Back from a little vacation...

We just got back from a fun trip to Disneyland for my grandma's 80th birthday (she had never been to Disneyland). About 20 of her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids were able to be there with her. And I had a birthday while we were there, too. Good times!

{squished penny}

My mom had the great idea to give B a little container of quarters and shiny new pennies on our first day at Disneyland so he could squish some pennies in the penny machines at gift shops around the park. I have always loved squished pennies and have a collection of them myself. I think they are the best little souvenirs at Disneyland.

DIY Index Tabs

Thanks for the great advice on organizing photos. I'm using all of the ideas and I appreciate the words of encouragement. Now that the initial tornado is over I'm feeling better about things.

I started by separating the photos, 3D keepsakes, and papers. This actually didn't take too long since, for the most part, they were all in separate containers already, but it helped so much to consolidate them. I now have a few big boxes of things instead of a whole bunch of smaller containers.

Next I re-purposed some photo file boxes I was using to store craft supplies so I didn't have to buy new boxes. Then I decided to make some index tabs for the file boxes since they didn't come with any. Here are the instructions:

1. Cut cards that fit into your boxes. Punch a large scalloped oval and a smaller plain oval from decorative paper (or use whatever punches you already have).

2. Cut the smaller plain oval in half and glue one piece to the larger oval using a glue stick. Glue the larger oval to the top of the card.

3. As you make more cards, stagger the tabs across the top.

4. Voila! Your own index tabs. This would work for making tabs for binders too.

Now my next step is to take a handful of photos when I have time and organize them into the boxes, separating them with the tabs. I'm going to edit the photos along the way by throwing out ones that are bad...like blurry, eyes closed, no people in them (photos of animals at the zoo or signs at a theme park), etc.

Raspberry Cream Scones

I tried a recipe from Food to Live By for the first time yesterday for our Easter breakfast...Raspberry Cream Scones. Yummy. I noticed while I was making it yesterday that it's very, very similar to a recipe I already use for Cranberry Scones from Martha Stewart (I use dried cranberries in that recipe, since I never have fresh ones).

The book was well worth the $5. I've bookmarked quite a few other recipes I want to try like Curried Chicken Salad, Sweet Corn Chowder, and Whole Wheat Pancake Mix.

It looks like it's sold out as a bargain book, but it is available used.

A Mess of Memories

{unorganized photos}

Help! I'm almost in tears. I took the day off of work to start on a project I've had on my "to do" list for years...sort through hundreds of photos, keepsakes, my kids' schoolwork papers I've saved, etc. We're talking a closet full of boxes, bins, and baskets of stuff. What a mess. I try to stay organized and on top of other areas of my life, so I have no idea why I've let this area get so out of control. I'm so sad because these memories are so important to me.

{trying to sort unorganized photos}

Here are my goals:

1. Make a treasure box (for 3D keepsakes) for each child.

2. Make a binder (or binders) of schoolwork and drawings for each child, using sheet protectors...hopefully organized in chronological order (at least as close as I can get).

3. Make an album (or albums) of the best/favorite photos of each child...with journaling and, again, hopefully organized in chronological order.

4. Make a photo file box for each child with the rest of the pictures that are too good to throw away but don't make it in the best/favorite photo albums.

{even more unorganized photos}

{3D keepsakes ready to go in a treasure box}

Even though I'm going to try to dedicate a few hours a week to this until it is done, right now it seems almost impossible. I even have digital photos that aren't even printed that I need to add into this mix. Sigh. Wish me luck. Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated...I could even just use some cheerleading and words of encouragement!

Whitney Smith Pottery

I am on a pottery kick lately and I found this artist yesterday: Whitney Smith Pottery. Wow, gorgeous stuff. Here are some of my favorite things, although it was hard to choose (all photos from Whitney Smith).

{eight nesting lotus bowls}

{bird bowl}

{dogwood flower dessert plate}

Eat the Frog

{B caught this frog (or is it a toad?) in his great grandma's garden}

Have you heard the saying "eat the frog" (as in if you eat a frog every morning, the rest of the things you have to do that day will be easy)? I've been trying to apply this a little more as I'm organizing my time. For instance, I've been washing the load of whites first (I used to do it last because matching all the socks is my least favorite part of doing laundry). You can apply this tactic to work, school, etc.

How do you "eat the frog"?

King Arthur Measuring Spoon

{photo from King Arthur}

I think this measuring spoon for yeast from King Arthur is a nifty gadget...it is 2 1/4 teaspoons which is equivalent to a 1/4 oz. packet of active dry yeast. I have a big container of yeast in the freezer for bread making so this would be very handy.

Homemade Bread Crumbs

I buy good quality whole wheat bread, but B doesn't eat the crusts and I'm not a big fan of eating the heels. Instead of throwing them away, I've been breaking them into chunks and letting them dry out slightly on the counter (no need to turn on the oven to dry out a few bread crusts). Then I just toss them into a freezer bag and keep adding to it.

When I'm ready for bread crumbs, I just grind them up in a food processor. They're great for meat loaf, topping homemade baked mac and cheese, dredging, etc. Bread crumbs will keep about three months in the freezer, but I've been using mine up way before the "expiration" date.

Magazine Storage Idea

Here's another thrift store organizing idea...use an old strainer/colander pot for storing magazines (this one was 75 cents).

New Boots

I heard about the Aerosoles site on Stephmodo. They have a lot of boots on sale right now...I just bought this pair of basic, knee-high brown boots.

Sprouts

{this is chamomile...or lemon balm...or maybe something else}

This week I've been putting in a lot more hours than usual on a big project at work, so I haven't been spending much time on Lost Button Studio (except filling orders) or anything else, really. And it's getting sunnier here so it's hard to be stuck inside. But I do have a little bit of springtime in my windowsill. I planted some herbs and they are sprouting, but I didn't mark what I planted in each pot--oops. Hopefully they'll survive into plant adulthood so I can tell them apart. I love the little tiny sprouts. They are so sweet. Can you tell I'm ready for spring?

Look what I got in the mail today...

...a cute, handmade cat purse from hurrayic (I commented on her blog to win one, and she actually sent one to everyone who commented)! Mine is just like the one above but with blue eyes. Thank you so much, Ellen. It's darling.

Food to Live By

I just ordered Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook. I'm always looking for good, healthy recipes to try. It has great reviews and I just thought I'd post about it because it's a $22 book but it's only $5.99 on Amazon. I'll let you know what I think of the recipes when I get it!