Mason Charlie McCollum

He arrived on his due date March 11th at 2:15am. Compared to his big brother he is darker, and has a smaller head, so was easier for his mum to pop him out. This picture was taken when he was 8 hours old.

We are enjoying the newborn smells and noises and cuddles, and he lives close by which is a delight.

our sweet 13yrold goddaughter...

Kayla lives 25 minutes from us, but has such a busy social and school life that sometimes it feels a 'long distance' relationship. So I will share ideas about her also.

Recently she went to a church camp for the weekend. It was her first one, her best friend pulled out at the last minute, and so it was a stretch for her. I expected her to stay home...but good on her she went. Knowing that she would be ultra tired when she got home, and then straight back into school and dance, a phone call from me would have not been so welcome and the answers to anything I asked her, would have been grunty...are you with me??

I gave her Dad a card to put by her bed to read when she got home. Among other things, I asked questions and left a blank to fill in the answer. ie Are you glad you went to camp yes/no? My favorite part was ____________. My least favorite thing was ____________. (yes the answer WAS food)
I met a cute guy called ___________. I learn't that God ________________. etcetc.

I also included a stamped addressed envelope for her to pop it in the mail the next day or so. Easy dont you think? I did get it about 4 weeks later......after a reminder or two!!

But when I did get it in the mail, it was so lovely to receive and I will treasure it....keeping it with other things she has made or done for me, and one day we can laugh about the memories of her first camp.

where good diggers go....

Pop and I were in Sedona AZ, after Christmas, and the road works were horrendous. But slow traffic means photo ops, and thats what I did. Our little boys would have thought they were in digger heaven if they had been with us. Digger heaven is where all the good diggers go by the way. I will print this picture on my home printer on regular paper in 8x10 size and write a little note on the sky, and pop it in the post. The boys are starting to know what getting mail/letters is all about, so I know that for a short minute they will have fun ripping open the envelope and looking at the picture. Maybe we can even talk about it more on the next phonecall..... oh and a few fun stickers or drawing on the outside of the envelope is a good thing too.

a good nights sleep....

Where did the last month disappear to? Oh maybe I had a trip to New Zealand to visit my 'long distance grandchildren' and then flew back to So Cal waiting for wee Mason Charlie to be born.!!

Let me tell you about these pillowcases. They fit a travel size pillow, which is perfect for travel, HA, and also for little ones at bedtime, to take to daycare, or a friends house overnight......

I took at least 1/3 of the stuffing out of the pillows, so they would be softer to snuggle in to. Each of the children now have a pillow with a fun pillowcase on them. The pattern I purchased from Cozy Cottage fabrics, where I work part-time to pay for my addiction. You can order online here.

They are sooooo easy to make in just a minute. All you need is the focus fabric and some fun accent fabric. Lucas is into dinasours right now, so a dinasour pillowcase will be made for his birthday next month. Its so fun. The little ones in NZ are heading into autumn and winter. I'll make sure they have flannel to be warm and soft against their cheeks.

More on Mason soon...

a quick easy valentine gift...

These are great for your grandies to carry around, easy for mom to keep them in her purse, fun for show & tell and bed time stories.


Have you got the supplies ready? Cut out a heart from the red or pink paper, and punch a hole on the edge somewhere. I doesnt matter what size heart, but if you are mailing, then take that into consideration.
Glue onto the heart a picture of someone your recipient knows.!! and who loves them. Glue one onto the back side too.

Attach them with a ring or piece of ribbon.

ready to mail...add names and a few comments if there is room. Laminating these is a great idea..!! Especially if they are going to toddlers. For sure they'll be chomped and thrown in the bathtub at some point.

Happy Valentines Day ......

grandchildren steal your heart....

Valentines day is right around the corner and there are a couple of ideas to share. This is a very small heartpillow as you can see by my car keys, ....took a few minutes to stuff and sew on a bow made from a strip of fabric.



You will find the instructions here: heart-pillow
Stay focused..!! its a great website to get lost in.

I will post another idea in a few days. You will need red construction paper, one or 2 family photos and a ring (like the one you see above on the car key)

your new friends...

Scales, stamps and packing supplies become your new best friends. For me, they need to be easily accessible and all in one place. Find out how much postage is for postcards, letters, flatrate envelopes and flat rate boxes. The last 2 items are available for free at a US post office and they can be used domestically or internationally.

If you have grandies in other countries, know the postage amounts and have a few stamps on hand.

I love www.stamps.com I can print the stamps from my computer. If its a package, I print the label and then drive to the local post office. (Sometimes the mail van is in my neighborhood, and so I stop to give it to the mail man....saves stopping at the PO) If you have it all labeled you dont have to stand in line at my PO. Can you tell I try to avoid the PO? We have really nice workers at our Brea Post Office.

You can pack ALOT in the flat rate envelope, just as long as its under 4lbs and the envelope can be taped closed. ...! It only takes 2days to get places in the USA, and just a few more to get to other parts of the world. You wouldnt believe how much we squished into this Christmas package to New Zealand.