Frank and Sandra’s Bulgarian Honeymoon

Chapter 1: Introduction

Stay tuned for more chapters to be posted over the next several days.

by sandra.

frank and i are excited to announce that we just signed a new lease at a house in ne portland.  we hadn’t really planned on moving so soon, but pursued this house when its ad caught our eye on craigslist.  it’s perfect for us in so many ways — bigger kitchen, more space from the neighbors, a working fireplace, and a spacious backyard.  we know we’ll especially enjoy it when we’re home this summer.

below are a few pictures that i stole from the ad:

by sandra.

if you watch the daily show (which you should) you’ve probably already enjoyed the humor of demetri martin.  if you’re up for some more giggles, you should rent demetri martin. person.

here are a few funny quotes from the movie:

“the easiest time to add insult to injury is when you’re signing someone’s cast.”

“my friend steve likes cats. people are always saying ‘oh, steve’s really a cat person.’ no he’s not. if steve were a cat person it’d be, like, ‘hey, steve never goes in the pool.’”

“whenever i’m on my computer i don’t type LOL. i type LQTM : laugh quietly to myself. it’s more honest.”

“hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee.”

and a few more not from the movie:

“when you have a fat friend there are no see-saws.  only catapults.”

“i wanna make a jigsaw puzzle that’s 40,000 pieces. and when you finish it, it says, ‘go outside.’”

by sandra.

because of snow and therefore snow days i’ve had much more time lately for crafting.  more importantly, though, i’ve been in a crafting mood.

last saturday i hosted the first “crafting night” at my house.  during that time i tried freezer paper stenciling for the first time.  it is just as easy as everyone says and i’ll definitely be trying it again.  here’s a link to the directions i used, along with a link to the flickr group for project ideas.  you can use freezer paper to stencil canvas/fabric bags, aprons, napkins, towels, ties — almost anything!

next i constructed a “let it snow” banner out of cardstock, embellishments, glitter letters, and old christmas cards.  we have ours hanging in our dining room. (sorry about the low quality picture.)

now i’ve gotten excited about using wool felt for constructing.  these cardinal and dove ornaments are delightfully cute (and frank loves it when i fly them around the house).  i also plan on making some coffee cup sleeves for friends and family using directions and a template from somerandomdude.net and then some mitten clips to hang our christmas cards.

my first cardinal ornament on our tree

photo from marthastewart.com

by sandra.

ever wanted to thank your child’s teacher but wasn’t sure what to purchase him/her?  below are some ideas that i have appreciated over the years.

*gift cards for a store or restuarant that almost everyone loves like starbucks, target, or burgerville (love those hazelnut milkshakes!).

*yummy homemade treats like cookies, caramel apples, or cocoa.

*a beautiful but easy to care for plant that s/he can keep at home or at school like a poinsettia or a fern.

*a card describing how much you appreciate him/her and why. (i save mine!)

*a book for the classroom.

*your time.  volunteer in the classroom to work one-on-one with students, copy, or take a project home.  these tasks are so helpful!

*a travel coffee mug. most teachers can’t survive without caffine!