Author Archives: megan

Woe is I …. What My Mother Left on My Desk

Posted on December 8, 2012 by megan

I can take a hint … especially from my mother.

It’s not that I am uninterested or even disinterested. I do not lack the interest and I am not impartial.

I might say she has alluded to my grammar skills a few times. She has said as much in a round-about style. Then again, she has simply referred to these skills as needing some improvement. Yup, she has directly mentioned it, come to think of it!

Well, it is probably high time I hone my grammar skills, now that we’ve homed in on the problem! Time to sharpen my skills now that we’ve zeroed in on the reason why. 🙂

I have simply not owned Woe is I, The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English. From the Mixed Doubles section (note the italics above) to the Blunders with Numbers, it’s all written in a way I can understand. So, I might actually be able to put some of these useful lessons to use.

National Bathtub Party Day?

Posted on December 5, 2012 by megan

Did you know that December 5 is National Bathtub Party Day? This sounds like a farmgirl holiday thru and thru … why, of course, I’ll proudly celebrate this one! Just FYI, I should clarify, my party will not include any guests. A nice cold beverage, a good book, and I’m set to celebrate. Happy soaking!!

National Teacher Appreciation Week …

Posted on November 16, 2012 by megan

National Teacher Appreciation Week actually isn’t until May, but we’re getting started a little early. How thankful I am to be part of a community that receives random e-mails from fellow mothers asking for volunteers to surprise the teachers and fill their breakroom with edible and drinkable goodies because they’re so busy teaching our precious children. I was completely happy to drop off a meat/cheese platter in honor of Stellie’s teachers. And, we’ve decided to make a habit of it every month. Next month, I’m in charge of hot cocoa and cookies.

Here’s to our teachers!

America Recycles Day

Posted on November 15, 2012 by megan

At this point, most of us are probably recycling in some shape or form, but traveling is always a conundrum for me. At home, we filter our drinking water and I am really good about using reusable water bottles. When we travel, I must still drink plenty of agua, but every time I purchase a plastic water bottle, I can only picture the North Pacific Gyre. It used to be defined by geography and ecology, but today it is also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This patch contains a massive collection of man-made debris because of the ocean currents and the way debris is pushed to the center of the Gyre. I can just see all the water bottles I buy when traveling floating around in this garbage patch. Well, luckily for all of us, there are some amazing companies out there that are busy working on this exact problem!

As for filtered water, Brita has been on the forefront of water filtering for quite some time, and they now have a solution for us travelers. Their water bottle has a filter built right into it. Brilliant! And it eliminates those plastic throw-away water bottles completely. They even have a cute kiddo version that might just end up in Christmas stockings at my house this year. Thank you, Brita!

And if you do have to buy a few of those plastic throw-away water bottles, Method has come up with another solution. They are literally sending crews out to harvest those bottles floating around our treasured oceans and turning them back into bottles containing their soaps. Brilliant again! Maybe Santa will be dropping some of those under our tree as well. Thank you, Method!

Six Already?

Posted on November 15, 2012 by megan

We don’t know how it happened, but our littlest Jane turns 6 today!!

Happy birthday to our little Stella Jane!

We love you to bits and pieces.

RAOK …

Posted on November 13, 2012 by megan

Today’s the day … no excuses!

It is officially World Kindness Day. So all those times when you’ve heard of folks doing a Random Act of Kindness or RAOK and thought you ought to do the same, today is your day—the perfect day to surprise someone with a little bit of kindness. Hmm, what will it be and who will be the unsuspecting recipient? Kind of fun to go about your day with the intent to make someone else’s!

Poppies Blow Between the Crosses

Posted on November 11, 2012 by megan

Today is Veterans Day in the United States—a day reserved for celebrating and honoring our soldiers. Across the world, it is also celebrated as Remembrance Day, honoring those passed.

The symbol for remembrance and honor is universal. I have proudly worn the Remembrance Poppy on my lapel and know what it stands for, but haven’t known what it stems from.

Poppy painting by Georgia O’Keeffe

The flower itself is gorgeous, and in 1918, Moina Michael wore a silk version of the poppy pinned to her coat at the Overseas War Secretaries’ Conference. Inspired by the World War I poem, “In Flanders Fields” by John MaCrae, she distributed 25 of them that day.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In 1920, Moina Michael campaigned to have the poppy adopted as the American national symbol of remembrance. The style of the Remembrance Poppy varies with each country that honors it. Canadian Remembrance Poppies are two pieces of molded plastic, while the United Kingdom’s are paper, and in England and Northern Ireland, the poppy has two red petals with a green leaf. The U.S. Remembrance Poppy is made of crepe paper, and we often wear ours on Memorial Day as well.

glamping pattern freebie

Posted on November 11, 2012 by megan

Have you seen the videos of my mother’s recent trip to Houston, Texas for the 2012 Fall Quilt Market? Too much fun!

Here’s a free quilt pattern that gives you a lil’ peek at her new Glamping fabric …

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glampers, get ready to fire up your sewing machines!

Posted on November 11, 2012 by megan

Let my mother take you on a tour of her new MODA glamping fabric that she debuted during Quilt Market in Houston a couple of weeks ago. Make sure your local fabric store puts in a order.

25-Hour Day

Posted on November 7, 2012 by megan

By 9:30 a.m. this past Sunday morning, we had already boxed up our Halloween decorations, trimmed the house in Thanksgiving décor, and begun tackling the mess that is our craft/guest room. With each season, my poor hubby diligently piled boxes and boxes of ornamentation for me to ooh and aah over and place in the perfect corner. And … well … my craft room had bits and pieces from the last five holidays/events strewn about.

Impressed with ourselves, hubby and I sat down with both girls to have a little morning snack. Why were we so famished at 9:30 a.m. anyway? We’d eaten a good breakfast, hadn’t we??

Maybe it was because …

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