Hammer Time.

Where has the summer gone??  I know I've been MIA for quite awhile- lots of weddings and visits to get in while the weather's nice!  Couple that with a crazy work schedule the past few weeks, and like sands through the hourglass, so are the nonexistent DIY sessions of my life.  (Days of Our Lives reference, anyone?) 

Annnnyway, here's a quick little DIY to do with little ones (because they can), or by yourself (because you can).  Either way, it'll turn out pretty!

Ooh la la...it's art!!

I found this little gem of a summer DIY somewhere online, and thought I'd give it a go.  Of course I had a hammer, watercolor paper, and blue painter's tape hanging around- staples of a DIY'er, really.

Supplies.  Yeah, it's upside down.  Live with it.
If you can't tell that it's a pad of watercolor paper, you're blind.

Here's what you do:

Pick some fancy flowers and leaves.  Try to pick ones that aren't super thick and watery- they might just burst when you try to hammer them.  Or, pick exactly that, if you want to create a messy explosion of plant juices.  Your choice.

SPLAT.

Yeah, that was kind of a mess.

Arrange your flowers artfully on your watercolor paper.  It's important to use watercolor paper and not just any old regular printer paper- the watercolor texture and absorbency is what you need for this project.

Or, arrange your one flower artfully.
These dang petals tend to stick in a clump!

Next, cover your flowers with painter's tape.  Make sure to cover the perimeter of the flower securely for best results.

Tape it down now!

Then, hammer away!  If you want to take a few quick hits and then pull the tape up a bit to check your progress, feel free!  The painter's tape comes up  easily, so you can see if additional hammering is necessary.

Looking good!

Use some fun stamps and a ribbon, and you've got a pretty little door hanger!
Too cute, right?

After you've done all this, mail the hammer and supplies to your sister for her 5 year old's birthday.  She'll really love you for it.  Promise.

Valentine's Day for a Dollar!

I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day.  Never have been.  Here's what I compare it to:  Have you ever seen a movie trailer that looks spectacular, so much so that you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT to see it?  You read the articles about it, you watch the online clips, you bug your friends to go with you opening night.  The anticipation is palpable.  Then, the moment happens.  You sit back, ready to soak in the best movie you've ever seen, and...Hmph.  It falls flat.  It wasn't bad, there wasn't really anything to complain about, but it just wasn't what you'd built up in your mind. 

That's the way I feel about Valentine's Day (and romantic movies- aren't they the best/worst?!).  I'm not bitter, and it's not for a lack of a loving partner.  I have a perfectly wonderful husband who loves to take me out to dinner, puts the toilet seat down without ever being asked, and likes to do laundry.  Now THAT'S romance.  Plus, we've got an anniversary that rolls around every year that isn't being celebrated at the same time as every other googly-eyed couple in America.  I'd rather be wined and dined then.  In addition to that, reds and pinks are my least favorite colors.  Pretty sure that alone is reason enough to forgo the holiday.

But then....kiddos that you love start to get older that get excited for holidays.  Therefore, it becomes fun to do something for Valentine's Day again.  Behold, this year's Valentine's DIY Project that can be done for a DOLLAR and a half hour of your time- The Loooooooove Picture Puzzle:

My two favorite kids!

I actually pinned this project from another blogger, and I'd hate to take full credit for someone else's project, so please visit her site (and much prettier pictures) here.  She made little fabric drawstring bags to go along with this project, but if you don't sew, want to be cheap, and want to take very little time to make a thoughtful gift, stick with me.  We're going no frills here.

Supply List:
Popsicle Sticks (package of 100 from the Dollar Store!)
Inkjet or Toner Printer
Modge Podge or other craft glue
Small paintbrush
Sharp knife or craft knifeblade
Ziplock bag
Red Sharpie

Most people probably have the majority of these supplies in their house, which is why this is the dollar project- the only thing I needed was popsicle sticks!

First things first:  Find and print pictures that you'd like to make into puzzles.  Print them on regular printer paper on your home printer.  Make sure the pictures are slightly smaller than the width of your popsicle sticks.  My popsicle sticks were just over 4 inches, so I made sure my pictures were only 4 inches when I printed them out.

This is going to be fun.

Side note- I printed in B/W because my printer doesn't have color.  You can do color if you'd like.

After printing, paint the back of your picture with Modge Podge.  Arrange popsicle sticks on the picture, leaving a tiny gap between each stick.  Let them dry.

So easy, a 5 year old could do it.  Seriously.  We're not breaking the bank on
dexterity capabilities here.

When they're dry, write out a nice little message to your gift recipient on the back of the sticks.  Then, use your knife to score a line between each stick to separate them.

Anybody ever visit the Human Body exhibit that traveled around the country?
I feel like the body they sliced into hundreds of pieces and stretched out for 30 feet.

Once separated, coat each individual stick with another coat of Modge Podge.

Got smart for this round.  Glue sticks to paper towels.  Duh.

While you're waiting for that to dry, get your ziplock bag and your red Sharpie, and decorate the bag.

When everything's dry, pop the sticks into the bags, and send to your favorite Valentine.

Happy Valentine's Day, kids!

Quick, cheap, and easy!  And your littlest Valentines will love you for it!  (And then probably use the popsicle sticks to stab each other.  Ehh, that's their mom's problem;)

It's OK to be regular.

Disclaimer...if you're looking for a DIY post, this isn't it.  It's just a rant.  Read on or click out.  Your choice:)

Last week, I went to Target to grab a few things, and saw this notebook sitting at the end of the school supplies aisle.  EEK!

WHAAAAAT??

I intended to just post the picture with a funny little quip, but then I got thinking.  Why isn't it ok to be regular?  I named my blog after the word, and did so because I'm ok with being a regular person in a regular house with a regular job in a regular neighborhood.  

I think we've all gotten carried away with the mentality that everyone is special.  Not just special to their moms, dads, family, and friends, but super special in the I'M SO AMAZING THAT I AM DESERVING OF ALL OF THE WORLD'S POSSESSIONS AND LOVE JUST FOR BEING BORN type of special.  We've all seen it, and many articles have been written and t.v. specials have been run about the I deserve a huge trophy just for playing CYO soccer culture that seems to be pervasive with today's youth (and their parents).  

I'm pretty sure that every generation has complained about something that's "wrong" with the next generation down.  Despite my complaints, I am all for making little ones feel special about certain things- maybe they are good at art, or can run fast, or just give the best hugs in the whole wide world.  It's ok to let kids know that they are special to you for a variety of reasons.  

Unfortunately, in the harsh reality of the world (and especially in the high school and college world, as this college ruled notebook was intended for), our babies really aren't that special to anyone not in our inner circle.  And that should be ok.  Our little ones WILL grow into teenagers and young adults who need to be prepared and armed with the knowledge that while someone at home will always be there to cushion the blow of the real world whacking them in the face, that they WILL get whacked in the face by life.  The world doesn't owe them a favor just because they are breathing.  

During my teaching years, I frequently came across this mentality- the parent and 17 year old girl who were both convinced that she would become a fashion designer (despite the fact that she could only draw stick figures...), the 5'2" 12th grader whose plans were to make his money in the NBA, and the senior whose mom came in and strong armed the counselor into sending her daughter's application to Harvard, with her ACT score of 13 attached it it.  The national ACT average from 2012 was a 21.1. We laugh at little ones who share these dreams with us, and we pat them on the head and tell them, "Of course you can do that!".  But it's not so cute when young adults think this way and still actually believe it.  It's like the two year old with a lisp that we keep telling to say "dump truck".  It's funny, and we all howl with laughter, but when he's 12 and yelling "dumb f*@!", it's horrendous.  

While these stories are only anecdotal, my teacher friends across the US all have had similar stories to share, and I'm sure they could add pages and pages more of the same type of thing.  Why aren't we pulling on our kids' strengths and teaching them that it is ok to be regular, that the world desperately needs the plumbers, the teachers, the mail carriers?  

We don't need to be special to live happy, fulfilling lives.  If everybody's special all the time, then nobody's actually special, right?  Except to our mommas...to them, we are the most special beings on the face of the planet.  If Target made a notebook that looked like this, then I would buy it in a heartbeat:

Now that's a little more accurate.

Come on Target, can we make it happen?