Eco-Friendly Christmas Cards

the card is from etsy and the picture is from the amazing and talented Jenny GG

At this moment in the year, we start shopping for our Christmas card. Many of us send each other Christmas cards to wish friends peace and joy, to celebrate the holidays, and to show off their family in totally not posed pictures of family togetherness. I can joke, but I am as guilty as anyone of sending these cards and being so happy to receive them. It is equally nice to be wished happiness and to see how happy people I care about are. Christmas cards may be cheesy, but they are also awesome.

Even better, if you are trying to have a more eco-friendly holiday season, then the Christmas cards create a pretty obvious opportunity to make some positive changes! This is an opportunity to save trees, that keep our Earth cooler, our air cleaner, and our view prettier.

Think about how many trees must go down for all that holiday cheer in the mail- probably more worth it than the trees that come down for toilet paper. But if you can celebrate the holidays by being a steward and preserving God's creation, why wouldn't you do it? If the holiday really isn't about consumerism, we need to approach it with the spirit of stewardship first.

I know I as a Christian think even more about my role as a steward this time of year- how can I approach giving gifts in a way that pleases God? If giving gifts to each other is a symbolic repetition of God giving us the gift of his son, how can we do it in a way that takes care of his creation? Those questions resonate even when the gift is as small as a card.\

If you want to be a good steward this Christmas, recycled cards make so much sense. You can save trees from being cut down while still sending your love to others. The answer here is simple, though it might cost you more money.

The good news? Recycled card options are EVERYWHERE, they just may not be where you would look first. Skip Shutterfly and Tiny Prints. Tiny prints weirdly comes up when you search for eco-friendly Christmas cards, but they aren't, so that is an infuriating scam. They don't use any recycled paper as far as I can see. That being said, so many other places do.

Let's do this, people! Enough of these virgin tree shenanigans:

Green Field Paper Co

Green Field Paper Co is now my first stop for paper good browsing. Not only do they have great designs, they also feature more types of eco-friendly statonary than anyone. When you see just how many creative and eenviromentaly responsible options are out there, it's hard not to question why all paper companies don't try this route.My favorite- cards specifically made out of recycled junk mail! That is genius. All the other cars need to step it up. They also have plantable cards, ornaments, and gift cards (these are made of recycled paper and have seeds in them- bonus, they are all made in San Diego). Seriously, look here before you buy a box of cards anywhere else.

Paper Culture

Paper Culture is another gem- a perfect first stop if you want a cheesy/wonderful photo card (don't be ashamed; I love them too). Paper Culture recognizes their carbon footprint, and they try to offset it by using 100% post-consumer paper for their cards and by planting a tree for every order they sell. The Arbor Day Foundation does it for every card (so significantly more depending on your order), but these cards gave a little more design to them and have photocard options, so they may better fit your vision. Their designs vary from bright and busy to minimalist and chic, so you are sure to find something you like. Plus, they don't cost any more than those photo cards from Tiny Prints. How did we not all know about this before?!

Minted

 I have a lot of loyalty for Minted cards; we got our save the dates and birth announcements from them, and their cards always look great and modern. They are pretty comparably priced to Tiny Prints, just a little more expensive, but they offer 100% recycled paper for 15 dollars more. To me, that's worth it, and I will just buy fewer cards to cover the cost.

 Arbor Day Foundation

The Arbor Day Foundation sells 100% recycled "Give a Tree" paper cards as a fundraiser. Every card you buy puts money towards planting trees, so not only are you preventing more trees from coming down, you are also helping plant more! I love this idea so much, though I can't really say that the designs are anything to get excited about (some designer- volunteer your time). Definitely less stylish, but think, if you did this every year at Christmas, how many trees you could help plant in a lifetime. What a sweet addition to your holiday traditions.

Etsy

We all knew I was going to say it- you still have time to buy your cards from etsy, so you can start with this search to find eco-friendly options on there as well.

A Few Other Thoughts to Keep Things Eco-Friendly (No matter where you buy)

Skip the Foil- Foil pressed cards are really pretty, and they are super popular right now. Skip them. You can't recycle them and they won't biodegrade.

Buy Less- Pick a smaller than regular number to send and just don't send them to those people on the list that feel like a stretch. It can make a big difference to just cut down your numbers to the people you really care about.

Above all, Save the Trees- With so many recycled paper options out there, it really doesn't make sense to send a card on virgin tree paper.

That's it! Christmas is kicked off and I will have a ton of ideas for how to make tiny changes to your Christmas plans that will have a big impact on the Earth. Have specific questions? Let me know and we will try to address them. In the meantime, check out the Christmas lists from last year on The Giant List of Shopping Lists.

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Five Favorite Etsy Stores- The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer...

I want to keep highlighting amazing makers in the US, and I feel like my Etsy links can get caught in the more mainstream shuffle. So starting a series to focus on the greatest stuff we have found. 

from Meadow Tea

This week we watched one of my favorite Christmas movies- Elf! Best thing Will Ferrell ever did, and now a namesake movie for the world's cheeriest baby (so appropriate). We usually watch it while we put up Christmas decorations, because it is bright, spirited, and has a great soundtrack (Brian Setzer Orchestra doing the Nutcracker Suite is the best). If you are also a fan, you aren't alone and a bunch of people on Etsy are selling cool Elf-inspired stuff (like this adorable mug)! Look it!

Cleopatra Candy (Alabama)- These earrings really capture the manic joy of this movie. They have oodles of kooky earrings in their store. Love the idea but don't want Will Ferrell's crazy eyes hanging off your ears? Check out the sweet earrings from Erin etc,

from Dainty Dirtbags

Dainty Dirtbags (Columbus, OH) sells all sorts of hilarious t-shirts (including ones honoring the Beloved Barb), but their commitment to Buddy the Elf might be my favorite. Check it out if you need a special decorating shirt every year.

from Strong Girl Clothing

Strong Girl Clothing (Arizona) also makes some of my new favorites. Perfect for the woman who loves a holiday theme shirt (because you are awesome).

Sweet Littles Inc (Florida) makes onesies. Kind of like the Elf-themed t-shirts,but smaller.

Widdershine and Bones (Georgia) is a store entirely devoted to Peter Pan and Elf hats. Because we live in a truly strange and wonderful world. I think these are adorable, and maybe the elf party can overtake ugly sweater parties. Bad news everybody, ugly sweaters are over.

If I can find Elf presents on here, you can definitely find the gifts on Etsy that you want to buy loved ones. Want even more eco-friendly and local shopping inspiration? Check out my Giant List of Ethical and Eco-Friendly Shopping Lists. 

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10 Moments You Have Living Far Away from Home Longterm

1. The first 24 hours of a visit, where everyone has forgotten how annoying you are and seem genuinely happy to see you- When we get back, our niece and nephew are so excited, because they know we will play with them. They forget all the times we have to leave or we just want to sit and talk to their grandma. A lot of our personality sins (lateness, crazy schedules, know-it-alls, eventually getting tired at Simon Says) are temporarily forgotten in the warm light of memory. This visit has the potential to be the best yet (vacations work the same way- the first 24 hours are almost always the best), and this is one of the nicest parts of living far away. 

2.The last 24 hours of a visit, where everyone is sick of your bullshit and wants to get back to their normal life-We leave our shit everywhere, we are always on the run (though in our defense, if you want our undivided attention, you know where to find us the other 47 weeks of the year), and we are never around when we are supposed to be.  We are a weird kind of visitor, because we used to be familiar, but we are still visitors, disrupting the usual routine. By the end of trips, we can usually tell people just want their cars/ space/ time back. For the last 3 Christmases, we have said we shouldn't stay so long on the day we leave, because everyone is so solidly sick of us by then. It's a tough balance to find, and when I figure it out, I will let you know.

3. That moment where you call the place you live currently home, but you know it isn't home home- If you can go to the grocery store without anyone asking about a family member or seeing someone you really don't want to see, you aren't home (on the other hand, you could buy any weird thing you want, and your grandma won't find out about it later in the week). 

4. That moment where you meet someone from the same region and are filled with radiant joy- Everytime I see Steelers clothing, I get excited, and who cares about sports. I got even more excited last week to see a Pirates poster in a neighbor's window, because you really have to be from the area to like the Pirates. They don't attract many fair weather fans. In my graduate program, one of my colleagues was from Altoona, and we spent hours waxing poetic and Sheetz hot dogs and Smiley cookies. I am psyched when someone can tell I am from Western PA because of my diction. What you realize when you live away from home is that you still belong to that place, so you connect with people who have similar experiences. I notice this with my Sicilian Father-in-law as well, who has deep and important connections with people who also immigrated from Italy.

This joy is like tenfold when people come to visit. It is the awesomest.Your visits are basically my favorite thing in the world.

5. That moment where you are shocked that some people don't think Red Lobster is the height of fanciness- And on the flipside, when you are telling a family member about that cool restaurant you just went to, and you can see in their eyes they think you are a doushe. And you know they are a little bit right, because you probably would be happier to go back to Red Lobster. Mmm cheddar biscuits.

6. That moment when you realize that you are missing the hard work of being present, and that the person you are looking at has no idea how hard being absent is- I still know that being there all the time has its own work, even if it seems like I have forgotten. It forces you to be consistent, to show up for ALL of the moments that aren't that fun, and to be expected to make food on holidays (eeek). You also can have opinions on the total lack of jobs there, but you don't have to feel personally responsible for growing the city's opportunities (though I wonder how much millenial guilt there is about leaving hometowns). You feel selfish, because we grew up in a space where you take care of the people and places that took care of you, and you aren't participating in that anymore. You want that sometimes boring work, because it makes everything else mean something and what makes communities great, but the entries to this get slimmer as the time grows longer. It is hard to not eventually grow sad and bitter about these things (at least for me, who reads it all as these series of rejections, even if the root of the problem is my own doing), but I am trying to be intentional about that, because I don't want to live with that bitterness forever.

Coming back to your small town feels a little like coming back from the dead every couple of months. This is the sad realization that you weren't really missed.  People have moved on without you. Time has marched on without you. People still miss you, but its like one tiny puzzle piece of their life is gone, and they can mostly live without it. You, on the other hand, spend most of your days feeling like a lone puzzle piece wrongly shuffled into another box.

7. That moment where you realize you may be selfish, but at least you have the courage to make a fool out of yourself basically daily- You find yourself standing at an art opening where a few people are naked but fisherman's hats. Or you spend a Saturday afternoon watching laser light shows set to Motown music in a planetarium. Or you meet someone for Thai food for lunch. Or for the millionth time, you introduce yourself to someone completely new and try to strike up a conversation. When your comfort zone is so far away that all bets are off, and that makes living far away kind of fun and cool.

8. That moment where you can no longer think of a major airport you haven't slept on the floor of- Why have I gotten to Pennsylvania by way of Atlanta? Or Boston? Eventually, you have even seen all the scenic routes, and you have very specific opinions on your favorite airports, primarily based on whether they have a really efficient Jamba Juice, a cool light show, or a Pizza Hut/ Hagen Daaz combo. You also have ones you hate, based on their benches, their weird pretzel smells, or their total lack of moving walkways (I am looking at you Phoenix, what the hell). You know you have lived away from home too long if you know exactly which airports I am referring to.

9. That moment when you walk back into your own space and can really appreciate that you are making a teeny tiny home for yourself- Even if you live many zipcodes away, the home you make feels way better than all that empty spaces in between this transience and home's permanence (sorry Nebraska). Everyone is there, if just in pictures and spirit, and that can be great too. It can be encouraging and exciting to feel like we have our own little thing going on. Plus, this is also the moment you get off the supershuttle, so life is really good.

10.  That moment when you realize, in horror, that unless you do something, your kids may not know their cousins well, they may not ever get to spend Christmas in their own beds, and they may not understand how great it is to grow up in a small town- I grapple with these questions, of what we may be robbing our kids of, all the time. I don't know the answer, except that I am learning day by day that the fact that our family looks different than the ones we grew up in isn't necessarily a bad thing. Growing up in a small town builds a love for tradition, a deep commitment to family and friends, and establishing a strong sense of who you are, but if you have to leave, it can make you feel all the more vulnerable out in the world. It's a tricky question for sure, and if you know the answer, let us know.

I know this comes off as negative, but it really is just being honest about a state of living I know a lot of people have been stuck in. I am really grateful to have these adventures, but I also miss home so much. Looking forward to being back in PA tomorrow night!

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Throwback Thursday- Greening Halloween: Made in America and Recycled Halloween Decorations

I love holiday decorations. If I waste money on something, it is probably some sort of sparkly holiday-themed creature or lights. I love holiday lights. If I won the lottery, our house would be lit up for each day in a different theme. Our dining room frightened my mother on Skype today, because a small army of cats guard our table. I am not working in hyperbole here- themes just make life better.

So, now that I try to slow down our consumption as a family and buy ethical, green, and made in America stuff, I feel genuine sadness that I cannot go to Michael's and splurge on this junk. I love this junk. I don't want our house to look scary, I want it to feel fun and festive. And unabashedly cheesy.

But if my sparkly cats were made of cheap, wasteful plastic by someone who was treated badly, and then it had to travel thousands of miles using a bunch of fuel and resources, can they still be pure joy?  Because right now, they fucking bum me out. I am not sure the cats can just be fun anymore (I mean, I still love mine, but the army won't expand any time soon), but I feel like my holiday closet can continue to grow until it has to be a holiday room. You can make lots of things, so we will be trying some of our own in the next few weeks. I also love Etsy, because some stuff is adorable and some is wonderfully bizarre.

So, in case you are like me, and can't let go of kitsch while you let go of all this crappiness that comes with it, I have started looking for Halloween decorations I can still buy. Here are a few gems!

Dorky Art- You can find basically any art on Etsy. If you want Victorian silhouettes of skeletons, they have that (from Murfreesboro, Tennessee no less!) You can also get something much more subtle like this print. They have candy corn family blocks (less kidnappy than the car stickers). Hanging candy corn (this reminds me I haven't had any yet- horrible oversight) I love this wood skull garland as well. Or you can get this bat banner from Erie, PA!

from Trendy Wall Designs

Stickers and Clings- You can either buy window stickers like you are rocking an elementary school classroom or you can get all kinds of cool silhouette wall stickers on Etsy. We had bats on our previous walls, and they were pretty high impact for like 17 dollars (not sure if you can find reusablew ones though- how do you feel about year-round wall spiders?). This witch would look amazing near your stairs.

from abbeynekola

Pillow Covers- This is a relatively cheap, high impact choice that can suit lots of styles from bravely tacky to pinterest ready (white walls, wood, and slightly industrial? haven't seen that before)! You can have this chic baby one, or this awesome Mr and Mrs Frankenstein ones (that I may have bought by the time you read this). I love this simple "trick or treat" one and this spiderweb pillow.

from shopgeezlouise

Candles- I bought a beeswax skull made here in Seattle as my own Halloween decoration this year (because when you have a baby, it's time to add more fire). It is really freaking cool and made in Seattle. So be cool like me and buy some Halloween candles- here's some skulls from Indiana, a Damien Hirst number, creepy melting hand, or a random owl in a pumpkin.

from whimsy workshop

Pumpkins- Anything with a pumpkin motif can come out in September and last until Christmas decorations go up, so you get more bang for your buck.  Rustic wood ones seem to work well for all purposes, and these ones from GFT Woodworks is made of reclaimed wood! Recycle Reuse! I love this mosaic pumpkin- so pretty and it could read just a teensy bit spooky (in a good way). Fishsticks sells little ceramic jack o lanterns. You can get burlap pumpkins as well. If you want pumpkin decor, you have about a million options; search "pumpkin" on home and garden on etsy, and you get 50,000 finds. You can find exactly what you want Made in America!

from Lovebug Handmade

Wreaths- You can make a pretty classy statement with a wreath. My cousin just made fall wreaths that look absolutely amazing- we can do it too! If making wreaths isn't your jam, you can buy a pretty jack o lantern one or a simple berry wreath. I actually love this simple Boo one, or you could get the fancier one.

from Fuzziggles

Something that Doubles as a Toy- Oy, children. They really must touch everything. Rather than fight the battle all the time, you are better off to find things that also work perfectly well as toys to decorate with (and things that hang way way up). I LOVE these fuzzies by Fuzzigles. So genius and so adorable, while still being on theme as well. A candy corn worm? How have we celebrated Halloween without it? I am also obsessed with these little felt mummies, but the skeletons might be the most impressive thing I've seen all day.

Candy Holder- You don't want to be that sad person who hands out their candy from a bag (oh, you do? That probably works then). If you do want to put it in something, this is pretty cute and made in the USA! If you don't want a candy holder, you can get some on point booze holders like these ones from Mary Elizabeth Arts.

As a side note, I also really like these Halloween temporary tattoos as a candy alternative, for people who hate children. I will never be granola enough to not love candy. It's delicious, people have to deal with it. But the temporary tattoos are cute.

from Be There in Five

I also love these doormats from Be There in Five- they even give microloans to low income women starting new businesses (and their less seasonal mats are also awesome), so this seems like a great place to spend your decoration budget!

So there you have it- TONS of decoration options for the season that are made in America. I just have to stop shopping at Michael's and spend even more time on Etsy. It's a big sacrifice, but I think I can handle it.

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Bumpwatch Week 33

How Far Along: Just finished week 33! BBG is the size of a durian, and though I am pretty sure I can tell you where the head, butt, and feet are, I am not sure I could tell you which is which! His eyes can stay open, he will turn toward strange noises (not that I know this because his dad makes a tyrannosaurus rex noises at him to see if he will do it), and his brain keeps developing. Also, he is up to a solid 4-6 pounds! What a chubber!

 

Best Moment of the Week: Apple week was fun as always. I have been less brave about testing new recipes, but this week we tried Apple Curry, and it was pretty delicious. We have resolved to put more food experimenting back into the schedule, because it is fun and sometimes works out really well. We also hosted a big group of The Boy's work friends at our Apple Pancake Breakfast, so that was the closest we will get for a test run of Thanksgiving. I was glad it went really well, and we have been bumming out and getting work done the rest of the weekend (also, I am way bigger, but the big baggy sweater isn't doing anyone any favors. I apologize).

Most Interesting Prego Quirk:You are hot, literally! In the third trimester, your temperature gets high, and even though the weather is getting colder, I am not really hankering for layers. It is the first time in 11 years that The Boy has been the cold one. I don't have any complaints about this, but it is one of those weird things.

I Would Really Like Some: I am pretty happy, but this week had a lot of apple pie! The Boy is making the mobile, I am making our Christmas ornament gifts, and HGTV is on Netflix. I have no complaints!

 

Bizarro Thing No One Warned me About: It feels like every week, the whole thing gets a lot more real, and I am having a bit of a freak out now. The end of pregnancy just gets scary, and you aren't supposed to talk about it. You are supposed to be full of majestic joy and glowing from all the anticipation to meet the beautiful majestic child that is just going to change everything, etc. Maybe this happens to other people sooner, and maybe I am going to lose some mommy card for saying this, but I feel a little like I am in mourning for our life as it is, which in general I have really liked a lot. I hear I will love him a lot, but basically everything I have read suggests that when right after he stops hanging out in my uterus, he will be a bit of a jerk (I kid, sort of)

These feelings are weirdly coupled with the excitement you are "supposed" to feel (really, no one worry- I basically always go into change kicking and screaming), but I keep reading one article after another about how children change anything, wreck marriages, keep you from fulfilling your goals, etc, and I really just need to stop. Other pregos are perhaps wiser that way. It's like knowing you have to walk through a door in 6 weeks, and you just spend the entire time reflecting on what horrible thing is behind the door. On the other hand, you are bound to be pleasantly surprised (not to mention I think I will actually really be good at being a mom- I have always wanted to have kids, it's just weird that the time is here). This is probably one of the most epic dives into something new a person can take, and it seems alright to be afraid. In the name of preparedness, you learn about things you will never have to deal with and I know a lot of the challenges we will face are not even on my radar. At the beginning of pregnancy, they tell you every possible horrible that can come out of it, and you will actually experience about 5% of that. Yes, you feel weird or worse on some days, but the vast majority of your pregnancy (unless you have a really problematic one), you are just setting priorities and pushing through. It's just the prep for the big game, right?

No one warns you about this, because I am sure once they come and they are cute and have tiny feet you forget all about it, or something. But I am not worried about it, and if you are feeling this way, I don't think you should feel bad about it either. Maybe the reason other pregos all seem kind of sour is because they are also mourning their Saturday morning sleep-ins, but I feel a renewed energy to go and see movies with the Boy and have a few adventures that aren't poop-related.

And The Boy?: I think he is also grappling with the crazy reality that we are not that far out from being parents/ real adults. This week he turned on the name he has been fighting for the whole pregnancy, and I think a huge part of that was realizing that this name is not assigned to a theoretical person, but a real one who will have to live with it. Suddenly he wanted to give Bumbo Baby a really wimpy name. We worked it out, and the name is officially decided! One thing off the list!

Looking Forward to: My mom is coming to visit this week! I am excited to have her here, and we are going to put her to work (Poor woman always gets put to work) helping us move the furniture I am currently unable to help with, which means the nursery will actually be arranged, and we can get some storage and finish it up! Woot woot! Also, this week is the baby class blitz, so by the next time I do a bumpwatch, I will be a car seat, newborn care, and relationship expert (ish). 

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Fourth Anniversary Inspiration- Fruit and Flower Inspiration and Fun

By your fourth anniversary, it sure can be easy to phone it in. Just head out to dinner and call it a day. I know we did that here way more than I would have liked, but we are also 9 months into a pregnancy, so I forgive us. Some years you just aren't going to nail it.

On the other hand, I think this anniversary (and it's fruity theme) actually lends itself to TONS of cool and fun ideas for activiities and decorations. You can do this one WELL, my friends. Do better than we did.

 Make this year a fun memory, not just a throwaway.

What to Do

The ideas on Pinterest for this anniversary are particularly lame. Basically, just fruit puns. I have nothing against fruit puns, but its no inside tent or leather den or really anything fun. But clearly, they have missed the boat here, because I think so many great ideas are waiting to happen!

1. Berry-picking- I know it sounds cheesy, but we have had the best time doing this. Living in Northern California, we could actually go pick strawberries right by the beach. Can you hear the sea lions when you look at this picture? Needless to say, it was cool. Lots of areas, rural and urban have picking farms nearby, and dependent on your anniversary date, you could do whatever is seasonal and available. Then go home and make something with it. It's an activity that is out of the ordinary, but it won't break the bank either.

2. Start a garden- Are you a late-spring/ early-summer couple? You got this. Plant something. Plant a bush or a tree in the anniversary's honor, and every year you can see how much it grows. Don't have a yard? Plant an herb garden you can use at home OR look and see if there is any planting that needs done in your neighborhood. You could even volunteer together for replanting somewhere or to work for a day in a community garden. It can be so fun to get your hands dirty, and isn't it always somehow better to do this kind of thing for someone else?

A good way to revise the flower/ fruit theme is "Growing." Your marriage isn't new anymore, but now we all know the secret that things don't stop growing just because they aren't saplings. Think about things that grow in your life and build your anniversary plans around keeping things growing.

3. Go to (or Make) Dinner Together- We went out for a fancy dinner this year, and when food is part of the theme, a dinner makes sense (otherwise, it can feel a little bit like the easiest possible answer).But I do think food in general makes sense, and if you have a fruit that especially resonates, you could pick it as a theme for food for the week!

Do a fun fruit salad. Or carve something out of fruit? I want to see some anniversary- themed watermelon sculptures!

I mean, come on. From Seasons of Joy

Maybe try a whole week of new recipes? Could you make a whole week of mango meals? Or try all the weird fruits in the grocery store you never go near? I think there is a fun adventure here waiting to happen. On that note...

What to Eat

This anniversary screams cake, so I am kind of freaking out that I haven't picked a cake (or its toppers yet). How do you pick when there are so many good options? Two years ago I made a lemon cake, and I will be honest with you, it wasn't that good. I obviously didn't pick the right thing. So this year I am looking for some fruity inspiration:

from Design Sponge

Pie! I love this anniversary pie from Design Sponge. So simple and chic, and it might be a good choice if you aren't a cake couple. I love this heart pie crust as well.

from Eat Spin Run Repeat

Fruit Cake. You can do an actual fruitcake for a Christmas anniversary, but how cool is this for summer anniversaries? I love Eat Spin Run Repeat's step by step tutorial, but you really could make an amazing cake with whatever fruit you like (or matches your wedding colors).

Just a Regular Old Amazing Cake. There is infinite pinteresty goodness around cakes with fruit. This is a goldmine, so you only have to find what idea fits you best. I had all sorts of ideas, and our cake was jank. I mean, really jank. Such a mess that I won't even put it up here, which I am never above doing. So let's look at other people's successes and ignore my 4th year failure:

from Baker by Nature

Baker by Nature has a recipe for a seriously beautiful lemon and blueberry cake. So nice, and it looks so pretty.

from Dagmar's Kitchen

This chocolate cake by Dagmar's Kitchen was the vision I had in my head when I thought about the cake. So pretty with the chocolate and the berries. Someday later I will make this cake. This one from Tastes Better from Scratch looks like a nice combination of the two.

from Plain Chicken

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake from Plain Chicken looks less fussy but still very pretty. Might be a good route if you don't have a ton of time.

Ok, these are my best fruit and flower ideas! What did you do for your 4th anniversary?

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10 Things I am Grateful for in this Last No Good Week

So this week was the pits. I mostly try to stay light on politics, personal stuff, and my faith here, because I want this blog to be useful to someone other than my family members (and I feel mixed about putting my faith out for public consumption), but this week reminded me that a little focus on the positive might be in order. I think even if the election hadn't been the most heartbreaking ever, this week kind of would have been the pits. But this blog is all about being positive, so I am going to find things to be grateful for.

1. A Hug from a Friend- Last Wednesday, one of my friends from co-op and one of my absolute favorite people in Seattle stopped by at Seattle Recreative to give me a hug and share a tear (and some sass). I am so grateful for that moment, and I will probably remember it forever, because it just made me feel like we so aren't alone in this. Plus, it felt good to get it out of my system before going to hang out with a room of 5 year olds.

I think one of the scary things about this election is that it can feel like the bullies won. This guy who is so profoundly unkind to others won out, and his winning set off a whole slew of nastiness. In my darker moments, it feels like maybe trying to be a light is a waste of time. Destruction, ugliness, chaos- they all work pretty fast, and that makes them feel effective. But kindness works slower, partially because in reality you can only be kind to so many people at a time (you have to stop and listen). But I have been struck again and again this week at how resilient kindness and love are, even if they can never be as loud as antagonism.

2. Surprisingly Woke Kindergartners and Blissfully Oblivious Toddlers- I half-expected my class on Monday to be blissfully oblivious, but they quickly proved me wrong, and the very first thing they wanted to talk about was the election. We talked a lot about it, and for some of them, it means they may have to move, so this is no small thing (even for small people). It broke my heart, but it felt good to talk about it with them and feel like I was at least a little useful.

Luckily, later that day, we went to Daniel Tiger Live and I got all the oblivious bliss anyone would ever need. A room full of toddlers and a trolley were just about enough to make me forget (almost). Plus, The Bub made me cry he was so excited. He just kept saying hello to Trolley and "Daniel Tiger off the TV." Perfect birthday gift.

3. Hillary's speech- I cry every time I hear it or see it, not because I am sad for her (even though I am), but because I 100% believe the first female president of the United States was watching it too. She may not have crushed that glass ceiling, but I think the loss has activated a whole generation of women including the one who will keep pushing for the goal she set. I am so excited for that day to come.

4. A Feminist Partner- I love the Boy for so many reasons, but it's hard not to appreciate him even more after this week.

5. A Few Hours with the Frosting Bucket- I got this bucket from my Buy Nothing Group over a year ago, and it has been filled with way more green waste than sweets. I am feeling especially grateful for my Buy Nothing (and hoping you all will go join or start your local group- it's worth it), and this bucket is a perfect example of something that looks like junk but actually has so much more life in it.

6. Goodwill Date Night- When actual romance is basically out of the question, cuban sandwiches and Goodwill make for a pretty alright substitute. Why does anyone ever buy a vase when you can get every kind on God's green Earth for 70 cents? Join Buy Nothing and go do some Christmas shopping at Goodwill. You will be so much richer, and you can spend that money on something cool.

7. Space Bikers- After brunching, we were walking laps at Seattle Center to try to force a nap and kill time before a birthday party. All of the sudden, a huge group of bikers in cosmic spandex with planet diaramas on their helmets and backs came circling around the fountain. With the music playing, people taking pictures and enjoying the Saturday with their families, the music playing loud outside, and the totally bizarre fountain racing, it was a perfect moment. So weird. So Seattle. Such a good reminder that we are all so strange and different from each other, but that can make life really unexpected and wonderful when you least expect it (and even if the nap failed.

8. Running Around like a Crazy Woman- I like when I have my life together, don't get me wrong, but there is something consistently satisfying about having a lot to do. I feel fired up, and I can see a lot of things that need done that aren't just cleaning my yard or something.

9. Zumba and Bread- I can finally say it. My kid is a genius. He figured out what is missing in most exercise routines- a big chunk of french bread! So fun to have him dancing with us, and with his work out snack in tow. When someone comes up with a whole french bread workout, let me know, because I will be all over it.

10. Answered Prayers- Despite the election hoopla, my heart is mostly directed at two women in Tennessee right now. Praying for peace, joy, strength, and healing all the time and I am feeling so joyful that God does heal. I am grateful that I have seen God do miracles before, and I have faith I will see more, so with that on my mind and in my heart, I am going to pull out of my funk (and hopefully jump on a plane at some point so I can give people some hugs in person! I can't wait).

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Tips for Keeping a Family or Couple's Yearbook

One of my favorite parts of our anniversary is pulling out our photo books from previous years and reflecting on the year we have just had. I think we will always look at the one I made for our wedding on our wedding anniversary, but that whole week (our wedding anniversary is the 25th and our anniversary is the 29th), we pull out old books to reflect. A few weeks later, our new book will come in that orange shutterfly box  (I know other people use Blurb, but my Shutterfly loyalty currently runs pretty deep).

I started making us year books as an anniversary gift way back around year 4 of our relationship (I don't count it as a gift anymore, because it is as much for me as for the Boy). For me, these books are a huge part of maintaining our own little family culture and preserving our history in a way we can manage, much easier to navigate than the THOUSANDS of pictures I take every year.

 As I look at them lined up like that, it seems narcissistic, and honestly, maybe it is, but I think it will continue to transform as our immediate family grows, and I am glad the early years of our relationship are captured for us to remember. The books serve as a good reminder that the years or days don't always have to be the most exciting or eventful to be important to you. It just goes back to treating your life and your relationship like they are meaningful, and that attitude encourages more meaningful events. It's true!

I know people have the intention to do this kind of thing, but sometimes it can be hard to keep up with. After seven years of doing it, I have a few tips that may help:

-Take pictures! Not just with your phone! Though the convenience of camera phones certainly appeals, the problem is you end up with relatively low quality images that don't print that well. They drive me crazy when I have to use them for family calendars, because no matter how great they are, they have to be teeny tiny.

You don't have to have a massive camera, just keep a point and shoot with you when you go out and (maybe more important) out and available when you are home! It can be hard to make it part of your routine, but the more everyone gets on board with it, the more you will be glad you did.

-Steal other people's pictures of the memories you share with them- I have mostly stopped posting our personal pictures on facebook, but I still try to post our times with family in case family members want that picture as well. Stealing others pictures can give you a more full picture of holidays (and if you are like me, might be the only chance to prove you were actually there!) Repeat after me; Right click- Save Picture As- Put a Date as the title- Save.

- Organize your photographs (by Date and Subject) as you upload them- I don't have a good reputation for being organized (and rightly so) but I keep my photo archive meticulous. When I upload my pictures, I label them like this: "7-4-2014 Fourth of July" or "4-25-2014 Boring Week with Hats." Go through them right away and throw away anything that is blurry/ not great.

- Pick a start date that is meaningful to you. January is actually a tough place to start because you have just established a bunch of new goals plus not much is going on. December is an even more difficult time to finish, because life is crazy around the holidays (not to mention, if you are like me, you have a bunch of other photo gifts to make that time of year).

 I love using our anniversary as a start and end date. I love it even more as our family starts to expand, because I don't want to forget that our relationship was the start and should remain one of the centers of our family. If you have kids, you could also do it around the school year. Or start it at the beginning of every summer? Don't feel tied to the calendar year.

-Pick your photos at least once a month- I make a new folder "Year # Book", and I put my favorite pictures from each event, the ones I would want in our book, into that folder. Even if I don't make the actual pages until weeks or months after the event, it is so much simpler than trying to make those choices and upload at the same time.

-And while you are at it, just make the book as you go- I love Shutterfly because you can save your projects on their website and just keep coming back to it. This can be a big project, but I think it is better to think of it as a long commitment. You put a little bit of time in a couple of times over 12 months rather than trying to organize your whole life once a year. Plus, if you do it as you go, you don't have trouble remembering why you took that picture.

I usually dig in to making pages after big events. I usually do the majority of the fall before Thanksgiving, because I know I will have a lot more pictures to go through after the holidays, and I tackle all of that later in January when things calm down. Doing it all at once would be a daunting task, but if you start putting things together as you go, it becomes a half hour- hour commitment every so often instead. 

-Pick a style that feels good at the time- The choices you make, no matter what they are, will be fine as long as you are telling your story. As you go, you will come up with strategies you like, and your style will change a lot (for us, the pages are more complex, and the book is both bigger and longer than when we started)! The first book is from 2009, and the second is 2013, so you can see how much I have changed. I think my books are getting better, but not really that much better, just different. I can't imagine how many styles we will go though by 20 years or 50!

-If you love the picture, make it big! Even if you don't have tons of pictures, you can still fill up a book with a few key pictures. Christmas can be a 2 page spread, or it can take up 10 pages. It doesn't even have to be chronological! No one makes the rules but you. Shutterfly standard books are 20 pages long, but you can add up to 90 pages. I usually use almost all of them, but you should pace it however makes sense for you.

-Remember to capture everyday life too- I saw this great idea on someone else's blog. Crown one day a "regular day" and capture it from start to finish, so you can give a more clear picture of what life looked like when it wasn't a holiday or special event. It can be easy to forget that low key times matter too, but sometimes the best moments happen when life is a little more laid back!

-Write some text to explain what is going on, what was said, what the joke is- I see lots of these books on pinterest that look really design-y and cool, but I just think that you may be forfeiting more than you realize. You don't think you will forget now, but you will. Write the stories. I use three fonts- a 30-60 size fonts for headings, a 20-30 size font for sub-headings, and usually something around 12 for captions (because I figure our eyes will get worse). Shutterfly and other stores have pre-set styles if you want to just pick one and keep it simple. But trust me, you want text.

-Pick your favorite moments- One of my favorite pages is the very last one I make, where the Boy and I talk about our favorite moments from the year. We just started doing this since we got married. We list 10-12 times that were especially meaningful or fun, and I think it will bring a lot of joy in the future to go just through those pages.

- Enjoy it- This is a task that should be fun, so don't agonize over it. After all, I think it is so fun and exciting to reflect. It's a great exercise in gratitude!

- Wait for sales! If you are going to use Shutterfly, know that they put everything on sale OFTEN, so you don't have to order it the second you finish it. Keep an eye out for a good sale on photobooks AND extra pages (if you are like me and end up using a ton), and order it once you find a price you like.

I hope this helps you feel like this is a totally achievable goal! If you have any advice or questions for me, feel free to ask!

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