Only three graduation gift mehndi letters this year

I painted two layers of the base coat so they were ready for middle to dry brush and then mehndi. 

The upside down paint bottles show the dry brush accent color (middle paints the background as the lightest color and then dry brushes a darker color). The pointed bottle tips show the mehndi colors.

7 yoga poses to break up desk/computer work

Yoga Stretches at Your Desk
Poses you can do at the office

Pitchers as wedding gifts

We were given a pewter pitcher as a wedding gift and it has always been one of my favorite things.

I think pitchers are sort of a lost art. Rarely given, rarely seen except in restaurants. I think they are wonderful.

I have given many different styles of pitchers (as wedding gifts) over the years.

This (picture above) is my current favorite (to give).

It is made by Armetale and sold at Macy's. I buy it when it is on sale and I have a coupon. Today the regular price was $100. It was on sale for $59.99. I had a $20 coupon. Shipping was free. So the total was $39.99 + tax.

And it is a gem, in my opinion. Really classic. Nice and heavy. Very sturdy. Blends with a huge variety of dish styles.

Take a gift enclosure card with you. They ship from the store, so you can enclose it directly in the box.

I always have my gifts shipped to the bride to be. It is very fun to open gifts as they arrive before the wedding.

Gretchen Rubin with Anna Quindlen

Loved every word.

The religious medals project of 2014

As I was in my local bead store, sorting this religious medal project, an older woman came into the shop.

She looked at my pieces, all over the counter, and said it looked a lot like her mother's jewelry box.

She asked who was getting all the necklaces. I said three were for youngest, two were for me, one was  for middle. (It might be middle has other pieces with her at school that we will be redoing next week . . .)

Older woman (at the bead store) said she was going right home and digging out her mother's box. She said she could think of all kinds of girls, in her extended family, who would love to get necklaces like I was doing.



Jewelry 101 -
The more intricate chains (below) are from the bead store. They are all soldered chain. That means each link in the chain has been soldered shut. So, every link in those chains started as a jump ring with the ends pressed together and then was sealed/soldered. (I have no idea how they do it.)

Jump rings have the two ends pressed together, but are not sealed. When a charm is added to a bracelet it is added with a jump ring. I always have those jump rings soldered shut at the jewelry store so they do not come lose nor catch on clothing.

All three of us girls are (very) hard on jewelry. A very thin chain or a chain made of open jump rings is not going to make it with us.

(The other term in case you are trying to think of it is a split ring. A key ring is a split ring. The ring over laps on itself several times over so nothing can slip off of it.)

I buy lengths of soldered chain from the bead store. All the jump rings and lobster claw (clasps) below are sterling. After we put the necklaces together, I took them to the jewelry store to have every jump ring soldered. So the jump rings attaching the clasps are soldered, so are the jump rings attaching the crosses and medals. Everything is sealed.

If we add more items to these necklaces, I will just take them to the jewelry store, they have jump rings available.




Catholic Medals 101 -
A crucifix is a cross with Jesus on it. This is a very Catholic thing. (There are some Protestant churches that use crucifixes also, but not all.)

The plain, silver cross (below) is also Catholic, it actually came from the Vatican. The one in the picture is youngest's. I put it on a new chain. Middle has a cross just like this (from the Vatican), we might be replacing her chain after she sees youngest's .  .  .

The cross with the stones in it is also Catholic because it came from the Catholic bookstore at the Diocese.

Not all crosses are Catholic. All bibles are not Catholic either. I can't tell you which are and which aren't. My personal trick is to only buy from Catholic locations.

So if you don't know the difference and are buying for a Confirmation, First Communion, Baptism, Wedding or another Catholic occasion, buy from an actual Catholic store (not just a religious store) and then you will be sure.

Catholics tend to love holy medals. Not all Catholics, but many.

Many Catholic Schools and groups give medals to commemorate participation in events. Two of the medals on middle's necklace below were from school or diocese events.

The crucifix on youngest's necklace (below) was given to her for 8th grade graduation.

When you think of  holy medals worn as necklaces, it might be that the first one that comes to mind is St Christopher. I did not know, until I read the link, that St Christopher is no longer on the official calendar (of saint days). There was not enough documentation to determine he was real.

One common occasion for medals is Confirmation. Each person (usually, not always) picks a Confirmation Saint. This saint holds special meaning for the person, or is a source of inspiration. Middle and I both chose St Brigid of Ireland, because we feel very close to Ireland (potato famine immigrants). Youngest chose St Agnes. Her feast day is on youngest's birthday. Youngest did a report on her in 4th grade and has been attached to her ever since. Oldest's is Sebastian. Husband is trying to remember . . .



This project started because my very good RCIA sponsor gave me a St Brigid medal for confirmation.

I wanted it as a necklace with a cross.

So, I started digging out things we had, made a trip to the Diocese Bookstore, came home and hunted for more things.






This is what I ended up with for myself -

This is youngest's St Agnes medal (confirmation) with the cross she got for 8th grade graduation from the church/school -

This is middle's collection. She has not seen it yet. The cross is new to her. I got it (three actually) at the Diocese Bookstore. Two of her medals are from past activities (St Martin and St Vincent). St Brigid is her confirmation saint. The other Mary medal was a gift from a neighbor and was blessed (by a Dominican Priest) at an event in Washington DC. As the bead store lady was helping me with these, she loved this set for middle. Middle tends to like slightly off beat things and she definitely likes different, collections, on the same (soldered) chain.

This is also mine. Soldered chain from bead store. I love the blue -

This is youngest's Vatican Cross on a new (soldered) chain, it is a lovely, simple cross -

This is youngest's blue cross with a second Mary medal from the neighbor (blessed/Washington DC). They are on a soldered chain from the bead store. If you can't read it, it says "O Mary who was conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee" (that is not a typo, it is Mary who was conceived without sin, not Mary who conceived without sin) -

High school graduation gift ideas for college bound kids

These are all things middle has with her at college. When I was sort of stuck in her dorm room for 10 days, I took pictures and wrote this post. Please realize that she was in a double by herself, so she had lots of room this year. She is very social, has people over or staying with her all the time. All of these things will work well for her in an apartment or house.

I added a note to all items where oldest (male) used/liked them too.





Power strips with really long cords
We order on line, 10-15' cord. Oldest had two of these. He still has one at grad school in his apartment. The other went with middle to college. Both kids found them really helpful.





Really Useful Boxes from Office Depot
Middle has the 3 liter size. The 12 in her dorm hold these kinds of thing - female supplies, tools, first aid supplies, batteries, etc. Gift idea would be to buy boxes and then fill with items or give empty boxes. They stack, they are sturdy. She has a variety of colors, but you can still see through them for quick identification. The lids lock for ease of use/stacking.

She also has a set of the tiny ones on her desk for bulldog clips, rubber bands, etc. We have the same tiny ones at home in the cubbies in the computer room.

Small color printer with flatbed for copying/scanning/printing.
Yes, universities have printers for students to use. Middle has done major bulk printing as she puts binders together for future teacher reference use. But both she and oldest also have their own printer. Ease of use for small jobs. Safety factor for middle of the night, emergency needs.





Cord caddy for desk
Really important to get a weighted one (not adhesive). Middle has one on her desk. iPod, phone, etc chargers all in one spot. Really helpful. (The link is from Amazon, but I just bought one of these on an end cap display at Walgreen's for a graduation gift for youngest's car pool girl).

Air filter
Middle has tall, skinny one in her dorm room. Another (bigger) one in her room at home. We buy the kind with washable filters (not disposable). If you are buying one with disposable filters, buy a lot of filters. They are just like bras, go discontinued regularly. Target carries Honeywell brand which we prefer. If student has allergy/asthma issues, this is a great idea. Middle's best friend has one at college too.





Strips and hooks and putty.
All kinds of wonderful adhesives now available which do not damage item nor wall. My favorite place to get them is Hobby Lobby because I can buy one at a time with 40% off one item coupon. We often give a hangable item and include the product to hang it (like middle's painted letters, or a laminated poster, etc).

Tape
Duct tape now comes in fabulous designs. Regular scotch tape, double stick tape, packing tape, blue painter's tape. If you have an arty student or a student in a major (like education) they use a lot of supplies. Yes, middle has a Really Useful Box full of tape and glue.





Shower Bucket
The ones with the best handles and compartments seem to come with an unfortunate lack of drain holes in the bottom. If they are not brittle plastic (which you would not want anyway), we put masking tape on inside and outside and drill holes with power drill (using biggest bit we have). The tape is a woodworking trick that works on finished wood and apparently plastic.

Oldest had a Dopp kit for under grad college. I think he kept all his things in it and probably just carried what he needed to bathroom - toothbrush with paste already on it, razor and cream (he does not use shaving cream, but face lotion). shampoo and bottle of face soap (has never used bar, uses same thing on body as face). He still has his Dopp kit for travel. My husband has always had one too.

Stool with storage
Middle's came from Target when they put their college stuff on clearance. I think it might have been as low as $8. As you can see, she uses it for DVD storage. This is something she will love in an apartment or house.

The main reason she bought this (on sale) was for extra seating and so short people could get to her lofted extra bed. She jumps to the lofts, but most people can't do that. . .

She has a TV at school with a DVD player built in to it (helps with space). She has movie nights A LOT with friends. Or puts on a movie, she has already seen, for background noise when she is working on a project. She can get the campus TV stations, but then she is stuck with their schedule and commercials. She can get Netflix on her laptop, but then she can't use the laptop for other things. So, the TV has been used a lot. We did not buy it, we happened to have it. It is the kind of thing one now finds in closets or on garage sales as people move to flat screens.

Oldest had a flat screen at under grad and also now at grad school for gaming. So, an old TV would not be something he would ever want.

T-Shirt fabric sheet sets
All three of my kids prefer these soft sheets, so yes, oldest used these too. Remember if you are buying for college dorm beds, need XL twin size. I buy these at Target when they close out college stuff in fall. This size works well on the girls' pillow top regular twins at home too. The extra length compensates for the pillow top's thickness.





Quick dry bath towels
I am not sure how they are made. But they do dry more quickly. Good for both girls and guys. I buy these at Target too. If you remember, I buy sheet sets and towels in the same color families so they can all go in the same load of laundry at school. When I give these as gifts, I do 2 bath, 2 hand, 4 wash.





Body pillow
Middle uses her extra bed like a couch. I bought a cute but very, thick, sturdy body pillow cover at Target. I put TWO body pillows in it (back to back) so it is very firm. One body pillow is not firm at all. Yes, it took my husband and I both to sort of wrestle two pillows in one cover, sturdy and straight, but we managed.





Big Joe Roma Chair
Yes, some kids haul couches and futons and all kinds of stuff in very small dorm rooms. This chair worked well for middle, but we did have to add pellets half way through the year. This chair works against wall or in middle of a room. It has a back to it, so is MUCH. Better than a traditional bean bag, in my opinion. It also made a great cradle when middle was sitting with her friends' baby. He was comfy and could not fall. We ordered from Walmart, because I added a couple sale packages of zip lock bags to the order and the whole thing qualified for free shipping (and it was a very big box).

Step Stool
To be honest, we are the house of step stools for three reasons.
1. We have very high ceilings and shelves/cupboards go all the way to ceiling in every room.
2. Youngest is 5' even.
3. I broke my foot stepping up on a folding chair, so we use stools.
Dorm rooms often have tall ceilings and storage up high. Middle has a folding, two step, step stool in her college dorm room. It fits between the trash can and the wall and is both out of way and easily accessible. She has same stool in her closet at home. So do I. We have small stools in bathrooms. We have a large sturdy stool in kitchen pantry. Youngest's closet was designed got her, so things are lower, but she still has a one step stool in there for ease of use. She may well go to college with a three step stool depending on set up of dorm storage.






Microwaveable clear glass dishes with lids
I like the clear glass, NOT made in China. I do not like plastic in microwave nor for (wet) food storage. I buy Anchor Hocking. (And one other company I can't remember) made in USA.

I LOVE THESE LIDS. COMES IN RED AND NAVY -

HATE THIS GREEN LID TYPE -

Dorm Pillows
All three of my kids have these at home. Oldest and middle also use at college. I gave these to my niece and nephew one year for xmas and they love them.  In order to be useful, these have to be VERY DENSE. For years I bought them on clearance at JC Penney's. I gave many as graduation gifts. I have not been able to find them at Penney's for the last year or two. And I have not been able to find dense ones anywhere. Do not buy them if they are at all soft.

Lap Top Desks
The kids (including oldest) all have these and love them. I have been giving these as graduation gifts recently. Be sure to get the one with the cushion on the bottom.

GAMES 
The pictures from below are from oldest and middle's collection. The ones on the striped rug are middle. The last picture is oldest. They play games with friends at their respective colleges. They played in high school too.

Earth Day

Earth Day is observed on April 22 and was started in the United States in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson to create awareness for the Earth's environment and to encourage conservation efforts. In 1990, Earth Day was taken international, and today, more than 500 million people in 175 countries observe Earth Day.

Shoe closet (tons of pictures)

I have challenging feet.

I do not self sabotage my body, including my feet/knees/hips/lower back/neck.

I broke a metatarsal in college. I broke a second one in the same (left) foot in 2012. I now have to have a broader, flat shoe which allows my foot bones to spread easily. So it is a bit like needing a wide shoe without having a wide foot. And I must have metatarsal support. So I need a closed shoe that presses down on the top of my feet. I need arch support pressing up too as that aligns my bones to protect my whole skeletal structure. The arch support protects my knees and hips and lower back. I am in pain almost immediately if I am not in the right shoes. In the right shoes, I have no pain. 

My feet are very slender (from the floor up). If my feet were a steak, it would be a very thin cut. My shoe guy has to pad many of my shoes. These are pads under the tongue. This helps. But I also (usually) need shoes that adjust (buckle, Velcro, tie) so I can get them tight enough.  Often we put layers under the shoe's insert to raise my foot in the shoe. Aetrex brand actually sends multiple, very thin, inserts to give fit options for each shoe.

My shoes are expensive. I have slowly built a shoe wardrobe over the last several years. EVERY pair of shoes I own is self protective. I do not have any self sabotage footwear.

I have custom inserts which I wear in some shoes (athletic and all my Aetrex). 

I have a couple pairs of store bought inserts which work in some boots and shoes also. These are not inserts from Walmart. These are inserts from my good quality shoe store.

Some of my brands can be worn with the inserts that come in the shoes. Comfort Finns for example. I LOVE Comfort Finns. I can wear a few Finns as they are made. Other Finns require my shoe guy to add an arch cookie under the insert that comes in the shoe. Finns also sell different inserts separately. So I have one pair of Finns where the inserts that came with the shoes did not work, but a different pair of Finn inserts did work beautifully.

I have a shoe guy who is MY GUY. You can see from what I said that it takes a bit of time to shop for shoes. We are looking for fit, which sometimes requires a special order. Then we have to work with each pair of shoes to see if anything needs to be customized (padding, arch cookies, extra layer of insert to make shoe more snug, etc). So, I buy shoes from (pretty much) one shoe store in town.

All three of my kids have challenging feet. They have thick feet (they would be a thick cut steak). Middle and oldest need a lot of arch support because they have flat feet. If either are in the wrong shoes, they have knee issues immediately. Youngest has high arches and needs support to have her feet actually touching the shoe. She also has tiny feet (size 4-6 depending on shoe) which are wide. We have to special order for her a lot. But all three of these kids KNOW how to shop for shoes. They wear self protective shoes also. And they have great shoe wardrobes. Seriously great. But it takes time and care (and money) to find the right shoes.

These are my newest pair of shoes. These are Finns (Comfort Finns from Germany). Really like 

them. There is a pad under the tongue to make these shoes snug enough for me (metatarsal support, you can see it in the second picture, you can't see it in real life). The inserts that came with the shoe is enough support for me. 

These (next ones) are from Naot.

Shoe store had to special order a couple sizes for me to try. I must be a common size because every time I was in, they were out of my size. Shoe guy finally said - let's just order. It was European sizing, which I have never understood, so not sure what sizes they ordered. The smaller of the two is the size that fit. The larger of the two made me look as if I were a two year old wearing dad's boots (according to middle), I was swimming in the calves and ankles. These also zip and are nice and slim through the foot, ankle and calf. Really love these. Shoe guy needed to add arch cookie under insert which came in boot and then they were good for me. I wear these a lot with leggings and dresses/skirts. Middle was with me twice (trying on the special orders) with these boots. The first time my guy was gone and another clerk did not know what to do with me when I said I needed more support. My guy (second trip) figured out how to put cookie in these boots and we were good to go. My guy is also THE GUY for both girls. He really understands all of our feet.

I have been wearing these (below) with dresses and skirts this winter. They are new also. They are some type of soft suede by Merrell. Really love them. Notice how slim fitting they are. They zip up the inside. I have to have a zip boot. Anything that is made to be slip on (for the rest of the world) is way too big on my ankles and calves.

These are Finn Comforts. I actually bought them at a shoe store in the depths of Mayo in Rochester, MN (December of 2011). These are the shoes I mentioned (above) where we had to switch out on the insert that came in the shoe to another style made by Comfort Finns. The first insert was slightly too hard and inflexible. I tried wearing them (with the insert that came with them) for a few hours a day, thinking I would get used to them. But every time I increased the time, I had foot pain. So, I packed up all my Finn Comforts and went to my local shoe store and my shoe guy (fall of 2013 I think). I said - all of these are wonderful for me, what is different about this one (new) pair? And he said it was the insert. So, he put in new insert (also made by Finn) and an arch cookie (extra support under the arch). And I was able to wear them (successfully) for any length of time just like my other shoes.

Aetrex brand. Somehow I never seem to have occasion to wear these. I bought them thinking 'dressy skirts or dresses in shade of brown'. Honestly, with my surgery this winter, I didn't wear much of anything, so next year, will do.

Also Aetrex brand. Pads under both tongues and extra thin insert under my custom inserts.

I wear and wear and wear these. Aetrex Brand, black.

These are Aravon. They are foolers, in my opinion, because they look slender, but are not. I have plenty of width room in them. Yes, suede.