Adventures of MommyGirl

What's your sign?

2012-02-18T07:44:00.001-06:00

Noble LoVeD signing Valentines...in fact, it kind of got to be a problem last week because he signed his name on any paper he found. :)Yesterday, he changed it up, and taped this to the silverware drawer:

This made my WEEK, because it's the first time he's written "Mommy" all by himself. :)Yesterday he surprised Grandma by trying to write her name...he got G-R down before he got distracted. I love what a little literacy sponge he is right now. Can't wait to see what he writes today!

Valentine's Day Fun

2012-02-16T05:18:00.000-06:00

Originally, Noble and I were going to make one of the monster boxes from February's Family Fun magazine. You know how this goes; we got the box ready, painted it, put it outside to dry...downpour.

Back to the drawing board! We were at the store to buy another box (what, you think I had two sitting around?) and we walked by the gift wrap aisle. I thought, hmm, those bags would make great monsters...or Angry Birds. Noble loved the Angry Bird idea, and chose the black bag. Which turned out to be awesome, because the black bird's beak lent itself well to our plan. I can't take any credit for this at all--what makes this so cute is the printable from The Party Animal blog (she ROCKS!).

Noble and I had a lot of fun making this together--believe it or not, all I did was cut--he did the gluing (and there was lot's of gluing to get the red inside just right, he was very specific about that).

Can't you just see all of the 3-year olds feeding their valentines to the bird? :)

Noble's valentine--I *wish* I had pinned or bookmarked the original idea I ran across several weeks ago, this is TOTALLY copied from someone and I'd love to give credit. Noble's favorite gum is Juicy Fruit, but I was 4 packs short so I supplemented with a grown-up flavor for a couple of people. He was SO proud of these...and yup, I was, too. :) Good job, DaddyBoy!

One thing that I'm really excited about: Noble can WRITE this year, so that's his signature on the valentine, heart and all, and if you go back up to his bird you can see that he signed the gray tummy.

Here he is in his new wookin' for wuv...since these Old Navy tees have pockets, I just printed a heart with an "n" inside of it on the front. I realized I need to start using capitals for him, but design-wise, I just hate to do it. Again, I wish I had my problems--wah, my little guy digs letters.

This is last year's design, but I love the vintage look. Spoiler alert: I picked up a green tee like this at Old Navy a couple of days ago for a March shirt. Kayci likes this shirt, too...she asked for me to make her something on a shirt like this. Their Christmas shirts were this vintage, heathered feel, and I think she likes how soft the shirts are. I know I do! But, I digress...

Kayci wouldn't let me make her a Valentine's Day shirt this year. This one's from Old Navy. And it's big enough to wear next year, kid...don't get any ideas.

Here's Kayci's Valentine box--we flipped a PiperLime box inside out and she duct-taped the seams with her fun tape. (Thanks for the box, Grandma, and the shoes in it!) This box was a total Kayci project, and I love how it turned out. She put little adhesive gems on it and cut out sayings to glue on like conversation hearts. I love her work!

Here are Kayci's valentines. Again, I wish I had pinned the original idea--there are tons of heart felt bookmarks out there from Martha Stewart on down, but we saw these on a blog and just fell in love. We combined the idea with the picture (you know, like the lollipop in the hand pic), and I like how it turned out. This will probably be the last year I get to help Kayci make valentines--sniff.

PS--I did the sewing...it got ugly when Kayci couldn't sew perfectly the very first time she tried. :/

Here are our friend/family valentines...I just love those kids! And their Daddy, who makes this stuff possible. Thanks, Boy!

For teachers (6 this year!), I had planned to bake and decorate cookies with the kids. Ah, no...we haven't had time. So, I punted and did a version of Idea Room's candy corn bark and cut it into heart shapes, and then made heart-shaped Rice Krispie treats and made them pretty with sprinkles and white chocolate. We bagged these babies up and wrapped them in...

...fun Valentine's dish towels (I love, love nice dish towels...Kristi trivia). I had Daddy print extra of the tag for the candy bags--cut apart, these pics make great gift tags!

And there's Bubby. :)

That was a long post for what was really a simple holiday around here this year! The kids and I just did pictures for Daddy, and of course Kayci made him a card. For the kids, Daddy and I gave each of them a roll of duct tape with a note: families stick together! (Kayci has taught Noble how to make duct tape pens...heaven help us.) The kids were so excited to wake up to a pile of valentine cards Tuesday morning...big thanks to the Fosters, Trueloves, Grandma, Grandma Hagler & Ant Peggy for that! (Nana & Dan's cards came on Tuesday, so they got to open those before bed.)

I hope you felt loved this Valentine's Day...and I hope you shared the love, too!

Aren't we all?

2012-02-13T09:13:00.001-06:00

We were up in the air about a Valentines shirt for Bubby this year...Daddyboy & I kept tossing out ideas and none seemed to fit. Well, let me correct myself: none fit as well as last year's shirt. Since it's long gone (one of my first attempts at heat transfer--needless to say, it did not hold up well), we picked up this vintage red (tell Noble it's pink) shirt at Old Navy yesterday and I planned to print this with black paint. Daddy suggested white and I was all, no, white's too hard to paint...but when I got going, I found some white ink I forgot I had...and, as Kayci says, voila.

I'm digging the vintage. Noble's the coolest kid I know. Well, maybe it's a tie...

Sammich

2012-02-10T19:30:00.001-06:00

Today was PTO day, so I packed a lunch for Noble and me. After the meeting, I went looking for my sandwich and found this:

Noble, did you eat my sandwich AGAIN? (Did I mention he ate my sandwich the other day?)Um no, that's how it was.

Time Passes By

2012-02-09T05:46:00.002-06:00

We had a mini photo-session the other night to get the kids' Valentine shots.

It was fun. It was late, but it was fun. Daddy got some great pictures.

When we took this one, I was thinking...

...of a day not so very long ago, in the grand scheme of things...

...that in some ways, feels like a lifetime ago.

Look at those babies.

Blink! Now look, big kids.

My heart hurts a little at how fast time passes by,

but each day is its own adventure.

How could I want it any other way?

What are you going to do today?

2012-02-06T10:18:00.001-06:00

It's a simple question. A variation of it that we ask each other every morning is, "what does your day look like?" The past week+ has been a little tough around here, but I'm happy to report DaddyBoy is on the mend and back at work. It's a good thing, as I'm not as kind and patient of a nurse/caregiver/servant as I was 10 days ago. I think I'm almost as ready as he is for him to be back at 100%. (Disregard the grammar, okay? It's my journal.)

We had a great morning here today. You know when you have a bad morning, it kind of colors the whole day? I think the same is true of a good morning...it makes everything just a little brighter, a little lighter, a little easier. I have to be honest, I was a bit worried about this morning. It's the first day we're all going to be apart after several days together, the first day Daddy's at work, the first day we all have to get around and be someplace...but it was awesome. The kids were champs, and I didn't have to redirect or repeat myself ONCE. That was amazing in itself, enough to make my whole day!

Today as I walked my Bitty in to school, she looked up and said, "What are you going to do today, Mommy?"

Simple question. But the answer is not so simple today. I could list 100 things I

should do,

could do,

would do...if I had time/money/space/motivation...

want to do,

have to do,

need to do,

ought to do,

might do.

So here's what I've done so far:

I came home, ate breakfast (didn't have time before school), sorted clothes, mocked up a Valentine project Kayci wants to try this afternoon, started a load of laundry, washed dishes, checked e-mail, texted a few people back and forth for work and PTO, caught up on my quiet time that I didn't finish this morning, was humbled...and now I'm reviewing my mental list of things I need to do today and revising it. And blogging, because I haven't spent the time I needed in quiet time or journaling this past 10 days and I am worn down from not taking that time. I am worn down from serving, serving, serving...and I wish so badly I could serve selflessly. I'm not there, yet.

Why do we, as women, believe not only that we CAN do it all, but that we SHOULD do it all, and that somehow doing less than that is failure? How many times do I hit this brick wall, step back, shake it off and laugh at myself for getting caught up in my madness?

I don't have a lot of "shake it off" in me right now. My tank is running a little low, but it's a temporary thing, I know.

What am I going to do today?

I'm going to enjoy the silence.

I'm going to hand-write several thank you notes.

I'm going to drink lots of water.

I'm going to heat leftovers instead of cooking--and in doing so, save money AND clean out the fridge.

I'm going to write on some birthday cards and mail a little love to friends and family.

I'm going to do laundry for my family.

I'm NOT going to sweep the floor. A little dust and dirt won't kill anyone before tomorrow.

I'm NOT going to go to the grocery store until after we pick Kayci up from school; I've just decided that's 30 minutes of my kid-less time I don't want to spend today, I'll take the kids with me later. And then probably blog tomorrow about what a mistake it was to take 2 kids to the store at the end of the school day...nah. They're good kids. :)

I'm going to be kind to my husband when he comes home for lunch, and let home be a refuge for him instead of another place to hear people complaining. I don't want to be that wife.

I'm going to give myself some time to rest a bit, and hopefully, get refreshed.

I'm going to burn some calories, even if it's just a good walk around the block.

I'm going to get some work done.

I'm going to pray for a little boy who's in the hospital right now, and for his Mommy and Daddy who must be exhausted and scared and grateful he's going to be okay...and for the friends who saw his accident who must be struggling, too.

I'm going to thank God for my many blessings, healthy kids and mending husband being at the top of the list.

I'm going to ask God to replenish my patience...I'm clean out with some people in my life. Thank You, God, that my knuckleheads are not on THAT list. We had a great afternoon/evening/morning together...I'm grateful for that. Sometimes I take the good times for granted, you know, and that makes the tough times seem even tougher. I find it's better for me if I'm thankful for the good--it keeps the not so good in perspective, and reminds me that the good times will be back before I know it.

So, when Kayci gets in the car after school today, she'll ask me what I did today.

And I'll tell her what I always tell her: Oh, I worked a little, did a little housework, not much. :)

And I'll tell her, like I always do, that I spent some time missing her while she was at school. It's the truth, especially on a Monday...after so much family time, it's hard to go our separate ways and I look forward to being under the same roof again later today.

What are YOU going to do today?

Self Portraits

2012-02-01T16:46:00.001-06:00

Guess who's who...

I found these in his backpack, and I did the whole preschool teacher, "tell me about your art" thing.So, he did.

That's me.And what's this one? (At this point he looked at me very condescendingly, and spoke a little more slowly.)That is me, also.

Love

2012-01-29T16:36:00.002-06:00

I just love you, Boy.

Answered Prayer!

2012-01-24T16:55:00.001-06:00

Exactly 2 weeks after I lost it, and right after I finally blogged about it, I found my 4 seasons ring! It was in the front yard, like I dreamed...how crazy is that? Even crazier, I found it while I was mowing...I heard the sound I was dreading, and when I stopped the mower to look, I'd hit a rock...and there my ring lay, almost buried in the dirt. :)I'm one blessed, happy, grateful Girl!

Stripped

2012-01-24T08:33:00.001-06:00

Depeche Mode keeps running through my head this morning..."let me see you stripped down to the core..."

...all because I feel NAKED.

Week before last, I lost one of my rings. I *hoped* I lost it in the front yard or in the truck, but it hasn't shown up, yet.

If you've seen me outside digging by the front porch, btw, that's the deal-io.

I had a dream the other night that I went outside and saw it laying in the dirt, just waiting for me.

It's so funny how one little ring can make such a big difference. Thank goodness it's not my engagement ring, it could be worse.

I tried to put on an old ring to take its place so I wouldn't feel so bare, but the weight is all wrong.

Sigh.

I'm glad my problems are my problems--things could be so. much. worse.

:)

Bento Fun!

2012-01-23T06:37:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure WHAT is up with my phone camera...the pics on the last few posts are terrible. Bummer! But here I go again, anyway...

So, I saw a friend Friday for the first time in a while and she gave me a belated Christmas gift. It was in a cute insulated bag, and I had no idea it was for me. What a fun surprise, I thought she just had a cute bag (she's just cool like that).

Anyhooser, I opened up the bag to find great bento stuff! She even got little bento boxes for the knuckleheads...but she realized as Noble was checking it out that her intention of pink for Kayci, green for Noble was out the window--Noble claimed the pink box immediately. :)

I had fun showing it all to my Boy...then finding a spot in our lunch cabinet for it all.

Which required just a bit of moving around, but that's cool--it needed some spiffing up! Cabinets, be forewarned: James and I are coming at you next. We're running out of places to organize...

So now I've got this great bento stuff ready to go...guess I'd better make Kayci a cute lunch today. No pressure!

Finishing Touches...

2012-01-22T12:08:00.003-06:00

Things are slowing down around here...kind of. Yesterday I was able to take a couple of hours and wrap up a couple of finishing touches.

Kayci's shadow box...

...is done, now we're working on sorting her jewelry to fill up the drawers. :)

James laughed at me...these have been driving me crazy since they've been out from under my desk. I need them, though, so I had to find a way to live with them.

Eh. It's better. :)

Better Days

2012-01-19T05:50:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday I wrote a big ol' post about some heavy stuff. It wasn't a BAD day...just a day of reflection.

And then we went to AWANA. Bubby is in my Cubbies group, which is normally a blessing. Last week, it was a test. As soon as we got going, he started whining and crying because I didn't pick him first for the "Hello Song." You and I both know that I was fresh out of patience but full of intention.

So, I told him--quit whining, or go home. I didn't yell, and I kept my cool.

Poor Daddy had just come in from San Antonio and was looking forward to a bit of rest before we got home, but he came right over and picked up his screaming Bubby, who continued to cry for the next two hours and fell asleep right before we got home. So much for a few minutes of peace and quiet for Daddy.

Since then, things have been going well. I think mostly because I am calmer, quite honestly. I haven't yelled since last Wednesday morning, and behavior around here (including mine, mostly) has been great.

A friend came up to me last night at AWANA and inquired nicely if things were going better (she read my blog last week and saw that Noble got sent home).

Yep. Better days around here. Super, you might say. :)

Thank you, God, for my courageous, hard-working Boy and our two blessings. Even on the bad days, life is good.

Mike Wazowski!

2012-01-17T20:04:00.001-06:00

What They Live

2012-01-11T08:50:00.000-06:00

James had an overnight business trip. I wasn't too surprised that the kids rolled with it, and we had a GREAT evening. Even bedtime was smooth (like buttah, even). Overnight? Easy as pie--Noble didn't wake up once, which is awesome for him. I even slept through the night, which is unusual for me when my Boy is gone.

This morning started off great...I woke up to my alarm at 5 am, a little surprised to see that I'd fallen asleep on the couch and slept through the night, but feeling good and ready for the day. Apparently my alarm was too loud, because it woke Noble up. He came out to the living room and crawled up onto the couch with me and we cuddled for a while. I thought maybe he'd go back to sleep, but not so much. 5:00 is early, even for our early bird. But, it was what it was, so I let him stay cuddled on the couch and watch TV while I went to do my quiet time and made some banana bread for breakfast. All in all, it was an awesome morning. Kayci woke up in a great mood, things were moving right along. Until...

...duh...

...duuuuuuuuuuhhhh...

...it was time to turn off the TV and come to the table for breakfast.

And then it was 20 minutes of screaming and crying and whining and complaining. (That was just me. You should have seen Noble!) Kidding, I'm kidding.

But you should've seen me. I yelled back. I spanked. I even threatened him with standing in a corner, which neither of my children have ever done (and excuse me, threatening? Teacher/Parent 101--never threaten. NEVER threaten.). I lost my temper, and I knew I lost my temper. It wasn't my lowest low point, unfortunately, but it made me stop and think.

So I got down on my knees and I reminded Noble that God wants us to choose to do good things. It was all I could come up with, considering I only had a few neurons firing at that point. He told me in that sobbing, hiccuping way of his, "but....it's....just....sooooo....hard." It is, isn't it? Obviously, kid, it's hard for your Mom, too. Look at us.

Things got better after that. Well, there was me clapping at him (seriously--clapping?) to get him to brush his teeth. And then, raising my voice again when he was whining about his apple...which was in the bag Kayci was holding right. in. front. of. him.

Finally, we got in the car. We weren't even late...but I realized I hadn't even brushed MY teeth. Thank goodness I'm working at home for a while this morning! On the way to Kayci's school, things were going well, and something she said reminded him of his grumpy so he started tuning up again...but I reminded him that we were going to focus on good things, and he was fine. We talked through our days, everyone was happy...both kids went to school hugged and kissed and happy.

It's a short drive home from Noble's school, but I did a LOT of thinking.

Yesterday, one of the staff members at Kayci's school (who also has a son Noble's age) was in the room when Noble and I were working on a project and talking. She said something to the effect of, "I could just listen to y'all all day long." It was a good moment, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that 95% of the time, THAT's what the soundtrack of our life sounds like. But I was honest with her, and I told her that she wouldn't want to listen to me much--I yell. I shared the time last week that James came home and I was YELLING at Noble and he was SCREAMING/because he was SCREAMING like someone was pulling his fingernails out and I'd HAD IT. (I tell my kids that some days--"I've HAD. IT." Like that's gonna fix things.) In trying to explain why I was yelling--"he's screaming because his sticker is tearing but his sticker is tearing because he's getting it wet and he won't stop putting water on it and tearing it more and he won't stop SCREAMING..." I was humbled.

Really? All my training, all of the good things God has stored in my heart and mind and yelling is the best tool I can grab?

Seriously, Kristi.

I'm too mad at myself to call me Mommygirl. I don't deserve to be a Mommy right now, I don't think.

The amazing thing is, I still get to be a Mommy. I get to be Kayci and Noble's Mommy. And like my Father in Heaven, those kids give me an abundant amount of grace each day.

I screw up.

I yell. Sometimes I open my mouth, and LOUD just comes rushing out.

MEAN might sneak out.

CONDESCENDING...pours out too often, loud or no.

Sometimes, I apologize.

Sometimes, I ask for forgiveness.

But always, always, they offer grace without even realizing it.

And when they screw up--even if I'm mad--I do the same. Our family does grace, even after the fact--we're working on that.

So this morning, I was driving and thinking on this, and thinking about the irony of that conversation yesterday. I remembered another conversation I had last week with a respected friend who has a son Noble's age and a son two years older (the woman exudes confidence and grace and humor and faith, I absolutely love her!). I mentioned my frustration with my yelling (I could sugarcoat it and say raising my voice, but I'm from Texas. I yell. Sometimes I holler. It ain't pretty, either way.). She told me that what works for her is to lower her voice, to whisper, even.

I took it in.

I was reminded of Mrs. Landry, who never raised her voice the entire 3 years I was in her class--she spoke in a quieter voice, and we stopped to listen.

I was reminded of all of my training.

And the trainings I've WRITTEN and PRESENTED...when I offered the same suggestion.

And this morning, it all came together.

I remembered the plaque that was on my wall growing up, "Children Learn What They Live." I am SO FRUSTRATED by Noble's yelling and screaming...but I'm freaking MODELING it in the way I am handling it.

Again, SERIOUSLY, self??

My prayer for myself is that the very next time he starts, I can get down on my knees, at his level, and whisper.

Do you think he'll be shocked enough to quiet down?

I bet so.

Do you think my kids will both learn a lesson from my self-discipline?

I'd bank on that, too.

Children learn what they live. They do as I do--not as I say.

So it's up to me to do the right thing.

If you're the praying type, friend, will you please keep me in your prayers? It's time for me to end this cycle of me yelling and getting angry at my kids being KIDS. They're great kids, but no kid deserves to be yelled at--even the not-so-great ones.

Children Learn What They Live
By Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Sigh.

2012-01-10T21:34:00.000-06:00

It's addicting, this cleaning out.

I spent an HOUR tonight going through...

...stickers.

Only a current or recovering preschool teacher can relate.

This is the 15th time I've cleared out my sticker collection since I left the classroom...I think now I've got it down to a *reasonable* amount of stickers.

(I had a tub and a drawer full. And then some.)

It's almost embarrassing.

But not really, because some of you have 'em, too.

I'm on a roll, baby.

A Little Space, Please...

2012-01-09T14:27:00.000-06:00

*I learned a valuable lesson this weekend...mess around deleting drafts on Blogpress, and you might just delete an entire post--and comment(s). Sigh. So, this is a reprint of sorts...

This project has been on our minds for months. Back at the beginning of June, DaddyBoy and I made a kidless trek to IKEA to measure...and plan...and dream. Our fantasy was to give Kayci her own space for her 8th birthday. The $2500 price tag? Not in our plans, or dreams. So we put it on the back burner, thinking we'd tackle their room when we had more time and money. Ha. Instead, we tackled it last week. It turns out, we just needed to get creative. And, several weeks ago I found coordinating duvet covers at IKEA that I absolutely loved...I couldn't get them out of my mind. It was driving me nuts, which meant I was driving my Boy nuts, which meant he was happy to go along with my crazy plan after Christmas. We live in a 2 bedroom house, it's a fact. We love the house and don't plan on moving anytime soon...but the kids are growing. Fast. And they need their own space. We weren't sure how they would react to two beds--they were both thrilled. Even better for me, when I presented then with comforter/duvet options, they both chose the one I had chosen for them (squeal!) with no coercion or trickery at all. That was probably one of the highlights of the experience for me, honestly. So, I could go on and on about how they didn't figure out what was going on until the day after we went to IKEA and bought *two* twin duvet covers (ah, hello?)...the next day I put them in front of the TV and made quick work of taking apart their big bed. They were SO excited to come in and see the beginnings of Kayci's bed...they were ready for their own spaces, the timing was right. Whew. Noble moved into Kayci's room when he was one. It's almost three years later, and the poor kid was still sleeping in Kayci's room. Other than a dresser drawer and a couple of shelves for his board books, there was nothing in the room that was "his." In fact, even he called it "Kayci's room." As excited as we were to give out growing girl some much-needed space and privacy, we were also happy to *finally* give our Bubby a space to call his own. I'm a little sad to say that after three years of cohabiting, the door still had Kayci's picture on it. You can't tell in the picture, but that's both of them at Kayci's piano recital. :)

Behind the door: we couldn't survive without their hooks--a place for each of them to hang tomorrow's clothes. These save a lot of time every morning! I can't think of a better place to keep Noble's ties and hats, so they'll stay there.

To make our plan work, we needed two shelves to divide the room. Our budget settled on these closet organizers from Target...they're the cubes you see in the pictures. The kids were sharing a dresser...well, he had a drawer in the dresser and the rest of his stuff lived in baskets. Poor, poor second child. The other, most necessary, part of our plan: keep the blue walls and orange curtains and Kayci's dresser (it works well for one kid, just not for two).

Here we go...Noble's bed. :) We had to buy a new mattress and bunkie board, but we had the bed frame, linens and pillows. The stool is Kayci's that's just been hanging out, waiting for a purpose since a) we moved here or b) she outgrew "the sad stool." It's a little crazy, but it fits in the space and it holds his CDs--I'm sold. Oh! We bought him a lamp, too. I'm a liar. He wanted a red one, like Andy ("Toy Story"). Done, $7 on clearance! His folded clothes are in three fabric drawers/bins on the shelf. So far, it seems to work! Noble's Angry Birds poster fit perfectly on the (finished) back of the dresser that faces Kayci's side and makes up part of the divider, so that was a fun treat for him.

The Pixar poster was in their room already, the other frame came out of the office (Daddy switched the print for a hero poster), and I did the canvas. I did one for each knucklehead, using my current favorite pics of them. They're both from December, and Daddy managed to capture each of their personalities right now. (I'm a little biased.)

This is the same sign and saying that's been in Kayci's room for years...I just flipped it over and redid it to match their new space. I'm still shocked that pink didn't make it into the color scheme this go round, as it's Noble's absolute favorite color. Funny: when they went to Lowe's to get a paint sample for patching, Noble was confused and thought Daddy was painting the whole room. He picked out a pink chip and gave it to Daddy...imagine the poor kid's disappointment to get home and see that the paint and the room were still blue. Maybe next time, Bubby...

Here's Kayci's bed. This is a bed frame from Mom & Dad that we've had in storage since the fire. It needed a little TLC, but I'm happy with the end result. All we bought for Bitty's bed was Rustoleum and the duvet cover/new comforter inside.

I just realized you can't really see it in the picture, but Kayci's night stand was an issue. We found one she loved in a thrift store, painted it...then realized it just couldn't work in the space. So, I pulled in a black and white Hoosier chair (from the table I use as a desk) and stacked Nancy Drew books to make a pedestal for her new lamp (rookie mistake--I bought a new lamp instead of buying a shade for her old lamp. Dang it.). Her iHome and bedtime books & water fit, so this may be a keeper. Plus, it's a little silly having a lamp on top of a fun stack of books, and I think she likes that it's so different.

We brought Noble's desk in from the office. We have all been piling stuff in and on their desks for too long, so getting them clean was a bit of a battle. But man, seeing them mostly clutter-free feels good! Kayci's shadow box is actually a Silhouette advent calendar; I'm going to make the boxes for the empty spaces for jewelry storage. Her typewriter has been banished to its case most of the time she's owned it, but I really wanted it to be out for her. Her plastic drawers fit the bill...we just put fun paper in the drawers so Mommy doesn't have to see the clutter. :) And the karaoke machine? Has been a dust catcher for YEARS. Let me know if you want it! (Kidding. Kind of.)

We still have one more project to complete for their walls (hint: the colored canvases above the beds), then we're DoNe. It's funny how much time the kids have spent in here in their own spaces...reading books, listening to music, crafting (Kayci), or just pulling toys off the shelves and puling them in the bed (Noble). It's a simple thing, space, that makes such a big difference. I'm so happy that we jumped in and got this done!

Snowballing...

2012-01-09T14:04:00.001-06:00

I started a blog post this weekend...then deleted it. I see a theme developing...

Just for fun, I've linked back to a few previous blog posts about organizing, etc. It's been eye-opening! What's old is new again and all...

It wasn't that long ago, it feels, that we redid our office (again) and I shared with my MOPS group about organizing. 2 years later, I don't feel like I've done much organizing since then!

Anyway, here's the deal: we started out planning to split the kids' room into two separate areas, change the beds. Then, we had the opportunity to buy this couch. Awesome...but the organizing and decluttering just keeps snowballing. The couch went where the old one was, BUT we decided to clear out the corners of toys and you know, drums and guitars and stuff. The usual.

You can see speakers and artwork that's in the process of being scrapped (after TWO FULL YEARS of waiting in the tub, a summer out in the dining room, and months being moved between our room and the living room!) in the corner...there are still some things "in progress." We do live here, I have to keep reminding myself! We switched the apple crate to the end of the couch and pulled the mini piano to sit beside the red chair. It's random, I know, but I love it--and it's the perfect height for a cup of coffee to rest! The red chair looks SO different without all of the instruments piled behind it. We also took down the big Texas wall hanging, not for any reason other than I wanted the room to feel wide open for January. :) After Christmas, less is way more around here. Looking through old blog posts today, the exercise balls were stacked behind the red chair before we "organized" and put the instruments there...what was I thinking?!

I put LOTS of pictures and frames in storage for now. My goal is a buffet that I can clean off in a hurry and actually use it for, hmm, a buffet? We'll see how it goes.

Since I cleared off the buffet, I needed a place for fruits and veggies. We'll go back to the cupcake tower in February, after that...we'll see!

It's not Martha-worthy, but I tackled the linen closet for the first time in...too long. A couple of weeks ago, you couldn't even open the door without something falling out!

It became clear very quickly that I wasn't going to get ALL of the books back in the kids room AND be able to give them their own spaces--I didn't want to fill up all of their cubes with books and defeat the purpose of their own space, if that makes sense. This came to me in the middle of the night last week...we had planned to pass this shelf on, but as ugly as it is, it's serving a couple of purposes here in the hall. Maybe I can make it prettier...we'll see. In addition to lots of kids' books, it's holding several antique books that have been in boxes for way too long. It feels good to get them out!

This is the first time we've ever had any furniture on this little wall by the bathroom...not sure I'm crazy about it, but again, the books have to live somewhere. We'll consider the hall in progress, 'k?

The more I cleaned, the more I found that NEEDED to be cleaned. I gave Austin a couple of Noble's baskets from his crib, but I could not find the third one. It was driving me nuts...then I realized, it was in our bathroom cabinet. It was full of baby powder, bathtub crayons, random combs and brushes, an old thermometer, Kayci's lotions and perfumes...lots of random stuff. And you know what happened--once I cleaned out the basket, I had to go on and clean out the entire cabinet. But, it's cool...

...because I made room for our new towels. We haven't had white towels in several years, so I'm really excited. White linens are my FAVORITE. :) And btw, neat freaks, you can't really tell, but we also got a new toilet seat yesterday. Woo hoo!!!!

You're so getting a tour of the little green house today. Sorry if this isn't what you signed up for...quit reading now! Anyway, when we moved Noble out of our room and into Kayci's room, his crib took the place of her armoire. It was full of dress up clothes and toys, so we couldn't get rid of it. Daddy agreed--reluctantly--to move it into our room temporarily.

Not quite three years ago.

In that time I got the thing totally organized, but still...it was an extra, random piece of furniture in our room. So when we moved Noble's desk out of the office and into their room, guess what took its place? Yup.

It's holding coats, scarves, mittens, some hanging tablecloths, and the remains of the dress up clothes and toys. When we decided to move it into the office, it didn't make sense to move it knowing it was half-full of stuff they don't actually play with. So...we cleaned it out. Sigh. But by doing that, we made room for coats to hang, so, score! I left the top pretty much the same...that's the creature of habit in me. I did add a couple of things since the ribbons stayed in our room (makes no sense to put them in the office if I use them in our room, right?).

Moving the armoire magically opened up our room--it was amazing! But you see what happened, right? It exposed my desk corner, where I've been ratholing work and craft stuff. So then I had to clean all that out...but the good news is, I haven't been able to sit at my desk in weeks. Now there's room for me to work, and I've actually been VERY productive today. Take that, clutter!

It's a little random from this view, but it works and that's enough for me. Those plastic drawers are a necessary evil, as are the different sizes (one needs wider drawers [that also pull out for travel] for scrapbook stuff, one needs deeper drawers for craft stuff). To keep the room open from the doorway and James' side of the room, I pulled my white metal drawers out to make a fake "wall" and put the plastic drawers behind them, with the printer on top out of sight. Two laptop bags moved to my office closet, two big bags of scrapbook paper and stuff found a new home, and several binders moved to my office closet. Look, you can see the floor again--for the first time in 3 years.

Seriously.

Are you bored, yet? We *also* cleaned out the shed last week, which was long overdue. I won't go into too much detail on that, but let's just say there were several things in there that were too valuable to be sitting out in the weather--we put them in there when (sigh) we moved in, and then pretty much forgot about them or stacked stuff in front of them...you know our drill. Hence the antique books (cringe) that needed a new home...and we found Mom & Dad's scale. We've always wanted to hang it but haven't really had a good spot--we decided if we wait for the perfect spot, it'll be rusted through by then. So, we hung it in the kitchen doorway over Noble's chair where people don't walk. I filled it with dishrags and potholders, because I have way more kitchen linens than kitchen linen storage. Especially since (dang it) we pulled a whole box of enamelware and linens out of storage. We put them there six years ago while we put stuff away and got organized at the house...and that's where they've been, just waiting. Well, we got tired of the waiting and brought them home. Our M.O. this past few weeks? If we don't use it, it's gone. If we don't want it, it's gone. If we love it, we find a place and make it work. It's been an interesting push-pull of taking things out and bringing things in...but taking out definitely wins. We're on truckload #3, and I'm on Pilot-load #2. It feels good to donate, share, etc. James has even decided to put a few things on eBay!

One of the reasons my bigger enamelware pieces were in storage? No storage. Well, I remedied that. It's not pretty, but it works. It was nice to have access to the big bowl today for Noble's growing starfish, as a matter of fact!

In the picture above, you can see that I hadn't cleaned up the little shelves, yet. We have those shelves in the utility room (ha! room is stretching...) that hold lightbulbs, a few tools we keep in the house, outlet covers, superglue, magic erasers, timers...you know, random stuff that you need in the house. I have straightened these shelves *maybe* once in six years, so this was eye-opening. We had THREE 4-packs of nighlight bulbs, each open with one bulb missing. Two packs of chandelier bulbs (which is crazy, we don't have a chandelier!), same story. So, it was a good thing and this 20 minutes made a BIG difference in the space! I also got motivated to organize all of my dishtowels, etc. and fold them neatly...they've been crammed in different containers and it was getting out of hand. All of the seasons were mixed up, even, heaven forbid! Well, not anymore. Whew. That was close.

What's next? The office, specifically, Daddy's corner. It's gotten pretty packed, just like my desk area. Poor guy just needs some time and space to get it done...no hurry. One of the things we've been noticing over the past few months is that we weren't utilizing Noble's toy bins as much as just filling them with crap, so when Mom asked about buying Bubby this trampoline for Christmas we decided it would take the place of the toy corner. What's crazy is that there are what, 9 bins on a toy organizer--and there were only a couple of boxes worth of stuff to keep? It was all CRAP. Dusty crap, at that. So it was good to see that go. And since it was going, we also filled a bag with cars, etc. that are too young for Noble or that he no longer plays with, and we passed them along, too. The toy situation in the office? Under control, which is pretty amazing after Christmas! I took down those washers today--they were there for Kayci's artwork over her desk at one point...now they just looked silly. The corner looks so much cleaner now!

After we clear out and organize Daddy's desk corner, we're going to tackle the really hard things--memories. We've already begun the hard process of organizing 15+ years of pictures and stuff, but it's time to put them into albums. It'll suck and be messy while we're doing it, but my Boy and I agreed...it's gonna feel GREAT to be on the other side of that!

Thanks for hanging in there. I was thinking about this earlier...I always feel compelled to share when we revamp or reorganize. I don't do this because I think our house is stylish or anything to envy or copy, but because I think it's SO important for every woman to realize that you can't wait to have the life you want until you have the perfect house, the perfect stuff...that's not what's important, first of all, and second of all, if you wait, you'll miss out. Start where you are with what you have, be grateful, and ENJOY your life.

And every once in a while, stop, look around, and get organized again. :)

Little Reminders

2012-01-04T10:24:00.001-06:00

After I dropped Noble off, I heard something rattling around in my console. I pulled this out...

...it's Bubby's "pine corn" that we've been hauling around for the past several weeks.

Soon, he'll grow out of this phase where listening to him is like watching "The Goonies"--that's what I said--and I'll miss it.

I so enjoy watching them grow and change, but it's bittersweet. I need to take time to appreciate this time and place, and be present and grateful.

Thanks for the little reminders, Noble.

If you get me started cleaning...

2012-01-03T08:31:00.001-06:00

...who knows where the spirit will lead us.

We started on the kids' room a week ago.

Then had the opportunity to get a new couch.

And along the way, we've cleaned and decluttered the kids' room, the living room, the dining room, the hall, the shed...and we've started the process in our room, the kitchen, and the office.

I'm kind of tired just thinking about it. But I love the feel of a cleaner house-the dust we've carted out of here...

We have a ways to go, yet, but starting the process feels pretty good. :)

More pics to come...

Sneak peek!

2011-12-29T08:26:00.001-06:00

Hoping the project we have planned for this comes out half as cool as it looks in my head!!

Favorite Things: room refresh!

2011-12-28T10:21:00.001-06:00

So much of our home is static and doesn't change...but the kids' room needs to change and grow with them. We're about to be on the 3rd bed(s) and 4th set(s) of bedding in 5 years...luckily, I bought duvet covers that match the existing blue and orange--you're welcome, Daddyboy!

It's time to give the kids their own spaces, and I'm so excited! Here's a sneak peek:

Of course, I've got lots of help. :)

Favorite Things: Post-Christmas Clean-Up!

2011-12-27T15:53:00.002-06:00

Every year after Christmas we get energetic and attack an area of the house. This year we started before Christmas in some of the closets, etc. It felt good! Since last spring, we've been wanting to work on the kids' room...face it, we're not moving anytime soon, so the one room needs to work AND give both of them some private space. And we're working with a limited (read: nonexistent) budget. Daddyboy and I have kicked around several ideas and options, but a few weeks ago I found something that just INSPIRED me. So, today's the day: the kids don't know it, but today is the day we start moving toward their new & improved room. Goodbye clutter, hello...organized clutter?

Favorite Things: My Hero!

2011-12-26T09:49:00.004-06:00

Favorite Things: Christmas Eve Pajamas

2011-12-26T09:46:00.002-06:00

Every year we open one present on Christmas Eve...new pajamas. I've had a friend make pajamas for the kids the past couple of years to match our Nick & Noras, but this year I found the kids' sizes in matching pjs. James and I didn't have matching ones, but I wasn't stressed--I figured one year wouldn't hurt. Kayci picked out a pair of Ralphie pajama pants for Daddy, and since she got those I let Noble pick out a pair of pants for me while we were out one day. I wasn't really excited about them, but I *was* excited about everyone else's, so I was fine with it. But when I opened up the box that I'd wrapped them in, I found the Nick & Nora Santa pajamas I'd been wanting for a while. James and Kayci conspired to surprise me--how sweet! :) What a fun way to start Christmas!

I hope you had a merry Christmas, too!

Favorite Things: Christmas Cookies

2011-12-24T09:21:00.001-06:00

...and helpers!

Favorite Things: Christmas Cards

2011-12-23T00:14:00.001-06:00

And there they are...110+ Christmas cards, all ready to go this morning. I feel so accomplished, since last year we sent out "New Year" cards.

But don't be too impressed--there's not a handwritten note in the bunch, just a card in an envelope. If you're looking for heart-felt, e-mail me.

Hee hee.

Favorite Things: Fred

2011-12-22T22:51:00.001-06:00

This is Fred. Fred is the pony Noble will NOT be receiving tomorrow when we get to Ronny's house. I'm not sure how this is going to go over, as Ronny has convinced Noble that Kayci can just move out of their room and Noble can share his (now it's just his) room with Fred.

I just never know what's going to happen when Uncle Ronny & Noble get on facetime...

*If this is a copyrighted image, please accept my apologies.

Favorite Things: Learning New Things...and a Hero King

2011-12-21T07:43:00.000-06:00

I love all of my new friends, but there's something to be said for our old friends, too...the people who knew us back when, and still love us anyway. :) This weekend we had the chance to celebrate our old friends' daughter's 1st birthday--just a note, the kiddo never cried or fussed or melted down during the party...a 1st birthday first for us! We had a great time seeing everyone, and I was really excited about our gift. When I saw that it was a Mickey Mouse-themed party, I decided to use the design I created for Layla's birthday, and put it on a pink onesie. I wasn't sure what the rest of the gift would be...and then when I went into my favorite local shop, they had those cute tulle skirts. But, not in her size. So I talked to the lady and she hooked me up with a sewed-elastic band...and I went home determined to make my own. It was surprisingly easy (although I learned several lessons!) and fun. I think I'll be making more of these. In fact, Kayci and I made one for her angel costume on Sunday, too! We used a softer tulle for that one, and I'm thinking there's a reason you need the stiffer tulle. But, it was very pretty and looked all feathery and floaty and ethereal, so, score!

Since I missed yesterday, here's a second favorite thing: that super hero king. Noble was determined that a wise man would dress as a super hero--this costume is a compromise. All the other boys were wearing the typical wise men/shepherd costumes...and Noble wore this. And carried a gold brick. Over the past several weeks we had several fun conversations about his costume--I think his brain just stuck at "dress up" after the ladies at church told them they got to dress up for the Christmas program. Now, I didn't have to go out and buy him a super hero cape, and I could have forced him to dress like I thought a wise man should look. But I wanted to honor his idea, and I cleared it with the ladies at church who were in charge of the kids' program and they were fine with it. It could have been funnier, I mean, worse, if I'd let him wear the mask that he wanted to wear instead of the crown. :) If you want to see video of the kids singing (and maybe one of the kiddos pokes the baby Jesus, don't want to give it all away)...go see James' post on our family blog.

Today is the big day--we're taking the kids to see Santa! Just pray there are no big revelations, like the year Kayci was 3 and told Santa that all she wanted was a doll we'd never even heard of before. :) I suspect you'll be seeing pictures tomorrow...

Favorite Things: doing my own thing

2011-12-19T05:25:00.001-06:00

Got a kick out of the purse table at a party this weekend. The picture doesn't do it justice...there were several there that didn't show up. :)

Wasn't too worried a our grabbing the right one when we left...

Favorite Things: Christmas Lights Night

2011-12-18T07:23:00.001-06:00

Once a year, we put the kids in the car with hot chocolate (in pjs is my fave!) and head out to check out the lights of Brenham. Pecan street is still tops--and last night they kicked it up still another notch and had Santa passing out candy canes! I think it's awesome that they do that for the kids. :)

Favorite Things: This Bearkat!

2011-12-17T22:49:00.001-06:00

I love my Bearkat!

Oh, and the Bearkittens, too...pretty sure this game was one we'll remember!! Go, Kats!

Ahh.

2011-12-16T08:22:00.001-06:00

Kayci's off to school.

Noble's chilling.

I'm making one last gift.

Plans for today? I plan NOT clean the house, to enjoy the knuckleheads. And I pray I take a drivers license picture I can live with for a few years...that last one was a doozy.

My mind and body just don't know how to feel today...the race is over, the jobs are done, it's time to relax. And yes, I'll relax better in a clean house, but right now I'm too. Tired. To. Move.

It's a good thing.

Favorite Things: Living

2011-12-15T20:24:00.001-06:00

I'm not Superwoman; I'm not going to get EVERYTHING done. Weeks like this, I have to keep telling myself that while I'm prioritizing and re-prioritizing and trying to fit in as much as I can without driving myself (or my family) crazy. I'm not going to lie, I'm task-driven, and I love checking things off my list. I love getting things done, especially when I'm challenged with lots of things to do. This week, I've gotten a lot done but left a lot undone, too...which is why, once again, I'm up early to grade (of course, grades are past due, now...sigh. Looks like I slipped up on the prioritizing!). My house is a wreck, too, if you're counting. :)

But every once in a while, I get it right. I am most happy with myself when, in the midst of all the things that need to get done, I can stop and enjoy the little moments with my knuckleheads--it's not their fault their Mommy is an overachieving nerd.

Yesterday was one of those times...I won't go over my whole day (that was an earlier post this week), but it was a busy-crazy one. And I had to go to Region 4 to run a quick errand (that totally benefited me, I won't lie!). I was stressed about Galena Park stuff that I really needed to do and I really wanted to make it in for our big department gathering...but I didn't. But I did make it to Region 4 in time, and afterwards I took the kids to Target for a few minutes to pick up a couple of things. And, I knew after a busy day it would be a reward for them. Little did I know we'd be distracted getting in the door....

...and getting back to the car.

But they were so happy. I was happy, too, and I snapped a couple of pics to share with Daddy. We have thousands of pictures of our kids (yes, literally), but pictures like these are my favorites...the little moments that I absolutely cherish. Part of the joy comes from the fact that just for a while, I put aside my selfishness and my to-do list and my drive and just LIVED with my kids and made the time count instead of just trying to get through.

Every day matters.

And every day, I'm so grateful to have another shot to get the balance right. Or better.

Today, I'll have my work done before the kids wake up (God willing!). Other than a couple of errands, this day is about them...and I can't WAIT!

And my house will still be a mess tomorrow, if you want to know the truth. I don't stress about it too much because I trash it this week every year and James is used to it (August, May, and December, Boy-o...I know, I know).

Favorite Things: Gifts!

2011-12-15T19:45:00.001-06:00

Probably the only thing I love more than GIVING gifts is MAKING gifts! (I can't stand giving gifts for the sake of giving gifts, though...I like to give stuff that I want to give and the person WANTS to get...but wait, that's a different post...)

Anyway, today was our MOPS ornament exchange. I tried, girls, but I couldn't find a $10 ornament that I was just crazy about. So, I punted--I bought some unfinished signs at Hobby Lobby last Christmas and I had planned to use them for teacher gifts this year, but I never got inspired. Yesterday, when I was in the final stretch for this ornament exchange, I got inspired!

I decided to make a Christmas countdown chalkboard, thinking surely other Moms would like that as well as an ornament. I bought some chalkboard paint (I was out, can you believe it?) and some white vinyl and got busy. This really doesn't take as long as you think.

First attempt: it started sprinkling while the signs were outside drying. Dang it. I brought them inside, and in the process got this one stuck to the paper. Double dang it. No worries, though, I turned it into a one-sided sign and gave it to Heather and the boys as a happy yesterday. (Austin was born today, that's what that sign means!!! Kayci was troubled that it said "1 dayS", but hey, it's gotta work for every other number, too.) I really like that shape...next time I think I'll move the words over to the left a bit more to leave more space for the 'til whatever and less space for numbers. Discuss.

Second attempt: I think I nailed it!, as Noble would say. I really wanted a cross on there someway, and I like the way this one contrasts with the rounded font.

For the back, I added some shapes..figure they could be any season or decor.

I wrapped it up with two new boxes of chalk, white and colored. Here's the rub: that awesome ribbon it's wrapped in? That's supposed to be the hanging ribbon...but I didn't realize until the end of the project that the pre-drilled holes were too small, and I was in a hurry. Next time I'll have James fix that so I can use pretty, wide ribbon. That color, those stripes...sigh!

I just have to tell you, seeing these pictures still makes me happy--I'm very proud of this project!

Favorite Things: Christmas Party Day!

2011-12-14T11:53:00.001-06:00

I love this time of year...and I hate the way it makes me feel, all at the same time. Try as I might to be more organized and more proactive, everything seems to pile up all at once. Work stuff, volunteer stuff, it doesn't matter--it piles up. You are all in the same boat, I know. So, here's the past 24 hours, by the numbers:

*Not pictured, for PTO:
-over Monday and Tuesday, Heather and I processed 700+ books that the PTO will give out this week.
Phew.
-500 Capri Sun pouches counted, sorted, boxed.
-42 bags prepared for Capri Sun pouch recycling
-I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot. It was just a normal amount of volunteer work in a very abnormal week.

For Noble's Christmas party:

16 reindeer craft kits

16+ servings of reindeer food

16+ bags of reindeer noses

~50 reindeer cookies

16 containers of homemade playdough, each bagged with a cookie cutter & a printed/cut gift tag

5 "big" teacher gifts

8 "medium" teacher/staff gifts

17 "small" teacher/staff gifts

20 AWANA happies

6 AWANA leader happies

For James' food day today:

-food trays I intended to create? 1.

-prefab food trays I bought at WalMart instead? Sigh. 1.

For me:

T-shirt orders today: 4! (Seriously!)

Gifts purchased while I ran errands this morning in between party and prep: 10+.

Assignments graded? Um, less than 50.

Miles commuted to work? 0 so far.

Of the two major work tasks I have on my plate this week, # completed? 0.

Hours of sleep last night? 4.

# of happy kids in my family today? 2.

Is it all worthwhile? Yes.

Do I wish I was less...Kristi...about it all? Definitely.

Will I go to bed happy tonight? Of course!

Will I do it all over again next December? Geez...

Favorite Things: Lunch Notes

2011-12-13T15:00:00.001-06:00

We save them...I hope someday Kayci will look at them and remember the love that went into each lunch.

Favorite Things: Pumpkin Snowmen

2011-12-12T05:20:00.001-06:00

So...last year we went a bit overboard with the pumpkins. I'm embarrassed to admit how much we spent. Suffice to say, it was enough that we were going to get our money's worth out of 'em! So, when it was time to decorate for Christmas, I stacked them into snowmen and painted them white. It was a lot of fun, and I was actually sad to take them down in January. Well, this year James got the bug...he even asked some friends of ours if we could have THEIR pumpkins. And some nice pumpkin fairy came and left a bunch on our porch (thanks, pumpkin fairy!)...I suspect because we're the only people around with pumpkins outside after Thanksgiving. Well, yesterday James and Kayci got started. I can't wait to see the finished product! All I know is that this year there are a few different "scenes" going on in our front yard and there will be Christmas lights involved somehow. :)

Favorite Things: Talent + Hard Work

2011-12-10T21:50:00.001-06:00

Bitty started taking piano lessons this fall; today was her first recital. She played beautifully, and I am so proud of her. It's obvious she's got some natural talent, but I think what makes me most proud is how hard she works at it. The kid puts in the time at the piano, and never complains about practice time. She has a wonderful teacher (we love, love Jana Foster!), and it's all been a great experience so far.

I'm proud of you, Bitty!

Favorite things: Not Things at All

2011-12-09T05:26:00.001-06:00

Favorite Things: Slightly Crazy Christmas Trees

2011-12-07T09:34:00.001-06:00

I love slightly crazy Christmas trees. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing pictures of y'all's perfectly coordinated trees, but that's just never been my thing. I like trees that tell a story.

Here's Kayci's. Hers is a mix of her favorite colors and ornaments she's made and just random stuff she likes. It looks so cute with the lights on, but it's daytime, so...

And here's Noble's tree. Yes, he insisted that he have the pink one this year. And yes, he does have a primary and gold plastic tree topper that lights up...with a paper plate angel tree topper on top of said tree topper. What's that? Why, yes, that is a mix of dinosaurs, jingle bells, all things sparkly, and pink glitter ornaments...

And our family tree...Kayci asked me the other day if people would think our tree is crazy because it doesn't match. I said, probably. And I told her that when she grows up she can have any kind of tree she wants...but our tree tells the story of our family, and that's the way we like it here. BTW, it really did feel taller before we brought it home. Oh, well. :)

Favorite Thing: Chaos to Clean

2011-12-06T15:16:00.001-06:00

I am a recovering neat freak...and if my Boy is reading this right now, he's laughing out loud as our house has been in quite the state for too long to even mention.

I'm sitting here and it's chaotic, sure, but as soon as I sweep and mop and we finish our Christmas decorating and move all of the tubs back to storage...it will be clean and neat again. The clean is coming.

And I can already picture what it's going to be like later tonight after the kids are in bed and I get to sit on the couch with my Boy and just enjoy the view of a clean, Christmas-y house.

Just don't look in any closets, drawers, or cabinets, y'all.

Favorite Things: Decorating the Tree

2011-12-05T04:22:00.001-06:00

My favorite part of decorating for Christmas is getting out the ornaments and telling the story of each one. Well, telling the story of MOST of them while the 3 year old asks for the next one and the next one...

Like James told the knuckleheads last night, those ornaments tell the story of our family.

This year Daddy said they could BOTH put the Angel on the tree.

Methinks this might be Bitty's last go!

Sweet!

Favorite Things: Brenham's Christmas Parade

2011-12-04T07:16:00.001-06:00

Every year it feels like the Christmas season REALLY starts around here with the Christmas Stroll and Parade. This year it was on Friday night (I love it when it's on Friday night!), and we all had a blast. Daddy wasn't in charge of the Germania float this year, so that meant the 4 of us didn't have to be there until right before the parade started and that right when it ended, the 4 of us walked off together to go find our family and get hot chocolate (not that we needed anything hot...it wasn't cold outside at all). Usually parade days are a bit more stressful than that, so this was a HUGE blessing. And yes, the float was AWESOME, as usual!

The hardest part of the parade for Noble has always been waiting on the float...but I guess because he's older, this year wasn't too traumatic for any of us. :) And Kayci...Kayci opted to sit on the opposite side of the float from us with a friend. That was a first, and I was reminded once again that she's growing up. Sunrise, sunset...

If you missed the parade, you missed a great time! We're grateful that Adam, Peggy, Emily, Jhido & Nahia made the trek to Brenham, and we enjoyed a little time with y'all after the parade. And I was grateful to have a reason to clean up our WRECK of a house just in case y'all came over afterwards. :)

Ready to go...one of us is grumpy about something. The rest of us don't really care.

The waiting is the hardest part...

Favorite Things: Walkway of Lights

2011-12-03T05:26:00.001-06:00

When Kayci was 2, Jhido came in from Washington for Thanksgiving and he and Adam spent the holiday with us. We had Thanksgiving at Ronny's and then headed to Fredericksburg for the weekend. That was the first time James and I had been to Fredericksburg since our weekend trip with Jennifer and Steve when Madi was a baby--it had been a while! Anyway, we absolutely LOVED Fredericksburg all decorated for Christmas, and we had a great weekend even despite James' food poisoning (completely unrelated to Thanksgiving at Ronny's, of course). Looking back at pictures of James, Jhido and Uncle Adam at Enchanted Rock, I can't believe how Adam has grown up in the past 6 years--he's grown into a wonderful young man. But he was just a little boy a few minutes ago, it seems...

The next year was our first year in Brenham. Kayci was 3, and we decided to make a big weekend of it again. After Thanksgiving, we headed for the hill country. And again, we had a BLAST! This time, as we were driving through Marble Falls we noticed the lights by the lake and decided to check it out. We had such a great time, and I'll never forget Kayci's conversation with Santa Claus that year (that was the whole, I want the Dora with the thing you push on her forehead and her hair grows)...legend has it, Santa was already done shopping that year but he was able to find the very. last. Dora. doll. in the Brazos Valley for his Bitty. Phew.

And so it went--we went to Fredericksburg and Marble Falls the next year, but not her 5 year old year (Grandpa was sick, it didn't feel right), and then the next two years we didn't even get a hotel in Fredericksburg but just stayed in Marble Falls. This year, we didn't have the budget for a hotel room in Marble Falls or the patience for Fredericksburg (it's just gotten too, too crowded Thanksgiving weekend, so we're going to make that a spring trip for peach ice cream from now on), so we decided to just drive over to Marble Falls after our Friday Thanksgiving dinner at Ronny's. Good thing, since it rained on Saturday, when we'd planned to go!

This year was wonderful, even though it was a fairly quick trip. We got to share it with Ronny's kids, which is always a good time. The Walkway of Lights, if you've never been, is low-tech by today's standards, but it's just beautiful down by the lake. We love to stay in the La Quinta up the hill and look at the lights from our balcony, but that's another year...

Here are the kids--we love these knuckleheads like our own. I'm so grateful (probably another post!) for all of the time we spent with them when they were little. Ronny and Amy were great about always inviting us to church and school stuff and just having us over, period. And the kids have spent...gosh, I don't know how many nights with us over the years. They've been such a blessing to us!

We weren't sure about Noble and Santa (kids, don't read--Kayci doesn't believe this guy's the real Santa, and she never has. It's okay to talk to Santa's helper sometimes, though). Noble was okay, but it turns out, neither of our kids has a Christmas list this year. Guess Santa gets to wing it!

I was a little worried that Kayci's too big for Santa...turns out, I didn't need to worry. I love that girl!

Keely took our picture. I don't know if you can tell, but it was warmer than usual...my hair was HUGE. :)

And finally, the cousins...I think they're smiling because they know Starbucks is next on the agenda. But maybe they're just smiling because it was fun, and a special experience to share. I hope so. But the Starbucks was good, not gonna lie.

Thanks for going with us, big kids--we had a blast with y'all!

Favorite things: fir & 4!

2011-12-02T10:38:00.001-06:00

So, this morning James walks out to find me attempting to take a picture of our tree with my jacked up phone. Usually having a broken phone doesn't bother me, but I'm tired of not being able to snap quick pics and blog...how lazy am I, really? Anyway, my sweet Boy takes my phone out of my hand and says, let me work on it. At that point I was totally frustrated with it and was like, "you can't fix it...it's just broken." I may have growled. I'm not sure.

He comes back to the living room a minute later and says, "try it now."

How thoughtful is he? You know, I wouldn't have spent the money on it right now...actually, not until I *had* to do so. But he works hard, and if this makes him happy, then who am I to argue? Besides, how lucky am I to have a Boy who'll spend his freelance check on a phone for me instead of on something for himself? Have I mentioned how grateful I am? :) Thanks, Boy--I loved you before the new phone, and I love you even more for making it happen. You take such good care of me!

Back to the original post: my favorite thing for today? Fir trees! This year we got a Noble Fir--it was too fun to show Noble his name on all of the Christmas trees yesterday, and this one just jumped out at us and begged to be our tree. We'll decorate it this weekend, and the kids can't WAIT. I'm not sure who's more excited, us or them.

And an addendum: my other favorite thing today is 4...for my iPhone 4s. :) I've lost track of how many iPhones I've had since June 29, 2007. This is my 3rd of the 4s, alone. Yikes!

Ready or not, here it comes!

2011-12-01T05:36:00.001-06:00

(2010 Lighted Parade)

We have pretty strict rules in our house about holidays.

No Halloween talk or decorating until October 1.

November 1, Halloween comes down and harvest/Thanksgiving goes up.

December 1, Thanksgiving comes down...and then things either go really fast or really slow. :)

December 1 is when Advent starts in our house. We have a blast counting down the days until Christmas. When I first started blogging, I posted about what we do to make this time fun for the kids...here's a blast from the past (2008, to be exact!):

http://ipharaon.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-fun.html

This year, I'm not sure what December is going to look like. I'm still in SIMPLIFY mode...but we'll see if that holds. :)

So far, here's what's going in the Advent calendar (not the one I still haven't made, we'll use our "old" one again this year!):

December 1: buy our tree!

December 2: Christmas parade & stroll!

December 3: decorate the tree

December 4: Church and decorate outside

And then each day will be a mix of things we're doing already (Kayci's piano recital, PTO Christmas program, etc.) and Christmas fun (wrapping gifts, making ornaments, making playdough--we need Alex for that one, H!).

Um, have I mentioned that I *love* Christmas? :) This year, I just want to do a good job of focusing on the why of Christmas, not just the whats...our kiddos totally understand about Jesus' birth, but it can get lost in the Santa and reindeer and elf stuff that I love so much.

And I understand what a hypocrite I am, talking about keeping it simple while I'm looking around at our Elf on the Shelf (Taylor, who's 6 years old this year!) horsing around on the duck and the two wrapped gifts on the table (they unwrap a book a day)...but really, for me, that IS simplifying. :)

I'm NOT doing 12 days of Christmas this year...that was something I loved last year, but that can totally go. That's progress, right?

I'm NOT making my new (sniff) Silhouette Advent calendar this year, because this mouse doesn't have time for that cookie...and the new banner, and the new stockings, and the new tree skirt...it was not a good 4 weeks of stressing about that stuff, and I've given it up. :)

I'm NOT doing snow & snowmen this year, unless Kayci insists. I'm serious about keeping decorations simple.

Ha.

And last but not least, a favorite thing...another of my favorite December blog traditions:

Today my favorite thing is quiet time in the morning with my Boy. We've had an hour to sit here and read and, for me, to do my quiet time...now I'm on the computer for a bit before we get up and he heads off to Bible study. This time with him makes all the difference. :)

The Write Stuff

2011-11-29T05:04:00.001-06:00

Here's a video James made of Bubby writing away this weekend.

http://ipharaon.blogspot.com/2011/11/noble-writes-his-name.html

I'm still amazed that Noble just wrote his name out of the blue last week--trust me when I say that teaching him to write was NOT on my radar! Sure, we've been talking about the letters in his name forever...I was happy he'd mastered that. Just goes to show what kids are learning when we think they're "just playing," right, girls? :)

Silly Boy

2011-11-28T17:45:00.001-06:00

This is his, "silly, stupid old Girl" look.

And I love him anyway.

Or, more importantly, he loves ME anyway.

Creative Christmas

2011-11-27T08:58:00.001-06:00

When I think of Christmas, I think of the month leading up to Christmas...

...Advent activities (and this year, making our new Advent calendar!)
...spending a month immersed in reminders of what Christmas is really about, and celebrating His birth
...making,
...baking,
...buying,
...and wrapping gifts
...creating,
...sending,
...and receiving Christmas cards
...decorating the house,
...inside and out,
...and the tree
...wrapping books for the knuckleheads to unwrap each day
...watching them decorate their own Christmas trees (guess who's called the pink one this year?!)
...time with friends and family
...Christmas lights
...Christmas traditions
...looking for Taylor the elf each day
...watching Christmas movies
...listening to Christmas songs (especially the ones Kayci plays on the piano!)
...telling stories of Christmases past
...sharing family stories and traditions with Kayci and Noble
...hearing stories about when Daddy was little, and their family traditions
...there's so much to love about this season.

Now that we're back home and Thanksgiving is over, I'm ready for the Christmas season. But I refuse to be rushed into it...we'll do it one day at a time, and we'll enjoy each day as it comes. I'm hesitant to let go of the anticipation that comes with Thanksgiving...I'm not in any hurry to get the tree or decorate the house (partially because our house is still TRASHED from Thanksgiving preparations and fun). I want to hold on to this feeling of something awesome heading our way.

Something awesome is heading our way, and my prayer is that we'll all enjoy the ride this holiday season. We have so many blessings, so much to be thankful for. I don't want to lose focus...especially during this season, I want my family to keep first things first: faith, family and friends.

And I want to keep first things first, too, and not get bogged down in our busy schedule. Keep me accountable, friends!

More shirts!

2011-11-22T21:10:00.001-06:00

Here are some of the shirts I've done this week...I have had a BLAST!!

This one was inspired by Rachel's pin, and it's the only one I printed (instead of using vinyl). Love it!!!

Jennifer saw Noble's Bearkat orange shirt and thought it would be fun in Preston's school colors. I was more than happy to make one for our Godson!

We were unable to attend the twins' party a few weeks ago, so these were overdue. My first Christmas shirts!

Mandy had the idea for these a while back, and I had so much fun with them! I added the onesie, based on the cute one that's floating around Pinterest. :)

Okay, a little brag and a little inspiration: Noble wrote his name for the first time...surprised the CRAP out of me!

I bought these cute vintage-y ringer tees for the knuckleheads but I wasn't sure what to do with them. Truthfully, both kiddos have Christmas tees already, but I couldn't pass up that soft cotton. I was watching Noble write this morning, and it totally came to me...luckily, I hadn't taken the other shirts to the press, yet! I'm sorry, guys, but these make be laugh!

I have one more group to share, but we'll all have to be patient!

Saying Goodbye to Grandma

2011-11-22T05:59:00.001-06:00

10 days ago, Grandma Curtis passed away. It's been hard saying goodbye to her, even though we kinda knew it was coming. Part of what makes it hard is that we were planning to have Thanksgiving with her this year...the first time this branch of the family has shared that meal in over 20 years. It's kind of a big deal. And even though I'm happy for Grandma, and so grateful that she's no longer tired or in pain, I'm sad for us because our family has lost an amazing person. For someone so small, she was larger than life. The stories she told...and what's crazy is, they were mostly true. Grandma's life, from start to finish, was one big adventure. One of the reasons I loved her is that she loved James, unconditionally, and was probably his biggest fan--every child needs to be loved like that. There's so much I could say about Grandma. She was a mess, she was fun, she was thoughtful and kind...she loved our kids and never failed to ask about them, or me, or James, depending on who she was talking to. She wasn't self-centered, even when she probably had the right to be. A couple of years ago we had the opportunity to have Grandma visit for a long November weekend, which was the most time I ever spent with her all at once. We had fun, but the best part was just talking to her. Grandma and I were so very different--she's way more fun and adventurous than I am!--but we had a love of family in common.

It's hard letting go of Grandma, and we already miss her. James wrote a beautiful note about her if you've got a few minutes. Yesterday at the service he read it, and I was struck once again by what an amazing man he's grown to be. I give Grandma and Granddaddy lots of credit for the man he is, and I'm forever grateful to them for that.

Tatertots and Jello is giving away a Cameo!

2011-11-21T04:49:00.001-06:00

Y'all know there's a new Silhouette, right? This one cuts 12" (mine only cuts 9") and it's supposed to be quieter and all kinds of better. I would love, love to win one...and you can, too! Head over to Tatertots and Jello and she's got tons of ways you can win! Good luck--I do hope one of us wins! Of course, I'm pulling for ME...but I'd be happy for you, too. I guess.

What are you waiting for? Go enter!!

http://tatertotsandjello.com/2011/11/bonus-giveaway-silhouette-cameo

Cooper's ABCs

2011-11-20T21:55:00.001-06:00

One more post on Cooper's shower gifts...Mandy fell in love with this alphabet wall

http://projectnursery.com/projects/emersons-nursery/

and wanted to have a personalized one for Cooper's room.

I got to choose my 2 letters, and I immediately knew I wanted C for cars and Z for zebra. I had fun!

C is for Cooper

2011-11-20T20:39:00.001-06:00

Mandy's baby shower was last week, but I was unable to attend. I had a little fun with Cooper's onesies--I saw these cute tie monthly stickers on the BabySmiles Etsy shop a while back and was waiting for just the right little guy. By the way, I love, love BabySmiles--I think I'll be buying my stickers from them exclusively from now on (and nope, she didn't pay me to say that!). But, if you DO buy from her and you send her pics of your baby in her stickers to use in her shop, she'll give you a discount. Cool, huh--we all want to show off our kiddos!

But back to Cooper. I've been saving a Harry & David tin for a year...I just knew the right gift would come along. I had to do a little work to cover up the MooseMunch logos, but luckily James helped out (a lot. Like, he did the graphic for me. Love him!).

Here's the finished product...I had a lot of fun. I realized too late that I only distressed the big graphic on the top of the tin, and not the little ones around the sides. Whoops!

Hope Mandy and Shane like them as much as I do. I've still got a little more to do for this family, but I'll show you after they see it! :)

A Fresh Look at an Old Favorite

2011-11-18T05:42:00.001-06:00

I woke up this morning with this song in my head. (Note: I woke up 52 minutes ago--I'm teaching online this month which means that Friday mornings are grading mornings. Yet here I am, not *quite* grading, yet.) After I finished my quiet time, I flipped open my Bible to this verse because the song was still running through my head.

There was a reason this was running through my head. Have you read the REST of this paragraph? It starts out with Paul thanking the church for their concern for him, and for showing it. (Interesting that he adds that, no?) And then it goes on...

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Philippians 4: 11-13 (NIV)

This has been such a struggle for me the past few months. I *say* I am content, I *think* I am content...but then what I say and do proves otherwise. I feel so sorry for my Boy, because the deeper I get into the "For Women Only" Bible study, the more I am aware of the mixed signals I am sending to him and how damaging that can be. (Thanks for loving me through it, Boy-o.) I am forever saying, I love our home, even if it's small. Or something like that. True contentment: I love my home. (I DO!--I am coming to think that this is a bad habit, adding a "but" to the end of a happiness/contentment statement...lest anyone think I'm too happy or think my life is "perfect." But maybe that's another post.)

And another one: We've learned to live within our means. (Great.) But I almost always chase that statement with another about how our means are a small house and old cars. (Ouch.)

And the one that's really sticking in my craw: I am CONSTANTLY complaining about my car. It's got what I consider to be a LOT of cosmetic damage. And we keep choosing to do other things with our money--it really doesn't make sense to fix it, and I *know* this. So why do I keep complaining? Why am I embarrassed, when I ought to go back to being grateful that I get to drive exactly the car I want...I love my car! I don't love the dents and dings and broken bumper and big pink scratch (vandalism...really??)...but I love my car, and I'm so grateful to have a reliable vehicle that takes me/us SO MANY PLACES. I live 80 miles from work, for goodness sake--it's a good car.

I'm not sure what's going on with me this fall, but I'm really struggling with contentment and selfishness. And it's almost worse that I'm hyperaware of it, because then I get grumpy with myself and I know that makes me not a lot of fun to be around.

But through it all, my Boy remains, and loves me anyway.

That reminds me of Someone else, who gives me so much grace and loves me despite my sin and selfishness.

I am incredibly, incredibly blessed. And I pray this season of discontent passes soon. Like, today. Maybe now that it's out there I'll move past it...I find that keeping it inside just makes it worse.

So we'll see, right?

How 'bout you? Content or not so much? Do your actions match your words, or are you a big ol' hypocrite like me?

It's not you, it's me.

2011-11-17T06:14:00.001-06:00

Dear Blog,

I know I've been a little distant. I've got lots on my mind, and I just can't get my thoughts organized enough to write.

Wait, no. I owe you more than that.

Blog, there's someone else.

Someone I can just click on for a few minutes of mindless entertainment.

I don't even have to DO anything.

I feel the same way about this new one as I did about you a few years ago...I can't get enough of it. When I'm not looking at it, I'm thinking about it.

I DO still love you, Blog. You've been there for me through thick and thin, and I've got big plans for us. Don't give up on me.

By the way, if you need me, I'll be on Pinterest.

Love,
me

at a loss

2011-11-14T14:16:00.001-06:00

for the first time in a while, I'm at a loss for words.

and there you have it.

Honoring our Veterans

2011-11-11T10:31:00.001-06:00

Three :)

2011-11-10T14:35:00.001-06:00

Today was our conference with Noble's 3-year old teacher. As parent conferences go, it wasn't anything spectacular...we like his teacher and his school very much, and are grateful for his progress. More than that, though, we're grateful for his happiness--he LOVES school. It was nice to hear that he's where he needs to be as far as his academics (even though he totally played possum on a couple of the assessments!). I guess I just still can't believe how big he's getting. Our boy is THREE. Closer to four, if you're counting. Time is just flying...

A First

2011-11-08T05:49:00.001-06:00

Until yesterday, I had never held a loaded gun in my life. I can't say that anymore...and I can't wait to do it again! Target practice was fun; just not sure I would enjoy shooting at a deer or a rabbit or a bird. :) And I totally had beginners luck--my first 5 shots with a .22 hit 4 targets. (It was downhill from there, lest the boys think I'm bragging!)

From Halloween to Harvest

2011-11-07T11:36:00.001-06:00

Have I mentioned how much I love living with a photographer? :) I love it. I do.

So, last week I was all, hey, take some pictures of the Halloween decorations before we put it all away. Kayci really helped this year and I wanted to kind of document it for her. It occurred to me a while back that someday our kids will be able to read these entries and it will be a journal for them. I always kind of had that in the back of my mind with our family blog...but this, my personal journal, will give her such insight into what was important to me way back when. Wow, no pressure, right?

If you're reading this, future Bitty, please also remember that the floor wasn't clean enough to eat off of the day Daddy took these pictures, and it's not much cleaner now. In case you were wondering why the house seems cleaner in the pictures than you remember.

That tray is from Grandma Clarkson, and my Mom made the runner for the kids this year (it's candy corn printed fabric...Noble's favorite!)

That's Uncle Thurman. We've had him since I was in 3rd grade. Kinda crazy, right?

Banana bread the next day, don't worry.

I heart my Silhouette. And my Bitty's imagination!

Maybe we went a bit overboard with the spider webs...

And did I mention the bats?

This was a fun group project...Noble's favorite things, my favorite new Halloween shape (ghosts!), and Kayci's hard work. Bitty, we'll lie and tell everyone Noble made the random ghosty with the two mouths, 'kay? He's 3, they'll totally believe it.

I didn't have a fun Halloween dish towel, but I had a flour sack towel and a little inspiration. Voila!

Oh, yeah. And in the midst of changing out Halloween to Harvest, we also switched our summer clothes for winter clothes. And yep, a week later those tubs are still sitting there, but now they're full of summer clothes ready to go into storage instead of winter clothes ready to go into closets. That's progress, right? The joys of living in a small space...

Okay, so there's a method to my madness. For Halloween this year, we ONLY put up Halloween stuff and left the Harvest-y decor in storage for a bit longer. Our house is tiny, and one extra thing or one thing out of place makes a huge difference. So, we had lots of fun with Halloween...but if we had gone all out with the Harvest, too, then our house would have been WAY decorated from October 1st to January 1st. Too much for too long! So, this year I decided we'd de-clutter in November so we're ready for our Christmas clutter and fun. We kept it simple.

Okay, as simple as we keep anything fun. I know. I heard it.

James brought a "Mexican pumpkin" home from the valley. I haven't a clue what makes it different, but it feels more like a gourd than a pumpkin. Hmm.

Note to self: when making dishtowels, DON'T decorate the whole flour sack. You have to fold it, dummy.

Look, it's a thankful tree--we actually did it! The kids had a blast making it, and they enjoy writing on their tags (okay, leaves) each day. So glad we went through with it!

My Mom made this a couple of years ago--I love it. It's a great reminder. When we hung it up, Noble asked what the letters said. When I told him, "give thanks," he said, "oh...because it's Thanksgiving. And November!" Yep. He's listening, after all.

My NEW favorite autumn decoration--I framed the cover and James' picture. :)

Melissa, remember I bought a few of these and you gave me yours so I'd have enough? Have I mentioned how much I miss you guys? We are due for a weekend SOON.

What it's all about, right?

I wonder how many hand turkeys we actually own?

A runner Mom made for me a couple of years ago. I have a nice dish that I normally keep gourds, veggies, etc. in...but we can't find it. James said, "didn't we break that?" I was all, "um, NO...WE didn't. If you did, you're in big trouble, buddy!"

Ah, yes...back to the joys of a tiny house. You run out of spaces. I wonder why I bought these last year--there's nowhere to put them, but they make me smile!

It's important to me to really LIVE and ENJOY every day and celebrate the big and little things that make life worth living. Decorating and doing things like this with my family make me happy...and even though it's frivolous, to me, it's necessary. Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed, not just gotten through. If you're still reading, thanks for sticking around. I want to see pictures of YOUR house, now!

A Cookie for Me?!

2011-11-06T18:22:00.000-06:00

The other day, I saw the new Silhouette Advent Calendar. I put the link on facebook, thinking maybe some friends and I could have a craft day and make some. No bites...I didn't think anything of it and went on about my business.

Fast forward to yesterday. We went to my Mom's house to spend the night; Noble and I hung out with Grandma while Daddy and Kayci went to see Taylor Swift. When we got there, I noticed that there was an envelope with my name on it, but I didn't really think of it. My Mom told me to open it, and it was a card. It took me a minute to figure out that it was a birthday card (it was unexpected since it's like, 6? weeks til my birthday). As it turns out, my Mom, who rarely gets on facebook, logged in the other day to look at some of Jame's pictures, and she saw my post. So she ordered an Advent Calendar for me for my birthday! I am so freakin' excited...this is right up there with the Silhouette they got me for my birthday last year!

image: Silhouette America

The thing is, now I ~~have to~~ get to decide what I want it to look like (you cut the drawers out of cardstock, so it's completely personalized). I've enjoyed seeing all the different designs on Pinterest and the various blogs this week...but it's hard to pick just one.

And here's the other part of it: when we were first married, I bought our Christmas stockings, runner, a quilt, and tree skirt at Macy's. It's all very late 90s, with the navy/maroon/cream kinda countryish snowman theme. The truth is, navy and maroon are my LEAST favorite colors. I don't DO cream--I like WHITE. For Christmas, I like brights--true red and white, green, some turquoise-y blue and a little pink and yellow...think vintage Christmas. So every year when we get the stuff out, I'm glad to see it because it represents that first year and making our first apartment a home, and just blending all of our Christmas traditions together. The stuff does make me happy...but the colors? Not so much. Don't tell them, but I'm over the snowmen, too!

So, now we're at a crossroads. Another project that's been on the back burner is a Christmas banner for our doorway. I didn't want one that matched our Christmas linens, but I also didn't want one in the colors I like because it so would NOT have matched. Does anyone else think about this stupid stuff, really??

Anyway, all I can think about now is, it's time: time to bring bright colors back into our Christmas. If we switch colors, that means we can use our old kitsch-y felt stockings, too, and make some grandparents happy.

Sigh. It's like we talked about before...giving me this Advent Calendar is like giving the mouse a cookie. If you give me a new Advent Calendar, I'm going to want a banner to match. And if I get a new banner, I'll want a new runner. And if I get a new runner, I'll want different stockings. And if I get different stockings, I'll want a new tree skirt. And if I get a new tree skirt...

It'll be interesting to see if I do it all (correction: if I get it organized for MOM to do it all, since I don't sew). Or maybe we'll leave well enough alone for now. I can't wait to see what happens!

Monkey See...

2011-11-05T07:34:00.000-05:00

I took some fun cutouts to work this week for a make & take. When the teachers got into the pile of monkeys, it turns out there were only a couple that weren't written on. At some point a few years ago, Kayci got a marker and wrote me lots of notes. Seeing those monkeys reminded me of why I do what I do...and why I only work part-time. I think of all the things I miss now, but I don't even want to think about what I'd miss if I worked the way I used to (by choice, not by necessity--I gave too much).

I love you big, too, Monkey. :) Thanks for some perspective in the middle of a long week.

24

2011-11-03T21:27:00.001-05:00

There are 24 of these on my phone from Halloween afternoon.

Are you as curious as I am?

Thankful Thoughts

2011-11-02T05:09:00.001-05:00

I had great plans for doing 30 days of thankful this month, but I haven't figured out yet HOW I want to display it. I've got 3+ hours in the car by myself today...maybe something will come to me. :) We do get cool points for doing our thankful fors last night--for the first time since October 17. Yikes!

first things first

2011-11-01T06:31:00.002-05:00

On busy days, like today is sure to be, it's especially important for me to remember to keep first things first...and that's my prayer as we head into November 1st.

treat!

2011-10-31T14:16:00.002-05:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed October from start to finish. We have the rest of today and a whole lot of family fun...and then tomorrow, we change from Halloween to harvest. I'm excited! Maybe I'll sweet-talk my Boy into taking pictures of our Halloween decorations since my camera is dead...

Happy Halloween, friends!

In Awe

2011-10-30T21:27:00.001-05:00

I had the pleasure of watching my Boy prep for a photo shoot yesterday. I love watching him work--I'm constantly awed by his talent.

You inspire me, Boy. :)

Consider Others

2011-10-29T09:32:00.001-05:00

I've been working on this scripture for the past two weeks. It's one of my favorites, actually. It wasn't until the last day of the two weeks that it HIT me, though: this is about so much more than not being selfish.

When I start putting work and outside commitments ahead of my family's needs and my needs...when my house is filthy but my PTO book is perfectly organized, or I don't have time to cook but I have time to bake for this commitment or that commitment...things are out of whack. This shows up in my attitude, in my time management, in my relationship with my husband and of course, the behavior of my children. My attitude--ugh. It has NOT been a good one for the past week or so. And it's shown in my relationships and my home and my life.

As long as I keep first things first, life is good. If I make time for God each day, and time for my Boy, and keep talking to both of them, life is good. If I do those two things, the kid part is infinitely easier. If I take time for quiet time each morning, my spirit is quiet and I can be more patient. If I can put my selfishness aside and serve my husband and children with a happy heart, our house is happy.

This doesn't mean I deny myself everything and never take time for myself--it just means that I need to work harder at keeping first things first...and spend less time looking for things to be unhappy about. Am I the only woman who gets a little grumpy, then starts mentally cataloging ALL of the things I COULD be grumpy about, then all of a sudden my life feels like a mess and I'm unhappy and it's probably my Boy's fault so I get grumpy with him and then he's grumpy and then everything goes downhill...all because I got stuck in a self-centered rut and started listening to the unhappy lies in my head instead of looking at the truth of it all: my life is good. I am blessed beyond imagining. The petty stuff is just that--petty. Petty distractions that don't matter in the grand scheme of things, yet it's so easy to spend time focusing on those things and not looking at the big picture of blessings.

Life is good. Shame on me for looking down and losing sight of that.

Too Close to Home

2011-10-27T07:21:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I met a little guy who, from behind, looked so much like Noble it was a little freaky. Down to the way he wore his t-shirt, kinda hanging off one shoulder. I met this kiddo in one of our classrooms, and he was born with some physical issues that make it difficult for him to do everyday tasks. He's absolutely gorgeous, and funny, and sweet...he's a month older than Bubby, and they are so similar. I find myself wondering if they will be friends when they meet tomorrow, and if they'll look at each other and see the similarities I see. Not many three year olds are that self-aware, I know. But part of me suspects they'll look at each other and see a friend. I hope. I pray Noble sees past the physical differences, like Kayci has always been able to do. I love that she has my heart for special friends, and I know that Noble is a totally different knucklehead and he may not be as accepting as she is. We'll see. And if not, we'll work on it, because I think it's important.

I think maybe it's because of my work, but I always wondered if God's plan for me included a special needs child. Now that both children have been born and are growing up so healthy and whole, I fervently pray that they stay that way. But seeing a child so like Noble, and so not, hit too close to home--I never want to take him for granted, the things he thinks and says and does. And the same for Kayci, of course. Life can change in an instant. We pray it won't, but it can.

So, this morning I'll take a moment and take stock. Are the things I'm worrying about right now big things, or little things in the grand scheme? Am I taking time to appreciate what (and more importantly, who!) I have? Am I spending enough time with the important people in my life? The answer to some of those is no, which means I've got some work to do.

But for now, back to enjoying my kids. And saying a prayer of thanks for their health and happiness. And also saying a prayer for the kids this morning who are lacking in either...but don't get me started on that.

Bitty Beauty

2011-10-26T05:52:00.001-05:00

I know I'm biased, but when I look at her I see how beautiful she is--and how beautiful she is inside. I am so grateful for this child. She makes me want to be a better person.

Before I forget...

2011-10-25T11:03:00.001-05:00

Here are the shirts I made last week...a baby gift, another baby gift with a sibling gift, and 2 shirts for a joint birthday party for some of Noble's friends. Fun! (Bad camera, I know...)

I Caved.

2011-10-25T09:37:00.000-05:00

If I forget to pick my kids up from school, I blame you guys.

Here

2011-10-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

This Monday morning, I am thankful to be HERE. Here at home, surrounded by dirty laundry and stuff that needs to be unpacked and stuff that needs to be done, running behind schedule already this morning and off-schedule because of a little crazy outside this morning...but here at home, nonetheless. It's going to be a crazy week on top of last week's crazy week and busy weekend and heading into a busy week next week, but none of that matters. What matters is that everyone is safely off to where they're supposed to be, they all left smiling and fed, and it's a beautiful day. We're prepared for the planned crazy this week and excited about the crazy to come next week. And if some unexpected crazy comes our way, well, we'll roll with it. But right now, I'm here. And I couldn't be happier.

Success

2011-10-21T07:09:00.001-05:00

Last night, we ran into a friend of James' from high school. They were talking about preparations for their 20th class reunion, and that started me thinking...

...MY 20th class reunion is just a few months away. We had a great time at our 10th reunion, and I've really been looking forward to seeing my old friends, and seeing my Facebook friends in person. But here's what had me stressed last night: career-wise, I have no clue where I'll be after this school year ends. People are going to ask, "what do you do?" Hmm...that's kind of a tough one already. So, I had a little freak out on the car ride home last night. James is sooooo good, and he so gets me. He said exactly the right things, and reminded me who I am isn't about what I "do."

I woke up this morning with that in the back of my mind, feeling a little pressured. But on my drive in, I heard a great segment on KSBJ about success. I needed to be reminded to hold to God's standards and do His work, not worry about the world.

Sometimes I lose my focus--but hopefully I'm back on track as I head into my workday today. :)

Sigh.

2011-10-19T09:01:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, my phone camera StInKs! But...I couldn't NOT take a picture of these stinkin' cute kids this morning. Noble's dressed up for picture day, and Kayci's decked out in her new jeggings and tall boots. Sigh. So cute...I'm really struggling this morning with my impatience with Noble and the whining and the arguing...it's so much easier when it's someone else's kid, isn't it? You'd think I'd have enough tools in my teacher/parent toolbox by now to handle anything...but not so much. Hence the second sigh. I need to work on ME.

Grave...yard?

2011-10-18T04:20:00.000-05:00

For years, James has wanted to have a graveyard in the yard for Halloween. Years. This year, he and the kids got busy and made his dream a reality.

I think he and Kayci had a *lot* of fun thinking of epitaths, and names. Some of their rhymes are pretty clever.

Here lies Cousin Biff. He fell off a high, high, high cliff.

Noble got to help, too. A teacher note, here: on this particular "stone", Noble drew a cross and wrote an M and an O. Daddy and Kayci were quite shocked...and impressed!

When it comes to projects like these, sometimes I sit out so Daddy and the kids can spend some creative time together. I decided my role would be to make a fun Halloween-y dinner while they put the finishing touches on the graveyard yesterday. So, on the menu, we added FINGER FOODS and GRAVEYARD GOODIES.

We borrowed some ideas from Kayci's Halloween party a couple of years ago, like these Mummy pizzas.

And then there were witches' fingers and a couple of mummy fingers...hey, wait a second, that was a whole finger a minute ago...

And zombie fingers, but they're hard to see in the picture. These are actually pizza rolls that I made too fat and then the cheese...don't get me started. But the pepperoni fingernails? Inspired.

Noble was a little freaked out by the eyeballs in a jar.

But he loved the finger bones dessert.

And that graveyard? Pretty spooky, if you ask me! Great job, Daddy! (And I'm so happy you finally got your Halloween wish!)

The soundtrack of our life...

1. Sitting down to dinner, I guess I got a little impatient with Noble's questions. Kayci said, "ooh, I know when you call him 'friend' he's being really special." Ouch! But so spot-on and so freakin' funny...

2. Noble wanted to pray. We were prepared for a long one, but this is what he said:
"Dear God, thank you for today. And thank you for when Jesus died on the cross.
And...just AMEN."

3. When I noticed there was a half-eaten mummy finger, Noble looked up and said, "Oh, I ate that." Niiice.

Monday Musings...

2011-10-17T14:42:00.001-05:00

Today has been a good day. The morning was a little hectic (because, ahem, I slept in), but here smack in the middle of the day, I'm pretty happy with what I've done and not done.

Today is the last day of the time management experiment, and the challenge is to make time today to do what you love. The first thing that came to mind was something I've been trying to write for months. The second thing was yoga. So, I cleaned house after I took Bitty to school, went to piyo (Pilates/yoga mix), ran errands and grocery-shopped, picked up Bubby, fed and loved on him before putting him down for a nap, enjoyed a leftovers lunch with my Boy, perhaps indulged in some Mexican Praline with him while watching an old "Friends", then finished cleaning and putting away groceries when he headed back to work. Oh, and I've washed all the towels and rugs today. I finally got to shower and dress for real, and now here I am in my favorite spot with my notebook and pencil. Wish me luck!

14 years later...

2011-10-15T21:41:00.001-05:00

...nothing has changed, but everything has changed. Counting my blessings tonight!

Best. Homecoming. Ever.

2011-10-15T07:51:00.002-05:00

SHSU Homecoming 1997

(I was so focused on the task at hand I almost missed James' proposal.

Thank God I clued in in time to say, okay, sob, "YES!")

Handicap

2011-10-11T05:17:00.000-05:00

So...every day I think, I should blog about...

...but then I don't, because both cameras on my phone are jacked up now. So, I can either not post pics at all (okay, or use "real" pictures from the "real" camera that I'm too lazy to use, upload, etc.) or post pics with halos and all-around fuzziness from my cracked camera.

Sigh.

If I could post a picture *right now*, I'd tell you about how we decorated for Halloween on Sunday, and show you the fun banner Kayci and I made.

Okay, so it stretches across the living room/dining room doorway and it's ghost-bat-ghost-bat-ghost-bat-ghost and the ghosts spell out "BOO!"

Which Noble, of course, learned to spell this weekend. All fine and good until he got confused and was walking around muttering "B-O-O-B!" So didn't want him taking that to the Christian Day School...

I need to get my camera issue straightened out or be less lazy.

:)

Dear 23 year old me,

2011-10-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

Dear 23 year old me,

I found this picture as I was cleaning up my desktop this morning, and I just had to stop and write you a note. (Because, you see, this morning I'm in the middle of an experiment...and it turns out, I suck at monotasking. Focus on one thing? Haven't had much practice with that in the past decade. But, I'm working on it...)

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know just how blessed you are. 13 years later, you still love your Boy with all your heart and then some. You won't understand this, but you love him even more every day. It turns out that you're still best friends--only now you've learned how to put his friendship first, and that has made all the difference. You've got amazing kids, and you'll have no idea how they got to be that way. Just give the glory to God, because trust me, it can't be you--you screw up all the time. :) But, you love them and you try...and sometimes, that's all that matters.

I know you're busy right now making plans for the future. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you're not going to strike it rich by the time you're 35. There's no big house, you haven't traveled the world, and you still shop at Target and Old Navy. You don't know it yet, but other things will be more important to you. You're lucky, you know, that the older you doesn't have any regrets. But if I could just tell you a few things, here's what I'd say:

-in this picture, you're 10 pounds heavier than you were when you got engaged. DON'T gain another pound. It *won't* be easy to lose it, and every pound you gain will bring a friend or two. So, stop the madness now.

-you know how you spend so much time working out? Don't ever let work or life get in the way of that. As you get older, you'll be glad for your strength.

-just between you and me, you know how you like to be right about everything? Get over that. Like Lynn says (now Lynn, not then Lynn...she's learned a lot, too): you can choose to be right, or you can choose to be happy. Choose to be happy.

-don't sweat the small stuff. Sounds silly, but it'll save you lots of heartache.

-put people first, not things.

-don't try to keep up with the Jones. Don't even try to BE the Jones. Just BE.

-if you don't have the cash to buy it, don't buy it. Debt isn't wealth. It's not even money--it's just a pain later.

-"...give to God what is God's, and to Caesar what is Caesar's." Jesus said that, and it's probably the best financial advice you won't listen to until you learn the hard way.

-live in each moment...they are fleeting.

-spend more time listening to your Dad's stories. You'll miss that someday.

There's so much more I could tell you, but we both know you won't listen. I wonder what you'd tell me if you could?

Anyway, I've used up my "blog break" time. Back to the grind. Who'd have thought it would be so hard to just accomplish one thing at a time?

:) me

Hmm...

2011-10-03T21:15:00.000-05:00

About a week ago, maybe more, James sent me this link:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/talkers-block.html

My Boy knows me well, and this really hit home with me.

But, you can see I haven't exactly posted *every* day like I'd like. I'm working on it.

In completely unrelated news, today I kept track of my time.

Try it--it'll open your eyes.

Tomorrow I'm going to keep track of my time AND try monotasking.

Hmm. I'm not sure I remember how to do that. :)

On being flexible...

2011-10-01T08:18:00.000-05:00

Last week, Kayci went to the annual Cubs cheer clinic. It's a fun afternoon when elementary school kiddos get to work with the Cub cheerleaders and learn several cheers and a dance, and then they perform at a football game. Well, last night was the football game. Kayci was stoked--she knew the cheers, she knew the dance, and she'd done it all before, so she was really comfortable with us dropping her off at the fieldhouse with the other kids. She did such a great job, too! For some reason we didn't take any cameras, but just believe me, she looked so cute out there and she didn't miss a beat. I was so proud of her, and just in awe of how much more coordinated than I am she is!

And then...when she came up into the stands, it was obvious she was miffed. Beyond miffed. Not talking to us, not taking any compliments, not having any of it miffed. As it turns out, there was a mix-up down on the field. We noticed that Kayci was in the back of the group when she was in the front of the group last week, but we didn't think anything of it--if anything, we were grateful because we could see her better. Oh, but she was MIFFED. The thing is, when she finally did talk about it, she wasn't upset because she wasn't front and center--she was upset because she was expecting to be one place and ended up in another. She is so articulate once she calms down, and I'm always interested in hearing what's on her mind. Last night? She said, "it's just hard for me when I think things are going to be one way and then they turn out a different way."

Wow. How many of us, as grown-ups, feel the same way? (My hand's up.) This was a great teachable moment, and I reminded her of all the times I've given slinkies to my team as "happies." Of course she remembers, because she usually scores one. I told her why I give out slinkies: as a reminder to "be flexible." And how when we're flexible, we can bend with the situation and make it work...without breaking. But when we won't bend, it just hurts...and sometimes, we can break.

image: Amazon

I don't know if she walked away feeling any better, but I woke up with this on my mind this morning. You see, yesterday I had a very, very long meeting with our CPA. It turns out, Daddyboy and I were so focused on paying off our debt, we didn't pay our estimated taxes as we should have. So, it's gotta get paid, and it's time to pay up. Only, we don't have enough in our tax account so now we're going to have to find some money...and money, quite frankly, is already plenty tight around here.

Driving home yesterday, I just wanted to cry--it doesn't matter that we knew that it was coming, and that it's our own fault--I'm just so tired of worrying about money. Wah. But the truth of it is, we are incredibly blessed. Our budget each month is just exactly enough to cover what we need and allows us to do fun stuff as a family. And it allows us to give freely, which is very important to me. When I'm not being the "I want more!!!!" brat, I understand all of this and I am so grateful because I know it's God's math that makes it all work, because if it was just my math, we'd be broke 2 days after payday. (You know it's true.)

So, once again, it's time for me to bend. Here I thought we'd pay off our debt and have *all* that money to save for a house, catch up on things we've been wanting to buy, etc. Nope--exit my highest paying job. Okay, so we reevaluated, and it's working. Phew. But now it's time to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's..." and it's time to bend again. We'll find the money--it'll be the money we usually take our fall weekend trips with, James' freelance money, a big chunk of our Christmas money, etc. I'm even thinking of a part-time job, but that's last resort. We'll find it. It'll hurt, because we wanted to DO and BUY with that money. But, we screwed up--and this whole tax thing has been a monkey on our back since I left the classroom. Every year we pay, every year it hurts. But this is the end of it, because we've found a wonderful CPA (one of Dave Ramsey's ELPs if you speak FPU) who has really been helpful in holding up a mirror and letting us see where we can make better choices. She's made a huge difference in the way we do things, just since April. I haven't talked about this with many people, but the whole getting our taxes in order 12 months a year thing has been the last piece of the financial puzzle that we needed to work on. It was one area where I was still doing the, "if I don't think about it..." thing that got us into debt and kept us there for so long. It's kind of ironic that in focusing so much on paying off one debt we essentially created another debt to ourselves and the IRS, no? Maybe I'll laugh when it's paid off, right?

It's gauche to talk about money, I know. Now you know the truth: we are not rolling in it here in the little green house, and we struggle to make good choices with what comes our way each month. But, we're working on it. And I know from talking to LOTS of my friends that some of you struggle, too, and have made the same exact mistakes we have. That's why I talk about money here on my blog--because if you're not in control of yours, I hope this will help you get in control of yours. And if you have any tips for me, please, for the love, tell me! :)

And now, it's time for me to go celebrate October with my family--I could say this every season and I probably do, but I love, love fall! The kids have been looking at pumpkins and skeletons and stuff in the stores, and I've been telling them--when it's October, we'll decorate. So, this morning we're going to try making pumpkin pancakes and then we're going to start decorating for fall. What a great weekend to be home!

So, it's not homemade...

2011-09-29T13:35:00.001-05:00

Tonight is the big fundraiser for Noble's school. I've known for a while that we are responsible for providing a homemade cake or pie. Like, over a month--plenty of time.

I had big plans to make a brownie cake (a fun & special family recipe).

Then I got really busy with work and PTO and you know, life, so I asked James to make his yummy pumpkin pies. So that was the plan this week.

This morning I realized my poor Boy was double-booked...we'd planned for him and Noble to bake the pies this morning, but James has a 6:30 am Bible study on Thursdays. Whoops. He graciously offered to miss it and bake the pies, but no way--I'm a rule follower and a team player and all, but sometimes you've just gotta play the hand you're dealt. This week? The hand was no time. Is homemade more important than time in the Word? Um, no.

So, I thought about what I would like. And that lead me to strawberry shortcake, which wasn't quite do-able, but it gave me an idea...

Sliced strawberries (with fruit fresh, since it's several hours before anyone will eat this) and cubed angel food cake. My thought was that it could be a little picnic, so I included spoons. I'd totally buy this for my family--I like that you can just add some strawberries to each jar and have self-contained, individual servings.

So, it's not homemade. But it only took 40 minutes out of our day (which includes shopping, cleaning and drying jars, cleaning and slicing berries, cutting cake, pitting it all in jars, cutting fabric, making the tag and cloth bow, delivering it), which is exactly what the doctor ordered today. It's not fancy, but it's fun. So, it's not homemade, but it's done, and I'm pleased with our contribution. :)

Long Day

2011-09-28T20:46:00.001-05:00

It's been a long day today.

At 5:40 am, I was getting ready to leave for work when Noble woke up.

N: Mommy, I wet the bed.

M: Oh, it's okay, we'll wash your sheets.

N: It was your bed.

And that pretty much set the tone for the day. :)

A Year Ago...

2011-09-27T14:07:00.004-05:00

This is a picture Kayci took a year ago. What's funny is, she could have taken it yesterday--I wore those sunglasses just today, Noble wore that shirt yesterday...sometimes it feels like time is just standing still, then I'll blink and they're a year older. Or, more likely, I'll go to get one of the dressed and realize that overnight, everything's too short.

Time is funny that way. I enjoy life the most when I am fully present in each moment, not worrying too much about what happened before or what's coming next.

I'm determined to write something on this blog every day...I apologize in advance if it's mostly crap. :) Tomorrow I'll tell you why!

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda...

2011-09-25T15:50:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I had 3 hours all to myself. James is watching the game with Johnny, Kayci's at a cheer clinic, and Noble's napping. I realized this yesterday, and I have to admit, I kind of stressed about it a little. I'm forever saying, "I never have time...I never have time to myself..." and here was a big chunk of time. So, I thought I'd work on Kayci's art scrapbook, because I'm tired of a big tub of art in our bedroom. Then I got into a book on procrastination this morning that I've been trying to read for months (ironic, no?) and I thought, you know, I'm going to finish this book. So I did, and took lots of notes along the way (cause that's how I roll.)

So here I am, in the last 15 minutes of the fabled 3 hours, and I can't really tell you that I've accomplished anything. But I've enjoyed sitting here listening to music and reading and writing and thinking and planning...and the rest will come.

That voice in my head keeps saying...you should be

(image: Graphics Fairy--awesome, right??)

But, that's on my Monday to-do list. Besides, I like cleaning when I have the house *all* to myself--that way everyone comes home to a clean house and I get to enjoy it before they start messing it up, i.e. living in it.

Ahh...so that's enough blogging for now. I just heard Noble's feet hit the ground. Happy Sunday!

Party Time!!!

2011-09-24T08:31:00.001-05:00

Noble has 3 friends' birthdays to celebrate today, 1 next week, 3 the next week...he's so happy, and is still talking about the party last week. He thinks it's really cool to see his school friends when it's not school time, which makes it fun for us to make time for all of these parties.

I love giving gifts, but I don't love buying random toys just for the sake of taking a gift. Don't get me started. :)

I was picking up shirts a few weeks ago, and I thought, why not do shirts for gifts? They cost about the same as a toy, and I hope they will get a lot more use than a random toy. So, I talked to the moms, got sizes and color preferences, and made shirts. I've gone back to vinyl, which is another post...it's so much fun to see the designs come to life!

I hope Noble's friends--and their Moms!--enjoy. Not that it's about me, but I've sure enjoyed putting these together. I'd better get moving, or we'll be late for party #1! Have a great weekend!

The Lunch Bunch

2011-09-21T09:45:00.000-05:00

Daddy made Kayci's lunch this morning. When Daddy makes lunch, the note is always extra-special. This one featured a naked Nobley, booty and all, so of course then he wanted a picture for HIS lunch. (Apparently if you bring breakfast you get to sit at a table on the playground and eat during arrival time, and Noble thinks this is just awesome.) Daddy denied Noble's request for a nakie Kayci in his picture, thank goodness. Noble just didn't understand why, so I finally told him St. Paul's didn't allow naked pictures. That seemed to satisfy him. This is what went into his bag:

I decided to write on Noble's bag, so I picked his favorite number. When I asked him what his bag said, he said, "my booty!"

Sigh. We had that one coming, right?

Why I'll Never Be a Craft Blogger

2011-09-20T14:21:00.000-05:00

Today spray-painting was on the work agenda. And yet again, I am completely incompetent and envious of the girls (and guys) who just pick up a can of paint and make art. Me? Not so much. :)

Hoarding, Explained

2011-09-19T17:19:00.001-05:00

There are still some preschool teacher tendencies I can't let go of. One of them? Hoarding craft items and things I *might* be able to use for a craft or learning activity. But I keep it all organized, see, so you won't see me on "Hoarders." Yet.

Days like today totally validate this habit, though. Since we've been home, Noble has been working at his desk.

He drew this awesome cat:

Which led to this status update, just to make Daddy laugh out loud at work:
Noble drew a cat. The teacher in me rejoiced at the facial features, wots of wegs, and a tail. The Noble's mommy in me wasn't at all surprised that there were actually 6 appendages: 4 legs, a tail, and he's a boy.

Kayci finished her homework, and now she's working on her beluga whale project. After she does the crayon work, she's going to do a paint wash of different blues to make it look like it's all underwater. Yes, we do have a variety of paints and brushes. And blues, if you must know.

The mess on the floor? After Noble finished his cat, he drew ovals. (They're studying ovals in school this week, and tomorrow it's his turn to bring an oval snack. Turns out, oval snacks are pretty pricey when your preschooler spots the Pepperidge Farms. But, he found them...) Anyway, then his ovals needed eyes.

And, well, then he decided to experiment with collage items (don't tell him that, he thinks he's playing).

Everyday...

2011-09-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

Time is just flying by. I wonder how many times I've written that on this blog?

What have we been up to? Nothing, everything...just everyday stuff.

My favorite time of day is usually any time we're at the table together. This particular evening, James went and grabbed the camera because the kids were just so stinking cute.

Kayci is loving 3rd grade, which is no surprise. She is enjoying her projects each week, and Daddy and I are constantly amazed at how fast she learns. This was her first powerpoint, and after I showed her what to do, she took over and knocked it out. Don't even get me started on her piano lessons--it's been two weeks, and she already has the basics down. I love hearing her play every day!

I didn't know James caught this picture, but it makes me smile. It's the little things, right?

Ahh...no words. He gets a kick out of going outside. I always swore I'd never have "that kid." Ha!

On Labor Day, James got our bikes fall-ready. The kids both had school, so we took advantage of our couple of hours together and went out to the lake for a bike ride. After we picked Kayci up, we went for a family bike ride. And I'd like to say we've ridden consistently since then...but nope.

I look forward to it, though!

It was awesome to have a few hours alone with my Boy, outside. I was reminded of when we were dating and used to go on bike rides. I finally admitted to him that I didn't really care to ride bikes, I just wanted to be with him. :) The things we do for love, right?

Behind the Clouds

2011-09-17T18:14:00.001-05:00

My kids love to find shapes in clouds. I don't remember what this one was, but Noble insisted that he HAD to get a picture of it. My phone is filled with completely random pictures...and I'm okay with that.

I haven't been blogging lately, fir several reasons. But it's time to get back to it. The whole point is to keep some sort of record of this time in our lives, and I've been slacking. Back to it tomorrow...promise!

Sometimes...

2011-09-06T11:58:00.001-05:00

...he's so cute, it hurts.

College Day

2011-09-02T07:21:00.001-05:00

Wednesday after work, Kayci said, "hey, Mommy, can you please make me a Sam Houston shirt?"

Thinking she meant for Homecoming next month, I said, "sure!"

Before I even took a breath, she went on, "...because college day is Friday and I need it then."

Sigh. But you know I can't say no to a Bearkat...

What Was I Thinking?

2011-08-30T09:50:00.000-05:00

I went to the store after I dropped the kids off this morning, so proud of myself for having a menu planned for the week. Then when I got to the store and reviewed my list, I thought, hmm...baked potatoes for dinner tonight. Sounds great--but since our house was crazy hot until after bedtime last night, I'm thinking having the oven on all afternoon isn't my best idea. So, shrimp tacos it is!

Happy Monday

2011-08-29T17:09:00.000-05:00

Our new schedule seems to suit all of us. Noble has a great mix of school and home and church...he's definitely enjoying being in school three days a week (four, last week!). I am going to enjoy picking him up before lunch on Monday and Tuesday and having time with just the two of us to talk about his day and just...be. Today was one of those days. He was tired when I picked him up (he told everyone, apparently!), but in a great mood. On the way home, we were talking about what our afternoon looked like: home, lunch, potty, book, nap, carline.

I should probably interrupt myself here and tell you guys that a few months ago, James and I pulled our favorite cartoon books out of storage to share with Kayci, but we haven't gotten around to reading them with her, yet. Last night the kids were ready for bed fairly early and I knew I was going to be reading for a while, so I pulled one out. We all laughed out loud several times, and I had to stop a few times and remind them (okay, Noble) that we don't actually call people "poop head" or jump off of cliffs...you know, the normal warnings for kids books. (?!)

Anyway...after I went through our afternoon plans, Noble told me he wanted to read that book again--you know, the one with the tiger and the wittle man dat makes bad choices.

So we ate lunch...fancy, no?

And read for a bit. Hopefully you already figured out...we're into "Calvin and Hobbes" right now. Or "Calvin and Bobs," as Noble says. I just noticed that in this picture, there's an uncanny resemblance between our heroes. Heaven help us.

And then we both slept for a while. I didn't sleep well/much last night, so I stole a little nap, too. But, in my defense, I did get up and clean the house from top to bottom for James' return, so I don't feel guilty about my nap. Who am I kidding--I wouldn't feel guilty if the house was still dirty. :)

Now we've put away all of the laundry, hung Daddy's "welcome home" banner...there's nothing left but to wait for him to get home.

Happy Monday, indeed!

Connected

2011-08-27T21:13:00.001-05:00

I think there are plenty of drawbacks to technology today...maybe being connected ALL the time is doing more harm than good.

But then there are times like tonight, when we got to tell Daddy goodnight via FaceTime.

Noble wrote him a note on the iPad while we talked,

and Kayci enjoyed seeing all of us onscreen.

And me? I was just feeling so blessed to see my beautiful Boy with my own two eyes. Good night, Boy. I'm loving you big, and missing you almost as big!