Tonight at dinner, Stanley was driving me crazy barking.  I finally let him out and as I opened the door Isabella said to me, “remember Mama, God is always with you and He loves you!” I stopped in my tracks and was struck by the simple beauty of those words.  I bet I wouldn’t have any more of “those days” if I listened to my 3-year-old daughter and remembered that God is always with me and that He loves me.  Funny the wisdom that comes from the mouths of our children, or perhaps that’s the way it’s supposed to be.  As adults the simple truths we were tought as kids get muddled with the stresses and busyness of the “real world.”  Its our children who guide us back to the center, back to what’s truly important – our faith and our family.

Here is the bunk bed for the girls’ American Girl dolls.  I think it’s so cute and just love how the bedding turned out.

Here’s the bedding for the top bunk. 

And the bottom bunk.

Here is what the mattress looks like.  I added some buttons to make it look like a real mattress.  So creative don’t you think?!

Here’s my kitchen curtains.  I just love the fabric!  I have this new obsession with orange.  I really need to find a new color otherwise my house is going to be covered in orange!

What’s my next project you ask?  I really want to learn how to sew a ruffle. Think of all the super cute things I could make with a ruffle!

Timmy

Other than the lice situation, things have been pretty hum drum around here.  That’s how winter is I guess.  It’s gray and dreary, and this year we don’t even get snow.  If I have bottled up “energy” from all my hours inside the four corners of my house, I am definitely channeling it into decorating and crafting.  I am getting more comfortable with the sewing machine and even made some kitchen curtains on Sunday.  I love the fabric and they turned out pretty good actually.  My mind is spinning with all the things I can make now.  I understand now why women can spend hours in a fabric store.  Instead, I am the Mom shopping with three little kids who are running in three different directions making tons of noise.  All the old ladies look at me like I am one of “those” moms who can’t control her kids.  I get that same look at the grocery store too . . . it must be the same old ladies.  I do get a handful of smiles and plenty of “you have your hands full.”  If ihad a dollar for every time somebody said that to me, I’d be able to get that Pottery Barn couch I have been wanting for months and months!

All giggles in front of the Christmas tree.

Sophia started ballet last week, which was a big deal for our family because it was the first extracurricular thing we have ever done.  She loved it!  I am glad she likes it but I don’t look forward to packing up the kids every Wednesday afternoon.  Is that selfish?  I really don’t think so.  Honestly, that is a big part of why we waited for so long to do anything like this.  I just didn’t want to have to add one more thing to the schedule.  Isabella is already asking to take ballet when Sophia is done, but I am really determined to keep our extracurricular activities to a minimum.  Gary and I have somewhat different philosophies on this so I imagine we will have to meet somewhere in the middle.

Such a happy little guy!

The kids are in bed and asleep (almost) so I guess that means I have a couple of hours to myself.  The State of the Union is on but I really don’t think I can sit through that the speech.  Instead, I’ll just listen to what all the pundits have to say when it’s over.  It’s just going to be one big campaign speech anyway.  Such a shame really.  I am getting back into the political debate after a hiatus since the last election.  I suppose I’ve been busy having a baby and raising kids so I haven’t had a lot of free time to stay connected with the latest in the world of politics.  Looking forward to seeing how the Republican primaries turn out – I think I may be on the Newt band wagon.  Kind of surprising myself with that one, but he’s a true conservative who says it like it is.  We need that in the politics – and especially in the White House.

1. Marble

2. Acrylic Paint

3. We used an aluminum pan but any box could work

Here are the videos of how we did the marble painting

The girls & their cousins.

We spent Thanksgiving in Chicago this year with Gary’s family and it really was a great time.  I was a bit nervous about traveling for some many nights (3) with the kids, especially Timmy, but it all sort of worked out.  Things were a bit of a challenge with Timmy.  He was into everything and I (or somebody) had to have eyes on him at all times.  When I would finally put him to bed at night I would breath a sigh of relief that I could finally let my guard down for a bit before bedtime – and maybe have a glass of wine too!  The girls had an amazing time with their cousins.  It was non-stop playing for them – as it should be, and I had a great time visiting with family.

Gary & I on Thanksgiving

When I leaves occasions like this, I find myself pondering why it is that families move apart.  I know that the world is a smaller place and people move away for all sorts of reasons.  I think about my Grandma on the Farm – she lived on the same farm her entire life and probably traveled at most an hour or two away from that farm during the course of her lifetime.  Sure, there was lot that she didn’t see or experience in her 98 years on this earth, but there is something to be said about the comfort and safety of having your loved ones near.  Sure, we have cell phones and email, but I want to be able to share my “day to day” with the ones that I love and care about.  It’s the small and seemingly unimportant things that happen during all of our “day to days” that really make up who we are and what are lives are about.

Fun w/ cousins!

Maybe it’s selfish to want my family near me, but I would love to live in a world where the Sunday Family Dinner was commonplace.  How do we encourage our kids to follow their dreams and explore what the world has to offer, but yet also instill in them the importance of keeping close the ones you hold dear?  Perhaps, that is the balance we are all striving to keep, and at different points in our lives the scale may tip in one direction or the other.  Keeping that perfect balance is never easy.

All the cousins - big & small!

It was a beautiful Thanksgiving.  We have so much to be thankful for – especially family!

This is how Isabella fell asleep tonight.

Today it rained all day.  It was one of those cold and dreary fall days where you just wanted to stay inside and watch a movie.  Well, I don’t actually like watching movies because I don’t have the patience to sit through most movies, so I would rather just watch HGTV . . . but I digress.  We did stay home today until I decided I needed to take Timmy to see the doctor because I thought he had an ear infection.  He just hasn’t been himself for the last few days and I knew it was either his teeth or his ears.  Thankfully, Dara watched the girls so I just had Timmy, which was a really good thing today because we waited a LONG time.  Turns out it was his molars.  Poor guy, you know that has to hurt.

We leave for Chicago tomorrow and I have yet to start packing.  I do have most of the laundry done but I think that is as far as I am going to get tonight.  I believe there is a gallon of ice cream calling my name.

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I am once again reminded that I have so much to be thankful for.  Faith, family and friends.  My cup is most definitely overflowing.

Sophia @ her Thanksgiving Feast

Now that it’s cold outside we have been spending a lot of time in the basement, which is great.  I am very thankful we have a place to go where the kids can be silly and play with their toys.  It’s great for Timmy too, because for the most part – the basement is Timmy proof.  Of course the girls love playing with teeny tiny toys like Polly Pockets which are the just the perfect size for Timmy to put in his mouth, but I I’m pretty good at making sure those are packed away in the plastic tubs I have set up all over the basement.  The organization is not pretty but at least everything, for the most part, has a place.

The girls singing a song @ preschool this week.

The downside to all this fun basement playtime is the mess that results.  Who would you guess is in the one who ends up cleaning up all the puzzle pieces, plastic kitchen toys, and crayons thrown all over the room – well, that would be me.  I was getting pretty discouraged about the mess this week, when I came up with the idea of “The Goodwill Box.”  Keep in mind, the kids get really nervous when I start talking about Goodwill because they know that’s the place their toys go when Mommy decides we are done playing with them.  All of a sudden, a stuffed animal that hasn’t seen the light of the day from the bottom of a hamper on the floor all of sudden becomes a favorite baby.  As a result, I have learned to fill my Goodwill bags in the dark of night.  Truthfully, the kids don’t even know their toys are missing.  Anyways, If the girls refuse to pick up their toys, the toys are going in the Goodwill Box.  If they want them back, they will have to earn them back.  I’m not sure exactly how they will earn their toys back but I think some type of chore.  Pretty good idea, don’t you think?

Timmy and his big smile.

It’s the weekend and that usually means Gary and I are tackling a project, but we may keep it simple this weekend.  I still need to finish the fireplace and I want to make a gift too.  I think Gary wants to “widdle” something today too.  It’s great that we both enjoy being creative and crafty (is that a word?).  Stay tuned for pictures of our next creations . . .