around here

(My version of Ali Edwards's Around here.)

Around here we have our laptops on our laps a lot. We cozy up on the couch, passively watch the tv and hit our keyboards with intensity.

Around here we dream a lot. We talk about the future, get excited about possibilities and wonder how our days ahead will unfold.

Around here our cat serves as family mascot. We wake up in the morning with him spread over both of our chests and we laugh and snuggle before the day begins. And other days, we wake up, throw him off of us and fly into the bathroom to begin a day we are already starting late.

Around here we are always scraping our cars off, defrosting our windshields, warming up the engine and wondering for the umpteenth time if we should budget for a garage space. We’ll never do it though. We like our tight budget too much.

Around here we can hear our neighbor’s piano lessons every Monday and Tuesday afternoon and evening. We often will laugh and say, “sounds like someone didn’t practice.”

Around here we physically show excitement when we realize there is a LOST we haven’t watched yet. Same goes for Modern Family.

Around here we are trying to eat more produce. And it’s been going well so far. However, too much asparagus has repercussions the next day, I’ll have you know.

Around here we are thrilled, almost hyper, when the sun comes out and shines over a blue sky. The word elation comes to mind.

Around here we watch the Olympics with lots of verbal commentary. Curling was an unexpected new favorite event, and Shawn White got us so excited we nearly dyed our hair red in support of his amazing flippy-spin-flip-twist move.

Around here we play, tinker, putz, create, try, collaborate and make cool things either on our computer, out of paper, out of fabric or into new board games and handmade radios.

Around here “I’d imagine this will end up on your blog” is said a lot. But said with love and support. And I love that.

laptop vacation

Do you need to get away? Do you need winter to stop blowing for a while? Then let's go on a little laptop vacation!

FIRST STOP: MUSIC
First, I need you to right click on this link and click on "open in new tab." I have been listening to this play list (of 140 songs!) to death lately. It's like a friend gave me the best mix CD ever. This music will serve as the background music for your laptop vacation. (if you don't like a song, be sure to skip around. You're sure to find a few favorites in the 140 songs...)

The site with this play list is called Dear Lizzy. I really love this blog, and on a good day I am inspired by this woman, and on a bad day I feel very inadequate. If you start feeling like these pictures and ideas are making you feel less-than, please quickly click back to this page for more Laptop Vacation instructions! We don't want to feel inadequate on our vacation! But if you are inspired, enjoy all of Dear Lizzy and her glorious photography, scrapbook layouts and creative ideas...

NEXT STOP: EYE CANDY
Now that you have your music playing, right click on this link and "open in new tab." And now just soak up some Anthropologie goodness. I am linking you to the kitchen page, because I find that colorful aprons and dishtowels calm my anxious heart. (This apron below stopped me in my tracks!)


I had the good fortune of introducing a friend to the Anthropologie site recently, and it felt like such an honor... like introducing two friends that I know will get along smashingly. When you're on that site, be sure to stop by the lovely Dresses page and then check out how wierdo the sandals are! A girl like me may never be able to afford any of this stuff, but she can still drool, right? (Not the sandals though. More like, choke on my spit, those things are in style?!!)

THIRD STOP: READING + MINI ASSIGNMENT
Again, right click on this link and Open in New Tab (are you getting this?...it's such a helpful computer trick for keeping multiple sites open at the same time...) Ali Edwards has done it again, naming the simple, everyday moments, helping us all stay present in the moment.

After you read her list, open up a word document and take seven minutes to write out your own personal Around Here reflections. Make sure you use a font you love, print them out and stick them to your fridge. Since we're on a laptop vacation, I'd try to keep your observations positive and hopeful. But every vacation has a crabby day too...and I think it is probably more honest to add in a crabby reflection or two for good measure :)

I hope you have enjoyed this Laptop Vacation. The pilot has turned on the fasten seat belt sign as we begin our descent back to your hometown. Thank you for traveling with us.

my crafty mama

My mom is blogging! I got her set up with her own blog a month ago so she can share her creations. My mom and the entire Bredberg side are the craftiest of the crafty. This is the side of the family I visited while in Mesa and basically they just play all day...(you'll see in the pictures!) They do stained glass, make stepping stones (she made the five in her blog header), quilting, meet to make cards, fused glass, make jewelery, and all sorts of woodworking (by Uncle Don and Uncle Wayne if you count ALL of the construction he has done at Venture Out!)

So enjoy! Click here to see all of her and the Mesa families creations! (And leave a comment or two so she'll stay motivated to keep posting!!!! )

the weight of lent

We just got back from Ash Wednesday service. In my life, Ash Wednesday has always been a meaningful and significant evening, solemn and thoughtful as we begin our 40 days of Lent, looking towards the cross, and what the death of Jesus means to those of us who believe in Him.

I recently saw a Lenten devotional book. It was on Climate Justice, and focused on caring for the earth. I'm all for good environmental stewardship, but I was so frustrated by how this devotional book missed the mark entirely. Lent is about the saving of souls. Not the saving of sea shores. Lent is about Christ coming as God with us, here to take on the very sins of man, to create in us clean hearts. Not to clean our rivers and streams.

Tonight we sang O Sacred Head now Wounded and the words stilled my heart like a comforting friend. There is something to be said for tradition, for only singing particular songs during this season of contemplation and deep gratitude. For me, the lyrics below are what Lent is all about.

computer tips and tricks

Are you ready for another Computer Shortcut? Because I think you're going to like this one. You know why? Because Rory LOVES this one. He was so excited to share it with me.

You know when you are trying to cut and paste from a website into a word document and all of the formatting is messed up, tables end up screwing up your spacing and the font, size and margins is just a mess? Yes?!! This annoys you too?!! (see, I knew you'd be excited about this one!)

Here's what you do: highlight and copy as usual. And then when you go to paste into your word document you hit control ALT and the letter v (usually you would hit just control 'v', but the key to this trick is hitting ALT at the same time). A little box will pop up and you politely tell Microsoft Word, "Unformatted Text" by clicking on that option. And then you take a deep breath because you don't have to spend the next eight minutes trying to get the selected text to match your document.

Genius!