green moon rising

the name idea

2012-02-13T12:14:00.000-06:00

Me: What's your middle name?

Ziggy: I have an English name, a Spanish name, a French name, and an American name.

Me: What's your English name?

Ziggy: Ziggy.

Me: What's your Spanish name?

Ziggy: Ziggy Arguello.

Me: What's your French name?

Ziggy: I don't know. I don't know French. You tell me.

Me (with a French accent): Ziggy Joaquin Arguello.

Ziggy: No, that's not it. It's not Ziggy Joaqmmmm Arguello. That's my normal name from when I was a baby. Tell me my French name!

Me: Jacques.

Ziggy: Yeah, that's it. You forgot my American name.

Me: Bud.

Ziggy: Yeah. That's it.

coming attractions

2012-02-13T10:29:00.001-06:00

A review and giveaway of NOVICA,

a review of La Bella Stella children's music,

Running Towards Recess,

and even more changes to the look of Green Moon Rising. Had you noticed?

two cool ideas i came across today: outdoor oven and heat vent clothes drying

2012-01-31T17:33:00.000-06:00

Learn how to build your own $20 outdoor cob oven here.

Learn about dryerpods, a way to utilize your heating vents to dry clothes, here.

getting it done

2012-01-29T18:48:00.002-06:00

David Seah blogs at David Seah: Purveyor of Knowledge Tools and Other Magics about productivity and all that goes with it.

I especially love the producitivity tools section. It makes me feel like anything is possible.

why you should get the warranty, something funny, and something cute

2012-01-28T21:02:00.001-06:00

The iPad started acting funny about a week ago. Within 24 hours I was at Mac Authority, but they don't service iPads. I had no idea! I finally made it to the Apple store today and was told I needed an appointment for service issues. Again, I had no idea. They were able to give me an open appointment slot and I had to wander the mall for only 30 minutes. After messing around with the iPad for awhile, the Apple Genius guy said he couldn't find a remedy to the problem and handed me a new iPad. Thanks Apple Care! If I ever need a second husband, I might just marry Apple.

Have you seen the episode of The Big Bang Theory where Leonard wears a blue Apple shirt and poses as a Apple Genius at the Apple store in order to pick up girls? I thought that was funny.

When I returned from the Apple store, the new iPad had some clear plastic wrapping and Ziggy asked why the people at the store had put a bandage on the iPad. I thought that was cute. (I am sad to admit that Ziggy seems to have an iPad addiction. I found it a bit of a relief while the iPad was not working.)

handy, handy

2012-01-27T08:35:00.001-06:00

A friend sent me this post at Raising My 5 Sons for a slew of tips for making things easier around your home.

I already pop popcorn in a brown paper bag and I love it! When I was young, we made cupcake cones all the time, but I haven't done it with Ziggy yet, but now we will be doing it soon. I'm also going to try using velcro and magnet strips for organization.

Do you think you will try any of the tips from the post?

one day...

2012-01-26T11:31:00.003-06:00

Don't these Squam art workshops sound lovely?

something simple to get it going again

2012-01-25T20:35:00.000-06:00

Oh no! What happened? I had such a good run going with blog posting, and then I was completely thrown off by the holidays. In order to (hopefully) get back in the groove of regular posting, here's a list of the items I currently have on hold at the library:

1. On Writing : A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
3. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
4. Suzanne Somers' Slim and Sexy Forever : The Hormone Solution for Permanent Weight Loss and Optimal Living by Suzanne Somers
5. Extreme Shed & Shred by Jillian Michaels
6. On Writing by Eudora Welty
7. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
8. The Shining by Stephen King
9. This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley

Can you tell I'm on a bit of a Stephen King kick?

Want to take a guess at my New Year's Resolutions?

tuesday's ten (plus one): me and you and a blogger or two

2011-12-27T10:12:00.000-06:00

Today I offer you a list of eleven bloggers with whom I would like to hang out. You know, drink some wine, eat some fancy cheese and good chocolate, and have a big ole time.

I have limited myself to bloggers I don't already know. Trust me, there are plenty of women I know from college or post-college who now blog and with whom I would like to hang. Maybe that's another list for another day...

Soule Mama: This blog is what inspired me to begin blogging.

Montessori by Hand/Sew Liberated: The second blogger that inspired me to begin blogging.

Angry Chicken: One of my early blog loves and I adore her book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing.

Hobo Mama: A more recent find, but I feel she and I are kindred spirits.

The Bloggess: I'll admit that I was a little late to the party when it came to reading The Bloggess, but once two different people told me about that damn giant chicken I was hooked.

Anna Maria Horner: I like to think I could actually hang out with AMH because we both live in Nashville. I like to dream that AMH has some sort of flexible, part-time gig for which I am hired. Maybe we could become besties.

Grosgrain: Sewing and fashion and crafts and DIY and life and family.

Velveteen Mind: I attended a panel at Blissdom '10 where Velveteen Mind spoke and I remember her being really fun and engaging just like her blog.

Style Rookie: She's super sassy and super stylish. She started her blog when she was eleven years old and now people like Courtney Love send her their old designer dresses. AND she co-founded an on-line magazine with Jane Pratt (of Sassy fame)!

Baby Rabies: I just discovered Baby Rabies because she was getting a lot of attention for a very hilarious and very subversive Elf on the Shelf post. (You know, that freakin' Elf on the freakin' Shelf.)

MckMama: I'm thinking MckMama could host me and all the other bloggers on her farm for our big Elissa's Dream Blogger Hangout and in between drinking wine and eating cheese we could could feed her goats. I love goats.

so we won't forget

2011-12-26T20:14:00.000-06:00

Christmas was amazing and all, but next year we will:

1. Make salt dough ornaments

2. Reenact the Christmas lights/red striped pajamas photo of Ziggy from three years ago

3. Take a cool sibling picture to give out to our friends and family

4. Actually put up the tree

5. Bake a batch of Great-Grandma Goldie's gingerbread men

6. Encourage Ziggy to make something for the grandparents and other family members

7. Make an advent calendar

my favorite, always

2011-12-25T09:11:00.000-06:00

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing,

And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders, of His love.

-Isaac Watts

let there be peace on earth

2011-12-24T09:24:00.000-06:00

“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.”

― Maria Montessori

tuesday's ten: ziggy love

2011-12-20T21:00:00.000-06:00

Dear Ziggy,

Happy 4th Birthday! Though I just sent you to bed early because you emptied almost an entire bottle of powder in the bedroom and also ignored your Grandpa, I love you, so, so much. Here's ten things that I always want to remember about you as you are right now.

1. I love that your favorite snack is a big dill pickle and warm milk.

2. I adore your crazy curly hair and your green/gray/hazel eyes.

3. I cherish the mornings when you wake up and tell me about your dreams. I love how much you get a kick out of sharing them with me. I hope I will always remember your dream about Tackarack the red clown. I also hope to always remember the day you work up and said, "I had a really good dream. It snowed and we were doing lots of fun things."

4. It melts my heart that you take my striped cardigan to bed. It breaks my heart that your beloved novelty Christmas snow globe stopped working, and I hope we find a replacement one soon.

5. "I want to tell you sumpin." You say this all the time.

6. It is both incredibly adorable and incredibly frustrating that you have become a skilled and prolific negotiator.

7. For the longest time I thought you were telling me stories about feeding monsters until I recently realized you were telling me stories about defeating monsters.

8. I love reading books with you at bedtime and I love watching your interest in them and your pre-literacy skills grow and grow.

9. You knock me over with the immediate adoration you showed for your sister. You exclaim often about how cute she is. Sometimes I think you might have fallen harder and faster for her than even I did. Just please don't squeeze her so hard.

10. You totally fit your name, Ziggy. Your dad and I nailed that.

Love Always,
Mama

help me name my next blog...

2011-12-16T23:48:00.001-06:00

For quite some time I have planned on starting a second blog. This blog would focus on education and utilize my years in the classroom. I need help coming up with a name and I decided to open it up to you readers. Please keep in mind what you may know about me and the flavor of Green Moon Rising. If I pick your name or your idea plays heavily into the final name, I will give you credit and send you a gift!

Here are some words for inspiration:

joy
play
learn (Green Moon Learning?)
explore (Joyful Explorations?)
hands on
home (Hands on Home?)
Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Waldorf

I really look forward to hearing your ideas! I hope you are up to the challenge!

grapefruit giveaway winners!

2011-12-16T22:02:00.004-06:00

Congratulations to Michelle, Stacie, Lynn, Melissa, onesockmissing, Jennifer, Natasha, Gina, Emily, and Casey! Please e-mail me at greenmoonrising@gmail.com with your mailing address before Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. CST. (I'm sorry, Heidi, but your comment came in after the 9:00 CST deadline.) Thanks to all for entering and reading!

you can say that again, e.e.

2011-12-14T09:07:00.000-06:00

Whenever you think or you believe or you know, you're a lot of other people: but the moment you feel, you're nobody-but-yourself.

- E.E. Cummings

tuesday's ten: things i covet

2011-12-13T10:17:00.000-06:00

I don't even wear a watch and I want this one from Fossil.

I also love this Fossil bag...

and this Fossil bag. Who knew I liked Fossil so much?

I want this entire Anthropologie look, especially the sweater.

I have a green frog cookie jar that would go great with this orange owl from Anthropologie.

I have this vision for my dishes and glasses that has something to do with these bowls from Anthropologie. I'll write a post on it soon.

I wouldn't mind one bit if I could slowly transition all my socks to striped Smart Wool socks like these...

or these...

or these.

And while I'm dreaming, number 10 would be a Macbook Air and a DSLR camera.

ziggy's letter to goldie

2011-12-10T18:21:00.000-06:00

Dear Goldie,
I want some baby toys for Goldie. Some yellow ones.
I want to tell Goldie Merry Christmas.
I want to say bye bye.
I think that is it.
Mommy, I think I don't want to say bye bye anymore. I want to say Goldie, I love you. I love you and Christmas.

Obviously, Ziggy doesn't entirely get the concept of a letter.

At first I thought Ziggy's request to get Goldie yellow toys was completely random, but then I realized it is actually intentional. For quite some time, since Goldie was still in utero, Ziggy has insisted that he is the red Power Ranger, Esposo is the black Power Ranger, I am the pink Power Ranger, and Goldie is the yellow Power Ranger. We had talked about being a Power Ranger family for Halloween, but it was a bit too much for us to pull off this year. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could find some footie pajamas for each of the kids that look like Power Rangers costumes? Ok, I'm off to search Etsy because I don't feel like sewing them myself.

woolly bully

2011-12-09T16:05:00.000-06:00

For a couple of years now, I have been in complete adoration and admiration of what people are doing with felted wool. I have played around with it a bit myself and hope to do so much more...someday.

I love the felted wool acorns that I featured here and everything that I featured in this previous felting post.

I love this felted wool garland as much as a peppermint milkshake.

I think these rainbow rock geode things are the cutest things since my own children.

Do you felt?

let's all be cats

2011-12-08T16:02:00.000-06:00

“Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

― Walt Disney Company

inspiration

2011-12-07T09:26:00.000-06:00

“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.”

― Maria Montessori

tuesday's ten: mama guilt

2011-12-06T10:18:00.000-06:00

It seems nearly all of us moms do it. We set those crazy, high expectations of being a perfect supermom. It is time to let go of all of that, ladies. Here's some ideas to get started:

1. It's ok to buy your kid's Halloween costume some years...or all years.

2. You don't have to want to talk in detail about your kid's puke and other bodily functions, much less the puke and other bodily functions of your friends' kids. Blown chunks and yellow snot are always gross even if they come from really adorable, little people. It's ok to want to talk about, but just remember it's not a requirement.

3. If you want to use cloth diapers and exclusively breastfeed, the crunchy police aren't coming for you if you sometimes have to use a bottle or disposable diapers. Life happens.

4. Sometimes kids are annoying, even your own.

5. Nothing ever really goes the way you want or the way you plan, especially with kids and families and grown-up life. You probably already know this yet act surprised when "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Just get over it already.

6. Sometimes there will be dirty dishes in the sink and laundry that needs folded. Is it really the end of the world? Are dishes and clothes apocalyptic-level shit? NO.

7. Baths don't always happen every day.

8. If you have to call poison control, you have to call poison control.

9. Most of the time it is about them, but occasionally, it's about you. And that's OK.

10. As long as you feed, clothe, and love your kids unconditionally the rest is gravy.

i got a fever and the prescription is...

2011-12-05T10:14:00.000-06:00

Ziggy has a fever today.

Ziggy: I can't dance any more. I have a fever. People can't dance when they have a fever.

Me: What about if they have dance fever?

Ziggy: (long pause) Kids can't have dance fever. Only grown-ups can have dance fever.

Me: What about Saturday Night Fever?

Ziggy: Kids can't have it. Only grown-ups can have it.

Me: What about Beiber fever?

Ziggy: Kids can't have it. Only grown-ups. Grown-ups have everything!

beautiful, learning fun

2011-12-04T00:04:00.000-06:00

I can not wait to try this experiment of swirling colors!

All you need is milk, food coloring, and dish soap.

Beautiful, fun, and simple!

need a laugh?

2011-12-03T16:04:00.000-06:00

Cake Wrecks is hilarious. Seriously, go check it out. Now.

grapefruit cooking ideas and a giveaway (10 winners!!!)

2011-12-02T10:11:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year when citrus fruits start to pop up and I love citrus fruits! I was contacted by the Florida grapefruit "people" with an opportunity to spread the word about Florida grapefruit and I jumped at the chance. I had just found this recipe for broiled grapefruit and was dying to try it. It sounds amazing!

The Florida grapefruit folks shared with me the following ideas and tips for cooking with grapefruit.

Florida grapefruit segments add tangy sweetness that pairs well with many flavors and textures:
Use as a topping on cereal, waffles, or in a low-fat yogurt parfait.
Add to homemade salsas for a fruity kick.
Use in stir fry with shrimp to add a punch of tangy flavor.

Florida grapefruit juice adds exciting, juicy flavor:
Add grapefruit juice to fruit punches to create a thicker texture and tangy taste.
Prepare salad dressings with grapefruit juice instead of vinegar for a citrus flavor burst.

They also shared this recipe with me. I think it sounds delicious!
Mashed Grapefruit Sweet Potatoes

You will need:
12 small sweet potatoes (7-1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup butter, divided (4 ounces)
3 tablespoons dark rum, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups Grapefruit Sections, cut into chunks
1/2 cup Grapefruit Juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bake the sweet potatoes in a preheated 400 degree oven until soft. Peel and mash with 3 ounces of butter and 1 tablespoon of rum. Reserve until needed. Melt the remaining 1 ounce of butter in a sauté pan. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is melted and begins to bubble. Add the grapefruit and sauté until the liquid is reduced by 1/2. Add the grapefruit juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons of rum. Cook for 1 minute. Add the mixture to the sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 12 1-cup servings.

The Giveaway:
The Florida grapefruit folks generously offered to give a pretty, pink tote and water bottle to ten readers. This giveaway is simple. Leave a comment sharing how you like to eat your grapefruit or a new way to prepare grapefruit that you would like to try. I will use a random number generator to select ten (!) winners on December 16, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. CST. Good luck!

The giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Michelle, Stacie, Lynn, Melissa, onesockmissing, Jennifer, Natasha, Gina, Emily, and Casey!   Please e-mail me at greenmoonrising@gmail.com with your mailing address before Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. CST. (I'm sorry, Heidi, but your comment came in after the 9:00 CST deadline.) Thanks to all for entering and reading!

too much of a good thing?

2011-12-01T08:56:00.001-06:00

It is entirely possible we are watching too much public television.

Ziggy and I have the schedule of daytime children's programming nearly memorized.

The late afternoon episode of Wild Kratts has become my cue to start making dinner.

But...yesterday we wildly danced together (while I wore Goldie in the sling) to the theme song of Super Why. It can't all be bad.

tuesday's ten: the thanks i give

2011-11-29T09:42:00.001-06:00

I suppose I should have done this as last week's Tuesday's Ten, but I just wasn't thinking. Even though Thanksgiving has passed for this year, I believe it is still good to reflect on those things for which we are thankful.

1. I am thankful that both Goldie and Ziggy were healthy when they were born. I am thankful that they continue to be happy and healthy and I hope that never stops.

2. I am thankful for my friends and family.

3. I am thankful I have food, heat, water, clothing, and a roof over my head.

4. I am thankful for Esposo's return from Honduras and his job.

5. I am thankful for mashed potatoes, sushi, egg nog, hot pepper jelly, black licorice, Toffifay, and fresh vegetables out of the garden.

6. I am thankful for my health and the health of my loved ones.

7. I am thankful for jeans, flip-flops, kicky skirts, boots, scarves, sweaters, and Converse sneakers.

8. I am thankful for books, movies, and the internet.

9. I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given.

10. I am thankflul to be alive and to be born who I am.

one of those days

2011-11-27T17:37:00.001-06:00

Today was a gray and gloomy day with lots of late fall/early winter rain. I realized too late that it would have been a perfect day for Christmas pyjamas and movies, buttered popcorn and hot chocolate, baking cookies and putting up the Christmas tree.

Instead, it was a day of normal pyjamas and thirtysomething, ravioli and garlic bread, Play-doh on the kitchen floor and measuring things with a tape measure. Either way it was a good day.

who's deluded?

2011-11-23T22:18:00.001-06:00

"No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities." -Christian Nevell Bovee

tuesday's ten: teach your children well

2011-11-22T12:48:00.001-06:00

1. Besides a terrific blog, Playful Learning, Mariah Bruehl offers workshops, e-courses, a book (which is awesome), and numerous other resources. I fell in love when I first saw the number jars activity. In fact, the entire Learning Experiences section is amazing.

2. Play at Home Mom is written by "a group of moms who have a firm belief in positive parenting and play based learning." I love submersible science and Bubble Boy.

3. Pink and Green Mama is written by a friend from college, MaryLea, who loves color and kids and putting the two together. You can't help but feel happy when reading this blog! I especially like the colored glue and watercolor leaves and milk carton weaving.

4. Before she was Sew Liberated, Meg McElwee was Montessori by Hand. The blog documents Meg's experience teaching in a Montessori classroom in Mexico. The photos of her early childhood students in their environment are inspiration for making your own Montessori environment a thing of beauty and peace.

5. A Reggio Emilia colleague first told me about Julianne Wurm. Sadly, Julianne hasn't updated her blog since March, but she has a resource page with templates for tracking projects and observations. These would be handy for a classroom teacher, homeschool teacher, or if you just want to geek out and formally observe your own kid.

6. Filth Wizardry features art and craft activities for children that encourage freedom, exploration, and mess. I like the DIY sand art lightbox, giant reclaimed wooden blocks, and the music wall.

7. The North American Montessori Center has a blog with lots of helpful info for Montessori teaching and homeschooling. Of course, I'm a bit biased because I have written for them in the past.

8. Another Reggio Emilia inspiration, Bambini Creativi showcases some pretty cool stuff. Watch Life as a Superhero! right now. You will want to grab the kids in your life and do your own version of this precious, precious activity. I had to scroll back an entire year (and a couple months) on a friend's Facebook wall to find this link. It's that good.

9. For Small Hands sells child-size items, toys, books, and Montessori resources. For example, you could purchase a child-size wooden drying rack for clothes or rags, a book about tidying up, or a peg loom. It's worth it to check out their partner site, Montessori Services, as well. You can register to receive merchandise rewards for your school based on a percentage of purchases made by parents and others. I use their products as ideas for things that I could be keeping an eye out for at thrift stores, dollar stores, etc. (When I Googled "small hands" to make sure I had the correct link and information, "small hands smell like cabbage" was automatically generated in the search box. Wha?!?)

10. Pinterest. Seriously, get on there. It's a wonderful way to catalog all of the ideas you find on blogs and websites that you want to remember for later and browsing Pinterest itself can provide tons of ideas and inspiration for parents and teachers alike. (When you do get on there, let me know and we can find each other.)

Please excuse the lack of photos. I had picked out beautiful photos from each of the sites and then realized I should really get permission first. That's the courtesy I would appreciate it if it were my photo. I'll be contacting each of the blog or site owners and hopefully will be adding photos later.

ziggy's letter to santa

2011-11-20T16:23:00.001-06:00

Dear Santa,

     I want lights that make the cars vroom, those big, giant things, and a Power Ranger morpher.

     I want so much. I want two zombie stuff. I want a swing like Goldie's, but a big brother one.

     Goldie should get little, tiny, big things and a little, tiny car.

     I'm being good and I know that. I want more ice cream.

                                                                                                   Love,
                                                                                                   Ziggy

P.S. I want Cocoa Puffs.

Besides zombie stuff (the Doctor Dreadful Zombie Lab) and Cocoa Puffs, I have no clue what any of this is and/or if it even exists.  I think "those big, giant things" are these giant inflatable sharks that are filled with helium and radio controlled. They seem cool, but I wasn't so sure once I read the reviews if they were really worth it. Needless to say, I will be adding a supplemental list when we send this to Santa.

ziggy's letter from santa

2011-11-19T22:27:00.001-06:00

Ziggy received this letter from Santa in the mail. I could barely keep a straight face while I read it to him.

Dear Ziggy,

     Upon reviewing my list of naughty or nice children, I notice that you are borderline naughty and at risk of not getting anything good for Christmas.

     Listed below are your areas requiring attention:

     1. Not listening to your parents. You must start doing what your parents say without fussing, crying or acting like you don't hear them.

     2. Not helping around the house. You need to help your parents by not making messes, putting your toys away and picking up after yourself.

     3. Being too rough with Goldie. Goldie is just a little baby and as her Big Brother you have to be gentle with her.

     If you make improvements in these areas within 2 weeks, you will be in an improved position to receive many items on your list.

     You also need to send me your list, ASAP!!!

                                                                                   Sincerely Yours,
                                                                                      Santa Claus

help pepto-bismol donate 2 million meals!

2011-11-18T10:58:00.001-06:00

Pepto-Bismol is donating 8 holiday meals for every person who clicks "like" on the Feast for All tab on their Facebook page. Their goal is 2 million and the total was only at 300,00 something just now when I did it. I thought that was sad so I'm spreading the word. Go do it!

holy postpartum hormones, batman!

2011-11-18T10:28:00.001-06:00

I'm seven weeks postpartum and though the hormonal situation has gotten better, the hormones are still definitely affecting my emotions. I have had some tiffs with Esposo and I've been not as patient with Ziggy. I've been annoyed by things that wouldn't normally annoy me.

What I have found the most humorous is the vast amount of crying I have done while watching television. It most often happens late at night when Esposo and Ziggy are asleep and I'm nursing Goldie. Roseanne and thirtysomething on Netflix Instant have gotten to me. Criminal Minds in syndication has gotten to me. How I Met Your Mother on dvd has gotten to me. I bawled through the "Two Beavers are Better than One" episode of How I Met Your Mother which was pretty ridiculous since much of the episode is centered around a beaver joke. Really? I bawled about beaver jokes? During a show I have seen before...multiple times? In my defense, there is a story line where Lily fears Robin will end their friendship when Lily gets pregnant. That is at least potentially relevant to my life.

And worse yet, what prompted me to write this post? I just sobbed through the Regis Farewell Celebration. Oh Reg.

tuesday's ten: for the love of etsy!

2011-11-15T14:03:00.006-06:00

To encourage myself to post more regularly (and because it's fun), I'm going to do a list of ten of something every Tuesday. First up is some Etsy love. Who doesn't love Etsy? Plus, it's such a great time of year to consider handmade and/or local as you purchase holiday gifts.

1. Ziggy would totally rock by laura design's beard hat.

2. Seriously, have you seen anything cuter than this owl hat by myknittingworld?!?

I really want to get #1 and #2 for the cutest brother-and-sister winter pictue. Ever.

3. Beth does really cool things with old pattern paper and other mixed media. Keep checking her shop for new listings!

4. Ever since I saw Scott Pilgrm Vs. The World, I've wanted a pair of gloves along the lines of these. Ideally, I want mine to have individual finger openings. Maybe I'll do a custom order with Laima Shop.

5. Wool acorns by Green Baboon Designs. Nuf said.

6. Not only is April of goose designs one of the most impressive Montessorians I know, her goods are so precious. I want everything for Goldie.

7. Seriously, O. M. G. (by small threads)

8. peacock glasses ! (by Mary Elizabeth Arts)

9. I've ordered Valentine's Day cards and custom Halloween cards from Lily Jane Stationery and both were big hits!

10. I've posted about Magillie before, but I can't help it. I really like the jewlery and it doesn't hurt that the jeweler is a fellow Vixen and Chung Mung. (Those sound like some crazy code words! Basically, she's a friend from college.) These are just three of the many, many things I adore from the shop.

next week's tuesday's ten: education resources!

what can I say?

2011-11-15T13:42:00.002-06:00

Oh my, it's been awhile since I posted. I worked full-time, became pregnant, stopped working full-time, starting working part-time, was put on bed rest, and had a baby. After all that, it was actually a bit overwhelming to figure out how to get back in to the swing of blog writing.

When I saw that today was I Love to Write Day, it seemed like the perfect day to jump back in to the blogosphere. Here's a repost of something I really enjoyed writing: needed: peggy sue got married time travel experience.

Fingers crossed that there's more to come!

blog love

2011-05-29T11:05:00.002-05:00

How did I not know about Grosgrain?!? It's woooooooonderful...

this will make sense later

2011-04-15T18:52:00.002-05:00

1. hot pepper jelly and cream cheese
2. taco truck tacos
3. pineapple dump cake
4. blackberry jelly
5. rainbow chip cake with rainbow chip frosting
6. french onion dip and chips

things i've googled since becoming a mom

2011-04-15T18:51:00.003-05:00

1. phone number for poison control...twice
2. cloth diaper rash
3. hand foot mouth disease images...twice
4. how to get silly putty out of hair

it's saturday night!

2011-03-05T17:15:00.002-06:00

I saw this photo awhile back and was unable to find it again until today. I like it for so many reasons!

I threw this one in because though I was excited to see Bill Murray, he looks added in as afterthought, doesn't he?

(Normally, I would credit these photos but none of them were credited with an original source where I found them. Oh well.)

my reading excitement (and how you can join me)

2011-02-27T15:29:00.004-06:00

Earlier this year, I found out that I was going to be a member of the Women's National Book Association's 2011 Great Group Reads Selection Committee. I will get to read 15 to 20 books in about 4 months, discuss them with other members of the committee, and then make recommendations for the Great Group Reads program for National Reading Group Month.

The committee still needs 5 members. If you are interested, you can click here for more information. You have until March 18th!

books read in 2011

2011-02-12T16:15:00.007-06:00

1. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (book club selection)
2. Sweep: Eclipse by Cate Tiernan
3. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (book club selection)
4. Sweep: Reckoning by Cate Tiernan

5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (re-read of an old book club selection)

6. Room by Emma Donoghue (book club selection)

7. Sweep: Night's Child by Cate Tiernan

8. The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (vacation selection)

9. The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice (vacation selection)
10. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews (vacation selection)
11. Sleepover Friends #1: Patti's Luck by Susan Saunders (preparation for a guest post at Are You There Youth? It's Me, Nikki)
12. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (book club selection)
13. Sleepover Friends #2: Starring Stephanie by Susan Saunders (preparation for a guest post at Are You There Youth? It's Me, Nikki)
14. Sleepover Friends #3: Kate's Surprise by Susan Saunders (preparation for a guest post at Are You There Youth? It's Me, Nikki)
15. When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
16. Dead Reckoning
17. The Hand That First Held Mine
18. Under the Mercy Trees by Heather Newton

33 on the 3rd!

2011-01-03T14:16:00.003-06:00

Today is my 33rd birthday. I like the idea of turning 33 on the 3rd, hopefully it's a sign of a good year to come, not an ominous one.

So far today I have watched Sesame Street, played hide and go seek and Ladybug vs. Iron Man, taken a nap, played with my Sodastream, and baked bread. It's been a pretty darn good birthday and I still have sushi and a movie (Black Swan!) tonight.

I really like this time of year. Ziggy's birthday, Christmas, visiting with family and friends, New Year's Eve, and my birthday turn time into an awesome blur. I love the retrospection of the year ending, making resolutions, and turning a year older (though I don't know if I actually like the aging part). I'll be posting some resolutions soon.

And the biggest news of all...Esposo finally came home after 2 years, 3 months, and 1 week! Ziggy and I picked him up at the airport on December 18th and visited with folks here for a few days before visiting my family in Maryland and West Virginia. We also celebrated Ziggy's 3rd birthday (more threes!)

(Sadly, GMR won't have many pictures for awhile; we had a break-in at our house before the holidays.)

Happy New Year! I hope you have a great 2011!

a funny chicken story and some awesome news!

2010-12-02T22:03:00.004-06:00

Earlier this week a chicken at work pecked my foot and then flew up in the air like she was all "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or something and my co-worker had to come to my rescue with a shovel. The whole incident was completely hilarious but did bring up memories of a rooster that pecked my head when I was young. Apparently, it was one of my most traumatic childhood injuries because it's one of the only ones I remember.

On a completely unrelated note (or maybe not?), Esposo was told today that his visa is approved pending yet another updated police record and medical report. Yay!

so many series. so little time.

2010-11-29T21:22:00.009-06:00

I am currently in the middle of so many excellent television series that I need a list so I can keep track!

Dexter (currently watching season 3, disc 2)

Breaking Bad (currently watching season 1, disc 3)

True Blood (waiting for season 3 on DVD)

Party Down (waiting for season 2 on DVD)

Big Love (watching season 4, disc 1 as of 2/5/2011)
Weeds (season 3 as of 1/10/2011)
Mad Men (hope to start soon)
Eastbound and Down (hope to start soon)

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (hope to start soon)
Californication (hope to start soon)
Hung (hope to start soon)

What are you watching?

for the record.

2010-11-28T12:30:00.005-06:00

On this 27th day of November in the year of our Lord 2010, Jennifer R., Lonnie A., and I, one Elissa P., have coined the use of "pirate" as an adjective, as in "That shit is so pirate."

We posted this on Facebook yesterday (with our actual last names) and within an hour someone had copied and pasted it onto their wall with their name. I thought I would put it here as well for posterity.

done.

2010-11-24T08:55:00.002-06:00

I did it! I read 52 books this year (and with time to spare).

I hope to still read a book to cancel out each of the audio books on my list.

Next year, I want to read less trashy and guilty pleasures. I'm also working on a list of classics that I should have read but haven't. Also, next year I will list every book with a date.

the little red book

2010-11-13T16:01:00.003-06:00

Last weekend I was at my favorite used bookstore, McKay, with my friend Jennifer. We were killing time before going out to eat sushi at Sonobana (cherry bomb roll!). While we each browsed in the fiction area, I spied some copies of Madame Bovary (FYI: I pronounce this with a totally pretentious accent like I'm Ted Mosby or something) and pointed them out to Jennifer because I though she had mentioned wanting to read it at some point.

While in a completely different section of the fiction area, Jennifer pointed at a small, red, leather bound book with a worn off title and author and said, "This looks like the kind of book that would drive you crazy if you read it." (I might not be capturing the moment well, but it reminded me how totally friggin' hilarious Jennifer can be. I've been giggling about it all week.) Anyway, I was willing to risk insanity and picked up the creepy little book so that we could see what book it actually was. I flipped to the cover page and discovered that the little red book was...Madame Bovary.

Jennifer decided this meant she should never read Madame Bovary and I'm thinking I need to re-read it soon. I have a feeling I would have a totally different take on it now than I did as a college freshman.

Have any of you read it? As an adult or otherwise?

thirty-one gifts giveaway ($93!!! 2 winners!)

2010-11-09T20:54:00.011-06:00

Awhile back I drank the direct sales Kool-Aid and having been giving it a go at selling bags, totes, and other items from Thirty-One Gifts. Sooooooo, to help kick that off, I am offering a giveaway for a $93 worth of Thirty-One products of your choice. Now, I think $93 is a pretty good giveaway so I am giving a TON of ways for one to get entries. Here goes...

Mandatory Entry:
(You have to do this first. No other entries will count unless you do this.)

Leave a comment (here on the blog, not on Facebook) telling me what Thirty-One items you might select if you win and get $93 to spend.

I will use a random number generator to determine a winner on November 30, 2010. Also, I will pick a second winner to win a prize valued at $25 (my choice).

Congratulations to Celeste (Comment #55). She is the winner of $93 in Thirty-One products.

Also, congratulations to Elaine (Comment #50). She is the winner of $25 in Thirty-One products. I will contact you each via e-mail.

Thanks to all who entered. I will host another Thirty-One giveaway soon!

Extra Entries:

1.) Subscribe to receive updates about GMR. Use the box that is on the left side of the page. Leave a comment after you do so. If you already subscribe, leave a comment saying that.

2.) Follow GMR using Google Friend Connect. Use the box that is on the right side of the page. Leave a comment after you do so. If you already are a follower, leave a comment saying that.

3.) Follow GMR using Networked Blogs. Use the box that is on the right side of the page. Leave a comment after you do so. If you already are a follower, leave a comment saying that.

4.) Like the GMR page on Facebook. Click here and then leave a comment saying you've done it. If you already like GMR on Facebook, leave a comment saying that.

5.) Like my Thirty-One page on Facebook. Click here and then leave a comment saying you've done it. If you already like my Thirty-One page on Facebook, leave a comment saying that.

6.) Leave a comment requesting a Thirty-One catalog. Make sure to include your e-mail so I can write you for your address. (5 entries! Make sure you leave 5 comments.)

7.) Make a purchase from Thirty-One using this link. Leave 1o comments after doing so. (1o entries!!!)

8.) Book a party with me (if you don't live in Nashville, you can have a catalog party). You'll earn free things even if you don't win! Leave 20 comments after we confirm your party details. (20 entries!!!)

9.) Experience the business opportunity yourself and sign up to be a Thirty-One consultant under me. Follow this link and click on "Join My Team." Leave 30 comments after completing the sign-up process. (30 entries!!!)

10.) Get a friend to do any of the above and you can leave a comment saying so! (1 entry per thing you friend does)

needed: peggy sue got married time travel experience

2010-11-08T20:07:00.008-06:00

I think I’m going through a mid-life (or hopefully third-life) crisis. Seriously.

First off, I am completely coveting this papasan chair I saw at Pier One. A papasan chair, really? I stopped hanging posters on my walls six years ago when I bought my house and now I want a papasan chair. I haven’t seen a papasan chair in a house since Maegan W.’s bedroom in middle school and that was twenty years ago. Twenty. Years. (Speaking of Maegan W., where are you girl? If anyone knows a Maegan W.…she might be married and she might live in Texas now, who knows…put her in touch with me please. I think I would enjoy catching up.)

Next up, I can’t stop thinking about getting another tattoo. I got my last tattoo years ago and though I didn’t necessarily think I was done with them, I haven’t itched for a new one since. Until now. Now I can’t stop thinking about it.

Now before I share this next one, I have to warn Esposo to please not take offense. The following is not meant to show any disrespect or lack of love for him. There are a couple boys, I mean men, who I had crushes on in high school and I can’t stop visiting their Facebook profiles. I can’t help it; I’m fascinated by the fact that they are still attractive and interesting to me. So M., A., and E., if you happen to do one of those “See Who Visits Your Profile” apps and it works, please don’t be creeped out, be flattered (especially you M. because I wouldn’t be surprised if 89% of your profile views are from yours truly). I mean no harm, and personally, I would love it someone from high school admitted to still checking me out.

And finally, this one is really weird. Y’all, I can’t stop thinking about cigarettes. I have never been a smoker so this one really baffles me. Ok, ok, I admit it. Look away now Dad and Grandma, I have smoked a cigarette. I mean after all, I’m 32, it’s 2010, and I live in the “developed” nation of the U.S. of A.; I’ve had a cigarette or two. And readers, this may shock you, but those cigarettes usually accompanied an adult beverage. I know, I know, I am such a heathen (or as Ziggy would say, “a bad girl snake”), but seriously, I was never a smoker smoker and that is why these thoughts are confusing me so. Walking to my car I think to myself, if I smoked I would do it now. On a cold day, I think “wow, it’s cold, but I would still be standing outside having a smoke if I were a smoker.” These thoughts happen after Ziggy goes to bed, when I’m driving, buying coffee, chatting with friends, taking a hot bath, all of the time. All. Of. The. Time. Could there possibly be a nutrient in tobacco in which I am deficient? Do I need to start chewing gum or toothpicks or something? Surely no one in my life, smoker or not, would actually recommend I become a smoker at 32 (and according to my urges a relentless chain smoker at that)?

What is going on with me?!?

1996?

04.05.11
Update: When I originally posted this, I had included Maegan W.'s last name. I even received an anonymous comment leading me to her current whereabouts and married name. Since then I have decided to change her last name to just an initial for her privacy. I have also chosen to not publish the anonymous comment with her current information for the same reason. Thank you Anonymous for the info; I do appreciate it!

NaBloPoMo

2010-11-08T00:11:00.002-06:00

So along with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), it's NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and since I always intend to do NaNoWriMo and don't, I decided to give NaBloPoMo a try. Now it's already eight days into the month, so my goal is to make 30 posts by the end of the month, but not necessarily one a day. I have several lined up including two giveaways and assorted posts about a mid-life crisis, Halloween costumes, and Ziggy's love of dresses. Stay tuned!

oh chihuly!

2010-10-18T17:54:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite artists is currently at Cheekwood. I can't remember the last time I took that many pictures! It felt really good.

a good blog and a good giveaway

2010-10-17T22:10:00.006-05:00

I've been meaning to sing the praises of both of these ladies for awhile...my friend from college, Elizabeth, blogs (hilariously) at Half Baked, Twice as Good and she is hosting a giveaway of jewelry another friend, Jackie, makes (beautifully) and sells at her Etsy shop, Magillie.

You'll hear more about Magillie because I'm planning a post featuring Etsy shops of college friends, and I might just ask Little Miss Half Baked to consider doing a guest post.

They are both terrific; check them out!

the lovers, the dreamers, and me

2010-10-09T19:53:00.008-05:00

it's been too long

2010-10-05T20:23:00.002-05:00

Oh my, it's been a long time since I last posted. So much has been going on, including a new job. I hope to do some catch up and post some pictures soon. I will also be posting a giveaway and I'm hoping to attend Blissom again this January and I'm looking for a sponsor... fingers crossed. I'll be in touch.

faithful provisions

2010-06-26T07:26:00.002-05:00

My favorite place to go for info on coupons and deals, Faithful Provisions, is currently sporting an ad for yours truly. Go give her some love!

Also, stay tuned because I am about to post an exciting giveaway that will have lots of ways for you to utilize multiple entries...

going green

2010-06-24T20:52:00.001-05:00

I wrote about going green at High Heeled Mom. Check it out!

guest post: high heeled mom

2010-06-07T20:57:00.030-05:00

Lindsey is a wife, full-time attorney, and mother of three little girls- 3, 1.5, and 4 months. She loves theme parks, Wawa coffee, and her crock-pot. She tolerates her serious, committed, long-term relationships with Dora the Explorer and her Avent breast pump. She hates cold weather, stories about bad things happening to children, and disorganization. And many years ago, she went to college with Elissa, the author behind Green Moon Rising.

I cannot abide untidiness. When they say, “You can’t do everything, sometimes you have to live with less than perfection around the house”, they’re right- to an extent (whoever “they” are). I can let cleanliness go (at least until the next time the cleaning lady stops by), but I NEED tidiness. If things are scattered around, I can’t just live with it- it saps my energy and drives me crazy.

Since I’m forever putting things away “as I go along”, my storage areas do tend towards untidiness, and I have to regularly reorganize according to my current needs. Here, I’m going to tell a bit about how I re-organized my linen closet with two toddlers at my heels.

The before pictures. No, I don’t always keep things piled in my hall- I was feeling ambitious, and these are the other things from various places that I hoped to get into the closet as well. Yes, there are actually laundry baskets full of blankets stacked on top of one another, above my head height. That’s what we call “easy access”. Except not.

Also take note of small person peeping around the door. That’s Rebecca. At one year and nine months old, she’s in what we call the “raccoon stage”. For these purposes, it means she grabs whatever’s within her reach and takes off with it.
Step one: remove everything from closet and pile neatly. Fold all towels and blankets.

Put short people to work picking things up off floor that are already there, or that fall. (This is also an excellent way short people can help when you’re pregnant. Which I’m not.)

Mostly emptied. I have a handy wall to pile things on. As I’m piling, I’m categorizing. Towels of each color. Adult blankets. Kid blankets. Sheets. Rags. Old towels we use for stomach-bug purposes. And for a few minutes here and there, random My Little Ponies and alphabet blocks. (Those I just slid out of the way with my feet.)

Some things I’m leaving as is for now. The sleeping bags are rarely used, so up high is good and I didn’t want to change it. I put some “tall” things- the aerobed and a couple spare pillows- on the other shelf with lots of height. Looking later, though, that didn’t work out and I changed it.

I’ve also got “tall” space on the bottom right that wasn’t being put to use. I measured it and realized there was an old Wal-mart shelf sitting in a closet in my youngest daughter’s room which was almost empty. It fit!

Nothing makes me happier than killing two birds with one stone. Even when there’s a 3-year-old following you as you drag the shelf, saying repeatedly, “Mommy, what doing?”

Finally, one of the areas I emptied out that I hoped to consolidate was the space under the sink in the guest bathroom- eventually to be our girls’ bathroom. I hauled out a ton of towels and this is what was left- old paint cans and some flea shampoo. The paint cans were disposed of and the flea shampoo relocated. This space is going to be for towels. All the towels except for our spare set really get used in that bathroom, anyway, and towels under the sink is a lot more kid-safe than a lot of other things people keep under the sink.

Note: we only have one set of cabinet latches in our house- in our bathroom, because the girls often play there while I’m showering, and I don’t want to rearrange those. For the most part, I’d rather just trust them and keep an eye on them, instead of restraining them. That said, I’d rather that if they’re exploring spaces, they explore spaces that contain towels, not drain cleaner.

Towels! Again, though, these pictures were taken as I progressed, and I changed my mind later on once I saw what was left.

Pulled out the “hurt” and “sick” boxes to clean up. Threw away everything expired and did some consolidating. Why would I need two bags of cough drops- I just tossed them all into one bag. The other picture shows boxes I was able to empty to save space. The gas drops box is about twice as big as just the bottle of gas drops, and the Tylenol and Gas X were partially empty duplicates- more consolidation.

“Mommy, candy? You got candy?” (reaching hands…)

“No. Not candy. It’s vegetables.”

“I don’t LIKE veggatals.”

“See then? No grabbin’.”

(Note: I am not above lying to my children.)

Getting somewhere! The “hurt” and “sick” boxes (an sorting innovation originated by my husband early in college) fit in that narrow spot on top of the shelf, along with a heating pad and our nebulizer. The small shelf is beginning to be populated by baby blankets. We don’t have an excess of anything, except blankets, and those are always handy.

Down to just a few things! The blue hamper holds rags and old towels for cleaning purposes, and it was always hard to sort the small rags from the big towels when I needed one or the other, so I decided to separate them out at last.

Rearranged under the sink, like I said. Now old towels are on the right under there, which is an even better place to have them handy the next time someone (kid, cat) throws up or we need to give the dog a bath.

Just about done! I tidied up the door rack at the same time as the “hurt” and “sick” boxes, and the back shelves (now that towels are gone) are devoted almost entirely to blankets (which, yes, are sorted somewhat by color). The right side, going up, now contains extra pillows on top.

Pushed in the vacuum and rag hamper, and we’re done!

And the toddlers never stopped circling my heels. You just nod, smile, and give them a towel when they’re trying to grab a vacuum attachment. The towels can always come back later.

If you have any questions, topics, or comments for Lindsey, please feel free to visit her at High Heeled Mom!

almost heaven

2010-04-27T11:13:00.013-05:00

A visit to West Virginia. Lots of family and fun.

Loads of mountains and trees.

Some installation art by Ziggy.

Bubbles.

And more bubbles.

Creatures that grow.

Toys.

End of the day.

A tuckered out dog.

A really dirty boy who encountered poison ivy for the first time.

(He even had it on his tongue!)

Some shopping.

Some more shopping.

First person to tell me why this post is called "almost heaven" gets a prize!

flannel shirts, doc martens and guatemalan bags: how i miss you so

2010-04-06T12:06:00.003-05:00

No music has a stronger nostalgic pull for me than the music from my middle school years. Yes, there are songs that make me think of college (holla, holla Sweet Briar!), and there are songs that remind me of when I was first dating my husband, but nothing, nothing, makes me think of the frustrating yet free days of middle school.

Here are my top musical favorites from those days:

1. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by The Cure

2. “Show Me the Way,” “Renegade,” and “Come Sail Away” by Styx

3. Anything from Mother’s Milk, Uplift Mofo Party Plan or Freaky Styley by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

4. Ritual de lo Habitual by Jane’s Addiction

5. Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes

6. anything by The Doors

7. the entire mix tape Ben Gallagher made me (Oh, how I wish I still had what was probably the coolest mix tape ever made by one of the coolest people ever)

8. several groups that Sarah Holloway taped for me from her brother’s music collection (some of these groups I have tried to track down in later years and can’t even find!)

9. the soundtrack to Pump Up the Volume

Certain songs make me think of certain people and places. For instance, Styx and Pink Floyd immediately transport me to Jen Silliman’s basement. A lot of this music has journeyed with me from tape to CD to my iPod. This music shaped my tastes for life.

What music did this for you?

laundry and sunshine

2010-04-03T21:15:00.007-05:00

Thanks to some really delightful weather, I have been able to work on one of my greening goals, which is to better utilize my clothesline.

Washing away the mud and freshening up our shoes.

Wearing the laundry.

Coming,

going,

and spinning.

fun with food

2010-03-31T00:36:00.005-05:00

you can’t win with me (immigration frustration)

2010-03-27T14:34:00.005-05:00

Enil has been in Honduras waiting for a decision on his visa for over eighteen months. We found out this week that it is likely to be another seven months before a decision is reached. He and I are both so tired of waiting and being apart. We are beyond frustrated with the possibility of another seven months. Enil has missed two-thirds of Ziggy’s life. He has missed the first tooth, the first step, the first word and countless other moments and milestones.

While Enil has been away, I have weaned Ziggy, gotten depressed, quit my teaching job, and consequently lost dear friends. I have definitely been “consuming” (both material goods and food) more than I am comfortable with for my health and philosophically. I will be so glad to have Enil return, though Ziggy and I have found our groove and it is good. I am so happy to be able to be home with Ziggy doing our thing. It will be weird to go back to making joint decisions again.

I find that holidays and anniversaries are especially disheartening. I know others mean well but I grow weary with giving “Enil updates.” The changes are so few and far between it gets old having nothing to share. On the other hand, I get annoyed when people do not ask about our situation. See, I told you that you can’t win with me. When my friends complain about their boyfriends and husbands, I want to scream, “at least he is here with you!” When they share nice things that were done for them by their boyfriend and husbands, I think, “must be nice.” If you are in my life and think I might be talking about you, I probably am. Please don’t worry about it; it’s my problem, not yours. I want to hear your joys and complaints because I’m your friend. I just need to vent and complain a little. I don’t really want anyone’s pity but sometimes I need to have a little pity party for myself.

I know that once Enil is back, we will quickly forget this time apart, but for now, it’s a pain in the ass. Thanks for listening.

Senators, congress people, legislators, and policy makers: Please do not espouse and tell me about your beliefs in family values when you will not allow policies that could prevent situations like mine.

Ok, enough with the bitching and moaning, spring is here!

books i read in 2010 (on-going)

2010-03-18T20:49:00.036-05:00

The past two years I kept an on-going list of the books I read on MySpace. This year I decided to move the list to here. As you can see, I have been reading a lot of young adult books; it seems I have needed to keep things "light." I would like to be able to read 52 books by the end of the year.

1. The 39 Clues: One False Note (audio)

2. The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief

3. The 39 Clues: Beyond the Grave

4. The 39 Clues: The Black Circle

5. Grave Sight

6. The 39 Clues: In Too Deep

7. Grave Surprise

8. Shutter Island

9. An Ice Cold Grave

10. Grave Secret

11. The Secret History (re-read)

12. The Mysterious Benedict Society

13. Fablehaven

14. The 39 Clues: The Viper's Nest

15. Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star

16. Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague

17. Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

18. You Slay Me

19. Improper English (Never have I been so frustrated, irritated, and annoyed with a protagonist/heroine. Never.)

20. Sex and the City

21. Fire Me Up

22. The Kitchen Witch

23. Cycler

24. Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

25. (re)cycler

26. Beaches

27. The 39 Clues: The Emperor's Code

28. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

29. My Invented Life

30. It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

31. Sweep: Book of Shadows

32. Sweep: The Coven

33. Sweep: Blood Witch

34. Sweep: Dark Magick

35. Magic and the Modern Girl

36. A Touch of Dead: Sookie Stackhouse, The Complete Short Stories

37. The Time Traveler's Wife (OH. MY. GOD. Best book all year.)

38. Dead in the Family

39. Sweep: Awakening

40. Sweep: Spellbound

41. Sweep: The Calling

42. Catch Me If You Can

43. Sweep: Changeling

44. Entranced

45. Sweep: Strife

46. The Carrie Diaries

47. Sweep: Seeker

48. The Faculty Club

49. Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously

50. The Help
51. The Nanny Diaries

52. The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero (11.24.2010)

53. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (11.25.2010)

54. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk (11.27.2010)

55. The Passage (12.24.2010-ish)

what i'm writing wednesday

2010-03-17T12:32:00.003-05:00

Some freelance writing I've done this month:

For North American Montessori Center's Teacher Training Blog:

Cooking a St. Patrick’s Day Feast in the Montessori Classroom

Women and Education: International Women’s Day, March 8

As the Nashville Insider for VisitSouth.com:

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival: Tips for Surviving the Memorable Music Festival

Vanderbilt University

Mulligan's Pub and Restaurant

If anyone knows of any freelance writing opportunities that they could share with me, I would greatly appreciate it.

new banner!

2010-03-16T16:22:00.003-05:00

Have you noticed my spiffy new banner? One of my dearest friends, Jennifer R., designed it and I am in LOVE with it! Hopefully one day it will be on an etsy shop, a business logo and somewhere on a book? ;-)

You can check out Jennifer's work on her Tumblr page and if you want to hire her you can get her contact info from me.

when mama is sick

2010-03-12T20:22:00.004-06:00

Surprisingly, Ziggy was not covered in chocolate syrup so I was unable to get the classic, messy kid picture.

This is the bed I set up on the living room floor for our sick and rainy day. That yellow ribbon is one of those ribbons on a stick that you can move through the air (a la rhythm gymnastics and Get In Shape Girl). We had a lot of fun with it, and I'm thinking of making something to give as gifts. Also, that's Ziggy's little hand pointing to our floor bed.

testing, testing and a photo essay of sorts

2010-03-11T20:13:00.010-06:00

A little over two years ago, I was part of a small group of women who shared an interest in sewing cloth diapers and found each other on an online local moms’ forum. When we first met each other, I had just had Ziggy, one member was pregnant and in the past two years two more babies have joined the ranks bringing us to a total of five moms and eight kids. In the beginning, we got together to sew but we quickly became more of a social group. Last night we got together for dinner and the subject of blogs came up. My friends teasingly asked me if I would be writing about them on my blog. I laughed and told them no because I had a list of about 20 overdue topics so that would make them 21 on the list. After some thought I decided to go ahead and mention them to see if any of them are reading (wink, wink). So D, K, J & J---here’s to you! Thanks for being such great friends!

I often find myself stumbling across an “arrangement” of objects that Ziggy has left behind. I have tried to record some of these moments in photos. I hope you get as much of a kick out of them as I do.

a "pooping" mammoth

a small cup tucked underneath the pedestal sink

an eyeball on the vacuum cleaner

a sippy cup balanced on the head of a tacky eagle statue

a potty filled with popcorn

blissdom top three

2010-02-14T23:06:00.004-06:00

A sweet & simple Lisa Leonard Designs necklace,

a sassy posy pin from The Pleated Poppy,

and of course, meeting bloggers big and small,

gathering advice and inspiration.

sending good thoughts

2010-02-07T19:54:00.005-06:00

I ran across a mention of Sara who blogs at Stakerz Xposed. She is going through some really tough stuff with one of her children right now.

Please take a moment to read her story and send good thoughts her way.

baby's first sleepover

2010-02-06T16:44:00.007-06:00

Last night was the first night Ziggy spent the night away from me. Enil's parents live in Nashville so Ziggy could have spent the night any time before now, but I never found it really necessary. I figured when Enil came back (I have a post in the works explaining why he is not here), we would have Ziggy stay with his parents so we could have a date night. Even though Blissdom is held in Nashville and I could have taken Ziggy to Enil's parent's place during the day and picked him up after the sessions ended, I figured that was a lot of running around.

My first night without Ziggy wasn't awful but it was harder than I expected. I demanded a smoke alarm battery check and a promise that if a bath was given, my mother-in-law would not leave his side. I had a horrific nightmare (though that might have more to do with reading Shutter Island before bed than with Ziggy's absence).

I will definitely be glad to see (and smell and hug and kiss) Ziggy again this evening.

blissdom!

2010-02-04T21:48:00.003-06:00

The Blissdom Conference starts tomorrow and I am so excited! I have wanted to attend for a couple of years but this year I was finally able to make it happen. I went to a small kick-off party this evening where I ate some food and received some swag. I can not wait for more of those things tomorrow and Saturday plus what I hope to be inspiring and informative sessions on how to do more with green moon rising. More to come...

sunny dog snacks (review and giveaway)

2010-01-30T21:31:00.008-06:00

I was introduced to Sunny Dog Snacks by my friend, Jennie Tilson. She is long time friends with the owner and creator, Angie Schleicher. Made in Nashville, TN, Sunny Dog Snacks are natural and free of preservatives and dyes. Angie began making these treats for her dog Sunny, who has severe allergies. Commercially made products caused Sunny to break out with skin rashes and in an attempt to avoid antihistamines and steroids, Angie began an all natural and organic diet for Sunny. With extensive research, Angie developed food for Sunny that caused the rashes to stop and restored Sunny’s energy and coat vitality. Despite this improvement, Sunny’s rashes would return when she ate commercially made treats, even “organic” ones. The treats Angie made not only resulted in a positive physical reaction for Sunny, but when Angie’s friends saw how excited Sunny was for these treats, they began to request the treats and Sunny Dog Snacks was born. Flavors include Bacon Spinach Herb, Double Carob Cookies, and Turkey Day. Angie has also developed a wheat free line of treats and a cat treat is in the works.

I was very impressed with the treats that Angie generously gave me for review. They looked fresh and delicious and smelled amazing! My dogs, Moonie and Bella, gobbled them up and our friends' dogs, Rudy Rippy and Copper Aston did as well. I will definitely be buying some more treats in the very near future!

Giveaway: Angie is giving one reader a free package of Sunny Dog Snacks!

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me what lucky dog would get to eat Sunny Dog Snacks if you won.

You must do the mandatory entry in order to submit extra entries. Remember, all comments are left here on the blog (feel free to leave a comment on Facebook, but it will not count as your entry). Thanks!

Extra Entries:

Become a fan of the green moon rising fan page on Facebook (leave a comment saying you've done so)

Suggest the green moon rising fan page on Facebook to a friend [your friend must become a fan (which earns them an entry) and then you can leave a comment for your entry]

Follow green moon rising on Twitter (leave a comment saying you've done so)

Tweet about the giveaway and then leave a comment with the link

Become a follower via Google Friend Connect (leave a comment saying you've done so)

Blog about this giveaway and then leave a comment with the link (worth five entries so be sure to leave 5 comments total)

Post a picture of your dog on Flickr and then leave a comment with the link (worth five entries so be sure to leave 5 comments total)

This contest ends February 19th @ 11:59 p.m. CST. At that time I will use a random number generator to determine the winner. I will contact the winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to confirm. Open to US residents only please. GOOD LUCK!

The giveaway is closed. The random number generator selected comment #1. Congratulations Nikki! I will e-mail you; please respond within 48 hours! Thanks to everyone who entered!

so many posts!

2009-12-19T16:10:00.004-06:00

I have so many things that I want to post about: the domestic kitchen certification class I completed, the two giveaways I won recently, the holidays and holiday spirits, having a son who is turning two years old, friendships, some natural, locally made dog treats that I've been introduced to, and so much more.

I'm not sure how soon I will be able to catch up because right now I am getting ready for traveling for the holidays but hopefully soon I can begin to tackle the list above.

Happy Holidays everyone! Warm wishes for you and your family!

green living at home

2009-12-09T11:47:00.005-06:00

Courtesy of Re-nest.com

I recently wrote a post about Going Green in the Winter: Six Simple Ideas for the Montessori Classroom, but I think many of the ideas could easily be incorporated into your home life.

Some of my green goals for 2010 are to completely switch to cloth napkins, start composting, sew and use fabric sandwich/snack bags and (FINALLY) plant a garden.

Will you add some green actions to your life this coming year?

felting

2009-12-06T18:34:00.006-06:00

Berry Island

Got Crow Creations

Fancy Tiger

Make Your Presents Felt

I really want to explore this needle felting that I suddenly seem to be seeing everywhere.

Are any of you doing it? Any pointers?

winter celebrations

2009-12-03T10:23:00.007-06:00

(freedigitalphotos.net)

Check out my latest post at the North American Montessori Center's Teacher Training blog: Meaningful Winter Celebrations in the Montessori Classroom.

You may find an idea that you can incorporate into your home life.

Here's a post I wrote about Hanukkah.

What are your favorite winter traditions, activities and celebrations?

(freedigitalphotos.net)

beatniks and Bob Dylan

2009-11-18T12:17:00.005-06:00

(http://13.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kp7evmatLx1qzli83o1_500.jpg)

(http://www.wfmt.com/img/Studs-On-Air-web.jpg)

When I was younger, I'm pretty sure that I thought being an adult would be coffee in coffee shops, music, books, poetry, deep discussions and apparently, beatniks and Bob Dylan.

What did you think adulthood would be?

green moon rising's first giveaway!

2009-11-13T13:24:00.011-06:00

Woo hoo! Our first giveaway! One lucky winner will receive two Nalgene water bottles, a tube of Burt's Bees lip balm, two Vera Bradley pocket folders, and a set of Martha Stewart day/month/number adhesive tabs.

Two water bottles will allow you to always be prepared with bottles at two different locations (home, work, gym, car, etc.) No more excuses to buy bottled water!

The folders and adhesive tabs might inspire you to organize something you've been putting off. I find when you are organized, you don't have to buy/consume as many things because you know where everything is!

The lip balm is for pampering your lips as we go into winter!

Some details: The water bottles are a beautiful green color and have the Brita logo printed on them. The folders are in Vera Bradley's Night Owl design. There are 54 adhesive tabs total.

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment telling me what sort of posts would keep you coming back to green moon rising.

You must do the mandatory entry in order to submit extra entries. Remember, all comments are left here on the blog. Thanks!

Extra Entries:

Become a fan of green moon rising on Facebook (leave a comment saying you've done so)
Suggest green moon rising to a friend on Facebook [your friend must become a fan (which earns them an entry) and then you can leave a comment for your entry]
Follow green moon rising on Twitter (leave a comment saying you've done so)
Tweet about the giveaway and then leave a comment with the link
Become a follower via Google Friend Connect (leave a comment saying you've done so)
Blog about this giveaway for FIVE entries and then leave a comment with the link

This contest ends November 20th @ 9 a.m. CST. At that time I will use a random number generator to determine the winner. I will contact the winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to confirm. Open to US residents only please. GOOD LUCK!

The giveaway has ended. The winner is comment #10: Melissa. I will send you an e-mail to confirm and ask for your shipping address.

Thanks to everyone who entered.

children's book wish list

2009-11-03T12:08:00.009-06:00

I've been working on a list of books I would like to get Ziggy for Christmas. I'm sharing my Top 10 with you now (this is narrowed down from over 20). These books are a mix of winter books, holiday books, books I've read about in other blogs and classics I can't believe we don't have. What books will you be buying for Christmas?

The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren

The Tomten and the Fox by Astrid Lindgren
V Is For Volunteer: A Tennessee Alphabet

by Michael Shoulders
Count on Us: A Tennessee Number Book

by Michael Shoulders
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury by Jan Brett
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Does anyone know a way to get images of book covers that don't have that little "Click to Look Inside!" image that they have on Amazon?

halloween 2009

2009-11-01T12:55:00.004-06:00

Mushroom Costume that was worn to the zoo:

80s costume that was worn on Halloween Night:

Tuckered out after Trick or Treating:

Relaxing the day after Halloween with our favorite non-candy treat:

clothes i covet

2009-10-28T10:25:00.004-05:00

I was in the mood to look at beautiful things yesterday. I could never afford all of these items, but I thought maybe I could use them as inspiration for sewing in the future. It seems I'm currently into neutrals and ruffles.

What are you into right now?

(All items are from Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.)

what we're reading this month

2009-10-22T19:02:00.003-05:00

I might be going a bit overboard with the photo collages, but they're just so much fun! These are the books that have been in heavy rotation at our house this month.

What's being read at your house right now?

ziggy's feet

2009-10-19T16:03:00.003-05:00

I can't get enough of Ziggy's feet.

Kate's Tasty Blog

2009-10-01T17:19:00.005-05:00

My good and true friend of over 20 years blogs at real food * real life. Check it out! (That's her with her beautiful daughter Bella. Please excuse the poor picture quality.)

An Attempt to Catch Up

2009-09-10T20:46:00.011-05:00

Finally, the photos from our trip to MD. I'm obviously not in the habit of regular posting just yet.

Five Questions from MaryLea

2009-07-21T20:46:00.019-05:00

MaryLea (aka Pink and Green Mama) and I went to college together, and I have been so excited to be reunited with her through the worlds of blogging and Facebook. Go and check out her blog! I can't wait for Zig to be old enough to do some of her amazing art projects.

MaryLea did a Five Questions Game with some of her blogger friends and I asked her to shoot me some.

Here goes...(the rainbow color scheme is for MaryLea!)

1. Why do you blog and for whom do you blog?

A creative writing professor I had in college told the class that the way to figure out where to live, what to do and how to be happy was to emulate the life of a woman you admire. I suppose the degree to which you emulate that person is up to you. For a couple of years, I have been reading blogs of women who I think are just the coolest. They have beautiful families, they write, they create, and they think about important things like sustainability. I blog to emulate them and as a way to help focus my life. I blog for whomever will read my blog, but mainly for people who have simliar goals and interests.

2. What's your super power?

Since I believe that most super powers are also crutches, I would say mine is ambition. I want to do and be EVERYTHING!

3. Other than kids/pets what three things would you grab to save from a fire?

Not very exciting, but I would grab my purse, my camera, and my laptop.

4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years (personally and professionally)?

I would like to have two more children and I would like to spend a lot of time with them in a cozy, decluttered, eclectically beautiful home. Professionally, I hope to be writing and creating in some manner that is enjoyable while helping to provide for my family.

5. Why Montessori?
Montessori as a career began because I was a recent college graduate working at a bookstore not sure of what to do next. A co-worker suggested Montessori teaching as something I might like and hooked me up with an opening at a local school. Montessori as something I believe in happened the moment I walked in the door of the school. It just made sense. Why wouldn't you "follow the child"? I believe that everyone (not just children) is an individual with unique needs.

It's been awhile since my last post because I've been visiting family and friends in Maryland. I'll post on that soon!

yesterday and the week ahead...

2009-07-05T14:05:00.005-05:00

We are at home relaxing from a busy Fourth of July. We started Independence Day at the Hot Chicken Festival in East Nashville and ended the day at a house on the lake in Hendersonville. It was a day of heat, crowds, fireworks, rain, and tornado warnings. Oh yeah, and a good friend sustained a burn of the hand while slightly inebriated.

This week I’m getting the house ready for some house guests (my mother and grandmother, woo hoo!). I’m finding a lot of things I forgot I had and a lot of things that I need to get rid of. I love that feeling!

and so it begins...

2009-07-04T16:43:00.006-05:00

Oh my, the first post. Should I tell it all or keep it short and sweet? I’ve been thinking about green moon rising for awhile now, and I’ve decided it is finally time to get started. I’m sure it will evolve over time, but for now I imagine it to be a blog about green and simple living, parenting, and creating.

Here's a photo that emcompasseses the spirit of what I am going for:

I'll be in touch!