48 Hour VIP Sale - Save 50%

Our supporters are the best!! and to thank you for being there for us, we are opffering the 1st in a series of VIP Sales.

Go to http://fromthebeanpot.com/Holidaysale to save 50% of Holiday Cobbler Aprons for the next 48 hours only.

Keep a look out for our $5 Fridays which will begin soon and go through the holidays.

We know that times are tough and we want you to still be able to give the best quality gifts. Thank you again for everything.

Take a Walk On The Wild Side...

It is a little known fact that I love bugs. I am the mom at kindergarten pickup who is always surrounded by throngs of kids anxiously waiting to see what I will find next...what I will literally unearth. To look at me, you probably wouldn't guess that I am most happy when turning over some long ago placed brick to see what spectacular world creeps beneath. In fact, my friends are often astounded, if not grossed out by the fact that an earthworm's wriggle makes me smile or that the sight of a prehistoric looking beetle can engage me for hours as he crawls across the pavement.

Although we live in a city, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by nature. Our canyon is filled with great hiking trails and hills that provide us with an up close glimpse of the wild world, that is occasionally more than we asked for with the visit from the mountain lions, . We listen to the coyotes howling at night and smell the skunk as he makes his presence known in our backyard. Top that off with all of the local vegetation and the glorious falcons and other birds and we have quite the outdoor symphony that is wonderful to hear and to see.

Summer Memory #3 - Nature Walk

Life goes by quickly. We scurry around from soccer practice to piano lessons and through Drive Thrus so often that we forget to stop and take a look at our surroundings. When I announced that we were going on a nature walk, I was met by two pairs of skeptical eyes and a chorus of whines that echoed through the canyon. But when I told them we were looking for BUGS, we were out the door before you could blink. (Those apples really don't fall the far from the tree, now do they?)

Our walk was peaceful and educational and we found the biggest nest of Rolly Pollys ever! For me and my kids, it was a good day and we have dirt under our fingernails to prove it.

Twinkle, Twinkle Nightime Star

I am the product of parents who divorced at a very young age. In fact I often find myself thinking, wow, I am 6 years older than my parents were when they got divorced... how on earth did they manage?

I have fond memories of my time with each parent but one that particularly stands out in my mind is that of my father and his new apartment.

I must've been about 8 years old at the time and my brother about 4. I can only imagine that the thought of entertaining 2 small children on his own for the weekend must've been quite overwhelming for a newly single father. I'm not quite sure that his plans weren't out of desperation but never the less they made a lasting impression on me.

For whatever the reason, that night on the lawn behind my father's new and unfamiliar apartment, he decided to pitch a tent. He gathered sleeping bags and flashlights, maybe a few cans of Vienna Sausages and out to camp we went. I remember laying in our cozy tent with my father and brother and feeling such ease and happiness. I spent hours just making rabbit ear shadows on the wall and eating all the junk food I could stomach.

The darkened world outside my tent was both scary and fascinating. I could see into the silhouetted lives of the neighbors all around us and although I would later learn what actual camping was about, I was hooked. I don't think we made it past 10:00 before I was begging to go in but the evening made the strangeness of this new life with my dad go away and had given me a memory that I could treasure forever.

It was with that event lovingly nestled into my subconscious that I had an impromptu camp out with my family in the backyard last night. I pulled out old sleeping bags and pillows, laid them in the grass and invited them to join me. (Please note that we are big city dwellers and don't do things like camp in the backyard that often, if ever) Needless to say, my daughter wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But once she and my son settled onto their blankets and begin gazing up into the starry sky it all fell into place. And hopefully she'll be able to look back and remember the night we all snuggled next to each other, staring into the darkness and realized we must live in some sort of flight path.

Summer Memory #2 - Backyard Camp Outs

There is nothing better than sleeping under the stars or at least lying quietly underneath them until your 3 year old drifts off to sleep. Looking up at the night sky, you can't help but feel small and somewhat insignificant but in the eyes of the kids who ask you about the planets and listen while you go on about shooting stars and milky ways you are all-knowing and very special.

What You'll Need

Flashlights

Sleeping bags or blankets

Listening Ears

Quiet

The rest is up to you and your imagination. There are no limits to the stories you can tell , the songs you can sing and the shadow puppets you can make... and if you are lucky enough, you can hear the sweet sound of your little one drifting off to sleep. Just be sure to wake before the sprinklers....

Summer Fun... Let's Have S'More

I'm not quite sure how it happened but I have forgotten what the lazy days of summer are supposed to feel like. The feeling of sweating through your pajamas, watching the lightening bugs dance through the sky and running through sprinklers seems to have evaded me of late. My most recent adult life is chock full of scheduling and planning for future events, not living in the current ones.

As I look into the eyes of my children I try to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moments. To Savor the summer before it is gone to be replaced by yet another and another one after that until I find myself wishing I had taken more time. That I had stopped and been present.

So my goal for the few days that are left in this summer is to help my children experience the things that I loved most. To count down the final days of school book freedom like a child would, to laugh more, to live more.

Summer Memory #1 - S'mores

Nothing reminds us more of the camaraderie of camping, than roasting marshmallows over an open fire. The thrill you get when your marshmallow is engulfed in flames and the way your heart beats as you pull it close to you to blow it out is beyond compare when it comes to simple summer activities.

The exact origin of the S'more is unclear as is when it was invented but one thing is for certain, it remains a childhood favorite.

What You'll Need:

Graham Crackers
Large Marshmallows
Hersheys Chocolate
Long Sticks (Opened metal hangars, long sticks or tree branches, store bought S'mores Sticks*)
Open Fire

The rest is well, you remember. For those of you, like myself and my family, who quickly become S'mores enthusiasts, you might want to invest in some child safe marshmallow roasting sticks like those found at http://marshmallowstix.com/ or maybe you want to gather a bit more information on this yummy treat, I would suggest visiting http://www.geocities.com/suarezgfam/SmoresHistory.html.

Either way, turn off the television, go outside and if you're lucky you'll be laughing as you remove the stickiness from your daughter's hair and think, now this is summer!

Whose Apron Strings Are You Tied To?

I am convinced that aprons strings are always tied to memories. Whether with family members or colorful waitresses in diners, when asked most people can conjer up stong sensory memory of a woman and her apron.

Mine is of that of my great-grandmother "Granny". I was very young when I visited her but I will never forget her in her apron. The only reason I actually remember the fabric is because I now own the apron but the memory of my Granny is strong.

She was a formidable southern woman who lost her pinky to a lawn mower, dipped snuff ( tobacco chewing for those of you who don't know) and could shell peas and "put up" a whole garden's worth without blinking an eye. She was awe-inspiring and tough as nails and though I was afraid of her stump of a finger, even at that young of an age, I knew that I wanted just a little of what she had.

Her strength, her confidence, her courageousness....

I'd love to hear your apron memories. Please share them with me if you can.