A Space of My Own

Over the last few months, I've been slowly creating a space for me...and just for me. 

It's pink - of course!

I painted. And organized.

I even MADE a tablecloth!

Nothing really hard about sewing a hem along a side of fabric but I did miter the edges people!

Not easy to do when using an oil cloth type fabric!

I also turned an old window pane I found at a thrift store into a bulletin board!

I even made some cute flower push pins but I didn't take a picture of them.

So now I have a place to be. A place to think. A place to store all my miscellaneous crap and most importantly, a place to get things done.

Now, if only I could find more time to BE in that space!!

A Star is Born

I've always admired the women at baby showers who show up with some incredible, hand made baby item. Be it burp cloths or a quilt, there is something truly special about someone taking the time and making the effort to make you - err, your baby - something! It's just so much more personal and thoughtful than a onesie from Babies R Us, don't you think?

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE me some store bought gifts - especially the kind that you would NEVER go out and buy for yourself (or for your baby) because they are expensive or made of cashmere or something the baby will wear once or twice if you are lucky! And onesies are a MUST HAVE baby item....so I am not knocking ANY gift giving...keep 'em coming!!

Anyway, I decided to make a few baby toys for a few special baby girls who have recently come into the world. 

This was my first time sewing a pattern pattern.

And I can't tell you how far from perfect they are. 

(Far. Far. Like Pluto's distance from the sun far.)

But they are made with lots of love!

I wrapped up the toy star with a card I made and I am hoping the little ones and their parents feel some extra love coming their way, just as I do when I receive a handmade gift!

Tracking Time

I've always wanted to keep a journal but never have had the discipline or time to sit down every day and record my feelings or doings or hopes or tragedies. 

So when I came across this idea of a perpetual calendar by Design Sponge a few months ago, I KNEW I had to make it!

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It's a combo between a journal and a daily planner. Perfect for people who want to record the highlights of their life without the pressure of filling in lines and lines of blank text.

I made this one for my sister. She has a much more interesting life than I do so I told her to track her life for the next few years and then return it to me so I (we) can write a book! 

I would have loved to have had this when Grace and Charlotte were itty bitty babies. It would have been so easy to record the firsts....and so much fun to look back later, as the years WHIZZZZ by to see what each of them were doing a year ago, two years ago.

I'm definitely going to make a few more of these. They are super easy!

I did come across this AFTER I made mine. If you don't want to buy a date stamp or go thru the process of stamping your own notecards, you can visit The Geeky Saver and just print them!

Have fun!

Cannon Beach {2012}

We spent the Mother's Day weekend in Cannon Beach, Oregon! We'd never been there with kids before but it is very family friendly and may I add, dog friendly!! I think there were more dogs than kids on this particular weekend!

Anyway, Cannon Beach is notorious for being rainy, cold and windy. It's the Pacific Northwest...what else would you expect?! So of course, I packed rain jackets, boots, pants, sweat pants, sweaters...anything and everything warm.

So we got there and guess what?

It was hot!

Like 80 degrees hot! So yay we hit the "weather-load" meaning lots of sunshine but I am telling you that town is NOT meant to be warm. No place has air conditioning and to say that the restaurants were sweltering is an understatement. Aside from being almost uncomfortably hot, the weekend was a ton of fun! A great way to spend Mother's Day with the family - when healthy! (I'll address this in a second!)

The first night we went to dinner at the Wayfarer. It was ok. The girls did ok. They were a little restless...at least until dessert was served. 

Double fisting with focus.

A member of the clean plate club!

After dinner we enjoyed a walk and then watched the sunset from our deck with our new friend...Alfred. 

The sunsets were amazing.

Alfred just came to visit us so we decided to give him a little treat. A little bit of bread.

He literally picked it up and tossed it into his gullet. Alfred visited us both nights we were there and the girls LOVED him! Grace wanted to bring him home. 

Another great thing about Cannon Beach is that you can still have campfires on the beach. I would have loved to have done this this trip but the thought of trying to keep Charlotte out of the fire every 5 seconds outweighed the deliciousness of smores. And that is saying A LOT because I LOVE smores!!

 

The next morning we hit the beach.

Both girls LOVED playing in the sand and were overjoyed at seeing the tide pools when the tide was out. 

The boots definitely came in handy in the tide pools because the girls loved splashing around in them.

We explained to them what mussels were...

and how good they are in a warm, butter sauce. 

Another crazy thing? There were lady bugs EVERYWHERE!!

Even on the sand!

Grace is obsessed with lady bugs so this was a great perk!

 

Unfortunately, the weekend took a turn south, for me at least, when I came down with the worst cold ever! I spent almost an entire afternoon/evening curled up in the fetal position.

Poor Court had to do most of the care taking and on vacation, in a hotel room, that's not easy or fun.

So thanks Court! That was a mother's day gift in and of itself. 

The next morning, I felt bad still but didn't want to slow the team down. So we went to breakfast, took a little walk and then hit the road to head home. 

 Sickness aside it was lovely and beautiful and a great place to go with the family!

Maybe for next Mother's Day? Only no sickness and maybe sneak in a little massage.

Last Day of the First Year of School

Yesterday, was Grace's last day of school!

Hard to believe her first "school" experience has come to an end.

Just to see what a difference a year makes, I had Grace wear the same outfit to school yesterday that she wore on the first day of school.

Grace on the first day of school. September 2011

Grace on the last day of school.

Schoooool's out....for summa!

Come on, sing it with me....

Schoooool's out...for summa!

A glimpse into the future...the teenage years??

A few pictures of the Rainbow Room.

Playtime before Mom left for a nap in the car...I mean a run to the grocery store.

Some candids of Grace at school. I saw these only for the first time yesterday. 

It makes my heart feel good to see her happy and independent.

Pick up time!

I have a couple of these video stashed on my phone. I plan on saving them forever so on the days she gets in the car and her answers are hi, no, no, whatever, I don't know...I can remind myself that she was happy to see me at one point in her life!

And finally, a glimpse into her budding personality.

Yesterday, the teacher offered an activity that not only let the kids get out all their "frustration," it aided in their motor skills. Using a styrofoam board, each child had his or her name written on it in. The task?

Using a plastic hammer, they were to pound nails (aka golf tees) into the styrofoam.

You can see the kids in action...pounding away.

Before I left, I took a quick snapshot of Mrs. Campbell explaining the activity to Grace. When I left, Grace was waiting in line for her turn.

When I came back, this is what I found in her cubby!

Her name was meticulously outlined with the golf tees. (The teacher removed the tees to save for next year but you can see the holes left behind.) Over 75 tees were pounded into the outline of her name.

There are no rogue holes or tees. None!

So we can summarize either she has a future in carpentry or she has fierce focus.

She takes my breath away every day. Sweet. Thoughtful. Smart and funny.

We are so proud of you Gracie girl! The future is yours!

Happy Mother's Day

I found this letter from a mother to her daughter this floating around the Internet a while back and while reading it burst into tears. As a daughter and a mother of daughters, this really touches close to home. I dare you to read it and not cry...I double dog dare you.

 "My dear girl, the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago”... Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep. When I don’t want to take a bath, don’t be mad and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a girl? When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way... remember, honey, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life’s issues every day... the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If I occasionaly lose track of what we’re talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you. And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked. When those days come, don’t feel sad... just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love. I’ll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say, I love you... my darling daughter. "

May my girls have the patience with me as I hope  on having with my own mother! (Mom you can read that as "WILL HAVE"...don't worry I got your back!)

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my mother-in-law and to all the moms out there!

A Handful

Any ideas on how to child proof kitchen counters?

Charlotte's like a little Houdini. On them ALL.THE.TIME.

Removing chairs and stools doesn't work. She pushes them right back.

For all I know she scales the walls like Spiderman. 

One minute, she's on the ground.

The next minute....

Taaa Daaaa!!!!!

I'm thinking about doing away with the kitchen all together.

No more cooking, no more food prepping, no more cleaning up!

Can you imagine?!?!

Ohhhh...if only I lived where take out was even a possibility once in a blue moon!

She already knows how to work it.

Bear hugs to the legs while yelling "I DUB YOU!"

A handful I tell you. A HANDFUL!

One Down, One to Go

Grace is officially out of diapers! Woo hoo!

A month or two ago, Grace forgot to switch to a pull up at nap time. To her surprise (mine as well!) she made it through nap time with no accidents!

Another couple of weeks went by and out of the clear blue - with no insisting or suggesting by me - she decided to wear underpants at bedtime. I was a bit hesitant because I didn't think she could make it.

In the morning, we both woke to a wonderful surprise...

clean, dry sheets!

Since that day, she refuses to wear pull ups. Period. We have convinced her to wear them on particularly long car trips but lucky for her we haven't been going any long distance drives!

So there you have it!

One girl. Potty trained.

Almost.

About every other night, we are waking up to wet sheets yet she is determined to wear those panties at bedtime. So while I am not changing as many diapers, the amount of laundry I've been doing has dramatically increased! heheh

Someone I know likes to sleep with a lot of blankets!

On a side note, Grace's baby sleeps in a bassinet next to Grace's bed. Every night, she tucks the baby in (with about 30 blankets), reads the baby a story, closes the blinds, turns off all the lights and tells the baby how much she loves her, that everything will be ok and that she'll see her in the morning. It's super cute!

In other news, all this potty talk has got someone else pretty interested in the whole process!

Sorry for the blurry picture. She literally doesn't sit still - not even in her sleep!

She now insists on wearing panties too!

She runs around the house saying, "Panties! Too! Too!"

Or maybe that's, "Two! Two! Two!"

Because she likes wearing two panties...over her pants and over her diaper!

You know, just in case!