Pen Pal Rundown

That's a double entendre!  "Rundown" as in overview and "rundown" as in... the general feeling at 4012 Harvestwood Court.  But, that's a good thing.  Rundown when you have a house full of kids means energy is being expended and fun is being had.  Allegra and Rebecca are getting along great... laughing; singing to the Jonas Brothers; eating lots and lots of gummy worms, sour patch kids, and chewy sweet tarts - sugar galore!; swimming; lots of crafts; and a big dose of Magic 8 Ball-reading and MASH Mania, F.L.A.M.E.S, and Crush Casters.

Maybe the best way to fill you in is to do it through it through the lenses of high, low, and aha.

High:  Today we took the girls to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Forth Worth, Texas.  We wandered through the Dinosaur Roundup, dressed up in chaps; posed for cowgirl movie posters; and rode bucking bronco rides.  On the way out of the museum I looked up and Rebecca and Allegra were holding hands.  It warmed my heart.  There was a little bit of risk involved in flying these two girls to Texas without them meeting beforehand.  It seems to be working.... so far.

Low:  Tie Dying T-shirts.  I'm going to go on the record for saying... craft projects, like recipes, should be REQUIRED to forecast prep time and "cook time."  Now, I'm an event planner by nature, so accurately assessing how long something will take is not usually a problem for me.  NOT SO for the Twisted Tie Dye Machine.  Back in the day when t-shirts were a nickel and we had to walk three miles to the store to get them... through the snow and up hill both ways... the whole shabang took a couple hours.  Heat the water, a little bit of vinegar and dye, rubber band the shirts, and hang them out to dry.  Within two hours your sporting your new shirt.  

The Twisted Tie Dye Machine is more like a Time Machine.  There's "fixing solution" that needs to sit and I suppose "cure" for an hour before the shirts can be "prepped" for tie dying (there was no prepping back in the day).  Next the die tablets (used to be liquid poured in boiling water) must also sit and "cure," but for two hours.  Then, and only then, are the shirts ready to be dyed.  Once done, they must sit OVER NIGHT in plastic bags, then be rinsed, and hung to dry.  According to my calculations... they should be done with the shirts in time to board the plane on Monday.  P.S.  We started on Friday morning.  The  best laid plans...

Aha:  Hard to say where to go with this...  Is it, that ten year old girls thrive on drama?  Nah... too obvious.  Is it... that ten year old girls still posses an insatiable curiosity that will compel them to open an emergency exit door in the middle of a restaurant - even thought it says in big, bold, red letters, "Emergency Exit?"  Nope.... we can do better.  Is it that the taste of ten year old girls can be so vast and so eclectic, that buying plastic horses, a metal lunch box, chokers, and a bag of rocks could all seem like reasonable purchases for a single afternoon?  Maybe.  But I think my real "aha" for today is that the interests, dreams, and hopes of young girls transcends geography and even generations.  I can remember being excited about all the same things they're talking about... and, yes... even still I want to know Mansion, Apartment, Shack, or House.

Side note:  Katie is sitting next to me and wants to add her "aha" for the day.  Rebecca and Allegra also love music.  It seems that today Katie learned, she is too old to know who Aerosmith is, but not too old to ask Santa for a tubal ligation.  

Signing off until Monday...

Fortuitous Friday

It's fortuitous because Free For All Friday is notoriously easier to compose than a typical day's post.  What was I thinking to believe Pen Pal Weekend flights would arrive on time?  No.  Flight number one was five hours late and flight number two was one and half hours late.  That had us two hours off our action-packed itinerary, before the weekend even started.  We got a late start and 4:55 a.m. came fast.  

I indulged myself in the snooze button, knowing today was a Free For All and all I would have to do is set the stage.  So, it's 6:30 a.m. and I was thankful for the extra sleep.

My Free for All question...  

Sunday the pen pals and their mothers (along with some other mother-daughter guests) will participate in a game show much like the Newlywed game show.  Katie and I will pose questions to both mothers and daughters testing how well the mother-daughter teams know each other.  The game will last approximately 30-40 minutes.  In that time, we expect to ask 12-15 questions.  

What are your ideas?  We'd like 7 questions for daughters and 7 questions for mothers.  As usual... you too can benefit from the brain trust by raising your own question or posing your own challenge to the group.

Calm Before the Storm

Yes, this is it.  Today marks the beginning of Pen Pal Weekend!  I have been anticipating this day for almost a year.  It was last June when I connected up two very special girls as pen pals (see March 4, Dear Mr. Postman...).  I did so with this caveat...  Exchange 12 pieces of snail mail each and earn a weekend in Dallas.  Twenty-four pieces of mail later, here we are on the eve of the big weekend.  CSPgrad.student and I have been cruising the town pulling together all the final details (Tera, it feels a little like coordinating a wedding).  I fully expect to do a full recap of the weekend on Tuesday (June 24), the day after everyone shoves out of town.

Until then... suffice it to say, there hasn't been a whole lot of time to lie on the grass, staring up at clouds.  However, due to a VERY unfortunate set of circumstances - on which I will someday report - I did have the opportunity to pause and take this picture.  I'll tease you by revealing that the picture was taken last week (Friday the 13th, to be exact) at an RV lot on the side of the road, about 17 miles outside of Austin. 

Knowing that the next few days will be very hectic, let's pay heed to Cheryl... "Deep breaths, happy thoughts."  Take a moment to relax, stare up into this cloud and tell me... what do you see?

Signing off until tomorrow when we will be tie-dying, painting pots, visiting Fort Worth, enjoying a late night swim, eating smores, and maybe - just maybe - hittin' the hay around... midnight.

Whack on the Side of the Head Wednesday: Part II

You made it back tonight

and for that I am glad

For, to be here alone

would surely be sad.

Von Oech suggests

that to whack what we think

Change things up

with sox, either red or pink.

So now that our thinking 

has surely been whacked

The seal on the dilemma

can finally be cracked.

To fully understand

and assure we don't fail

Take a minute to read 

a delivery of mail.

So... since I posted my first blog yesterday I spent last evening thinking about what I would actually do if I won the $74.  Here are my thoughts... If I had won, I would divide the $74 by 5 and purchase 15 $5 Starbucks giftcards for 15 highlowaha readers and send it to them in some creative format.  This would commemorate the 100 written blogs at Starbucks and celebrate the great readership.  Even though I didn't win, the offer is on the table if there's a way that you can think of to incorporate it into the blog.  I can also take 15 random addresses you may have from the readership and anonymously send a giftcard to them.  I, of course, would use my own money, not yours.

Sitting at my desk eating watermelon and dreaming BIG.

The author of this mail,

is a mystery to me

My only clue,

are initials P.P.D.C

Her offer is one

We must accept

It's"how" at which

you must be adept.

Fifteen cards,

five dollars each

Best solution 

for maximum reach.

So whack your thinking 

and make a post

We will determine

which works the most.

This poem never ending

might fill you with sorrow

I'll oblige you by 

signing off until tomorrow...

Whack on the Side of the Head Wednesday

So here I am... 5:15 a.m. sitting in Starbucks with a Cinnamon Dolce in one hand and my Whack Pack in the other.  It's Wednesday, the one day of the week my brain (and hopefully yours) is sure to get a a vigorous workout. 

 

Challenge locked firmly into place.  ...Now now for Von Oech's whack.

Give Yourself A Whack on the Side of the Head.  The more often you do something in the same way, the more difficult it is to think about doing it in any other way.  Break our of this "prison of familiarity" by disrupting your habitual thought patterns.  Write a love poem in the middle of the night.  Eat ice cream for breakfast.  Wear red sox.  Visit a junk yard.  Work the weekend.  Take the slow way home. Sleep on the other side of the bed.  Such jolts to your routines will lead to new ideas.  How can you whack your thinking?

"Prison of familiarity."  "Disrupt your habitual thought patterns.."  "Think about doing it another way?"  Hmmm.... I always make my daily post in the morning.  Hmmm... not today.  Today we're going to do it another way.  Today, we'll meet tonight.  Check back sometime after 6:30 p.m..  We have a dilemma to solve and I'll need your help.  Rest up, write a poem, eat ice cream for lunch.  Do something to whack your thinking and show up this evening ready to be creative.

Signing off until later today... 

To-Do Tuesday

1.  Get into the 21st Century.

2.  Post today's blog

3.  Order and drink Cinnamon Dolce, non-fat, no-whip, and heated to 180 degrees.

4.  Prepare for Pen Pal Weekend

5.  Mail treat to highlowaha winner.

Last week we were 100% wrapped up in celebrating 100 highlowaha.com posts, meaning that not much other blog news was covered.  Therefore, today must be about bringing readers up to speed on all the highlowaha.com happenings.  But, it isn't just about bringing you up to speed.  You are part of a thriving community now.  A community that, to truly thrive, must count on your participation.  So grab a paper and pen (or as the case may be in the 21st century, access your electronic management system).  I hope you'll make a few notes.

Highlowaha Reader To-do List

• Altoid Table Phrase:  We need two things from you in order to move along the Altoid table project. First, post a comment on today's blog sharing a word or phrase you would like included inside one of the 38 tins to be used (see picture below).  The phrase I will contribute, for example is, "Think Big."  How about you?  
• Altoid Table Chatchka:  Within the next two weeks we expect to fill all 38 Altoid boxes with the inaugural items.  This is a BIG deal, because we will be setting the tone for all future treats.  So, dig around your house for a fun trinket you can send.  Examples might be things such as: a fortune, a wishbone, a macth box car, quarters, a vintage ring you no longer wear, tea light, fun eraser heads, a Micro Sharpie marker, a pin, a coupon or gift card to a favorite store, a new lip balm, a scratch-off lottery ticket and the list goes on.  See item #4 for mailing address.
• Bigger or Better: Resuscitate this project, before it dies a quick death.  We successfully traded up from beautiful fish pin to a case (yes, I said case) of Sauvignon Blanc wine... delivered to your door.  Our goal is to trade up for one plane ticket, so the very lovely Cheryl can accompany me to Taste of USA's host state later this summer (state still to be determined.  See item #5).  Your item does not necessarily need to be monetarily worth more.  You never know who might be trying to build their thimble collection.  So, just post your trading offer and let's get this show back on the road.  
  
• Random Acts Postcard:  The first card was drawn yesterday to select a random recipient for the 101 Dalmatians.  To date, seventeen postcards have been received.  Each of those readers has the chance of receiving a treat in the mail.  Trust me when I say, there is a Random Act Giveaway coming up that you won't... WILL NOT... want to miss.  The only chance you'll have of winning, is to mail me a postcard including your mailing address.  You don't even have to include your name if you don't want.   My address is: 4012 Harvestwood Court, Grapevine, Texas, 76051.
  
• Taste of USA:  Up this week for Taste of USA: What's Your State Made Of are... California, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Vermont.  On deck... Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, and Virginia. 
  

In an effort to include a "creative" idea for the day, I thought I might include a to-do list tip or two.  After getting lost in a google search for way too long, I'm not sure I found anything life altering... though I did realize my organizational skills are archaic.  I'm a simple girl.  I use good old fashioned paper and pen to record my to-do list and when the task is done, I'm sure to cross it off with a red pen.  And, yes... I am one of those who writes a task on my list - even though its already done it - JUST so I can mark it off!

The extent of my creativity is creating "buckets" for my to-do items.  Rather than lump them together, I label my lists with headers such as: "Boys," "Home," and "Highlowaha."  That way, rather than one endless string of 1-100, I have three smaller lists.  Call it a mind game, but it works for me.

The most creative idea I saw while sifting through the ENDLESS amounts of information was the notion of assigning point values to each item on your list.  Determine values ahead of time and then work throughout the day to attain a certain number of points.  It's Weight Watchers in reverse.  With Weight Watchers you're given a certain number of points at the start of the day and each time you eat something you subtract the appropriate number.  With the to-do method, start each day with zero points and work to attain a particular number.  

Let's see if it works.  Your highlowaha goal for the day is to reach 81 points.  Reach it and you could receive something in the mail.

• Provide an Altoid Phrase  = 10 points
  
• Send an Altoid Chatchka = 15 points
  
• Make Bigger or Better Offer = 20 points
  
• Mail Postcard = 10 points.
  
• Click on Taste of USA and make a comment about today's state (Iowa).  Even if it's just a thoughtful comment about the terrible impact the weather is having on their community = 5 points. 
  

Have a good day = 21 points.

Signing off until tomorrow...

I'm Baked!

If you're a reader of this blog then chances are you know what I mean when I say, sometimes... every once in a while, you embark on a project simply because it is outrageous.  If you asked my husband, he would say my life is one of these projects after another - strung together by brief moments of rest.  Not true.  But, I've have been known to get involved in a few... shall we say... impractical projects. 

 

While working at Southern Methodist University, my students and I hosted a regional conference for people who planned orientation programs on their respective campuses.  Four hundred seventy-five students and staff attended the conference and, because "packaging is everything, I thought it would be better to roll 475 conference t-shirts, wrap them in ribbon, and tuck some shred under the ribbons.  Who, after all, wants to be handed a t-shirt... no fanfare, no pomp, no circumstance?  Not when, with a little effort, the t-shirt can be made to feel like so much more.

A few years ago, I worked with a handful of students to paper mache' forty-two boxes, then paint them, affix antennas and attach plugs.... and all in order to have them look like t.v.s, as part of a promotional gimmick.  The first paper mache' job didn't come out as planned, requiring us to sand them down, re-paper mache' them, and give them a new paint job.  Again... audience tune in!  Oh, I could go on (and on), but you get the gist and chances are you have plenty of your own stories.

Today I add another to the list.  A few weeks ago, Cassie and Cheryl came over for our monthly Cookie Box Baking Extravaganza.  I decided we would make Dalmatians and fire hydrants, so Cheryl could have an excuse to visit the tall, strong, and handsome firemen at our local fire stations (a silly reference to the past when Cheryl proclaimed her affinity for these civil servants).  Anyway... while we were baking I stated, that one day I thought it would be cool to bake 101 Dalmatians and give them to someone.

Then it hit me...  If last week was dedicated to celebrating the number 100.  Then it would be appropriate for the Monday after the week's celebration to recognize the number 101.  That was it... my excuse for baking the 101 Dalmatians on which I became fixated.  Have I mentioned Katie (cspgradstudent is still in town?... though she may be looking to leave... soooooooooon?).

So last night that's what we did... baked and decorated 101 Dalmatians for some lucky reader.  Which reader?  That is where the postcards... yes, the infamous Random Acts of Kindness postcards... come in to play.  Here I have 101 Dalmatians to give away and no particular person in mind.  So, right now... at this very moment... I will have Katie draw the name of the lucky dog!  All you slackers who never mailed your postcard (mailing address: 4012 Harvestwood Court, Grapevine, Texas, 76051) are S.O.L..  Oh... I know there are a few of you thinking.... "Phew, what would I have done with 101 edible Dalmatians, anyway?" Well, you could...

• Make the day of your local daycare
  
• Bring them to your next church function
  
• Surprise your neighborhood kids with a treat
  
• Take them to your local fire station...where you too can meet tall, strong, and handsome firemen.
  
• Deliver them to your local pet shop and make their day.
  
• Bundle the cookies, attach notes that say... 101 reasons I think your great... and surprise your employees and fellow staff people.

... to name a few.

So, Melanie Evans, you lucky dog.  You are the winner!

Today cookies... next, who knows.  So get your postcards in (mailing address: 4012 Harvestwood, Grapevine, Texas, 76051) the mail.  It's not too late.  It's never too late.  Round and round she goes.  Who's picked next?  Nobody knows!

Enjoy your Monday.  I'd end on a witty note, but... I'm baked.  

Signing off until tomorrow...

P.S.  Look at the fun AND EASY Father's Day cake we made yesterday!