Cardboard Car Garage

I tackled a fun little project last night with my son Patrick to create a garage like structure for his "matchbox" cars out of cardboard. I got the idea from Pinterest in a series of photos that showed many different projects for kids all made of cardboard. Some were more ambitious than others, so I decided to start with one that looked relativity easy. We grabbed one of the many shipping boxes I had lying around. I think the original pictures used an old shoe box, ours was of similar size.

As we started construction, I realized we may need a little more material, so rather than cut up more of my shipping boxes, I saw some foam core board I had in my overly large pile of crafting supplies. We switched over and it worked great! I think it would also be a possible alternative material to cardboard for many of the other projects. Another bonus is that it it fairly inexpensive, I got mine at the Dollar Store. I would maybe even prefer it to cardboard because of all the possibilities of detail you can add to your project, as it is white, or just let you kids go crazy coloring it.
Our project turned out quite good if I do say so myself. We spent a total of 30 minutes on it and it was a lot of fun! Now my son is only 3&1/2 so I did most of the construction and all of the cutting myself, (be careful with you Xact-o knife) , but he still had a blast!

For the materials we used:  
                           1 small to medium cardboard box             (think shoe box size)
                              1/4 sheet of foam core from the Dollar Store
                              1 Small crafting razor knife/Xacto knife
                              Basic crafting all-purpose Tacky Glue (Elmer's would
                              work also)
                              Sharpie Markers (Black, Red, Blue)

All in all I would say it was a Pinterest success! And would recommend trying this or something like it for anyone with kids. Patrick's endorsement, "It was AWESOME!"

Here is the link for the original inspiration from pinterest: http://boysgerms.com.au/2012/04/25-ideas-for-a-cardboard-box/
                 

A dilapidated barn, and a toothless gentleman... I'm so there.

You know what show I am super into lately, American Pickers. It gets me all jazzed up when they go to some creepy dude's house dig up something dirty and tell me some American history about the piece, and consequently what it's worth. I even enjoy all the car or motorcycle parts and memorabilia. I myself would love that job, and be great at it, if I do say so myself. Well, that is, if it wasn't for the being on the road away from my kids part. Oh, and the I'm afraid of those crazy people part. Other than that we are cut from the same cloth, me and those pickers.

I am my father's daughter...

As I'm getting older, not only do I realize I am capable of an early midlife crisis, I also realize my dad and I have more in common than I had previously thought. I find myself searching craigslist for VWs, just to see what's out there (or V-doubleya as my pappy says it). I have more of an appreciation of classic cars than I did when I was younger, bored by the numerous car shows and cruises that were our family vacations. I currently am lusting after a Squareback. I want to find one and restore it, that's right, I'm ready to get my hands dirty. The other common thread we hold as father and daughter is love for the Portland Trailblazers. Who would have known I was capable of holding my own in a sports conversation with my dad. When I'm feeling really confident I'll even cross over into some NFL convo, just to see how long I can keep up. Not long. Anyway, here's to you pappy, love you tons, you girl, Amber.

Motivation

I have a weekend ahead of me with a to do list that goes on for miles. Unfortunately I also seem to be afflicted with severe mental block when it comes to tackling this list. Seems like good intentions only take me so far, inevitably I find multiple excuses to take breaks, fuel up, slow down, etc. I always feel great when I get projects done, I love seeing progress of hard work, yet I can't seem to find enough motivation to get started. I have a good friend who can paint, rearrange furniture, feed and bath kids, get dinner, and pay bills all within a matter of hours. No, she is not a drug addict. But whatever crazy energy is running through her veins, I'd like a shot of that right about now. Well, here goes nothing, I shall go and attempt something that resembles movement.

Moving... bleh...

It seems like I'm breaking down cardboard boxes, yet as I look around my "new" home, I am still drowning in loads of boxes and crap as far as the eye can see. Moving is rough, and I've done it a handful of times. This time there are small peaks of excitement in between the moments of bleh. For example, my crafty area is coming along rather nicely, and Patrick's room is even cooler than before. Yet, it seems we have a lot of stuff, and it is overtaking me. My go-getter attitude quickly dissipates when am stepping over cords, boxes, and trying not to trip all the while as there are many oddly placed steps all over the house. The house we moved from was a similar size, I once thought, now I'm not so sure. We have way too much seating somehow, like a couch and two chairs too much. I will keep on trudging through, as I have faith that in the not too distant future it will be beautiful again.

Joining the reindeer games...

I've been watching the old holiday classics such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Truth be told, I really don't enjoy them all that much. I think it's more something you put on in the background while you're decorating for Christmas. I was sitting with my 18 month old son watching them, feeling like it was something I had to do, tradition and all, not something I wanted to do. Patrick was not all that impressed either. He got upset at one point and I thought it was because he was frightened by the Abominable Snowman, but I looked down to see he was just unhappy the noise keep waking him up, as he had already been bored to sleep. This is not meant to be a major dis on these movies, they have held up quite well over the years, but I think I just need to know their place in my holiday life. I will still watch them every year, and enjoy parts, all the while doing something else while they are on.

Just Dance... sounds easy enough

I've found a new favorite Wii game. Which isn't actually that hard considering I've only ever liked a handful Wii games. That being said, this games is like a good ol' fashioned shin-dig. It's a dance game, where you move and sweat to some rockn' beats. I've only tried Just Dance 2, but am excited to Just Dance (first version). They games are officially on my Xmas list. It's a great work-out, and a dazzling party game. The only drawback is that after multiple dances with one Wii controller in your hand, you may experience a bit of tennis elbow. To combat this just throw a second Wii controller in your other hand and problem solved. Then just dance your way to a new fab body, just as I plan to;)

You can't please everybody. That's a hard phrase to swallow when you happen to be a people pleaser in you heart of hearts. Ugh.

Did you hear that? Creativity was talking. I like what it had to say.

Today I was able to buy for, style out, be the make-up artist, hair stylist, and photographer for a photo shoot made to sell vintage clothes online. It felt really great to be that creative. I've been wanting to do this for a long time now, and it went better than imagined. Andrea was a great model, and (cross-my-fingers) I'll use her again. Pretty sure she also had a good time. Can't wait to do more. Now I just need to post all the clothes and new jewelry I've made. Wish me luck...

Phew, I need a water break...

I was going strong for two weeks. I ran 5 days my first week. Then ran/exercised 4 days the next week, ending in a strong 2.5 mi run. I have deflated since then. We got back from the vacation, and it's lame, hot, sticky feeling in the house. I can't seem to shake the all consuming lethargy I seem to have, and I have less desire to push through. It's so annoying... I will though, push through. I'm not going to give up now, but everything in me sure wants to. I'll keep posting about how it goes.

SALE, CLEARANCE, LAST CHANCE BARGAINS!

I have an addiction. To sales. Yeah, I know old story, but seriously it's a problem. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not talking about a shopping addiction, only a sale addiction. I will almost never allow myself to buy something at full price. Good, you may think, thrifty. Well thrifty indeed, and yet sometimes I think this is not always a good habit to have. While I do think I end up saving a lot of money with all my "thriftyness" I may be missing something in the long run. Sometimes what will happen is I buy so many "sale" items, I still spend a good chunk of change. Or, I might not get the quality that comes with spending a little more dough on things. I do buy at thrift stores, and that alone is a sort of sale price, even there I usually only get the colored tags that are discounted. Could I be missing out on some really great stuff? The only loophole I give myself is when I spend someone else's money. Then, suddenly I'm able to really splurge on myself. Recently I received a gift card for my birthday and just bought myself a much needed new black purse (I'm serious when I say I needed it) and it wasn't that it was so expensive, but I know myself and I never would have purchased it with my own money. It was a new arrival type item and not on any sort of sale... I wouldn't have given it a second look. Oh, and I loooovvvve it. So I'm not really sure what the cure to my addiction would be, and if I'm really honest I don't know how much I want this addiction to end. I'm very prideful when it comes to my thriftiness, I love a good sale :)

A night for the ladies... Sex and the City 2

Last night I made a trip into the city and finally saw Sex and the City 2, just before it left the theaters. It was the only theater left in the Portland area it was showing. I'd heard a lot of chatter about it, especially since I waited so long to see it, and let me tell you, most of what I'd heard was that it was bad, unnecessary, a big disappointment. I would expect those type of reviews from critics, but even a friend who said she liked the first movie, told me she was ready to walk out of the theater at one point, and that she hated the movie. Hated? I asked. Yes, hated. So I was concerned that it was not only going to be not as fun as I had hoped, but plain terrible. Well, drum roll pleas...du...du..du.du..... I liked it, enjoyed it, and had a great time. If I was to assess say a grade, it would be a B to B+.

My experience was like this: The anticipation of waiting so long and others opinions that were swirling around my head as I watched the movie, made me a little over analytical at first. I am even trying to gauge audience reaction. So far so good, I think, I am enjoying the movie, and yes there are some cringe worthy moments, but they're few, and the last movie had some of those, but all in all I enjoyed that one too. Anyway, so I'm sitting there thinking, "I like this. Is it weird that I don't hate this. Should I hate this?", I'm sitting next to my friend wondering, "Does she hate this, am I laughing to loud at the obvious jokes?". Luckily, I came to my senses, and realized I really don't give a hooey, (ya, a hooey), what everyone else says or thinks, I like this movie. I think it did mostly everything (that I've read) it was set out to do. It wasn't suppose to be as dramatic as the first, it was suppose to be fun, decadent, and like the original series, the fashion was over-the-top, but in a good way.

All in all, I was very satisfied. The roles for each woman I thought were almost better than the last movie. Especially Charlotte, she got a meaty role that I especially related to. Samantha's character arc is what it always is for me, not great but fitting. She did however look amazing. Seriously, where she looked sort of old and busted and trying to hard the last movie, this time around she looked good, impressively good. So for me it was a great success, and I can't wait for it to come out on video so I can watch it again.

It never fails WINCO trips always suck, suck, suck. Is it worth the savings?? Not sure.

Book Review: Twenties Girl

I just finished Sophie Kinsella's latest book Twenties Girl. This book was a bit of a departure from the heroines in her previous books, in that one is a ghost. I don't particularly like sci-fi, vampire, or even murder mysteries, so upon realization that she was serious about seeing a ghost apparition, I was a bit skeptical on whether I'd enjoy her latest novel. What I found out was that not only was I able to buy into the 20s flapper girl ghost befriending her great niece (who's alive), but I found their relationship real, funny, and most of all endearing. I think for Kinsella it's a great novel that separates itself from the all popular shopaholic series while retaining that specific Kinsella tone. It didn't take long, just a couple of paces to digest the ghost theme, and I was able to get pulled straight into this story and enjoy every minute.

I was like sweating and it totally grossed me out to the max!

I had my 30th birthday party on Sunday. It was an 80s theme and was totally radical. The exception of course was that it was about a bazillion degrees in the house with our 80s costumes on. I hadn't really prep'd for an outdoor party, not even sure why, but I was thinking games, games, games. We attempted to play an 80s trivia game, which was a blast... until everyone abandoned it claiming heat stroke. Luckily our friends The Burts brought an outdoor game with them call BAG-O. So, we traded out playing BAG-O, helped our engaged friends do some wine and champagne tasting in prep for their wedding, blasted the 80s compilation discs and had a killer time. Thirty is not so bad. Especially when you get to remember what it was like to be 8 years old.
Runnin' just as fast as you can -an -an -an......

Did I just start a random conversational blog, as if I blog all the time? Yeah, I just did that.

Complacency Kills

To run the Pre or not to run the Pre, that is the question. I really have no excuse this year. No, "I just had a baby and need to take it easy" rationalizing in my pocket this year. I should want to do it. I lack so much motivation. Or perhaps I am just lazy. Whatever the reason, I have yet to run a lap, let alone a mile in preparation for the 10K that looms ahead that I'm suppose to complete. I have ran it before... once, and enjoyed it even. I've yet to even fully commit, aloud. Why start now, you know? I'd say it's safer to leave it at a we'll see...

Scuse me... I just tweeted.

Started a twitter. I'll officially jump off a bridge if everyone else is doin' it.

Happy 70th Birthday Chuck Norris!

1. Chuck Norris makes onions cry.

2. Chuck Norris can slam revolving doors.

3. When Chuck Norris does a push-up, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the earth down.

4. Ghosts are actually caused by Chuck Norris killing people faster than death can process them.

5. Chuck Norris can build a snowman out of rain.

6. Chuck Norris can drown a fish.

7. Chuck Norris' calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd; no one fools Chuck Norris.

8. A cobra once bit Chuck Norris' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.

9. Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

10. The most honourable way of dying is taking a bullet for Chuck Norris. This amuses Chuck Norris because he is bullet-proof.

There is nothing like a good cup of coffee. It serves so many vital roles in my life. Morning Joe, Midday Joe, Evening Joe I HEART all the JOEs. Add a doughnut to the mix, and watchout!