theNest

I am going to cross my fingers and hope that we can get all the changes done by ummm…tomorrow January 1st. A lot to do today to make it happen though.

I want to give a glimpse of the changes to LB…

6.5 x 6.5 Block

12 x 6 Block

Look at these! They are blocks designed to fit a 6 x 6 and 12 x 6 (or less) expression. They are a perfect tabletop alternative for a board with BirdFeet and are even double-sided to fit (2) expressions.

We are also adding a 4 x 12 door tag with holes for hanging if the baby is sleeping or you just want to say “keep out!”

I am adding the 12 x 12 board with holes because my UL demonstrator orders it on a very regular basis. Her preferred hanging method is a wide, colorful ribbon and they are definitely a best-seller at her boutiques.

I don’t think we will have it up until February 1st, but I am adding a do-it-yourself section for those of you who want to add the creative finishing touches yourself. It will be a special section to order unfinished products at 25% off along with tips and instructions for painting, decoupage, and finishing the board yourself. My ‘recipes’ are not for keeping secret so any of you who have the time, energy, and desire to DIY, this page is for you.

What else…we are omitting the colors Oasis, Fuschia, and Cement from the 2009 color palette. The color Mist is somewhat ambiguous so we are changing the name to Silver Sage. Also coming are swatches of the colors on actual MDF board material for you to purchase. I hope to have these out soon, but I don’t know if tomorrow is realistic. Hmmm…that said, I need to get to work.

I hope that everyone has a safe and fun celebration tonight…Happy New Year!

It is a fact. It is. For example, there is a vast difference between telling someone you are going to slap them and doing it. Take these two for instance…

That is not exactly the perfect example I was going for but I couldn’t resist a Jim and Dwight-ism. I really wanted to address doing love and respect. In high school, I had a grouchy English teacher who used to bellow at us, “Respect is a verb, Buckos! Do it!” We would laugh because he sounded so funny when he said it but his message stayed. He also had the ‘Mood O’ Meter’ that was perpetually glued on the don’t even ask category.  Just the other day, Owen was pestering Madeline and she had clearly had enough of him. She skipped the elementary “no means no” and yelled at him with full lungs, “RESPECT IS A VERB O-WEN!!” I was truly impressed. Not only had something I said stuck, but she was learning parts of speech as well. As an added bonus, she also refrained from hitting him afterward. Thus, she got a full apology from him without having to offer her own. Way to go Boopie.

Respect and love are both things that are fun and easy to say, but more importantly they are things you do. I know people that can blow smoke up your arse all day, but ask them to follow through with one of their professed words and they look at you like you’re insane. “I said it. Shouldn’t that be enough?” In a three word answer: Not so much. Anyone can say words but it takes real love (and respect) to follow through. Don’t just say things to people…be them. It shows a person you love them way more than words.  Showing love takes guts, energy, apologies, maybe money, and definitely some tears at times. In short, it takes giving of yourself to another, which – ironically – is a verb as well, Buckos.

So, the new guy moved into the office across the hall and honestly, I don’t know how I am going to get any work done. Check him out. He’s eye candy!

Garth Reno 911

Lilac Christmas

Oh, wait…not that one there on the left. I don’t know who that guy is but he definitely looks guilty of something.

The picture on the right here. He’s the hottie on the left. He’s about 6′1″ and has brown curly hair and stunning blue eyes. He’s got great sense of style but he kind of keeps to himself when he’s working. I don’t think he’ll notice the blonde across the hall because I think he’s married…yeah, that’s right. To me!

Welcome Home Garth!

When Garth and I went to marital counseling a few years ago, we learned an invaluable tool that I had forgotten until recently when I heard it from my friend Renee. It truly helps so I want to share. It is a well-known fact that most people talk too much. They do. They say things that are not their business, at the wrong time, in the wrong manner. They offer misguided information, overly opinionated statements, and embellished stories unrelated to the issue at hand. They offer solutions to situations based on what so-and-so’s great aunt Margaret did and what Oprah said. I say “they” but I am guilty of doing the above at times. Luckily, most of my friends would call me on it before I completed my wise-in-my-own-eyes recommendations for their lives.

When I go through troubled times and hear unsolicited advice, the very first thing I do is consider the source of the advice given. Do they have my best intentions in mind? Do they have my family’s best intentions in mind? And, most importantly, do they have their wits about them and their ducks in a row? If the answer to any of these questions is no, I listen politely as they spell out their solution to my problem. When they have finished, I smile and graciously answer, “Thank you for sharing.” It is the statement that says it all. It is a nice way to say that I appreciate their concern and I will ponder their advice (or not) but it makes no promises to anyone or anything. So, if you are ever in a situation where someone offers you unsolicited instruction – such as I am doing now – you have an answer.

So when school is in session, it is like pulling teeth to get our kids to do their homework every afternoon. I hear, “It’s too hard,” “But my brain already turned off Mom!,” “It’s not fun,” etc. Ironically, once the holiday break hit it was a different story altogether. Owen’s teacher sent home a phonics workbook for him to work on over the vacation. Suddenly, phonics is the in thing at our house and Madeline is jealous she doesn’t have a workbook too. First off, I am wondering what on earth Owen said or did to make her jealous of a phonics workbook. Secondly, I am wondering what I can do to tap into Owen’s psychology – he’s good. It kind of reminds me of the “Tom Sawyer” story and Tom letting the other kids help paint the fence white. Anyway, because we homeschooled last year I happened to have an extra phonics workbook handy. Crisis averted – and both kids are doing hours of coveted schoolwork on their vacation. It makes no sense to me but as they are thoroughly entertained, everybody wins!

Sam the Cat

Eduardo

Every morning, I am greeted by these two little fellas when I open my bedroom door. They prance around rubbing up against anything available – me, the wall, each other – and purr. I won’t pretend it’s for me…they want their morning cat treats.

Sam and Eddie are the kids’ cats. They follow the kids around and “babysit” them. Sam is the older and more predictable of the two. Eddie is still somewhat of a kitty and is our catdog. They are indoor cats and unfortunately they claw everything but the two scratching posts we have for them.