plaid and polka dots

Last weekend, my sister took our family pictures.  I am starting to work our Christmas card (so many design choices!), and the first step was a nice family photo.  Since I found Sophie's navy and pink sweater first (thank you, TJ Maxx), I built the wardrobe for me and Josh around that.  (Isn't that what everyone does?  Plans their wardrobe based on what their dog is wearing?  Ok, maybe not, but I do.)  I opted for plaid for Josh and polka dots for me.  I like how they work together.  I'll like it even more once Sophie writes her annual Christmas letter (see 2012's card here) and I finish designing the Christmas card...

let your imagination run wild

I grew up in rural North Dakota (read more about that here).  I either was homeschooled, or I attended a tiny private school (in the k-12 school, the largest enrollment in my years there was 60 students) until I was a junior in high school (when my mom moved to Plymouth, Minnesota, and I attended Wayzata High School).  The point is, I grew up without cable TV; the 3-4 channels we had were dependent on the weather and our TV antenna was rotated in the most ideal direction (my antenna rotor and control box looked like this).  I intermittently had dial-up Internet.  I didn't have a cell phone until I was 16 and got my driver's license (because driving to "town" meant a 45-minute drive on low-traffic (because it was North Dakota) 2-lane highways).  I had a lot of alone time.  I talked to a tree in my backyard.  I read a lot of books.  I spent a lot of time in the garden, cooking in the kitchen, sewing, and crafting.  I had an imagination.  I used to think of all the things I wanted to be when I grew up (a teacher, a TV chef, an artist, a flight attendant).

In this age of googling to get an answer (rather than finding the answer by flipping pages in an awesome set of Encyclopedia Britannicas), I wonder how kids let their imaginations run wild (if they do at all).  [Disclaimer: I do not have kids.  I'm not around them a whole lot unless I'm hanging out with my nieces and nephews or my friends' little nuggets.]  Anyway, a friend posted a link to Dinovember on Facebook today, and I love it.

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Essentially, the month is dedicated to encourage kids to use their creativity.  It's like Elf on the Shelf, but with dinosaurs in November.  I want to participate, and I don't even have kids.  It's just fun.  And we all need a little fun in our lives.  Want to participate?  Follow them on Facebook, post photos on Instagram (#dinovember), and enjoy the dino adventures.  Let your imagination run wild.