Favorite Invention Friday!!!

Today, after a full day of creating goodies in the kitchen, I just have to fawn over my Kitchen-Aid mixer. It helped out with three of the jobs...would have done more if necessary. And I love how it does the heavy lifting...like stirring the peanut butter mixture for Buckeyes or the dough for Pinwheel Cookies. I would lose an arm wrestling match any day to someone who makes such goodies with out the sous chef, but I am less weary and cranky at the end of the day. I totally love this little mighty machine.

Favorite Invention Friday!!!

OK...OK...I realize that I have been totally slacking on my FAVORITE INVENTION FRIDAY the past handful of weeks. I really don't have a good excuse...I certainly have modern day conveniences that I have been enjoying. Perhaps, just a bit too indecisive...maybe lazy? Let's go with "too busy"!

Moving along...

As the Christmas season motors along and I continue my gift choosing expeditions, I feel compelled today to celebrate the computer, printer and the Internet (My spell check feature determined that this word was spelled wrong until it was capitalized. Hmmm...). Now, at the risk of revealing too much, I can not tell you why I adore these items...but I promise to do so...soon. Perhaps on Christmas...after all the gifts have been opened. Make sure that you are utilizing all the tools available to you as you pick out gifts for loved ones!

UPDATE: Here's some, if not all, of the ways I've leveraged my computer, printer and the Internet for my Christmas gift planning.

• Hacked my way into my mother-in-law's account at Snapfish, lifted a wedding picture of her and my father-in-law, and had copies made for them and the families of my sisters-in-law.
• Asked by a friend to get on IM, found my husband's uncle and his pictures of the barns on the farm that my mother-in-law grew up. Contacted the uncle for permission, copied the photos, uploaded them to Snapfish and ordered copies for all my in-laws.
• Armed with the request for artwork for a specific spot in her home by my mom, printed off scanned artwork (you can find it here ) created by my girls and decoupaged a painted canvas for it.
• Contacting my sister's coworkers through her Facebook friends list...so I could get contact info for her local Miche Bag dealer and surprise her with an early gift on her desk.
• Searching Amazon and Half.com for a specific gift book that I had seen in this YouTube video shown here.
• Inspired by a Donna Summer related Facebook status by a friend, I remembered that my sister had a Donna Summer album when we were growing up. Found a used one through Amazon and had it shipped to her.
• While visiting a blog, I came across an advertisement for an artisan on Etsy. Was able to peruse the creator's selection to order and ship to my sister.
• After not finding the denim jacket my dad was wanting in any brick-and-mortar...I lucked out at JC Penney's click-and-order.

Hmmm...

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that last evening kind of ended on a sour note for the four-year-old and I. She was having some attitude and misbehavior issues (things that good girls don't do, and she is a good girl...right?) and I was not taking it.

This afternoon, after I had been away all morning helping decorate the church for Christmas, she asked me this question. "After you die, will Daddy get a new mommy?" Let me tell you that I did not hear one drip of sadness, at the thought of me dying, on her question. After clarifying that what I heard was what she was really answered, I told her that I did not know...and immediately went and asked her dad about their morning.

I Was Doing It Wrong All This Time

This morning I asked the four-year-old what she would like for breakfast.

"I don't know. Help me think."

So, I started offering suggestions based on what was available in the kitchen and how much effort I wanted to expend. She stopped me.

"You are supposed to do this when you think," modeling how one would gently rest their chin in their hand while thinking.

Wow! Now I know why great ideas escaped me, or never showed up, on such a frequent (almost chronic) basis. I wasn't always resting my chin in my hand when thinking. I wish I had had this info back in college when working on linear algebra or thermodynamics homework!

Kid Art

The four-year-old created this in November 2009 with marker. I have no idea what it is...haven't asked yet. But I love the big rectangle that she drew along the outside and how purposeful each of her patches of color seem. She didn't just scribble...she chose a home for each hue on the page and patiently filled it in to its predetermined boundaries in her mind. If I ask her about it and get a name or inspiration...I'll be sure to update here.

The Invisible Woman

A couple of years ago, I received an email titled "The Invisible Woman". I was very moved by it because I can have some of "those" days and I certainly knew many individuals, men and women, who have had "those" days. I have since read the book that Nicole Johnson wrote, given away copies of it and named this blog in its honor. Today, I received an email with this video...I had no idea a video existed! So I share it with you here (A big thank you to my BFF for sending it along to me!).

A Family Portrait?

I was recently inspired by another blog I visit periodically to build a family portrait using the kids toys. But, I was going to let the kids each build one. I really couldn't wait to see their perspective. I first tried to get the four-year-old to do it...but...it was the wrong time of day (late afternoon) and she was not in the mood to play along with anyone else's idea (if you get my drift). So, I moved on to the nine-year-old. I told her that she could use any toy they had to represent each member of the family...could a mixture of stuffed animals and action figures...whatever...just go pick a toy that represents each of us.

She really wasn't gone for very long. I don't know if it was just that easy or if she was just grabbing the first thing that she came across to satisfy her mom's request. She provided the following portrait.


I asked her to explain who was who. Well, the lion was her dad because he is king of the house and family. The pretty kitty was her mom (that would be me!). She chose an elephant for her big sister because elephants are one of her favorite animals. She chose a cheetah for herself because they are lean and she likes them. And then...for the four-year-old...she chose an ugly dinosaur. Hmmm...interesting...

Next, I give the same assignment to the eleven-year-old. She returns with five Pokemon cards (she's a huge fan). As she described why she picked particular Pokemon to represent her dad, myself, herself and her nine-year-old sister, I could really tell she considered how each one looked or their particular strengths. But then we go to the one she chose for the four-year-old. When she showed it to me, I asked why she had chosen that one to represent the youngest in our family. Her reply..."Just look at it."


And given my exchange with the youngest daughter over this particular project, I really struggled to make a compelling case as to why representing her with ugly dinosaurs and Pokemon with "Scary Face" powers wasn't appropriate.

So, this exercise did not turn out as cute as I thought it would. But, due to a recurring perception, I think I have a client for my PR work.