Wednesday, March 21, 2012
See You Soon....
My friend & neighbor...
Ella's friends...
Soccer teams...
Christian's friends...
Neighbors
My true Iowa fans...
Girl Scouts
Church girls
Creative friends...
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Almost 3 weeks
What I really need to write about is the move.
Not Pinterest.
Not Dr. Seuss.
Not Valentine's Day.
The Move.
I am avoiding it just a little. Can you tell?
Well, it has been just over 4 months since we said 'see you later' to Iowa and 'howdy' to Texas. (Ok, that was a bit too cheesy.)
It has been good times. Between the move from Garner Drive to the apartment, and on to the house. From all the boxes & furniture that doesn't really fit and the garage that is too small. Everything is bigger in Texas, except garages. Just FYI. To the attic that is a little inconvenient. I will get to all that, but I am trying to keep this positive, but still real. I promise.
After we left our house on Garner Drive, we stayed with some friends for just over 2 weeks. We were closing on our house and Christian had some school activities that he wanted to see through to the end. We looked at an extended-stay hotel and many other options. We had several friends offer for us to stay with them. I was so grateful for everyone that was open to us crashing their homes for almost 3 weeks. It seemed like it was going to be such an inconvenience for any of these families. We were going to camp out and be a part of their everyday. We finally decided that it was the best thing for the kids & I to stay with friends instead of a cold, lonely hotel.
It was heaven. I loved being in their home. It felt so welcoming and comforting. After everything that we had been through since we decided to move, it was such a safe place to land. And to relax & breathe.
We cooked & baked.
We walked the dog.
We talked....& talked.
We watched movies.
We had dinner all together.
We celebrated.
The kids got along great.
Christian had a 'man cave'.
I got to snuggle with my littlest every night.
Most memories of this transition time would be filled with stress, anxiety, sadness, and heartache. Craig was already gone & had started his new job. We had several big bumps with the final sell of our house. We had to say our final 'see you soon' to so many friends and goodbye to Our Iowa.
But all I felt while we were staying with our friends was peace. They stood by us and made our last 3 weeks in Iowa heaven on earth. I was so grateful to go through this experience, and I could not have done it without them. I don't want to sound too spiritual; but this was an answer to a deep, sincere prayer. They were our first step, our leap, into something completely new, and they made it so much easier. I will always remember the fun we had with them and for letting us be in their family for almost three weeks.
Not Pinterest.
Not Dr. Seuss.
Not Valentine's Day.
The Move.
I am avoiding it just a little. Can you tell?
Well, it has been just over 4 months since we said 'see you later' to Iowa and 'howdy' to Texas. (Ok, that was a bit too cheesy.)
It has been good times. Between the move from Garner Drive to the apartment, and on to the house. From all the boxes & furniture that doesn't really fit and the garage that is too small. Everything is bigger in Texas, except garages. Just FYI. To the attic that is a little inconvenient. I will get to all that, but I am trying to keep this positive, but still real. I promise.
After we left our house on Garner Drive, we stayed with some friends for just over 2 weeks. We were closing on our house and Christian had some school activities that he wanted to see through to the end. We looked at an extended-stay hotel and many other options. We had several friends offer for us to stay with them. I was so grateful for everyone that was open to us crashing their homes for almost 3 weeks. It seemed like it was going to be such an inconvenience for any of these families. We were going to camp out and be a part of their everyday. We finally decided that it was the best thing for the kids & I to stay with friends instead of a cold, lonely hotel.
It was heaven. I loved being in their home. It felt so welcoming and comforting. After everything that we had been through since we decided to move, it was such a safe place to land. And to relax & breathe.
We cooked & baked.
We walked the dog.
We talked....& talked.
We watched movies.
We had dinner all together.
We celebrated.
The kids got along great.
Christian had a 'man cave'.
I got to snuggle with my littlest every night.
Most memories of this transition time would be filled with stress, anxiety, sadness, and heartache. Craig was already gone & had started his new job. We had several big bumps with the final sell of our house. We had to say our final 'see you soon' to so many friends and goodbye to Our Iowa.
But all I felt while we were staying with our friends was peace. They stood by us and made our last 3 weeks in Iowa heaven on earth. I was so grateful to go through this experience, and I could not have done it without them. I don't want to sound too spiritual; but this was an answer to a deep, sincere prayer. They were our first step, our leap, into something completely new, and they made it so much easier. I will always remember the fun we had with them and for letting us be in their family for almost three weeks.
{I don't have a picture of my good friend (just her husband, daughter, and dog)...I am not sure how that happened. I will have to find one in my picture archives.}
Pinterest Baby Steps
Just like the rest of the world...I love Pinterest. I feel so inspired while I am on there and have a list of recipes, organizing ideas, home decor tips, scrapbooking layouts, crafts, etc. etc.... that I want to make. As soon as I walk away from all the inspiration, I don't feel like starting a new project or getting very creative. It is weird. It is like when you eat cotton candy, it looks so light, fluffy, and yummy; then when you make it all night at a school carnival or let your kids take 3 bags of it home from the skating party (true story) and you have had your share of it, it makes you sick. Sugar overload.
Pinterest overload.
The key to pinterest for me is I have to walk away and DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING! And I felt so happy when I did.
A friend of mine had a challenge on her blog to actually make something that you see on Pinterest and since I have pinned many yarn-wrapped wreaths, I thought I should give it a try.
One thing I learned from the yarn wreaths: It is a pretty simple task to wrap the yard around the styrofoam base, but it.takes.forever. I should have timed myself, but I would estimate you could watch at least 2 episodes of Downton Abbey on DVR while wrapping. Maybe 3.
The felt flowers were also a first for me. I have made 143,957 flowers out of paper, but very few out of felt. My love for felt came last year when I was teaching for Technique Tuesday and one of our classes was how to make a dozen different flowers in 1 hour. Everyone loved it. We used felt as one of the mediums for our flowers. It was a hit. I know this isn't the greatest picture, but Instagram is about all I am using right now for photo-taking. If you have any other questions about Pinterest or this project, please email me or leave a comment. Thanks Crystal for the challenge!
Here is a link to my PIN of a yarn-wrapped wreath on Pinterest.
I also have a board on Pinterest where I have tried a few recipes and loved them. They will make another appearance at our dinner table.
Happy Pinning!
Pinterest overload.
The key to pinterest for me is I have to walk away and DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING! And I felt so happy when I did.
A friend of mine had a challenge on her blog to actually make something that you see on Pinterest and since I have pinned many yarn-wrapped wreaths, I thought I should give it a try.
One thing I learned from the yarn wreaths: It is a pretty simple task to wrap the yard around the styrofoam base, but it.takes.forever. I should have timed myself, but I would estimate you could watch at least 2 episodes of Downton Abbey on DVR while wrapping. Maybe 3.
The felt flowers were also a first for me. I have made 143,957 flowers out of paper, but very few out of felt. My love for felt came last year when I was teaching for Technique Tuesday and one of our classes was how to make a dozen different flowers in 1 hour. Everyone loved it. We used felt as one of the mediums for our flowers. It was a hit. I know this isn't the greatest picture, but Instagram is about all I am using right now for photo-taking. If you have any other questions about Pinterest or this project, please email me or leave a comment. Thanks Crystal for the challenge!
I also have a board on Pinterest where I have tried a few recipes and loved them. They will make another appearance at our dinner table.
Happy Pinning!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Working 9 to 5
Jobs that I Have Had:
Babysitter
Housekeeper/Iron Maiden {literally ironed bags and bags of clothes}
Video Store Clerk
Soccer Store Clerk
Screen Printing Assistant {Candi...now will you hire me?}
Library Assistant
Preschool Teacher
Engineering Administrative Assistant
Accounts Payable Clerk
ESL Teacher
Stay At Home Mom {My favorite}
3rd Grade Teacher
Kindergarten Teacher
Substitute Teacher
Pawn Shop Associate
Papercrafting Teacher/Designer
Scrapbook Store Assistant Manager
Now that my kids are all in school, I am ready to take on another career adventure. This has been a little overwhelming {and scary} for a few reasons:
1. I just moved to a new state and live in a new city. I really don't know anyone and I am trying to network, meet new people through my kids' schools, activities, etc.
2. I really haven't worked full-time, in a career, for 12 years. I'm kind of out of the loop. Yikes.
3. I have a degree, but also have an expired license to use that degree. It has been interesting just to find out the correct information, from the right person, in the coordinating office, with the official paperwork to have my license updated. Whew.
It is also exciting for a few reasons:
1. I can do ANYTHING!!! Should I return to my 'educational background', or try something new?
2. Somedays I want to still stay in the creative industry that I have been working in for the past 6 years, but just a little closer to home.
3. And maybe I want to go work in a bookstore, or a bank, or a cupcake shop. Hmmmm.
Then there are the days that I really just want to be home and:
do laundry {serious}
make crafts
make supper
clean my house
make fun snacks or after-school treats
rearrange furniture and decorate
read
But then the bills come and there is no moolah left for the 'fun stuff'.
What to do? What to do......
{Suggestions welcome!}
Babysitter
Housekeeper/Iron Maiden {literally ironed bags and bags of clothes}
Video Store Clerk
Soccer Store Clerk
Screen Printing Assistant {Candi...now will you hire me?}
Library Assistant
Preschool Teacher
Engineering Administrative Assistant
Accounts Payable Clerk
ESL Teacher
Stay At Home Mom {My favorite}
3rd Grade Teacher
Kindergarten Teacher
Substitute Teacher
Pawn Shop Associate
Papercrafting Teacher/Designer
Scrapbook Store Assistant Manager
Now that my kids are all in school, I am ready to take on another career adventure. This has been a little overwhelming {and scary} for a few reasons:
1. I just moved to a new state and live in a new city. I really don't know anyone and I am trying to network, meet new people through my kids' schools, activities, etc.
2. I really haven't worked full-time, in a career, for 12 years. I'm kind of out of the loop. Yikes.
3. I have a degree, but also have an expired license to use that degree. It has been interesting just to find out the correct information, from the right person, in the coordinating office, with the official paperwork to have my license updated. Whew.
It is also exciting for a few reasons:
1. I can do ANYTHING!!! Should I return to my 'educational background', or try something new?
2. Somedays I want to still stay in the creative industry that I have been working in for the past 6 years, but just a little closer to home.
3. And maybe I want to go work in a bookstore, or a bank, or a cupcake shop. Hmmmm.
do laundry {serious}
make crafts
make supper
clean my house
make fun snacks or after-school treats
rearrange furniture and decorate
read
But then the bills come and there is no moolah left for the 'fun stuff'.
What to do? What to do......
{Suggestions welcome!}
Friday, March 2, 2012
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss
I have always loved reading but I can't thank Dr. Seuss for that. (That love comes from my father.) But he sure helped me learn to read! My three kids have also had a favorite Seuss book at one time or another. We have pulled all our favorite Dr. Seuss books to read today at school and over the weekend.
P.S. This is my first blogger post from my phone. "I love technology." (sung in my best Kip Dynamite voice)
P.S. This is my first blogger post from my phone. "I love technology." (sung in my best Kip Dynamite voice)
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