a valentines tradition

I remember reading Real Love for Real Life by Andi Ashworth. (An absolute favorite, by the way). In there she talks about a tradition she started with her family when her kids were younger. She had each member of the family write a letter to every other member of the nuclear family. It was to be a love note, telling you mom why you love her, telling your dad why you love him, telling your brother why you love him.

Of course it took some doing, getting everyone to write those letters. But after the first year it became an annual tradition and one of the most anticipated nights of the year. She would serve supper by candle light and  after the meal each person read their letters.  She said as the kids got older there were often tears shared by all.

She saved the family letters in the three ring binder. Can you think of any greater family treasure?

So I broke the news to Rory last night. He's on board. I gave him six days notice. That's probably about right. Obviously our kids are a bit little to write their own letters, but I think I could write a note on Ivar's behalf, or have him tell me what he wants Elsie to know and write what he says word-for-word. Those are always funny letters later.

But as the kids grow, they'll enter in. What a joy!

the ipotty

Rory's friend pointed our soon-to-be potty training attention towards this advancement in human ingenuity. And I guess it made me a bit concerned for that ipad. Do the parents understand how very dirty it is likely to become?

 

You can get your ipotty on Amazon.

 

 

an update on the hymn cards

They are such a simple idea. I made my first set of Hymn Cards for Ivar's room so that I could sing these long lasting songs to my little baby growing inside of me. I remember sitting in my glider rocker, big and round, holding my hands on my belly and singing these promises to him. Each song serving as the perfect lullaby.

I had lots of family and a few friends ask for a set. And after there seemed to be enough interest, Rory encouraged me to see if they would sell on my blog. We worked hard together. He showed me around paypal and helped me set up an account. I tested a few different print shops and looked for the best quality and best deal. I tried to figure out a good price for the effort put into these cards, printing, shipping and my own time.

And it has been a blast. I was overwhelmed and so grateful for the response. So excited that these lyrics might be sung in so many homes all week long, and not just saved for Sunday mornings.

I got a lot of excited feedback and that felt so good. My favorite response was from my childhood friend Charlie and his wife Katie. Charlie and I literally grew up together. We did a group presentation in second grade that I remember vividly. And then we became percussionists in fifth grade and were good. This set us on a path to challenge each other for first chair for the next seven years of our lives. And then our senior year, I dropped out of band. (totally unrelated, but this is probably my #1 life regret).

Okey dokey. Back to the point. My third grade teacher, Mrs. Ice (here she is at Ivar's baby shower) gifted Katie and Charlie with a set of Hymn Cards and Katie hung every single one in their baby's nursery. She showed me the picture above on Christmas Eve when I saw them at church. Katie is a really gifted singer and I felt so glad to think of her singing these songs to their sweet little girl. She hung them so creatively (with ribbon and pop tabs!) and framed the rest.

It was such a cool moment for me. The whole experience has been so amazing. To see a very simple idea, something that I feel has worth, put out there into the world and then appreciated and celebrated. What a joy! It has me thinking of all sorts of other creative projects.

Each week I still get a purchase or two. It's so fun. Makes me excited to think of all the quality promises being sung in so many homes.

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I added a handy little button over on the side there, if you'd like to order a set of your own. 

how to build a cabin in the woods

...and that is how you build a cabin in the woods.

quick trip to the farm

We took our southern most winter getaway this weekend to Welcome, Minnesota. It was a wonderful overnight filled with Sarah's homemade milky way cheesecake, Aunt Louie's caramel rolls (grandma's recipe) and Aunt Annie's rhubarb pie. (We were only there for twenty hours!)

Lots of snuggles were given. Ida and Elsie tried to take a nap together. Aunt Louie tried to climb over the back of the bench for lunch. (Which Ivar still is talking about, "Auntie Lou Lou get stuck. Laughing. So funny.") Uncle Jake handed off his latest issue of Machinery Trader to Ivar as well as a few tractor calendars. And Stella had a good rest with Elsie on the floor.

And the ice was amazing. That is gravel under the ice...but you'd never know it. It was as smooth as glass. Should have had ice skates.