I'd rather you felt your boobs.

I'm back! It has been a while, but I think I've found my mojo!

And to prove it, I'm running a breast cancer awareness contest on my other blog, The Pink Purpose. Won't you come over and join in?

Don't forget - FEEL YOUR BOOBS!

ps - I am going to be starting new posts soon, including a weekly post on making monday more! More what? You'll just have to come back and see!

I'd rather have a better blog title.

It's true, I would rather be crafting sometimes. And sometimes I'd rather be a much better mom than I am. And sometimes I'd rather be much healthier than I am. I'd rather be a lot of things. It doesn't always happen.

Take, for example, this blog. I'd rather it have a different web address. I want to post about more things than just crafts, so "I'd rather be..." would be a better name than "I'd rather be crafting." But, I'm not going to change it. Mostly because what I want isn't available on Blogger.

Anyway, this is my long winded way of telling you that I'm going to be posting about non-crafty things. About being a mom, why the sky is blue, or what ever else strikes my fancy. I'll still get crafty, though, trust me. But in between, life will happen.

I'd rather NOT be at blogher...

That may be a lie. But I'm not gonna tell. And I may have or may not have any idea what the parties sound like when I listen in on blog talk radio. And it may or may not make me a little green. And if I were, it would certainly be silly, as I have not been blogging for more than a minute or two and I am a virtual ant on the internet.

(An aside, for those of you who have NO idea what blogher is...it is a big...really big...conference of bloggers happening in Chicago this weekend. The bloggers will learn a lot about this blogging thing, and be able to socialize - and win swag - even more.)

I do, however, know this: there is a remedy for my insane, I mean *possible*, jealously. It is blogher@home. So, instead of reading the countless #blogher09 tweets, I will be finding new blogs (hopefully some with lots of crafty goodness) and chatting with like-minded internet-addicted folks.

And as a reward to the few of you that follow or read, I plan on linking to some of the super awesome stuff I find while blog trippin'. Let's do this BHAH!

PS...I have written a few posts, but not as many as I would like. But, please check out CristyNelson.net for a guest post I did about taking a nasty undershirt from your husband and turning it into a cute dress for you daughter. It will be up June 28th.

PPS...The other blog that has been taking my time lately is The Pink Purpose. This is my blog for all things related to the breast cancer 3 day walk. It has some really powerful interviews from those touched by cancer. And, yes, I plan on walking the 60 miles (or as many has my broke-down body will let me) this October.

PPSS...Wow, this is really annoying. Sorry 'bout that...but I am planning on doing a header. One day. Sorry for the lack of eye candy!

I'd rather teach my daughter her ABC's

Actually, my daughter knows her ABC's pretty well. She can spell her name, make most of the letter sounds, and name most letters. But, she has a problem with lower case letters....it's like a foreign language right now. Plus, she says some sounds wrong -- R's and L's make W sounds. So, in looking at this cute paper I have that would never be put to use (I have had it forever and never did anything with it) I came up with a quick game to help her learn and have simple fun.



I just cut up the paper with a circle dye cut, then drew the alphabet -- all lower case, then all uppercase letters. After playing a few rounds of memory, we decided it was smart to write which letters were upper and which were lower, along with a line to use as reference. If you play memory with them, break up the cards into smaller sets first, and as your child gets better, add more cards. Ask how they look different. Ask what sound they make.

I plan on putting them in a leftover gift bag as storage. And I think I'll come up with a bunch of uses for them. Pulling on at the beginning of the day to have a "T" day. Pulling one out of the bag and having her go get me an object that begins with that letter. I'm sure they'll be well used.

I'd rather win!

I finished up my May Christy's Craft Challenge! I decided to make cute little hair clips for the girls.



I had to use 5 different materials: scrapbook paper, blue fabric scraps, buttons, floral wire, and silk daisy flowers. I came up with a ton of ideas that involved sewing -- but seeing as how I suck at sewing, those were quickly icksnay-ed.



As you can see, I kinda suck at photography as well. Ah, well -- One day I'll have a nice digital SLR and it won't matter. Until then (read: never), I apologize.

It looks as if the competition is putting up a good fight. So go vote for me! Or for the best person, if you feel morally obligated. {Either way, it's me all the way, baby!!}

I'd rather be challenged

Here is a secret of mine: I am a compulsive procrastinator. Well, I guess it's not a secret since I posted about it only a few posts back...but still, now you firmly know something I try to hide.

Well, I'm not really doing a good job hiding it, either, I guess:
I'm late to absolutely everything.
I plan girl scout meetings on the day of the meeting.
Having a huge party? Lets clean, cook, and entertain all on the same day to make life "interesting."
(These things turn out well, mind you, but are very very stressful.)

So, I need motivation. I find it hard to come by -- so I substitute motivation for challenges.
And this is where crafty challenges come into the fold.



I have taken up Christy's Craft Challenge. She puts together the same craft packet for all who sign up (just pay a small fee to cover materials and shipping to her etsy site) and you get to turn that treasure trove into some major awesomeness. I am only on my second challenge, but I really like how it makes me think...so I have signed up for a subscription (bonus...a discount!)



Now, through the miracles of twitter, I have been introduced to the new Brassy Apple Crafty Summer Series. This one I hope to let my kids in on. (Because, for the love of pete, they can't keep their hands off of my other challenge material.) My gears are turning over how to make craftastic summer t-shirts. This will require paint, sissors, and various other glittery supplies. And I am now very thankful for the Michael's gift card I have in my wallet.

We (the girlies and I) are also working on a summer to-do list. This will prove to be very challenging. We stubbled upon a cute little local blog that listed 100 things to do in DC. I love the idea of being a tourist in my own backyard. I have lived here all my life and have yet to do most of these things. Now, I don't think my girls would dig Ethiopian food, or paddeling down the potomac, but we will definitly be going to the Air and Space Museum. We are going to challenge ourselves to do between 25 to 50 of these things. Ain't gonna happen. But it will be nice to try. And I won't feel bad when we skip it to go to the pool.

So join me in a challenge...make your summer interesting!
If you want, I can provide a healthy dose of smack talk too....chicken.

I'd rather have this coffee table

Are you kidding me? I'm minding my own google-reader business when Indie Fixx drops this bomb on me: Michael Arras.

This is beautiful.

And I will dream about it tonight, in the land where ketchup doesn't slip through the cracks and gunk doesn't stick to the nooks, and where money is just a piece of paper. And I will be smiling.