Stinky, Stinky, Stinky!

Sometimes I wonder how my children are going to be when they grow up. More often I wonder how Mason is going to be. I think it's because he's a bit older and I can start to see him relate to the world and to others around him.

For the most part, he's a sweet, loving and sensitive boy but he has his moments. Especially when he's marching around the room and around me saying, "stinky pants, stinky legs, stinky face, stinky EVERYTHING!" "Stinky mommy, stinky carpet, stinky couch, stinky table." If you can imagine, his volume is pretty loud, the smirk and giggle is ever present and his head is bobbing side to side as he says each word with his long hair swishing around. He can hardly control himself because he's saying "stinky" for every other word and me, mommy, isn't doing anything about it!

I think I just had a moment. I envisioned him 16 years from now at some college party and being "that" guy. The one that you thought was totally cute but such a....well, such a guy! I don't want that for my son! Is that so terrible? But I don't! I want him to be the guy standing in the corner with the cute girl watching "that" guy and chuckling at the sight.

I'm a horrible person aren't I!

So, in that moment, that he was parading around saying the word "STINKY" after every other word no matter what it was, I kind of lost it. I turned to him and completely regressed into my 4 year old self and said, "STINKY, STINKY, STINKY, STINKY, STINKY, STINKY!!!!!"

It took a minute. I think Mason had to let what just happened sink in, but he completely burst into a fit of laughter. I don't think he could believe what I just said.

I composed myself, took a deep breath and said, "I think that must be your favorite word! Stinky!"

What came next, not only surprised me, but gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, he will be that guy that's standing in the corner with the cute girl chuckling. He said with a sweet look and a little laugh, "No mama, my favorite word isn't stinky!"

"It's not???" I said. "Well then, what IS?"

His answer... "LOVE is my favorite word."

Right then he lays on a big smile, big enough for his cute little dimple on his left cheek to come shining through and comes up to me and gives me a hug.

Sigh.

If anyone asks why people have children, it's for moments just like that one.

I love you Mason and all of your stinkiness!!

Olive-Route

I've known Via for gosh, 8 years. I met her when I started working for Gap. I was a graphic designer and she was a fixture coordinator. She's sweet, funky, and has always had a great sense of style. I remember her interest in what my group was doing and her need to push herself into a creative field. She knew she wasn't a corporate girl for life and left Gap to go back to school.

Once she found herself in the graphic arts industry she knew she was where she needed to be. The only thing that designing didn't fulfill was her love of hand crafting things. When she apprenticed with a print shop a few years back, she discovered a wonderful relationship. The thrill of designing and then printing her own work. Although Via is modern and hip she has a distinct vintage quality about her and this manifested in her printing as well. She didn't take the typical route of a modern day press, she fell in love with letterpress. The old machines, the placing of each piece of stationary down to be printed upon, mixing your own colors by hand. Every detail she loves.

When someone loves what they do, the way Via does, beauty just spills out of every piece. She does both custom design, which is stunning, as well as printing pieces designed by others. She specializes in wedding invitations and stationary but prints fine art and other items as well.

She recently designed a box to house stationary products for a client and is now marketing these beautiful pieces separately. If you are a writer of letters or a lover of stationary, this box is a must have. The quality is impeccable and it's beautiful when closed or open.

I'm so excited to have stayed connected with Via all these years and that our paths are crossing in such a creative way. I loved spending time with her in her shop, photographing her work, her studio, Max her dog who's always with her, and of course, Via. We talked about our work and how we can expand our presence in the community. We laughed at how we're members of Facebook and how we're figuring it all out. It was fun because we both work alone so having an afternoon to work and talk to another person was not only inspiring but fun.

Here are some of the shots from the afternoon. I'm going to shoot more details soon so you can see the actual depression from the letterpress. But, for now, I'm in love with these images. I think I captured Via, which is what I had hoped to do.

If you're ever in need of letterpress and are looking for an incredible eye for detail and an amazing sense of style, Olive-Route is the place to go.

A Letter From Craig R. Smith - (Not David Letterman)

I've refrained from writing about politics. I think I still am in a way. This isn't about the next president or about taking sides. It's about who we are as Americans. It's about taking a look at what we have and appreciating it.

For me, it's taking a dose of my own medicine, the medicine I dish out to my children on a day to day basis, especially my 4 year old. Be appreciative, be happy with what you have, respect what you have and do your best not to act like a spoiled child complaining about all of the things that you don't have, in the midst of utter abundance.

This letter is circulating with claims that it was written by David Letterman. If you check out the comments on this post, our friend Rick gives the accurate information and the letter's origin. As well as how it became associated with David Letterman. But, it doesn't really matter who wrote it. What matters is that people read it.

Thanks mom for sending and thanks Rick for your clarification on the author.


________________________________

As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President.
In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change, So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ‘What are we so unhappy about?''

A.. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B.. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

C.. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D.. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E.. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

F.. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

G.. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I.. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

J.. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.

K.. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

L.... This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents; neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M.. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.


Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we
hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day?

Make no mistake about it.The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn'thave to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than honorable’ discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable discharge” after a few days in the brig. So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?

Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he
did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New YorkTimes for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.' 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

David Letterman

Self Expression and the Octopus

Does the line between personal and work need to be hard edged? I ask this because I find myself not writing, not blogging for days, Not because there isn't anything to say, but because this is my work blog. But, I'm me, at work or at home. In fact even more so since my work is AT my home!

So many things go on day to day and it's as if they write about themselves in my head. My brain becomes busy creating sentences, that never get written. I'm struggling a bit with this one and if anyone has any input, I'm all ears.

The struggle seems less of a struggle however if I take this back to the root of why it started. Why I'm writing in the first place. I just need to. Want to. There are stories to be told, things to be said and I want to say them. To anyone. To space and time. To God. When I'm in this place, the just needing to express myself space, I can do just that. Write about whatever is going on in my life that I want to express. When I start to filter myself, think about this as a "work" blog, it seems ridiculous that I would write about how I made octopus hot dogs for my boys last night for dinner. Yes, octopus hot dogs.

See, here I go because I have a need. A need to share this because it's so brilliant. I wish I could take the credit. It was going to be one of those easy dinner nights. A salad filled with beats, cucumber, carrot, feta cheese for Matt and I and hot dogs, home made mac-n-cheese with peas and broccoli for the boys. I almost couldn't bear to think that I was going to just serve them plain hot dogs, again, so I went to the all knowing internet to see what I could find. The search for "creative ways to serve a hot dog" brought me to a blog posting from this site....Workitmom. The post was how to make an octopus hot dog! Brilliant. I won't even try to recount the steps because it's done so well on her post. It's so simple and I have to say, a HIT!

Mason and Miles LOVED that they could eat a hot dog in a new and exciting way. Even watching them cook was fun. And the comment by the mom who blogged this is true. Just by taking more time to prepare the hot dog made me feel like it was more nutritious!

I of course had to take a couple of pictures to share. I should have taken some shots of the boys eating because Miles proceeded to amputate the octopus by eating it's legs one by one. Mason however, went straight for the head. Left all of it's legs just wiggling there until one by one, they were gone.

One of the best things about the octopus though is that by serving it this way, you completely take away the infamous "choking hazard" danger. Hot dogs are one of the leading causes of choking with children. There is even a petition that has been filed so that a warning label would have to be placed on the packaging of hot dogs stating that they are a choking hazard. O.K. that might be going a bit far, but if you serve your hot dogs like octopi, you wont have to worry about it.

Unless of course your child decapitates it like mason did and eats the head whole. ;-)

Bon Appetit!

Little Actions

I've shared in the past about the book I'm reading. The Wealthy Spirit. 365 daily stories and affirmations for financial stress reduction. I just finished reading my story for today and thought I would share. It ties directly in to thoughts I had yesterday when cleaning up part of the garage with Matt and Mason.

Here's the story:
Little Actions

Your life is the sum total of all the little actions you take, your daily habit pattern. Successful people are those whose daily habits add up to something great. You don't suddenly one day write a book. You write a paragraph today. Then tomorrow, you write another one. And the next day, another. On a great day, you write a whole page, loving it. On a bad day, you stare at a whole page, hating it. But every day, your goal is to write: your discipline is to write; your support structure is to write.

Don't say: "I wish I could write." Or "I wish I had time to write." You can write—just do it; you have time, the same twenty-four hours everyone has. Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison said, "I wrote at the edges of the day," before her children awoke in the morning and after putting them to bed at night. It was this commitment to her voice and her vision, carried out through little actions every day, that brought her world-renowned success.

Little actions add up, both the actions of commission and the actions of omission. If I want to lose twenty pounds, I have to choose low fat foods and vegetables and omit hot fudge sundaes and brownies. If I want to play the piano beautifully, I have to practice scales today instead of watch television or play baseball. If I want to sell my product or service, I have to confront my fears and make a phone call to a stranger today. I must, each day, make the choice to put off the instant gratification of today in exchange for the delayed gratification that may be years in the future.

This is where habit can serve us well. It's too hard to think through these choices anew each day. I have to make the commitment to my goals once, then perform the little actions each day because I have made them my habit to do them. It's hard only for the first couple of days, then I will have established this pattern as a habit—a habit that will lead me, over the years, to the future success I desire. I don't have to wrestle with myself, try to avoid it, think of other things I'd rather do. It's what I do, it's in my schedule, it's in my blood, it's a habit.

So what are your daily little actions? You are creating your future with them today.

Today's Affirmation: "Every action I take today creates my glorious success."
Chellie Campbell

I think about what I do, what I choose to do. I choose to sleep in the morning. Not to get up at the crack of dawn and start my day. I choose to sit with my husband at the end of a long day and watch a show or two before going to bed. Not all the time but it's the habit. I like that time to relax with him but I'm aware that I'm choosing to do that instead of working. I wonder what would happen if I spent more of that time focussed on moving my business ahead. I have so many things inside of me wanting to come out. Books to design, books to write, paintings to create, so much. We're here on this planet for a short time and I can see the days passing and feel the sadness if I just let it slip by.

This is a good reminder for me to think about what those important tasks are. Spending time with my children when I'm with them. Teaching them these same lessons. Creating what there is for me to create and not just letting time slip by. It makes for a full life that's for sure but what else am I here to do??!!