Three Things and the Winner, finally

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One.

mary's eye

It is amazing how many curious, disapproving looks you get when you're out in public with a child who is sporting a shiner. Mary's black eye gets more colorful every day and the looks and questions keep coming. Of course when someone asks her what happened to her eye, she gets all shy, cringing from the extra attention. And answers sheepishly: "I fell."

She doesn't give them any details. Like the fact that the she and her sisters have been hanging out in the upstairs bathroom, because when the door is closed it gets really warm in there. And they've been bringing all their papers and books and crayons and toys into the bathroom. And she tripped on something and slammed that cute little cheek bone into the toilet. You know, little details like that.

Oh well. I have to admit it's kind of cute. And I've enjoyed photographing its colorful progression ever day.

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Two.

I've been getting some emails lately about people wondering if I'll be having a mini-swap #4. It has been on my mind and I'd love to know if there's still interest out there. I'd be happy to host again, though I think I'll make it a little smaller and easier to manage, if there's enough interest to do it again. Would you leave a comment or drop me an email if you're interested?

If you're new to the mini swap idea, you can read about it here. This isn't a sign-up or anything. Just seeing if there is enough interest.

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Three.

My computer crashed right in the middle of the Little Bird giveaway. I really apologize for not announcing a winner. And for some reason the post went up twice on my blog. So I combined all the comments and randomly chose a winner from everyone.

And the winner of the Little Bird tee collection is Christy who said:

I adore Miss Yum Yum and the mermaid designs. I really need to order some of these for my girls. My oldest has extremely sensitive skin and many tshirts/dyes irritate her skin. These sound perfect and soft!

Posted by: Christy | January 21, 2009 at 11:35 AM

Christy, please send me an email with your contact information so I can pass it on to JoAnna!

Congratulations!

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mini {book} swap

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someone's been wronged
Apparently, Dan "wronged" Emma the other night. I think it was something to do with him canceling baths because of all the bickering between sisters.

Emma. She's such a feeler. She feels everything with such gusto. I was upstairs when she brought the sign up to hang on her door and she showed it to me. I asked her if she thought it would hurt Dan and Mary's feelings. She told me that they hurt her feelings and I gave her some typical mom advice about that not making it right to hurt their feelings. And then she told me, "that's not how it works in my world!" And then collapsed into my arms. Poor baby. A full day of running around with cousins, swimming, meals away from home. Never touching back down for a bit of quiet and rest. So everything came storming out in emotions just before bed.

I do have to give the girl credit for taking the time to make the letters block letters. I mean, if you're going to make a nasty sign to hang on your door, at least do it with some style.

So, on a different note. That swap....The other night we were all in bed reading this book. Not your classic book that everyone has in their home library collection. No Good Night Moon, or  Guess How Much I Love You, or The Giving Tree .  And I don't even remember how I got this book. Maybe from a student when I was a classroom teacher. But dagnabbit (to quote the book) if it wasn't really good!

As I was sitting there listening to Dan read, it gave me an idea for a simple, quick and easy swap. A mini swap of sorts because it is kid-driven, but simpler.

the sharing of family favorites

Let's share a family favorite (children's) book, with another family. Something that might not be on everyone's shelf. Not necessarily the classics that are given out at every baby shower, but a discovered favorite. A book that surprised you.

And it's simple. It is just the exchange of a book. Nothing more, nothing less. From one family to another. So if this simple swap interests you, drop me an email and I'll mix everyone up and hand out partners. And seriously folks, I want to keep this simple. Just give a book, get a book. I have no plans to make pillowcase dresses for everyone in their family. Or embroidered floor cushions and handmade puzzles. Just a book--a gift that gives over and over.

So, if you're in, I'm in. And if only one person signs up, then well, I've got a great book to send you--not the one above, something even better....

Drop me an email, let me know if you're in. And if you are, here's a smaller version button for you to use

Happy Reading. Happy Thursday.

**I'm closing the swap. Thanks, everyone!!***

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the birds and the bees

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P1010052

The birds:
I made cutting boards for my family two years ago in this sparrow shape and I've been wanting to do something else with it ever since. So last week when I had my sewing machine out, I tried a swallow-shaped pillow. However, I don't think they are going to work as a pillow. I haven't stuffed them yet, but I think they'll lose their shape and charm when stuffed. Now I'm thinking they'd make a great applique on a pillow....any other ideas?
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My purpose for having out the machine was to make two of these friendly little turtles--a favorite homemade toy in our home, who are now wrapped up and safely on their way to a very, very, VERY patient family.

The bees:
Melissa sent me an email this week, asking me to blog about a very important project. The Great Sunflower Project is an effort to attract and count honeybees in personal and community gardens. If you sign up for the project they will send you a free packet of sunflower seeds to plant in your garden (or even a pot on your deck). All you need to do in return is take two bee counts (according to their simple instructions) and send in or fill out their online count. The whole count will take less than 30 minutes. I'm going to do it as a school project with Emma and Mary. I hope you'll join Melissa and me and be a part of this important project. (I'd love to know if you decide to join in!) Here is an article in the NYTimes about our honeybees in peril.

The birds and the bees:
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First of all, no. I am not pregnant. But that doesn't stop me from getting inspiration from an amazing new book that April at Chronicle Books sent me last week. The book is called Nursery Style and it is by Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter of the California-based store, Serena and Lily. I love these kinds of books because I find so much inspiration and ideas packed into them. And I love paying attention to the little details--the artwork, the pillows, how the toys are put away, how an armoire is utilized, the curtains.
Mosaic9419819_2

1. image 1, 2. image 2, 3. image 3, 4. image 4

Even though the book is aimed at nursery design, there are still so many great ideas in this book for anyone decorating a home with and for children.(stefani, I thought about you with those silhouettes in image 3. Can you do that?! :) So baby on the way or not, this book is full of beautifully designed living spaces, new ideas and fantastic tips and hints for decorating. And April, I want everything on page 74 and 75.

Happy Weekend everyone. Sign up for your bee count, read a good book and take it easy.
See you Monday.

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mini swap 3

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Miniswap3_3
What is the miniswap?
It is a mail swap between our children (for the children, by the children--with a little help from you and me)--a chance to let them get in on the fun of sending and receiving a brown paper package.

THE DETAILS

::We will swap by household. Keep in mind, you might sign up one child, but be swapped with a household of two or three children. This doesn't mean you have to put together three times as much stuff, but it might be nice to include something small for each of the children.

::Originally I didn't put an age limit on participation. But this year, I'm going to say two years and up. The idea of this swap is that our children are really participating. Please use good judgment about where to cap it off at the older end. (And just for the record, if you were my partner and signed up your four year old, but there was a 12 month old crawling around your house, I'd want to know so I could include a little something for him/her. I wouldn't want to leave those babes out all together. But I'll leave that up between partners.)

::The swap is open to anyone, so please be willing to ship overseas when you sign up.

::I always try to be budget-conscious. Try to keep the bulk of your swap goodies in the handmade or hand-me-down category. One year my partner passed on gently used books, a stuffed toy and other goodies (among other fantastic things)--and my kids loved it. And the sentiment behind her children wanting to pass on a special toy to another child was priceless.This swap is not meant to break the bank.

::Need ideas of things to include? You can check out the miniswap flickr group.  Or, leave a comment after this post of some of the highlights from last year. I'd love to hear and I'm sure others would, too.

::Please include a postcard or small map showing where you're from. (I forgot to do this last year, again... oops.)

::Please ship packages by February 22. That should give you about a month to put it all together.

HOW TO SIGN UP:

I will open the sign ups on Tuesday morning at 10:00am. ET. I think I can handle the logistics of 125 participants. I think. All you need to do is send an email to miniswap (at) gmail (dot) com and include:

1. your name

2. email address

3. location

4. name and age of your child/children.

I will then swap names randomly, and contact half the list with their partner's email address. That partner will be in charge of starting the communication between the two of you. . I'll let you know when families are paired and that first email goes out so that you can be watching your inbox.

Last year there were lots of problems with people's emails going into spam or junk mail folders, so partners thought they weren't being contacted, or their partner didn't want to participate. Please be watchful and aware of that problem. It is those kind of glitches that make it get complicated and extra work.

And lastly, PLEASE only sign up if you're seriously interested. Last year, I had a good handful of no-shows when it finally came down to it. It's frustrating when I turned away many people who wanted to be part of the mini swap and people who signed up didn't follow through. And more importantly, it left some pretty disappointed partners (and children). So please only sign up if you're really sure you can participate.

After sign ups close, I'll get together some code so you can put the button on your blog, if you wish. And as always, please pass the word on your blog that miniswap 3 is getting started.

Phew!!! I think that's it....I'm looking forward to another fun year of swapping!

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