I’ve been lurking in the corners of Petit Elefant for a few months, here and listening, but not participating in a way you, as readers, can see. I’ve been going through some health stuff, privately, and I’m ready to be back here in this great community, better than ever. I have a lot of feelings about a lot of things, almost all of them completely happy and joyful and peaceful, totally wonderful. I’ve hesitated sharing anything quite yet, but I…
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Kids are the best, right? And sometimes the worst, let’s be real. Whenever I begin to fret about their choices and about whether or not I’ve taught them too be good, kind people, I remind myself of this: they were born good people. Kids have instincts and senses we often underestimate as adults. Leave it to those tiny bearers of truth to lay down the hammer in this domestic violence PSA filmed by an Italian media company. Though there are some…
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This treasured photo of my daughter is what started my friendship with Justin Hackworth, photographer and maker of art. It was taken for his 30 Strangers Project in 2009 and is one of my most valued possessions. Justin also photographed my baby sister as a bride, isn’t she stunning? Justin and his most lovely wife Amy have since become dear friends, much to my pleasure, and we’ve made some amazing memories along the way and hope to make many more. They’re just…
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Snowshoeing is saving my life. And probably my marriage. And my family. And my sanity. Well, all that is probably a bit of an exaggeration, but it is 100% true that it’s made my life much better for 6 months of the year. It’s like this. 7 1/2 years ago we left our cute little home in the Salt Lake Valley for another cute little home in the Snake Rive Plain. I loved all kinds of things about our previous…
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“I didn’t know where I was going until I got there.” –Cheryl Strayed I saw the movie Wild this weekend, and I’ve been contemplating my life and my relationships and searching my soul ever since. 2014 has been a little rough. At least for me. There have been plenty of high points and I’ve experienced lots of joy, too, but there was a lot of tough stuff happening in my life this past year. The cry until you collapse, ache…
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When my husband and I were newlyweds, we started acquiring Christmas books, children’s books, mostly. We add a new one to the stash each year or so, and when the tree trimmings come out of storage, so do the books! I’ve read that some families wrap their Christmas books in festive paper and open one each night in December leading up to Christmas, but we prefer to put our collection out in a basket so all the books can be…
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Let’s be honest, binge watching all my favorite holiday movies is pretty much the best tradition ever. A tradition that requires zero effort other then plopping down on the couch, or my bed if I please, tuning up ye olde dvd player and settling in for the night. I am all about the minimal effort when it comes to the holidays and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t participated in this tradition several times already. Some people hit the…
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This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of Olay. Photo credit: family selfie taken by me on a frozen lake in Spokane, Washington Did you know that Photobucket isn’t just a resource for finding stock images anymore? It’s true, Photobucket is also a super easy hub for making any and all things photo product related. You want gorgeous holiday cards? They got holiday cards. You want a slideshow? Photobucket has super easy to build slideshows. Remember how I shared some…
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Who else doesn’t have all of their shopping done for the holidays? I hope I’m not the only one! Don’t despair! Last minute gifts aren’t that hard to come by. Moms do a lot right? I think they deserve the best when it comes to Christmas presents. Let’s give the moms (and other important gals) in our lives the greatest Christmas ever with these awesome gifts under $50. I’m not going to lie, I would want any (or all!) of these! Word…
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