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Telling Your Story through Art Journaling
Even the best of intentions often times get tossed out the window when REAL LIFE happens. I finished my “fun” art journal in early spring (they are all “fun” but that one was just for fun with no particular theme or message), and started my new one right away. I finished the covers and decided on a color scheme and theme / message and then OOPS! Everything had to be picked up and stashed in a storage box because we finally had the time to paint the sewing room / art studio. All of which I am so grateful to have almost finished, BUT while we were in the midst of all that mess, the art journal was hiding in a cupboard, away from the paint and sawdust.
So this week, after getting everything out in the sewing room cleaned up again, I now have a place to organize and store all of my sewing and art supplies, and I even have room to work on different projects without having to pick everything up when I’m right in the middle of something. We still need to figure out what to do with that yucky old concrete floor, and we want to paint the ceiling and do a bit of trim work around the furnace and AC units, but HOORAY! I can work out there now.
One of the first projects I wanted to do now that I have room to work was to finish painting the rug that I started a week or so ago. It took several coats of paint to cover completely (of course I would start with a rug that had a dark design on it . . . but it is small and old and really UGLY so I decided to experiment on that one before I move on to the bigger rugs – if this one turns out OK!). While I was waiting for the last coat of paint to dry on the rug, before I paint some kind of a wild and crazy design on it, I decided to get back to my art journal project that has been on hold now for a couple of months.
One of the things that God has put on my heart the past several years is the importance of story telling. We all have stories, and we all need to share our stories with others, but sometimes that is quite intimidating. Instead of sharing our stories, we often hide the true message of our lives and unfortunately, lots of important stories are lost forever if we don’t tell them – somewhere, somehow, to someone. For me, the safest place to start telling my story is in the silence. Because I don’t want to hear anyone’s opinion of my story, or have someone tell me that my story is “wrong,” or that it’s not an important story . . . . so I have written bits and pieces of my story in poem and short essays that are completely and totally private. Maybe someday –
For now, I’ve decided to create an art journal in which I can have fun decorating and creating artistic designs on each of the pages, but THIS art journal will be a silent place of safe-keeping for my stories. So this art journal has lots of pockets and envelopes (which are always fun no matter what you put in them!) where I can write out some of the stories and poems in my heart and hide them in the little pockets of my journal. Then, maybe someday, if anyone is interested in my story, they will be able to discover my words. I’m telling my story, sometimes in the silence, and I am really having fun with this little project.
After I designed the covers (I just used plain old cardboard from the backs of scrap book paper packs), I decided to use scrap book card stock for each of the pages so that some of the pages already have images on them. The backs of each of those pages are plain white so I can add all kinds of fun stuff to them, and I included several altered envelopes and pockets in between the pages. One way to create an art journal is to use a blank book that is already bound, but for some reason I really like to start from “nothing” and make my own books. So in case you would like to make your own art journal with just a bit of scrap cardboard, paper, envelopes, paint, glue, ribbons, and buttons, here’s just one approach to telling your story – sometimes in the silence – in the event that you are like me and you’re not quite ready to tell the whole world what is in your heart. This is a great way to express your heart in a creative and fun project.
If you would like to follow along on my creative journey of storytelling through art journaling, I am documenting the process through a step-by-step tutorial so you can give it a try, too. My ongoing journey of discovery can be found HERE. Would love to have you join me. In the meantime, please join us for this week’s Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party. Hope to catch up with you and see what you are up to this summer!
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Please join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop!
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The Blessings of “Boredom”
“We don’t say BORING in this family!” my four year old announced one day when her Daddy asked her what she was doing as she danced, twirled, hopped, and skipped around the kitchen singing to herself. Our Daddy found her antics so adorable that he decided to pull out his camera and take a little video of her that might reappear at any moment, say perhaps on her wedding day – so you can hear his voice in the background of the video asking her, “Are you bored?”
The next thing you see is a close up of her face looking straight into Daddy’s camera announcing, “We don’t say BORED in this family!” Hands on hips and a determined look on her face, she then turns and twirls back into the middle of the kitchen floor. Well, alrighty then. Sorry I asked. Except that the next sound you hear in our little video is both Mama and Daddy bursting out laughing because it suddenly became abundantly clear that she had heard Mama’s voice reminding the two Littles that there is always something to do, so it would be a good idea never to tell this Mama that you are BORED.
This summer, now that both of our youngest girls are teens, it is still a challenge to keep them busy but not TOO busy. It is a balancing act, teaching them a strong work ethic while allowing time for fun and family activities, and making sure there is time just to “be bored” – but not “lazy.” I guess mamas have to be rather intentional to juggle all of those requirements!
Having been a mama for a pretty long time, I’ve seen many changes in childhood activity from “back in the day” when I was a kid, and then my own older kids (who now have kids of their own), to our teenagers now. Of course, there is the technology aspect that has been debated and discussed more than any of us need to hear any more. At least in my opinion. We all know that it is not good for anyone to spend a huge percentage of their waking hours looking at a screen (she writes as she is looking at a screen!). But online interaction is a necessary part of our lives these days for work as well as entertainment and general communication.
We need to be reminded, however, that there are LOTS of other things in life that are important, and perhaps our kids need to learn the “blessings of boredom.” Because when you are “bored” is a time for a bit of introspection, discovery, creativity, and growth. When we over-schedule our kids’ lives it not only makes Mama exhausted, but it leaves our kids believing that life is all about “being entertained.” There is then an expectation that parents’ primary task in child-raising is to provide hourly adventures, daily distractions, and weekly experiences that will keep them “happy.”
Unfortunately, in the real world, that is not how life will treat them. Living in the real world is actually one of our first responsibilities as parents (the first being to keep them alive, then fed and clothed, educated, and protected from REAL danger all around them). When I was a kid, I’m sure it never occurred to my parents to wonder whether or not I was “happy.” Didn’t kill me, and in fact, I learned from an early age that I am not the center of the universe. There are other people all around me who also need to be acknowledged and respected – everything going on in the world is not about me, and actually, what other people are doing is just as important as what I am doing.
I’m also pretty sure that it never occurred to my parents to find ways to “entertain” me. Playing in the woods behind our house, building a “fort” out of old logs, boards, and stumps and filling it up with old tins and pans that had been discarded from our kitchen kept me “entertained” for long summer days for many summers of my childhood. Finding an old piece of board in the back of the garage with peeling paint and cobwebs made a perfect kitchen shelf in my little “fort” for all those treasures Mom tossed out. I learned problem-solving skills when that blasted piece of board wouldn’t fit between the branches of the trees on the “kitchen” side of my “fort” so I had to completely rearrange my WHOLE forest home just to accommodate one shelf. Sounds kind of like real life to me on some days.
There is so much research available on this topic that I could write twenty blog posts about it, but I was just thinking about this dilemma yesterday as my girls were grumbling about helping me dust the family room and rearrange the furniture (see I learned at a very young age how therapeutic it is to rearrange your little corner of the universe!) – “Well, what do you WANT to do,” I asked as we shoved the couch out from the wall so they could vacuum up the dust bunnies and popcorn kernels that had been dropped there the other night. “I don’t know,” was the eternal answer. Really?!? Then this works! “Grab the vacuum sweeper and the dust cloth and get busy!” I announced.
Just remember: never say BORING in this family or there will definitely be a boredom-buster immediately available from this Mama. And when you aren’t learning to respect your home and family, take care of your possessions and help your family take care of all that God has blessed us with, THEN you can have the “blessing of boredom” to read a book, or take a walk, or lay in the grass and stare at the clouds and wonder about who you are and Who God is, and discover that there is way more to life than being entertained or dodging the realities of the world which include such things as chores.
Come on along and join the rest of us in the real world – and as parents we would be giving our children a priceless gift by teaching them how to function in that real world where no one is going to care if they are happy and there is certainly not going to be free entertainment. That’s not the way God made us; work is a gift and we need to teach our children to respect that part of life. And when there is down time, don’t feel obligated to fill it with too many obligations. Relax and enjoy the “blessings of boredom.”
While you are taking a break and having a bit of downtime in your day, why not join us for the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party – it’s a great way to make new friends and learn new stuff. Hope to catch up with you at the party!
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Please join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop!
Please take the time to get to know ALL of your hostesses
Favorite Things: Sewing Room Make-Over
I actually hate posting pictures of my life when everything is topsy-turvy. Probably because I try so hard to keep things rather orderly and tidy with a daily schedule to make sure everything gets accomplished in a timely manner – like paying the bills and doing laundry and all that boring stuff. So when reality hits home and there is simply NO WAY to tackle a HUGE MESS without muddling around in it for a while, it makes me really unhappy. Well, maybe more annoyed and anxious than unhappy, but still I hate it. So when we moved into this house, we knew that there were projects that would be way too big to accomplish in one day, or one weekend, or even one week, and usually (given all the other realities of life) not even in one month.
Look at that UGLY concrete wall!
My sewing room is really big (YAY!) but it was once upon a time the garage. Then when the previous owners built on another garage, my room then became a wood working shop – complete with concrete floor, stain-spattered walls, exposed air ducts, furnace in the corner by the concrete wall that is the back of one of the fireplaces, and unfinished walls, cabinets, and counter tops. When we moved in it was pretty clean but still . . . it was not really a place where I could work without feeling kind of creepy-crawly and wondering what was lurking in the corner behind the furnace.
I’m not so good at selfies, but here you can see the piles of JUNK that landed in this corner while we worked on the other corner
We washed the walls, swept and washed the concrete floor, washed the doors and windows, put up fresh curtains and throw rugs on the floor. That helped, but we knew that just as soon as possible we were going to paint the walls, and eventually the ceiling, and do something with the floor. No matter how many times I would clean things up, sort and organize all of the junk that had accumulated over the past several years, it was still a HUGE MESS.
Part of the reason for that is because I have so much STUFF that I have acquired for different projects that then were put on hold and everything got stored in the garage or for a while we had everything in a storage unit while we were in the process of selling our other house. I’ve had a ton of stuff given to me by friends and family, for which I am grateful, but the problem becomes pretty serious when you have everything stored somewhere else – you forget what you already have, or you can’t find what you already have, and when you are in a pinch and really NEED something (that you know you have SOMEWHERE but can’t get at it) – you (well, me, actually) go out and buy more. More fabric, more ribbon, more STUFF.
You can see how ugly the cabinets on the bottom were before we painted them – really yucky!
And then there is the STUFF that I’ve had for 20 years that I just can’t part with because I might make something out of it some day – no, I am not a hoarder, but I did grow up with a mother who was a child during the Great Depression so I was taught very early in life not to waste anything. So I keep little scraps of fabric and ribbon and lace and stray buttons. And I actually do use much of that stash when I can get out there and work. Which I haven’t been able to do because there is so much STUFF that got shoved out there when we moved and then when we painted the guest room everything from that room landed in my sewing room . . . . so on and on and on it goes, until there was so much accumulation of stuff in that room from all over the rest of the house as we painted other rooms, that I simply could not function out there.
This is a wonderful cutting table / work table that was made from a heavy door and you can see the yucky blue paint on the cabinet doors and drawers below – we used it as a work surface to paint all of the ugly cabinet doors this soft, light spring green to match the walls, and the rest of the cabinet is now painted antique white. More pictures later! I wonder why the garden hose sprayer is on that table . . . . .
So this is my journey from avoiding the HUGE MESS in my sewing room to making it a very happy place to work. It’s not finished yet, but we are making great progress. Here are a few pictures of the project along the way, with more to come. Have you ever had to deal with this kind of HUGE MESS? Does it bother you to have things all topsy-turvy? I know it doesn’t bother some people but it really makes me feel claustrophobic, so this project really needs to be finished SOON! More pictures later. In the meantime, join us for the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party, sponsored by Katherine’s Corner. Hope to see you there!
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Please join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop!
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Favorite Things: Paint your rug!
I guess the old saying is true . . . you learn something new everyday! But then again, it is also true that there is nothing new under the sun. While we were painting the cabinets and drawers out in the sewing studio the other day I looked down at the floor (which really needs to be painted too, but that will have to wait for another day), and realized that the area rugs we have out there are still in pretty good shape but they look UGLY. Even after we steam cleaned them, there are still stains from a variety of different projects and day-to-day activity that are just never coming out. Things like a black magic marker scribble from some little girl on her daily creative adventure, paint splatters from the art journal project, and various other drips and drabs that show up over time on an off-white rug.
This one is from Pretty Handy Girl where you can find the tutorial.
This rug was originally used in the master bedroom of our previous house, and it stayed quite nice in that setting – but because the floor in my sewing studio (used to be a workshop for the previous owner who was a wood worker) is concrete, and we didn’t really need the rug in the bedroom or any other room of the house, it made sense to use it out there. But it has now become truly ugly and a real mess, even when it is actually clean. So, I was looking at the rug and looking at the paint brush in my hand and I suddenly wondered, “Would it be possible to PAINT a rug?” Seemed like kind of a weird idea to me, but then it is not uncommon for me to have weird ideas when it comes to “making stuff.”
I thought about it for a couple of days while I was out there working, and then I decided I could just try it on a corner to see what would happen. I figured, how bad could it be? After all, it looks terrible right now and I can’t afford to buy a brand new area rug, so I figured it would be worth a try. But before I could do that, I thought . . . . I wonder if any one else has ever had this weird idea? So what would any smart girl do? Google it!
And that’s when I realized that perhaps all of my weird ideas might not be so strange after all. LOTS of people have painted rugs, including professional people who actually know what they are doing. Well then, I guess I’ll be painting my rug! Here are a few examples I found (there are a gazillion, but these are the kind of design that I’m thinking will work for me), including (ta-da!) paint splatters, polka dots, abstract and floral designs. I can’t wait to give it a try!
By the way . . . all the rugs that look just like this cost between $400 and $500 for the size I need. Maybe someday but for now we still have two teenagers at home so that kind of expenditure for our family is not going to happen any time soon!
This one is probably my favorite because there are already paint splatters on the rug now!
Have you ever painted a rug? Did you even know that you could do that? I’ll be sure to post some pictures when mine is finished – I HOPE, I HOPE, I HOPE that we can finish painting the walls and cabinets out there this weekend. Part of one wall is concrete block because it is the back side of the fireplace in our family room so that will take a TON of paint, primer, sealer – but it is only PART of ONE wall. Off to the sewing studio to work on painting again! Hope you are having a great week – be sure to link up for the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party and share your latest family-friendly blog post. See you there!
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Please join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop!
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Favorite Things: How to post to Instagram from your computer
After several years of blogging and other social media “experiments,” I’ve learned a lot. Mostly I’ve learned (by trial and error) the techy stuff I needed to know to accomplish whatever I was working on at any given moment in time. And having not grown up with a computer and keyboard from the age of 3, that learning curve was rather steep at times. So far, however, I’ve managed quite nicely I think for a Vintage Mama!
Unfortunately for some of us, those techy miracles just keep spinning out faster and faster, and it is challenging to keep up with all of the new opportunities to connect with one another, to build a platform, to create a brand, and just to keep your head above water while navigating the ever-changing terrain of social media. Blogging was fun, but then it became like a competition to see who had the most comments, likes, followers, and readers. There are even blogging conferences these days for the most successful bloggers, and everywhere you look someone is trying to sell you their “10 Ways to Start a Successful Blog.”
Too bad I didn’t know all that stuff when I first started just writing about my family, my hobbies, by art work, my kiddos, my home and garden. I might have been successful, too! But before you can even catch your breath from one new social media opportunity, along comes something else to spin your head around. I know that some bloggers feel kind of overwhelmed with it all. I know I do, and I’ve read other blogs with the same kind of anxiety. But here is where the old news comes in handy – a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step . . . . and, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time! So much for cliches, but they are both true.
Although I can’t recall in what order I became aware of these various new and amazing social media opportunities, but since I couldn’t jump on everything all at once, I’ve taken my time to learn about different platforms, so all of this might be really old news to you, but I think this is a relatively recent development since my research would indicate that the ability to post to Instagram from your computer has only been available since the beginning of this year.
But remember – I’m a Vintage Mama, so I’m not exactly always up on social and cultural trends. It took me a while to even begin using Instagram, but once I figured out how to post pictures from my phone camera, I got all set up. But I’m not a whiz bang kid using the text function on my phone (like I am on a keyboard which I’ve been using since before you were born!), so it was always kind of cumbersome to try to take a picture, edit it, post it and then type out a caption all from my phone. I did it, but not very often because it just took too long. I’ve got a lot of stuff to get done in a day and couldn’t invest that much time on one little post.
So when I came across a post a couple of weeks about about posting to Instagram from my computer, well that just made my day! Somehow or another I have way more followers on my Vintage Mama’s Cottage Instagram account than I have followed back (I know, I need to get busy and do that soon!), so I feel like I need to put something out there once in a while. Maybe I’ll post over there more now that I can do it from my computer.
In any event, if you don’t know how to post to Instagram from your computer and you would like to learn, here is a link to a helpful post: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-post-to-instagram-from-a-computer/
(Apparently, I just discovered, this option has only been available since May, so perhaps I’m not as far behind the rest of the world as I thought I was!)
There are actually several articles, mostly written by techy folks, that will walk you through the steps. But since lots of us are just ordinary moms who want to post a picture to Instagram from our computers without learning a second language, here’s what worked for me . . .
The only browser I figured out was Chrome, so if you want to use something else, follow the link above. Otherwise, here goes:
- Open a new window in the Chrome browser
- Click on the three little vertical gray dots way up in the top right corner of the window, right next to the address window
- When the options box opens, click on the third option down, “New Incognito Window”
- That will open a new page that will be all black
- Click on the three little vertical gray dots again and that will open a window on the right side with more options – about 2/3 of the way down on that list of options, click on “more tools”
- That will open yet another window off to the left side of the option box. Click on “Developer tools” at the very bottom of that list
- Now a large white box / window will open on the whole right side of your screen – there is a bunch of tech talk but just ignore that – click on the icon at the top that is just to the left of “Elements” (it looks like to rectangles, one large and one small)
- NOW login to Instagram from that same “incognito” page and you will be able to access your account from there.
- If you don’t see the little camera icon at the bottom of your home page on Instagram, click that little double-rectangle icon again. Now you should be able to go to the bottom of your profile page, click on the little camera icon and post from there.
- If this doesn’t work for you, check out some of the other posts that are out there on how to do this. I fiddled around with it for a few minutes before I got it to work for me, but if I can do it, so can you!
I hope this is helpful to you – I was so happy to discover this new way to work that I just had to share it. And if it is old news to you, well, just chalk it up to the fact that I am, after all, a Vintage Mama and sometimes “old” stuff is still pretty good!
For today I’m going to hang out for a while with my friends from the Favorite Things Blog Hop and Linky Party – hope you can join us!
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Please join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop!
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Favorite Things: Pretty Mason Jar DIY Ideas
Really . . . who hasn’t heard or seen a gazillion ways to paint and decorate Mason jars? All you have to do is click on Pinterest and search for Mason jar crafts and you’ll find every different way to use a Mason jar that you never dreamed of before.
But it is still fun to come up with new ideas of how to embellish these pretty jars (although if I had a shelf-full of those gorgeous blue Mason jars, the last thing I would do with them is to paint them or in any other way change them . . . . but for the plain old ordinary Mason jars, that’s a different story!) especially now that we are making progress on painting and reorganizing my sewing room / design studio. I’m looking for all kinds of ideas for using jars of all shapes and sizes for storage, plus just for looking cute on a shelf.
So as I was out visiting some of the other bloggers in last week’s Favorite Things party, I came across a few ideas that I think I’ll try since I’ve got all of the paint, ribbon, buttons, beads, twine, lace, and all kinds of other stuff sitting on the counter tops waiting to be sorted and put away. Some of my favorites are really practical, and some are just pretty, but they have all inspired me to add more Mason jars to my collection.
Sewing Kit in a Jar
from My Chic Adventure
Even if you don’t need to make tiny sewing kits (although this is an adorable idea for a beginning seamstress!), think of all the different ways this idea could be put to good use in a sewing room! I already keep my buttons in jars, but this little pincushion on top just adds a touch of whimsy that is perfect – guess I’ll be dressing up my button jars soon!
Vintage-inspired Embellished Mason Jar
from Vandagoes
Tea, coffee, ribbon, lace, buttons, beads . . . . whatever you need to organize and store in your home, having a shelf filled with these adorable vintage-inspired embellished Mason jars would be practical and definitely pretty!
Mason jar paint brush holder
from Birchbox
This might be just what I’ve been looking for to keep my paint brushes, markers, colored pencils, and gel pens organized. I’ve used pretty mugs before and that works OK, but if I paint a few jars to color-coordinate with my newly-updated sewing room / design studio, that would solve one storage and organization problem and look pretty all lined up on the windowsill or shelf.
I love the look of painted white jars with burlap and rhinestones . . . that’s just me . . . but some of the more colorful jars are really making me think twice about all the different ways to use these versatile little treasures. I’ve found so many other ideas for storage and organization using painted and embellished jars, that I can’t wait to finish the painting project. Looking forward to working on that more this weekend – and in tomorrow’s post I’ll share a few more storage ideas that I’ve found. Won’t be long and I’ll actually be able to get back to work on my own projects! Can’t wait to get THIS home update project behind me.
So for this week’s Favorite Things Party, I hope that I have inspired you to give this “old” idea a “new” twist. I would love to hear how you have used Mason jars in your home, kitchen, studio, or any other place that they come in handy.
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Favorite Things: Red, White, and Blue
On Monday we had the privilege of watching the Memorial Day parade on Main Street in Our Little Town. As the young and old veterans walked behind the high school band playing the school fight song, and the Boy Scouts roaming around trying to stay in formation behind the mayor, and the vintage cars cruised slowly along beeping their old horns, I was reminded of a new song that my teenage daughter listens to every time we are in the car these days.
“May we all get to grow up in our red white and blue little town . . . . May we all get to see those fields of green turn gold – Watch a marching band play with the harvest moon coming up . . .” * Even though it might not be “cool” by some people’s standards, living in our own “red white and blue little town” certainly offers us all of the blessings that we want in life.
Later on in the evening we walked over to the courthouse square to participate in a flag retirement ceremony sponsored by the local US Marine Corps veterans. As the men’s choir sang “Glory, glory hallelujah, His truth is marching on,” and an elderly veteran, leaning on his cane, made his way to the microphone to offer a prayer of gratitude for our freedom, I found myself with tears streaming down my cheeks. Then, suddenly startled by the loud “BANG” of a 21-gun salute, I was in awe of these men who had served our country to protect our country.
As they read the list of those who were no longer with us here in Our Little Town, there was a hushed silence as the smoke rose from the furnace in the center of the crowd for the honorable disposal of flags that have flown over the graves of the those men and women from our community. And then, from the top of the stairs leading up to our court house, a young woman stood and played Taps. With all of the ceremonial display of loyalty, sacrifice, honor, and service to our country, we celebrated our nation and those who have sacrificed so much to protect our liberty and freedoms. I was honored to have the opportunity to witness such a moving ceremony.
So in celebration of the Red, White, and Blue this week, I found several fun ideas for DIY projects and recipes that will keep us focused on the gift and blessing we have been given as citizens of this country. Take a look at some of the great blog posts I discovered in my travels!
* Song lyrics from “May we all” by Florida Georgia Line and Tim McGraw
Patriotic Wreath from Bandanas
Patriotic Rag Ribbon Garland
Patriotic Layered Citronella Candle
Hello Summer Retro Style Hoop Art
Patriotic Printables
DIY Patriotic Felt Wreath
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Favorite Things: Memorial Day
Growing up I always heard talk about WW2, but never thought much about it. Of course, as a kid there was no reason for me to worry about things like war. Even in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis all of the kids I knew didn’t understand what was going on . . . but our parents did. I do remember having drills where we would all curl up underneath our school desks with our arms over our heads. As if that would help. And bomb shelter signs posted around our village (again, I wonder now how much good they would have been had there actually been a real bomb).
The world can be a dangerous place, but for all of us kids during that time, we went about our business of riding our bikes down big hills and crashing into trees, and getting our behind whipped all the way back up that big hill for disobeying Mom and going to the lake. When she found me there, it was not bombs I was worried about on that day! We built forts in the woods, and shacks in the trees; we played hide and seek under the willow trees, and set up housekeeping with all of our dolls under the shade of those old weeping willows. Living on a country road that led to nowhere, it was a pretty carefree life, although there wasn’t much in the way of “frills.” Who knew? Not me!
But when I got to high school, that’s when I began to notice what was going on in the world. How could I miss it? The Boys of September were marching off to a strange country I had never heard of – Viet Nam – many of whom never returned, and those who did were missing limbs, or other body parts, as well as missing their youth and innocence. Those boys who did return home, were treated with such disdain, disrespect, and downright hostility. I will forever remember watching those broken boys in uniform marching home while those who stayed home where it was safe would shout and spit on them. The blessings of freedom are not free. There is a price to be paid, and although I will never be able to pay my debt of gratitude, I will not forget.
This Memorial Day, please remember. And show your appreciation for the sacrifices that have been made by every generation to keep our nation a Land of Liberty. Let them know that we did not forget.’
My small token of remembrance is this FREEDOM banner that I created for our home. If you would like to make one for your home, I have a free tutorial that you can follow to make your own FREEDOM banner so they know we did not forget.
Patriotic “FREEDOM” Banner
Celebrate our nation’s special holidays this summer with this fun Patriotic “FREEDOM” Banner from Vintage Mama’s Cottage. Made from scrap book paper, ribbon, cut out letters and miscellaneous embellishments, you can display it all summer on your porch or patio. Make one with the kids or grandkids, and use your imagination to decorate your own Patriotic “FREEDOM” Banner.
Make your own Patriotic “FREEDOM” Banner with this FREE tutorial from Vintage Mama’s Cottage.
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Please join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop!
Please take the time to get to know ALL of your hostesses
One of my favorite things: Middle School Field Trip
Tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. we will be boarding a whole fleet of school buses for the end-of-the-year field trip. We are going to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village for the day and will not return until 9:00 p.m. tomorrow night. Long day. But fun, with 400 8th graders and all of their energy, enthusiasm, and goofiness. The kids are so excited, especially our Annie Bug. We’ve been discussing this trip since the school year started, and it is finally here.
Because I will be away from my computer for a whole day (!) there are several projects and deadlines that I have to address today, so not much time to stop between tasks. Gotta keep moving, and this evening we will be making sure we have everything ready to walk out the door, hopefully, by 5:00 a.m. It is amazing how many preparations mom has to make just to go on a one-day field trip – plan the food, make arrangements for the other kid to get to school and come home from school, make sure everyone has EVERYTHING they might need for one whole day, finish the laundry so everyone has clean clothes, pack the tote bags for the day, and figure out how to pick up the truck that is in the repair shop, AND pay the bills before I can go.
By the time I get on one of those buses tomorrow morning, I’m going to need a nap. Fortunately it is a three hour trip so if the kids keep themselves occupied for a bit, I’ll be able to check out at least for a little while before we get to our destination. I’ll post pictures next week of our trip. In the meantime, I hope you will join us for the Favorite Things Blog Hop. I will do my best to pop around to visit some of you next week, after I recover from my field trip adventure with this group of loud, messy, amazing, beautiful 8th graders. Wish me luck!
Please join us this week for the Favorite Things Blog Hop!
Please take the time to get to know ALL of your hostesses
