Ooops! I did it again….missed a Saturday. Hope it doesn’t become a habit. Let’s be nice and say it was to have time to sort through pictures for that family coloring book.

 Today is 43 weeks until Christmas morning. The next idea is a continuation from the blog post The Grandpa Gifts – ABC & 123 books.

 Melissa’s son is hard of hearing so when his grandpa created these homemade books, one ABC and the other counting, he included sign language. The pictures in the book are of family members, familiar belongs and places suitable to the page. How cool is that?

 Looking at his creation

• Letter/number and sign printed by computer
• Photos added
• Pages laminated
• Bound by comb binding the pages

 The books are personal, cleanable, and sturdy- great for small children.

 Alas we do not own a comb binder but never fear that isn’t a problem. Solution: either a small magnetic (sticky) photo album or a small scrapbook album.  

I am leaning toward the scrapbook album to keep it from being too big & bulky. And, if the notion strikes, it would be very easy to add or update pages.

 Here’s a possible picture for the A page. Real life & Facebook friends will know why this is such a good choice.

Only 25 more letters to go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llrheWBheY8&feature=related

Clogging is very related to Irish step dancing. Our class is learning a dance to this song. At the change picture the “Off to see the Wizard” steps but much bigger & twice as fast, in a large circle with no arm movement & a pleasant facial expression.

Young & fit do not begin to describe the feeling at the end of class…

but I am not quitting…

Seamus will be conquered…

As will “Salty Dog”…

but “Move It Like This” & accompanying machine gun steps may have to wait until I have more than 25 lessons under my belt…

Missed Saturday by a few days didn’t I?

 I volunteered to run the concession stand at the theater during the current show’s run. The money benefits the scholarship fund for the Studio (class) side. Between that, workstudy for our own tution, and daily general life the need to fight with wordpress was not a high priorty.

 So here is one of the ideas that has me so geeked. I found the idea at Melissa Wiley’s blog Here in the Bonny Glen. Scroll down and look at the coloring books her children are busy coloring. That is a coloring book of family members given by their own dear grandpa – how cool is that!!

 In the comments Lori posted a link to Crayola KidsZone. I did sign up (using the code she posted) and gave the program a whirl. Ummm…it worked great but….not for a gift.

 First: the picture cannot be save to a home computer. I had to print it off right now. The printed picture revealed…

 Second: The sight added a frame with the Crayola brand in LARGE letters smack dab in the center of the bottom frame.  Tacky as a halter top in church.

Third: The lower right corner proudly & prominently displayed “Created by Stephanie”. No, No, No. Created by Mommy or by Granmma or by Grammie but NOT Stephanie. The Crayola site is good for kids wanting to create but not Mommy or Gramma.

All is not lost. Eventually I did remember that Picnik had a sketch feature (free). Other photo editing programs may have the same ability, this is just the one I use.

 Beautiful isn’t she?

 It should be noted that not every portrait creates a good sketch but I am enjoying playing with the pictures and creating pages.

 Homemade, personal and right in my budget, no wonder I’m so geeked!

(I am so frustrated with wordpress right now Icould just scream)

There is no frigate like a book

To take us lands away,

Nor any coursers like a page

Of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of toll;

How frugal is the chariot

That bears a human soul!

Emily Dickinson (1830-86)

Complete Poems 1924

Part One: life

XCIX

Just for fun I’m joining Anna with this list of What have you done?

 Same Basic rule: bold the ones you’ve done. A few I’ve done by reading or watching documentaries but did not bold, Anna did so you decide for yourself. 

My total 49. Anyhow… how do you think you’d do?
I tag anyone who wants to do this . . . post it on your blog!

1. Started your own blog 

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band 

4. Visited Hawaii 

5. Watched a meteor shower  

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8.  Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10.Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola 

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise  

33.Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing 

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been inside an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater  

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

46 weeks to Christmas – far, far away yet right around the corner.

First suggestion on this adventure: Find a small assignment notebook that will fit easily into a purse or diaper bag. If you are a wallet carrier then a sturdy piece of notebook paper folded to fit. 

Purpose:  to help you pay attention to gift suggestions from your nearest & dearest. We are *not* talking about the commercial cues from a Saturday morning cartoon session or a walk down the toy aisle. (Toy not being limited to children, grown men & women have their own toy aisles though the overhead signs are labeled auto accessories or jewelery.) This is to jot down those off the cuff comments that occur in everyday life.

Adult comments usually sound like this:

1. “One of these days I’m going to get a _____________”
2. “know what would make this job easier?”
3. “Do we have any ________ seems like we are always out of ___________”

For children observe what they seem to play with all the time when left to their own devices. If they are involved in a regular activity there may be a comment about needing a bigger bag or some piece of equipment being broken or too small. It is very easy to overlook the inconvenience of a too small bag or a broken piece of equipment or zipper but the need still exists.

Remember its the off the cuff, just mentioned in passing, easily forgotten comments that are important. Write the item or comment down! Some wants/needs are mentioned on a daily basis but others are few & far between both are good gift ideas but the few & far between are better. Unfortunately those impromptu suggestions are the most easily forgotten at Christmas gift buying time.

Here is an example from my own life a few years back:

Grits had been taking dance lessons since she was five years old and had accumulated quite a collection of all the junk that goes with being a dancer. She had a bag that held all her stuff – mostly. Her bag zipped closed – mostly. That mostly occasionally caused her some severe frustration. She would run in from the bus, grab her bag, run for the car and the zipper would pop. Adding pointe shoes meant the bag had to be carefully packed to include everything or unpacked/repacked nightly. Nothing hard or difficult, not especially time consuming but annoying on a regular basis.

One day I heard and also listened to the off the cuff comment about needing a bigger bag. I knew it was small but never realized what an annoyance that bag had become. Or how much easier something as simple as a bigger bag would make her life. Guess what was under the tree that year?

The new bag was a huge success. Grits never expected a new bag - it wasn’t needed, the old was just a minor inconvenience, it wasn’t on her Christmas list. The bag she received was big enough for her to be zipped up inside.  Fyah zipped her in to prove it could be done. Despite the overly large size, that bag held all her dance junk for the rest of her dancing career.

Got a notebook?

Next week’s is begins some of my online finds for cool homemade Christmas gifts.

Gotta take care of those gifts…Sooner or Later…

We finally, finally, finally have enough snow to make snow ice cream!!

Yes the kids are very excited, a food only talked about, a food not available at the local grocery center and rarely available locally.

How to make? hmmm….I learned under my mother’s supervision & ideally my children should have done the same, but Little Missey was frozen after her outdoor adventures and wanted nothing more than to place her frozen self against her warm mommy and could not be persuaded to wait. Thinking, I quickly realized the ingredients for snow ice cream and for eggnog are exactly the same – reproduction 1955 Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cookbook to the rescue.

Having mastered eggnog during our summer egg abundance, Lyn became the master chief. She doubled the amounts & added snow to the desired consistency. Wonderful!

Eggnog

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

dash of salt

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat the egg with an egg beater (mixer) until smooth and thick.
2. Beat sugar and salt into the egg. Beat until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Beat in the milk and vanilla. Serve immediately. Makes one serving.

To make lots of eggnog, multiply the ingredients by number of people you’ll serve.

Recipe courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book for the Hostess & Host of Tomorrow. Reproduction of 1955 book. page12.

A double recipe will make four servings of snow ice cream. 

Remember: the USDA no longer recommends consuming raw eggs. I know how my chickens are raised and cared for so make the recipe as written.

Private thoughts never spoken aloud:

In the words of Anna, I am so Geeked…