A good place to start… Come on in!

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Ann

Today I am sharing a bunch of my favorite posts strung together with info about me and Doodles and Jots’ trajectory. I think my tag line says it best: Ideas for, diversions from, and celebrations of family life from a creative mom. You can also get to know more about me by checking out my About page, My ABC’s post, and Pregnancy Test Trees and a Pickle Baby (about me becoming a mom). I started this site in October 2011 with the encouragement of my sister who is a long time, successful blogger at Life Learning Today. Her blog is full of great advice on healthy, happy, purposeful living. Definitely check it out!

To read more about why I started this blog and my thoughts on the benefits of blogging, check out Why I ♥ Blogging.

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Dreams of Darwin

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Ann

Lily of the Valley

…from my backyard

My backyard has such a nice sweet smell lately! So many plants, bushes, and trees are flowering. This is the smell of spring that fragrance companies are going for but can never quite achieve.

I’m enjoying it and it seems to be driving the pollinators wild! The bees, butterflies and other buzzy things are very busy back there. I just try and stay out of the way of the bees. Bee stings really hurt!

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Butterflies and Books

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Ann

When we were kids, my younger sister would gently pick up butterflies by their wings to take a closer look and then let them go. Insects are fascinating to little kids. We have been seeing lots of new insects in the backyard lately including butterflies, bees, and other buzzy things.

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Blooming Bookmarks

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Ann

Are you in need of a handmade Mother’s Day gift idea? Does your lawn need weeding? Does Mom love quiet reading time?

I saw this idea on Pinterest for transferring the pigment from leaves onto paper and I thought, “gee, that should work for flowers too!”

So, how about trying this…

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Ultimate Baby Nursery Wishlist (accessories)!

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Ann

Rockin' Mama (felt-tip pen on marker paper)

A few months ago I shared with you my Ultimate Baby Nursery Wishlist. I am pretty sure my family is complete but I love babies and had a blast pretend shopping at the Land of Nod.

As a product designer, I really appreciate their design aesthetic. Their selection of quality furniture is clean and modern yet also warm and inviting. In this list I am going to accessorize my Ultimate Baby Nursery Wishlist selection. I am thinking of my furniture picks as the foundation and here I am going to bring this baby nursery to life and give it personality. This is REALLY the fun part!

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Which utensil are you most like?

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Ann

Discovering what makes you special and learning to embrace it is the basic theme from the picture book Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal illustrated by Scott Magoon. It is told from the unique, novel, cute, and a little funny perspective of a spoon and the illustrations are a perfect match. My kids and I loved this book. And we were so excited to follow it up with Continue reading →

Out-like-a-lamb

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Ann

Hand-made Easter Gift

It’s the last day of March! Are you excited that winter is over? Are you enjoying some Out-like-a-lamb weather and looking forward to Easter (just one week away)? Are you in need of a craft to get you into the Spring Holiday spirit? Do you love handmade gifts for kids? Well then do I have just the thing for you!