DIY

So, now that school is OVER, (YAY, Well, I am finishing up my portfolio, but that should be wrapped up any day now) I am tackling a few projects I have been dying to try.

Sewing class is coming up next month and I am also signing up for a knitting class. Always wanted to try that too. But right now, I am having a jewelry situation. I don't like the typical jewelry boxes and I found a cool idea in Real Simple magazine for a picture frame jewelry organizer and after searching the internet for more ideas I tackled my own! My inspiration....

I am totally on the lookout for this type of frame at a thrift store

Love the drawer pulls
(but I couldn't get mine to actually stick to my frame)

I would also like to try these types of hooks

Using just what I had at home already I made my own. I used an old frame, cardboard for the backing, hot glue gun, drapery hooks, fabric hooks, artificial flowers, fabric I bought last year and couldn't decide how to use, and eye hooks from a hardware kit. Here are my creations....

I love the color it adds to our bedroom, that my necklaces aren't a tangled mess, and that the kids haven't yet figured out how to reach it! Ian thinks they are too "busy." HMM maybe different fabric?

Quote of the Day

"Creativity id inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun"
- Mary Lou Cook

Paparazzi

My friend Nichole from Colorado Springs is an AMAZING photographer. She was up with her kids a few weeks ago and took these beautiful pictures at the park. She just started her own business and I am so happy that we get to be her guinea pigs!

We love you Nichole and best of luck with your new venture!

Quote of the Day

Our job is to record, each in his own way, this world of light and shadow and time that will never come again exactly as it is today.
- Edward Abbey

It's About Time!

Everett is 18 months old and until about a week ago his language repertoire consisted of:

1. mama
2. dada
3. NO

But finally, finally, finally, he is showing some promise! While the words do not sound perfect they are definitely words!

4. elmo (melmo)
5. baby
6. big bird (bi-bo)
7. peek-a-boo (pee-boo)
8. ball
9. nemo (memo)

He is also getting good with his animal sounds: meow, woof, baa baa

It is the most amazing thing to hear these first words, hear his voice, and imagine actually having conversations with him. It's like I have a whole new kid with this unbelievable dimension of language and communication. His voice is beautiful and truly the sweetest sound in the world.

Here are some recent pictures too....

Who LOVES their dog?



Swimming with friends.



Everett and Troy



So grown up


This is how a butterfly flaps it's wings.



"I love my Ev-E"

Quote of the Day

Mischief all comes from much opening of the mouth.
-Chinese Proverb

911 Update

Things are going well! Holden loves her "good girl" reward chart, the screaming has been mostly gone, no junkie sweet stuff, barely any TV, and they are alive and happy! Go figure?!?!

However, this whole clothing issue with Holden may drive me to insanity. I am ok with giving her the reins and letting her pick out the craziest outfits to wear... in public... where people see us...ugh. I just hope people see me and Everett looking normal and assume she is alright and Child Services does not need to be called in. Here is the issue, 45 minutes trying to decide on the outfit. Put it on, take it off, put it on, take it off. She is the most indecisive person in the universe. And many of the ballerina leotards and tight leggings she needs help getting off and on , which has added a new dilemma.... Do I help her? Maybe for one outfit but no more? Maybe for five minutes and that's it? Maybe not at all which would please me, but still a bit unrealistic for a three year old.

To some people (without opinionated little girls anyway) this may seem like such a litle thing. How can this one issue be such an issue in our house? Well, it IS an issue and a big one. Ian this morning spent 20 minutes back and forth to get her dressed to leave the house, then a clothing change when we got home, another change for nap, then a new after nap outfit, and last but not least a bedtime outfit. Not pajamas because they are not "beautiful" enough. Everything she wears needs to be "beautiful." "That's not a beautiful shirt, mommy." "Those sneakers are not beautiful, mommy." You get the picture.

So here we are. Only easy beautiful clothing with elastic waists allowed.

Quote of the Day

Know first who you are, then adorn yourself accordingly.
-Epictetus

****Well I guess she learned who she was a few weeks ago and is ready to adorn accordingly!

To Sew?

While I am not a super traditional person, there are some things that are important to me. Like, my mom only ever cooked homemade food. No Spaghettios, jarred pasta sauce, cake from a box, etc. Looking back, I appreciate her effort and cannot imagine how she did it working two jobs as a single parent. In turn, I now usually cook homemade food. However, there are a few boxes of Annie's Mac-n-Chz in my pantry and my freezer has seen a Stouffer's lasagna box once or twice.

Essentially, in my book anyway, there are just some things a mom is supposed to know how to do. I am not saying we should all be June Cleaver, but we should have one or two classic mommy skills. For example, a couple of years back I went on a quest... an arduous journey if you will, to create the perfect cut out sugar cookie. I felt like I needed one cookie specialty I could bring to parties and school functions in the future. Well, it took forever, but I did it.

Now that school is almost over (yay, 2 weeks till my masters degree!!) I will be needing something to occupy my time. There are millions of things I would love to be able to do, knit or crochet, take beautiful photographs, go to cooking school. But I finally narrowed it down to sewing. I want to learn to sew. Last year I got an itch, went out and bought a sewing machine, thread, needles, patterns, and went to town trying to teach myself. Needless to say, everything from seventh grade Home-Ec DID NOT come back to me. I have mended a few diapers but that is about as far as I ever got.

Basic Sewing 101 here I come. With Courtney and my pal Amy. We will be taking a class together and I have been assured I will learn how to complete basic sewing tasks and learn how to sew a ruffle (hee hee).

Here is what I am dreaming of creating......

Ruffle Lamp Shade

Tank Top



Bike Bucket



Coffee Cup Holder



Flower Corsage



Reusable Snack and Lunch Bags



Tee Shirt Aprons



Flower Pillow



Ruffle Tee Shirt Scarf



Ruffle Butt Baby Capri Pants

Fruit Salad Hats

Fuzzy Caterpillars

I have found a couple of fabulous creative blogs with sewing tutorials and lots of other do it yourself crafty projects I will be sure to try out over the coming months. I will be sure to share my creations, the directions, and the cool blogs where I found them. For now, I will dream of that ruffle lamp shade on my bedside lamp one day.

Quote of the Day

Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction
-Pablo Picaso

Nanny 911

Somehow, this weekend has become a behavior boot camp for my children. I had a minor mommy meltdown on Friday night.

Holden has been getting more and more disagreeable, defiant, and independent. She can be so sweet and amazing then she turns into a mini monster having tantrums and yelling over tiny little mishaps. Like, I brought her the pink spoon instead of the Tinkerbell spoon or Everett is touching her bookcase and she doesn't want him to. It is fairly ridiculous.

Little Everett is also becoming independent and practicing fun activities like pushing Holden down to the ground, stealing Purple Baby, and pulling her hair.

Then there are the things that I KNOW are my fault and are just really bugging me. They watch too much TV, eat too many lollipops (again with those damn lollipops!), and scream at me.

So I went into research mode and have spent the past day reading articles and advice columns all over the internet. While, I know I am not a horrible mom, I am the one who spends the most time with these children and feel responsible for many of these behaviors. Luckily, I have the most supportive husband in the universe who keeps telling me I am great and is willing to support my behavior boot camp weekend!

So, new rules hit town today. Lollipops...GONE. Maybe in two months they will come back out for special occasions, but for now they no longer exist. TV- strictly limited. Now, these two acts on their own are sure to cause whining, screams, and throwing of oneself onto the floor from both H and E. It is really just a matter of not letting them win. Having the patience to let them have their fits and show them that nothing will come of it. "You can come talk to me when you are ready to be nice."

Mr. Everett will be introduced to time-out when he is being hurtful. Holden can scream her head off in her room if she wants, but I don't need to be involved. Maybe they will learn that this silliness will get them nowhere!

I have thrown in the towel on trying to keep my beautiful daughter from leaving the house looking like a mental patient. Is a clothing mismatch worth ruining our morning-not really. So mom has conceded to let little Miss Independent BE independent more often. A typical summer outfit consists of a snow hat, sunglasses, one shirt, two dresses, and three skirts. As you can imagine nothing matches and most doesn't fit. However, today she dragged her step stool over to Everett's closet and informed us she would be choosing his clothing too....ahem? No, I put my foot down. I still have some control around here and he has some really cute clothing! Ha Ha-Anyway, she let it slide.

Holden now has a "Good Girl" sticker reward chart. When we "catch" her being good, polite, generous, etc. we give her a sticker, which she places in one of the boxes. When the entire chart is filled up, she gets a special privilege. Guess what she wants first? "My daddy can take to climb a mountain with him" I could have died! Ian melted and she got him back on her side again!

Quote of the Day

The child supplies the power, but the parents have to do the steering.
- Benjamin Spock

Simple Pleasures

A beautiful Sunday afternoon at a new park. We brought fried chicken and had our best picnic ever. Everyone actually sit and ate and got along! WOW!



There was a duck pond, which Ev really wanted to jump in.



Holden's new favorite playground toy is the rope wall.



As you can see, she is more skilled than Everett.



It is so much fun to watch Holden and Everett actually starting to play together.



It was such a relaxing afternoon with the fam!



Quote of the Day

He who knows he has enough is rich.
-Tao te Ching