{ tara frey }:: typing out loud

rockin candy...

{Re-post from last Valentine's Day, this was such a fun project and generated a lot of interest, enjoy!}

 

Need a sweet idea for Valentine's Day cards for the kids classmates?  I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the pre-made Spongebob and Barbie cards (which seem to be the size of a postage stamp?).  This year we wanted to do something different, big and fun.  I found this idea in Family Fun magazine. It's called "Rock Candy".  iPods for everyone! And you can customize the playlist. How cute? and best of all they are soooo easy to make.

Here is a list of what you will need:

 

• Tape
• 2 (14 inch) pieces of string
• 2 Hershey kisses or mini peanut butter cups
• 1 box of conversation hearts (and we need 25 for our class!)
• Aluminum foil
• 4x7 inch strip of colored paper (we chose pink for the girls and blue for the boys)
• Glue stick
• download printable scroll wheel here  

Directions:

• Tape each end of a piece of string to a kiss or peanut butter cup.  Tie on the other piece of string, then tape the loose end to the candy box.
• Wrap each candy in a small circle of aluminum foil (to make the earphones)
• Wrap the pink paper strip around the candy box and secure it with a glue stick (or tape)
• Cut out the scroll wheel and playlist from the download above and use a glue stick to attach them to the box.
• Finish it off by having your little one write a valentine message on the back of the iPod.  Enjoy the "music" ! ~xo

Please don't look at her...

I have neighbors who own a Canon 5D digital SLR camera, complete with all the lenses and fancy doo-dads I dream of having one day.  And since they are such nice people and saw my eyes bulge out of my head and the drool on my face upon seeing the camera, they lent it to me to play with.  oh baby, that is so neighborly

I quickly told my youngest mouse, something like..."hurry Cha-Cha grab your coat and hat and don't forget your boots, cause you're going outside with mama in the fresh snow and say a prayer that I don't drop this giant thing either or we'll have to rob a bank to pay back the neighbors" She said something to me, whining about the cold..I don't know what it was... I was just too excited to use my listening ears...

  

she gathered up her stuff like a pro, there may have been more whining, but again it was tuned out.  She broke into her vogue pose...

 
ok, Cha- Cha , now give me some 'tude  (=attitude) Did I ever mention I call my daughter Cha-Cha? Yes, that is her nickname.  People look at us weird in crowded places, as if to say "you mean you named your daughter after the girl from Grease who is the best dancer at St. Bernadette's, with the worse reputation?"  Yes. yes, I did.

 

while striking the 'tude she noticed something in the distance...

  

oh god...oh no...

   

here comes her brother and his friends..fresh from a paintball war.. please don't look at her is all I am thinking

darn it

  

she was spotted.  yep, this shoot is over.  Cha-Cha  must go because there will be no photos in front of "stinky boys"  No one can look at her now.  She didn't care about my pleas, and my whining and went back in the house.  She wasn't using her listening ears. I'm pretty sure she gets that from me.

Where the Chubby Cheeks Are

 
Gone but not forgotten.  Oh how I miss those chunky smiles. 

Memo to my mice: do mama a favor and just slow down a bit, please?

a note to my future dil

Dear future daughter in law (or dil for short),

The day has come that you married the man of your dreams

 

and now my baby boy has a new woman in his life.  Some things you might like to know about the person who swept you off your feet before you start your life together:

• he's a picky eater, so give him a hot dog when he starts to whine that there's no food in the pantry
• he will clean up the entire house for $10 bucks (sometimes $5 if he's really desperate for cash)
• when he gets mad at you he'll say "geez, you're the meanest person ever" and stomp off
• he'll keep a doodle journal and draw pictures of you with blood coming from your eyeballs and when you ask him about it he will say "I only do it when I'm mad at you"
• he sometimes hides snacks under the bed along with dirty socks and underwear so be sure to check frequently, or let your sense of smell be your guide.
• he'll tease you and call you names like "jiggly butt or terd bomber"
• he sings on the toilet
• he'll need a tube of Chapstick 24/7. We think he might be part alligator
• he'll pretend to brush his teeth if he's too tired by letting the water run as he stands behind the door with his eyes shut, sleeping standing up.  Just clap your hands really loud. 
• he's a Capricorn.  enough said.
• he'll treat you like a princess when you're sick and make you toast with butter.  He believes that toast has the power to heal anything  (just tell him to go easy on the butter)
• you are obviously a smart and beautiful woman to capture his heart.  Be gentle with it.
• ps:  I'll be waiting patiently for lots of grandbabies to spoil. 

With Much Love,

-your future over-bearing mother in-law (my apologies in advance)

morning monsters

 

Like every mom with school-aged children, I encounter monsters each morning.  Beasts.  with wild tangled hair, puffy eyes, red cheeks and swollen lips.  It's quite scary.  They lie stiff and pretend they don't hear the calls from the human who has dared to enter their jungle and bring the light into their wild dark den

 

 

they try to stretch and make weird sounds while still playing dead, hoping it's not noticed by the human

See the monster below trying to pull its own face off?  Very beastly.  I tell you, it's quite a dangerous place.

 

Repeat 5 times daily.

helmet head

    After school, the noise and commotion from the side door as they bustle into the house always springs me to my feet.  They are either chattering or fighting, backpacks banging, shoes are being chucked off.  It sounds like 6 kids instead of 2.  It's all so noisy, but a sound that I love...my little mice are home.

So she comes in with this thing on her head, which looked to me like a helmet.

  

me:    "Why do you have a helmet on your head?"

her:   "Mom!  It's not a helmet!  It's the greatest thing to like ever happen, I swear.  You won't even believe it.  Ok, so like me and my friends were like playing at recess"{we should pause right here...yes, I have one of those children that says "like" every other word, oh and to top if off, she's an up-talker.  Duct tape, please}

continuing:

her:  "well we were at recess and kicking this ball around and it's like my favorite ball EVER and it got like this giant hole in it and all the air came out, so like, the recess aides were SO cool and let me keep it and now it's my new hat, do you like it?"

me:    "Let me take a picture of this for mom-mom." {snap, putting camera down, hands on hips, in my best mommyish voice}  "no, I don't like it because you're wearing a dirty old ball on your head and it's disgusting, now go get in the shower and for the love of God, stop picking your wedgie" (see exhibit A, in photo above)

her:   "ok.  toodles!" and as she skips off she says: "I'll take it in the shower with me and wash it so I can wear it to school tomorrow!"

prairie girl

 

She loves this skirt.  When she puts it on, she is transformed.  To another era, another lifetime ago.  She talks different. acts different...it takes her to some special place where her mind and old soul remembers things.  It makes her dance and twirl...

 

and sit and think. ..

about all the magical powers it has...that only she knows. 

rockin candy...

        Need a sweet idea for Valentine's Day cards for the kids classmates?  I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the pre-made Spongebob and Barbie cards (which seem to be the size of a postage stamp?).  This year we wanted to do something different, big and fun.  I found this idea in Family Fun magazine. It's called "Rock Candy".  iPods for everyone! And you can customize the playlist. How cute? and best of all they are soooo easy to make.

Here is a list of what you will need:

 

• Tape
• 2 (14 inch) pieces of string
• 2 Hershey kisses or mini peanut butter cups
• 1 box of conversation hearts (and we need 25 for our class!)
• Aluminum foil
• 4x7 inch strip of pink paper (or color of your choice)
• Glue stick
• download printable scroll wheel here  

Directions:

• Tape each end of a piece of string to a kiss or peanut butter cup.  Tie on the other piece of string, then tape the loose end to the candy box.
• Wrap each candy in a small circle of aluminum foil (to make the earphones)
• Wrap the pink paper strip around the candy box and secure it with a glue stick (or tape)
• Cut out the scroll wheel and playlist from the download above and use a glue stick to attach them to the box.
• Finish it off by having your little one write a valentine message on the back of the iPod.  Enjoy the "music" ! ~ xo

ps:  more Knitlaces for sale, here: www.tarafrey.etsy.com   UPDATED 2/6 /09 SOLD OUT THANK YOU!

Because every mom is doing it...

    sneaking into the kids left over Halloween candy....  I guess I could go out and buy my own, but the candy seems to taste better stolen.  Maybe it's the thrill of the tip toe into the kitchen, then into the cabinet where they think they hid it from me (under stacks of empty Target bags) and me trying not to make any sounds (those darn wrappers can be soooo noisy!) then there's the "what ya doin mom"? that comes from the family room couch . "oh nothin, just seeing what to make for dinner" says the thief.  Why does every kid know their exact Reese's peanut butter count but they can't remember that they have a math test the next day? 

Blurry...

 

Well ladies, Mama Bev feels like a rock star!  She {and I} were amazed at all of your beautiful comments.  She was SHOCKED to wake up and see the post, we got her good! So thank you.  And while she was here today, I helped her put together the wordle above to show her emotions.

Things have been extra blurry around here for the past week as Chapter 1 of the book had to be turned in yesterday.  I hadn't showered or dressed in days and was shuffling around in my big pink fuzzy slippers like a zombie for the better part of the week. 

   

I came downstairs into my office, again blurry eyed, with a giant cup of coffee and found this above, a "go mom go" note with some pretty flowery wild pickins left by our son.  It's all that I needed to get me going and made my heart melt.  He has such a sweet and gentle spirit.  One day he will make a wonderful husband to a lucky girl. {they are already calling the house for him now! I would never have called a boy when I was 11, would you?} I would love to know if you have/had the same problem in your house. Girls today are more forward then I was, that's for sure. And like most love stories, the girl he actually "likes" doesn't call him and he wouldn't dare call her...so typical! 

Tonight, the kids have sleepout and party plans so my husband is taking me to the movies to maybe see this, then off to The Cheesecake Factory  because I am jonesing for their fried macaroni & cheese and a big glass of wine.  Now that's a good kind of blurry~ xo

{typing out loud}

 

    So first up, I'm sorry for leaving you with such an un-original and ultra boring tag line for so long....umm...{the blog} =  {boring name}. 

    ::Typing Out Loud:: came naturally since that's all I've been doing lately and I will continue to type out loud here for you in the future.  I know I'm not the first person to use it, but it's suits me well.  Tara out Loud:, Typing out Loud, it's all the same thing.   me.  here.  blathering.  The photo above is how I always blog; in diamonds and a ruffly gown, didn't you know?   

    The leaves here in the fall months flutter fast from the trees onto the ground.  I watch them and feel a sense of hurriedness.  Perhaps it's because deadlines are right around the corner.  I hate really don't like the word deadline, do you?  I mean, the word "dead" is in it. I'm just sayin' 

    Maybe you feel the same way as I do, that October,  is a sort of  a fast paced month, always something circled on the calendar?  I feel like I am moving as fast as the leaves are falling.  It's a beautiful month, but a busy one.  I look at all the scattered leaves and associate it with the scattered list of things to do that are piling up quickly, just like the leaves.  Maybe a nice jump in the leaf pile will give me some pep?   

 

    My babies miss their mama and I miss them.  I find notes on my nightstand when I stumble into bed around 2 am after losing track of the hours in my office while writing the book.  I hold the notes while I sleep, waiting for the morning light to read them.  My husband is a superhero and needs a cape.  Not sure what I would do without him (we had our 13 year anniversary on October 7th-  see? another circled event!)

    To my babies: Just hang on a little bit longer, mama is almost there, crossing that invisible line, {with the word "dead" in it}, and she promises to come across it alive and be your normal mama again, not the un-showered cranky alien who has taken over her body. ~xo

Celebrations and stuff...

     

    The festivities are underway as this this guy turns the big 4-OH or {40} or "really really super old" like the kids told him.  Poor guy.  Anyway, my daughter was up in our bedroom making these crown party hats.  I think she remembers how well he liked the Burger King hat and how he spoke like the king whenever he wore it and we all would laugh in his face.  She had her inspiration right next to her, in the form of this beautiful pillow by Teresa. 

     Tonight we will dine like kings (but not at Burger King) Just going to our favorite Italian restaurant and then later this week, just me and him are escaping to a getaway in the Poconos, while my mom stays with the kids.  We are staying at a beautiful old French inspired inn/ bed and breakfast.  Hiking, horseback riding and fishing are on the agenda....I do have to remember it's his birthday, right? {oh! but there are these fabulous outlet shops and antique marts conveniently nearby, so if it means a canoe ride, touching worms, gutting some fish and breaking my back on a horse to get me there, then it will be worth it}  

     And my little mouse was so happy to read all of your comments on her knitting skills and her first scarf that we did together.  She is at the point where she only needs minimal guidance, no hovering.  Here is the one I made in lavender, I just love this yarn, it's so easy to work with.  I added a little bling for the sparkle effect. It's weird to be knitting scarves during a heat wave.  Fall, where are you?

 

     And I scored with these vintage wallpaper parcels from the 60's and 70's.  Most of them are really beautiful. I was thinking of putting together some packs of maybe 8 to 10 and selling them in pretty bundles for @ $15. If you are interested let me know in the comments or shoot me an email so I know how many to prepare. Thanks and Happy Monday!~xo

War and peace...

 

    I didn't realize he was wearing a camouflage tee shirt until I was processing these photos last Wednesday.  I guess he thinks going back to school is like going into a war battle zone?  I had to laugh, because it's so him.  And there she is in her plaid and very Fall looking dress that she just had to wear on the first day of school even though it was so flippin hot {like 90 degrees} here on September 2^nd.   A date that has been circled in big red ink on every calendar in the house and written on the kitchen chalkboard since the end of July...{as if I could forget}

     These 2 creatures have been with me everyday since June 16^th,  tearing up the house, toys, videos strewn about.  Invading the pantry closet every hour for snacks and leaving crumbs like squirrels...the slamming of the back screen door every 5 minutes, the dirt, the smell from the fresh outside (and sometimes stinky wet rainy outside).  The stained lips from freezer pops. The endless yelling of "MOM!?" at the top of their lungs, whether I was in the shower or on the phone, it didn't matter.  Questions like "where is that red plastic small thingie that makes noises and stuff when you sort of shake it?" is always an emergency.

     I missed the noise the first 3 days.  I am loving the peace and quiet now. ~xo

We now pronounce ...

  

     Wow!  That last post was super fun, I loved reading all of your guesses about my name!  We do pronounce it "fray" rhyming with "grey", "pray" "tray", etc...  Now I wonder how many names of the blogs I read I'm pronouncing wrong in my head?  My Dad calls this thing here a "blob" instead of a blog.  No matter how many times I correct him, he'll still say something like "you should put that on your blob"  I just let it go at this point, because, well.. it's just too cute.

     I loved reading about the stories of your names.  I'm glad that I'm not alone in the "Blog Name Regret" boat.  My Typepad link will remain the same (bellapink), I will just be putting my own name on the banners instead.  No big deal.  I've been taking notice of the blogs I read and a lot of them have a different url from their banner name, so I will be in that boat club as well !  It's funny how I just recently started to notice this I guess since I was thinking of doing the same...sort of like when you find out you're pregnant and everywhere you go all you see and notice are pregnant women?

     Anyway, speaking of "fray", in the photo above you can see I started to knit in this light pink yarn (and it is a little frayed,, but you'll give me a pass, right?).  I'm trying to keep up with the new knitting queen my daughter.  Not sure what I'm going to make yet, but it's okay not to have a plan?  I think I'll play it safe and make a blanket for her doll.  Small and simple.  But remember this is the same little diva who required these in her lunch box, I may not get off that easy.  If anyone knows of some basic knitting patterns, let me know in the comments.  Or even great knitting books to brush up on my lack luster skills.  I'm rusty for sure, but I think it's like riding a bike, you never really forget how to do it.  If you have a knitting blog, or posted a knit project, please send me a link in the comments as well!  It's knitting fever over here at the Fry Frey house. 

     And not to be outdone, is our son who started to latch hook.  Do any of you remember doing this as a kid?  I would sit in my room for hours and latch hook. I bought him this skull latch hook kit and he has learned it quickly.  Latch hooking is super easy for kids of all ages and I think it's gratifying for them because they can almost see instant results. (of course he hides it when his friends come over to play video games, this new hobby just might ruin his image? But I'm sure he will proudly display the finished skull, because that's cool.)~xo

She's a fast learner...

     She picked up knitting like she's been doing it for years.  Her little fingers moving so fast.  She's a lefty and it was harder for me to teach her, I was fumbling with the needles, so I enlisted the help of some pros at our local knitting store.  We walked in together, me and my new super knitter, and the women just ate her up like candy.  They were all so generous with their time and their skills are incredible.  It was so much fun to watch them teach her, and it gave me a chance to brush up on this old hobby.  Knitting, how I've missed you, sore fingertips,cramped wrists and all ! Now I have a friend to knit with and she'll make sure I keep up. This is her first project, a cute fuzzy hot pink purse.  While knitting outside and I'm snapping away, she said "Mom, look!...my purse matches these flowers, take a picture!"  Such an observant creative little spirit, where did you come from super knitter girl?~xo

Back n Unpackin...

     Back from the beach!  Relaxed and refreshed except for the exploding suitcases and bags of wet towels everywhere here.  Why is it so much easier leaving for a trip?  Everything is so perfectly packed and neatly in it's place.  Total opposite on the way home.  Everything becomes intertwined and nobody cares. (or is it just me?)  Also, do any of you have this problem when on vacation...the kids wake up and say "mommy when are we going to the beach?"  You look at the clock and it's only 8am... "in a few hours" you say back.  Then once you get to the beach after a few hours, the kids (who are now giant crusty sand crabs), say "mommy when are we going back to the house?"  They did this everyday for 8 days.   

    Regardless, our little family became a whole puzzle again, all the pieces put together for a week.  I loved every minute of it.  Even when the kids were fighting over boogie boards or the cries of "he got more ice cream on his cone then I did"  I think it's the salt air that makes me not care about the whining or petty fights.  I'm actually able to laugh about them. I'm definitely more tolerable on vacation.  Definitely.

So here is a summary of "WHAT I LEARNED ON MY SUMMER VACATION":

• Yes, I am more tolerable with the kids near the ocean, unless a sand fight starts, then all bets are off
• I am no longer a tan-aholic.  It is possible to sit on the beach covered in 45 SPF and hiding under an umbrella.  No one will look at you funny or laugh and point at you.  It's okay not to look like Magda from There's Something About Mary...but can someone tell that to my husband who lathered himself in baby oil?
• I actually can live without internet for 8 whole days without dying
• I can read a 500 page book in one day, who knew?  But it has to be about 15th century England or it won't keep my attention. Not sure of this new obsession, perhaps I'm having a Tudors withdraw? I read The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance and The Constant Princess, all by Philippa Gregory (who is a fantastic writer. )
• I'm not sure what I did before Bravo TV came along? I will sit and watch endless re-runs of Flipping Out.  Jeff Lewis is a total crack up.  But I think I'm more a fan of his maid, Zoila .  She is my favorite.  I'll also watch re-runs of  Project Runway, Shear Genius and My Life on the D List, even though I've seen them all at least 50 times.  I also can't wait for the Rachel Zoe Project, have any of you seen the previews? I firmly believe I'm attracted to anything that appears to be crazy chaos. Perhaps to validate my own reality show?
• Chicken salad sandwiches taste better on the beach
• My mom will eat paper.  Let me explain... we got ice cream cones on the boardwalk and the cone part was wrapped in paper.  Without knowing this, she ate right through the paper on the cone. All I could do was laugh uncontrollably.  My daughter said (in attempt to make her feel better I suppose) "it's okay Mom-Mom, one time at school I was soooooo hungry that I ate a piece of paper"  Mental note: pack more snacks in my daughter's lunchbox.
• You can stand in line for the log flume ride on the boardwalk for 45 minutes and finally get to the front of the line ready to get on the ride and be told it's shut down, no reason given and there is nothing you can do about it.  The log flume attendant is God.
• Sunsets are more beautiful when my kids are watching them with me
• A 7 year old little girl with cancer, whose dark black beautiful hair is finally growing back, going through her last round of chemo and has enough energy to come to the beach with her two friends for the day is not only a survivor and warrior but my hero... 

Lunch Box Love...

     Isn't this cute?!  As I was packing my daughter's lunch everyday for a short summer theater camp recently, she asked me to put notes in her lunch box.  I used to have a bunch when my son was a tot but I couldn't find them anywhere, I looked in all of the junk drawers in the kitchen (we have many) checked my desk drawer, etc.. no luck.  I looked online for fresh ones, didn't like any, then I thought about just writing a note with a doodle, but the demanding lunch box girl my daughter wanted them colored and fancy (seriously?) So the talented Teresa from French Poppy Greetings (you can also visit her chic blog here ) designed some whimsical & fun notes that I have dubbed "Lunch Box Love" and I'm providing them here on my blog as a free download for you to print out, just cut and pop into your sweet ones lunch box. Lunch Box Love© Free Download  Teresa made 4 designs, for girls and boys. I'll have a link up on my sidebar as well.  Use them for summer camp or save them for the new school season, which is just around the corner!  My way of saying thank you to all you wonderful bloggers for stopping by here and making my day. You are all so incredibly inspiring and talented and I thank each and everyone of you. Reading your comments and your emails makes me so happy, perhaps you can continue to sprinkle the happiness with some Lunch Box Love! .  ~xo

Summer Lovin...

   

   Really it should be summer "lazing"...since we're already enjoying the start of the long lazy days of summer. The kids have just started sleeping in a little later since school let out.  For a few days they were waking up at 6am.  Hello?  go back to bed!  Right now I am lovin' the pops of color in our garden, hearing the sounds of the kids home all day and the slam of the back screen door at least 30 times a day (ask me again in mid July and I may change my answer) But for now, it's summer lovin' around here.  There's even a new toothless grin from our daughter.  She was the last 7 year old on earth in class to lose any top teeth, and she was excited to lose both on the same day.  So many sprinkles of joy come in the summertime?  Her hair will soon be turning that sun-kissed light blonde (the kind of color us mommies pay big bucks at the salon to achieve) and she and her brother already have started on their dark bronze tan (a gene that they definitely inherited from their daddy!)  It's nice to enjoy this time before summer kicks into gear with camps, vacations, and I once again become a taxi driver, pool lifeguard, master of all sunscreen, picker upper of wet towels, keeper of calamine lotion, movie escort, lightning bug jar getter, referee, tutor, lunch maker, etc..

But here is what I really should be doing: cleaning up my studio disaster area, take a look...

    I tell myself that cleaning and chaos will always be there, but the lazy days of summer come and go too fast.  So I hope you all are enjoying some bit of laziness too and maybe even a toothless grin of some sort?~ xo

She *smells* Sea Shells...

     So here's the story.  My daughter collects sea shells. Lots of them. Usually she buys a bunch at the flea market, or totes home a sandy bucket full from every trip to the beach.  Here she is showing off some of her favorites while wearing an apron courtesy of the oh so talented miss Anna Maria Horner ...

     k.... so on a trip to Home Goods, we saw a bag of starfish that I thought would be perfect on the kitchen counter under the glass cloche...(and she took some for herself)...  Cut to 2 weeks later and everyone who entered the kitchen asking "Oh my God, what's that awful smell?!"  After sniffing around a bit, our noses detected the source...the super smelly starfish!  ACK!  I almost died when I lifted the glass!  Anyone have this problem?  They looked so pretty on display, but we had to throw them all away.  Advice please? (I know.. I know...maybe...don't buy cheap starfish at Home Goods and then smother them under glass, perhaps?!) ~xo

Here are pics I took when we first displayed them and I was going to blog about how pretty they were.  Now I can only tell you how darn smelly awful they were!

Dad grills, kids chill...

     We're having a heat wave.  What else to do but cook on the grill and let the kids go nuts with the hose?  Definitely too hot even for the swim club this weekend.  We spent most of the day at Natalie's dance dress rehearsal, getting ready for the big recital next week.  This year they are dressed as little old men with canes and do a tap number to "This Old Man"...super cute.  Her dance troop went to travel competition this year and placed gold in their category, so she is excited to bring home some trophies and ribbons!

     Some of our croggers were at the Farm Chicks event this weekend.  I so wish I could have met up with some friends at this exciting and fun show... *sigh*... but mommy duties called so I will have to pretend I was there and live through their blog posts! (hurry girls!)

Stay cool croggers!~xo