fresh picked whimsy

Adventures in letterboxing

Are you tired of hearing me talk about our letterboxing hobby yet?  I can't help it.  Seriously.  It always turns out to be such a great day and consequently, a great memory.  If you're new to the blog, you can read all about our letterboxing fun here and here.  This last time, we packed up a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon in Broad Ripple...a hip little town a few miles down the road.  Our first stop was Marrot Park. At first glance, it doesn't look like much, but our clues led us into the woods and onto a trail that was so peaceful.  

 

The trees were just starting to bud, the weather was warm and we were able to see lots of details of the woods without all of the foliage.  As we were hunting for our letterboxing nature landmarks, Here's what we found...

 

the kids spotted these trees that grew twisting around one another...G said they were probably in love ♥

 

 
 

 K spotted these abandoned glasses hanging from a tree.  Wonder what the story is behind them...

 

 

Mark was sure we had found some wacky tabacky...he made me take a picture of it.  Which led to a "just say no to drugs, kids" talk...

 

Then he texted cha cha and found out that it was just a tree...that resembles the marijuana plant.  LOL!

 

found the letterbox!  Stamping and recording our find!

 

On our way back down the trail, we spotted this fallen tree...err...i mean snake, or dragon, or gator...

 

do you see it?

 

Of course G had to ham it up...

 

 

Time to get dinner started, so I'll leave you with this cliffhanger...will G be rescued?  will he still have his foot?  If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? 

 

Tune in tomorrow...

a sugar coated Sunday...

Meet Jane Summitt...{pictured here with her lovely daughter}. 

 
Jane is also known as Frannie...Frannie the clown from Fun with Frannie.  My friend is a clown...how totally cool is that!?!  She is the definition of "following your dreams and doing what you love".  Frannie is a rock star among the grade school set.  She had a booth making balloon animals at our school carnival this past Friday night and her line was never less than 30 kids deep.  The woman is seriously talented.

Jane is in the process of updating her website and after a creative brainstorming meeting together, we decided that her website needed some updated photos of her amazing face painting and mad balloon skills.  So, she dreamed up a little party and collaborated with the owners of a darling candy store in the art & design district of our hometown of Carmel, called the Simply Sweet Shoppe.  You may remember I blogged about them a while ago here.

 

They staged a little face-painting party for some little friends of Frannie, so that i could photograph her work.  The afternoon was rainy and cold outside, but full of sunshine, sprinkles and glitter inside! 

 

 

We had the entire upper room of the Shoppe, which is also a small theater and workshop, called the Second Story Playhouse. 

This place was awesome!  They offer everything from acting, singing and dance classes to various art and family improv classes.  We had a coloring table...

 

One of the owners, Jill Zaniker, had set up a sweet creation station for the kids to dip marshmallows and enjoy a treat.  All of the kids LOVED it! 

 

Jane...doing what she does best!

 
 
This isn't your run-of-the-mill face painting.  This is like the face painting you get in Disney World!  She is an artist.  I'm in awe...

 

 
 
Everyone had such a fun day.  Seeing the kid's sweet faces when they would see themselves for the first time in the mirror was priceless!

 

The Simply Sweet Shoppe and Fun with Frannie are working to put together a party package...i think they are a match made in candy store heaven!  If you live in the area, and would like more information about Frannie or the Sweet Shoppe, follow the links here:  Fun with Frannie and The Simply Sweet Shoppe. 

Please, play with your food!

Have a picky eater in your house?  Boy, do i wish i had known about some of these ideas when my babies were little.  Give one of these ideas a try if you want to WOW your kids.  They will love you for it.

This blog post idea began when i stumbled on this...a little repulsive to me, but kids will think it's the bomb diggity!  I have to admit, my first impression was shock..."how the heck did they do it?" and then, "why didn't i think of that?"  Seriously, genius!  Megan of Plum Pudding has all the details here...

We've definitely done this one...always a crowd pleaser with the toddler set...simply use your kitchen scissors to slice the dog half way up and cook!  For a double dose of gross, serve your octo-dogs on a bed of green Ramen noodles (a.k.a. "seaweed"!)

 
I dare your kids not to giggle with a plate full of smiles like these from family.com:

 
  
My Little Mermaid obsessed daughter would have loved this from Ziggity Zoom:

 
Look at these amazing ideas from Funky Lunch, who has a book coming out this year.  Seriously, this is food art:

 
   My kids all adored this book, How are You Peeling?  Foods With Moods {a great lunch table read}:

 
Want to thwart any bullies from stealing your kid's lunch?  Perpetual Kid offers these hysterical and gag-worthy "fake mold" lunch bags {that your kids will love!}.

 
Check out Perpetual Kid for these fun with food tools:

cute!

 

CuTeR!

 
CUTEST! 

 
 
 
Finally, forget the kids...this mom wants this tear off pad of placemats called Doodles at Dinner available on the Catching Fireflies website!:

 
TGIF, my friends!  Have a fun day!

What do you get when you cross a shamrock with poison ivy?

A rash of good luck!

That's the joke i put in G's lunchbox today!  Happy St. Paddy's Day, my friends!  Are you wearing your green today or have you been getting pinched left and right? 

Yes, everyone's Irish today.  Plunk an O' or a Mc in front on your last name today and there you have it, you're Irish!  We are the McDonough's (fo' rizzle)...and our family is originally from Inishbofin, Ireland.  {I believe it's pronounced "In-ish-buff-in"}  Look at this gorgeous place...

I hope someday we can take the kids to visit this homeland of the McDonough's {pronounced "McDunna", although it's slaughtered in so many different ways...our personal fave is McDonut!} 

I'm linking to a vintage blog entry from last year here, as i've had several requests for the info on the St. Paddy's Day treasure hunt that my kids go on every year.  It's super simple and you can download the FREE clue cards right here. 

The happiest of St. Patrick's Day to you and yours!

Around our house

Nooks and crannies of life right now in our house...

 
 
 the snuggly pillows that await you on the sun porch daybed...

 
 

K's bedroom chalkboard...

 
 

and Kismet vacuuming out the cabinet where the toaster is kept...

The gumball machine works, but everyone lifts the top off and uses the spoon instead.  Lazy...

 
  

Having only had sisters, this pic of a corner of R's room is how envisioned every boy's room looked...

these pics of Mark from high school, have hung in R's room since he was born.  So, it's no surprise that R can't wait to play football next year in high school (for the same school that his dad played for!)...

We are reading this as a family every night at the dinner table...one page a day.  It's really fascinating and has prompted some great conversation, too!

We have been playing a lot of Rummikub lately.  Never played it?  You should. It's fun! (and, i let Mark take a picture of me, instead of shying away from the lens.  See...I'm doing it!)

Signs of spring in the backyard...

Yet, the vintage sign here, by the back door, teases us every time we let Kismet outside...

19 days 'til spring, my friends! xo

 

Kids helping kids!

I wanted to share a project that i recently worked on that is near and dear to my heart.  A friend of mine asked me to create a logo for this organization that she has founded with her young daughter, Evelyn.  It's called Norfleet's Feet and their mission is to help kids fight childhood obesity.  They have partnered with L.I.F.E. for Kids and Project 18, which is a program that was created by Peyton Manning and his foundation associated with the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital, here in Indy.  Together, their goal is to help kids eat smarter and get active.  Evelyn, age 9, participates in youth triathlons, and hopes to create a statewide youth triathlon team, that trains throughout the year, and helps kids who are struggling with their weight, get fit. 

Evelyn

My job was to create a kid friendly illustrated logo and symbol/mascot, both of which will appear on t-shirts, posters, brochures, etc...  

 
This is "Norfleet" (Evelyn's last name), the mascot/symbol of Norfleet's Feet:

 
  It was a fun project to work on.  They are still building their website.  If you should have any questions or would like to know more about getting involved with Norfleet's Feet, please contact Stephanie at [email protected].  Go, Evie, go!

enough already!

Snow, you are very pretty, but you are getting on my nerves. 

 

It's so cold that the flakes didn't melt when they landed on my coat.  Gorgeous, aren't they?  But still, shoo!

I'm tired of these guys hanging around...

and the aroma of wet dog every time she comes inside...but, she's so cute.

The snow is even getting old for the kids.  They're not really interested in playing in it so much anymore.  G built a fort inside on Saturday and played in it for hours.  He even slept in it overnight.  At one point, we all climbed in it together {even Kismet}!  Squishy, but good times!

 

  

  K and R were commenting today, as i was writing this post and loading the pictures, that all of us climbing into this fort together {for about an hour!} was kind of weird.  But, they also said that it's this goofy kind of stuff we do as a family, so it represents us well.  I think it's the goofy stuff they'll remember forever.  At least i hope they do.  ♥ 

Hang in there...just 31 days until Spring, my friends. 

You can't win if you don't play!

Do you ever play the lottery?  Indiana just introduced a new lottery option...Mega Millions.  R and I were daydreaming out loud last night about what we would do if we won.  High on his list is season tickets to the Colts games and of course, Superbowl tickets!!!  Love that kid.  It's always fun to imagine.  We don't play the lottery too often.  But maybe we should.  Somebody's gotta win, right? 

I do love entering contests and giveaways.  When i was in high school, i won 2 tickets to see Michael Jackson in concert in Chicago.  Then, when Mark and I were newlyweds, i won a trip for 2 to a resort in the Bahamas.  I won both of those contests on the radio!!!! 

I did hit the jackpot when i married Mark.  ♥  Love, friends, family...now those are things you can take to the bank!

(print available in the shop)

Speaking of winning...the winner of the Joy Challenge giveaway is...drumroll, please...

Missy Holmes!

Missy, email me  with your contact info and let me know which print you want from the shop...congrats! {fyi...we used the highly scientific method of G pulling a name out of a hat!}

Just remember, my friends....

Our beloved Christmas traditions...

We took the kids out on our annual Christmas lights drive a few days before Christmas.  We make cocoa in travel mugs and enjoy the sights...

There's a local farm equipment store that has an amazing free light display.  It's a holiday tradition for a lot of families in Indy.  

 

The whole family meets for the early children's Christmas Eve mass and then go back to our own homes to await Santa's arrival.  We always have a candlelight dinner in the Dining Room, just the five of us.  It's the ONLY day of the year that we eat in there!  We eat on the good china, drink milk out of the crystal wine glasses and wear our pajamas.  The kids love it.  Then the kids exchange gifts with each other at the table and we snuggle up on the couch and watch It's a Wonderful Life by the light of the tree.  It's a snuggly Christmas tradition. 

 
Mark's parents come over early on Christmas morning for breakfast and presents...xbox, ipod touch, snuggies and Legos; oh my! 

 
Around 2:00 that afternoon, my whole family comes over for Christmas day...it's totally chaotic with 9 adults, 8 kids and 3 dogs, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  We eat all day long...homemade Christmas cookies, eggnog, chips & dips and an Italian antipasta tray. 

 The infamous zhu zhu pets made an appearance under the tree this year for my niece and nephew and they were a HUGE hit.  My parents spent ALL year gathering all of the little accessory pieces for them in their travels and the result was big smiles and 2 very well occupied kids on Christmas day. 

We kept teasing my folks about how much money my sisters were going to make when they sold them all on ebay. 

A rare moment when the kids had all left the family room and were playing in the playroom...

My mom enjoys wrapping all of their presents very extravagantly...with the most gorgeous bows and ribbons.  They traditionally end up on everyone's heads throughout the day.  I'm laughing so hard, that none of my pics came out clear, but you get the picture...

Dinner is my mom's homemade lasagna.  It's 4 days later and i'm still full!  The only requisite on Christmas day is that everyone must arrive in their jammies.  We stay in our jammies ALL DAY long.  Here's my Poppop scratching off some of the lottery tickets that we got him.  He has always LOVED playing the lottery, Publisher's Clearing House and back in the day; the race track.

It was almost midnight before everyone left.  Such a fun day.  Christmas continued the day after, with Christmas at Mark's parent's house.  Mark and the kids and I meet his brother over there and we have Christmas with the McD's.  More presents, more delicious food and fun playing board games.  This year, we played Taboo and laughed so hard, i'm surprised i was able to get an in-focus photo.  It was a blast.

Our Christmas Eiffel Tower tree really grew this year, with so many lovely photo cards from all of our favorite people.  We enjoyed seeing all of the smiling faces and marveled at how much everyone has grown! 

 I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas, too!

We've got spirit, yes we do, we've got spirit, how 'bout you!

 
So, what gets you into the holiday spirit?  Is it wrapping presents, shopping, holiday music, Christmas lights?  Perhaps, it's giving back in some way.  I made the illustration above for the latest issue of atCarmel.  The cover story is about how Carmel residents and businesses get into the Christmas spirit.  I also wrote an article for the issue about our family hobby, letterboxing.  The link to my article is here.  I've blogged about it before here and here.  That could be a fun thing for you and your family to do over Christmas break.  Barring heavy snow, there's no reason not to get outside and find some letterboxes!

Another new Christmas inspired print is in the shop today.  I have had Pandora blasting in the studio for a week tuned to the Michael Buble holiday station...fabulous vintage and new Christmas music.  I'm loving every minute of it and am very inspired by it.  Fa la la la la!