A few years ago I discovered solid white albacore tuna- so much better than what I had been eating all my life- chunk light. There was no going back. I have it fairly frequently for lunch and those 12 oz. cans started piling up. I happened to have a roll of ribbon next to the can and it occured to me, that might be a cool storage place for a few rolls. What do you know- it fit!

I washed the can out, spray painted it, punched three holes in the sides with my Crop-a-dile tool and added eyelets. Then I cut two strips of coordinating paper and scalloped the edges. Using my tape gun, I adhered the paper on the top and bottom edges of the can. Took a spare matboard die cut I had on hand and stuck that over the middle eyelet with glue dots. The top is made from some corrugated matboard I had- traced around the top of the can and cut the circle out with scissors and laid it on the top. The can holds three to four spools of ribbon depending on the width of the roll. So far no tangling and it just looks so cute! Not sure I will deal with the other 200 rolls I have, but it’s a start!

Tell me honestly- do I have a disorder? I can NOT go into a home improvement store without checking out (and taking) the paint chips. Like a new color might have been invented since the last time I looked!

Yesterday I went to Home Depot with Hayward. He was building a stand for a Rotary banner. I was helping him with some suggestions but he didn’t seem so receptive after a while so I wandered off to my favorite area of the store. When I see the neatly arranged and illuminated racks of color choices, I can’t wait to go through them. My bedroom needs painting desperately and I can’t believe that it’s the same horrible color as when we moved in 7 years ago. Although when confronted with so many choices, it’s a daunting task to narrow it down to just one or two…

Behr had some new colors die cut into leaf shapes with little plastic rings for you to collect the chips on. How cool is that? And the names! “Summer Breeze”, “Chili Pepper”, “Lemon Chiffon”- don’t you want to just go paint something?

I was listening to my designer friend Brenda Pinnick and her interview with Tiffany Windsor speaking on how different colors can actually help shape our moods. I was interested to hear that my favorite color, aqua, is actually the color associated with creativity. When my eyes scan the display, my eye automatically targets certain color ranges. My three year old granddaughter Trinity is into pink (or “mink” as she used to call it) and purple. No one taught her that- could it be that our color preferences, as well as taste in food, likes and dislikes are “born” in us?

Again I am amazed at the beauty in this world and how much God has given us to enjoy.

The aisles of Target and Wal-Mart are beckoning me this time of year. Yes, it is school supply shopping time. The time that every mother dreads.

Wish I could give you a big hug today. Kind of hard to do when you are in Iraq. This seems like a good time to tell you how proud I am of you. For being the son, husband and father that you are. For not complaining about missing half of your daughter’s life so far. For always sounding upbeat even in 130 degrees. For your kindness and gentleness even though you are a big tough guy soldier. For doing your job, day in and day out without a break.

I want you to know that we miss you. Every day I pray you will come back safely and there are many others doing the same. Thanks for being such a great son. I love you.

My youngest daughter,
Maryanne, is getting ready to go back for her junior year at Longwood University. She came downstairs while I was working, scrounging for containers, cool stuff and organizing ideas. This year she’s living in an apartment with two other girls and gets her own room. I had a white rolling cart which she appropriated and also a white laminate unit with three shelves. The colors we were working with are ice blue, apple green, yellow and pink. First Mary cleaned them up, then we measured and I cut a matboard piece to fit the bottom so that desk supplies will not fall through the grid. Then I cut piece to fit on the ends so that papers won’t go flying out, and then some cute little label tags. Mary punched holes in the matboard with the trusty Crop-a-Dile and used some pretty cable ties to hold everything together. I made some black foamboard dividers since black is her other color in the room.

It’s crazy! I was gone for 2 weeks and it is talking me forever to get through everything that accumulated while I was away. Honestly, email does nothing to get my mojo going. I have a bunch of projects to do but can’t seem to get in the zone.

It could also be that I have given up my very good friend, diet Coke 🙁 as of Aug.1, the day Chris returned to Iraq. It seems to be a small thing in the grand scheme of life but it’s surprising how attached you get to the stuff. I am nervous that the magnet that I always thought was funny, “Without caffeine, I have no personality at all.” is true for me.

The good thing is no headache which I thought I would get for sure.

Guess it’s time for another light Minute Maid lemonade with no bubbles or taste…