Maybe you noticed my bloggy absence, maybe you didn’t. But the fact of the matter is, in the past year I have been a total blog slacker, and I have no reasonable explanation. I just…left my mojo somewhere and forgot where it was.

I distanced myself from the blog partly because I was having trouble managing my time, partly because I was suffering from an utter lack of words, and partly because things were beginning to feel old and boring to me. I was disinterested, and not just where the blog is concerned. Everything felt dull and flat. The house, the grind, the dinners I cooked, my appearance–even my garden–were all wearing thin on me.

I was totally uninspired. I stopped composing posts in my head when I had an interesting thought or story (though admittedly, those thoughts and stories were popping up less and less). I hadn’t done much making, other than my jewelry orders. I couldn’t remember when the last time the girls and I sketched together. The only thing I canned this Fall was grape jelly, and when it came to cooking for my family, I grossly wore out the usual menu rotation. I was out if ideas.

It’s safe to say I was officially in a creative slump. And you know, it’s true what Dr. Seuss says:

Indeed. I yearned for new. And not the kind of new that can be remedied with a trip to the mall. I needed re energization, and not the kind you get from a smoothie.

So what did I do? Well, it started with getting bangs. (No seriously, never underestimate the power of a new ‘do. The haircut is what began the un-slumping process.) From there I hauled out 6 bags of clutter from my home (full disclosure: those bags now reside in my front porch. Baby steps?). I managed through a demanding-but-profitable holiday work season, which gave me a little boost. I went back and revisited posts and videos from some sources that motivated me once upon a time, like Blacksburg Belle and Mayi Carles. I listened to Blogcast FM podcasts. I redesigned the website home page (with a blog redesign in the near future), wrote a new about page, and renovated the tutorials page, too. I cracked open my dusty art history books. I tried taking a different perspective than the usual. I spent quality time with creative friends, and had long and candid business conversations with the resident carpenter.

I was reminded of the importance of doing what you say you are going to do.

And quite simply, I finally started doing. The more I did, the more I wanted to do. This concept is nothing new. It’s a well known fact that you need to exercise your creative muscle, and stay “in shape” so to speak. I knew that all along. It’s just that doing the work–or getting back to the work–is the hard part. Once I started, momentum took over.

print by The Motivated Type

The time away from blogging made room for more books, more hanging out with my baby girls, more space in my head. It was necessary, in order to stay real. Had I forced post after post, I probably would have bored both you and me to death. But now? I feel refreshed. I actually have ideas! I have something say, things to show you, and opinions to ask of you. I have tutorials planned. I have my creativity back, and it feels good.

As a curious aside, at the same time my general creativity was hiding in a muddy ditch, I was taking my jewelry in a completely new direction. That was totally exciting and fulfilling in it’s own way, but for some reason my work creativity seemed compartmentalized. I kept it separate from living creatively. That probably sounds crazy, and it just might be. Anyway, I’ll tell you more about the new work soon. Promise.

Oh, And! I’m celebrating my un-slumpification with a tutorial in the Spring edition of Rhythm of the Home, coming tomorrow.

It really is the best news. I’m bursting.

Two and a half years ago, my sister and her husband began their journey as foster parents. Well today I am over-the-moon excited to tell you that, on Saturday, they legally adopted their foster daughters!

I have two new nieces, my girls have more cousins, our family is a little bigger, and my sister’s dream of being a mother is finally a solid reality. Make no mistake, she has been their mom for over two years, but now it’s official. Those girls aren’t going anywhere and that feels so good.

You’ve seen this picture before but I just had to post it again. It’s my nieces (the two in front) with my sister’s nieces (Lu and Ru!).

And did anyone see this picture I posted on social media a couple of weeks ago? (sorry about the quality, it was a tiny pic off my phone.) I described these as the most important and special pieces I had ever made. They were commissioned by my sister, one for each girl, bearing their new initials. The girls decided they wanted to take my sister and brother-in-law’s last name and of course they were going to need new initial charm necklaces to shout it out to the world.

New initials, new clan, and rosy new future full of happiness and love for those two little hot tickets our family now calls nieces, daughters, grand daughters, and cousins.

Congrats to them!

I spend much of my time hanging out in parking lots. Parking lots and soccer fields. Parking lots, soccer fields, and the roads in between my home and those places.

We made a bit of a leap this year, and signed the girls up for a club soccer team. For those not familiar with the concept of club soccer, (which was me, not long ago) here’s the gist: It’s super competitive. It’s a year-long “season”. They have very high expectation of their players. It’s expensive. It’s a huge time commitment. A HUGE. time. commitment.

Crazy thing is, joining up was my idea. Yes, the woman whose mission in life was keep her kids from being over scheduled. The one who spends money on nothing extraneous. The mother who has placed priority on quality home “together” time since she’s had kids, went and signed her girls right up for this team, enthusiastically.

My girls eat, sleep, and breathe soccer. They don’t aspire to be Girl Scouts, or to join cheering or chorus, or to play softball or hockey. No. They want to play only soccer, all the time, so joining a club team seemed like a no brainer. Although we registered the girls with excited anticipation, I have to admit to privately mourning the demise of our slow lifestyle. No longer would we have our afternoons and evenings together, or our long, lazy Sundays. I worried it would be too much for them. I imagined hurrying them through homework, shoving a sandwich in their hands for dinner, and dragging them to their many practices.

But, you see, once again I have been surprised by my girls, and by life itself. It seems that all my agonizing about what it would be like with club soccer in our lives was totally unwarranted. In fact, we have actually found pockets of quality time and unexpected delights where I never thought these things would exist. Like, in parking lots. And on soccer field side lines, and long (long!) drives to games.

Homework and reading time, done while waiting in the car, seems easier than ever, without all the distractions of home. We’ve seen the most gorgeous sunsets, in the big skies of soccer field complexes. I’ve carved out a little more time do some things I haven’t made time for lately, like knitting (two pairs of fingerless gloves, perfect for cold practices, comin’ up!) and reading.

We’ve made new friends, and enjoyed time outdoors that we might not have made for ourselves otherwise. Precious face-to-face conversation time with one child occurs regularly now, where we rarely had the opportunity before. My mum gifted me a slow cooker, and I’m appreciating the genius of making dinner in the morning, so that it’s ready for whoever needs dinner at whatever time that night. The girls are flourishing with their new coaches and teammates. In other words, it’s all good.

Indeed, our lives are a little more disjointed time-wise, but I feel just the opposite has happened for our family, relationship-wise. I am savoring this time with my girls, knowing that one day soon they’ll be driving themselves here, there and everywhere, and doing their best to avoid dear old mom. Until then, you can find me on the field, in the lot, or on the road.

If you were to make a list of the most beloved children’s novels, I’d be willing to bet Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would be one of them. There’s just so much to the story that captures young readers. It’s the perfect combination of child-like adults, naughty kids, magic, outrageous fun, and junk food.

When I think back to when I read the book as a kid, I remember the junk food the most. I so badly wanted to get my hands on the everlasting gobstoppers, the lickable wallpaper, rainbow drops, fizzy lifting drinks, candy plants, and chocolate waterfalls. Oh, how I dreamed of finding a golden ticket.

I had to wait a few decades, but I finally got one! It’s The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Audrey Press’s newest publication that brings Roald Dahl’s imagination to life. Packed with recipes, activities, and crafts, it’s everything you need to recreate that wonderful world of Willy Wonka.

Simply put, the book is full of  Wonka-style fun. Find recipes to make your own swudge and gum, and instructions to host your own golden ticket treasure hunt. Read fun facts about how chocolate and gobstoppers are made, have a crazy Oompa Loompa race, and make your own Willy Wonka hats. The book also includes free printables to go with many of the activities, like an invitation to the factory, golden tickets, and maze templates.

I told my girls to browse through it and pick out what they wanted to do first, and they choose the Fizzy Lifting Drinks. I could see the mad scientist looks in their eyes, and knew we were in for some messy fun.

We started with the basics, mixing citric acid, baking soda, and water to make a bubbly potion. Then we added vanilla and sugar to make cream soda. After that, I decided to let the girls go at it alone, and that’s when the real concocting began.

Before I knew it, orange juice, raspberries, vanilla, mint, lemon juice, and honey were out, and bubbly creations were overflowing all around.

There were mmmmms  when they succeeded with a new yummy soda,  and squeals and funny faces when they made something too sour (which happened a lot), and a few beverages that were utterly undrinkable.

I printed out a couple of tasting sheets, so they could jot down their favorite recipes and an unexpected second phase of fun began when they were thinking up names for their original sodas. Hysterical laughter erupted at one point and when I ask to be let in on the joke, they both zipped their lips and tried their hardest no to burst out again. I can only image.

The Overflowy was their all around favorite, which included lemonade, mint and raspberries. The French Burst was also a hit, though I’m not exactly sure what’s French about it, since it was orange juice, honey, and vanilla. And then there was the Orange Straw Popper, which sent us all running to the sink to spit it out.

Making the Fizzy Lifting Drinks was a huge hit. It was equal amounts science, hands-on fun, and silly experimentation. I think Willy Wonka would be thrilled with the goofy antics that went on at our dining room table.

We have already tried a few of the other activities, too, with Gobstopper Dobblers being their favorite game (although I suspect it had something to do with their eating lots of gobstoppers).

There is so much fun to be had. You can find out more about The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory here, continue the adventures on the book’s facebook page, check out a free lite version on iTunes here, and purchase the full guide on iTunes here.

But there’s more!

Audrey Press is hosting a Golden Ticket Giveaway and a chance to win an iPad loaded with the Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and several other KiteReaders books, starting on September 13. Visit the Ultimate Guide’s blog for more information on how to participate.

Tremendous things are in store for you! Many wonderful surprises await you! –Willy Wonka

Well hi. It’s been since…June, hasn’t it.

I never intended to stay away so long, but summer’s siren song pulls me in every year. Despite repeatedly writing blog posts in my head I have only photos, no words, to show for myself. I mean, it would be so easy to just pull up the chair and do a little typing when I wasn’t busy:

at the beach

or having a family adventure of one sort or another (here, our pile of climbing gear)

finding ways to pass the time with things like shadow play,

or meeting a blog friend for the first time. Heather wrote all about the day we spent together here, but she left out the funniest part, which was when a gigantic dog walked right up to her boy and stole that giraffe right out of his little hands, and started biting and chewing it. Poor little Landon didn’t know what to do, but he kept it together and the beast’s owner eventually got the stuffed animal out of the its mouth before the toy was in shreds.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Julia, who was in Boston with Heather. Bonus!

or meeting another blog friend for the first time. (Why yes, that is her daughter wearing winter-weight feet-y pajamas on an 89-degree day with 98 percent humidity. Trust me. There’s a funny story behind that, too.)

and having fun with cousins.

Oh well. Maybe next year I’ll have the foresight to just admit that I won’t be posting here during July and August. But Instagram? Well, that’s another story. I’ve been there all summer long. (as agambroult, of course)

The girls went back to school today (insert simultaneous cheers and sobs here), which means I went back to work. There are orders to fill, shows to get ready for, and two months worth of posts in my head. Yes, I have stories to tell and things to show you.  Will you come back soon? I know I will.