Life One Line At A Time

It's the end of the year which makes me all reflective and then my brain explodes going how is it the end of December already?? This year has really flown by. There are big moments that happen every year that you know (hope) you won't forget, and then there are bazillions of little moments that you won't really remember but you wish you could. (You know I'm a memory hoarder)

This little post here, is about holding on to the little and big memories of your life and getting to look back at them again the next year. I got the idea towards the end of 2012 I came across this image on Pinterest: 

Boom. Instant obsession. I knew I wanted to do something like it too. The basic idea of this little index card calendar is that you have a card for every day of the year. On each card, every year gets one line. So you write down a little something that happened to you that day  on one line and then flip the card to the back. 

I set out to make my own. Since I adored the Pinterest picture I knew I wanted to house my little calendar in a berry box as well. I got a ceramic one from Anthropologie and a few packs of index cards. I also used a date stamper, like what libraries used to use, because they're so old school and charming. I had to trim the index cards to fit in the berry basket, and stamped each card with the date in the corner and "2013" on the first line. I waited for January 1 of this year to start and now here it is 357 days letter and I'm still filling in my little calendar. 

Before I started I honestly wasn't sure if I would be able to keep this calendar going but once the year started I loved it and it was super easy. Every night before I go to sleep I think back on the day and write down the highlight of it. I have written down funny things the kids have said, Lily's first word, steps, and other milestones, or just a little thing that happened that day that wasn't super significant but brought a smile to my face. I think the reason this calendar is so easy is because it's not a huge commitment. It not a long journal entry, just a quick few words, and then putting the card in the back of the pile.

I've really enjoyed this calendar this year, but I think it will be even better next year because I will get to read last years highlights as well. 

If you don't want to use index cards you can do something similar with a notebook and give each page it's own date. The last time I was in Anthropologie I found some journals that follow the write one line a day philosophy as well that are probably also really fun and easy to fill out, especially because they provide a question for you to answer each day. 

I also found an index card calendar online. (buy here) 

But you seriously don't need to spend $60 on it, this is such an easy DIY! 

Anybody write down memories like this or keep some sort of special calendar? Let me know below!

A First That Didn't Change Much

Lily had her first haircut today! I am of course that mama that gets very emotional and excited by every single "first" my kids do. They are all a big deal to me but that's my personality, things tend to turn into productions around here.

I was looking at old pictures by my parents and couldn't believe I had my first haircut at around a year old. I had so much hair. While Lils looks exactly like me, we clearly don't have the same hair because hers is taking its time coming in. My mom pointed out that trimming her hair could help it grow in nicer so I decided to do just that. And while her first haircut is really just a little trim I had to take the camera with me and go crazy snapping pictures. There is hardly a difference between her before and after but hey it's a first! 

She was so serious during the whole cut. I think she was thrilled it was finally her turn to sit in the car chair after watching Moshe doing it so many times. 

The best after shot I could manage because the Barbies in the store were a huge hit with my Lily Boo.  Like I said, she looks the same but it was a big day anyway.

Who else out there gets all dramatic with their baby's firsts? 

Guest Post: The Simple Joy of Crayons

It's been another sick week around here where blogging got put on the back burner. But then today my cousin, Charnie, asked if I accepted guest posts on this little blog of mine and I obviously said yes because you're about to read one.

So here we go.

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I just had a morning altering experience. I opened a fresh box of Crayola crayons today.

Let me back up. I’ve been laid up in bed with strep for 3 days, along with my 2 year old that also has strep, and I am also nursing my 2 month old around the clock. I am therefore exhausted, depleted and was not looking forward to spending an entire day home today, since we’re all contagious.

My son got a lot of presents for Hanukkah, including one of them a really nice coloring book from my sister (Thanks Ruchie!). She also thoughtfully included a box of crayons to go with it, a box we sorely needed since all of our cheap dollar store crayons are in several pieces scattered throughout the house. The box she bought had 24 crayons and proudly proclaimed ‘preferred by teachers’ (which she is). A nice size box I thought. Not too small, (8 crayons is really not enough), but not too overwhelming like 64 or more.

I opened the box carefully and peeked inside. I gasped. It was beautiful. All the little guys tucked neatly and perfectly into their places. All perfectly pointy and straight, smelling fresh and waxy and new.  My son leaned over to check out what was fascinating his usually distracted mother. He peered into the box, turned back to me, and with the sweetest two year old voice asked a very simple question. “Which one, Mommy”? Which one indeed.

I let him pick. He reached his little hand in and handed me a yellow one. I mean, a yewwow one. Yellow was simple, I could handle yellow. I colored the stem of a dreidel. I asked my son for another crayon. He handed me ‘a difint yewwow one’. Hmm okay yellow is yellow right? Nope. It was a completely different color. Dandelion. A beautiful name for an unassuming color.  I then discovered something amazing. There are blue and red and orange and black and white crayons. All predictable, all expected and all beautiful. But there is also red-orange and orange-yellow and green-yellow and blue-green and blue-violet and red-violet…I could go on and on. Every single color is beautiful and more remarkably, every color is true to its name. The blue-green is actually blue-green, like a foamy ocean. The blue-violet hints of a setting sun at twilight, just before the sky goes black. Carnation pink had me imagining a beautiful meadow of flowers, just waiting to be picked. I could taste the sweetness of the fruit in the light pale orange of apricot. As we picked through the crayons one by one, I found myself fascinated with every new color combination

As a graphic designer, I am well aware that the only difference between all these colors is a series of RGB and color codes carefully calibrated to produce pigment mixtures. That’s what my logical, literal thinking adult brain knows. My kindergarten brain sees an entirely different picture. My kindergarten brain sees dandelions and apricots and blue-green oceans and skies. Because how else can the ocean be described except for blue-green?

I returned to the box later in the afternoon and found I had a little half smile on my face as we colored again. Somehow it never gets old. Now at the end of the day, even though all the crayons are on the floor, the box is bent and one perfect crayon got its head cracked off, I still marvel at the little crayons, and how after so many years, they still bring out the child in me.

So now sitting here with the computer on split screen, with my son looking over my shoulder watching a video so I can type this, I took a minute to type out my thoughts. I wonder if they would have looked better in apricot.

Hey it's me again. Thanks Charnie! There's really nothing like a new box of crayons. Anyone out there feel the same way or is it just our family? 

I'll be back next week with a super easy DIY that is perfect for the new year. Have a great weekend! 

I'm A Celeb Now

I could play this cool and be all oh yeah, NBD... But people! I was on ACTUAL television last night. Therefore I am super  cool today and can revel in my newfound fame.

Actual text from last night: 

(I am incapable of sending a text without a typo in it) 

Getting on tv is really a story about celebrity stalking. And that celeb would be Buddy Valastro from TLC's Cake Boss. Buddy also has two other shows, The Next Great Baker and Bakery Boss. Buddy was in my old hood over the summer taping for Bakery Boss. This show is about failing bakeries where Buddy comes to help them out, renovate the bakery, and gives them new recipes so they can start being successful. Word got out that he was going to be at one of the supermarkets and I decided to stop by to see my favorite Italian baker. 

Apparently no one was supposed to know he would be there and there was a lot of people getting kind of crazy waiting for him. The sign above is the closest thing I got to him that day.

The next day was the grand opening of the newly renovated Violet's Bake Shop. It's pretty near where I work so I stopped by on my lunch break to attempt a Buddy sighting. No such luck. I saw some of the tv crew hanging around and they said I should come back at 5:00 for the grand opening. 

I lost my mind and dragged my kids out that night to once again try and see Buddy. I learned that tv people are really annoying, and they lie to you about what is happening so they can get the shots they need. A line had formed because everyone had expected to see the star of the show, but after waiting for hours to finally get inside the bakery he wasn't there. Huge dissapointment. Violet, I have nothing against you but I hadn't waited around for so long to buy one of your new cupcakes. I was on a celebrity stalking mission. 

Since I had invested so much time in this crazy idea already I figured I had nothing to lose by going to where Buddy's trailer was parked, around the corner near the back of the bakery. And people it finally got exciting! First we saw the winner of last season's Next Great Baker, Ashley. 

She told us Buddy was in the back of the bakery. And then he walked out! A producer was with him yelling that he had no time for me but he was the nicest guy and stopped to talk for a minute. Lily saw him and shrieked Buddy, he picked her up and this picture happened: 

My celebrity stalking mission was successful. 

And last night when the episode premiered, I will not lie, there was some major jumping around and excitement when we spotted ourselves on tv. And yes, of course I took pictures of my tv paused. 

Moshe made it in a blink it and miss moment. But hi I'm his mom, I totally noticed.

Note to self: next time you're on tv, smile a little.

Lily taking center stage. She was huge hit with the people waiting on line. She would say Buddy and laugh and clap, and producer noticed her and actually took us aside for an interview, but that part didnt make it into the show.

So this is one of crazy ideas that turned into a really funny story that has now made me famous! Ok so not actually famous, but you guys can all say you knew me back when I was a nobody. 

Any other celeb stalkers out there? Let me hear your stories below!