A Vintage Treasure and Some Fun Links

Hi all! Happy Monday to you. We had a good weekend around here--one of those rare blends of relaxing and getting things done. And I just cleaned out our schoolroom/office/library room including the closet, so I am kind of on cloud 9.

A clean closet does that to me.

So does this:

We were walking to the park on Saturday morning and I was hoping we'd pass at least 1 good garage sale. We did! A brand new, double slip and slide for $2 instead of $20 at Target. Gotta love that. But most of all, I love this vintage phone we found for the kids.

I know, it's not a typewriter, but this will look great alongside the typewriter when I find one. (or 4)

They LOVE it.

So do I. The heft of it. The whir of the rotary dial. The coiled cord. It is so, so much better than some brightly colored fake one from the baby toy section at Target.

---This is starting to sound like a tirade against Target. It isn't. I love Target. Probably too much. Which is why it is good to not have to go there sometimes. I'm just saying that I love to give my kids the real deal when I can.---

Besides, a phone like this is a history lesson.

They have been making calls and playing office. I am super amped up now to get those typewriters and create them their own little work space. But for now, colored pencils and little notepads are working out just fine.

Moving from history to geography, this really rocks my world:

A map of the world that isn't LAME. I have been searching for one everywhere and thought they did not exist. But , oh sweet goodness, they do! I am so glad. I found the map through Sunset's home blog.

Here they are, the designers of said map, looking so cute.

I can't wait to get my world map. And maybe some others too. Visit their shop and see for yourself. They also have a blog. Take a look and be inspired by people following their dreams.

And now another completely inspiring link. Go visit this blog, Made By Joel. It is quite possibly one of the most amazing blogs I have ever read. Really, really, really awesome. Made By Joel is full of hand made crafts by Joel, of course, that are so creative you'll just read and drool. He's a dad of twin toddlers and he gets kids.

Here is an example:

The rest of the post gives further details on how to create this little darling for your own darlings. I could spend hours on this blog. And if I could make just 1 of these amazing crafts each month I would be so happy.

Go there. You'll be glad you did.

And now, just 2 random questions for you.

1. We had to take down our clothesline. It was quite ugly and falling over. But I miss it. Paying to dry my clothes when there is all this abundant sunshine is wrong. I am looking for a retractable clothesline. Anybody have one they love?

2. My kids eat an obscene amount of crackers. And yes, I am actually thinking of making them myself. It just feels like I could make some that taste good and are better for them than what I get at Trader Joe's. Sooo, does anyone have a great recipe for crackers? Or am I the only one who thinks about these crazy things?

That's it, pals. Hope your Monday shaped up to be a good start to the week. I'm looking forward to sharing some recipes with you this week and some other of this and that.

Love from,

Greta