For Laughs

I know many of you have already seen this but it made my morning, soooo.... I decided to post it for your convenient viewing pleasure. My daughter loves watching it and imitates the belly-dance. She is SO my kid. Anyhoo... Happy Monday!

Name Borrowing: A biggie?

This may be a touch hypocritical coming from me, since in the past I have sort of.... mocked those who have insisted on keeping potential baby names a secret, but here I am understanding all too well. 

Deciding on a name for a child can be incredibly difficult. It's one thing to find something you like, but getting approval from your spouse is something else entirely. Or at least, that's how it is for me. Well, one blessed day I discovered a name that I just knew I was destined to use. I fearfully suggested it my husband, afraid that my perfect, beautiful name would be shot down immediately. To my absolute surprise, he actually liked it and gave my hopes a monumental boost by telling me that we could probably use it. Bliss. From that day forward (which was almost two years ago) I have imagined this perfect little angel with a perfectly selected name which he/she would define with nobility.

If you've ever been an expectant mother or if you haven't, but already have your perfect names chosen, you're probably familiar with this feeling of confidence. Maybe you're also smart enough to keep said name a guarded secret. I haven't been.

I have told several people about my "name" trusting that not only is it too unusual for someone else to use, but that my friend, knowing that I was so fond of the name and FULLY INTENDING TO USE IT, wouldn't dream of "borrowing" the name.

Now, of course I try to be a mature individual and rationalize that even if my child ended up knowing ten other kids with the same name, that he/she would in fact define their name as the unique individual they are. 

Because guess what? I'm using that darn name no matter what. So I'm not sure why I care so much. I guess I'm just shocked by the feeling which so closely resembled rage that completely consumed me when I felt my chosen name had the potential of being duplicated. Immature? Absolutely. Selfish? Yes. 

So, what about you? Are you the "surprise" type that keeps your name a secret until the baby is born? Or are you an open book, carefree and jolly?

Inside the house: Kid's room

This week I wanted to share something for the mama's. Since we have an abundance of bloggers here at the Waxcicle who are Mammas already!

This is the inspiration for today's post. I just love this funky and creative nursery. It is retro (the rug, chair, globe) and Modern at the same time (the white walls, sleek crib, and animal decor.) Unfortunately I couldn't find the source for this picture beyond my own Pinterest board, so I'm not sure how the wall came to be decorated like that. But I can still be inspired by it!

Here is a kid's room idea for a girl. Just get a circle stencil and do some work on a white wall!

Functional Families: There’s enough to go around

Van Campen Family Portrait in a Landscape (early 1620s)

I have become very aware lately that our media and radio personalities tend to highlight the dysfunction found in the most fundamental unit of our society – the family (or as Grandmammy says, famdams). This post will hopefully bring a little balance, and perhaps some optimism, to the modern family.

I want to start off with some hard-hitters. Don't be alarmed. It's okay!! If you get overwhelmed then please don't hesitate to grab your towel and place it on your head. *nerd* (WHO KNOWS THAT REFERENCE??! Super-kind-of-me hint: "A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.")

Here we go: how many kids do you think a modern family should have? Now that you’re thinking about it…do you think the world is overpopulated and could really use a few less "carbon footprints"? Lots of people = a major depletion in resources, problems for our future chances of civilization, global warming, and a collapse in our global economy ...right?

Prepare to have your mind blown by science. If you are curious about any of these questions then the following documentary is for you:

PS. Listeeen, it’s awesome that you want to watch the whole thing – you overachiever you – but I think you’ll get the meat (or tofu...) of it if you just watch the first few minutes of Part 1 and the middle of Part 2.

Part 1


Part 2

The following are questions you will have answered by the end of this documentary:

• Less people the better right? 
• Are "big" families wrong?
• Does the media really influence perceptions of world population growth/decrease?
• What about Mexico? There will always be a lot of people eager to come here from Meso-America right?
• Will our economy change with less people?
• What's human capital? Why does human capital or even moral capital matter?

Inside the House: Dreamy

Here is just something pretty to look at. I love everything about this room. The concrete floor, with warm fuzzy rug. The stacked plants, the terrarium centerpiece and bright bight mismatched colors everywhere. How lovely.

Home Harmony: Projects

I loved One Kings Lane’s commercial on projects.



A homemaker’s (or renting-maker’s) life is all about change. There’s always something to adjust, measure, rearrange, paint, or chuck and replace. Growing up, my Grandma was always about some project. I can remember opening the front door and finding my Grampy in one of the two same spots – the kitchen or reading on his day bed. I’d ask him where Grandma was and he’d always say something different: “in the garage”, “on the roof”, “in the garden”, “the dining room”, “by the fireplace”, or the most likely answer, “*shrug*” (which loosely interprets to “no idea but good luck!”). It does the heart good to be busy.

My humble list is nothing like super-Grandma’s but I have embarked on a few endeavors that have made her proud. My most recent project was turning this:

Into this:

Here’s how I did it.

Step 1: Picked my color (cool pallet here):

and bought my Milk Paint. Heads up, the colors listed in the pallet are Chalk paint but Milk paint is where it’s at. Just ask Miss Mustard Seed.

Step 2: Cleaned my coffee table. Notice how this step is not sand my coffee table? Milk paint is awesome because you don’t need to sand your furniture! Easy.

Step 3: Paint that puppy!

Step 4: Wait for it to dry (20ish minutes)

Step 5: Paint another coat

Step 6: Wait for it to dry. (This time wait 30ish minutes)

Step 7: Add a coat of furniture wax. Since I worship Miss Mustard Seed I would obviously recommend her wax:

Warning: the wax brush can get pretty pricy but it might be worth the investment. Check out this bodacious brush:

I introduce Waxwell. Isn’t he a hunk?

Step 8: Antique it! A little sand paper on the edges will do the trick.

Step 9: Replace those fug handles! I ended up picking these rope handles:

Step 10: Rearrange your entire living room to accommodate new coffee table.

Have you had any proud Grandma projects lately? Share your ideas with our readers!

Happy project-ing!

Black and Oatmeal Cardigan with Oatmeal X-tra Long T

I am in LOVE with this look. Scarf, boots, leggings...the works. Unfortunately there was a sale for the cardigan that already passed. If you haven't already, check out the boutique called the Nest on Main in Springville for more cute looks like this. Sign up on Facebook for special offers.

PS. Anyone know where I could get a good deal on a scarf like this?

As hard as it is for me to resist the urge to fill my posts with ramblings of art, comics, video games, etc. I will keep it to a minimum. However, I cannot pass up the opportunity to share one of my absolute favorites with you.

Ladies and gents, Hemlock.

Josceline Fenton has an extraordinary talent and a very unique style. I love looking at her art as much as I enjoy reading her story. 

Hemlock is a fairy tale set in the forests of 19th century Scandinavia in the form of a webcomic that updates once a week. But fear not, there is already plenty of story online for you to enjoy if you feel up to the adventure.

She has the first three chapters available in print, too and I will definitely be hinting so to my husband for my upcoming birthday. ;)