A time with Friends

We had the wonderful opportunity to spend an extended weekend with some great friends up in Lincoln, ME this summer. We enjoyed fishing (Jeremie caught a HUGE one), swimming, frog catching, ice cream, boating, and most importantly some AMAZING fellowship. We are thankful for so many things, but that weekend we were thankful for authentic friendships!

Eating wild blueberries.

Walking on water.

Sharing frogs.

Alan thought he found another princess.

Ice Cream Faces.

Daisy and Cami fighting over the chair.

An otter swimming in the lake. We also had the opportunity to listen to
the Loons at night (such a beautiful sound)

Thanks to our dear friends for such an encouraging weekend!

Daddy's Sandals

I have shared a little bit about my personal "foot journey" and why I have chosen to use more minimalist footwear, and now it is time to share a little of Alan's story. Alan has an allergy to the rubber used in standard sandals. He has tried cheap Walmart sandals, Tevas, Chacos, you name it, he has tried it and the story always ends the same....with sores on his feet. So this summer, he wanted to try something different. He went ahead and ordered a "make your own kit" from Luna Sandals (which came with the Vibram sole, glue, and a leather strap). Overall, he has been very happy with them, and I think we will make a pair for each one of use next year!

First he traced his foot on a white piece of paper, then cut it out and traced it onto the Vibram sole. Then using an exacto knife, he cut the sole out.


He used the same pattern to trace and cut the leather footbed. Again, he is allergic to the rubber on the standard sole, so he used leather that we had at home. He cut it out and glued it to the Vibram sole.
Then he put his foot on the footbed and cut slits where he wanted the straps to go. The standard directions for the sandals recommend having the leather strap come up right between the toes but because Alan simply cannot stand having anything come up between his toes, he cut the slits so the strap could go across his foot.
Tying the knot beneath the sole.

The finished product and no sores on his feet this summer!

Creativity Abounds

I have never considered myself to be super creative. I mean, I keep a scrapbook (very loosely) for each of the children, I enjoy painting, I can draw stick figures pretty well, and I can sew a costume good enough for any child. Generally speaking, though, all of my creative pursuits are because I have been inspired by someone else. So, when people ask me how I got to be so creative, I tell them: "I am not creative, I am just really good at re-producing." Because most of what I do is someone else's idea.

So, here I have made a beach treasure bag for one of Kaylynn and Kalli's little friends. I was inspired by Amanda Blake Soule in her book "A Handmade Home." I LOVE all of her ideas and plan to re-create many of them in the coming months. I really enjoyed making this bag re-purposing old materials (a scrap of fabric that I loved and just couldn't get rid of...but never had a use for, leftover screening, ribbon left over from pillowcase dresses, and of course the bright orange thread). The only thing new on this bag was the double fold bias tape (which I had never used before and found it very useful). Now that it's done, my own children are waiting expectantly for theirs. I think this might be a favorite to also re-create for nieces and nephews. Oh, by the way, it only took me about 3 hours total (that includes re-doing the straps because I sewed them on incorrectly), and I am NOT an accomplished seamstress by any means so it is a great starter project!


My kids, on the other hand, are super creative and often create out of their own imagination rather than simply re-producing something that someone else has done.

Jeremie created this playground out of Popsicle sticks and paper. He stuck the Lego girl in their for good measure.


Kaylynn wanted to make something for her friend's doll. So, she decided on a sleeping bag and matching pillow. She chose the fabric and sewed the entire thing by herself. She is better at it than I am!


So, I guess Jeremie does do some re-producing (I am certain we all do). Inspired by his sister, he decided to make a sleeping bag and pillow for his Lego guy. This project proved more difficult than he imagined, and he enlisted my help but in the end he got just what he wanted.

And Daddy creates! My kiddos have learned all of their creativity from their daddy. Alan can pick up any material and make it into something different. We bought a large amount of leather because it was so inexpensive and he just knew he could do something with it. Well, here he is making the first (of many) leather sheath. He does not have any leather tools; he just used a hammer and a nail, and his imagination! This was the first one, and he has "improved" upon the design many times...since Jeremie requested he make one for his friend and also his cousins.

We love creating or re-creating and spending that time working together! What a sense of accomplishment we feel when we realize that we actually "made" that!

Firsts at 10 years

I remember my wedding day as if it were yesterday. I remember the butterflies in my stomach, the fear that I was going to trip going down the aisle, the look on Alan's face when he first set eyes on me, and the supreme elation walking back down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Alan Johnson (to the song from Grease "We Go Together"). Now, here we are ten years later and still enjoying so many new things together. As we celebrated ten years together, I was totally baffled by how many "firsts" (as in firsts since we have been married) we were also celebrating:

Our first time staying at a Bed and Breakfast (which was wonderful, and I highly recommend it).

The first time flying a kite at the ocean.

First time taking a photo of our feet in the ocean water.

The first time a complete stranger bought us drinks at a fancy restaurant.



The First time having Valet parking (I didn't take a photo of this well....because our car really isn't that nice to look at. Although, later I thought I should have definitely taken a photo of our little 1993 Geo next to the Lexus, Mercedes, and Stretch Limo).

First photo session of just the two of us. Who thinks about pictures of us when there are four super cute kiddos to take pictures of?

First time ever watching a 3D movie (we were not impressed, but hey....at least we can say we did it).

Life is so full of firsts, and after taking our weekend together to reflect on these things, I thought, "I need to do this more often." So, I have made an effort to intentionally focus on the "firsts." The BIG "firsts" and the not so big "firsts." It reminds me that I have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to. So many new and exciting "firsts" left to explore!

A video worth watching

Movie Stars

I have always wanted to be in a movie, and a few months ago, I had that opportunity (along with Alan and his brother, Brian). We were invited to be extras in the movie "Ted" (set to hit theaters July of 2012). I cannot tell you much about the filming process or even our experience (we were sworn to secrecy). I can tell you that we had a blast and that it was so fun to pretend for a day. We were welcomed by the crowd as movie stars (some even wanting our autograph). What an adventure and something to check off the bucket list. So, remember these photos next year, and hopefully it is actually a good movie!