Naturally Optimistic

It's that time of year again - blogging every day in November. I love a challenge. It's On! (You can join in here . Blogroll is open til Nov 5 - sign up now! Join the madness!)

I finally did it! I launched my Etsy shop! CraftyCarrster I hope to fill it with more necklaces, card wallets, bags, napkins, magnets, greeting cards, etc in the coming weeks/months/years. I *hope* to sell a few things & make a *little* money. For fun things like - getting new tires & getting my fillings replaced.Wheeee! So- if you see something you like, buy it! Or tell your friends! Or just "favorite" me...that would make me feel good.

Well, due to my recent obsession with Play At Home Mom , I've been trying to be more creative about the activities I do with the kids. We really don't spend any money on new toys. I'm mostly okay with this, but sometimes I feel bad...sometimes I get bored. And I know if I get bored, it's quite likely that they get bored too. We get toys as gifts - from Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, and my awesome friend Sam who works for Mattel (her 'shipments' get metered out through the years). But one thing I feel totally okay with is 'making' our own toys. So that's what we have been doing! One rubbermaid bin that was empty in the garage. 2 large(ish) bags of white rice from Cub (plus one refill bag purchased today) about $3.75 a piece - I buy the cheapest rice for this!! Whatever scoops, empty plastic containers, spoons, various utensils, etc. I have awesome retro metal bowls which work great because they make a very interesting sound. Oh and I keep th...

So Michelle & I are going at it again with the 2nd monthly Pinterest Challenge! Last month I made this and Michelle made some Mason jar tea light lanterns. Cool! This month I've been challenged to make as many cloth napkins in a variety as I can. And I've picked a pumpkin'd wreath for her to DIY (I didn't realize her pin was from Williams-Sonoma - it looks totally craftable!). If anyone else wants to play along - let me know & we'll get started! Happy Pinning & Happy Crafting!

This is my new favorite MOM website. I love it. I am full of fun, creative, cheap, educational ideas - can't wait to try some of them out! Thanks, Michelle for directing me to it!

Steve & I decided it was a day for family fun. We knew that Saturday would be cooler & Sunday more lovely - so we picked Sunday (also, I still had that stupid garage sale going on on Saturday)...initially we wanted to drive up the North Shore to drink in the beautiful colors. But we ended up opting for a shorter drive. Out 'west' to the Munger Trail & the Ely's Peak area of Duluth. It was so lovely. However, it wasn't that *fun* of a day. We are cursed with trying to get out of the house these days. It seems to take for EVER. There's the cleaning up after breakfast, the dressing of the monkey-children. There's packing lunches, snacks, milk, water. There's the OH MY GOD YOU GAVE ME THE WRONG SOCKS tantrums to deal with. There's hooking up the bike rack and loading on the bikes & trailer. It takes all dang morning. But finally we left. Late. I wanted to leave at 10, we left at 1. So be it. So while driving out to the Munger Trail, bot...

A couple of weeks ago I was really stuck creatively. I knew what was causing it but I just couldn't seem to get past it. I felt like I had a dam of debris building up in my inner psyche that wouldn't let anything else get by it. Oh boy was it annoying. And not just annoying but also sort of debilitating. I couldn't finish my film. I mean, the film is done, but I was re-working the beginning and just felt like my brain was empty. I could hardly even TRY anything with the edit so it was really frustrating. Add to that that my only working *moments* were when HOPEFULLY both kids were napping (or at least somewhat occupied, Dahlia...) so I could get my thoughts together to even start. And a lot of days that just didn't happen. Plus I was up against a deadline. During this time, I did quite a lot of browsing on Pinterest. Drooling over all sorts of really cool, crafty, artistic creations. Dreaming of what I should decorate my house with. Wishing, quite frankly, that I...