somewhat simple // irish blessing

Don't decorate for St. Patty's but wouldn't mind a little 'pop' of green for your entry? Then check out my Irish blessing printables over at Somewhat Simple! --xoxo

{ a red letter day }

The summer is flying by, with only a little over a month left for us.

{insert weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth here.}

And with this eye opening fact, I feel a little guilty that I haven't provided proper brain stimulating, character building and fun family activities for the wee ones.

Enter: the world wide web.

Have you seen these?

{image found here}

You find letters in nature/objects and create words. How fun would it be to make your own? How fun would it be for your kids to help? {All while adding that crucial element of proper brain stimuli.}

So I decided to take my kids on an alphabet scavenger hunt. {Around the house mind you, it's just way too hot outside. When it cools down, we will travel through the fresh air in search for any one of the 26 letters included in our alphabet.}

I was Awesome Mommy for the day . . . my kids LOVED it! I handed my 7 and 3 yr old the camera, gave them a few photography tips and then sent them on their way, in search of typographical elements they could capture for their collage.

While your kids are capturing priceless images, head on over to Leo Reynold's flicker images to find some awesome letters to create your own words. Be mindful that these are to be used only for home and personal use, though. I found him through Amy Gregson's blog. Here are some examples that I put together really quick with Leo's amazing photos:

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Armed with the family camera, have your kids find the letters in their names and then make their own letter art.

You're family name is another great thing to do . . . get creative!

When you're done, Costco or Walmart can make poster sized prints, or there are other websites that will do the same. Print them off, frame them, etc. It's something you can do all together, especially for Family Night!

Now go grab your cameras and get out there!

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Happy Alphabet Scavenging!

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xoxo

jordan

ps- forgot to do Camryn's Corner last Monday. Check out her post here, in which I would also like to echo her title, "Where has the month gone?"

{Sorry Cam!}

{ book wreath - first mmb post }

All right peeps. Here it is. My first post as a Mormon Mommy Blog contributor:

Book Wreath on a Budget

I was reading mmb and thought hey, this looks familiar, and then BAM!

I realized it was my post that I had submitted. Kinda weird. But a good weird. ;)

Yes. I should have put the title as Book Wreaths on a Budget, since there were 2.

Oh well.

xoxo

jordan

{ps - I made these for FREE}

{now you REALLY want to check it out, huh.}

;)

{ happy halloween eve }

With the witching hour drawing nigh, I have found that my brain has been put under a spell. I am fairly certain that there is a witch or warlock out there giggling with delight at the chaos that they have put into my life. I, for some reason, have not been able to keep track of my days. For example: I usually post on Thursdays, but yesterday I thought it was Wednesday, thus providing further evidence of my brain being bewitched. Because as a mom, I would NEVER forget what day it was. Ever. *ahem* You should be slightly proud however, that I was able to remember that it was field trip day yesterday. So take that evil spell!

This is my Favorite time of year. I love fall. And I adore Halloween. Not the creepy scary blood and gore let's get chased by a man with a chain saw in a maze of corn Halloween. Oh, no. Nasty. I do not find joy and elation by putting myself in a situation where I may or may not pee my pants from fright. That just isn't my cup o' tea. This, my friends, is:

I got my son off to school, his Bumblebee costume in his backpack. We had a 'debate' whether or not he should bring his mask. As Supreme Ruler and Judge, I won. He went maskless. I am now free to prepare for the amazing holiday where kids get to stay up late, get tons of candy and get sick. Is anyone else excited that Halloween falls on a Saturday? I hate it when it falls on the weekdays. That is pure torture. I think we should change the date. Who wants to start a petition? I call that Halloween should fall on the last Friday or Saturday of the month {haven't decided which one is better}. Any takers?

Anywho, today will be filled with making these:

Recipe found here.

Recipe drooled over here.

{PLEASE head on over to the Idea Room and check out her amazing ideas. This woman is genius.}

Thanks to the fact that my daughter REFUSES to potty train again {extra thanks to this}, I have had to resort to insanely cheap decorating. My husband didn't like the idea of setting up a Halloween Decoration Fund at our local banking institution. Apparently we don't have the 'funds', or whatever that means... So I have scoured the internet and have found some fun ideas that I will be making today. How cute are these?

{When you have a solid 7, 946 hours, you must read Blue Cricket Design's Blog. Be prepared to stay awhile.}

I will be hanging them on my branches I borrowed from a trip to the remote dessert and spray painted black and dumped in a bucket. Total cost? 89 cents. Very 'fund'able.

I will also be making these as well:

{Again, another fantabulous blog! The Joys of Home blog is very addicting. Maybe you should wait until AFTER the Holidays are over and you have tons of time.}

So it is off to clean the house! I don't know about you, but decorating isn't as fun to do when your house is a maze of toys and C.R.A.P. And I have to find missing parts to my daughter's costume. She is going to be Super Girl. Unless you ask her yourself. She'll tell you she's She-Ra. {And I couldn't be more proud! Anyone else love She-Ra?}

PS. Is anyone else freaking out that it's the end of October already? Good thing we already carved our pumpkin . . . unfortunately we did it a little too early. Jerry the Jack o' lantern didn't make it to Halloween. So much for being on the ball. I have prepared a lovely eulogy:

R.I.P. Geriatric Jack-o-lantern

As we travel through the seasons of life, we find ourselves transforming in ways we had no intention of. Like our dear friend, Jerry the Jack-0-lantern. He started out so vibrant, orange and fresh . . .

. . . then with skilled hands, received a deep colon cleanse . . .

. . . and a facelift that demanded attention . . .

. . . we loved the new look. but as the week progressed, our dear friend began to sag.

{it happens to the best of us}

As the season of his life was coming to an end, the once perky eyebrows began to droop, the lips began to curve inward, and he began to get a little 'clogged up' with decaying matter. Unknowingly, he lost complete control of his bodily functions and began to give off "offensive" odors. It was time for Jerry the Geriatric Jack-o-lantern to go to a better place. A place where pumpkins roll free and happy faces are carved daily. {With a complimentary internal cleanse included.}

We love you jerry . . . until we meet again . . .

{and yes, I bathed my children BEFORE we carved pumpkins. Don't you?}