Trevor at 18

Time for my annual Trevor At layout!

Trevor at 18 (affiliate link)

I really like how this masculine page turned out. What's funny is that the papers I used came from collections called "Her Birthday" (candle background paper and fussy-cut cake) and "Baby Boy" (blue diamonds). It's an important lesson not to be restricted by the title of a collection. All these elements work well for a young man.   

I'm so lucky to be the mom of such a smart, responsible, creative, ethical, calm, logical, trustworthy, honest, funny, hardworking, quiet, generous, kind, and talented guy. And I'm lucky that my 18 year old still cooperates with the birthday photos that are so important to me. I love you, Trevor!

Google Doodles on Your Special Day (and My Personal Google Doodle)

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans! Since I'm writing this in advance, I don't know what today's Google Doodle looks like, but I'm very confident that it features a patriotic design of some sort. At least, here in the United States. Fun fact: People see different Doodles depending on where they are in the world and what holiday is celebrated locally. 

I am a big fan of Google Doodles. Did you know there have been over 5000 since the first one appeared in 1998? Or that the first interactive Doodle, a PAC-MAN game, appeared in 2010? Google makes it easy to search their Doodles, so you can find all of the interactive Doodles and play to your heart's content, long after they first appear on search page. So fun!

You can also search for specific dates and see all the Doodles worldwide that have appeared then. These are all of the Doodles from my birthday, March 12:

Perhaps one day I will finally be recognized for my most important contribution to society and will warrant my own Google Doodle. If so, I'm ready. 

I was thinking it should run on March 12, but I've changed my mind. It should run on April 4, my blog anniversary. On that fateful day in 2011, I stopped keeping my genius to myself and those around me and started sharing it worldwide. You're welcome. 

State Flowers Made from Perler Beads

When Jonna finished making her Perler bead anchor, I was less than a quarter of the way done with my Michigan logo. So she started making state flowers. Aren't they pretty?!?

These small designs work up quickly. They would make a great project for students learning more about their home states, or fifth graders working on state reports.  

This is a forget-me-not, the state flower of Alaska. 

This is a Black-Eyed Susan, the state flower of Maryland. 

This is an Indian blanket, the state wildflower of Oklahoma. 

And this is a violet, the state flower of Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. 

You can find Perler beads and boards on Amazon and at Michaels (affiliate links). Happy beading!

Perler Beads: University of Michigan Logo and the Rhode Island Anchor

Between the ages of 2 and 10, Trevor was obsessed with Perler beads. We spent many, many hours making all sorts of creations. It was something we both loved doing together. We still have a huge supply of beads, so when Jonna came over to visit during my convalescence, we pulled out the Perler beads and made some state-themed crafts. Affiliate links below.  

We each chose a state from the list of four that don't have enough craft tutorials yet. I made the University of Michigan logo, inspired by this design by cdbvulpix. 

I used two of the large, interlocking square pegboards. The beads are dark blue and yellow. It took forever, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. And I was really close to running out of blue beads. I was so relieved I had enough!

Jonna used graph paper to design a pixelated version of the anchor on Rhode Island's flag. She used the same yellow Perler beads, and a single square pegboard. 

The anchor took a fraction of the time that the logo did. In fact, in the time it took me to finish Jonna made four other small designs, all following the same theme. I'll show you those tomorrow. 

The Biggest US City I Haven't Visited

Recently, I learned that I live in the 244th largest city (by population) in the United States. This was very surprising to me. Given that there are close to 110,000 cities in the US, I wouldn't expect our relatively small city to be in the top 1%, let alone in the top 0.2%. We don't have big city amenities - there is no international airport, major league sports, or Broadway touring companies in Fairfield, CA. But the reason for that is not because our population wouldn't support it - it's because we're nearby to other much larger population centers that do have them. San Francisco is 45 miles west and Sacramento is 45 miles east. If Fairfield was plunked down into Delaware, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming, it would be the biggest city in the entire state. Instead, it's the 52nd largest city in California. 

This got me thinking... if I live in the 244th largest city in the US (without even knowing it), what is the biggest city in the US that I haven't visited? Surely it has to be way down the list, like 30th or something.

Nope. 

I haven't been to the 4th largest city in the US. It's not even on my list of the next 14 cities I hope to visit!

Technically, I've landed at the airport, gotten onto a bus, and immediately ridden somewhere else. But I'm not counting that as being there. Someday!