doh Factory theme. The invitees received tubs of Play-Doh informing them the Factory was hiring. (Cutest RSVP response goes to Abigail's mom who sent me an email informing me of Abigail's Play-Doh qualifications!)
On the day of the party, we welcomed the new recruits who received aprons and busboy hats. Each guest then had to stamp their "time card" and take a photo for their employee ID card. (I added their names in Photoshop and intend to send the pics with our thank you notes.)
Then, our new factory employees made their way to the "Production Line" where they made their own magic Play-Doh with Kool-Aid. They each got to pick what color they wanted by choosing a Kool-Aid flavor. We premeasured out the dry ingredients and then had water and oil available for (parent-led) mixing.
Next up, everyone made their way to "Research and Development." Some very generous friends had loaned me a wide assortment of Play-Doh toys. I spread them out along two long tables and let them go at it. Griffin literally sat at the R&D table for an hour straight. He didn't even get up to greet his buddies when they arrived.
I turned my dessert table into the Factory itself. I decided to try cake push pops for the first time since I thought they were reminiscent of Play-Doh tubs. I had fallen in love with rainbow mini-cakes a while back and decided to make rainbow push pops instead. My stepdad made a long holder for the pops that I put in the middle of the table to look like a conveyer belt coming out of a cardboard box I covered with gears. I was SO happy with the result.
The push pops were a huge success, as was the party itself I have to say. As everyone left, they came to "Product Packaging" and I gave them their time card, some animal-shaped cutters, little mini rolling pins, and the Play-Doh recipe.
