Call Me Maybe

Sorry I have my daughter in the same room jumping around singing the words to

Carly Rae Jepson's song in my head.  It's a good friday night.

I have been spending some time getting to know my new iphone.

Yes, Nate got his way and we are now sporting new iphones hot off the FedEx truck.

Nate had me sitting by the door on Tuesday morning waiting for the delivery truck.

He's been a little excited.

He ripped open the packaging the minute he got home and started uploading stuff right away. 

This girl, just today started putting apps on it. 

I finally sent a notice to my contact list that my phone number is changing  (not a fun task), and I am in the process of changing our number on everything. 

Because we have been living without a home phone too, so I have to contact the school, the

dr., the coaches and everyone and their brother and tell them our number is now different.

Oh, so fun. 

And Nate wonders why it took me 3 days to start using the new phone. 

But this is the change in the phones.

Old vs. New

Yep, that's the old phone on the left. 

I broke it again! 

Let's hope they make this iphone 5 indestructible.

I've been living with this broken phone for about 5-6 weeks.

It was really good when I put the plastic screen cover on it because before that I couldn't text without getting glass fragments imbedded in my pointer finger.  OUCH!

I am waiting on my new customized monogrammed case to come in the mail and then

I will be so update and stylish. 

Look at me!!

I am super stoked that I can take pictures of myself again without the camera being all blurry from the cracks in the glass.  LOL

 

My husband could tell you everything different and better about the new iphone 5. 

All I can tell you is that it seems faster  (US weekly ap doesn't lock the phone everytime I open it),

the screen seems brighter, and the phone is taller and doesn't fit in the same case (hence my new monogrammed case purchase).

Oh, and it needs a different cord to charge it apparently, which is a pain.

 

So from my new iphone 5 .... Siri says "hi!"

 



Parenthood is BACKKK!!!

Tuesday nights are fun again.

Parenthood started its forth season recently.

It's one show that Nate and I actually agree on watching.

You can call it "us" time.

Because usually after the kids go to bed, he is downstairs watching his shows downstairs and I am upstairs folding laundry watching my shows or on the computer.

His shows include all the shows about gold mining, gun building, pawn shops and anything

on the history channel --  Boy Stuff.

Mine are too feminine. 

My must see shows are Project Runway, Top Chef and Glee.

So Parenthood is the one hour we get together to watch a show we both like.

 

Then what could be better than this last week's episode which handled Joel and Julia's adoption.

They had adopted Victor an older child through foster care.

I love how Parenthood chose to portray the relationship between Julia and Victor as not an instant bond and a struggle.

Because it isn't always perfect and the child sometimes does have a hard time bonding with

a new family that loves him/her but they can't show it or won't.

Adoption isn't easy.

I knew this from the start when we started in the process of adoption.

Yes, I dwelled in the fact that finally Nate and I would have a child of our own and I

dreamed about the moment we would meet our child and hold them in our arms

and tell them how much we had waited for them and that we would give them the world! 

(Hello run on sentence!)

But then you meet these kids and you have them call you "Lynn and Nate" not "Mom and Dad", they look at you with fear in their eyes leaving the only home/people they ever knew and going to strangers.

You try to bond with them showing them you care for them. 

That you love them and will always be there.

But in their mind, life has been alot of ups and downs and people leave. 

People they love leave or die.

So why would you be any different?

I struggled with Rosie on this topic.  Who am I kidding, I still struggle with this.

I am not sure in her head she truly feels safe and forever ours and that makes me sad.

We have given her the world and try as I might she still pulls away from me.

There are glimmers of hope though when she asks to sit on my lap or puts her head on my shoulder when I am reading a book. 

My heart leaps for joy in those moments. 

But there are too many moments where I believe she thinks she is alone.

All alone.  With no one to turn too.

One night I asked her if she could have any wish in the world what would she ask for?

And she answered, "for my mommy to love me"

I cried.

How can she not know I love her?

As soon as I raise my voice or tell her not to do something in her mind she thinks I don't love her. 

It's a day after day thing to show her I am here to stay and will be her mom forever. 

I won't ever stop loving her and no matter what she does I will keep loving her.

Maybe I don't say it enough.

But as a mother it is tough to hear that all she wants is for me to love her.

 

That's why when I see a show like Parenthood address adoption and yes some of it's struggles it means I am not the only one out there going through this.  

I cried through the show when Julia waits outside Victor's school and he sees her and knows she

will be there if he needs her. 

Maybe I need to stalk the parking lot of the school?

But the show is great and if you don't watch it you should. 

 

Okay there is me getting in way too deep and now I need to go sew or something so I'm not depressed. 

By the way this is WAY cheaper than paying a therapist so let me know who to send the bill too! 

:-) 

{Tried it Tuesday} -- Ohio State Love

Here is a quick one for this Tuesday.

I put together this cute Ohio State picture last week.

It's a perfect complement to our bar downstairs.

With just a few little cuts and a dab of glue here and there, surprise it was complete.

I was going to add the words

"Home is where your

heart is"

But I like it simple and clean, so without words it is.  

I've seen some prints like this on pinterest so that is where I got the idea.

Would make a cute gift to a Buckeye fan.

You could make this for any state.  So simple. 

Do you like?



{Sew'd it Saturday} -- Bench Cushion

Okay, I know it's not Saturday... but today I finally have my

new computer up and running.

Nate set it up all day yesterday, but by the time he had it all ready for me to go

I was too tired to tinker around with it.

So it's Sew'd it Sunday today.

 

I bought some cool wooden crates from Michael's a couple

months ago.  I painted them right away and asked Nate if he could

put them up on the wall in the office as shelves.  When Nate doesn't like my ideas

he just ignores me and never does it.

I waited and waited.

I debated whether I should go against my promise to never put holes in the wall without him, until I finally gave up.   The crates were never going to be pretty little shelves in the office.

So, I had to come up with a different plan.

One of the crates had been sitting under our desk since it was painted and Lil Miss

had started to put things in it.

That's when it hit me. 

A bench. 

I will put them together and make a little bench out of the crates. 

I love when I have these epiphanies.

Nate does not.

 The crates were painted different colors for the shelf idea -- but when I decided to make a bench

I painted them all a vivid purple color.

I laid them all together under the front window and Lil Miss made it her little sitting area instantly.

 I then had decide what fabric to make the bench cushion out of.

I love fun vibrant colors. 

So when I came across this green leaf print I had to have it, even though

I didn't have a current use for it.

Until now.

In one day I had the cushion I purchased covered and all sewed together.

It was as easy as that. 

Hardest part was paying for the cushion which was expensive

for a piece of foam.

The end result is perfect though and I now have a place to house all the toys that

float around the office.

Just call me Martha Stewart!!  :-)

 

 

Another one bites the dust

It just takes Nate getting into an airplane for everything to break.

It never fails.

He can always plan on a panic call from me with some devastating news that

something has broken.

This time it was the computer.

I drop Nate off at the airport and an hour later I am sitting at the computer when

it starts making a very high pitch noise that signals its doom.

So there goes any idea of blogging all week.

You missed me I know!

I have a blog for today for sew'd it Saturday and another one of how great

Parenthood the TV show is with their adoption storyline and one started for

my next pinterest project  I have done.

But instead I am recording a video of the hideous sound my computer is making

and sending it to Nate as a subtle hint that something is wrong.

Very Very Wrong.

So all week I sat here staring at my broken computer with no excuse NOT to

fold all the laundry, mop the kitchen floor, finish the landscaping, and so many other things.

I was productive, but I didn't get to do any writing. :-(

Now that Nate has temporarily fixed the computer just for me to get

the important things off of it, I am racing through and getting everything off of importance.

All my photos, videos, important papers..... I am getting them off which is a huge relief.

Much better than thinking I lost everything! 

The temporary band aid is holding up through this quick blog as well. Yeah!!  

I cannot load any pictures onto the blog without my computer crashing and

sending out an SOS signal.

So now I am sending my husband to the worse store ever (worse than a candy

store for him) -- Best Buy.

I will hopefully be back up and running soon.

Don't miss me too much.

{Tried it Tuesday} -- Chalkboard

So while I was home over Labor Day weekend I did a little shopping in

my mom's closets.  With my mom's permission of course.

I found two older frames that were just what I have been looking for

to paint for Rosie's room. 

This particular frame was perfect for the chalkboard I wanted to do.

via pinterest  from www.makethebestofthings.blogspot.com

 

This frame reminds me of Mr. Rogers. 

For some reason I remember Mr. Rogers talking and then the camera panning to a picture frame which would play video.

Am I crazy?

Or does anyone else remember the infamous picture frame?

{Won't you be my neighbor?}

This project included some of my trusty favorite craft objects.

Spray Paint.

Chalkboard paint and Yellow.

 

I first took the picture out of the frame which a picture of my little sister when she was about 5.

Mom wanted that picture back.

Then I got to work spray painting the plexiglass with chalkboard paint

and the frame with a fun yellow color.

The frame had plexiglass already in it instead of glass so that is what I painted with the chalkboard paint and it worked really well.

 

{the finished result}

For only the cost of paint, which I already had in the garage, I had a

perfect chalkboard for Rosie's collage wall.

 {Lil Miss thought it was hers}

I wrote a special message to my daughter and hung it on her wall.

The collage wall is finally up. 

I have a few more projects to blog about but here is a sneak preview of it.

Lots of Color!!! 

I want to move into her room.

It's so cheerful.

My roommate would say this is too girly and our bedroom already has flowers in it. 

My Goodness!!!

So while Rosie's at school I will have to lay on her bed and read a book to enjoy it.

During all my spare time!!! 

Friday Night Lights

We had a busy weekend.

Friday Night Cheering, Saturday Morning Soccer, A Wedding,

and a Sunday full of soccer and cheer.

The kids were excited Friday night for the High School Football game.

The girls were all dressed up to cheer and Bubba couldn't wait to see the football game.

Gigi came home from school with a cough and was really tired but I had her dress in her cheer stuff

and told her she didn't have to cheer if she didn't want to.

She didn't.   :-(

She would just get in a coughing fit and then have to spit the crud that came out.

It was not pretty.

She was a good cheerleader from the stands though.

 Rosie wouldn't have missed it for the world.

A whole bunch of her friends were there and there was alot of squealing and shrieking as soon

as they saw each other.

 They had learned one dance and 2 cheers.

They preformed them and then it was over.

Rosie was upset that it wasn't as long as the hour practice. 

It took some time explaining that you only did it once when you preformed, so you had

to pay attention and do your best that one time.

She was still mad that it was over.

We went back up to the stands with the rest of the family and proceeded to watch

exactly ONE quarter of the varsity game.  

Gigi and Lil Miss couldn't make it any longer.

Gigi was trying to sleep on our laps and Lil Miss was getting very sleepy.

Bubba wanted to stay and watch but we listened to it on the radio instead in the car.

  

{Daddy and the Girls}

The little girls went promptly to bed when we got home and the big kids stayed up late.

Maybe too late, because Saturday morning seemed to be torture on everyone.

Bubba was slow moving to get ready for his soccer game and Rosie wanted to sleep in forever!

With Gigi still out of sorts, Daddy took Bubba to his game and kept texting with updates.

First he scored one goal, then 2 goals and then 4 goals total!!

I am so proud.

Nate was able to get some great shots of him dribbling down the field and shooting the goals. 

2 goals were even with his left foot.

I wish I had his athletic ability.  sigh.

 

When the boys got home, Nate and I got dressed up and headed to our friends Chaney and Angie's wedding back in Ottumwa.

The kids stayed with a babysitter so it was a parents night out! 

WooHoo.

If only Gigi wasn't crying when we left complaining that her stomach hurt.

Tore at this momma's heart. 

She didn't have a fever and just had a nasty cough -- which her brother has today and is currently sleeping it off on the couch.

I never know what to do in those situations. 

Stay home or go?

I don't think she gave the babysitter trouble.  She was just sleepy and run down all day.

Call me a bad mommy but I wanted to go to the wedding and

celebrate with our friends so we went. 



Then Sunday came a little too early.

There was no sleeping in and we had to get around in the afternoon for cheer and football.

With Gigi just getting over what she had and mommy and daddy being a little sluggish as well, we pulled straws on who went to what event.

Daddy got to go to cheer with Rosie at 12:30 and I took Bubba to football at 2:30.



Bubba has really improved from last year on the blocking on the line at football.

Here he is blocking his buddy Caden on the other team. 



The coach had him on the line all game and I think or I know he was

super disappointed he didn't get to play running back.

But without too much complaining he did his best at being a blocker.

Lots of sports this weekend, not to mention the College and NFL football that was

watched in this house. 

I LOVE FALL.  

{Sew'd it Saturday} -- Felt Patches

So do your kids get holes in the knees?

It's like an epidemic around here.

Seriously holes pop up overnight in new pairs of jeans.

One Sunday morning before church, I laid out church clothes for Bubba to put on.

He was dressed and ready to go and as we head out the door to go to church I look down at his knees to see that there is a hole in his NEW khakis from seam to seam that was not there this morning.

Asking Bubba where this happened, he answered  "well, I was sliding in the living

room doing break dancing and it riped."

Yes, my son can break dance, or at least he thinks he can.

Ugh.

Usually these pants would have been thrown in the garbage can, a waste I know, but recently

since I recieved my sewing machine I have been hoarding these pants to patch someday.

Finally this week I picked up the first one.

These are a pair of Rosie's khakis.  They are double layered with sweatpants material on the inside. 

They are so comfortable I wish they made them in my size.

 {the hole}

About 3" of lining showed through the hole and they were

not school worthy anymore.

So seeing all this cool stuff being done with felt (on pinterest of course) I decided to

make a cute felt patch for her knee.

I had some leftover hot pink felt from a different project and cut it in a heart shape free hand.

It's not perfect but good enough.

I could have used a stencil but I never do things the correct way.

 I pinned the felt patch on the pants leg to cover the hole and got to

work hand stitching the heart on the knee.

I used khaki thread so it would show up. 

It's a personal thing, but I like that look

and I wasn't sure how to sew with my machine inside a pants leg.

Now, Rosie has the cutest pair of pants. 

A quick sewing project.

One more thing off my to do list. 

Now only 13 more pants to go.  LOL

Haven't decided what to do with the boy's pants because hearts are to girly but

I'll get creative and let you know what I do.

If you have a pile of holey pants like me.... you could do this same thing during an episode of Parenthood or Glee and feel so accomplished while still sitting on your butt.

At least I do! 



My Garden Helper

I've been working in the garden.

There's nothing I like better than crafting.. but gardening comes in a close second.

I really like wielding a shovel and adding plants to the earth.

When you step back and look at it, you realize you made something prettier.

Love it!

I spent alot of time this week transforming our front yard.

I haven't yet tackled the backyard.

Don't worry honey I am not a doing alot this year, just mulch and edging!

I PROMISE.

We stopped by a local nursery Wednesday morning to pick up our essentials and got to work.

Of course the essentials also included a pick me up from Starbucks. 

But as soon as I turned my back, looked who swiped my frappaccino.

Lil Miss.

Caffeine high for sure. 

After she sucked down 1/4 of my drink she had all the energy in the world to help mommy in the

garden.  She used her little stroller as a wheelbarrow just like mommy's.

We got so much accomlished. 

She brought flowers to me.

Then jumpropes,

shoes from the garage,

and roller skates.

I had quite the collection of stuff around my landscaping.

It fit in well with the new roses, mums, irises and mulch.

It was a successful garden day.

Not to mention the clean up of all the odds and ends lying around.

I am glad I got so much done in the garden on Wednesday because

Thursday was a good day to stay inside.

It was overcast and spitting rain much of the day.

I stay snuggled in my sweats.

Lil Miss had it in her head that she was going to go to school with the big kids.

She got her shoes on, big sis helped her get her backpack down from the hook and

out the door they went.

She was slightly disappointed when I didn't let her get out of the car at school.

A couple more years little girl.

Did I mention that she also had her first braid?

Oh yes, mommy spent some time that morning doing all the girls hair and Lil

Miss got her first braid. 

She is growing up was to fast... and her hair is growing to fast too!!!

I have a few more bags of soil and mulch laying in the backyard so I am sure I

will be back at it next week.   But for now I am done. 

Going to go enjoy the weekend now.

Watching the girls cheer, soccer games, friend's wedding, first religion class,

football and more cheer.

I think we have a full weekend ahead.

Happy Weekend!!!!!

 

Baby Love

Our baby is getting that nurturing bug. 

It really just started this week. 

I started noticing her carrying the baby dolls around and then putting them in her stroller then

I saw her feeding her baby a bottle.

Since then the baby dolls have been one of her favorite toys. 

We actually even took baby to the grocery store yesterday with us and strapped her right beside Lil Miss in the cart.  Ain't that the cutest!!

{being a mommy}

Don't you just love when your children imitate you in this way?

Okay not when they imitate your bad qualities like standing with her hands on her hips like me,

or saying "freakin" like I tend to say occasionally, or try to go to school in their pajamas like mommy -- well yeah sometimes there isn't enough time for mommy to get everyone ready and herself so a girl does what she has to do. 

My heart swells when they imitate me in nurturing ways.

When Gigi tucks her baby dolls in at night.

Or when Rosie helps Bubba with his homework.

Or when Lil Miss gets a bowl and spatula out and tries to make "fake" supper.

Those are the actions that I hope they take away from me NOT my use of the word "freakin".

{Lil Miss getting her baby doll to wave bye bye}

As I see my daughter with a doll in her arms giving it love and kisses it gives me pause

to what else she is learning from me.

She absorbs everything I do and everything I say everyday.

The good and the bad.

I need to reflect on the image I am creating for my children in their mind.

Most of the time it is great but then there are the times I lose my cool (not my proudest moments) and regret letting my children see me in that way. 

Will that be the image they remember?

I hope not.

I hope they remember the Girl's Night pedicures we have when the boys are at Cub Scouts. 

Or the good days of getting ready in the morning, when no one is complaining about how mommy is doing their hair.

We all pile into mommy's bathroom and check our faces and apply lotion to our faces/hands/knees and

remind each other if we put on deodorant and check our pearly whites in the mirror one last time before we head out the door.

Those are the times that I have to pinch myself that I am so lucky.

It's a precious thing to be a mommy.

To shape and mold little people's lives.

I may not always do it perfect but I am trying to be better and change myself for the better in the process.

I love my babies.



{Tried it Tuesday} -- Front Door Wreath

So it's Tuesday again!

Time for a pinterest project.

I recently had to get rid of the wreath on my front door because it was a dried herb

wreath and was starting to fall apart when someone would walk in the door. 

So this presented an opportunity.

I have a whole board on pinterest of wreath ideas just for this occasion.

I fell in love with the simplicity of this felt wreath.

It was cute, didn't have many materials that were needed and

I could change the ribbon out and use it more than one season.

From pinterest  via  www.chickspicksbyhillary.com

I started with my supplies.
Foam wreath
Pins
Cream Felt (you could use any color)
Ribbon 

I used the ribbon bobbin to make circles on the felt.
I cut them all out and folded them in half and then half again and pinned them into the foam wreath.
AND it was as simple as that.
You can put the circles as close or as far apart as you want it.

The tricky part is when a certain little someone swipes your foam wreath and
uses it as a hula hoop. 

Or even worse she gets hungry and she takes a bite out of it!

But mommy was able to coax the wreath away from her and start her project.
I started pinning the circles on and the wreath took shape.
So Cute!!!

It was a one afternoon project and we were done!! 
Now it's hanging on my front door with its brown shear ribbon and
making all the other doors jealous! 

Three weeks in and I am still going strong. 

Let's see if I can come up with some more stuff for next week!!

And so it begins...

Fall sports.  Football, Soccer, and Cheerleading they all started this week.

I love fall sports. 

Soccer is my favorite to watch and I was so excited to see Gigi with a big

smile on her face while she played her first sport.

 The first soccer practice she was really shy and kept falling over the ball. 

After practice I asked her what was wrong and she said she was too tired. 

So much for 5:30 practice on Wednesday for our Kindergartner.

Saturday morning she was a different girl!! 

Bubba is just a natural at the sport and the coach came up to me after the game and commented how

quick he is and how he understands the game so well.

Proud Momma!!!

Gigi started off a little slow not wanted to get into the mass of girls trying to kick the ball but about halfway through she was kicking and dribbling the ball down the field. 

 On Sunday it was Rosie's turn. 

Rosie had cheerleading at 12:30 and Bubba's game was right after her practice. 

Next week she will start to cheer at the boy's games and at one of Bubba's games Rosie will be on the sideline cheering her brother on.  

Bubba had his first game and was really quick to grab the other teams flags as soon as they got the ball.   His quick speed really helps him.

He had one fumble though as a running back and was disappointed and upset. 

He dwelt on this one mistake all day.    He got to see pro teams later that day make the same mistake and that helped.

If we aren't sick of football from opening NFL game wednesday, college football Saturday, and Bubba's game Sunday afternoon.... we still had more football Sunday night! 

We got home from Bubba's game just in time for Packers Football.

The whole family huddled in the basement to watch the game.

I had a wonderful supper of chicken fettuccine Alfredo planned but when Nate said "how about we eat light" I decided we would do a picnic. 

So we layed a blanket on the floor and ate homemade pizza rolls, veggies, apples, and Doritos while cheering the Packers on.

Nevermind that they lost. 

And just when we thought football was over for the week... oh no.... Monday Night Football tonight. 

At least with all the football I am getting lots of sewing down while I sit in front of the tv. 

Never an idle moment. 

I love fall.

Buckeye Football.

Kids Sports.

And the perfect jacket weather. 

Love Love.

 

I will get better pictures this coming weekend hopefully if Lil Miss cooperates and doesn't try to run on the field every time she is unsupervised. 

Hopefully after 6 weeks of practices and games she will catch on and

be content to just sit on the sidelines. 

Here's to hoping.