Notebook

Back when I was in elementary and high school (you know, when people walked five miles in the snow, uphill both ways), we basically “rented” our textbooks each year. They were given to us on the first day, our name was added to the list on the inside front cover, and we spent the last week of school assessing the condition of each book and receiving our fines. Bent corners were a quarter each, scratches on the cover were a dime, and marks or tears on the pages inside were a dollar. You couldn’t move to the next grade or go to Field Day until you had paid your book fines!

My classmates and I always covered our textbooks to avoid the damages that had the potential to keep us from Field Day on the last day of school. But when we made them way back when, they we no fun – no fun whatsoever! Covering our books meant taking a brown paper grocery bag apart at the seams and putting the store logo inside (facing the book) so there was a big, blank, brown space to draw on the cover. It sure wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done. ...read more

At our house, the age-old question – “What’s for dinner?” – is usually met with some groans. It takes a lot of work to find good recipes – or even recipes with ingredients that we’ve actually heard of before! Then you have to plan the meals, do the shopping, put the groceries away and THEN cook the meal…it’s a lot of work! Sometimes, because it is just the two of us, we find that it’s easier to grab some kind of take out.

But even then the question remains – what kind of take-out? Drum roll, please…I’d like to introduce to you the take-out menu organizer! It’s a simple concept, really. Each time you’re in a restaurant that you like, you grab a copy of their takeout menu and then slip into a page-protector sheet in a three-ring binder. Then, when you’re beyond starving and trying to figure out what to order or pick up, you have all the options readily available with contact information, too. ...read more

With summer coming up there is a lot for kids to write about – and they’ll certainly be in need of projects to keep them busy. So why not get your teens and tweens a head-start by whipping up an easy-to-make journal that shows off your kid’s unique style and taste? It’s a fun springtime project to do together – but also makes a great gift. 

My 15-year-old niece, Brooke, is taking a two-week trip to Europe this summer, and I wanted to make her a cute and special journal to take with her.  I’m hopeful that she’ll jot down a few lines about what she did each day to look back on it later and share with friends and family. She can even paste in ticket stubs, photos and other mementos.  I studied abroad in college and really wish I’d taken better notes on where I went and what I did - it’s all a blur now!  

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Guest Blogger Lisa Antonio is a customer service coordinator at a FedEx Office in southeast Michigan. She has been with the company for over three years and is currently in graduate school.  A fun fact about Lisa is that this spring she will fulfill her life-long aspiration to train as an ice hockey player.

With two kids in preschool not only is the artwork piling up, but I also have a drawer stuffed with school memos. As the weeks progress, these letters (usually printed on lovely pastel or bright paper) contain information that is no longer relevant. Instead of tossing them, I created a recycling bin for future projects. Now the kids and I can make homemade paper and other simple projects from scraps. 

Here are just a couple of fun and cool ideas: ...read more