These Things Remain

Hey everybody,

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted...!  Just where exactly did August go?  Oh my goodness.  A camping trip with hubby's family, a garage sale flop, lots of organizing and trying to get ready for our crazy school season and a final camping trip with my family.  (I'm trying to get pictures to post of our amazing summer fun soon... stay tuned!)  Oh and of course, let me not forget... summer softball season ending (Geoff was the coach for one of the four teams) and straight into fall ball for the fall city softball league which Geoff is heading up now.

All of a sudden, BAM, it's school time.  Geoff started the 31st of August, I began the day after that on September 1st and then I had the kiddos started on our first year of homeschool on Wednesday the 7th.  Whew!  Tired yet?  I am.  ;P  Haha.  I stayed up until 3:30am the night before my kiddos first day... boy was that an adventure.  We are settling in pretty well now, just a little more effort and I think that next week will be about right and we should be good from there.  We seem to have a fairly balanced schedule that is working so far.  We shall see as the weeks get even busier how it will be working out for us at that point.  The good news is that we are taking a relaxed approach to school and learning as we go from life and fun projects.

And speaking of projects... that is exactly what I wanted to share today!  I knew that I wanted the kiddos to have some fun with paints yesterday, but the morning took us out on a couple of errands and I wasn't sure how we were going to work it in before lunch, naps, etc.  But, I got an idea based on something I had seen on Pinterest (yes, I will probably reference that wonderful time-consuming site often... and yes, I can admit -gladly even- that I am oh so very addicted to it).  So, we got home and I got busy getting all of our supplies ready, kiddos in old t-shirts of mine as their smocks, paints (that I approved of the color palette for each canvas), three canvases, a few craft brushes and some paper letters glued to our canvases.  Ready... set... go!  I'll take you along with a picture timeline so you can see the fun we had and what we got for all our creative work.  :)

"And these three remain... faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  1 Corinthians 13:13

Life, In Crazy Mode

I have been mulling over a couple posts that I have been wanting to write.  Last week ended poorly with some serious disobedience from the kiddos and so I, sadly, never got around to the blog posts after that.  So, in an attempt to not miss anything I have been wanting to share... I am getting going on them (for whoever out there cares about my ramblings, musings and little life moments.  ;)  I appreciate very much those of you that do!)


With all that said, lets get rolling!  I have had numerous people asking about my "schedule".  Oh boy!  Sometimes that can sound like a dirty word.  I have tried numerous times, without much success I might add, to get our family on one of those things.  Well, life as we know it is about to throw us into a new category where scheduling is going to be a necessity for this next season.  As many people know both Geoff and I are currently in school (Geoff should be done around the end of this year, thankfully, while I am still in for a long haul with my part-time status) and taking on the challenge of homeschooling the kiddos starting this fall.




With all of that just around the corner, I knew my summer was going to be quick and incredibly busy.  To make myself aware of what truly needed done and keep myself from procrastinating I created a list of things in three categories that I wanted to see done this summer (also keeping in mind this is really a WISH list, but setting the goals high so that as much could be done as possible... within realistic expectations).  The categories are: family, house and personal.  These include vacations, small outings, personal obligations, stocking up for the winter, organizing and purging our "stuff and things" (otherwise known as too much junk!), preparing for the school season, etc. 

I also prepared a cleaning schedule that tackles everything from the daily to-do's, to the bigger annual projects.  I have researched all of these schedule making categories extensively and put together the best schedule I could with all the information I have gotten.  It is specific to our seasons and schedule, so please, don't copy this exactly unless it truly will work for you.

(And please ask me for an alternate version instead of taking these images... the graphics I used in these schedules are for personal use only -not for selling or reproducing- I just wanted to share what mine look like and how I put my schedule together.)

Along with this list goes a daily schedule that is very specific to the hours of the day and what we will be attempting to accomplish each and every day.  No, I don't expect every day to go exactly as planned, but it gives us a good starting point and a general routine that will get easier to "fall into" the more we practice it.  I am not so hardcore into our schedule that I won't skip a day for the zoo or just to hang out with friends... this just gives us an adequate amount to keep us busy and productive each day.  Mostly it helps us to balance our life so that each category is given its fair share of the week.  The garden doesn't get left to wither away, God doesn't get our cranky 5 minutes before our heads hit the pillow, and school doesn't become a burden rather than an opportunity to learn.

Each family, and each person for that matter, will require different schedules to make their lives productive and less stressful.  For me, my day starts at 5am (no, I am not perfectly on schedule yet... but certainly making every effort to get there) and ends at 9:30pm.  My children do not get up until about 7am and will be back in bed by 7:30pm.  Another good reason to get myself on a consistent schedule is the sleep issue.  Without this I stay up all hours of the night (when my brain is groggy and less productive) trying to accomplish what my late morning couldn't and wasting far too many hours re-doing what could have been tackled in less than half the time with a clear head.  This schedule gives me my best hours (mornings and afternoons) to get through the brain work.

Because my children are still quite young, you will notice I did not block out a single portion of "school time" as their attention span is not built for that right now.  So my schedule looks incredibly chaotic to accommodate their busy little minds.  You may also notice that it jumps back and forth between "school" and activity/outside play.  I feel this is best because I can get their minds to engage in something and then they have time to just have fun (although my idea of school is to have fun and learn while doing it!).  Plus those moments allow me to get some of the chores and activities of my day done, without the kiddos feeling like mommy is not engaged enough.  It will be some give and take, and the kiddos will be learning about doing their chores this year also.  :)  I'm glad they still love to help around the house (except cleaning their rooms.... ahem!) and I want to continue encouraging that love of maintaining our home together.

One of the best tips that I read (I'll try to update with a link when I find which blog I got this from..) was to make a list of priorities for the day.  They recommended 1-3, but realistically I am finding myself with 3-5 "must do" items of the day.  You will see on the schedule pictured above that there is a specific category for these priorities (and also a supplies list so I know what I need to tackle the day) on the right side of the schedule.  Those get special notice and are your "as long as I have done or tried to do these things, it was a successful day" list.  Let me tell you, in the few weeks that I have been doing that, I have tackled so much more of my to-do's than ever before!  Knowing where you need to focus really helps you to jump in and get the job done.  It stares me in the face as if to say "no excuses! this is what needs done, now make a way" and I sure do love crossing them off when I finish them.  My goal is always to get to mark off as much as I can each day.  (That's the fun part... well, that and knowing "I did ALL this"!)  Not every day will feel as great as the days you tackle more than you thought possible, but making those steps toward your goal still feels good and you can be proud knowing that you are making your way toward the things that make you feel like you accomplished life, are living it well and to the best of your ability.

Really our schedule is about priorities and balance with a dash of spontaneity thrown in.  Hopefully this creates the home environment I truly desire for our family as we dive in to our busiest season!  I will try to keep you updated, as blogging is one of the goals of each week.  But like last week... life does not always go as planned and you make do, and then make every effort to get back on schedule.

Kay's Birthday Wishes

The start of our walk.

Just had to get on really quick this morning and share the fun Kay had last night.  I asked what she wanted for her birthday dinner... she picked meatloaf and corn!  :)  Then she kept trying to decide between cake and cupcakes for her birthday dessert (no, there were none left over from the party).  She finally settled on cupcakes... and so mommy made JUMBO cupcakes for her.  (They didn't even finish a half of one.)

When I asked what she wanted to do after dinner... I was expecting her to ask to watch a movie or something like that.  She instead declared that we should go for a walk.  After dinner was eaten and the cupcakes were out of the oven, we prepared for our walk.  To which Kaylana stated that she wanted to go put on her Dora jammies and go for a walk now.  With her in jammies and bare feet, Colson in his clothes and just his socks... we headed out (with them in the double stroller) for what became quite a long walk (and ending with me walking back home while Geoff ran the kiddos back the long way!).

Cheesy grins and muffins in a stroller!

Colson with his Half-Birthday present  :)

Kay insisted on a picture of "all of us" but not mommy.  Lol.

Amelia Bedelia!  She's so silly.

Fancy Nancy!  A favorite for sure.

We went all over the surrounding neighborhoods, enjoying the beautiful evening.  I was surprised at how long we stayed out, but we had so much fun.  When we got back we had present time!  Because Kaylana and Colson's birthdays land 6 months apart, we are able to ease the difficulty of sibling jealousy with an easy half-birthday gift solution.  Plus it's fun to celebrate the half-year mark at their age anyway.  I love that Kaylana is so grateful even for the little things.  She was so good about saying thank you enthusiastically (without being told to) for everything she was given. 

After that it was bedtime for this tired momma.  I've been getting up around 5:30am or 6am (though my goal is to get up at 5am, I'm working my way there slowly to get on my new schedule for getting everything in a day --or that's the plan anyway--) so I get really tired about 9:00pm.




The picture below I captured while on my solitary walk back home (don't worry, it was a short jaunt and I was more than happy to slow down for a little while).  The sun was setting and everything had that touch of gold in its path.  Stunning! 

As beautiful as that golden sunset was for my eyes to behold, I was reminded of how my family touches my heart with more warmth than the sun and fills it with joy and love more precious than gold.  And it goes without saying (but I'm going to anyway), no beautiful creation and no amount of joy and love can go without remembering the Creator of it all, the One and only Son that makes all things beautiful.  I feel blessed, even though life is difficult and far from perfect.  Finding my joy in what I have rather than don't have is a much better way to live.

The Sunset at Trail's End

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to my beautiful, silly, smiley, smart,
dramatic, girly, social, pink-loving,
amazingly wonderful daughter,
KAYLANA!!!

I cannot believe that you are already 5. It seems that just yesterday I found out I was pregnant for the first time... and yet, here you are growing, learning and changing each day into a young lady and telling me just how much you can do all by yourself. *sigh* The years pass so quickly, but I enjoy your antics (when they aren't full of stinkers anyway, lol) and the goofball you are. You are truly a joy to me and I look forward to each day in the future watching you grow. But you'll always be my baby girl.

The beautiful girl the day of her party!

This post is a little different, it’s all about… my little princess and the fun of party planning! Yep, I am finding myself with a whole new world of creative fun… as if I need MORE things to do, right? ;) The kiddos are getting to the age that themes and better “style” are more important than they were in the past. Since my kiddos birthdays are almost exactly 6 months apart, (and since I am not usually very prepared for the way dates tend to sneak up on me), I have begun to start planning the next party as soon as the most recent one is over (or just before, depending on how antsy I get.) So, I was still a little late getting started on Kay’s… but I did start much earlier than I have before. It began with an idea to do a “Fancy Nancy” theme...

…but as I began to look at ideas and go for fancy planning, the theme suddenly changed.

Before I continue, I have to give credit where credit is due. A HUGE source of ideas, tutorials and inspiration came from my new online obsession Pinterest.

I can’t even begin to describe the amount of creative passion that site has inspired, (as well as my new push to more natural foods and products, organization for my home and in so many more areas!) With this new virtual pinboard, I went from Fancy Nancy to fancy tea party.

The ideas started whirling and I knew that I was going to have too much fun creating a special day for my princess. With help from my incredible and crafty friend Crystal, we started tackling the to-do list of stuff for Kaylana’s party. My goal was to make as much homemade as I possibly could for her party. It began with visions of...

Color Schemes

Invitations
These were incredibly time consuming but still very fun to make. First I will show you the "pocket envelope" we made for the invitations.

We punched the lace edge on a folded piece of shimmery pink paper (it took 6 punches per card) and then sewed (yes, with a sewing machine) the sides closed creating a perfect pocket for the tea bag shaped invitation. Then we cut out circles, distressed them with Tim Holtz's special ink, wrapped a piece of ribbon around and glued the circle and ribbon to the pocket envelope.

For this part, I modeled mine after the ones that inspired me, then made them my own. Playing with colors, fonts and graphics, I finally came up with a design I liked. There are two sets of invitations because we planned a two-part party. First was the little girls' tea party, then it went into a "fancy"-ish casual BBQ hangout. (I know that sounds contradictory but it came out perfect for our style of entertaining.)

These little details were hand-stamped squares that were tied to the tea bags. I think these took the longest out of all the invitation steps. I used 6 different metallic ink colors with 12 stamp designs, being very careful not to duplicate a single one wanting them to be unique!

All-in-all we made about 50 invitations!

Tissue Rosette Kissing Ball
I'm spoiling a secret, but this is only half finished. Where we hung it up at the party, you couldn't tell! I had run out of supplies trying to finish it one night (of course after stores were closed)... and after that there wasn't time to complete it and get all the other details done. Sure worked out nicely anyway.

I'll be finishing it and hanging it in Kaylana's room as decoration. :)

Party Hats I actually used these as part of the favors, which were filled with butterfly stickers, princess stickers and chalk (for the chalkboards of course). I did try to make my own chalk for the favors, but only about half of the first batch came out and were ready in time... so, I broke down and bought some knowing there wasn't time to make enough for the nearly 20 children that were possibly going to be there. (Ah well, you win some... you lose some. Lol.)

I loved the paper collection that I found to use for the decorations. You will find that they were used on the party hats, the paper chain, the flower buttons-use not disclosed yet- and other small details. Of course the paper was from K&Company, their stuff is just perfect for this kinda thing. A similar pack of that brand was used for the invitations too.

Tissue Paper Poms
They were everywhere!
(Thanks to Crystal who took that project on to free me up to do other party stuff.)

Doily Cookies Yes, I really did roll a doily onto the dough, and then I used a flower cookie cutter to create very fun and fancy cookies. The recipe ended up tasting very similar to a shortbread cookie, and oh man, were they YUMMY!

Shortbread Buttons Sadly you will have to imagine these or squint at one of the pictures of the table because I managed to not get a shot of these cute creations.

Stuffed Mushrooms I know that not everyone is a fan of these... but you have to know these were no ordinary stuffed mushrooms. They were Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Dip stuffed mushrooms! SO good.


Easy Homemade Ice Cream (without a machine) I made vanilla, and no... I did not take a picture of my tupperware contained ice cream. ;)

... and the pièce de résistance... (my first cake from scratch and my first decorated cake too! Maybe not pro, but still a proud moment for me to have accomplished it for my daughter's special day.)

Rose Cake (this is officially one of my new favorite blogs!)
...and the cupcakes to match (even though they weren't from scratch).


The hearts were part of a beautiful "arrangement" my mom put together. They were also one of the favors the girls got to go home with. The bows were a borrowed item that were from my sister-in-laws wedding (the sparkly tulle was from her wedding as well). And this is the paper chain I made from that same paper as the party hats... I really love the way it turned out, very vintage.


The other details for the day only added to the ambiance and fun. It was so much fun to plan and present this party for Kaylana. I enjoyed the process, and I was the least stressed I've ever been for an event. (Maybe I have finally turned the corner and can enjoy putting events on with better preparation... one can hope. Haha.)

The inside table setup.

The outdoor table setup.
(When we moved outside due to the number of people at her party.
What social butterflies we must be!)

I was (and still am) grateful for the sunshine that day and the ability to be in the backyard as well as the house. Prayers were answered for sure!

Chalkboards I did with Homemade Chalkboard Paint(not quite sure how they turned out, but they were cute anyway...)

The excitement of opening her gifts. :)

(And a rare picture of me... *sigh* I'd much rather be the photographer than the subject.)

The aftermath!... of presents.

The BEST part of it all (yes, I can pick my favorite of the day out of all that good stuff)... the amazing family, friends and neighbors that came to celebrate with us!

We had so many people that blessed us by coming, I can't even tell you how many people came and went that day... it was a FULL house though! And our hearts were full of the love and joy they brought. :)

A stolen moment with "Bramma" (my mother-in-love).

Kaylana with a couple of "her girls". I am going to frame this and hang it on her wall. SO cute!!!

For these next ones I will be revealing their purpose soon (though you may be able to guess) ... but here is a sneak peak of the ideas as a teaser. ;)

Button Flowers

Doily Envelopes

That's all for now... Hope to be back soon! :)

A New Year... and Growing Into a New Me

Geoff is working hard to get a law enforcement position and we are praying that this is the year he gets hired on with a department. I would love for it to be local, but I keep praying for God to help me accept a move if it becomes necessary and to be supportive of the whole thing, with His hand guiding me in it all. (I don't want to be a Jonah!) I know it won't be easy, but God has given me a peace about Geoff's career choice since it first came up and I know that we will get the exact department that God has for us, wherever that may be. So, that is a something that we are looking forward to this year.

I am still working hard in school, although I signed up for a MUCH easier school load in order to deal with life and the move (it is driving me crazy to still have things so disorganized and in boxes everywhere... that'll teach me to collect too much stuff!). I am enjoying my Book Arts class VERY much, it is right up my alley. :) Learning to handmake something that I find beautiful and timeless is such an amazing opportunity. Hoping to use it to make my own sketchbooks, poetry books, portfolios and gifts of course. My other class is easy enough if I make the time for it, but I have a really hard time wanting to participate as it is not my style of learning and it is hugely based on tests (which for anyone that knows me well... understands that this causes me to hyperventilate, freak out, black out... overall, stress uncontrollably regardless of my knowledge of the subject). Otherwise, I am enjoying time with family (especially the new edition miracle nephew, Levi Michael, who was born on Colson's birthday!), being involved with my church, new extracurricular activities with my school and my two bible studies that are both so amazing and (hopefully) life-changing. I am really striving for a better and more balanced me. So many things I want to change NOW (yes, patience is one of them) but God is helping me through it little by little in His own timing. Grateful that He never gives up on me and is always helping me to become a better person.

This fall will bring about huge change as we switch Kaylana from her private school into homeschool. I can't tell you how excited this makes me. I love where Kaylana is at, and the program and teachers are amazing... but I feel so disconnected from what she is doing and learning. I can't wait to get to observe her discoveries myself and get to encourage her where she excels and challenge her where she struggles. It has always been my desire to homeschool my kids, and I relish the opportunity to do so with renewed confidence after the difficulty I have had in letting her go elsewhere this year.

She is certainly growing and changing SO much. I can't believe that almost 5 years have passed. Kaylana; my beautiful daughter who is more "girly" than I ever thought I could handle. Very much a pink loving, princess focused, dress-up playing, fancy loving big girl now. She rarely stops talking, unless it is to sing. And she is a huge ball of energy that is always looking for attention. I usually end up hysterically laughing because of things she says or her antics. I am hoping next year to get her involved in music and either dance or gymnastics. We will see what the year brings. She loves to read and loves practicing her letters/writing (especially her name). She is always interested in doing what mommy does and tries to join in. (That is something that I am trying to be better about... letting her help even though it slows me down. She won't always want to do chores and be with mommy, so I want to enjoy it while I can.) She is so independent and driven, but I love that she still clings to family and friends with a strong bond. And man, I do love that girl, more than she will ever know!

Also this fall, I will try to introduce some homeschool to Colson as well. He has a very curious nature that loves to observe and tinker. We've gotten to where we don't tell him how to use stuff until he has had a chance to figure it out... if he needs help we guide him, but we usually just start laughing in astonishment as he "gets it" in mere seconds. He has been my snugglebug for so long, it is hard to let him get so big (just turned 3 the beginning of this month) and lose some of those baby loves. I knew the day would come, and he isn't over them completely yet, but he took it down a few notches and it already makes me sad. However, despite less snuggles and loves, he is still my Charmer. He is so sensitive and caring, loves babies and is usually the first to share or help. I love that he is such a gentle boy and I pray that this stays with him as he grows into adulthood. Don't underestimate him though... he is ALL boy! Bumps, bruises, guns, roughhousing, tumbles and anything adventurous are daily occurrences. I love my baby boy and even though he keeps growing... he will always be my baby.

Well, all-in-all, this year is looking to be full of more change and lots of excitement. We will see how it goes! :)

Ending of THAT year!

Is so glad to be done with last semester and last year in general. Between the rigorous class I took (said to be the worst one there is... even the seniors in my class dumped half their workloads to try to cope with this particularly demanding course) and unavoidable life events, it was rough to say the least.

I know that I am a perfectionist and take longer to do my work usually, but this was ridiculous. My typical week was minus 1-2 nights sleep (a bad week I would go as many as 3-4 especially around midterms), the nights that included sleep were between 2-4 hours (6 on a REALLY good night), and 40-60 hours were spent on that one class alone (not including my other course I was taking on Short Stories or time I needed for the rest of life).

Then, to add to it all, we started the school year with Geoff's motorcycle accident (which we are beyond blessed at how God protected him even on the freeway) and a continuous weekly catastrophe would follow for the remainder of the semester. Wednesdays were particularly the worst, though not singular to that day we had both kids (in a two week time frame) with brain injury watches (through the night of course), auto problems with the new van we had JUST gotten the end of July, and a myriad of other issues that continued to make life just that much more difficult. And after ending both our semesters on Dec 18th, we spiraled into the Christmas holiday. Spent 4 wonderful days with family, celebrating and then rushed back home to start packing for our immanent move. Just over 3 years at the last place, it was time to move on for a number of reasons. Prayerfully we searched, fearing we were not going to find something in time, God brought the perfect place to us at just the right time. We are still settling, but I am grateful every day for our beautiful new home that I feel so blessed to be in with a great landlord to boot!

All that to say... I am SO glad to be in 2011. :) Last year was a big year of change for us, and despite all that ranting, it was a necessary year. However, I am looking forward to all this year has to offer and can't wait to see what happens...

First Few Weeks...

Well, the semester has started out pretty well. I am getting more sleep than last year (most of the time) and have been doing alright with the homework. It feels like perfectionists amplified 20 times over, but it is still going well enough. Just gotta stay caught up. Here is one of my assignments from the second week of class. (This week has me painting swatches like crazy for a 24-step color wheel. Busy but... fun, fun!)


The first week Kaylana started school was interesting. Gotta get in the habit of setting the alarm and getting up to it in time. Did better with that this week. :) Kaylana is just LOVING her class and I think Colson is adapting to Kaylana being gone sometimes, plus it gives him and I some one on one time.

Here is a hilarious picture of Colson at the local coffee shop (Mud Bay Coffee) with me, where we had some hang out time, just the two of us. So much fun!

Kaylana with her teacher. :) I LOVE hearing all the wonderful things she is learning and how much she loves it. Still can't wait to bring her back for homeschooling though... Trying to be patient, this is just a season in our lives. But, remembering to enjoy it all is SO important!

Fall 2010

My Color and Design Theory class is going to keep me extremely busy, as well as hopefully keep me on top of my blog even more than others have (for technical reasons having to do with my class). And since I have already begun... here art the first of my assignments.


This is the start of my Notebook Project that I am building throughout the class. This is one of many typeface studies that will continue for much of the semester.


And these are the lovely swatches I have painted using goache (pronounced gwash like squash) and will use to create a 9 step value scale.

With my swatches cut out, I created a meticulous scale for my notebook project. Here it is...


Now to use the scale to do my optional painting... hopefully this weekend I'll get that part done. :) Feels so good to be on top of the homework this semester; now I'm praying for no sicknesses and to keep right on going!