How is your week shaping up?

Remember the perpetual calendar printable?  It’s been pretty popular over the last couple of months, and it got me thinking of more…  So I’ve created its companion piece – the weekly organizer!
This is another 11”x14” printable, perfect for framing under glass and transforming into a dry-erase board.  The color array is the same as the perpetual calendars, with a light enough background that you should be able to see your dry-erase pens if you have large handwriting, like me.  :)
Of course just one or the other of these household boards might work fine for your space, but what about both of them together – hung side-by-side or stacked?  Talk about Organization Central!  You’d have your month of events and your week at a glance! 
Just think - this could be a menu board with space for a grocery list…  or a weekly planner with a to-do list… or, whatever you want it to be.
Find some inexpensive 11”x14” frames at your local craft store and make one or both of the household boards, into a useful holiday gift for a loved one.  I don’t know too many people who don’t want to be a little more organized! 
To download the file(s) of your choice, click on the collage image to the left and you’ll be directed to their 4shared locations.  (I’ve also included a compressed file which includes all of the color choices.)  Then, just upload to your favorite online photo printer (Costco only charges $2.99 per print of this size!), put it inside an 11”x14” frame, and hang your framed piece on the wall.  Now you’ve got an inexpensive, dry-erase weekly organizer for your home or office.  :)

*** UPDATED 06/26/12 ***
New download location for these images is here.  


I hope this simple organizer helps to keep you a little more sane and brightens up your space!
I’ll be posting this project to some of the link-up parties listed here:

Under the Table & Dreaming	Kuzak’s Closet	I Heart Naptime
Heather Lynne/Raising Memories	The DIY Show-Off	Keeping It Simple
Sew Can Do	The Girl Creative	Sumo’s Sweet Stuff
Making the World Cuter	C.R.A.F.T.	Skip to My Lou
Mad in Crafts	I’m Topsy Turvy	Sugar Bee Craft Edition
Tip Junkie	Oops! I Craft My Pants	Crazy Domestic
My Delicious Ambiguity	Today’s Creative Blog	Hope Studios
Lucky Star Lane	Someday Crafts	Blue Cricket Design
Sew Much Ado	Bargain Shopping Paradise	Night Owl Crafting
Somewhat Simple	My Backyard Eden	Creations by Kara
House of Hepworths	Fireflies and Jellybeans	Beyond the Picket Fence
Everything Etsy	Tatertots and Jello	6 Inches of Ribbon
Fingerprints on the Fridge	A Few of My Favorite Things	It’s a Hodgepodge Life
Fun to Craft	Tidy Mom	The Shabby Nest
KojoDesigns	Chic on a Shoestring Decorating	Just a Girl
Seven Thirty Three	Beat Until Fluffy	A Little Lovely

Sunday Sustenance

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart." 

- Jean Massieu

Happy Thanksgiving!

Earlier this month, my dad reminded me that one of our ancestors, Thomas Rogers, was among those who traveled here on the Mayflower.

An excerpt from the Thomas Rogers Society site:

Governor Bradford says in his history of the Plymouth settlement that on board the Mayflower were "Thomas Rogers and Joseph his son; his other children came afterwards......Thomas Rogers died in the first sickness but his son Joseph is still living (1650) and is married and hath six children. The rest of Thomas Rogers' [children] came over and are married and have many children." Therefore we know that Thomas and his son Joseph arrived at Cape Cod aboard the ship Mayflower and on 11 November 1620 according to their calendar, or 21 November on ours, Thomas was one of forty-one signers of the Mayflower Compact. Thomas did not live through the rigorous winter which carried off half the group but young Joseph, like so many of the children, did survive.

I’m so grateful for Thomas Rogers’s convictions…  for being brave enough to leave everything behind to seek the freedom to worship as he pleased.

I’m also grateful for and humbled by the many blessings that I enjoy – family, faith, shelter, food, health, friends, freedom… the list is never-ending.  I am unbelievably fortunate and blessed.

 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

 

Sunday Sustenance

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

- Melody Beattie

Just because (8)

Surprise!  Another printable in the Just Because series…
I sing a portion of this song to Connor each night before he goes to bed… it’s one of our nighttime rituals.  I wanted to make a little something to go in his room, to help me remember how sweet he is when I sing this and he buries his head into my neck.
To download the 5x7 image(s) for printing, simply click on the collage to the left, and a new window will open to the download location in 4shared.  Save to your computer, and it’s yours!  Just print it out yourself, or upload to your photo printer of choice.

*** UPDATED 06/26/12 ***
New download location for these images is here.  
 

Santa

I’ve been frustrated the last couple of weeks trying my darnedest to get a decent photo of Connor for the family Christmas card. 

I knew I couldn’t top last year’s card, but I just needed something I could work with.  Even the outtakes from last year’s Christmas card photo shoot were better than anything I’ve been capturing of Connor lately.  Yep, I hit the jackpot of cuteness in 2009!

We’ve attempted a couple of impromptu photo shoots here at home, but no dice.  Nothing that I was in love with anyway.

Last night, we decided to take Connor to meet Santa… to sit on his knee and meet him face-to-face.  Bass Pro Shops does a great Santa’s Wonderland for kids, and it’s all free, including the photo with Santa.  Not only did we want the memory, but I needed that Christmas card photo, dangit!

Connor + crowds = a no-go, so we figured the earlier the better…  a Tuesday night in mid-November, right when Santa’s Wonderland opened for the day, was our best bet.

Connor did alright. 

Santa was awesome and even let us come back a second time and skip the line.

Won’t look at the camera…

The obligatory melt-down.  ;)

The best shot of the night.  :(

{sigh.} 

Right before I hit ‘publish’ I do recall the very first time Connor met Santa… in the NICU.  One of the neonatologists dresses up each December and they take photos for the parents.  This snapshot was my surprise, inside a card, on Christmas Day, 2008 – probably my favorite present that year.

Check out the board to see his weight that day (just 1 day old) – 1070 grams or 2.36 pounds!

(P.S.  I just barely completed and ordered the Christmas cards for this year…{whew!}  Crossing my fingers that Vistaprint is the answer this year – Self-designed front&back, cardstock flat cards + envelopes + self-designed address labels = about $0.80/card.  Pretty good deal, no?  Connor’s photo is not great, but it’ll do.  Beggars can’t be choosers, right??  I’ll post it here on the blog after I get them mailed out. :)

Sunday Sustenance

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

- John F. Kennedy

Sunday Sustenance

"Be the change 
you wish to see
in the world."

- Ghandi

So I don't forget...

Connor has such a sweet and funny personality these days, and he's growing so fast - there were a few things I wanted to chronicle before I forget:

• Connor's become really smooth at giving kisses and hugs.  Sometimes he'll even "attack" with kisses, one right after the other.  His hugs are good, solid squeezes, and he likes to pat your back with his little hands.  It's about the sweetest thing ever.
• Crawling doesn't exist for Connor anymore... it's walking all the way.  :)  And now he's adding speed, before he's perfected his balance.  So, he tumbles, a lot.  I'm not as concerned about the falling as much as I am the self-maiming.  And he's way too good at that.  :(
• With the toddling on two feet, he walks around in circles, loves to be chased, and he's added moonwalking this week.  The kid loves to walk backwards.  It's pretty funny.
• We still feel pretty good about our decision to hold off on the speech therapy for now.  Kid comes up with new words every day, and babbles nearly all day long.  We think we've heard him singing the beginning of the "ABC" song a few times.  Another new word - "bye" - he says with a southern drawl.  Grandpa Rogers is so proud!  (I grew up in Texas and was not allowed to pick up the twang...  my dad thought it sounded uncouth and uneducated.)  By December, I hope to have Connor saying "y'all" to go with his "bye", just for Grandpa's benefit.  ;)
• When he's concentrating lately, Connor's begun to furrow his brow.  Except, rather than look serious, he looks really, really angry.
• On good days, Connor can hoist himself up onto the couch without assistance.  Which is amazing because his legs are the length of a 1-yr-old's.  I sure do hope puberty is kind to him in the height department.
• Connor's actively teething right now, and while we're constantly telling him to stop chewing on his toys, we're laying off of it for the time being.  Seems kinda cruel to make him stop doing something that helps his gums feel better.  So, needless to say just about everything in the house has teeth marks in it (and is covered in saliva).  You'd think we were raising a puppy!  He let me count 11 teeth today and check out his swollen gums.  Ouch!  
• By mentioning it, I know I've just jinxed myself, but his tantrums have subsided lately.  I'll be grateful for whatever reprieve we receive.
• Connor LOVES to go to the park.  So much in fact, that we have to spell the word if we mention it in his presence.  Can't go getting his hopes up on a rainy day.  When we ask him if he wants to go to the park, the sad thing is that he motions about hitting his head... because he frequently tumbles there and at some point is in tears.  But, he still loves to go, especially with Daddy!  What are we going to do when it's covered with snow??
• Brian works from home, when he's not traveling, so periodically during the day, we'll stop by the "office" to say hi.  Typically, he's on a conference call, so we just pop the door open quickly to get a smile and a wave, and blow a few kisses.  Connor knows that we're supposed to be quiet when we're near Daddy in the office, so he'll put his finger to his lips and say, "Shhh." But, then he follows that motion with a shriek and a giggle, throwing quiet out the window.  It's funny how predictable he's become - it's his "thing" now to ruin the silence. 
• I've noticed that when Connor gets to watch one of his shows, he likes to take objects that match the show with him to his bean bag chair.  So, if it's Yo Gabba Gabba, he grabs some YGG game pieces... if it's Sesame Street, it's an Elmo book or Elmo doll.  Once in his chair, throughout the show he'll kiss the object and give it loves.
• Connor's still very much into music.  Whenever a tune strikes his fancy, he starts bobbling his head from side to side and moving his feet as fast as he can (a la Lord of the Dance).  We're working on the booty shaking to go with it.  So You Think You Can Dance here we come!

I know there's more, but I'll have to try to remember it later.
Thought the relatives and friends would enjoy a little update.  :)

Blogging's likely to be a bit sporadic over the next couple of weeks.  All by myself, because Brian's beyond buried with work, I'm trying to get Christmas shopping all done, the annual Christmas card planned and executed, plan out our annual Christmas family events, prepare and pack for our winter trip to Arizona, and figure out someone's 2nd birthday party...  plus fit in the rest of life - doctor appointments, errands, trips to the park, etc. all BEFORE Thanksgiving.  I do have plenty of pictures to share and events to journal (like E&e's trip to Chicago), that I hope to post soon, before I forget the details.  Stay tuned!

For those of you who don't follow this blog to look at pictures of my cute son, I do have a couple more printables worked up that I hope to post in the next couple of weeks.

Just because (7)

Surprise!  Another printable in the Just Because series…
I love this little reminder for the season of Thanksgiving and all throughout the year.
To download the 5x7 image for printing, simply click on the image to the left, and a new window will open to the download location in 4shared.  Save to your computer, and it’s yours!  Just print it out yourself, or upload to your photo printer of choice.

*** UPDATED 06/26/12 ***
New download location for these images is here.  

"Name them one by one..."

I have so much in life for which to be thankful!  In the hustle and bustle of raising an active toddler, and with everything there is to do during the next few weeks to make the holiday season enjoyable, I don’t want to take my blessings for granted.

We have our health, a comfortable home, food on the table, a steady income, reliable transportation, the love and support of our family, good friends, our faith, each other – I could go on and on… 

I decided I wanted to make something to add to my Thanksgiving decor that could help remind us of the many blessings we enjoy – something that might help with our “attitude of gratitude” during the month of November.

I came up with this fun 8”x10” printable that I’ll be framing in my home, on which I’ll be listing our many blessings, and wanted to share it with all of you.  

Two options for download this time: 

1. To download the image as a .jpg, go here.  Just print it out yourself, or upload to your photo printer of choice.
2. To download the image as a .pdf, go here.  Just print it out yourself, trim to 8x10, and frame! 

Once it’s behind glass, it becomes a dry-erase surface, perfect for listing the many blessings your family is grateful for this holiday season.

*** UPDATED 06/26/12 ***
New download location for these images is here.  

(Elements used in printable from Summertime Designs – Thanks for Giving Kit.)


Hope this becomes a happy addition to your Thanksgiving decor! 

(If you do frame this up, I’d LOVE to see photos & feature you on Sprik Space – please e-mail them to me!)

I’ll be posting this project to some of the link-up parties listed here:

Under the Table & Dreaming	Kuzak’s Closet	I Heart Naptime
Heather Lynne/Raising Memories	The DIY Show-Off	Keeping It Simple
Sew Can Do	The Girl Creative	Sumo’s Sweet Stuff
Making the World Cuter	C.R.A.F.T.	Skip to My Lou
Mad in Crafts	I’m Topsy Turvy	Sugar Bee Craft Edition
Tip Junkie	Oops! I Craft My Pants	Crazy Domestic
My Delicious Ambiguity	Today’s Creative Blog	Hope Studios
Lucky Star Lane	Someday Crafts	Blue Cricket Design
Sew Much Ado	Bargain Shopping Paradise	Night Owl Crafting
Somewhat Simple	My Backyard Eden	Creations by Kara
House of Hepworths	Fireflies and Jellybeans	Beyond the Picket Fence
Everything Etsy	Tatertots and Jello	6 Inches of Ribbon
Fingerprints on the Fridge	A Few of My Favorite Things	It’s a Hodgepodge Life
Fun to Craft	Tidy Mom	The Shabby Nest
KojoDesigns	Chic on a Shoestring Decorating	Just a Girl
Seven Thirty Three	Beat Until Fluffy	A Little Lovely

November Birthday Wishes

Dr. Andi turns another year wiser on November 30th.