My happy

These three make my life so happy. 

Routines are good

We started back to school and work today and I'm so happy to be back in our regular routine.  I am definitely the type of person who loves a routine and thrives in it.  I like to know what's going on and where we will be.  It was really good to see all the students and my coworkers today.  And I'm not going to lie,  it was great to be at my desk,  in my office... Just doing my thing.  Ahhh. Feels good to be back in the saddle again. 

The kids both enjoyed their first day back.  They were both really excited to tell their friends about their new toys,  the fun they had and hear all about how their break was.  It was cute to see them so excited to go back. 

This evening Zane started up with basketball again.  He joined a short weekend booster program in November and December and really liked it.  He and I were happy when a few parents organized a twice weekly practice for kids who are interested.  It's fun to watch him out on the court.  He has the potential to be a good player if he keeps up practicing and applies what he is learning.  I'm so proud of him for wanting to try this new sport out! 

Zane with his super cool new basketball t-shirt!

The most fun aspect of today was getting my hair cut!  I've been growing it out for several months but got tired of longer hair.  So today I cut it off!  Short hair is more flattering on me I think.  I also love the ease of it.  I'm really happy with the cut and style.  What a welcome and fun change!

 

I'm a Survivor!

Yes, I have survived the first hectic week back to school and work. I think that my planning ahead at work (and at home) helped that along. I started preparing for the new school year, at work, during the final month of last school year. That helped me out immensely this week. It was still chaotic with some longer work days than I had planned on, but it has gone well so far! I really love my job and I am continually glad I made the choice to commit to one job and be in one place each day. The Lord has truly blessed me with wonderful bosses and co-workers and I couldn't ask for more from a job. I love how His timing and planning totally rocks when you least expect it!

On the home front, life is good! Both kids love school and love their teachers. I love that they love school so much. The newness of this school year has not worn off yet, so they are still in the happy, "honeymoon" phase. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my son is in second grade. That just doesn't seem possible. And my sweet girl is going to be turning five in a couple months. Please stop growing up!!!

We had a sad adjustment to make in our family this week. One of our beloved kitties starting being super naughty (escaping to the outside, marking her territory inside, etc) and we just couldn't keep her anymore. We were so happy that the family we got her from was able to take her back. She is now free to be the outdoor kitty she is born to be. We miss her but we are happy to know that we can see her anytime we want to go visit and that she is happy playing with her brothers and sisters.

Also kind of exciting...I reopened my Etsy shop! Now that I am down to just one job and have less extra curricular commitments, I have time to sew again. I've missed having the shop open. There is such satisfaction in creating something you love and seeing other people love it too. Same feeling as giving the perfect gift. If you are interested in checking out my shop, you can find it here, on Etsy or click the link on the sidebar of my blog.

Barbie Clothes

Barbie and Ken are quite the popular couple with my kids lately, so I have been scouring the internet (ok, Pinterest) for all sorts of DIY Barbie and Ken clothes, furniture, housing, etc. I am happy to say that I have found plans for a house and my dad has the materials needed to build said house. Once its constructed, I will decorate and furnish it. The best part? My kids have no idea and I cannot wait to surprise them with a handmade house. yay!

I have also found (and used) a few really great tutorials on making Barbie some cute dresses, skirts and tops. I tried to make some pants for ken but I am not good at sewing pants...of any size. It's just not in the cards. I am going to work on drafting a simple shirt pattern tomorrow. In the meantime, all of Claire's Barbies are getting a whole new, more real to life, cute, handmade wardrobe. Don't get me wrong, I love the ball gowns and the sequined strappy dresses but who wears those around everyday? Now these Barbies have something to wear that is just like what Claire is wearing. I found all the tutorials for what I have made in the last couple of days over at Craftiness is Not Optional. These tutorials are amazing and are packed full of great pictures and easy to follow instructions. I love that all these little articles of clothing hardly take any time at all to whip up.

And now, without further ado, pictures of my creations.

This is the Basic Easy Dress. So easy and so fun to make!

This is the Easy Skirt (elastic waist) and Cap Sleeve Top. I am in love with this top.



The Froufy Skirt...I think this is my favorite to make.

And another Cap Sleeve Top...I got uneven and too close darts on this top but oh well. My almost 5 year old daughter doesn't care. :)

Last night I cut out fabric for several skirts, a few dresses and more tops. I am just loving this stuff! I am so glad I stumbled on these tutorials on Pinterest. Its been a good way to get my sewing on and create stuff, but without the hassle of needing a huge work space or a big chunk of time. I do feel bad about Ken not getting much, but I did find this gem of a shop on Etsy and plan on buying some stuff from her. Check out BarbieBoutiqueBasics for some super cute stuff for Barbie, Ken and other larger dolls.

I just realized I have yet another excuse to buy fabric...

Something funny

I have to share what I did this past week.  It is pretty funny and pretty smart all at once. 

Both my kids like to play with Barbie and Ken dolls.  I think it's great. Their constant nudity is not so great. I came across an idea on pinterest to solve that issue. 

I used two different colored sharpie markers and drew underwear and strapless bras on the girls and a speedo on the boy.  Now the dolls all have instant swim suits and modesty.  It was odd  to be coloring in doll breasts though.Haha

I love that we aren't staring at naked bodies anymore and that both my kids will see that it's not Ok to just walk around flashing people.  :)  Modesty is fantastic.

Here are the before and after pictures. 

Busy!

Boy, the last two weeks in July flew by. The kids and I stayed super busy with friends, birthday parties, library trips, church and visits with Nana and Papa (my parents). We have had such a fun summer but I do feel a little bad that we haven't done any of the things I set out to do this summer...camping, hiking, a zoo trip, trips to the beach. All those have been neglected. Well, all but one. My parents and I have planned a surprise trip to the zoo in about a week and a half. The kids are going to be so excited! They have both only been to a zoo once and it was when they were 1 and 3. Neither of them remember the trip so this is their first real zoo trip. I have to say, I am really looking forward to it myself. I love going to the zoo!

I think the most exciting thing that has happened in the past two weeks is that my Zaney boy turned 7! He had a really wonderful birthday this year. He got to have a pool party with all his closest friends and he got many of his favorite foods, and he got a lot of really amazing birthday gifts. He is such a fun kid. I am so proud of him for all he does and who he is. And I just cannot believe that he is 7 years old now. I'll leave you with some of my favorite pictures from his birthday and one of his last birthday gift from me-he got his left ear pierced yesterday. He has asked me about it for a year so I let him do it. So far he really loves it. He said he is the new Zane. hehe

Funny

This picture cracks me up.  I have the funniest kids!

Sewing

I got the sewing bug over the weekend. It's been awhile since I last sat down to sew. It's one of my two favorite things to do. (reading is my favorite.)

So,  on Sunday evening,  I dug around and found some long lost dress patterns and cut them out.  Then I got super excited to make some new stuff for Claire.  So I cut fabric for three new skirts for her.  I got them finished on Monday morning and she is so happy with them.  Then I decided to draft a quick pattern for a pillowcase style dress for her.  It didn't take long to draw up and then make.  And it is so cute!! 

Today I made myself a new wristlet wallet.  Ever since I got my new phone (samsung galaxy s3...best phone ever),  I've been wanting to find a wallet that my phone will fit into.  I haven't liked any that I've seen enough to buy them.  So I decided to alter a wallet pattern that I love and make one! I'm really happy with the results. I have a big pocket in the back for my phone and a divided pocket for cards and money.  I made the wrist strap detachable and also decided to make a matching chapstick key chain.  :)  It's always fun when I sew for myself. 

I'm thankful that my grandma taught me to sew and that I've never really forgotten it. 

Family Swim

For the past two weeks, my kids have been taking swim lessons in the evenings. It's been a wonderful experience for them. Before they took swim lessons, Zane would kinda get his face wet, splash a lot and cling to me for dear life in the big pool. Claire would not let go of me in the big pool and refused to get her face wet in the kiddie pool. I am proud to say that now both of my kids are comfortable in the water! Zane has no fear of jumping off and going under water. He can actually swim underwater now. The only thing he won't do is go down the big twisty slide. Claire will now jump in the pool, slide down the slide about a hundred times each visit and swim around on her own with her life jacket on. I am so proud of them! I don't think we will do another round of lessons this summer but we will do it again in the spring.

This evening after their lessons ended, we stayed for family swim and then part of open swim. we had so much fun! We met our friends Jessica and Madie for family/open swim. It was nice to hang out with them. I wish we could have taken a picture of the three kids sitting by the edge of the pool slurping down ginormous otter pops that were half their size. It was so cute!

This is us after family swim. :)

Tonight I am thankful for the opportunity to do these kinds of things with my kids. I am thankful that we can find joy in simple things like going swimming. I love that we have entered into the years of staying up late, sleeping in, going out and exploring and having fun together. It's nice to not be so tightly wrapped around a schedule. Of course, this is summer living and things will be different when school and work start again. But for now I am loving every minute of it.

Here we go, again!

Wow. A year long break from blogging. A lot has happened in a year. Where to begin?!

Well...For starters, the kids and I moved into our own house. We actually got to move into my grandma's house. This is the same house that she lived in for more than half her life. This is the house that my sister and i spent summer vacations in. Now I get to raise my kids here. My parents and a couple of their friends spent all last spring and summer remodeling it, cleaning it, etc. We moved into our new home the second weekend in September. It has been perfect for us and we love it. I have even overcome my fear and dislike of gardening...yeah, I know. I have a thriving container garden and pots of flowers that I have grown from seeds. I am very proud!

Along with a shiny new house, we got two goldfish and two adorable cats that we all love. We got Belle in November. She was a complete surprise for the kids. I planned for two weeks to get her without them knowing. It was so fun to surprise them when we went to pick her up. She quickly became the spoiled princess of the house and we wouldn't have it any other way. We recently added Mavis kitty to our clan. We have had her for about a month now and she is something else. A little spitfire. Belle did not like her at all for about 4 days. Then suddenly they were best friends. It is so fun to watch them play together. And yes, they do try to get the goldfish. About those fish...the kids won them at the school carnival. yay. I have always hated the idea of fish because they are so dirty. But the night the kids won them, I was a changed woman. Watching their excited faces as they watched the fish swim around made me change my mind about fish. The very next day we drove down to the pet store and bought up all the supplies we need for the long haul of being fish owners. Fish One and Fish Two are now big, fat, happy goldfish. And, it deserves mention, we are now owners of a baby praying mantis that Zane named Mr. Greenwald. He found them last night at the pool.

I have now completed a full school year at the primary school and I love it. I love the staff and I love the kids. Doing a whole school year was so much better than joining mid year and feeling awkwardly out of place. Half way through the school year, I got offered a job at the Christian school and I accepted. I am now the secretary of that school as well as working my two hours at the primary school. I am officially employed full time with summers off! How can it get better than that?!

Speaking of school...Zane is starting second grade this year and is so excited! He got the teacher he really wanted, which makes it so much cooler. He is a reading maniac and is super excited to have his own Kindle to read on. I can't believe he is in second grade now. Crazy. Miss Claire will be in Pre-K this year. She finished her second year at Headstart in May and then transferred to the Christian school where she will stay for all of next year. She has blossomed even more in a smaller class and has really come out her shell. So with one kid at each of the schools I work at, I get to see them both throughout the day. I love it!

I am really looking forward to this coming school year. Last year was a crazy roller coaster of fun but busy days and months. I signed on as secretary of the PTO last year and that kept me busy. I also volunteered at Awana full time and did games and secretary there. I also tried to volunteer at both Headstart and the primary school as much as I could. It was a crazy time. This coming school year is already significantly less busy. I won't be doing PTO as an officer, I won't be running games at Awana, but I will try to volunteer when I can. Working full time is tricky when it comes to volunteering, even with working where I want to volunteer. But I have been greatly blessed with wonderful, understanding and supportive employers in each school. I'm telling you, you can't dream up a better deal than this, folks.

So what else is there? I'm still single. I did meet someone who I had hopes of getting to know better, but we ended up parting ways due to some pretty major lifestyle differences. I have tried online dating websites but I always end up feeling really discouraged. I just know God will bring someone into my life when it's His timing and not mine. So...I wait as patiently as I can and pray a lot. I would love to meet someone who could share this amazing life with me and the kids. I would love for the kids to have someone in their lives who could encourage and love them. I know he is out there...so I wait, I pray and I trust God.

But on a different note, I have a super awesome group of friends here. I am so lucky to have so many amazingly fun people in my life. I am so grateful for each one of them. It's wonderful to be part of such a small, mostly close knit community.

It's amazing what happens when you just let go and trust God. I can't even tell you the countless ways I have seen His provision, guidance, and love poured out on me and my family in this past year. It never ceases to amaze me just how mighty He really is.

Six

My handsome, funny, sweet, caring and lovable boy is six years old today! Here are some of my favorite baby pictures of him and some recent ones too. Love my Zaney boy!!

Camping

We all went camping overnight. It was the first camping trip my kids have ever been on and it was so fun! They loved sleeping in the tent, exploring the riverbank, riding their bikes through the camp grounds and eating at the picnic table. It was so fun to introduce them to camping!! I'm thankful for these opportunities!

Catch up. Again. And again.

Five days since my last post?! I would say that's crazy but I believe it. Busy busy busy lately. Still. We literally won't get a break from being busy until the end of August. Right before school and work start up again. I shouldn't complain though. I'm very thankful that I have a job that gives me the time off with my kids. :) And we have had a very fun summer so far. Lots of fun activities and friends and places to go.
This coming week, my son will turn 6. My sweet Zaney boy will be 6 in a week!! I can't believe it. I'm so thankful to have him in my life and to get to experience life with Zane. I'm so lucky!
I'm also super thankful for getting to introduce my kids to first experiences and new things. We have been attending the Friday activities at our library and we have loved them all. Puppet shows, reptiles, music and book sales! I love hearing their favorite parts of the outing and seeing their faces light up as they talk about it during the following days.
Something else I have been especially thankful for is my renewed love for sewing. I reopened my etsy shop and have been making all sortable of cute items to sell. And sell they have! I love my friends and family for supporting me and encouraging me to do what I love again!
During these busy days as weeks, I am thankful for my super comfy bed. I crash hard every night, just like my kids. These fun filled summer days are wearing us out! It's wonderful!
On that note, I think I'm gonna crash.

My heart

This is what I am most thankful for. Everyday.

My son

Today I'm thankful for my son and the time I get to spend with him. I love our one on one time and so does he. It's been nice having Claire in school through the summer because I get two mornings a week with my little man. I just can't believe he will be 6 in a few weeks. It doesn't seem possible that he is so big now. I'm not going to cry...so here is a picture of us from yesterday to keep me from crying. :)

Random

So, today was a little of this and a little of that. It was kind of a random day. I was gone all morning by myself (!!) and I got a lot done. I'm feeling pretty good about myself tonight- I got the kids' "big" Christmas gifts put on layaway as well as some stuff for school in the fall. I like being ahead of the game in both those areas. I will continue to pick up stuff for school as I find it, over the summer. And the same goes for Christmas. I have my gift list written out and now I'm in the shopping and making part of the whole deal. I love giving gifts so I'm super excited!
While I was out I also got an oil change. I need to be better about that. I got spoiled when I was married because not only did I have a man around to make sure it got done, but he also did it all at our house. So many things to remember when it's just you! I think I can handle it. Maybe.
This afternoon I took the kids up to the public pool and we met up with friends. It was a fun outing! It was pretty hot out there and I'm glad we only stayed an hour and a half or so. We may need to go to the morning open swim next time. I had on SPF 70 and still got a little brown. Even Claire got a tan. That's what we get for going swimming outside. :)
Tonight, I'm thankful for this kind of day...days where I get a lot accomplished but still manage to have fun and spend time with the kids. We all enjoyed the day. They went to bed a bit ago and were out right away just about. I love it!

Fish lips

Zane said we needed to take a picture with fish lips. Here it is. I think Zane looks more duck face than fish face but, either way, he is entirely too cute. Love this picture and had to share it.

Life

Life is busy. Still. But really really good. I like good and I like busy.
As weird as I think it is that Claire is still in school til the end of July, I'm really thankful for it. She loves going to school and is enjoying that she gets to go and Zane is "stuck" with me. I'm thankful she has time away from Zane and me, time that is special for her and a class she loves going to. Zane and I spent an hour and a half there today with her and that was fun. She is so cute in her own element.
We had friends over yesterday and we enjoyed time with them. The weather was beautiful so we took a walk through the orchards and then down to the river beach. I'm so thankful for simple but entertaining and fun ways to spend time. I'm thankful that my kids love going for walks and exploring.
The last half of our week is full of school, library visit, garage sales, and meeting friends at the pool. Im thankful to have such a well rounded group of friends and acquaintances to spend time with. It's so fun to know so many people with kids similar ages now. I guess our summer won't be lazy and I think I'm ok with it. I'm still hoping for a zoo visit soon, though.

Summer nights

Tonight I'm thankful for a super great weekend. There was good food, good church, late bed times, mommy time out for a whole day, movies, books, etc. This was the first time I have felt like we are really on summer vacation. Yay!
I pushed the kids' bed time back an hour tonight. It felt good! Normally I keep them on a consistent schedule but I couldn't resist tonight. The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining. The kids were outside playing all afternoon and evening- no whining or complaining or tired meltdowns. It was wonderful!

Community

About five months ago, after much prayer and thought, I made the decision to start attending a church in town and start putting down roots in our community. Today I had the best realization- we truly are part of this community! It's wonderful!
The kids and I went to the library to watch a puppet show. It was packed in that gathering room and I noticed as I looked around that I knew almost all the people in the room. It was a great visual realization for me. It was like God was saying, "you listened to my guidance and here is the fruit of that." It was just amazing. I love how the kids and I have fallen into our own place in the town and how we know so many people from church, work, school or mutual activities. It's so nice to feel like we belong somewhere.
So tonight I am very thankful for my community and the people in it. I'm just so blessed to live here.