stacie's sacred space

let the partying begin

the kids are off to school.

i'm left in this messy and quiet house walking circles around myself, making lists, and doing things that don't even really need done right now!

today kicks off the valentine parties.

here are the ones we chose this year.

 

johnny's class gets these.

 

 

janie's class gets these.

these were so much fun for all of us to make.

painting together as a family is one of our favorite things to do!

 

 

joey's class gets these.

 

 

this little guy doesn't have to distribute valentines yet.

messy, cinnamon-sugary smiles for my camera are good!

 

 

dave surprised me last night with this valentine.

it's one of my favorites, and it's hard to find.

it's a real treat.

i am a little surprised it's still in the wine holder!

 

 

this morning dave asked me if we are gonna make it easier next year.

i didn't answer.

i love that this is our family thing ... i love the results!

i'm not sure i love how tedious it really is and that it might cause me to lose patience and be a little irritable at times.

happy heart's day to you!

the little things

i got a thank you note in the mail last week from a newish friend, jenny.

i had to read it a couple times.

it made me smile and cry at the same time!

how's that for real joy?

the thing she was thanking me for was something i thought was really little.

i like little things.

i love to share little things!

sometimes they are so little that nagging inner critic tells me they are too tiny to share.

in this thank you note, jenny shared a story about how my gift came just at the right time in her life.

serendipity ... yep, i believe in it!

that thank you note was so touching to me that i wanted to sit down and write thank you notes to all of the people who do so much for me (yes, even in the little things!).

this isn't the only time recently that i've heard how much little things i do touch others.

so gosh, darn it, i am going to continue my mission to quiet that inner critic (maybe even kick her out of my life).

i'm also gonna get caught up on my own thank you notes.

sometimes the little things make a big difference!!

some of my favorite things to give

i like to find fun ideas of gifts to give.

i enjoy putting gifts together.

i am so lucky there's a way cool internet community of momma's who blog awesome ideas!

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hot chocolate party, anyone?

 

 

wanna reflect on the best of your days?

 

surprise, it's a cupcake party!

 

a fun way to deliver fresh baked cookies.

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i get a lot of inspiration here and here and here.

i know i've said it before, and now i'm making sure to give credit where credit is due.

those women all rock!

ginger peeps

we started small with this.

 

and didn't really get a good pic of the one we made.

the icing was hard to manipulate and these were too small for the tiny fingers we have.

so we moved onto this (i couldn't find a link but we got them from trader joe's the freezer aisle where all of the cookies and candies can be found there) for a friday fun after school.

 

 

 

man, the joy here is amazing when i slow down enough to be here right now.

just look at these ginger peep creations.

 

 

joey, janie, johnny and jeff in that order.

they look normal size there don't they?

oh no, there are awesomely, bigger than my head!!

 

jeff cracked up!

even though it's blurry, i'm glad i got to capture that laughter (and pure joy)!

 

 

christmas music, snow, lights on the tree and my favorite people around the kitchen table where memories are made.

hunting

we downloading this app and started looking for treasures.

 

the iphone is our guide and of course my point and shoot camera too.

it's also the way people ping me in many ways, our boom box, my alarm clock and stopwatch ... have i mentioned how cool iphones are here before?

it might be the greatest invention ever!!

ummm, i think maybe i'm digressing here.

anyway, the first cache we found was called "ant on a log."

 

 

this was our first time out hunting ... dave, the little boys and me on a beautiful fall day over lunch hour.

 

 

the treasures are kind of neat and kind of junky too.

neat because some are handmade (see the little tiny thing next to the blue duck? it's a lucky heart made of beads and labelled on the back by who made it).

junky, well, it's tchotchke!

 

 

i haven't gotten to go out with the big kids yet but i can't wait!

i was hoping to adventure somewhere a little further away last weekend until the crud flattened me.

oh well, another time!!

 

 

it's fun to see 'em working together though.

they get really excited about what they might find.

they even brought stuff to trade and kept some of the tchotchke they found for some of our tchotcke!

 

 

there's joy in finding stuff even if it's tchotchke!

 

 

there's a lot of joy in being together even if it's chaotic and crazy!

 

 

there's joy in walking in the woods especially when we get to shuffle over crunchy leaves!

 

 

there's joy in collecting parts of nature for some of us!

 

 

there's joy in swiping the phone to play even when you're only two!

at the dinner table when it jeff's his turn to be thankful he always starts with food or eat then tonight he went into "i like play with phones."

cracked us up!!

i'm digressing again.

 

 

geocaching is fun and totally worth the ten bucks (which is the most expensive app i've ever purchased).

thanks eddie and wendy for nudging us to join in the fun!

one of these days we need to get our whole tribe together in on it.

for now we'll keep hunting.

someday, we may even hide one!

our happy front door

 

look what i got to make?

i learned a little about complimentary colors and strokes and negative space too.

i got to hear the studio owner's story too.

i am so grateful!

i am enjoying october.

i can't wait to hang this on our front door year after year.

i loved my artist's date this week (i'll tell you more about that soon).

 

delayed gratification

this was my favorite thing in the kids' easter basket from grammie and papa.

i have really enjoyed watching it grow and now the bloom is beautiful!

 

the kids each got one, and it won't be long till we'll be eating those tomatoes and cucs right out of our own garden.

 

my corner of the universe

is colorful!

 

we played with liquid watercolors for the first time!

 

 

 

craft paper and happy tape

 

one of my favorite combinations!

clicking around

you have through tomorrow to leave me a comment here to be entered to get a surprise in the mail from me!

this website is fascinating to me. i'm gonna have to find some prints and take some pictures of the past in the present and write tiny stories. i just have to pull that off. my wheels are spinning. 

i have wanted a bread maker for a couple years now. this family goes through tons of bread and it's a good memory from my teenage years ... the smell of the house when mom made us fresh yummy bread. now she has been posting recipes like this that have me drooling (breadsticks, soft pretzels and bagels - yummy!).

fourth of july is on my mind and even though we don't have many plans for the weekend, it's a reason to celebrate and be festive and try new things. maybe this for a snack?

okay this is adorable! maybe we need another j baby someday. i hope dave is reading this :) it's no secret that i'd love to have another.

i can see janie wearing this someday. it will be a gift from me with a note that says, "and return to the nest anytime you want!"

sewing paper is something i want to learn. i thought i had to borrow a machine and now i see i can do it by hand. look at this cute garland!

so i don't watch any shows really but i love to click around the web when i have some free time. that's all from me for now.