Everyone needs coasters.

About a week ago, I tried making coasters from scratch using ceramic tiles and iron-on transfers. Now that we have a good side table we need to protect it, right? Why else would someone spend their free time trying to make coasters?

But like any project of mine that doesn't involve paper or a computer, it was a miserable failure. The iron-ons smeared, and the super-heated tiles gave off toxic fumes. You see, I'm really not a crafty person. I can't sew, knit or paint. In fact, I've proven that I can't even decoupage, which was my Plan B after the iron-on transfer turned my lovely photos into a blurry mess. I consider people that can do those kinds of things to possess a kind of craftiness that I can only dream about (Okay, maybe not decoupage). Anyway, if you need a few spare tiles for your bathroom, give me a call.

Using photos of various Las Vegas casinos that were taken during our honeymoon, I took the easy way out and decided to order coasters from Shutterfly. They must be good because Lauren spent the evening taking them off the table and strewing them about the living room, which I'm sure she'll do every night for the next 15 years. Hopefully, if she ever decides to have her friends over for a kegger some weekend when we're out for the evening, she will have enough good sense to make them use these coasters.

And since you were so kind as to read this far, I will reward you with a Lauren story. This weekend, we stopped at Walgreens to pick up some diapers. Lauren headed down the toy aisle, where she began to browse just as if she was working from her shopping list. First, she went to one side of the aisle picked up a bottle of bubbles and placed it under of her arm. Then, she went over to the other side of the aisle and picked out a small stuffed dog (Bubbles, check. One small dog, check.). I was debating on whether or not to give in and actually buy these things for her, but since the total cost of her purchases was $1.50, I figured that I could spot her the cash and then later deduct it out of her first allowance.

When we arrived home, she sat happily playing with the stuffed dog nearby. Mark sat down next to her and asked, "Hey Lauren, what's your dog's name?"

She paused for a moment as if to ponder it, and then replied, "Puff. This is Puff," as if it was the obvious answer.

We have no idea how she came up with the name Puff. With that kind of creativity at such a young age, she will most certainly grow up to be more crafty than her momma. Maybe I should save those ceramic tiles after all...