{Wordless Wednesday: The Pleasure of Your Company}

Chandler, AZ

p.s. Thanks for the nudge.

{Shine On}

Sterling silver gets dark and dull with exposure to air, light and moisture. But you don't

have to resort to toxic cleaners to make it shine again. There's a cure of a natural kind that

will solve your jewelry doldrums. It's non-toxic, incredibly easy and only costs a few pennies.

The supplies you'll need:

A shallow, glass dish
Aluminium foil
Baking soda
Silver jewelry
Boiling water
A pair of kitchen tongs

And this is what to do with them:
Crumple the foil a little and put it in the bottom of your pan. Add jewelry.

Sprinkle liberally with baking soda.

Pour boiling water over top. The combination of foil, baking soda and hot water creates

a reaction that eats away the tarnish.

After a minute or so, use tongs to reach safely into the hot water and to pull out your

silver. Place each piece on a towel until it's cool enough to handle. Rinse under water

and marvel at their shiny and clean constitution. Dry them and put them away -- or on!

Another trick to keep your silver happy once it's clean -- white chalk. Toss a few pieces

into your jewelry box, and it'll absorb moisture so your jewelry doesn't tarnish as easily.

You no longer have to deal with silver cleaning chemicals that burn your nose, bother your

skin and offend the environment. And you can wear what you want, when you want.

Have a great weekend!

{Little Boxes Made of Ticky Tacky}

I've been paper crafting. That makes me a very happy girl. This time, altered paper-

mache houses. Today's the day to share the goods.

First, a note: One would think homemade gifts are a no-brainer way to skirt buying things

made overseas. But I'm fairly sure every item I bought from the big craft stores to make

these came from China. *Sigh* It's a tough battle to wage.

They are still really cute, if I don't say so myself. It basically took me three afternoons to

make these, plus time for gathering supplies. Not bad, huh?

I made one, it's in entirety, with these lovely ladies in November. Christa hosted a craft

day, and I walked everyone through the process of making their own.

From left to right: Me, Kendall, Christa, Sarah, D'Arcy, and Patti

Here's what we made! D'Arcy blinged hers out with wreaths, and she built a paper door.

(I love it.) Patti's is the second one in, followed by mine, Kendall's, Christa's, and Sara's.

Sara hand drew molding to her door frame and made an awesome, textured snowy roof.

It doesn't show well in this photo, but trust me, it rocks. They all do.

With one done, I felt inspired to make four more at home. Here's the finished product,

too late to gift for Christmas 2011 done just in time to give as birthday presents in 2012!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you're all healthy, happy and well. Take care.

{Resolutions: Last Check-in of 2011 & Reflection on the Year's NYR}

Do you remember when "two thousand eleven" sounded so far off in the distance or

when "twenty-eleven" fit better as the name of a futuristic movie title than the current

year? Time is a tricky little fox.

I am here today to make my last check-in and a final reflection on my 2011 New Year's

Resolution. In January, I set out to:

1. Make one goal each month that give me a sense of balance and make me feel like me.
2. Learn how to do some things around the house that David normally does.
3. Volunteer or donate blood, on average, once a month.
4. Do something new, different and adventure worthy each month.

It turned out to be a pretty decent NYR! Looking back I'm able to see how it went, what it

did and -- in some cases -- didn't do for me. I definitely loved that it evolved monthly to fit

where I was in the moment, and the check-ins via blogger helped keep me accountable.

More specifically ...

- #3 and #4 were the most successful and added so much to my experience and perspective

in 2011. I chose them (volunteering and taking adventures) because I want those to be

habits. Creating a conscious decision to do it monthly helped get me in a rhythm I'm

ready to continue as lifestyle choices, hopefully long after I turn the last page of my 2011 calendar. It became strange documenting volunteer work though. I stuck with it

since I set out to blog about my NYR's for accountability sake. The point is to do it,

give back, get involved in the community, and help others though -- not to make a list

of "good deeds." The adventures were fun to document though.

- #1 was okay. It got me to do some things I might have otherwise had on my "to do list"

forever. Overall, I noticed I didn't want to blog about the things I was really working on,

as they were often a little too personal to share on the world wide web. :) So, this list

became a little artificial. My best goals (and outcomes) were March, April, June, and July.

- #2 was fun. It made me realize two things. One, I can take care of business. Whatever it

is that needs doing, I can do. Whether I ask someone to show me, look it up on Google or

learn by trial and error -- I can do it. I think I needed to teach myself that this year! I also

realized I need to get hands on when learning to do something out of my comfort zone

(i.e., any thing mechanical like plumbing or pool related). Otherwise, I'll forget how to do

it. That stuff wants to zip in and out of my brain. :)

With that, here's my very last check-in on my 2011 NYR ...

1) Make one new goal each month that give me a sense of balance and

make me feel like me.

January: Blog stuff -- done

February: Technology -- done

March: Photos into albums & scrapbook -- done

April: Canning -- done

May: Was kind of a bust -- oops!

June: Practice doing a 5K (mostly walking) -- done

July: Find a fun, part-time job -- done

August: Do a simple sewing machine project -- oops!

September: Run in a 5k -- done

October: Put myself out there to find more work in my field -- done

November: Establish an LLC, a business account and basic work documents -- progress made.

December: Re-org my cloth napkin/table runners drawer & finish crafting Xmas houses

• When will I stop procrastinating? Hey, last minute or not -- done is done. On the 29th, I did a little re-org in the area that holds my cloth napkins, table runners and placemats. Nothing fancy. I mostly just rearranged it. Now, it's not crammed and you can get to everything and see it all. I love an orderly space!
• Five Christmas houses -- almost finished -- 96%. Again, I procrastinated and did this on the 31st, but they are soooo adorable. :) I ran out of the"snow" I use around their base. I'll pick up more of that tomorrow and apply the finishing touches. I plan to gift all of them in 2012. (Update: Done!)

2) Learn how to do the following things around the house in 2011:

- Clean up my PCs (May 29th)

- Clean up my MAC (worked on it in November, 50% done)

- Unclog the kitchen drain/garbage disposal (replaced disposal, no longer clogs)

- Turn off the water to the house (January 31st)

- Work the sprinklers and the drip system (March 13th)

- Add to the drip system (didn't get to it)

- Clean the pool filters (February 6th) Change pool the filters (February 13th)

- Weekly/monthly pool care (July & August 2011)

- Drain and fill the pool (February 19th)

- Fertilize the lawn before summer (March 13th)

- Properly level and hang hardware fixture with a molly (November 29th)

- Change a door hardware and handle (didn't get to it/will look it up when the time comes!)

- Relight the pilot light in the water heater (March 19th)

3) Volunteer or donate blood, on average, once a month (12 times this year).

1. Made food boxes w/ friends at St. Mary's Food Bank (January 8th)

2. Donated platelets and red blood cells (January 14th)

3. Sorted food baskets for the Bountiful Baskets produce co-op (February 10th)

4. Helped caseworkers collect items from Bridging AZ’s Hope Chest (March 4th)

5. Donated platelets (They weren't setup to do RBCs this time. Boo!) (March 14th)

6. Helped caseworkers collect items from Bridging AZ’s Hope Chest (March 18th)

7. Helped caseworkers collect items from Bridging AZ’s Hope Chest (May 6th)

8. Barb came over, and together we made 112 Cards for Soldiers (May 12th)

9. Photographed the graduating 8th grade class at Children First Academy (May 17th)

10. Donated a double round of platelets (May 24th)

11. Spent a morning working at ICM Food and Clothing Bank (June 4th)

12. Donated a double round of platelets at the blood bank (June 23rd)

13. Donated a double round of platelets at the blood bank (July 21st)

14. Donated a double round of platelets at the blood bank (September 1st)

15. Donated a double round of platelets at the blood bank (November 18th)

16. Assisted Aid Station #5 at the IronMan Triathalon (November 20th)

• I was off to such a bangin' start at the beginning of the year. I can't help but think I should've done more, but I know better than to "should on myself." So, I won't. :)

4) Go on at least one quality date a month -- whether it be by myself, with D

or with a friend -- as long as it's something new, different and adventure

worthy.

Here's a little info on the thought that went into making this goal.

January: Double feature at the drive-in theater with a car picnic. It was a really fun night!
February: Putt-putt golf. Air hockey and video games. Dinner at Chompies. Awesome.

March: Tempe Art Festival for shopping, people watching and street food.

April: Weekend stay-cation at a resort in Scottsdale. Luxurious, romantic relaxation!

May: Kayaking at Canyon Lake

June: Went to see Over the River and Through the Woods at Hale Theatre Center

July: A week long healing, communication, education retreat

August: Dinner and to Chandler Center for the Arts to see a free summer concert

September: Trip to Geneva, IL and a Warrior Dash 5k

October: Road trip to Apple Annie's in Wilcox

November: Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, first time to run a race step-by-step with D

December: Christmas Caroling with friends -- a perfect adventure in which to end the year!

Now that I've (mostly) completed my 2011 resolutions, it's time to decide what I want to

turn my attention to in 2012. What are you thinking about working on and committing to?

Good luck with your hangovers tomorrow, everyone. :)

{Family Photo Session: My Neighbors!}

How lucky am I to have neighbors who work as a police officer, a nurse and a barista.

Together, these three could keep me alive in the worst of crises. (Yes, I rank someone

with good coffee making skills right up there with those who can administer emergency

healthcare or protect me from bad guys.)

The last time they took a family photo, their gorgeous, fully grown daughter Nicole was

only seven and didn't have any teeth, they said. :) So, our super fast get together for

photos in downtown Chandler was much needed and long overdue.

Merry Christmas to Shea, Linda and Nicole. Thanks for being such great neighbors.

This was my last session for the "holiday card season" and my last shoot of 2011.

I'm looking forward to developing this little side business of mine even more in 2012!

{Jingle Bell Pop}

Happy holidays, all! I hope you're having a season filled with festivity, tradition, family,

and memory makers. I wanted to take a minute to thank all the people in our lives

for their friendship and love in the last year. You make our world a better place by being

in it! All of us over here at Link Adventure wish you a very Merry Christmas ...

It's been a weird holiday season for us this year. The cherry on top came yesterday when I

finally had to concede and admit I am really sick. I was in bed all day yesterday, getting up

only occasionally for fluids, medicine or snacks. I managed to have some face time with my

brother (thanks to Apple) and drag my sick soul into the shower and get ready by 11AM

today. Not breaking any records!

But in keeping with the holiday streak I'm on this year of blogging myself in or with silly

seasonal accessories -- I snapped a photo with my $1 reindeer headband today. :)

Merry Christmas!

I'm determined to get well, and I have a stock pile of medicine to help me do it.

And, of course, the best medicine of all -- puppy love!

So, please have a safe and happy holiday! Enjoy each other and the season in good health

and boundless joy. Cheers!

{Family Photo Session: The Wool Boys}

There's no shortage of cuteness in this trio.

The boys were comfortable enough to let their spirits shine in this comfortable

setting in their neighborhood. Their dad was spot on with that idea. Check it out ...

I love the way this session came to be --

A month or two before I got a call from Dan, I randomly left my business card on a table

filled with other local peoples' cards at Hillside Spot -- a great little restaurant in town.

He picked it up and called. Not bad for a two second decision to add my card to the mix.

Thanks, Dan! Happy holidays to you and your beautiful boys.