« October 2010 | Main | December 2010 »
or "Jude's First Thanksgiving"
We collected fall leaves for the table.
And posed for the camera. (Have I got a lot to be thankful for or what?!?)
Pappy barbecued the perfect turkey.
And Jude ate it with gusto.
Full and happy!
I am so grateful for my beautiful family. If I had to choose just one word to describe our day of thanks it would be abundance. Abundant feast, abundant joy, abundant love. I hope your day was full of things to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!
| |
|
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for many reasons. Not the least of which is its ability to remind us of all the things we have to be thankful for (like my great-grandmother's stuffing recipe). In honor of this holiday, founded in gratitude, I wanted to create a little craft that makes counting blessings a little easier: a gratitude journal.
I have been keeping a gratitude journal off and on for years. I'm hoping this little homemade journal inspires me (and maybe you too) to give thanks with a little more regularity. I also made one for my mother as a Thanksgiving hostess/maker-of-my-favorite-stuffing gift. If you are interested in making one of your own please check out the tutorial below.
And hey, thank you for reading! I am abundantly grateful for those who visit my little spot on the web.
Gratitude Journal Tutorial
Supplies:
8 - 8 1/2" x 11" pieces of paper
Printer
Thin cardboard (from a cereal or shirt box)
Basic sewing supplies
Small amount of cotton fabric (11" x 13")
Decorative paper - 2 pieces 5 1/2" x 8 1/4"
1. Download and print the Gratitude journal cover. In Adobe Acrobat select booklet printing from the page scale menu and check the auto rotate. If your printer prints double sided leave it on both sides, otherwise print one side and then the other.
2. Download and print the Gratitude journal pages. In Adobe Acrobat select booklet printing from the page scale menu and check the auto rotate. If your printer prints double sided leave on both sides, otherwise print one side and then the other. Your will need seven copies to create a thirty day journal.
3. Fold all of the pages in half. Stack them together with the cover page first.
4. Cut your cardboard piece and fold it in half. Unfold it and lay the open pages inside, lining up the seams. Sew down the center to bind your book. You can do this with a strong needle and double thickness of thread, or with the sewing machine set to the longest stitch length (sew slowly).
5. Apply spray adhesive to your fabric, lay the open book down on the center and smooth. Fold over the sides pulling tight. Cut a slit at the top and bottom where the pages are so that the fabric can adhere to either side, fold down with a mitered corner.
6. Apply spray adhesive to your decorative paper pieces. Apply to each inside cover, overlapping the printed pages slightly.
7. Fold journal and place between two heavy books until the spray adhesive has set (at least three hours).
8. Enjoy!
Thanks again!
| |
|
Jude's first year feels like a whirlwind of milestones, so many firsts in so little time. This week we add a few more to the list: He enjoyed his first almond butter and jam sandwich (cut into little pieces).
(and washed down with an nice cold glass of milk)
Now a pb&j (technically an ab&j) may not seem like a very big deal, but when you consider that Jude's daddy, Jason, eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every single day for lunch, it makes a little more sense.
Now the next one was a baby book moment for sure: Jude's First Haircut! From the front it might not look like he needed a trim, but he was growing a pretty sweet little party in the back. A baby mullet that liked to get caught on his ear, exhibit A:
So, armed with an organic lollipop, I called our resident hair stylist: Jude's Lolly. He was such a good boy:
The lollipop was definitely a good call:
And with just a few snips, Jude went from baby mullet to little boy:
As if that wasn't enough excitement, he has also taken one or two steps here and there, so walking is right around the corner. He is growing up WAY to fast, as babies tend to do. C'est la vie. Here's to enjoying each little phase, no matter how brief, and celebrating each new experience, no matter how small.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
PS- I got my x-mas present early, can you guess what it was? A new camera! I'm so excited, I have a lot to learn, but it's really fun.
| |
|
While we still have a lot of work to do in our bedroom, progress is being made. Last time I mentioned it, all we had done was the paint. Here's what we've accomplished since:
Night stands? Check! (a more detailed post on this very cool IKEA hack soon!)
Bedside lamps? Check, complete with dimmers!
Closet curtains? Check, hemmed and detailed with grey ribbon!
Mirror for my "vanity"? Hung!
Still to do: Reupholster craigslist-find chair, paint dresser, create headboard (blue painter's tape isn't going to cut it), get artwork, duvet, and shams.
What do you think so far?
| |
|
Check out this cute tunic I whipped up (AKA worked on in little bits over several weeks):
It is basically a v-necked sack dress cinched at the waist with a cute belt. It was so easy to make, and such a great way to put cute clearance fabric to good use, I thought I'd share how I did it. Click through for my simple tunic tutorial.
| |
|
I feel like a broken record lately:
No biting!
No pulling!
No, hot!
No, danger!
No, yuck, spit that out ... you get the idea.
It is officially time to start teaching Jude what "no" means. I try to limit my scolding to things that will cause harm to himself or others. And of course I praise all of his positive behavior. But it still feels like I'm stuck in this Sesame Street music video (those of you who are children of the 80's should remember it fondly):
All joking aside, it is quite exhausting. Thankfully, it seems to be working (at least some of the time). No one ever said being a parent would be easy (in fact, I'm pretty sure most people call it the hardest job you'll ever have), but this whole discipline thing is challenging to say the least.
As Jude's mother it is my job (among many other things) to: show him unconditional love (easy), keep him safe (physically tiring), and teach him right from wrong (difficult: especially when you seek to be clear and fair).
I know this phase has only just begun, and while I could really use a vacation from the word no, I also know that it would be a whole lot harder to skip the "no's" now and try to introduce them later. Raising a rough and tumble (not so little) little boy is the hardest job I've ever had. Fortunately, it's also the most rewarding.
| |
|
