{my life} :: kindness

happy valentine's day! depending on what's going on in your life, the holiday of love can be the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, or you might just pretend it doesn't exist.

in my house, any time you mention love, kissing, boyfriends, etc., i hear of chorus of "gross, yuck, stop mom-don't talk about that". so rather than focus on love, maybe we should take a minute & focus on kindness.

 

yesterday, i heard someone read this quote on the radio. it really resonated with me. if we all just take a minute to be kind, to speak kind words, to surprise someone with a random act of kindness, think of the momentum we could build.

try it. you don't have to tell anyone you're doing it. be kind. speak kindly. act with kindness.

and, shhh, don't tell my kids, but that's love in action there folks.

whether or not you think you are, you are loved, my friends.

and that is all i've got to say. for now.

xo.

{afd} :: gettin' crafty week one :: painted canvas

 {gettin' crafty} week one :: painted canvas

i had been wanting to teach an after school enrichment class at my kids' school for a while. i just didn't know what i wanted it to be...but after three years of gettin' crafty with {afd}, gettin' crafty with the kiddos was a natural extension of my business.

week one brought seventeen spectacular boys & girls, ranging in age from 6-11 to the classroom. we talked about putting a word on a canvas that represented them...it could be their name or a word or person they thought of alot. or, it could just be something fun. we had a little of everything!

first, the kids grabbed a canvas and picked their base color to paint. we used a gigantic paper drop cloth on the floor, and miraculously, none of the paint migrated to the floor! 

once the first color of paint was dry, they took vinyl letter stickers and carefully placed them on their canvases. once you scroll down, you'll see the great variety of words & saying the kids came up with! 

finally, they took their second paint color and painted over the whole shebang. once that dried (it took a while...many creative drying strategies were employed!) the artists used toothpicks to carefully peel off the letters. 

easy, peasy! i was thrilled with the kids' effort from start to finish...from the color combos they chose, to their sense of adventure and willingness to try something new, they were crafty from the get go!                                                                                                               

enjoy their finished products... by the looks on their faces, they were quite pleased with their art!

and there you have gettin' crafty...week one. stay tuned for the glitter bomb, otherwise known as valentine making!

{my life} :: twenty thirteen.

 

happy new year! yes, i know it's almost february. i'm working hard to lose some of the paralyzing perfectionism that often stops me in my tracks.

so this quote that i added to my brand new journal on january 1st was just what the dr ordered. (my brand new journal that only has a few entries.) just get started. don't worry about being perfect. put one foot in front of the other...literally & figuratively.

start small. dream big. and all the rest of those motivational quotes, resolutions, promises and goals that bombard us at the start of every year. i didn't need to set myself up to fail.

this year i resolved to be okay with not being perfect. with not getting everything done right away. or at all. i've set some goals, yes, but reasonable ones.. not the pie-in-the-sky i'm gonna become a super-hero goals.

and, you know what? i'm feeling great about twenty thirteen! 

so, tell me, friends, how's the new year treating you? what are your hope and dreams for the year? it's gonna be a good one!

xo.

{what i made} :: cream cheese chocolate chip muffins.

the recipe as i've used it since at least 2004.

ready to bake.

these muffins are a standby at our house. the recipe is easy to follow, pretty much fool-proof and really yummy. in fact, i usually don't bake them myself. one of the kiddos gets the honors.

i can't remember my source for the recipe, or when i started making them. but i know, it's been at least ten years.

back in the day when we brought snacks to the girls' soccer games, i always made a double match of these in the mini-muffin size (that's 48!). after the game, the whole basket would be empty in 5 minutes or less.











this morning we woke up to 2 degree temps. once i hauled myself out of bed, daughter #2 decided she'd make our yummy weekend standby. this is a picture of the batter ready to bake. 

by the time i got around to taking a photo once they were finished, three were already gone. hmmm...

anyway, enjoy the printable version of this recipe here.

finished. a few missing already.

and, happy new year!

xo, anne