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The project my daughters did with me!

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Here's something I'm rather proud of. . . I have raised two successful babysitters. When they were starting out babysitting, I was as nervous as they were! What if something happens? Will they have to cook? What if the kids are hard to handle? I went over instructions with them right until they walked out the door. I canceled my plans and stayed home in case they called for help. When they got home, I'd want all the details and then go over what to do for next time. They got better and better with each job and my nerves calmed down when I realized they were great babysitters who knew how to keep kids safe AND have fun with them at the same time. Hearing from friends and neighbors what awesome babysitters my daughters are made me so proud!   But now they are getting older and getting different jobs, and spending more weekend nights with friends rather than babysitting, they're ready to pass the torch on to younger babysitters. We had the idea to put together a guide/kit ...
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12 days of christmas

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I've always thought it would be fun to give 12 small gifts on the days leading up to Christmas. . . needless to say, I'm a little too last minute for that. My true love might get gifts the 12 HOURS leading up to Christmas. But if you have your act together and you just can't keep those gifts hidden a minute longer, you can print these gift tags for the 12 Days of Christmas ! I designed them for Today's Mama who is making them available to download and print for free. On the First Day of Christmas my true love gets Gift Tags.
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christmas countdown

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Here is a little something to help you count down to Christmas! An advent calendar designed by yours truly and available at makeandtakes.com . Print one or a dozen. . . why not? They're free so feel free to share! Merry Christmas.
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updates

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November 27? Seriously? Where did November go? We've been too busy to notice time flying by around here. First of all, I've been working. A lot. Teaching. Freelancing. Contracting. But we've managed to have some fun as well. Here the girls are joining me at the counter to draw. The first day of snow came at some point. It started out happy. . . and ended kind of sad. . . but things got brighter after some pancakes and hot cocoa. This is one of my projects for Today's Mama, a Thanksgiving bunting . I love the picture Lucy drew of Emmie, with "girl eyes." We put up the tree this weekend. Remember this chart? This is how you decorate a tree when you have a 16 month old running around. . . Emmie cannot keep her hands off of those shiny, sparkly ornaments. Lu has it all figured out, though. She is in control. Bedhead + favorite blankie + snuggly pajamas = cuteness The only pictures I took of Thanksgiving were of the girls dancing afterward. It also = cuteness. Oh, ...
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halloween pics

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Lucy took this pic of me. . . I kind of like that it's fuzzy and out of focus. It adds to my witchiness. This is Lucy's Halloween Costume #1, a Halloween Clown. . . worn to a church party where masks are not allowed. This is Halloween Costume #2, Violet from the Incredibles, complete with action pose. She wore this one to preschool wear she couldn't wear a mask either. Can you spot Lucy in Halloween Costume #3? Yup, the ghost. This is all she really wanted to be but we had too many parties where she couldn't wear her costume! There was no talking her into any sort of a ghost costume that didn't go over her head and have eyes cut out so she could see. When people asked what she was going to be, she'd say, "A floating ghost!" Her buddies are Josh and Jack and she is so glad they moved back from Wisconsin just in time to go Trick-or-Treating together. This is their third year in a row! A fun tradition we hope to keep. Emmie and Layla were just as excited,...
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happy halloween!

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The kids are out trick-or-treating and I have twenty minutes before I have to leave to teach a class (I'm teaching design again at a local college). I figured I'd do a quick Halloween catch-up post before the month is over. I've been creating printables every week for Today's Mama and you can still go download them if you missed them! It started with a witchy wallpaper for your smartphone or computer desktop. . . Then there was a Bat Mobile Oh, and the Halloween Treat Phantom got a make-over. . . And a spooky memory game for the kiddos. We even had time to add a few new Halloween decorations this year inspired by those in Sweet Paul magazine's fall issue . You might get costume pics tomorrow. That's a whole other post. . . enjoy your Halloween night!
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pumpkin mustaches

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I like to have pumpkins on the porch throughout October. This year, I've pinned on some mustaches until carving time. . . gives them some personality. Now every time I go by them, I want to curtsy. If you'd like some mustaches for your pumpkins, you can download a printable template here . . . Cut them out of black craft foam or felt. Embellish with marker, glitter, puffy paint or whatever you have along the interior lines for a little bit of texture and interest. Tape or pin them on your pumpkins. And then curtsy or tip your hat.
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just the two of us

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Now that Lucy is back in preschool, I have more time alone with Emmie. Some days she's napping during those couple hours, but other days we get to hang out. She's trying to say "Cheese!" here. . . it comes out "Eeeeee!!!" which is ok since it still produces the desired effect. Look at those choppers. . . I realized how few pictures I have of us together so I thought I'd take some in the big mirror in her room. It didn't always work. I think I make this face all the time behind the camera when I'm trying to get the girls to smile. Now that I see it on from the other side, I know why it doesn't work. I should go back to "Say Cheese!" Emmie, I hope one day when your bigger you'll look at this picture and know that I absolutely love every minute I get to spend with you. . . alone or otherwise.
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the joy of canning

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My garden is getting easier and easier each year. This year it was basically just zucchini, squash, and tomatoes. Lots and lots of tomatoes. I love them fresh in a caprese salad or fresh in salsa, but I always have more than I can use immediately so I always have Gramma Gwen come help me can a bunch. It has become a fun tradition that I look forward to each year. These canning labels are available for free at todaysmama.com .
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Two more installments in the Seriously Official Back-to-School set of printables I did for TodaysMama.com . . . Bookplates and a customizable Certificate of Awesomeness .
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is it over?

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Is summer really over? Really, really over? I better post a few more pics from the summer. Just for fun, I made them into animated gifs.
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lunch memos

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I designed these little lunchbox memos for todaysmama.com . You can download them from there and print them for free!
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sunny seattle

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The girls and I spent the most glorious two weeks in sunny Seattle earlier last month. . . that's right, I said sunny Seattle. . . and there is not much better than when the sun is out in Seattle and everyone is excited to be outside. Emmie and Gramma Leen Cousin Max Lucy at the Forest Park petting zoo. She for some reason decided this goat was cold and she had to keep it warm. Emmie working on her answer to, "What does a goat say?" Pony rides, too! Max's first time ever in the saddle. Cousin Tanner's first time ever in the cockpit. It was fleet week in Seattle, in connection with Sea Fair. We toured the USS Bonhomme Richard which is an Amphibious Assault ship and was so cool. So. Cool. Lucy and Auntie Missy peeking out of a tank. Tanner thought he might stow away. Papa Bob was on Emmie duty. We even spent a day at the beach! A sandy beach! at Golden Gardens Park . Missy and her boys. Tanner...
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