How did that happen?

Remember this post about keeping a daily log of sorts this year? Wow! It's almost finished! There are only 5 more blank pages left.

Flipping back through blog posts to find the one linked above, took my breath away. Seeing pictures of home, or what used to be home, hit me like a truck. Things are going OK and we're getting ready to move into our own home in the next month, which will help us feel more settled here, and allow us to start putting our roots down a little deeper. But the true loneliness is starting to hit all of us now. I knew it would. (I'm a realist, if you didn't already know that.) I knew there would be an initial period of trying out new things and enjoying being close to Grandpa and Grandma and other family that would eventually taper off, and that period between meeting new people and really developing a bond with them would arrive. Unfortunately, I have a feeling it is going to be hardest for our oldest. Moving when you are middle school age is hard (not speaking from my own experience, but Geoff's). He had some good friends in Arizona who valued him and had similar interests and family situations. Fortunately in this day and age, he can still communicate through emails, phone calls, etc. We really hope to get plugged into more things here in the spring, and open our home often to others, and wait and see what God does.

A little bit of sewing

One of the things that refreshes me, is sewing something (that turns out, that is). Another thing is making something for someone that they truly like or appreciate, or that is just right for them. The girls were recently invited to a birthday party and there was still enough of this material left to make a dress for their friend, and a matching outfit for her new dolly. Hopefully there is time to make some more things, like the matching outfits for B's & L's dolls in the next few weeks!

Aprons to start off April

Two more completed projects:

We're having guests for dinner after church on Sunday. I'm trying to prep ahead as much as possible, since there will be very little time for doing so that morning. Today I've baked 4 loaves of Roasted Garlic and Potato artisan bread (not for Easter) and made 2 (double) batches of rolls to freeze and make into Buttered Rosemary Rolls for Easter dinner. There's still a lot to do. In the midst of all that, I started the project of sorting through kids' clothes.

Quick little apron project

This apron was made from Nicey Jane fabric by Heather Bailey, following the Apron in an Hour Tutorial. It turned out great! There 's enough fabric to make two of these, and since this blog is my record of what I've made this year, you'll probably see its twin here at some point. I recommend the tutorial if you're looking for something like this. It was easy to follow. It took me a little longer than an hour, but I don't like to tear fabric - it seems like it stretches it in a funny way, though I've never actually ripped the whole way across to find out how it turns out. My other insight was that this apron is best suited to a fairly slender person.

Earlier this year I ordered a small quantity of some special fabrics when I saw them on sale, with the intent of making aprons for some birthday and other gifts. I'm hoping to get 6 aprons our of this small stash. The top 4 are Tonya Whelan prints.This project has appeared other places, but seeing it again today made me really want to get on it and make one. With hints of spring in the air, I've wanted to bring some "springy" decor into our home to freshen it up a bit, but feel like spending money on knick knacks is so frivolous, especially when there are so many people around the world who don't even have food to eat. (We got a card last week about this opportunity to provide meals to those suffering in Haiti for only $0.30/meal through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.) But something very similar to this could be created fairly easily with supplies already on hand, it's just a matter of having/taking the time to do it!

Snow day = sew day

...at least in my mind.And amazingly, it actually happened today! One of my children commented this morning that the snow has sort of lost its appeal for the season now that we're on about our tenth foot or so, but it still slowed the day down and changed it up enough that I was able to whip up a bag for my daughter.

Last year, I won a bag similar to the one I made today from Cory at Sew Funky! Coryanne.net. My son latched onto it and has basically claimed it as his own. I would LOVE to support her business by purchasing two more for my daughters (or one of her cool messenger bags, or especially one of her newest creations - a hipster), who wanted ones as well, but unfortunately, at this time it is not in my budget, which is really too bad, because she uses beautiful fabrics and makes some really nice bags, key fobs, lanyards, and so forth. (If you are in the market for a new bag of some sort for yourself, a friend child, etc., look her up, and tell her who sent you!) Anyway, I don't have the same quality of fabrics (not in the budget at the moment either, but once the "stash" is depleted, maybe...), but this project killed two birds with one stone: It made my daughter happy, and used up something on hand. Now to make one for the other daughter. I cut two out of this material, but think I will dig further through the stash for something different for L.

Little G made a "chair" in the side of the driveway to take a break in. He's been a pretty big helper with shoveling this year (motivated in large part by financial compensation).

Big boy!

This is one of the pages (day 5) from the 30/30 project a while back. It was mostly finished, but still needed the journaling spot, which I am going to jot a few things down on, and call it good.

Child's Apron RAK

This child's apron was created from two different old curtain panels that had been in the stash with this purpose in mind for some time. They supplied enough fabric for two child-sized aprons (though this one required seaming two pieces of the gingham together on the bib part), one of which was given away, and the other (pictured) which was originally intended for my youngest. I decided in the midst of making it that we really don't need it and that it might be a nice thing to give away here on the blog. L agreed and was OK with that. It could be worn with either side out and based on trials around here, would probably fit well enough on anywhere from a 5 to 10 yo child. It's not especially fancy, but is totally functional. So my determination to finish projects on hand, as well as use up things around the house, might be an opportunity to bless someone else along the way.

If you have a little someone in your life who could use one of these, leave a comment on this post and I will draw a name on, or shortly after, February 1st.

Page of the week 2

A few days "late", but done never the less. (This picture of it would have turned out better with the flash!) The original is here, and the journaling was inspired by the first layout here. I have a bit of a jump on #3, but need to find pictures to finish it off and remedy a little problem that occurred when it was shoved into a page protector while the glue was still wet.

Valentine's craftiness

At last year's Valentine's party, the kids painted these frames. It would make my "born organized" friends (which is pretty much all of them) cringe to know they have lain around my house all this time. The photos are ones that were cut incorrectly in the process of creating the Christmas gifts from some previous posts, and were still laying around in one of my piles as well. This evening they came together. These didn't turn out quite as I'd envisioned them, but they are done!They will contribute to our Valentine decor for this year, and if some better idea comes to me before next year, maybe I'll redo them in some fashion.

Among the piles of things I hope to mark "Done in 2010" are several books, many of them started, but never finished. Here is the first to put on the list: Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit is written by Teri Maxwell. It has been on my "want to read" list for years. I was recently fortunate enough to run across a local, fellow home educator who had a copy and loaned it to me (and therefore part of the impetus to finish it to be able to return it). It sure seems as though the battle to have such a spirit has been greater since finishing it. This book was a good reminder of some important points, and brought up a few that were new or stated in a different way than I have previously heard them expressed. There were good chapters on disorganization, fear and worry, anger, and hard work/dying to self.

A note on books: Having read a plethora of books on parenting and then on home educating as we entered these phases of life with our first child, most every book since then has been more of a reminder, than some new revelation. Not that the more recently read books aren't as good or better than the earlier reads, but what was written years ago is still true today: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9 So for me there got to be a point where reading was not giving me much that was "new", though still good, important, and much needed reminders. There comes a point when it is purely a matter of application. I need to stop reading and start applying truth that God has revealed to me through His Word, and sometimes through the insights and experiences of others, shared in books. It is also true that each family is unique and we can come to depend on books and methods instead of on God for leading and support in raising our families.

I'm taking the long route to saying that this was a really good book. I would recommend it if you are needing some reminders and encouragement in your home schooling and parenting efforts. If you have a lot of good Christian parenting books on your shelves already, you might re-read one of them instead, and/or see if you can find someone to borrow this particular one from. (This is coming from a perspective of feeling like we have way too many books already, and trying to limit buying more, but still wanting to benefit from books we don't own.)

The final Christmas present (I think...)

Finally finished Geoff's Christmas present:

As soon as everything is dry, it will be framed and sent off to work with him tomorrow to hang in his office. (This picture of it did not turn out well.) The felt heart idea in the upper left corner was totally stolen from here. And the page itself is almost the same as this one, but embellished somewhat differently.

This whole business of finishing things up around here is kind of addicting. Good for my tendencies toward ADD, too. Hope you don't get tired of hearing about it, but I'm partly posting these things here to have a record at the end of the year of what all "extra" was accomplished (besides the hundreds of other things I do in a day, like laundry and teaching and...).

POW 1...DONE!

Here's the first page of the week (POW):This was from the day we painted our house. I still need to add the journaling around the edges with a white pen, but promise it will be completely finished and filed tonight before going to bed! This one required a few steps away from my comfort zone - the colors are a little "wilder" than my norm, and I don't usually layer that much cardstock in one layout for two reasons: 1) makes the pages really thick and fills up the albums faster, and 2) frugality (you know how I am). But I would like to break out of my color comfort zone ever-so-slightly this year, not just in crafting, but in clothing, home decor, etc., and also wish to use up some stuff around here.

The year of ...finishing unfinished projects??!?!?

There are innumerable projects around the house just waiting to be tackled.

I'm just sayin'.

Such as the hanging organizer with clear pockets all across it that was started about 5 years ago, tucked away in a box, and peeks out at me nearly ever time I open the closet it is stashed in. It would be perfect for the girls doll accessories, if it were finished.

Or the December Daily projects from the last 2 years. (And lets not even think about the "Week in a Life" project from September of 2008...pictures all printed but not one of them in an album.)
This list could go on forever...dining room chairs need recovered, "ducky" bathroom needs to be updated for older kids, every nook and cranny of the place that needs purging, etc., etc., etc. (There were a lot of "needs" in this paragraph. Are they really "needs?" I suppose not, but they kind of nag at me from time to time. Not sure what they're saying, but nevertheless, they nag.)

There are also numerous books I would like to read, both ones we have here around the house, and ones to check out from the library. And a few things I would like to learn, such as how to use some of the extra features on my sewing machine, how to crochet, how to take better pictures, and how to do more digital scrapbooking (add this to the list of reasons why, though I don't think I could ever go completely digital - I like working with the paper and having it in my hands, and the kids have expressed that they like the texture of paper layouts with all the little things added to them).

And really, a higher priority than any of these, is improving our school schedule and productivity, which has never seemed to get into a very smooth groove yet this year. This could be due to adding in one more child, and switching up the curriculum a bit as well, but is probably more truthfully due to some of my own areas of sin and shortcomings. But even higher on the priority list is the One who is my "one word" focus of the year.

To be honest though, when I think about all of these things, they are mostly all about "me" in some way or another, and that is not such a good thing. So at the top of the list, add in: "Practice dying to self and find more ways to serve others, and to help my children learn that as well."

Perhaps because it is a new year, there are so many things all filling my head. Add in the incessant chatter of the children and it all equals a lot of mental chaos, and missing of emails, and generally having a hard time getting it all together, mentally (or any other way for that matter!).
To finish this post on a more interesting note (or not), here is a photo from our recent cross country travels taken on a cold and foggy morning driving to Amarillo from Dallas. I have seen "real" photographers list things such as the aperture, exposure, etc., about their pictures. This picture was taken at 70mph out of a filthy car window. How do you like it?