Thursday, December 02, 2010

Three Reasons I Love November

1- My Canadian Quilting Weekend- I am a little spoiled. Once a year, I get to fly to Canada to spend a long weekend with my best friend, Janelle, and her family. We go to a chalet and we sleep in, sew and hot tub. It is fabulous, and I never take enough pictures...sometimes I take next to none. This was one of those times.

2- Aurora- Every time my kids have a birthday I am taken by surprise. I cannot imagine life without them, and yet, time has gone SO quickly. Eight years.

How did this adorable chubby toddler...


turn into this beautiful girl?


It is like I blinked, and instead of asking us to read Goodnight Moon to her at night, she is reading Harry Potter to us. It is unreal. How did that happen?

In celebration of her birthday (and with help from Janelle's mom) I finished the quilt I started for Aurora's 5th birthday. ***I will add a picture of the quilt. It has been in constant use since she got it, and is in the washer as I type this***

I am so proud to be the mom of this smart, sweet sensitive girl. 

3- Thanksgiving- I love Thanksgiving. Family, food and saying thank you. What's not to love? This year was a bit different though. My mom is an amazing cook. She almost always hosts Thanksgiving and I chip in with pies, cranberry sauce and a salad or two. Since she is in Africa, I was on my own. Did you know you can order a whole Thanksgiving feast from Mimi's? You can! And it is delicious.

At some point, I am sure I will have to cook my own Thanksgiving dinner, I am just glad this was not that year. We had a great low key Thanksgiving at home, and I really enjoyed it. I wonder if they would make me Prime Rib for Christmas...

It just hit me that next time I post it will be 2011. Crazy.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Not quite wordless

I feel wordless. I like the idea of the wordless posts. Maybe if I posted more than once a month, but I don't so, I feel there is an obligation for words. This post will be light on words. :)

Miss Eleanor is the new niece I went to meet last month. She is an absolute doll. I contemplated sneaking her home with me. I really miss this baby. She smells like Heaven...

Halloween. Aurora was Kit Kittredge (the American Girl from the 1930s) and Eve was a "funky-gypsy-tomboy fairy" I was very happy with the way their costumes turned out. Unfortunately, I got really sick last week, so there aren't many great pics of the costumes. The girls were happy though, and I managed to make a few things that can go into their closets rather than the dress up box. Yay for practical costumes! Plus, I love the hats. Knitting makes me happy.

That was pretty much my month. I didn't get to sew as much as I would have liked, but I did make a few things:
(Clock wise from the left: Miss Iris skirt for Juliana, reusable lunch bags, flannel name blanket, and car seat tent for Eleanor)


Thursday, September 02, 2010

First day of school

Summer is gone, and as of yesterday I have 2 kids in school full time. FULL TIME! I have dreamt of this moment for years! Oh, the free time, the glorious free time! My house will be clean! I can bake! Lunch with friends! Think of the things I can sew! Somehow I never factored my job into this. In my mind I am a stay at home mom. In reality, it just means I have to juggle my work schedule and I see my kids a lot less. WAY less exciting than my dreams...

All ready!
Eve has been ridiculously excited for school to start. She told me "I am pretty much all grown up now!" All grown up? Apparently, all day kindergarten, is right next to moving into a dorm in her eyes.

Eve was up at 6am. She ate, picked out her outfit, and even let me do her hair! No arguments! And this was before 9 am (her preferred time to wake up)

Sitting in circle (with pretty hair!)
The anticipation to start school was only heightened since Aurora started last week. And since going into second grade is pretty darn exciting too, here is a peek at Aurora all ready for her first day.

curled hair!

Ah, my kids are cute! Even cuter when they allow me to brush their hair. They seem to gravitate naturally towards looking like homeless urchins. This year we have agreed to look our best for school everyday. Do they come home looking like urchins? Without fail, but at least there is a 45 min period at the beginning of the day where it appears that they are not totally neglected. That is enough for me.

And now a PSA. When naming your children, test out how it sounds with your last initial. Several months ago I found out there would be another Eve in my Eve's kindergarten class. I was a bit disappointed. Being a Nicole born in the late 70s meant that there was almost always another Nicole in my class. I went by Nicole N most of elementary school. I never liked it. I wanted to just be Nicole. I was sad that Eve wouldn't get to be just Eve, she would be Eve L. And then it hit me Eve L. Say it out loud...again...AHHH!!  That was a sad and humorous moment, I mean let's be honest, it fits her! Luckily, Eve is actually her middle name. So while she still doesn't get to be "just Eve", at least she isn't "Evil" She is Sandra Eve at school.

Monday, August 02, 2010

Likes and dislikes

This has been a rough week. Rough enough that even though the last month over all was a decent one, I didn't really want to blog. So I decided to make a post of a few likes and dislikes from the last week. I like to end on a happy note, so I will start with dislikes:

*DISLIKES*

1- Home improvement projects on my 100 year old home:



















The windows on the back of my house need to be replaced....obviously, we also need to paint. On an up note, Jeremy said we could try out red. I have been wanting to paint the house red since we bought it!

2- Saying good bye to my parents:














My parents are headed to South Africa for about 18 months on a mission for their church. They are in the training center now, and will leave the country in a week. Honestly, I have been ignoring this. I will say final goodbyes on Saturday.....I'm not going to think about it.

3- Saying goodbye to pets:















Last Monday, our 10 year old pug, Kunjou, passed away. Dodee (doggy) was Aurora's first word. The hardest part has been watching Charlie, our other dog. Kunjou was his best friend.....a friend he spent almost every day of his life with. It has been a hard adjustment.

Ok, now to fight the sad:

*LIKES*

1- Ranier Cherries:















Why oh why are you almost twice as expensive as regular cherries?? I love you so much....nom nom nom nom.

2- Free Easy Bake Ovens:















We had a family reunion about 10 days ago. We have one every other year, and it coincided nicely with my parents' mission. While there, my sweet niece Alcy decided she wouldn't need her easy bake oven at college. Aurora and Eve were the lucky recipients. We tested it out today. LOVE!

3- Child Labor:















So finally, this parenthood thing is paying off! We had a work filled weekend and the kids helped. If you could see behind the camera here, you would see Jeremy and I taking a breather on the porch directing the kids. I wonder how soon I can get them to do a decent job on the bathroom...


Let's end with a crafty collage, ok? July was a bit more crafty than the pictures represent. I started knitting a wrap. Knitting takes a long time. WAY longer than sewing, and I could not get a decent "in progress" picture. So, I will leave you with the 6 quilt blocks I never ended up posting last month (yeah, I am never going to mention blogging twice in a month again. It never happens.....saying it out loud makes it even less likely) and the few sewing projects I finished this month.





Friday, July 02, 2010

What a month!

Wow, July 2nd already? I think time is progressively moving faster and faster. What else would explain the fact that one week from today I will be THIRTY-TWO years old? I have sailed past the 20's and am comfortably in my 30s now. Not that I am saying I am old, quite the contrary, I still feel very young.....well except, that for the first time in my life I need a solid 8 hours of sleep to have any hope of functioning the next day week. That came out of left field. Oh, the fact that I am finding more and more trends to be ridiculous. VH1 is full of crazy pop music that sounds the same, and what is with bed head being the "in" hairstyle for all young male stars. Those crazy kids......LOL I don't really say that. Really. I am cool, young and hip.....I just can't pull an all nighter anymore, and I laughed out loud when I heard U2 on an oldies station. :)

Enough of that. I have been productive this month! Wanna see???


So, that is: Three birthday shirts (one with a coordinating drawstring bag in place of wrapping paper), Twelve quilt blocks (actually 11, Janelle wanted to make one of the ticker tape blocks, and I obliged her), Two flannel name blankets, a reversible purse (teacher gift), One and a half pincushion caddies, and a knit hat and bootie set I forgot to photograph before gifting.

You may notice there are only six quilt blocks in there and I claimed to have done 12. Well, six of them are a surprise, so, I will hold off on uploading those pics.

So that is the crafty update. I fully intended to give a family update too. There was so much happening this month....There was the end of the school, my fabulous BFF Janelle came for a visit, movies were seen, and we attended the royal event of the season......but you will have to wait. I might even do something unprecedented......I might blog again!

For now, I have to assume the persona of responsible business owner, and paint the daycare. SO FUN! Have you ever seen the daycare?? Perhaps that is something to look forward to for July. :)

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Pictures to share!

This month was (as predicted) much more productive. Most, if not all, of that productivity was forced. I do like to sew, but really, my hobbies have taken a back seat. Parental obligation to the rescue!

Sharks

Eve modeling Aurora's spider costume

Aurora's class put on an opera. I made a few costumes and a lot of props (btw anyone in need of a GIANT pink glittered egg? Really, free for the taking). The kids were so cute and they LOVED their costumes. I was really surprised by how many of the kids thanked me for making their props and costumes. Such sweet kids. Both the shark and spider were really simple to do (just modifying a hoodie and a t-shirt) but they did the trick. I have to admit, I really liked making the costumes! That being said, Eve is being a spider next Halloween. ;) Speaking of Halloween...



























It is also the end of the year, and my kids have had some fantastic teachers. I volunteered to help the kids do something in Eve's preschool class......I am a one trick pony, so we did a quilt. I had each child draw a picture on a piece of fabric with fabric markers. I took the drawings and incorporated them into a quilt. Anna (Eve's preschool teacher....at the awesome hippie school my kids attend all the teachers go by their first name) is one of a kind, and this fabric is just her. She loves spiders and bats, plus, she keeps her house decorated for Halloween all year round. This quilt will fit right in.

I had plenty of time to make this quilt, so naturally, I crammed the bulk of it into a weekend.....one where we were also obligated to attend a class camp out. :) It was worth the sleep deprivation though! Anna taught 1/2 day in Aurora's  kindergarten last year and Eve's preschool this year. She means a lot to us, and I will miss being part of her class. She cried when she opened the quilt. I think she liked it. (one teacher gift down, one to go)

Now that Aurora has seen it is possible for me to complete a whole quilt in less than a week...and not just any week, a busy week...she is DEMANDING I finish the birthday quilt that was intended for her 6th birthday. Yes, she is 7 1/2. *sigh* I guess I need to get back on that parental obligation bandwagon. I mean really, how do I say no to this?

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Crafty mommy blog

I think that this has turned into a family blog. Nothing wrong with that. My kids are cute and frequently say amusing things, but I thought I'd change it up a little. Did you know I sew? I do!  So when deciding what to blog this month I thought "I'll show off what I completed this month!" That was a good thought until I scoured my pictures and compiled April's accomplishments:

 Blocks for the Collingwood Block exchange

Birthday shirt for weasel themed birthday party

That was a little defeating, but if I stretched really hard, this picture was taken on April 1st:

 Quilt for my niece Gabi

Though the only work I did on Gabi's quilt in 2010 was adding the label. *sigh* 

There hasn't been much sewing going on. Life has gotten in the way of my crafting. I need to figure out a way to craft for money without having to sell the stuff I make. In my dreams, I open a sewing studio. A place with nice machines, plenty of workspace, helpful people to bounce ideas off of, a good supply of the notions we all forget to buy when starting a project......oh and a great child care facility. While I work on rustling up the $50k in seed money to make that dream a reality, I will just have to find a way of scheduling crafty time. I always show up for work, why don't I show up for the time I set aside to sew? I am a much happier person if I use that time as intended. Something to work on. 

Let's hope in May I have more pics to share......this did start out as a crafty blog.

Friday, April 02, 2010

Five Years

I am not sure how it could have been five years since you were born. I cannot imagine life without you, but those five years have gone so fast.

Eve, you have grown up so much this year! You started preschool, are learning to read and just last week (right after your birthday) you started riding a bike on your own. You like to give hugs and make people laugh. It seems like you always have a group of kids around you. You really are a fun and imaginative kid.


You seemed to have really enjoyed being four. I hope five is even better. And remember, mommy loves you (always, all the time, no matter what, forever and ever!)

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

February

I inadvertently started a pattern, and once it was pointed out, I felt the need to keep it going. What pattern? Posting on the 2nd of every month. So I suppose I am blogging with just little obligation. It is good, otherwise I might just let this space wither away. Now, I just need to start planning ahead of time. I didn't do that this month. :)

How about a few photos from our month:

 
Eve and I spent a fun day together. It was Eve centric, and her requests were lunch at Red Moose, and The Childrens' Museum. We had so much fun! I don't do this often enough. I have thought about having one evening each month set aside for mommy/daughter or daddy daughter dates. It is only March 2nd, so I guess I can make it happen! 


 
I was able to teach a group of kids in Aurora's class loom knitting. It is the perfect intro to knitting.  We made these adorable headband/ear warmer/cowls. I wish I had a picture of all the girls together. They were so proud! And rightfully so! Aurora has since made 2 more, and she convinced me to buy an assortment of looms. I think I just might have a knitter on my hands!!

 
I found an online download for these adorable valentines. I had just planned on doing white and letting the girls color them, but Aurora picked out this bright card stock. I LOVE THEM! And because I figured there would be plenty of candy, we put stickers on the back. 

If pictures are any indication, we did nothing in the 2nd half of the month. Really, I was just running a terribly understaffed daycare (that had a perfect state inspection!), spending time at the kids school (our school requires parents to spend 3 hours a week in their child's classroom) and artfully ignoring my house work. This month I will work on taking pictures and planning my blog posts. Eve has a birthday coming up, so you might even catch some crafty adventures. :)

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Happy Groundhog Day!

I read today that motherhood is like Groundhog Day. I think that used to be true for me. Now, motherhood is like a daily surprise. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but the only real consistency is that just when I think I have things down.......they change. I get within one step of mastering the game only to get kicked back to level one. It is humbling, and I often feel like this parenthood thing was a giant bait and switch. I think that until I notice something like this sitting on the table and I laugh:

Sweet and sensitive, passionate and emotional. The girl who feels that an emotion isn't worth feeling if it isn't taken to the extreme. She is always in the middle of some deep thought. She "feeks" out a lot.....and she apologizes a lot. She has the best smile, and gives the greatest hugs.

Not to be outdone, is Eve. This kid is such a kick. Spunky and fun, mischievous and wild. She is mystery to me......and everyone else as well. Last weekend we went out to eat at a barbeque restaurant. Eve insisted on wearing her Snow White dress. Sure, why not?? At the restaurant Eve devoured her ribs claiming to be a T-Rex the whole time. By the end she was gnawing on a bone and growling. As we left the waiter noticed her dress and said "Look how pretty you are! What princess are you??" Did Eve say Snow White?? No, her response in a growling voice was "T-REX!!" Of course. Can't you tell that from the outfit?? (excuse the photo, I took this with my phone)

I miss the repetitive Groundhog Day like days. Surprises aren't my thing. Though repetition wasn't either. There will be a new phase soon. When it comes, I am sure I will miss these surprises. I guess what I need to work on is enjoying the moment. Repetitious and surprising.

Saturday, January 02, 2010

Happy New Year



A day late I suppose, but January 2, 2010 is kinda cool. The date 01-02-2010 is a palindrome. It is the same forwards and backwards. It may not seem that impressive, but there will only be 12 in the 21st century. The last palindrome date was 10-02-2001. Before that, more than six centuries passed since the numerals last aligned on 08-31-1380. That is my useless knowledge for the day.

I will leave you with photography by my palindromic child. :)


 
See you around in 2010!