Birthday Bash

I love taking photographs, but I didn't want to worry about hosting a party and running around like a kook trying to snap photos before everything was destroyed, so I did something brash and completely fabulous. I asked my friend, Lynley, to come and take pictures for me. See her in all her photographic coolness here. She willingly obliged and we ended up with some fantastic shots:

It was a wonderful afternoon spent with family and friends, the weather was *perfect* and the pictures are rad. I'm glad Lynley didn't think I was a weirdie. I'm pretty sure she already knows that brash and fabulous is just how I roll sometimes. I would do the same thing in a heartbeat!

Paper Yo-yos and Secret Funny Words

How many 12" x 12" sheets of cardstock does it take to make a paper yo-yo with a 2-foot diameter? It turns out that it takes about 7, just in case you were wondering:

Paper yo-yos are a great way to spice up a party and are a simple and inexpensive decoration. We made a bunch of the world's largest rainbow-colored yo-yos for Peppity-Pepster's birthday party. I don't mind putting in the labor if it means saving some change, and lucky for me, I had a willing entourage that helped make these in only a couple of hours. (Thanks guys!)

I must admit that I tend to get a bit giggly when I'm too tired, and there is a certain word that always gets me going, especially in the wee hours of the morning. I lost count at how many times that word popped out while we were making these too-huge yo-yos! I was a crying-because-I'm-laughing-too-hard mess by the time we wrapped up for the night! I can't tell you what the word is, though, because it's a secret.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has a secret funny word: do you have a certain word that is guaranteed to make you laugh?

Fire in the Pasture

I just finished re-reading the award-winning Fire in the Pasture, compiled by the incredibly ambitious Tyler Chadwick.

This is a fantastic poetry anthology, filled with the work of current Mormon poets. I happen to have a few poems in the book too, which is an honor, seeing some of the other authors who participated. I've also been lucky enough to participate in a couple of poetry readings centered around this publication. I know...pinch me!

Fire in the Pasture has been a huge undertaking for many people, and it was well worth it. I love the scope of small artistic moments and huge universal happenings. If you want to check out past blogs about the anthology, go here. Have you read a good poem lately?

Too Many Balloons

I'm the kind of person that gets a lot of joy out of a little thing, but a balloon is not one of them. Don't get me wrong, I love hot air balloons, and helium balloons are also totally rad, but blow-them-up-yourself balloons don't get much love from me. In fact, I can honestly say that I really really hate them. I get this immediate impulse to pop one using any means necessary just so I can get it out of my way and chuck it in the nearest garbage. I find them incredibly irritating.

This means that it was a big sacrifice for me for Pepster's birthday, because, you see, she loves balloons. I wanted to do something special for her, and knowing how much joy she gets out of balloons, I got this big hairy idea to make rainbow streamers in our back yard using balloons. I enlisted the aid of lots of family members to inflate what turned out to be hundreds of balloons over the course of an entire week:

I had to keep telling myself that I could survive because these weren't for me, they were for my wee one. She totally loved them, so it was worth it. I'm glad to say that the traumatic ordeal is in fact over, and that all the balloons are resting peacefully in the garbage dump, where they belong.

So, where do you sit on this debate? Are you a balloon lover or a balloon hater?

Happy Happy Cards

We recently celebrated P-ditty's first birthday anniversary in the history of ever, and sent out a bunch of invites that my sister helped me make:

I kept them simple and bright, and used up a bunch of paper scraps in the process, a huge plus. The envelopes were decorated with a hand-drawn rainbow using some old markers that were just hanging out in my art room. Rainbow colors make me dang happy, but only when they're in color order, because I'm OCD like that. (In fact, my closet is organized in rainbow order too...it's just how I roll.) I'm curious: do you like just one color, or are you a multi-color liker?

Giant Jenga

Yes, you read that right. Kirk and I made a giant Jenga set for our patio. It stands about 4 feet tall before you start removing pieces and stacking them higher:

It was actually super easy to make this. We simply trimmed several 2" x 2" boards into 6-inch segments. I think it would be fun to spray paint these in awesome colors but didn't get around to it. I have to say that a giant version of the tumbling tower is more exciting because there is a slight chance you may get injured while playing. Anyone want to come play it with us?

Bird Feeder

Here's a fun idea sparked by Pinterest:

It's a bird feeder in hollowed out fruit casings. I made a bunch from oranges and mangoes, and hung them all over our back yard, which probably took 10 minutes total to complete. Plus, it was super inexpensive. The local fowls really like them, and we've seen quite an avian variety! I must admit that I love birds so much that I even accept the vast amounts of poop in our carport as payment for having starlings build their nests there. Do you have bird nests around your house?