Winner!

Congrats to Audra!!!

You're the winner of the lovely three-tiered floral Lulu headband from Head Case by G.

**Please email me your address! whimsy-girl [at] hotmail [dot] com**

♥

GeoCaching

I had my first geocaching expedition last weekend with my girlfiriends Sarah & Susan.

What fun! Check out what geocaching is by clicking HERE.

We were each armed with our own GPS units & as we entered coordinates for where caches were hidden around town (found at the GeoCaching site), we were eventually led to the exact location. It's so fun driving around, zig-zagging (& often back-tracking) to try & pinpoint where the treasure is!

We even found a fun cache that required us to write a story about our adventure. (Which actually inspired my column in this week's newspaper.)

I found my first cache at our first stop. It was a tiny bugger & I needed help getting it out. 

Apparantly some caches include simply a log & pencil for treasure seekers to sign their name & the date. That's what this one was.

Others are filled with trinkets & doo-dads like rubber noses, rubber bands & coupons for free ice cream. (Well, other stuff too. Any little thing will do!) You take a prize out & put one back in. I brought along some tiny handmade things to deposit.

Here, we say goodbye to a Betty Boop Travel Bug keychain.

Lots of fun was had & I'm excited to bring the girls on the next geocaching ride.

Oh, if you want to add me as a friend on your Geocaching profile, my name is: adventureGEEK

(Attempting a jumpy pic with my new camera. We couldn't quite get the timing right. I'm still learning the beeps.)

A lot of my photos are "close-ups" because I'm trying to honor the GeoCacher's Creed. I don't want to give any hidden caches away. (Because, there are actually muggles that might take them!)

Click HERE for a list of GeoCaching lingo.

♥

Me & Wee

BUY 2 RINGS, GET ONE FREE!

Mix & Match any rings in the shop for a sweet mommy-n-me gift for Mother's Day!

(*now through Mother's Day--May 9th*)

Custom orders available.

♥

{hee hee}

Sometimes you just gotta laugh.

And other times, you just gotta fake laugh.
(No sound was produced in the making of this photo.)

♥ ♥ ♥

'Head Case by G' GIVEAWAY!

Accessorize your noggin with lovely items from Etsy shop Head Case by G.

Leave a comment & enter to win this two-tiered Lulu headband in pink.
Drawing held this Friday morning, April 30th.
♥

Week in Review: April 19-25

I had a great time with my parents & grandmother while they were here earlier last week. And it was oh-so hard to say goodbye. I didn't think I'd get so emotional. But the pending lump in my throat the morning they left was proof that there would soon be waterworks. And there were.

I got to show them the small town life I've been living. And I even got to discover some new things: Scottsbluff National Monument, Carhenge, & one special highlight-- a visit to a farm! We laughed, played cards, I learned a new game (Farkel), we sipped coffee & teas every morning while visiting on the couch, listened to thunder & watched the lightning, relaxed on the porch in the warm sunshine, cooked together, bbq'd, & just had the most lovely time. They even got to experience my crazy process of writing & putting together my column for the newspaper & then see it in its printed format in the newspaper a couple days later. My dad (he's so cute) even bought 3 newspapers so he, my mom & grandmother could sit & read it at the same time. ((haha!))

* ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ *

This was one of those weeks full of good times aplenty. I had so much fun that it was super difficult picking just 13 pictures for my 'week in review' mosaic. (I love when that happens.)
* ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ *
 I got to go to prom! Only to people-watch & practice taking photos with my new camera. But it was fun. And interesting. I've never been to a prom before. Next time I hope to go with my hubby as a prom date & do it up proper.

* ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ *
Last week I was also officially introduced to geocaching! I am so excited--I can't wait to go again! Though it was super windy & cold, my 2 girlfriends & I managed to find 4 of the 5 cache's we hunted for.

* ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ *

I've got a busy day ahead of :

• 
  
  finishing my newspaper column for this week
• 
  
  laundry
• 
  
  packaging orders to ship today
• 
  
  doctoring my wee one with pink eye. (Bridgeport has GOT to be the pink-eye capital of the world. My girls have gotten this infection so many times since we've moved here.)

Happy Monday!

For a photo play-by-play, click HERE.

♥

辣手神探

I found these Easter eggs in my fridge today.

Their lengthy stay in the cold box left some of them feeling rather unappreciated.

Others, on the other hand, were oblivious to the extensive time lapse.

Then there were those who were confused by the whole ordeal.

And they all had differing opinions about how long is too long.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

{a farm invitation}

Last weeked the girls & I (& my visiting mom, dad & grandmother) headed out to experience farm life.

We collected chicken eggs, milked goats, went on a horse-n-wagon ride, made friends with loads of dogs, scared some sheep, pet the goats (& fell in love with "Mr. Fancy"), spotted some yak, walked through more poop then I ever thought possible in one day, rode horses, & ate homemade cookies.

Thank you, Bob & Celeste, for giving us such a special day!

 

♥

3 Projects. From 1 Magazine.

In honor of Earth Day & the subject of recycling, here are 3 easy & fun projects I think you'll enjoy!

1. Magazine Brooch.

Simply cut about 15-20 organic circular shapes ("organic" means it doesn't have to be perfect) from a magazine & crumple them up. (This is to give it extra thickness.) You can get fancy with the top cirlce shape by creating a fan-shape with a strip of paper & connecting the ends. Stack your circle pieces & staple together, along with ribbons hanging at desired lengths on the back. Glue buttons in the center. Glue a pin on the back. Wear with recycled pride!!

2. Gift Bows.

I got the tutorial from How About Orange. LOVE it! I will never buy a gift bow again.

3. Candle Props.

Tear out pages from a magazine. Roll into long tubes, using a glue stick to finish. Once you've made lots & lots, cut tubes to desired length. I used about 2" lengths to create these tea-light props. But you can use any length you want. Use tacky glue to hold them all together. A glue gun works too.

I also created a GIANT one (inspired by an Anthropolgie store display I saw about 10 years ago) that serves as some funky decor. (I even used it once to hold a small TV!)

Use your imagination & come up with some fun ways to use them!

Here's a peek at the last Crafty Night in April, where I taught all 3 of these projects.

 

♥

Happy Earth Day!

The girls & I have decided to start recycling. And what better inspiration than Earth Day? This is a new venture for us. We've already made the first step: buying some bins to keep in the garage to separate our materials. Pop cans. Newspaper. Plastic. (Less than $5 each at Walmart!)  In less than 2 weeks the "plastic" bin is half full. And we've got plans to make our first trip to the local library this week & borrow books on the subject.

{Later this evening I'll reveal the recycled projects I taught at this month's Crafty Night--made from magazines.}

♥

{best week ever}

My family has traveled for a visit...

...& I am in heaven.

♥

Week in Review: April 12-18

I spent last week cleaning, prepping & making a pretty home, shopping for groceries, washing laundry, making beds with fresh sheets, & baking in expectation of soon-arriving visitors. My mom, dad & grandmother arrived Saturday night & I'm consumed with being consomed with them. {Thus, my recent silence on this here blog.}

I don't think my parents have ever visited me before. I've either lived in very close proximity to them, or in the same house. So, it's quite different {in a super duper fun way} to have them as my guests. Their visit will be short & I am sure tears will be seen leaking from my noggin on Thursday morning as they depart.

The other big news last week is that I got my new BIG GIRL camera! I feel like a superstar. This is the first Week in Review featuring some pictures taken with my new toy. And, apparantly, I need to work on the self-portrait. Because, it seems, that holding such a large & heavy camera causes your face to retract into your neck, creating 5 exta chins, making for an un-pretty photo. Ugh. My mom looks lovely though!

*Click HERE to see a photo play-by-play.
Happy Monday!

{The drawing I mentioned that would be held Friday didn't happen. Oops. We'll try again this coming Friday, K?}

♥ Nikki