My New Business Plan

I'm thinking of opening a barber shop. I'll bet you didn't know that I can cut hair. Ok, gross over statement. Truthfully? I can cut my son's hair. And I feel confident in cutting his hair because he's only eight and hasn't quite started the personal grooming routine that takes place as a teen including checking the mirror so he doesn't notice the bald spots or the uneven layers I leave behind.

I've never had any formal training, unless you count the "how to" video that came with the home grooming kit that I watched for about 5 minutes. I have no idea what I'm doing. I try to mimic the stylists' method of holding the scissors and comb in one hand. I try to add texture to his hair. But I clearly don't know what I'm doing (and I have several photos to prove that I don't).

Most of the time it turns out fine. We keep a little longer so it hides all the mistakes. Unfortunately that means I have to clip it more often. (Thus the slightly longer hair in summer.)

Once in a while we take him to actual hair salon to get a decent hair cut. Sadly it often results in his chair being chopped, which neither he nor I like. This layout is about one of those visits (you can find all the details about this page here):

Perhaps in the future he will prefer a professional cutting his hair rather than his inexperienced mother. But for now it's a pretty cheap solution to an ongoing situation. Just don't ask me to cut your hair! I promise you won't like the results. ;)

All Is Well

The boy is on the mend. I'm still wound super tight and probably will be until the first time he is healthy enough to annoy me. Then I will really and truly believe he is well again. Funny how quickly we can return to our routine when all is right again.

Now I'm playing catch up in every aspect of my life, which is somewhat difficult to do as our water heater has decided that it won't produce hot water. That means cold showers, heating water to wash the dishes, and no hot water laundry batches (and after a bout of illness that may mean a trip to the laundramat). I hate it when things go awry. It's so frustratingly distracting. It's always in the back of my mind even when I'm trying to push through other chores. Hopefully we can get it fixed on the cheap as it's still under warranty. We'll see though. I'm not getting my hopes up too much.

While everything slowly returns to normal, I'm trying to crank out some work. I have two American Crafts projects to share with you today. The first is a layout using the "Margarita" line, which is a bright and happy summer line. It's a perfect fit for a layout about my daughter lounging in our pool (you can find the complete supply list here at twopeasinabucket.com):

Keep reading for an additional project!

It's Terrifying to Be a Parent!

We are recovering from a bout of illness at our house. Sunday morning my husband and I had a meeting early in the morning. We came home to discover that James had awakened but returned to his bed. In understanding this story, you have to realize that this is something the boy NEVER does. So I was a little surprised to hear this. He came bounding down the stairs, however, when he heard us enter the house. After breakfast we all retired to our rooms to prepare for church. As the time for leaving drew near, it dawned on me that the house was unusually quiet. No sounds of Legos battling or blocks heading to war. I went to James' room to check on him and he was sound asleep in bed.

Now I was REALLY worried. This is the both who throws a fit if the word "nap" is ever mentioned. I knew that something was wrong and even went so far as to check his breathing. Thankfully he was just sleeping.

So I took Kate and we headed out to church while Brett remained at home to watch over the boy. But all during the meeting my mind was uneasy. It is so unlike him to take a nap volutarily. I knew something was wrong.

I raced home after the first hour of church to find him in my bed with a cloth over his head and drinking something. He had the shakes and his voice was high pitched and weepy. Brett, concerned, told me that James was running a fever around 102 degrees. James has never had a fever that hot before. He usually stays around 99 or 100 degrees. I was concerned, especially about the shakes. We removed his clothing and gave him liquid and cool cloths. We debated about taking him to an after hours clinic, but weren't sure what might be wrong.

After about 45 minutes his temperature dropped a degree, and Brett had to teach a lesson in church so off they went. The ibuprofen seemed to be working and James got more chatty and requested some muffins, which I was more than happy to make. He wasn't up for watching tv as his head felt like it was going to explode so I read the book Fablehaven to him instead.

We were a 100 pages in when Brett and Kate returned from church. James's fever had spiked again so I gave him another dose of medicine. He drifted off to sleep but had only been asleep for about five minutes when his eyes popped open and he grabbed his chest, "My heart," he said which completely freaked me out and then he proceeded to throw up everything he had previously digested. Now I was really freaking out! My husband gave him a Priesthood blessing, which is a blessing of healing given in our church from those who have the authority to do so.

James relaxed and fell asleep and seemed to gradually improve and then his fever would spike again. We did this on and off throughout the night. We realized that he probably had some kind of virus and that taking him in would do little to help. (And that his heart raced when he needed to throw up and made him scared.) Although we knew that if he hit 103 degrees, we were going in no matter what just for comfort's sake.

This is all seems routine except that Jimmy looks a great deal like his big brother Joey. Watching my youngest in bed, running a fever, and suffering raised memories of my oldest son's suffering through a multitude of illnesses including his fight with cancer. It was terribly frightening, and I feel like I've been on high alert for the past 48 hours. I don't think I will ever be able to relax again when my children or husband are sick. The body is so fragile, and I'm not naive to the bad things that can happen in life. Thankfully James is doing much better and his fever has gone down quite a bit. He was even able to eat a little bit yesterday. I'm hoping that when he wakes this morning that he will be completely healed.

So parenting has its shares of scares. I'm thankful this is a minor one. I'm so tired of the big ones!

Sew What!

I am a professional eye roller. Seriously! It began in the early stages of my tween years and continued until I was well into my college Freshman year and my eyes were permanently forced into a wide open state. But ask my Mother. She will confirm this skill. No matter what piece of advice or skill she had to share with me in those formative years, my response would often by the official "oh please" eye roll.

The summer she took on teaching me to sew, I think my eyes nearly rolled back into my head permanently. What use could the old-fashioned skill of sewing possible mean to the thoroughly modern me?

I'm kicking myself right now under my desk. See the bruises?

Yeah. Apparently my "all knowing" teenage self was actually lacking in real-life wisdom and skills, and I would give my right foot (my sewing machine presser foot) to go back in time and actually pay attention to those lessons.

Although I haven't gained the professional title of seamstress, I have learned how to insert paper into my machine and stitch like a pro. Paper is a great medium for sewing. It doesn't bunch. It's stiff. And it's far cheaper than fabric.

This week on the Create blog, I'm sharing a tutorial on how to use your sewing machine to stitch through paper. You can do it! Despite your eye rolling, and you know that some of you are doing that right now, I promise it's really quite easy. The tough part? Following the machine's instructions to wind a bobbin and thread the needle. But I'll leave that for another tutorial. You can read all about this technique here:

Now if only my kids could wear paper clothing! I would so be opening an Etsy store. Aren't you proud, Mom?

A Blessed and Happy Life

Sometimes I have to escape my office and find another spot to work. The stacks of paper, drawers of punches, containers of stickers, brads, and adhesive loom overhead and threaten to drown me in the excess. I pick my way through the piles of scraps on the floor and find my way to my slightly less claustrophobic bedroom to crawl into the softness of my bed with my light-weight and inviting laptop.

It is here that I can reflect on my day and look ahead on tomorrow's "to do" list with fresh eyes.

What exactly do I DO all day? Good question.

I'm a Jane-of-All-Trades and only master of some.

For much of the day I chase people via e-mails, answering this question, asking that one. Despite my graduation from and employment with Covey Leadership, I have obviously not learned the habit of putting "First Things First." Email calls to me, beckons me, threatens me, and finally guilts me into answering. What would life be like without the constant call of the "right here, right now" technological advancements? I assume at least somewhat more peaceful.

When I'm not on e-mail, I'm probably elsewhere on the web surfing the visual pool of scrapbook images for inspiration, publication or marketing purposes. Much of my time, probably too much of my time, is chained to the computer. I haven't found a way around that yet; but when do, I plan on rejoicing in the loss of the 10 pound machine that seems to be attached to my hip (and no, my laptop doesn't weigh that much).

If the computer isn't calling (yelling) my name, then I'm creating. And while I am free of one monster, I'm a slave to another. As a traditional scrapbooker, I own stuff. A plethora of stuff. You name it I own it stuff. When the incoming outweighs the outgoing, the room and closets and containers soon begin to burst at the seams. And I'm bursting. Hire a maid bursting. Hire a personal assistant bursting. Move to another house and pretend you haven't become a hoarder bursting. Despite my efforts to purge on a regular basis, I still have too much stuff.

That being said, this hobby, this job requires stuff. And secretly I love the feel of a smooth button between my fingers, or the delightful laughter of someone picking a sticker from my shirt, or the permanent dye on my fingers from stamping. It all hints at the idea that I might be an artist. I am the daughter of an artist. He designs interiors. I design paper projects. I like to think that sometimes he might be proud of the fact that we're both called designers though in different arenas.

My favorite thing to do? Write. Write and write and write. I'd like to think I'm as smart as my grammatical checker on my Word program, though that's far from true. I'd like to think that my marketing copy will make the company millions. And I like the look of words like "editor" and "author" by my name. It's a grown up job that I happily backed into and somehow found my calling. And that is the second half of my heritage--an English major mother.

In one day I can be a designer, an editor, a writer, an assistant, a personal shopper, and always a wife and mother. It's crazy, chaotic, frustrating, and rewarding--and in the end I can almost always say that it makes me happy. I live a blessed and happy life!

Summer Slips Through My Fingers

At least that what it feels like. How can it already be nearly the end of June? How does that happen? Why are some summers long and leisurely and others seem to zip by? I want to enjoy every second of my time with the kids, and it isn't quite happening the way I would like.

One way I'm keeping them close and entertained was through a backyard pool investment. Not bad for $25. Although, it looks like it might still be a bit chilly (check out those goose bumps):

I think we need a lot more sun and a lot more warm water. (Hello, cheese!)

Funny kids! At least they seem to know how to enjoy themselves.

Moving Forward

Thank you to all who posted positive thoughts about things being taken from Joey's grave. My husband will be filling out a formal complaint with the city. As the items typically taken are the flowers and more adult items, we are thinking it is a grown up. Strangely only once has a toy left been taken. I hate that we have to do anything, but I'm not sure it will stop if someone doesn't realize it's against the law and can be prosecuted. I really hope this an ignorance on their part and not malicious in any way.

Meanwhile, we are doing fine. I was up at the cemetery this week and was able to clear off his grave before the city removed the flowers. That made me feel good and is a step in the right direction for me as I really struggle with going. It was nice to have that quiet time with my son.

While the summer begins to heat up, we are trying to do some fun things as a family. We took the kids with our cousins to the zoo last week. I've never seen it so packed. That part (including the 45 minute wait for the train) wasn't fun, but it wasn't too hot and we enjoyed ourselves.

Yesterday we went to the $1 movie in town but that didn't go as well as the zoo. Still trying to figure out what the kids and I enjoy. I think it might be time to blow up the kiddie pool in the backyard for them to enjoy.

Because You Might Not Understand

I don't get angry a lot. But I do get frustrated and sad sometimes. And when I went to visit my son's grave just a few days after Memorial day only to discover that for the third year in a row someone had stolen items from his grave, I was very frustrated and sad.

This is the resting place of my sweet, 13 year old son. This is one of the few physical monuments to his life where my husband and kids and I can somewhat still care for him. We decorate his grave with mementos, his favorite flowers, and tributes to honor him.

When you take something from him, you are stealing from my precious son.

It's not ok. You might think we won't be back to check on him or that the items we leave may have little meaning. But imagine someone taking a toy right from the hands of your small child. It isn't right. You might think you need it more than he does. Or that those things are no longer important to him. You might not realize that those efforts to honor him are some of our last connections to the life we had as his parents or his brother or sister. And when you take items from his grave, you demean our efforts and rob us of the opportunity to care for our child.

I hope you are merely unthinking, ignorant of the pain of losing a loved one. I certainly wouldn't wish that awful experience on anyone. But I can't imagine if you have lost someone, that you find it so easy to desecrate another's grave.

I hope that if your child brings something to you that doesn't belong to he or she while visiting the cemetery you take the time to explain how precious those little items are to the family and loved ones who placed them there and ask them to put it back.

Please let me have this time with my son. Please don't conjure up feelings of anger during the few times I can bring myself to visit my son in that lonely place. Please respect my son's resting place, which we selected with such thought and love and want to believe will always be safe.

Please let me have that precious, sweet time with my son with the best of feelings!

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World

This will date me, but have any of you actually seen that movie? It's quite frenetic, but brings back some cool family memories.

It's a little crazy around here as we try to transition into the summer. Our weather has been so odd this year. One of our mountain ski resorts got 10" on Memorial Day! People actually went skiiing and snowboarding because of all the snow. That does not bode well for our rivers, but since it's barely been above the mid 50's lately the river has dropped about a foot (thankfully).

My friend and neighbor held the most clever birthday party for her son. They were mad scientists. She cut white t-shirts up the front, gave them all goggles, and they enjoyed trying all kinds of experiments. I give her mad props for throwing such an involved party.

Here's the layout that resulted from the event (you can find the supplies for completing this layout here):

What cool kid parties have you held or attended? I love hearing your ideas!

Can You Guess?

Can you guess what the husband the Little Man have been working on by looking at this picture?

What if I showed you this?

Keep reading for the rest of this story.