Car Activities for a One-Year Old

(Alternately titled: How to Not Go Completely Insane on a Twelve Hour Roadtrip with a Baby)

My first piece of advice would be to leave close to bedtime and drive through the night.

That wasn't an option with this trip, and even though my baby took several good naps (more than she would at home), being in the car alllll day was (surprise!) not all that fun.

A few days before we left I decided I'd get started on the busy box I picked for the Pinterest challenge, but then I quickly realized that I didn't have the time or materials to make most of the things on that particular list before our trip... I did have pipe cleaners and a puffs container though, so I put them together for "Pipe Cleaners in a Bottle."

If Elle could give an award for best roadtrip "toy" I'm sure she'd pick the pipe cleaners, hands down. She liked pulling them out, putting them back in, and bending them. She loved handing them to me so that I could hang them off of my glasses/nose/ears and would giggle up a storm while grabbing them back.

So I give an A+ to "Pipe Cleaners in a Bottle." Cheap, very low effort, virtually indestructible, and my brother's cats thoroughly enjoyed batting them around. The only cons I can think of are the sharp ends (I twisted those over and didn't have any problems), and once we took them out of the car, our pipe cleaners seemed to spread to every corner of the house.

I also made a texture book to bring along in the car. This requires considerably more effort than "Pipe Cleaners in a Bottle," but if you have some supplies on hand it's not difficult to throw together.


Step 1. Gather up materials with different textures.

I already had all of these things at home, but the possibilities are endless as far as what you put on the pages.


Step 2. Cut pages out of old cereal/snack boxes.

I used my Cricut machine to get the scalloped edges and then glued scrapbook paper on the fronts.

Step 3. Glue your objects on to the pages. Use the strongest glue possible if you have a destructo baby like mine.

Step 4. Hole punch the top of the pages.

Step 5. Tie together with string. Voila!

You may have guessed from the note in Step 3 that my baby girl set out to destroy this texture book. She made quick work of ripping off the fuzzy pompoms, the bubble wrap, and even a couple of the shiny hearts. I hot glued everything except for the foam stickers, and the only page that is still completely intact is the one with the fabric flowers. Maybe superglue would've been better. At the time, I was just happy that it held her interest for more than 5 minutes. 

Other tried and true activities:

*Stuffed animals

*Blocks

*Books

*Food, glorious food
*My wallet
*And when things got a little ugly that last hour and she couldn't be consoled, I gave her my glasses...even though I can't see without them. She went from screaming to asleep within a few minute's time. Worth it. ;)

Pinterest Challenge Wrap-Up

Confession: I just finished the Pinterest Challenge moments ago...but I started a few days after everyone else, so it's totally okay. Honestly, I forgot about my last task, which was adding a "Pin It" button to my blog.

I wrote about the Grilled Malibu Chicken and gave a glimpse of the tab-top curtain and busy box here. I'm still planning to write separately about the busy box and our roadtrip, but realistically, I'm never going to write about the curtains, so here are some pictures of that. ;)

Definitely my most successful sewing project to date, and it was super simple thanks to my friend Audrei and her amazing "sewing computer."

That leaves the scarf headband and the truffle squares. 

I tried the criss-cross headband with scarves/fabric belts that I already had. The material was too slippery and the criss-cross protruded from my head more than I wanted. I think this would've worked better with something with more stretch that would lay flatter.

This story has a happy ending though because while enjoying a cold Spring Break in Arkansas with my family, I happened upon a fabric headband I liked in a little boutique. And it was a handmade, fair trade item benefiting an Indonesian woman. Win-win? I think so.

I made the truffle squares on Good Friday, and they were yummy. I was sad to go into the kitchen this morning and see that Henry ate the last one. If you like chocolate and nuts, I'd recommend this dessert.

I made a few changes (as I'm inclined to do). For one, I only used chopped almonds for my "dough" because I didn't have any pecans. For two, I used agave nectar instead of honey/syrup. For three, I added a layer of melted peanut butter between the nut mixture and the top layer of chocolate. This was a great decision because it held the nutty mixture together better, and it made the bars taste a lot more like Reese's peanut butter cups.

Now that this challenge is over, I'm thinking about what I can work on next. I want to make a wreath for spring...not sure what else yet. What will you work on?

Pinterest Challenge Update

I'm happy to report that I will complete all six of my Pinterest Challenge projects by April. I've been working away on each of them. Here's my progress so far.

1. Grilled Malibu Chicken. We made it and LOVED it. Everything I hoped for and more. This recipe will definitely be added to our menu board rotation.

The only modification we made was pureeing pineapple for the sauce instead of using pineapple juice. Yum, yum, yum. We also used fancy Stubb's hickory smoked BBQ sauce. That certainly didn't hurt.

2. Tab-Top Curtain. I think I'll do an individual post about this project, but here's a sneak peek.

I'm so happy with the way they turned out.

3. One Year Old Busy Box. This one is still a work in progress, and it'll get it's own post too (especially since my baby just woke up from her nap...), but here's what I've made so far:

Pinterest Challenge

I don't know about you, but I love me some Pinterest. I think it's one of the greatest inventions of our time* and only wish it were around in my wedding planning days. That's okay though. Now I get to use it to visualize fun things like baby birthday parties and dream home decor. And I use it all of the time for cooking and baking. All of the time.

Sometimes I get on Pinterest though and pin things that look appealing to make or do "someday" and that day never rolls around because I forget about the idea. That's part of the reason I've decided to participate in the Sisters Share It All Pinterest Challenge.

If you want to participate, it's simple: choose six things on Pinterest that you want to try between now and April, create a blog post, and link up by clicking the button above.

Here's what I plan to work on:
1. A one year old's busy box. Keeping my baby occupied for three hours at church is kind of rough these days. I'm hoping this will give her little hands something to do. She'll also be going on her first out of state road trip soon, so I need things we can play with in the car for twelve freakin' hours.
2. Nutty Cinnamon Chocolate Truffle Squares. I've tried several main dishes from Perry's Plate that I've loved, but never a dessert. This one sounds yummy.
3. DIY headbands. I've been wanting a scarf-like head wrap for awhile, and I just recently came across this. Looks very simple, and it doesn't require sewing, which is perfect for me.
4. Add a "Pin It" button to blog pictures.
5. Tab-Top Curtain Tutorial. We really need a better curtain for our master bath, and this looks like the perfect tutorial to walk me through how to make my own.
6. Grilled Malibu Chicken. It seems like this might be a BYU thing? I don't know since I didn't go to college there; I do know that I love chicken and pineapple.

*The only thing better than Pinterest is a collection of Pinterest Fails. And by better I mean funnier.

2012 Year in Review Infographic

2012 was the year of the infographic, right? Seems like it to me. The design nerd in me is a big fan, and when New Year's Eve rolled around and I still hadn't checked off "write end of year letter" from my to-do list, I decided that an infographic was the perfect way to go. It may have helped that Merrick recently reminded me of this letterpress card I pinned a long time ago.

This is our third year to send out an end of year card to friends and family (second year to send them via email to save money), and if I do say so myself, this is the best yet. Definitely blows last year's out of the water, but that's not saying much since I threw it together while sick and very pregnant.

I'm glad I went with the infographic. It was much less daunting than the thought of sitting down and trying to write an essay about the whole year. And I looove the way it looks. And since I subconsciously used the color scheme of Elle's* baby book, I can print it, and it will fit right in. =)

Source List
1. Fonts (in order of appearance): Perpetua Titling MT, Sail, Pigeon, Quaver Sans, Mensch, Piron V2, Homestead, Pea Bethany's Doodles, Pea Igna's Doodles, Pea Bhea Script (Many of these can be downloaded for free here or here.)
2. Arrows--this includes a tutorial on how to add brushes to Photoshop that I wish I'd read years ago. I love when people share their talents for free.
3. Graphics: I just googled what I wanted + silhouette and found them (baby silhouette, house silhouette, cruise ship silhouette).
4. I pieced together my own photo template using Paislee Press's DIY Project No. 1.

*I've decided that Elle will be my daughter's nickname on the blog for privacy's sake. Also, watermarks. I don't like them, but the reality is there are weirdos out there who steal pictures and pretend they're their own. I wouldn't blame them. Look at my baby. Hello, cuteness overload. But I'm going to do what I can to prevent stealing.

Sweet Summer

At this time last week, I was packing up my last few boxes of therapy materials and turning in the keys to my office, which means I have officially completed my first week of summer vacation. It's been a good week. I survived 9 1/2 hours outside in the Texas heat (98-103 degrees were the estimates) as a volunteer at Cub Scouts Day Camp. (Surprisingly, I enjoyed myself--mostly--and didn't get irritated the whole day, but when it was over I felt exhausted. That was on Monday. On Tuesday I was a complete bum.) We finally pulled off the Pinewood Derby on Wednesday night. I went to the gym twice this week and ran errands by myself. I've also read more than usual and started a few personal projects.

Summer feels like a time of rejuvenation for me. Since I have two and a half months off from work, it's a time for me to refocus on my personal pursuits. Throughout the school year, I stay busy, busy. Now is my time to take a new look at my goals, make new plans, and as Dave Ramsey would say, attack them with gazelle-like intensity, allowing for afternoon naps of course.

These are my summer plans:

• Medicaid billing. This is one that I want to quickly mark off my list as it is not fun in the slightest. I have two weeks left to do from December '10 and the whole month of January '11 to do. Ugh.
• Participate in The June Challenge to Draw Closer to God. I'm finally making more progress on my Old Testament reading!
• Write in my gratitude journal every day this summer (or at least 85% of days if we're being honest)
• Exercise three times per week for the month of June, at least twice a week for the month of July
• Read some classic books, plus I need to finish the two other books I've started (Two-Invention and The Help)
• Organize my closet--this is one I've started this week
• Participate in the Ultimate Austin Scavenger Hunt. Henry and I marked three things off our list last night. Hopefully tonight we'll hit one more.
• Learn more about nutrition and healthy cooking. After contemplating on several separate occasions, I bought Michael Pollan's Food Rules last night. I've also started reading through the blog Word of Wisdom Living. This summer I hope to drastically increase my veggie & fruit intake/cut back on meat. I think these are both great resources.
• Research/expand our food storage. Hopefully this will go right along with the point above. Sadly, I have about 15 cans of expired food sitting on my kitchen counter right now that I need to throw out...I want to create a system to avoid that in the future. A friend recently recommended a few blogs to check out for getting started, but I haven't looked through them yet.
• Plan fun things to do for my New Orleans and Cabo trips! Please leave recommendations if you have any...
• Learn more about photography--read book, practice
• Learn about Illustrator--I bought a small text book from Nicole's Classes, so now I need to actually read it and play around with it. A new header/background could be in this blog's future.
• Turn my college blog into a book--has anyone out there done this before? What service do you recommend?

I have a few smaller things I want to work on too, but I'll keep those to myself lest you think I'm crazy. I don't think I'm crazy, but I am an overachiever. But anyway, those are the main ones...and I'm excited about getting things done!

Dad's 80th Birthday Book

A few months ago, my dad turned 80, and since you only have one 80th birthday (to my knowledge), I wanted to do a little something to commemorate the occasion (and really my dad's life too). Because my dad is great, and he should know it. So, with my trusty sidekick, I endeavored to make a memory/guest book of sorts. Dad complained that all of the pictures of him throughout his life + this guest book made his party feel a little too funeralish, but in the end I think he liked it. ;)

We finished the book, my sidekick taping and me positioning, late on the night of January 16th. It was ready just in time for Mom to take it home to Dad on MLK Day.

 

I got to use my new die cut on some of the edges. That made me happy.

And this was my favorite submission:

Maybe you just have to know Brother R.

Dad called and thanked us for the book the next day. He seemed excited to show it to some his friends, so I think this project was a success.

Photowalk Austin: Travis Heights

date: 1/1/11

neighborhood: travis heights

It's Friday, and I don't know about you, but I'm tiiiired. I thought these bright photos might add some cheer to this cold, damp, and foggy day...

not that I'm not cheery under this layer of tiredness...uh, hello, 3-day weekend!!!!!

Halloween Costumes 2010

We actually had not one, but two Halloween costumes this year. We weren't being overzealous in our celebration of Halloween; it's just that our *real* costume only worked with three people, and we were missing our darling third wheel for the first costume-required party.

Costumes one and two were both really simple though.

Costume 1 was recycled: Price is Right contestants. This was my costume my freshman year of college (can't believe that was seven years ago!), so I already had the shirt. I just bought some new iron-on letters to cross out Bob and add Drew. I bought a sticky-backed foam sheet for our name tags, and done. Easy, and it cost about $4. Not bad at all.

Costume 2: rock, paper, scissors!

Also very easy and inexpensive. We did have the advantage of getting large pieces of cardboard and a grommet from FedEx (Henry's former employer---so excited to be able to say former by the way).

After that, we took it home to spray paint the handles red and to cover the blades with aluminum foil.

Henry went "3-hole punch Jim" style for his paper costume. We just cut out three circles from a sheet of black foam. Now might be a good time to mention that some people were confused about Henry's costume. The Office fans recognized him as 3-hole punch Jim, but others thought he might be a domino. Not paper. If we were to do this again, I think we'd add blue horizontal lines to his white shirt.

Deciding how to make April a rock was the toughest part. We thought about stuffing a black garbage bag or painting/chalking up a black shirt, but luckily Henry had the brilliant idea of wrapping her up in a scarf I already owned. She really didn't want to wear it at first, but somehow we got her to concede.

The cost of all three of our costumes was approximately $10. Sure beats the hundredsomething dollars we spent last year to be Mary Poppins and Bert!

You're looking at the "Most Original" costume winners, Rutherford Ln. Trunk-or-Treat 2010.

The Results

Sadly, we've had our new canvas for three weeks now, and I'm just getting around to posting the pictures. Life has been as busy as usual, plus I'm trying to spend less time on the computer and more time reading scriptures and other good books.

But without further ado, I present to you the picture we chose to print on canvas:

The waterfall picture!

We ultimately chose it because the focus of that photograph isn't just on us; it also had the pretty nature scene too. As cute as the other options may be, Henry didn't feel comfortable hanging a photo that would make us look larger than life, and I can understand where he's coming from. It is a 24 x 40 inch canvas...that would make us look like we have big heads...literally and maybe figuratively too.

Anyway, I LOVE it. I'm so happy with the way it turned out. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to convince Henry to make small canvas prints of the other photos someday soon. =)