Weekend Links (And a Michael Franti Story)

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I met Rosa of flutterflutter when we both answered a question about taking chances for Design Mom Asks. Since then, I’ve been inspired by her creativity—especially when it comes to creating fabulous art like the print above and coming up with ways to entertain young children.

Rosa’s latest print design features lyrics from the Michael Franti song, “The Sound of Sunshine.” It made me smile because it reminds me of a really amazing moment Tim had with Michael Franti. Can I tell you about it before we move on to some fantastic links for summer entertaining?

For those of you who don’t know, Tim was in a mountain biking accident over Labor Day weekend 2010. You or I would have walked away from the accident a little banged-up and in need of a few stitches, but because Tim had an undiagnosed condition called spinal stenosis, it was catastrophic for him. Basically, he has a narrow spinal column and when he hit the ground, his spinal cord got pinched. If the injury had taken place a few millimeters higher, he would have been Christopher Reeve. As it was, he was partially paralyzed. It was an incredibly difficult time for him, but he worked hard and focused on what he needed to do to get his life back.

After surgery, a long hospital stay, and months of therapy, Tim decided he was up for going to a Michael Franti concert. Tim is a huge Franti fan and we’ve gone to see him perform several times. Franti always puts on a great show and is full of beautiful, Heaven-inspired energy. I was worried about Tim’s stamina and whether he could handle the physical demands of a night out, but he was determined. In a wonderful coincidence, his physical therapist had made plans to see the show that night, too, so I figured if anything went wrong she’d be there to help out.

It’s the night of the concert: We bring Lexie along and we meet up with our friends and we’re dancing and singing our hearts out. Because life is good and Tim can stand on his own and lift his arms. About halfway through the show, Michael jumps off the stage and starts heading into the audience. We lose sight of him, but we keep dancing and then we realize he’s making his way down our aisle. Lexie has fallen asleep at this point, so she has no idea what’s happening, but we’re flipping out (well, I am, anyway). Michael reaches us and stops. He looks at Tim in his neck brace and gives him a hug. He looks down at the sleeping Lexie and I smile and shrug a little, like, sorry, she’s only 10, don’t take it personally. So Michael grins and reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pick for her. And then he moves on.

I mean, can you imagine? I kept saying, “How did he know?” It just felt so wonderfully on purpose. But I guess I shouldn’t have been so surprised because there are angels among us, right?

So now you can see why I have to buy this print for Tim. I’m thinking Father’s Day would be a great time to give it to him.

Thank you for letting me share that story. And now on to the links! Do you feel a renewed sense of energy and purpose when the weather warms up? I know I do. Here are a bunch of fun ideas to inspire you, whether you’re gardening, entertaining, or just hungry:

• Sparkly DIY cake toppers.
• Cocodot has tons of great party ideas, plus free, fabulous-looking e-invites.
• The baker’s twine obsession continues.
• DIY cupcake flower lights.
• The lines were way too long at Georgetown Cupcake when we visited D.C. last year, but with their vanilla cupcake recipe we can make our own.
• Lily would choose potato chips over sweets any day. I wonder if I could get her to eat these delicious-looking roasted garlicky chickpeas instead?
• Awesome toddler snacking garden. My favorite is how they add a bit of magic to each of the containers.
• I almost cried when I saw this, it made me so happy: Homemade Hard Shell Chocolate Sauce.

Do you have plans for the weekend? We’ve gone from having way too much on the calendar to not a single thing. What?!? But I have a feeling we’ll find something to do. If nothing else, I hope to get our teacher gifts squared away. I hope you have a great weekend, and please come back next week because I’ll be posting some fun Father’s Day ideas.