My 365 Grateful Project: Week #35

PLAYING WITH THE POWER OF GRATITUDE
Find Something For Which to Be Grateful. Take a Picture of It. Repeat 365 times.

DAY 239: December 31, 2012  |  Enjoying the new reading nook in my office #365grateful

DAY 240: January 1, 2013  |  Pomelo snack #365grateful (note: first time having pomelo, thumbs up!)

DAY 241: January 2, 2013  |  Woke up to Paleo "oatmeal" via Hubs! Apple sauce, almond butter, honey and ? Yum! And kid approved. #365grateful  (note: not honey, but coconut milk. so good!)

DAY 242: January 3, 2013  |  Over 25 degrees in our apt right now ... All from the streaming sun in the windows #virtualsummer #365grateful

DAY 243: January 4, 2013  |  Targets set up for the paper rockets we just made #365grateful

DAY 244: January 5, 2013  |  Taking down Xmas was a bit depressing for everyone. Spud and I treated ourselves to some lazy afternoon time snuggling in bed with a new book! #365grateful

DAY 245: January 6, 2013  |  I NEVER thought I'd say this but I'm grateful for Coffee News. The kid likes it a lot! #365grateful

See Week one here.

Paper Rockets

Decorated paper made into a tube makes a fun indoor paper rocket. And easy! Tape up one end and slip a straw in the other end. Blow in the straw to launch the rocket. Hubs also had the idea of adding a fin to enhance stability but we didn't get that far. Next time.

What we did do is set up a target field in our hallway which turned out to be loads of fun.

Check out the full tutorial on making paper rockets at Curious Kangaroos.

DIY Magic Wallet

Well, school is still out and things are starting to wind down from the whirlwind that was our holidays. So it's long overdue crafty time! Today we made magic wallets, out of scrap cardboard. I remember having something like this, and marveling over it for hours, so I thought it would be a fun one.

Open the wallet one way and the money is under the green ribbon.

Open it the other way and it miraculously shows up under the orange ribbon!

Who knew it would be so easy to make!

Materials:
• Cardboard, cut down to desired size (we added a piece to the front and back cover as well to hide the ribbon ends)
• Ribbon, 2 different colours
• Glue Dots
• Markers

For the full How To we love the tutorial on mini eco.

Best of 2012

Oh it was a good year. We had a remarkable summer playing with our bucket list. And lots of other fun times too. Here are my top 12 favourite posts, in no particular order.

1. Surprise Valentine Ball

2. Math Printable: Make the Biggest Number

3. Travel Journal Supplies

4. Spud's Vienna: 6 Favourite Things

5. Photo Friday #51: Running into Royalty

6. Top 10 Summer Fun Passport 2012 Posts

7. Lunch with a Protein Punch

8. My Latest Obsession: White and Gold Sharpies

9. New Bento Snack Box

10. Pizza Box Laptop

11. Hagrid's Rock Cakes

12. A When I Grow Up Poster

2013 Resolutions

Well, I'm happy to say that last year's resolutions are still in full swing. The "Y" is still our home away from home. Spud is still curling on Sundays, now with 2 of his best buddies, which he loves. And is on the slopes with his (almost) new equipment.

If all goes according to plan, 2013 will include: Draw/Paint/Create More! (me), Do More Art With Spud (Spud and me), Eat Better — we are trying this for one month (all), Play Piano (almost) Everyday (Spud), Write More (Hubs and Me), Make A Total of 15 Comics (Spud).

So, in all, after taking stock, I would like this coming year to be much like the last. It was fantastic. But with just a wee bit more creativity squeezed in. Oh, and eating more carefully and consciously too. Here goes!

My 365 Grateful Project: Week #34

PLAYING WITH THE POWER OF GRATITUDE
Find Something For Which to Be Grateful. Take a Picture of It. Repeat 365 times.

DAY 232: December 24, 2012  |  Spud and I walked around downtown looking for someone in need of a blessing bag. Started to give up after an hour but then saw a man asleep on the sidewalk. Grateful we had this to give. #365grateful

DAY 233: December 25, 2012  |  So grateful to experience the magic of Christmas morning with Hubs and Spud #365grateful

DAY 234: December 26, 2012  |  Auntie G's on Boxing Day #365grateful #yum!

DAY 235: December 27, 2012  |  Foot Duvets. So great. Thank you Santa. #365grateful

DAY 236: December 28, 2012  |  You are going to be Rockafeller tonight #oysters #365grateful

DAY 237: December 29, 2012  |  "Mama, today can you be grateful for my little hot water bottle I got in my stocking?". You betcha kiddo. #365grateful

DAY 238: December 30, 2012  |  Spontaneous ski day! #woot #365grateful

See Week one here.

A When I Grow Up Poster

A few days before Christmas, Spud and I were walking around downtown running various errands when he, out of the blue, as 8 year olds tend to do, asked if I wanted to know all the things he wanted to be when he grew up. This is the list he rattled off.

Say that 3 times fast. Other than Inventor being strategically at the top, it's where his passion burns the brightest right now, the rest are in no particular order. He was also careful to point out that many of them will likely become hobbies. That's the practical side of him talking.

So, I made this for 3 reasons. First, I was trying to come up with original, meaningful ideas for under the tree that don't add more clutter to our already cluttered environment.

The second reason is that I've been trying to come up with an inspirational poster for his room for a few months now; just waiting for the right inspiration. When he listed all those things, the first thing I thought was "don't lose that, kid". And then "Oh, I think I have a poster idea now!".

The third reason is that I wanted to capture that moment in time. His list will likely change. Which is why I dated it. I think it would be fun to do another one in a couple of years to compare. In the meantime, I want him to always remember the possibilities. As we get older, our lists tend to get shorter, I think. Maybe this poster will help keep these dreams, or others like them, alive.

DETAILS:
I laid out the type in InDesign, made a jpg and sent it to our local photo processing shop. This is better than printing it out on a laser printer as it will last longer not being as susceptible to UV light. This oversized print (12" x 16") cost $15. It only had to be trimmed down a smidge to fit the IKEA frame, which cost about 5 bucks.

PS I just joined Blogovin. You can <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1968253/?claim=znzvd7s88h7">follow weelife with Bloglovin</a> too.

My 365 Grateful Project: Week #33

PLAYING WITH THE POWER OF GRATITUDE
Find Something For Which to Be Grateful. Take a Picture of It. Repeat 365 times.

DAY 225: December 17, 2012  |  Got me a @melaniekimmett original in the mail! #love #365grateful #hohoho

DAY 226: December 18, 2012  |  Stanley Park Christmas train with friends #365grateful

DAY 227: December 19, 2012  |  Lemon bar. You know what you mean to me. #365grateful

DAY 228: December 20, 2012  |  And .... wrapping is done. #365grateful

DAY 229: December 21, 2012  |  Pretty. Shiny. Sparkly. Everywhere you go. #365grateful

DAY 230: December 22, 2012  |  Grateful for Tim Burton #nightmarebeforechristmas #365grateful

DAY 231: December 23, 2012  |  Grateful for this quad. That's right, 4 shots. Instead of sleep. That's how I'm rolling right now. #365grateful

See Week one here.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

My 365 Grateful Project: Week #32

PLAYING WITH THE POWER OF GRATITUDE
Find Something For Which to Be Grateful. Take a Picture of It. Repeat 365 times.

DAY 218: December 10, 2012  |   Cancel call to electrician. Dramatic electrical crisis averted by Hubs. I want this guy on my team, always. Oh wait. I do. #365grateful

DAY 219: December 11, 2012  |   I am grateful for hand cream. Plain and simple. In every room, every bag and the car. #365grateful 

DAY 220: December 12, 2012  |   Winter Concert! Oliver and Ode to Joy en Espanol #365grateful

DAY 221: December 13, 2012  |   couchtime #365grateful 

DAY 222: December 14, 2012  |   Recital day #365grateful #silentnight 

DAY 223: December 15, 2012  |   Party like it's 12 12 12 #365grateful 

DAY 224: December 16, 2012  |   Sleeping in after a crazy-fun cocktail party and a very late night! #365grateful