The Juices are Flowing

The creative juices are flowing again. It feels so good to be behind the sewing machine again. I have instituted a schedule for the kids for the remainder of the summer which enables me to have time to do what I enjoy. It also gives me specific times to be creative, to be domestic (including cleaning which I hate to do!), but also makes the kids responsible for the messes they make. There are two scheduled pick up times for them. At those times, they must pick up any messes they have made that morning and that afternoon. If they finish with what they dragged out, then they move on to their rooms. But since it can all be overwhelming to kids, I am starting small. I set a timer for 10 minutes for pickup, and then 10 minutes in their rooms cleaning up. Today, they had one task--to put away toys. Tomorrow their one task is to put away clothes and shoes. While they are doing their pickup, I have time to get lunch fixed. It is working out much better for me than them. I love knowing I only have to clean for a specified amount of time before I am on to something better.

One of the creations from this week may just be the most unnecessary makeover ever--my mailbox. But it was so drab and dreary, I decided to give it a facelift. I hit it with a shot of black spray paint and some adhesive vinyl and voila. I love the way it turned out.
I have been sewing baby shower gifts, but wanted them to be something personal. I am so tired of the pinks and whites of store bought gifts. Yes, they are beautiful. But I wanted something with some zing. So, I stepped behind the sewing machine. It's been months since I have sewn, and I love the sense of accomplishment that I feel every time I complete something. These are the shower gifts I completed today.

Weird Vacation Apology

Vacations are relaxing, refreshing, an escape from reality. That is, unless you take my children. My sister, Leigh, and I took her two teenagers, "my" teenager, and my three little ones on vacation. In trying to conserve money, I chose to stay somewhere off the beach, somewhere that Google Maps told me was only a 25 minute drive from the beach. Well, that turned out to be a lie. It was closer to an hour. But we arrived on Wednesday afternoon and did a little shopping. Like the idiot that I was, I took my children in the bookstore. NEVER. AGAIN. We checked in around 4:00, all of us not in the greatest of moods. I took my 3 to see Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs, at which time Baby K started whining to go home. Said whining lasted the rest of the trip. Thursday the plan was to get up and go to the beach after breakfast. We did not even start towards the beach until around 10:30, had to stop at Wally World, and did not arrive at the beach until around 12:30. It was upon arriving at the beach that I realized that I hate the beach. Okay, I do not hate the beach all the time, but I hated taking 3 crabby kids to the beach. The teenagers got hungry and I was bored out of my mind by 3:00, so we packed up and headed back. Those three hours were the only three that we spent at the beach. Friday we went outlet shopping at Foley.

I do want to apologize to Leigh. I do not think you had a good time, and for that I apologize greatly. It was not my intention to go down there and only spend a few hours at the beach, because I know that you love it. And if it is possible, I think you enjoyed my children even less than I did. Not because we don't love them, but because they are horrible. They are brats. And I really am sorry. Next time there will be better research done for hotels, and ours will have a pool. It will be no where near a city that drives me crazy. And it will be less a few children. I really am sorry.

But it sure does feel good to be home. We did not even eat out this morning. Just picked up some food and ate on the way home. We were home by 10:15. So relaxing? No. Refreshing? No. Escape from reality? Nope. A heaping dose of it.

VBS Humor

VBS humor: Monday's story was about Andrew introducing Simon to Jesus and Jesus giving him the name Peter. Yesterday morning I was trying to get my preschoolers to recall Monday's story. I asked, "Who met Jesus and who did Jesus give a new name?" You could see the concentration as they all tried to recall the story. Then sweet Owen pipes in and says something very quietly. "What Owen?" He said, "Peter Piper."

Gotta love those preschoolers.

VBS

So, this week is Vacation Bible School. But, for some reason, after only 1 day, I am already exhausted. I cannot figure it out. Is it just having to leave the house that exhausts me? I don't get up any earlier. We get home at lunch time. I just cannot figure it out.

I am teaching the pre-school group, including Baby K, which makes things tough. When Mama is around, she does not want to participate in anything and just wants to sit in my lap or be held. Now, I love that she wants to be in my lap or be held. Love it. But it is impossible to try to teach and lead 6 more children while I have a 35-pound leech attached to me. But I love my Baby K. I love the hugs and kisses, and her random "I love you, Mama" that she says at just the right time.

So we will keep on pushing on through this week, looking forward to the Blueberry Festival in Brewton this weekend, and vacay in two weeks. Leigh and her crew are accompanying us. I wanted to stay several days so we could not stay right on the beach, but we will be staying about 25 minutes away. As long as the place has a pool, the kids and teenagers will be set. We may only go to the beach 1 day out of the 4. But that is okay, too. A couple of hours on the beach and we'll all be burnt to the point of misery. It's as if sunblock does not even matter (but it will be used!).

Hope you all have a wonderfully blessed day!

Prayers Needed

I have so much going on in my mind right now, and I really could use your prayers. It is nothing that I can talk about, just an issue I need to let go of. All of your prayers for strength, determination, and healing would be appreciated.

Oh Lucky Day!

Remember when I told y'all about losing the diamond from my wedding ring? Well, the home owners' insurance will cover it up to $1500....minus the $1000 deductible. But yesterday, Leigh called me to say she found the diamond!!!! Can you believe that? It was in her dining room floor, despite a week and a half's worth of sweeping!! Mr. Wonderful told me to drive to Georgia and buy some lottery tickets because yesterday was my lucky day! So, I am patiently awaiting the reunion with my wedding diamond and I am sure the insurance company will be glad not to pay for it.

I am almost ready to show you the dining room. A few more touches are being waited on......but it's coming together so well. I love my red dining room again!!

Oh Happy Day!

Glory be to God! I have survived the longest school year ever! Only 1/2 a day with students today, and wrapping up tomorrow. This is bittersweet. I will love some of these students forever.

I do not know whether it is the excitement of today, but I just could not sleep this morning. But, oh, the creative juices have been flowing. The dining room is shaping up in my mind. From window mistreatments to wall art, to paint and table decorations, it is all there. And to think that all of the ideas were stimulated by 1 piece of furniture added to my house. I am so excited that I needed to get up and write down some ideas before I forgot what came to me in my subconscious state. I can't wait to get it all together!! And I really did not want a country style in my house, but this is coming together as a sophisticated country feeling. EX. Cite. Ed! Okay, I need to breathe deeply because it has been a while since I have been this excited.

I got up at 3:00 this morning and read Rhoda at Southern Hospitality. She is having a burlap party and I got some really cute ideas from there as well.