Things people do over a lifetime...

:Sell a home and buy a new one:
:Move across the country to Texas and purchase a car:
:Give birth to a baby:
:Experience the death of a parent:
:I've done them all in the past three months:

:But God gave me a great support group:


**Yes, that's baby me in the second to last photo being fed by my mom.

looking backwards

It's really funny, strange, sweet and so many other things to look at old posts. I was in a completely different place back then and continually go to new places. At least I'm learning that a blog makes for a great memory book!

hmmm...

I feel the blogging world calling me back. It's just a whisper right now, but I think it's getting louder.

we've moved

Hola! I have some exciting news! I've finally decided to take my fabric obsession to the next level. I am opening an online store! For now I'll be selling fabric and clothing on Etsy and my new website is being worked on as we speak.

So I've started a new blog to go along with my new shop. The Handmade Republic. I will be moving operations there. Be sure to subscribe!

baby laugh a lot

I've been laughing at this all morning...



What the hell?

shopping spree!

I recently received a $50 shopping spree at my local quilt shop. This is some of what happened with it. I really do intend to make some of these Oliver + S dresses to sell, but it's hard to part with them! Pattern review for the birthday party dress coming soon!
PS Sorry if it's hard to see the playsuit or dress completely. My model wouldn't keep still!

perfectly happy

What American society says I should do daily:

1. Feed the kids a nutritious breakfast
2. Do flashcards with my 4 yr old; review colors with my 2 yr old; language development with my 1yr old, all while cleaning the breakfast dishes
3. Go to story time at the local library
4. Go to playgroup at the local park. Remember to cheer each and every time my kids go down the slide because it's obviously all their doing and not gravity. Oh and talk with the other moms about nothing but our children.
5. Have a well balanced lunch
6. Nap for the little one; arts and crafts for the older two; laundry, housework, etc
7. Dinner
8. Bath, books, bedtime
9. Clean kitchen once again
10. Time for mommy (to research which kindergarten is the best and how I can push my kids to the limit academically. It's never too early!)

What I actually do with my day:
1. Give the kids a nutritious breakfast.
2. Let the kids watch cartoons (yes even the 1 year old) while I thoroughly enjoy a cup of coffee
3. Morning nap for baby, I take a nice, hot shower and tickle a few bellies or toss them over and over again on my bed while they giggle
4. Run errands for myself; stop by the park on the way home to let the kids get totally dirty and slide a billion times. Since the park is near railroad tracks, we have to go explore the tracks too in the hopes that a train will pass. (No luck today though.)
5. Realize that I stayed too long at the park, so lunch will have to be veggie burgers from Burger King. I only allow fast food once every two or three months but only b/c my tummy can't take too much of it.
6. Nap time for 1 year old, 2 and 4 year old run around and play on their own while I surf the web and/or read a good book. Quickly clean the kitchen and perhaps vacuum. (If not, the cleaning can wait until Saturday.)
7. Go to the gym by myself after the husband comes home from work.
8. Nutritious dinner cooked either by me or the husband, clean up the kitchen with help from the kids
9. Bath, books, bed
10. Spend time with a good book, sew, knit or do whatever I want.

A few reasons for this list comparison---Ladies, take plenty of time for yourself because if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Let your kids play freely because they'll have all the time in the world to learn when they're in school. We worry too much about being perfect when we should worry about being perfectly happy.