becoming home

Stella's Unicorn Party

2012-01-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

Way back in September, Stella turned 5, we waited to celebrate with a friend party until after we moved into our current apartment. The new place was mostly settled and the birthday girl was happy to invite her friends into her new home.

The party was right after school on the day that I nannied away from home, so everything had to be set up the night before and the morning of the party. It was a little bit crazy that day, but I like to think it added to the excitement.

Stella is a girl who knows what she wants and she had some very specific requests and plans for the party.

-go on a hunt for something, unicorn-ish, like our last party

-snap a group photo of her and her friends: both smiling and silly photos

-play a game

-serve cupcakes in a jar with pink frosting

-include colored pictures (made by her) for all of her guests in the favors

-display her hand drawn unicorns as decorations on the day of the party

For the hunt, I made little Unicorn hair clips for all the girls, inspired by these.

The girls played "Pin the Horn on the Unicorn" (or "Pin the Corn on the Uni" as Jeremy liked to call it. "Shouldn't it be called a Unihorn? I mean, that thing on its head isn't a corn, right? Pretty sure it's a horn" he says.). I painted the unicorn and then cut horns out of felt.

It was simple. I wish I had snapped a photo of the table, but I'll blame that on the party being right after school and my being away from home before hand. That photo wasn't one of the birthday girl's requests anyways. ;)

We keep our parties pretty simple and try to pull off something memorable and special for the kids while keeping things under a very small budget, Jeremy is in school after all, so our whole life is under a very small budget. Sometimes having such a small budget can be frustrating, but other times it stretches my creativity and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

One more thing: the banner in the first photo above has become a part of all the parties we throw. That project and the finished bag I shared in my post yesterday are projects from this sewing e-course. The bag and the banner along with this are some of my favorite things I've sewed and I can't wait to start my next project, a sewing machine cover, maybe I can start that one this afternoon.

If you need me, I'll be in the studio,
Diane

Saturday + Sunday

2012-01-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

1. icy wintery weather 2. birthday celebrating 3. in the kitchen

4. he got up there all by himself 5. quilts for keeping cozy 6. studio time

7. starting projects 8. finishing projects

Hello 33!

2012-01-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday. Hello 33!

All month long, a small pile of envelopes has been growing at our house. Each one with very strict handwritten instructions, “do not open until January 19,” and carefully hidden away in the kids’ closet. Yesterday, they brought the collection out and put it on the dining table along with their beautifully wrapped gifts in anticipation of today. One of the best things about this birthday is watching their excitement. I totally get it, I feel the same way on their birthdays.

Time to celebrate!

tuesday

2012-01-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

We woke up around 3 am this morning to the sounds of tornado sirens, hail and rain. Thankfully it was a false alarm for us and after a little while we were able to get back into our warm cozy beds. This morning, we all overslept and have been walking around blurry eyed and in need of a constant cup of coffee in hand to help us get through the day. It's the perfect day for staying in pj's and coloring on the floor if that's what suits you, and for Lincoln it seems too.

I am so tired and at the same time I feel so energized, like a creative surge has come over me. I think it's because for the first time in my life I have a studio (and its finally set up!) and because I got to spend two nights in a row talking with another momma and creative soul. Times like that are so good for my soul; I need them and I am learning to savor them and run with the energy I gain from those opportunities.

all in a weekend

2012-01-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

Learned that Lincoln can climb out of his crib all by himself...oh boy.

Put some sunny tulips on our dining table.

Made an inspiration board for my studio.

Took my first mini-instax photo ever-so very cute in it's mini-size!

Made one of our favorite meals, garlic chicken farfalle-Yum.

Ate dinner with the Denbow's two nights in a row!

Watched a quail feather and origami penquin turn into weapons during a friendly game of chase between two sweet kiddos

Officially joined our church in St. Louis

Drank LOTS of coffee and chai latte's

Started a wreath for our front door inspired by one of my pins

Downloaded pictures from my camera for the first time since October

and just now, took a much needed nap on the couch.

Before we filled the place up!

2011-10-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

We like how this place flows. The working transom windows and the little mail slots at the base of the bedroom doors are fun details that we love. We like old, we like character and and we like our modern conveniences too! I've mentioned before that house flipping is not really our thing, even though we worked so hard on our house in Waco-we got our fill from that, at least for a while I think. Moving into a new-old place seems like the perfect thing for us right now.

Some before shots of the place:

Have a mentioned there is a claw foot bathtub? Sigh...

We got the date wrong!

2011-10-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, our whole family got dressed, loaded Lincoln up in the stroller and walked to the nearby park for the neighborhood Harvest Festival, only to find out that we had arrived one day early. Whoops!

Well, we couldn't just go back home after all that, so we loaded up and headed over to The Gelateria for gelato and then a short walk on Grand Blvd.

We tried the whole thing over again on Sunday. This time, we walked to the park and were so happy to find the Harvest Festival. It was hot and sunny out, certainly not fall weather feeling, but we stuck it out and pretended that we weren't sweating.

We won't be sweating tomorrow! Cooler weather is coming our way and we will snuggle up and watch the Cardinals WIN tomorrow night. I have never ever watched the World Series before but sometimes you just gotta embrace where you live and participate, so that's what we're doing. The girls are really into it and Lincoln just likes to tackle us while we are watching, I think he may be a bit confused on how you play the game.

Are you watching?

Room Tour: three kids in one little space

2011-10-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends!

We are a family deeply affected by our surroundings. Which is one of the reasons we decided to move to South City (part of St. Louis) in the middle of the semester! Not the best timing for sure, but we sure did need this change. Now that we are all feeling a bit more like ourselves I feel like I can spend some time back here again.

I have one last little room tour from the old place. We are not quite settled in the new place yet, but once we are I will give a little tour. In our old place the kids room was pretty small but we really wanted all three in the room together. The girls got bunk beds and we tried to use every inch of the the space without it feeling too crowded.

So here you go:

We store toys in bins under their beds, on the bottom of the bookshelf and also in the closet. More dress up items are in a basket next to the dollhouse. The metal book shelf with the lamp on it is from Ikea and only $15! We have five of them, so we are pretty big fans. I can't wait to show you how we used them in the new apartment!

Have a lovely night!

someone is having a birthday today!

2011-09-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, Stella was born. We didn't quite make it to the hospital in time and to all of our surprise she was born on the bathroom floor at our home. Jeremy caught her as she came out. We managed to squeeze sweet baby Stella, me, Jeremy, two EMTs, a couple of fireman and Jeremy's mom into our teeny tiny bathroom and hallway while the EMT's cut the umbilical cord.

All modesty flies out the window when you give birth but I did always feel a little funny after Stella's birth, when I went grocery shopping alongside the fireman doing their grocery shopping, wondering if they were some of the men squeezed into our bathroom and hallway and you know saw me right after giving birth-can we say awkward!?!

Stella brings such a sweet, creative, funny and thoughtful spirit to our family. We love her so much!!! Today is her special day and she is very excited to go apple picking with her classmates on a field trip and I am very excited to join her!

Happy Birthday Stella!

Too Many Irons

2011-09-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

(kid's artwork in the hallway)

I've had too many irons in the fire the past few days. Today was for catching up on life and there will be a little bit more catching up tomorrow. I'm looking forward to sitting down with a cup of coffee tonight and taking a little break.

Have a beautiful evening!

Our Room

2011-09-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've been snapping photos around our place before it all gets packed away into boxes.

Here is a peak into our room:

Thanks for peaking!

September

2011-09-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

our new place

September you hold some very exciting moments in your 30 days. Packing up moving boxes is not so exciting but moving into the city is! Our whole family is anxiously awaiting the end of the month to get settled in the new place with all of it's natural light, beautiful character and city sounds. Yesterday, we went to measure the space so I can draw it on graph paper and imagine where everything will go. It was beautiful outside and we opened up the windows to let in the cool breeze along with all the sounds of the city street below. I felt so happy being there.

September is not just full of packing boxes and moving. We have Stella's birthday -(a Unicorn theme), a field trip to an apple orchard, a trip to Chicago (next weekend-yippie!) and Jeremy's sister's wedding in Oklahoma. We are so happy for his sister. She is one amazing girl and currently has one of the best job combinations ever: art and theater teacher at a private Christian school by day and liquor store employee by night. ;)

Such a full and exciting month for sure!

P.S. If you came across any cute unicorn ideas let me know!

packing up and heading out

2011-09-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are packing up and moving out of our apartment near the seminary. We found a place in the city that is closer to the girls school and closer to our church. Our new apartment is in a beautiful old building situated above a shop and offices. It will be a bit of an adjustment to an urban lifestyle and I can hardly wait!

P.S. Thanks for all of your feedback on the vintage sofa. The skirt is gone, we borrowed pillows from the guest bed to add a splash of color and it is starting to feel like we have always had this piece in our home. Now it's time to list the red one on craigslist because two sofas and a whole lot of moving boxes in our little space is just way to crowded!

get up and go

2011-09-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

These two had their first day of school last week. It was so fun having them around the house this summer and I can tell Lincoln is learning to adjust to their absence during the day. He is SO very happy to reunite with them each afternoon. Their school (which started last year) has doubled in size in it's second year and we are so happy for it's success.

Something about September makes me want to curl up on the vintage sofa ;) and watch Gilmore Girls. There hasn't been much time for curling up on the sofa, but Gilmore Girls has been on in the background while I work on projects around the house. Lincoln seems be quite taken with the show as well and I have found him plopped on the couch with his milk in hand watching the tv a few times this week.

Jeremy's semester began this week and with all of this getting up early to get the girls school and then study before class we've been needing a bit more coffee in our system while we adjust to the new schedule. We're not morning people over here.

One Last Hoorah

2011-08-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

We were gifted with some money intended for a fun family outing and we managed to squeeze it in before school started. We picked the Transportation Museum. The museum has cars inside and lots of trains and trolleys outside. It was a little sunny outside but that didn't stop us from exploring and riding on a little train through the property.

Lincoln and I are next to a HUMONGOUS snow plow. And the girls in front of it....yikes!

You can walk through a variety of train cars and our little family even got a private tour of a 1940's train from a sweet old guy named Bill who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

This place was a hit with our family. We ran out of time and didn't get to see the trolleys and hope to go back soon so we can see them up close too. After admission, train rides and snacks we managed to have some of the gifted money leftover for a date night-sweet!

Go right ahead and add this to your list of reasons to come visit our family in St. Louis! ;)

I went thrifting

2011-08-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

Jeremy watched the kids yesterday and encouraged me to go run some errands, visit an antique mall and stop by a thrift store or two.

First, I picked up some pigskin from Tandy's so I can make one of Rachel's awesome projects for my online sewing class. Then, I went to an antique mall and picked up a few birthday/christmas presents (not sure which yet) for Lincoln and a bowl for me.

Then, I stopped by a Goodwill that I have never been to and found a vintage, tufted and curved sofa. I freaked out inside a little bit and started taking photos of it with my ipod to show Jeremy. I fell in love with the bones of the sofa and decided I could live with the vintage floral pattern until one day I could have it recovered and hoped it might jump start my creativity and help me out of the slump I have been feeling for the past several months.

And here's a fun story...

While I was checking out the sofa a nice older gentleman, also a customer, asked me if I like vintage furniture and mid-century pieces. I told him I did but I had never purchased a vintage couch before and felt a little nervous about it. He was so kind and looked over the sofa with me, gave me tips for vacuuming and cleaning it when I got home and measured if for me while I was talking to Jeremy about it on the phone! I was so grateful for his help and found out the he lives in the nearby town of Washington and buys and sells mid-century pieces on craiglist. Well, Washington sounded familiar to me and I began to wonder if this might be the man Jeremy purchased some things from last summer. I mentioned that Jeremy drove to Washington last summer to look at some mid-century pieces, liked them and decided to buy them, then he drove to the bank to get some cash to purchase the furniture and the ATM ate his card! So he had to call the man back, tell him the machine ate his card and couldn't buy it. Jeremy was afraid that really just sounded like a silly excuse to not come back and buy the furniture. Then a few weeks later, Jeremy and the man reconnected near the seminary with cash in hand to buy two chairs and two stools from him.

The gentleman at the Goodwill was the same man! He even told me he was driving near the seminary last week and wondered if Jeremy was still there!

This is what we purchased from him last summer. We intended to purchase these items and then resell them later, but I liked them so much I couldn't part with them, so we sold some of our other stuff instead.

Now back to the sofa. I have been looking for a vintage sofa to replace our Ikea Ektorp. It is still in great condition, but the shape and color don't fit the style of our home. But now that the vintage sofa is in our apartment I keep questioning if it's a good change. I feel nervous about it being used (silly right? because I know I can clean it) and I have an emotional attachment with the red couch since we have had it for so long. I even got a lump in my throat when I saw Jeremy drive home with the vintage sofa to replace the red one.

Here is a before:

And here is the new one, with old red peaking out behind. It's more green in person AND I feel out of my comfort zone sharing this picture of the vintage sofa while I'm questioning the change. Your thoughts on the vintage sofa are welcome we have a week to return it!

Change is good, risks are good and challenging your creativity is good, but it's not always easy!

the weekend!

2011-08-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we are going to a rummage sale with a whole section devoted to vintage.

And on Sunday, I plan on wearing a beautiful vintage dress that used to belong to my mom, so happy she kept it all these years and that she passed it on to me!

and we get to see some special friends who are town for a few days! I can hardly wait!

What are your plans for the weekend?

the rest of the cottage

2011-08-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying the company of a couple of two different families we knew from our time in Waco, this week and that reminded me that I haven't finished sharing pictures from our cottage. I gotta be better about following through with blog post commitments you know. ;)

Our style has already evolved so much in the last year and arranging a new space is always a pleasure, but I can't help but miss neighborhood life and the community we had there.

The kid's space:

our space:

and the front porch:

Crafting on the fly with Emma and Stella

2011-07-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

This summer I made a loose schedule for me and the kids. I say loose because I am not the best at sticking with a schedule, so I need some flexibility. Part of our routine each week includes a craft time with Emma and Stella, after lunch, while Lincoln is napping. Sometimes, actually most of the time, I have no idea what we are going to make until moments before craft time officially begins. So I quickly look through our stash of supplies hoping for an idea, using things we already have for a craft on the fly.

Craft on the fly: Sticker books

Emma and Stella love stickers and needed a cute place to put them. First, we cut rectangles for the pages and the cover. Then I helped the girls bind their books on my sewing machine. They sat in my lap and I showed them which buttons to press, then we pushed the paper through while sewing down the middle of the rectangle. After the pages were sewn in they decorated the covers.

Then they filled their pages up with stickers. They LOVE stickers!

Craft on the fly: Paper Chains

I found leftover paper strips from Emma's party in our stash so we made paper chains.

The paper was already cut so that was easy. We didn't have any scotch tape and rather than messing with a gluestick I found some double-sided adhesive tabs in my scrapbooking stash.

I think part of the excitement with this craft was the presentation. It took me about 5 minutes to set it up, but I think it made the craft time feel more official for Emma and Stella. I put some strips of paper and a strip of the adhesive tabs in an empty cigar box and set it on the table in front of their chair. Then I did a little demonstration of how to make the chains and was ready to assist if they needed me.

What crafts have you made with your kids this summer? I would love some more ideas!

my big blank canvas!

2011-07-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I was struck with inspiration that put me on the hunt for an old-school overhead projector. My parents have one, but they are all the way in Texas, so I called our local library and a few other places to see if they had any to check out and had no success. Yesterday, I was so happy to find one for an amazing price on craigslist and Jeremy volunteered to go pick it up for me. Now, we are the proud owners of an old-school overhead projector. So if you ever need to borrow one....

I need the projector to help me finish the space above our TV. I've been staring at that wall for quite awhile now trying to figure out the perfect thing. All along I knew I wanted something big, but I wasn't sure what. There is already a good bit of color on that side of the room and I want it all to flow together and feel good without being too busy. When I had that moment of inspiration last week I finally felt brave enough to go buy a really big canvas for the space. I printed off a coupon for Hobby Lobby before heading out the door with Jeremy. We picked up the big canvas and were so relieved it fit in the back of our car (we were worried it wouldn't!). Then we went on a date to one of our very favorite pizza places, Dewey's....yum! I'm so thankful for Jeremy's help and support with all of my ideas and projects for our home. It makes it so much more fun throughout the process!

Hopefully, I can tackle the big canvas this week. I do hope it turns out the way I have imagined it in my head. And if the whole thing fails maybe I can get Jeremy to paint the canvas for me.

2011-07-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

There was a 12 hour window last Friday where the whole house was completely clean. It was the first time since we moved in last August that this little apartment was in ship shape. It felt so good to have the laundry in all of the appropriate places, the beds made with fresh, clean sheets and both the pantry and the fridge full of fresh food. There is nothing wrong with having or wanting a clean house. But sometimes it feels too important, and I have to remind myself that the messes we make on the table, in the kitchen and on the floor mean that life and love are happening here in our home with the people that I love. Baking cookies, painting pictures or sewing something from pretty fabric are all a mess worth making.

p.s. Most of the time in that twelve hour window when the apartment was clean, Jeremy and I were sleeping! Ha!

Giant Strawberries and a bit of our Weekend

2011-07-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

We were reunited with our kids on Saturday in the parking lot of the Cracker Barrel just outside of Joplin. It was so good to see them, in fact it almost felt unreal to have their little arms hug and squeeze us tight after a week of being apart. During the trip to meet them we drove past these giant strawberries. The label on the side of the giant berries said that these were berry-go-rounds and they've intrigued me and left me wondering if any of you have ever been on a "berry-go-round" and if you have please share your experience with me!

It was a long day of travel for all of us and we are SO thankful for a break from being in the car in Springfield, to spend time with a super sweet family. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them better and wish we lived closer so we could hang out more often!

This week is for getting back into a routine and praying for patience in the process. What are your plans for this week?

2011-07-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

Our kids are spending the week at their grandparents house in Oklahoma. It has been so fun enjoying a week with just the two of us, but we sure do miss those kids. It always takes me awhile to feel at home when the kids are gone, everything feels weird and sometimes there is just not a lot of motivation to cook or clean. This week I made a list of all the projects I hope to complete while they are gone. The list has helped redirect me when I'm wandering around the apartment feeling out of sorts.

One of my projects for the week is to finish decorating and organizing the office/guest room. I just have two more items to hang on the wall and Jeremy promised to tidy up his desk for me so I can take pictures and share. The photo above is a little sneak peak of the space. Hope you have a lovely Thursday!

along with 53,000 people

2011-07-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Some friends of ours from Waco flew up to St. Louis for the weekend and treated us to the U2 concert. We went out to eat at the Schlafly Tap Room, drove over to Union Station and hopped on the metro packed full of U2 fans headed over to Busch Stadium. We wore our comfy shoes and joined the crowd out on the field. There was plenty of dancing and screaming and just a little bit of reminding 1 or 2 fellow concert goers of our personal space....all part of the experience right? We heard it was the biggest concert to date in St. Louis and we are happy to be a part of history. ;)

We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our friends and are SO thankful for their generosity. It was such an amazing show. I took a bunch of instagrams while I was there, so if you follow me on twitter, thanks for bearing with me in all of my excitement. :)

The Fourth

2011-07-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

It was pretty simple.

Camo shorts that are a little too big and an R2D2 shirt that's a little too small. Does it really matter when your this cute if your clothes don't really fit right?

Webster Grove's Parade with plenty of candy to fill our pockets and share with each other.

An afternoon at a carnival. And their first carnival rides.

And pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw on the side.

Hope you have a lovely weekend! We are taking the kids to spend a week with their grandparents tomorrow. And then we're off to the U2 concert this weekend thanks to some very generous friends of ours!

a little Old Navy and a lot Little House on the Prairie

2011-07-14T07:24:00.001-07:00

Grant's Farm

2011-07-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

Last month, when the weather was pleasant, we took the kids to Grant's Farm for the day.

The baby goats tried to eat our clothes. Four out of the five of us were a little freaked out by them.

We took a vote and it was unanimous, the tram ride through the park was the favorite part of our day.

I hope you don't mind all of the photos from our recent adventures through St. Louis. It's such a great place to explore!

someone had a birthday last month

2011-07-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, Emma and I were reading through her Highlights High Five magazine a few weeks before her birthday. We read a recipe for Banana Split breakfast and Emma requested it for breakfast on her upcoming birthday. It was a hit that year and has been ever since. Keeping with tradition we started out her day with a festive table and her very special banana split breakfast.

It was a school day so she went off to school and patiently waited all day for a trip to The Magic House after school. The kids LOVE this place!

After The Magic House we headed home for our Friday night tradition: family movie night, homemade pizza and this time birthday cake.

A few weeks later we had a birthday party with her friends from school. Emma's had a few requests for her party: eating cupcakes in a jar, weaving placemats and hunting for real teacups that her friends could quote "take home and keep forever...or until they break." :)

Below the girls are peaking out the window and waiting for their friends to arrive!

The streamers were made by taping a bunch of strips of receipt paper to a yard stick that Jeremy hung above the table. The blue cake plate was found at Homegoods a while back. I found some vintage plates and candle holders at the Goodwill outlet and made the small cake plates that night before the party.

First we weaved place mats!

Then we went on a teacup hunt. I found more than enough vintage teacups at the Goodwill Outlet and payed under $3 for all of them! I wrapped them up in a brown paper bag and secured it with a cute paper straw.

After the teacup hunt, we had our tea party! Our "tea" was apple juice b/c we're bigger fans of the tea party idea and not so much the actual flavor of tea. The girls used their newly woven place mats and drank out of their very own teacups.

The party came together pretty easily and under a small budget. I sent Evites rather than a paper invitations and most of the decorations and the table linens were items we already had. We only purchase a few things for the party which included teacups for the hunt (those were their favors too) paper to weave place mats, jars for the cupcakes (those will be put to use again) and we couldn't resist picking up some cute paper straws to make drinking water a bit more festive.

it's time to catch up

2011-07-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

Let's start with June.

Remember this photo from their first day? It's one of my most favorite photos of those two.

I took this photo on the morning of their last day of school. I snapped them before they walked into the building. They are standing in front of the school butterfly garden. My how they've grown!

The weather chart in Stella's classroom. She made one just like it at home.

I love this word list in Emma's class. Now I know why a glockenspiel was on her birthday list. ;)

and our big surprise when they got home! Hooray! School's out for Summer!

They each had their own stacks of brand new books waiting for them, even Lincoln. We finished most of them within the first few weeks. Now all of the new stories sit alongside the rest of the books on the shelves ready to picked up and enjoyed even more. Our kids love books and we are so happy that they do. Thanks grandparents for encouraging your grandkids' reading habits!

This post was just a smidgen of all we have been up to around here. I have lots more photos to share from our adventures...and I need to post the rest of the photos from the Waco house.

P.S. The banner hanging from the tents is a project I made from the Home Ec sewing class. It's a fun one. We use that banner for all kinds of things around here. Tent tutorial found here.

We won't have to wake up early on Monday!

2011-06-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

This is the last week of school for our girls!

The week began with an art show showcasing their projects from over the year and they did a little performance for the parents. It was so much fun for all of us but I think the part the girls enjoyed the most was getting a balloon afterwards.

We, along with the all the grandparents have been conspiring on an End of the School Year/Welcome Summer surprise for the girls when they get home today. Jeremy and I made each of the girls this a-frame tents for the girls. Inside their tents will be some brand new books sent to them from their grandparents. The girls and Lincoln love books and I know they will be so excited to see a fresh stack of new reading material inside.

The weather is supposes to be beautiful this weekend, I can hardly wait! Maybe we'll take their tents and new books outside and "camp out" there Saturday afternoon.

I'm off to set everything up! Have a beautiful weekend!

P.S. Thanks for all of the kind comments here and on facebook about the Waco house! I have a few more photos to share, but they are on Jeremy's computer and he is in his summer Hebrew class at the moment.

some more peeks into the Waco house

2011-06-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos of the main living areas in the house. Most of the photos were taken while the house was on the market, it was hardly ever this neat and tidy!

The last room was one of my favorite rooms. I miss all of those windows!

Thanks for taking another peek!

One Year!

2011-06-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked one year for our family living in St. Louis. You can read the recap of our move here. It was long and memorable and we ate some delicious Italian food along the way.

I remember standing in my kitchen at our house in Waco, thinking about how much I would miss our home. We put so much time, sweat and energy into fixing it up. I thought once we arrived to our apartment in St. Louis, I would imagine myself in the Waco kitchen, missing it and wishing to be back there making dinner for my family.

The funny thing is that I have hardly thought about the kitchen or even the whole house since we moved. The places I imagine most are the homes of our friends in Waco.We shared so many good memories at their places and whenever I felt lonely after we moved, I would imagine going to hang out with our friends.

I have not shared a whole lot here about Jeremy losing his job in Waco. It happened when Lincoln was four weeks old and it was just three weeks before Christmas. I was so angry about it and still have a bit of that anger taking up residence inside my heart today. I loved our house and I loved living in Waco, but there were so many times I prayed that we would sell our house. I loved it, but it was so much work and I just wanted to be done with it, start fresh and have a new place to settle in to. I just didn't expect that new place to be in St. Louis.

Thinking about the house reminded me that I need to share pictures of the finished house on the blog. So here you go...

I'll start with the kitchen. This was our first room to update. We tore everything out. We had no idea what we were getting in to. We did learn that we are not meant to be house flippers. ;)

I don't want to overload the post with photos, so there are more to come!

Thanks for stopping by!

all is right with the world

2011-06-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

The kids and I spent six days and five nights on our own, while Jeremy went on a road trip a conference in Waco. This was my first time to be on my own with the kids for longer than two nights. I feel a little silly saying that because I know there are so many moms out there who have to go for longer periods of time with their husbands gone. It's hard work! Especially in the evening when the kids are in bed and it's just you at home...it's pretty lonely.

To pass the time while Jeremy was gone, we played at Tower Grove Park, one of my most favorite parks in St. Louis. I love that the kids go to school nearby.

We also watched a lot of movies, went to the library on Sunday afternoon-only to find out it was closed for Memorial day-Mom fail right there, I should have known better. So, then we went to Starbucks for cake balls, coffee and chocolate milk, where I learned that Lincoln knows how to drink out of a straw and can manage eating a cake ball on stick all by himself just as well as his sisters.

By Sunday afternoon I was feeling pretty good about how things were going while Jeremy was gone.

Then the A/C broke Sunday Evening.

The time after that is a blur of hot depressing time spent in the apartment. Our maintenance guy brought us a portable A/C unit for the kids room, and lots of fans to help us endure the heat. But by Monday, I was exhausted and hot and sticky, the thought of going somewhere on Memorial day with all the kids by myself felt harder than sitting in a hot apartment. So we stuck it out, watched movies and cooled off in the kids room when the heat was too much to bear in the living room.

Tuesday came and in the afternoon the A/C was fixed, then a few hours later, Jeremy came home. And all was right again. We are so happy to have Jeremy back and of course our have our A/C working!

Style Your Space

2011-05-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

I've had the privilege of taking three on-line courses taught by Rachel Denbow. I love this method of learning so much so that I actually majored in it in college. I love taking classes and learning new things and this method gives me the freedom to learn and dream and create in between diaper changes, cooking dinner, cleaning up our space and completing all of the other tasks involved in caring for my family each day.

I am reading my way through her most recent course, Style Your Space. I already peaked at the DIY projects featured and can't wait to try them out myself. It is such a fun course with lots and lots of pretty pictures displaying all the lovely colors, shapes and patterns throughout her home.

I was also SUPER excited that in Session 16: Dealing with the Ugly, she mentions my DIY project in our kitchen. Thanks for including it Rachel!

I'm off to read some more!

weekend projects

2011-05-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was cold and rainy. So we spent a good bit of our time hanging out together and making stuff.

Jeremy worked on a lamp for our living room. Now I just have to find a shade for it.

The girls and I made some dolls. They received this adorable kit, that I mentioned here, for Easter from their Grandparents. They were so excited to get some mail all the way from The Netherlands!

I ironed, cut and sewed the fabric.

They turned the arms, legs, and bodies.

and stuffed.

and stuffed.

They are so proud of their new dolls that they made. The kit also comes with patterns for making a dress, a coat and underpants. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so I guess we'll be doing some more sewing this weekend. We'll share pictures soon!

Mother's Day

2011-05-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

First of all I have to share that today Jeremy and I are celebrating 10 years being married! One week after I graduated from Baylor, Jeremy and I tied the knot. Then we headed off to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone for our honeymoon.

We will go out and celebrate our anniversary next week and I am so looking forward to a date night with Jeremy! Then in a few months, we will head off on a weekend adventure, just the two of us to continue on with the celebrating-I can't wait.

I want to catch up and share how we celebrated Mother's Day. It was so much fun and my family spoiled me with homemade cards and gifts. The girls made some beautiful jewelry for me at their school in art class. Stella, made a scarf/necklace and Emma made a bracelet. I immediately put the jewelry on and then we headed out for our brunch.

We decided to keep things low key on Sunday, Stella was finally better in time for Mother's Day-yay!

But, we were all still recovering from finals and her illness, so the only thing on our agenda for all of Mother's Day was brunch. And for that we went to Geleteria Del Leone. And, as the name implies, they sell geleto that they make in the garage in the back. We didn't sample it because it was a little too early for gelato. One of these days we will pick the girls up from school and come try the gelato for an after school treat.

Close up of the light fixtures.

A little peek at the jewelry from the girls.

We met the sweetest woman and her cute dog, Oliver. Lincoln was smitten with the dog and we found out our new friend is a harpest for the St. Louis Symphony. Which reminds me, I need to email her.

We tried to get a photo of all of us smiling and looking at the camera, but I think they were all a little worn out by the time we got home.

So we spent rest of our afternoon outside lounging on a quilt under the shade of a tree. A lazy Sunday afternoon.

Thanks for reading!

how we spent our week

2011-05-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

In the last three weeks we have had only 4 days with the whole family being healthy, which of course means the rest of the time one of us has been sick. First is was me, then it was Lincoln and now it's Stella, who I am afraid has the worst case of all of us. I do pray she will feel better soon. She has been pricked and swabbed one too many times this week. If you think about it we would appreciate your prayers for her to be well soon.

In the moments between delivering her homemade apple juice popsicles while she rests on the couch, reading her books and, honestly, just plain old worrying about her, I have been cleaning this place from top to bottom in hopes of keeping this illness from spreading to the rest of our family and our neighbors.

This illness has made sleeping a challenge for her, and I don't want to do anything to disturb her during those precious few moments of rest. So while she drifts off I sit down and quietly read. A friend of mine recommended Jane Eyre to me. She told me it was riveting and that was all I needed to get started.

This book has captivated me. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started. The first chapter drew me into Jane's suffering. And that suffering consumed my thoughts. I have felt sorrow for her. I have rejoiced with her. I have journeyed with her and now there are only 60 pages left on that journey. Only 60 pages left to immerse myself in the way Charlotte Bronte tells Jane's story. And quite frankly I am not ready for it to end.

White Dress and The Civil Wars

2011-04-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Civil Wars

I am not very good at relaxing...the conditions have to be just right for me to just...sit. I really wish is wasn't such a challenge for me. My "down" time is usually spent making lists, sorting papers, updating my calendar, flipping through magazines or staring at my surroundings thinking about what I could do to change them-don't I sound like someone you want to hang out with?

White Dress

Jeremy and I had tickets to the White Dress and Civil Wars concert last Saturday. It was not the most practical weekend for a concert between Easter activities and school assignments. And for some ridiculous reason, during crazy schedules my typical way of relaxing sounds more appealing than tidying up for a sitter, getting the kids ready for the sitter and getting myself ready to go out. Sad, but true. Thankfully, I am married to someone who chooses fun over misery. The venue was great, we were on a date, we were with friends and I have made a mental note to do all of that more often. And hello! We were in the presence of extraordinarily gifted musicians that performed songs in a way that came in and spoke to my soul with beauty and charm and creativity.

The Civil Wars

So here's to relaxing, and to great music, and to remembering that concerts with friends are better than sorting papers...and updating calendars...and culling magazines...and rearranging...and...and...and...

Our Easter Weekend

2011-04-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Lincoln and I stayed behind on Friday while Jeremy took the girls to our church's Good Friday Service, which was a joint service and meal with New City South. The report from the girls was that they ate white chili, saw friends from school and the worship service included songs in different languages. I am so glad they got to attend while Lincoln and I held down the fort.

Lincoln and I spent most of our time in the basement with our neighbors while tornado sirens were going off all around us. We had netflix to entertain all the little boys, Lincoln's diaper leaked on me, and I managed not to freak out, which is my normal mode of operation in tornado storms. Thankfully we were all safe.

Our church hosted a neighborhood Easter egg hunt and cookout on Saturday afternoon. It was raining, so the whole thing was moved inside. Balloon animals were included and that got Lincoln very excited.

and the girls with their butterflies.

All the flurry of the Easter egg hunt...

Hey Lincoln, check it out, there is stuff inside the eggs...

Jeremy and I went to the Civil Wars concert on Saturday evening. *sigh* I am still reliving that whole experience-it was amazing! When we got home we had to throw together a breakfast casserole, Easter baskets and a little bit of decor; banner says: He is Risen. Here is a scene from late Saturday night.

One of our super simple Easter traditions is to include an egg in their basket without any candy inside. Instead, there is a note that says, He is Risen! Empty egg...empty tomb. (Please excuse the Lincoln's missing pants, sometimes they just get in the way)

The key to his heart is little toy cars. I thought the truck on the right was Tow Mater. Turns out it's not.

Our church held a brunch on Easter Morning...such a fun idea! These were the centerpieces that my friends, Whitney and Afton, put together. So pretty!

And Stella managed to squeeze in a little post-brunch reading with her friend.

Side Note: Now seems like the time to mention the difference between the girls hair from Saturday and Sunday. I gave the girls haircuts on Saturday afternoon. I have to admit I was a little scared and afraid I would butcher it. Thankfully, they turned out pretty cute and thankfully they each have a natural wave to hide any imperfections.

Then, to add to the celebrating on Easter Sunday, we held the annual balloon launch after worship.

I thought he might cry when we let his balloon go, but he was totally into the whole launch.

It started raining minutes after the launch.

I didn't get a single picture of all three kids in their Easter attire. I may just have them wear it again next Sunday, when it is supposed to be beautiful and sunny.

Thanks for looking through our photos from the weekend, we had so much fun!

a scene from the weekend

2011-04-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Our family had one of the best Easter weekends. It wasn't perfect and I was stressed out at times, making me very aware of my need for Christ's redeeming work in my life. Lincoln and I were sick last week and I am so thankful we recovered in time to participate in most of the weekend activities. It was so cool to join in with our church's Easter celebrations this year. We feel so blessed! More pics and details to come!

have a seat

2011-04-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

I went to a few antique stores with my neighbor and sewing partner on Sunday afternoon. I was in search of some vintage chairs and so happy to find this cute little vintage child's folding chair. It is a perfect replacement for the kids not quite so stylish bean bag chair that fell victim to the very unpleasant symptoms of the stomach flu that invaded our family during the week of Jeremy's finals, this past December. The fabric ball sitting next the chair was Lincoln's birthday present from us for his first birthday. I made it using the pattern and instructions from Anna Maria Horner's book, Seams To Me. It turns out it is the perfect ball to throw around in an upstairs apartment without disturbing our neighbors below.

My other little purchase from the day was a cute little science beaker-I am a sucker for science lab equipment.

have a good weekend!

2011-04-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

We love Fridays. This semester, at Emma's suggestion, Fridays have become our official family movie night. We make homemade pizza and watch a movie together. Last week we watched Despicable Me. I cried at the end, I can't be the only one who did that now can I? Such a good movie.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. Thanks for all the love on the my Kitchen DIY. I really appreciate it!

easy kitchen DIY

2011-03-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am slowly making my way through our apartment trying to make a the generic space feel and look a bit more like us.

A few months ago I walked into Art Mart to take a look at the 100's of decorative papers they had advertised. When I walked into the store, I freaked out a little when I saw all of the racks displaying large sheets of beautiful papers. When you sign up for their newsletter you get a 40% off coupon!

My plan was to look for some paper to cover the blank space above our stove in our kitchen.

Here is a before shot.

I really just wanted a pattern, that wouldn't compete or draw major attention to it's self in our small apartment. I was inspired by the view outside our living room window, which has a lovely view of trees.

I picked out this birch wrapping paper, it was about four dollars a sheet (not bad). I bought three sheets and had plenty left over for future craft projects or gift wrapping.

The process was really simple. I measured the space over the stove top, cut my birch paper, covered the birch paper with clear contact paper and trimmed off the excess. Then, I used a bone folder to smooth out any bubbles. I followed the same steps to cover the right side of the wall and then the left. Then, I attached the paper to the wall with thumb tacks.

And here is the after:

The mirror over the stove was found at Unique Thrift here in St. Louis...I love that place.

I love simple projects, that I can start and finish all by myself while Jeremy is studying. I have another one that I am super proud of that I will share one of these days.

one last peek

2011-03-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

I had to take one last peak at this photo, he is wearing one of my favorite of his winter outfits. Lincoln looked adorable in the grey wool sweater outfit he wore to worship a few Sundays ago. This photo was taken on the sidewalk outside of South City. It was the morning after the time change. Sometimes things are tough after a time change: he had a runny nose, and was a bit cranky, so we kept him out of the nursery. Sitting quietly during the sermon was not part of his morning agenda, so we took him outside for a little walk.

Sometimes you trip and fall after the time change too.

This week we are dreaming of packing up all those winter clothes because after a long winter, we are also finally enjoying beautiful spring weather. It is spring break for my girls and Jeremy which makes this beautiful weather all the more lovely.

Today I Love...

2011-02-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

I am excited to share my newest loves in my Today I Love series with you. And guess what? My friend Maegan, over at The Firefly Lantern is sharing a Today I Love post too, so now instead of just 5 things you get 10, more love means more inspiration right?

Here is a collection of things I have been smitten with this week.

found here

I saw this I Love Paris doll kit today on Etsy and I would absolutely love to make this with my girls. They are both taking French at school and anything made in France or inspired by France is usually met with squeals of delight from those two.

found here

I have passed over the Xyron at scrapbooking and craft stores at least a hundred times. This fabric tape is absolutely delightful and has me thinking it would be a fun item to add to our craft supplies.

found here

This tutorial over at Maggie Makes makes me want to stop everything and make Easter baskets for my kids. So pretty!

I just signed up to receive the first issue of Souvenir, a free quarterly seasonal lifestyle gazette. I love celebrating the seasons, and after my first official winter in the midwest, I am craving some springtime inspiration.

I loved The Container Store from the moment I learned of it's existence and the clear plastic shoe boxes are one of my favorite ways to organize toys and craft supplies. They are so nice and sturdy and I love the clear lid.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you were inspired!

Now head over to The Firefly Lantern to see what Maegan is Loving Today.

hello!

2011-02-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Our little family of five was scattered across three different states this past weekend. I was in Texas, the kids were in Missouri and Jeremy was in Illinois. I went to Texas to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday party over in the Texas Panhandle. It was a very quick trip and I spent most of my time in airports because of quite a few plane delays-the Dallas airport on a Friday night and plane delays-good times right? I was a little nervous returning to Texas and afraid it would make me homesick for the Lone Star State. But instead I missed St. Louis, and all of it's beautiful architecture and most importantly I missed my family. It's good to be back!

I will be back later to today with "Today I Love"

weekend adventures

2011-02-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

source

I'm taking a quick trip to the Lone Star State for the weekend.

What will your weekend adventures include?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

We're celebrating with heart-shaped pizzas and homemade Valentines!

Hope you have a lovely day!

just for fun

2011-02-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

A recent family photo taken on my birthday in January.

AND

just for fun

some bits and pieces of our life

via

Twitter and Instagram

courtesy of Jeremy's Ipod and our twitter feeds

seminaryjeremy Jeremy Reeves

To Dad: I don't like my sandwich. Emma.

seminaryjeremy Jeremy Reeves

South City

dianegreeves diane reeves

Lincoln just locked himself in our bedroom...he's out now!

dianegreeves diane reeves

lincoln was drinking a can of coke...that's just great, thankfully it was almost empty

dianegreeves diane reeves

lincoln just pulled a beer bottle from the trash can, his new favorite place to scavenger,

and I guess I'm confessing we didn't recycle it

seminaryjeremy Jeremy Reeves

Up the school stairs.

seminaryjeremy Jeremy Reeves

Lotta walking here.

seminaryjeremy Jeremy Reeves

That's an igloo, for reals.

P.S. We didn't make that awesome igloo, our super cool neighbors did.

my first zipper

2011-02-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

During our hunkering down for the winter storm this week, I walked myself over to my friend's apartment one night (being outside on a snowy night is the best btw) for some girl time and some sewing time (Jeremy, being the gentleman that he is, walked my sewing machine over). I am proud to say that while I was there, I installed my first zipper and made this fully lined zipper pouch! Halfway through, I realized I was using white thread on the navy fabric and I failed to bring my navy thread with me, so I just went with it and used the white that was already loaded in the machine and that is totally okay-we were hunkered down remember?

I plan on making some more of these, it was such a simple project from the Home Ec class. My mom also shared a helpful tip for my next zipper installation and I am happy to share it with you. You can hand sew a long basting stitch attaching the zipper to the fabric, then go back and attach the zipper with the sewing machine. When you are finished, remove the hand sewn basting stitches. This will eliminate bulky pins while you are trying to attach your zipper with the machine. Does that make sense?

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

awesome giveaway over at Smile and Wave

2011-02-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

source

Rachel Denbow, the creative woman behind the awesome blog, Smile and Wave, is generously giving away her Modern Patchwork E-Course to three people! I hope to take this course myself someday and am crossing my fingers that she will draw my name.

Head on over there to see how you can enter to win too!

a little disclaimer

2011-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

After I posted my Valentine's DIY this morning I got in the shower and started thinking that I should put a little disclaimer on my blog.

Since it can be a challenge to clarify "tone" on a blog, I was worried my list of accomplishments in the previous post might come across in a different way than they were intended like in a snarky, Nellie Olsen (Little House on the Prairie) tone. If you don't mind, read the list as though I typed it in a tone of disbelief, because I still can't believe I got that much done in just a few days. It may be a one time occurrence. This storm kind of made me a home-making maniac.

Also, the yummy cookies and granola are recipes came from one of my new friends here, she gave me a whole stack of her family's favorite healthy, simple and delicious sounding recipes-which is cause for excitement in my opinion :)

Valentine's Day DIY

2011-02-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

We have spent the past few days gearing up for Snowpocalypse here in St. Louis.

Our fridge and pantry are stocked and everyone has clean sheets, towels and clothes.

I made some healthy and delicious cookies and some yummy homemade granola.

I also went to Joann's to buy polyfill and a plate hanger-so I can finally finish my plate wall

AND

make a tooth fairy pillow if need be.

(please see tone disclaimer)

Yesterday cabin fever took hold over our place and I needed to come up with something to pass the time.

So the girls and I made some hearts.

I found some cardboard in our recycle bin (cereal boxes) and we went to work.

Step 1: trace a heart onto your cardboard

Step 2: draw squiggles and loops all over your heart

Step 3: pick some pretty paint colors and fill in all those little spots
you made with your squiggles

There was no pressure about staying in the lines.

Aren't they pretty?

If you make these at your house, let me know, I would love to see them!

my favorite kind of thrifting

2011-01-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite types of thrifting is "free thrifting" and one of the awesome things about the seminary is the Free Store, that's right, everything in the store is free. I went to the store for my first time last summer. It was amazing because someone had donated a bunch unopened baby food and I had just fed Lincoln our last jar and was short on time for going to the grocery store, so I thrifted some baby food for free in the nick of time! On that same day a friend got a guitar and I also got the polaroid camera sitting on the shelf in the above photo. A few weeks ago I found this mirror and it reminded me of this one at anthro. The red is not the right red for our place so I plan on painting it black or dark dark brown when it warms up outside.

PS. this is just a few of the fun Free Store scores that we've had, I'll share more soon!

a corner of our home

2011-01-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

1. even when it's dark outside and the blinds are down, he's at his command post

(note his mini-blind-camo pj's)

2. still trying to decide on curtains for the dining area. any suggestions are greatly appreciated :)

3. i've been spending lots of time in the orange chair sewing on my sewing machine, i've been churning out lots of fun projects from my home ec class i signed up for last year

4. still need take photos and post this chair along with it's three partners on craigslist

5. lincoln's new wheels, one of his favorite christmas gifts, perfect for a small apartment

and (hello!) it's way on sale right now

6. Otto the rocker, with a mohawk and a heart shaped tat on his arm, his other favorite gift

(he really has lot's of faves scattered around the place)

7. a car that he got for his birthday, that we celebrated two and half months late, more on that later and yes, I feel terrible it was postponed for so long.

thrifted canvas DIY/ Project Restyle

2011-01-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

I am super excited to participate in Rachel and Elsie's Project Restyle this year. My first project was super quick and easy.

I purchased a framed painting a couple of weeks ago at a local thrift store. I intended to keep the frame and toss the painting. Then I remembered one of my favorite house tours on design*sponge and chelsea's clever update to one of their paintings.

We are big Avett Brothers fans around here and play their albums enough that painting some of their song lyrics on the painting seemed like the perfect choice for this project.

First, I wrote out the words on the canvas with a white sharpie. Make you double check your spelling and punctuation before you write on your painting. ;)

Then I painted over the sharpie with some white craft paint. You will want to pick a paint color that will showcase the words you choose and that will compliment the colors in your canvas.

and here is the after!

I always stop by the frame and art sections when I am in thrift store. It is always exciting to find a fabulous frame or piece of artwork that won't take you over in the home decor category of your budget.

Thanks for stopping by!

Today I love...

2011-01-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorites for welcoming in the New Year:

Today I love the fresh batch of homemade Irish Creme, we sipped on it while ringing in 2011 and it was yum. You can find our recipe for it here.

Today I love this family's New Year's Resolution poster. We are definitely doing this next year.

Today I love this New Year's handmade banner. A perfect party decoration.

Today I love how Gen displayed her Christmas cards, it is such a nice wintery display that can stay up, well past the new year.

Today I love this beautifully painted calender. It is absolutely lovely.

How did you celebrate?

a quick message...

2011-01-03T06:44:00.000-08:00

Get Well Soon Mimi!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

Our family celebrated Christmas here in St. Louis, just the five of us. These past two weeks have been so good for us to regroup after a month and a half of sickness and then finals. Celebrating Christmas this year kind of felt like a milestone for us. I don't think I mentioned this on my blog last year, but three weeks before Christmas in 2009, Jeremy lost his job at our church due to budget reasons. That then led to our selling the cottage and moving to St. Louis. It was a shock to us and last year I couldn't imagine our family celebrating Christmas in a new state, and yet here we are a year later and it was such a good time for our family.

And now a run down on December:

It was a group effort protecting the ornaments from this guy.

We did some crafting, most of the time it was spur-of-the-moment and we were limited on supplies.

This was the best I could do during one of those spur-of-the-moments.

He wanted to make candy canes too.

We had one of the most beautiful white Christmas's.

This was the view outside our living room window.

One day we say a coyote out there, with some freshly found dinner in it's mouth.

On Christmas morning, the girls and I woke up and put on our cute new slippers gifted to us by Jeremy.

Our families were so generous to our family.
I got a little choked up halfway into it.
It was so fun opening the gifts.
And I absolutely love photos of the chaos.

Lincoln thought climbing on the turquoise stool in the bathroom
was more fun than opening the presents.

Jeremy and the girls explored the snow.
It is all melted away now.
And we have not seen the coyote again.

We had a nice dinner on Christmas Day.
We lit candles and the girls made place cards for everyone,
we dressed up a little,
and ate about the time the kids normally go to bed.

Pine cones from Texas decorated our table.

Lincoln gave the girls slates for Christmas, like the ones in Little House on the Prairie.
We wrote down what they wanted to say in their Thank you notes.
And then they copied it on their card and drew pictures.
It's the first time both the girls wrote them entirely in their own handwriting.
Such a milestone.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas
and
look forward to this New Year.

We will keep watching for snow.

hi!

2010-11-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

Time is flying and I know twelve years from now, I will glance back at this photo and it will feel like it was just yesterday. I try to avoid thinking about the day they hop in the car without me and run around feeling independent and I sit at home holding my breath. Thankfully, we have a while until that moment occurs and we have a couple of steps en route to that independence like learning to ride a bike without training wheels, but there is no hurry to get there just yet. The girls are both grateful for all of the stability that training wheels provide.

Speaking of time flying, Thanksgiving is next week folks! And then after Thanksgiving, it will be finals time for Jeremy and then it will be what we have all been waiting for: Christmas break!

Night!

passing through...

2010-11-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying some time with family.

See you on Monday!

Pretty, Pretty Balloons

2010-11-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

One of St. Louis' yearly traditions in September is a Hot Air Balloon Glow on Friday night and a Balloon Race on Saturday afternoon. This year we officially participated in the Balloon Glow, by picnicking in Forest Park with some friends, and we unofficially participated in watching the race on Saturday, by cruising around in the van with the kids watching for balloons racing through the sky. We plan on making this event a yearly tradition for our family during our time here. The kids loved it, we loved it and I think the whole experience deserves some recognition on our Christmas tree this year and for years to come.

Christmas tree? Yes, especially after I saw these ornaments; they seem like the perfect way to remember don't you think?

Since the cost of three ornaments (one per kid) is way out of our Christmas budget I plan on making my own version this year and I will let you know how it goes.

Have you seen all the holiday trim for yourself? Don't even get me started on the gift wrap section.

Our Halloween was Happy!

2010-11-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

I want to say a heartfelt thank you for your kind and encouraging comments on my last post. I feel ready to start the quilt and I feel so much support from all of you, thank you! I want you to know that I appreciate each one of you that stops by my blog when you have a spare moment in your day.

On Friday, we were pretty focused on making Halloween costumes for the kids. Making things can be so therapeutic. It was our first time to make costumes and let's just say that Fabri-Tac is my new best friend.

We trick or treated with a bunch of seminary families.

The kids were super excited!

And it was cold!

For this Texas girl, it made me so so happy!

The girls costume requests were Susan, Lucy and Aslan, from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We thrifted both of the dresses and the bear costume from Goodwill. I had planned on making a lion costume with a hoodie and pants, but Jeremy found this and we couldn't pass it up. I just added a felt mane and a little lion tail and he was good to go!

I made the capes with felt, ribbon and Fabri-Tac (did I say I love Fabri-Tac?).

We made Susan's bow and arrows from a tree limb, shoe string, an oatmeal box, some scraps of felt, sticks and a thrifted belt.

We made Lucy's knife from a stick, felt, cardboard and a another thrifted belt.

Once we joined all of the other families for trick or treating, it was a little overwhelming to the girls; notice the sad, unsure looks on their faces :( They did have fun, I promise, and based on the number of times they have dumped out, sorted and resorted their candy bags, they are very pleased with their haul!

We also made the fabric pumpkins I mentioned in a previous post; the girls had fun stuffing and painting them. After stuffing, I think they had had their fill, so we collaborated on the pumpkin embellishments.

Any pumpkin parades or costume parties in your neighborhood?

The end of October

2010-10-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

This time of year tugs at my heart and I think it always will. I have heard many women say you never get over a miscarriage and like clockwork my heart just knows when it is the 29th. I have been thinking about it a lot this month. The distance between us and those that carried our family through the loss feels a little bit further today than it usually does. And I think that distance makes the loss feel a bit more intense this year. I have thought long and hard over these two years about what I can do to remember this baby and I have decided to make a quilt. The only quilt I have ever made was a small doll sized one, so I may be biting off more than I can chew, but I think the whole process will be good for me. I'll share my quilt-progress with you.

today...

2010-10-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Today I am:

-getting reacquainted with my day planner

-going on a field trip to the symphony with Stella

-making indian food for dinner

-wearing navy tights and brown sandals

-hanging freshly collected leaves around our house-the girls bring me new beauties everyday

-listening to Emma read a book aloud to each member of our family

-working on the kids Halloween costumes

a little harvest market

2010-10-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

We had a small family adventure to a cute outdoor harvest market this weekend.

It felt a little Star's Hollow-ish.

We picked out some pumpkins, ate Kettle Corn

and drank homemade apple cider.

I bet this place is pretty cute at Christmas time too!

good times

2010-10-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

We had a picnic at a nearby park,

and collected beautiful leaves along the walk.

The girls brought these cameras along for fun.

Parks are one of the many, many reasons I am falling in love with this city.

While we were at the park, we found this 100+ year old log cabin.

We peaked through the windows to see what we could see;

there was some furniture inside, but the door was locked.

It looked like fall outside, but it was hot!

So we had our little picnic in the shade on the porch of the log cabin.

*****

It is Jeremy's fall break this weekend.

He is putting a piece of furniture together as I type

and it doesn't require a single tool.

Those Scandinavians are brilliant aren't they?

This means our living room is one step closer to being finished.

But just so we are on the same page...
I use the word "finished" loosely.

Just as soon as it feels finished, I know I will be ready for a change.

how he spends his time

2010-10-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

One of Lincoln's most favorite destinations in our little apartment is a window. The windows rank right up there with the bathrooms and the pantry: two places that are "no-no's" for him and his curious mind.

These two trucks worked hard all day on the lawn outside our window. Lincoln watched the whole time. I think he would say it was one the best days of his life.

After a rough time trying to fall asleep tonight,

I took him out of his crib

snuggled him a bit

and the little Lincoln Log fell asleep in my arms.

I have to seize these moments while I can.

Night!

My To Do List

2010-10-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

Last week while I was snapping these photos, I thought it would be fun to snap a photo of my To Do list. So here she is folks.

I am happy to say that I can cross of few of these items off my list. The shelf is hung (thanks Jeremy!), fall decorations are partially out and I have played phone tag and talked to a few friends from Waco. I hope to work in my art journal some this week too. I also started reading my book, which was written by the mom of one of my new friends. I am really looking forward to meeting the author when she is in town for a visit!

Hope you have a lovely afternoon!

Today I love...

2010-10-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite things to share with you. Perfect for fall.

1. The quilt tops made for the flood victims of Nashville. This one in particular is my favorite.

2. Stephanie's Autumn dinner party. I heart the mix of patterns, colors and those red chairs!

3. This pumpkin craft. I have all the supplies to make these with the girls. Maybe this weekend?

4. I absolutely love these trick or treat bags.

5. I love my new space and that all of my supplies are unpacked and organized. I just need to hang a few things on the wall and I will be good to go for all of the upcoming holiday crafting.

Hope you enjoyed some of my favorites!

happily grateful

2010-10-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

I spent most of yesterday catching up on laundry. I thought I might actually have everything clean AND put away by the end of the day.

Then four o'clock rolled around and I took the kids outside to swing, play and explore for a bit. There were still piles of clothes and diapers needing attention, but the weather was outstanding. I really do enjoy checking things off of my to-do list, so sometimes I need Jeremy to remind me that time spent with the kids outside on days like yesterday beats full closets and empty hampers. Plus, it is hard to ignore all the beautiful green grass and the pretty changing leaves on the trees. Next time I need to remember to grab my camera and capture these moments. Here is a little inspiration for doing exactly that.

Tomorrow I will have my next round of "Today I Love!"

why I wake up at the crack of dawn these days.

2010-10-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

Life around here has changed in a pretty big way.

I am no longer a homeschooling mama.

I have so much respect for all of the homeschooling mamas out there, to teach your children on top of all of your other responsibilities is a noble task indeed.

Now, I am a wake-up at the crack of dawn, get the kids dressed, hop in the car and drive during rush hour to take the girls to school mama.

This was a big decision for us.

It was hard admitting that I was not doing a good job educating them, my lack of discipline was keeping them from learning. That is not good.

I think this is one of the best decisions we have ever made, because our girls are thriving there.

The school they attend has me hoping deep down that we will be able to stay in St. Louis long-term, so they can graduate from it.

I love our girls and I want what is best of them. Right now I am overflowing with excitement for them and the experience they are having.

I love the location. I love that their playground is in a parking lot, I love that they have a garden and that the girls helped plant it, I love the natural elements like the pretty baskets and wood furniture that fill the classrooms, I love that the building was constructed in the early 1900's and has huge windows in each classroom that let in a welcoming light. I love that all of this will soon be normal to them.

I love this picture taken on their first day, outside the school.

I love that their outfits and the building doors are complimentary colors.

(just kidding, it does make for a nice picture though)

Most of all I am so happy that they enjoy it, that they are making friends, that they are cared for and that what we teach them about who God is for us is being reinforced at their school.

Part of their new normal is that I am not as stressed, which means I am much more patient with them. It also means that I have a bit more time to think and plan and just have coherent thoughts in general.

Part of the planning includes some "welcome home from school" surprises like tea parties, baking and crafting. I can't wait!

Do you have any special activities you love to do with your kids? If so please share in the comments. I love new ideas and I think we all love a little inspiration.

long story short

2010-10-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

My apologies for the unexpected blog break, I was MIA for a little while there. Thank you to those who checked on me over the past month and a half; it means so much to me. Here's the reason (in addition to my unpacking-decorating-arranging-redecorating-rearranging): Our youngest, apparently a budding electrician, managed to get his hands on not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 macbook chargers. They were not, to our surprise, made in such a way as to withstand 2+ ounces of slobber soaking into the little pluggy thing. Coincidentally, my computer also developed a need for a new battery and some other fill-in-the-blank-with-technical-jargon hardware. The nice people at the Apple store gave us 2 brand new chargers, replaced the battery, and installed the very-important-but-technically-mysterious hardware at no charge to us, or to our young electrician. And it is times like these that remind me of God's constant care for us.

I am feeling pretty set on being settled, at least with the practical things. The toys are stored, we have trash cans in the kitchen and both bathrooms and I have a place to put the laundry, and it is not on the hallway or bedroom floors, not that it ever was ;)

I am off to take in the crisp Fall air; we have plans to bake an apple pie this week-the girls went apple picking! I heart living in the midwest!

"Today I love" with Jeanne from A Bushel and a Peck

2010-08-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to welcome my next guest blogger today. Jeanne, from A Bushel and a Peck, runs a very successful Etsy shop and her inspiring blog showcases her talented photography, her beautiful home, her talented creations, and a recent trip to a chateau in France. Here's her "Today I love...":

Today I love color....and lots of it!

In an online world that sometimes has turned to rooms of only white...I have maintained that my life is the happiest and prettiest with color.

My color of the moment is this amazing aqua and turquoise.

How about you?

All of these images are from Anthropologie.

I get inspired just walking into their store.

The smells, the colors, the textures, the displays.

For anyone that loves color it is a dream come true!

Ah, a post after my own heart.

Thanks Jeanne!

winner!

2010-08-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

The winner of the super cute Anthro measuring spoons is...

Susie Mellen!

I will pop them in the mail this week.

Thanks again everyone for stopping by here!

Night!

Thank You!

2010-08-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

First of all, thanks for all of your feedback on my blog!

I will post the winner of the giveaway tomorrow.

We have made so much progress with our unpacking. That is what I keep telling myself whenever I look around at all of our stuff in corners of the apartment that still needs to be put somewhere. I really can't think straight when our life looks and feels so chaotic. When I can't think straight I do silly things like cleaning the washer and dryer nooks and crannies with a q-tip, when there is a box right next to me waiting to be unpacked. Despite my moments of q-tip cleaning distraction, we are working our tails off to finish this chore by Thursday (first day of fall semester). We take plenty of breaks for coffee, bike riding, swinging on the playground and kissing Lincoln's chub. Baby chub is irresistible isn't it?

I'll be back tomorrow with the winner.

-diane

Giveaway!

2010-08-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to celebrate my 200th post today with a giveaway from one of my favorite places!

Thank you for stopping by, reading my posts and leaving your kind words for me to read. I have a whole list of ideas that I want to share on this space in the future and knowing that there is someone out there reading is just the right motivation for me to keep this space active.

As my thanks to you for stopping by I am giving away a set of these adorable Anthropologie measuring spoons! I have to admit, it is a little hard for me to not just sort of stick these in my kitchen drawer amidst all the unpacking, but in reality, it is much more fun to share this with one of you.

How can you win?

It's easy:

-Everyone who comments below sharing what she (or he!) would like to read more of on my blog gets an entry.

-Everyone who signs up in the left-hand sidebar to follow me gets an entry, but you have to comment letting me know you signed up and telling me what you want to see more of. If you are already following me, you get two entries just for commenting about what things you like the most.

-Everyone who tweets this post gets another entry, but be sure to comment to let me know that you tweeted and what things you want to see more.

So that gives everyone the possibility of having their name in the hopper three times!

This giveaway will be open until Sunday evening, August, 21.

DIY Guest Post with Maegan from SimplyBeautiful

2010-08-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I am so excited to introduce you to my first guest poster, my friend Maegan, from the blog, Simply Beautiful. We are now long distance friends that originally met at our church when we both lived in Waco. She, too, is the wife of a seminary student, spends her days caring for her three little ones and never ceases to amaze me with her sewing and crafting skills.

Today, she is sharing this amazing DIY lamp that is not only friendly on the budget, it also helps us all add a certain sophisticated and vintage ambience to our homes.

Welcome Meagan!

First off, I want to thank Diane for taking my crafting somewhat seriously and letting me guest post on her blog. It's quite an honor! And one that I was so excited about I wanted to present the perfect project. When she first ask me to guest post, I had in mind several ideas for projects. However, since I could only pick one I chose a DIY lamp. You see we have moved six times in our five years of marriage. Out of the six places we've lived, four of them have had NO light in the living area. I know! Can you believe it!? Needless to say, we have had a lot of lamps over the years. I've done my share of painting old ones- which I still enjoy, but today I want to share a special technique for making a one-of-a-kind lamp. You can find electrical lamp kits and Hobby Lobby or a hardware store (they're $10 at HL; which means $6 with a 40% off coupon!). With these lamp kits, the possibilities are really endless. Today I will show you how to make an antique mirrored lamp.

Supplies:

Lamp kit (found at Hobby Lobby or Home Depot)

any shape glass vase or container

Krylon Looking Glass Mirror-Like Paint (also found at Hobby Lobby)

Dark gray or black spray paint (optional)

spray bottle with water

paper towel roll

scrap piece of acrylic (could also use cardboard or chipboard and piece of foil)

hot glue gun

any lampshade you desire!

Step 1:

Wrap and tape paper around the outside of your vase.

Step 2:

Spray the inside of your vase with water.

Step 3:

While the water is still wet, spray the inside of the vase with the Mirror spray paint. Reach your hand as close to the bottom of the vase and spray from the bottom up. You may want to wear a glove for this part.

Step 4:

Let dry.

Step 5:

Repeat steps 2 and 3. This is to ensure a good coat on the mirror paint.

Step 6:

Let dry again. Mine only took about 15 minutes to dry.

Step 7(optional):

Spray the inside of the vase with your dark colored spray paint. It doesn't matter exactly what color you use. I just used what I had. It's just to give a dark base for the Mirror paint to work off of. I'll show you a picture of the subtle difference.

Step 8:

While you let it dry, assemble your lamp kit.

Step 9:

Take your painted vase, put the paper towel roll inside the vase and mark around the rim of the vase. Cut the paper towel roll down to this mark.

Step 10:

Hot glue the bottom of the paper towel roll (I added a little cardboard base to mine) and stick it inside the vase.

Step 11:

I used craft acrylic (found in the scrapbooking section of Hobby Lobby) to cut a circle the size of my vase top. I then cut a circle in the middle of the circle (making a doughnut) in which the lamp kit base could fit into. I then applied some Mirror paint and black paint in the same manner in which I added it to the vase. I used acrylic because it was simply what I had. I think plexiglass would work better; it would just be harder to cut. You could also use cardboard or chipboard to cut a circle, cover it with the matte side of aluminum foil, and the brush on some black paint with a dry brush. **Pictures shown using the cardboard and foil method.

Step 12:

Using hot glue, glue your circle to the top of your vase and to the paper towel holder (it adds support).

Step 13:

Add a lightbulb and a lampshade. Plug in and enjoy!

Thanks Maegan! I LOVE this project and just added a clear vase to my look-for-while-thrifting list so I can make my own.

Check back later for my giveaway!

-diane

Do you think it's all going to fit?

2010-08-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

The beds are put together, we have a sitting area and the kitchen is coming along.

We have to be flexible with everything, including where we eat. So, don't think it's weird that the bike's handle bars are touching elbows with this guy while he eats his cheerios.

I will be back tomorrow with my first guest blogger and a diy!

-diane

last minute "moving-in" diy

2010-08-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend moving into our apartment. In the process, I focused on cleaning our sub-lease while Jeremy focused on moving the contents of our storage unit into the apartment. So, on Friday, while picking up cleaning supplies and such at Target, I picked up a cute front doormat. I sent the doormat with Jeremy early Saturday morning, along with a quick Welcome Home banner constructed late Friday night. He was able to hang the banner and set out the doormat before he left to come "move" us over to the new apartment. And there they sat waiting for our arrival.

I think the doormat and the banner were just the thing the girls needed to make the entrance into their new home a little bit more exciting and special. When they asked who made the banner I told them, "I did" and I was immediately smothered with a big hug and a heartfelt "thank you" from the girls. I tell ya, it's the little things that matter most sometimes.

So, in honor of this week of blogging my 200th post, I thought I would share this simple DIY with you.

The late-night-constructed banner was made with what few things I could find on hand that were not already packed in boxes. I had a sharpie (for marking the contents of the boxes), yarn (waiting to be returned to a neighbor from a brief knitting phase, and by brief I mean 20 minutes), ledger paper (found at my new favorite local thrift shop and set out last minute with high hope of making a banner) and scissors (for opening up boxes and cutting shelf liner) and finally packing tape (for taping closed the boxes at the sub-lease).

First, I folded my ledger paper in thirds.

Next, I cut out a scallop shape. Then, I did this four more times.

Then I wrote the letters on each piece.

Finally, I taped them to the yarn. So Easy!

This would really make a cute going away present too. Pick up a cute doormat and then make this simple banner.

Keep checking back this week for more fun and my giveaway coming up on my 200th post (l love it, by the way!). Become a follower over in the left-hand sidebar so you can find out when I post the giveaway. I'll be back soon!

-diane

loading up

2010-08-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

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Tomorrow we get to move into our apartment.

Today the girls are anxiously awaiting sleeping on their new bunk beds.

We are so grateful that my parents are here to help.

The move also means that Lincoln will resume sharing a room with his sisters.

I am kind of afraid that one of us will get lost among all of the boxes.

I am praying for patience as we finally get settled in to our new space, we are all going to need it.

AND

some exciting news for my blog:

Next week I will be celebrating my 200th post!

I have TWO guest bloggers and some other fun things planned (giveaway?) for next week!

Have a good weekend!

-diane

more love for this city

2010-08-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

St. Louis Art Museum

another free place to visit and another reason I love this city.

Sharing this place with my family makes my heart soar.

Today I Love...

2010-08-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

Volumes

by Anna Maria Horner

I have loved this fabric from the moment I first laid eyes on it.

I love the colors, I love the pattern, I love that it is 54" wide.
There are so many beautiful ways to sew with Volumes.

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I love it as a clutch

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I love it as a dress

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I love it as pants

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I love it as a bag

and I love it as Lincoln's bumper.

What is your favorite line of fabric?

Kid Made Modern Project

2010-08-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

We made our first project from Todd Oldham's Kid Made Modern.

The girls chose the duct tape satchels. They picked out the colors, I cut the strips of tape and then they applied them to the priority mail envelopes.

I had some extra priority mail envelopes, so I made a sample one before we made theirs. I think the project would have taken a lot longer if I hadn't gone through the process before hand. Plus, seeing a finished product got the girls even more excited about making their own. I ended up cutting their envelopes down even smaller than what the instructions suggested. Can you see the size difference between the sample satchel and their satchels?

They brought their satchels with them to the coffee shop the other day. They got to sit at their own table too. Their own satchel and their own table. I think it made them feel very grown up.

this time last year...

2010-08-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

This time last year they were bathing Lulu in the backyard.

This time last year I was prego and it was soooo hot outside.
This time last year we were wondering what life would be like with a baby boy.
This time last year we had no idea that baby boy would growl like a lion all the time.
This time last year we said we would stay in Waco for forever.
This time last year we went on walks around the neighborhood and stopped by the Donaldson's, the Gibson's and the Newsome's houses to say, "Hi."
This time last year we were dreaming up more home improvement projects for our house and our yard.
This time last year we were gearing up for homeschool and co-op and ballet classes.
This time last year we had no idea our house would be finished, on the market and sold to another young couple.
This time last year we had no idea our next summer would be spent in St. Louis.
This time last year I had no idea my long time dream of moving to a new place for a new adventure with our family would come true.
This time last year I would have told you I didn't ever want to move, even for the new adventure mentioned above.
This time last year I had never shopped at a Trader Joe's and thought I never would get the chance.

This time last year I never ever thought I would switch to cloth diapers.

This time last year I dreamed of the next summer and not being pregnant in August.

We spent today waiting on Jeremy to finish his final...YAY Summer Greek is behind us.
We spent today with some Waco friends that are in St. Louis for a few days. They brought us homemade tortillas from HEB-oh how I have missed those. Our soft tacos, breakfast burritos and quesadillas have just not been the same here.
We spent today doing laundry to get ready for an upcoming road trip.
We spent this morning outside with our neighbors...hello, it was beautiful this morning!
We spent today working on our patience with each other...all of us girls with each other. We each lost it often, but I lost it most often.

I will spend the evening: folding laundry, making an IKEA list for my parents before they come for a visit, and cleaning up the kitchen.

Then tomorrow we will hit the road for a little post Summer Greek getaway.

I love easy projects

2010-08-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

I love easy projects. Especially when they can also be a cute and thrifty gift for someone. This idea comes from Ollibird and I found it via Decor8.

Go visit Ollibird and click here to download this free menu planner. Isn't it cute? She also gives you instructions for printing the poster. Then, you can frame it and use a dry erase marker to jot down your meals for the week.

You can also order a couple of prints, pick up some frames from a thrift store or a garage sale, then run by Target for some dry erase markers. Then wrap it up with some of your favorite recipes.

Cute gift right?

Thanks Ohdeedoh!

2010-08-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a fun feature over at Ohdeedoh to perk me up on a Monday. Thanks for the sweet comments about this piece of furniture. I will share more photos of their room when I finish editing the photos.

Now on to our Tuesday. Our internet is not working at home, so we packed up the family and headed to a local coffee shop across from Forest Park to check our email, update our facebook status' and to update the blog. I am afraid my status will be something like, just left the coffee shop b/c of our screaming baby.

He started to get a little fussy, so I gave him my phone to play with and then he texted Jeremy.

BTW, the hazelnut lattes are delish here.

before and after

2010-07-30T17:57:00.000-07:00

We found this cabinet a few years ago at a garage sale. It seemed like the perfect piece to store both of the girls socks, pajamas and other necessities. We picked a happy shade of green to brighten up the piece. We also added some rubber industrial casters to the bottom because we heart casters on furniture. Then, I used some oilcloth I had in my fabric stash to line the shelves. We collected baskets from around the house to organize all of their stuff to keep it neat and tidy.

Do you have any weekend projects?

A Quick Photo Shoot

2010-07-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

We snapped a few photos this morning and when I say morning I mean 8:15. That is early for all of the Reeves family to be fed and dressed.

Even the "not so great" photos are cutie-pie in my opinion, look at his little squanched up face.

I just realized I have 12 posts left until I reach 200! I am excited about that and thinking of a fun way to celebrate!

getting ready for homeschool

2010-07-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today I have been thinking a lot about our plans for homeschool this fall. Once we move into our apartment we will have 11 days to get our furniture arranged, walls decorated and all of our stuff organized. All before we start homeschool and Jeremy begins his fall semester. I hope during those 11 days my desire to check things off the to-do list will overpower the indecisiveness I tend to have when decorating a new space.

Back to homeschooling...

One of my fears (one of many) when I think about educating our kids is stifling their creativity. I want to teach them skills to engage their creative minds, but I don't really know how to do that on my own. I don't want to give them a craft to simply copy, instead I want to teach them how to think about drawing, painting, sculpting. I want to teach them how to put on paper what they see with their imaginations. I don't have anything against doing crafts, we do plenty around here. I just want to keep the crafts separate from the art. Is that even possible when do it all at home? I really don't know. Am I overcomplicating things? I really don't know. I do hope this second year of homeschool will show me those answers.

I saw this book by Keri Smith a few year ago and immediately knew I wanted to add it to our homeschool curriculum when the girls were old enough. I think this year will be a great time to introduce the concepts. Click on the link to the left and you can see some samples pages. This is a little excerpt from amazon:

The mission Smith proposes? “To document and observe the world around you. As if you’ve never seen it before. Take notes. Collect things you find on your travels. Document findings. Notice patterns. Copy. Trace. Focus on one thing at a time. Record what you are drawn to.”

I honestly feel like I need this for me too-I can't wait to do this with the girls!

(edited: I noticed the links are not showing up in reader, to see the books, click here to go to my blog.)

The other book I am using along with our curriculum is The Art of Teaching Art to Children. My parents ordered it for me earlier this summer and I have really enjoyed it. It is written for a classroom teacher and the author also includes tips at the end of each chapter for homeschoolers. I do think there is a lot you can incorporate from each full chapter. This book is VERY practical-down to how she sets up and stores the supplies, what size paper she gives her students, how she presents the activity to the students and what kinds of comments she makes to the students about their art-which is exactly what I need.

Have you read either of these books? If so, I would love to hear what you think about them. What books inspire you?

just call me four eyes

2010-07-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

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I am getting my first pair of glasses today.

It was actually less expensive to buy two pairs

instead of just one.

I don't really understand that math.

And I feel a little funny going from

no glasses

to having two pairs to choose from.

Now I can choose which pair I want to wear

based on my outfit

or who I "feel" like that day.

Tina Fey

Lisa Loeb.

The girls think it is funny

that one of the pairs

comes from

the kids section

just like my jeans.

What are your weekend plans?

this week's weather report

2010-07-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

The mornings have been gray and rainy here.

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After the morning storms

the sun begins to peak through all of the rain clouds

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and the rain begins to subside

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and by the afternoon

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the blue skies appear and the sun is shining.

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moving to the midwest

2010-07-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Last week, some of our close friends from Waco came for a visit. The reunion with our friends, selling our house and Jeremy finishing up his first greek class reminded me that I have not shared with you our journey to the Midwest.

The Friday night before we left, some friends hosted a small intimate going away party with some of our closest friends, minus one family that was out of town.

The food was a-maz-ing. So were the drinks. I really miss all of our friends and I really miss this amazing backyard.

Our plan was to leave Waco on Saturday night, after the girls' two separate dance recitals during the afternoon and evening.

We fixed the girls hair, applied makeup (a highlight for the girls) and then they each performed. After it was all over, we said our final goodbyes to our friends and family. We went back to our house for last minute items and a tearful departure from our home.

Things started to feel a little stressful when we were still in Waco at 10 p.m. that Saturday night, two days before Jeremy's class was to begin. And even more so when we were not quite to Tulsa, our destination for Saturday night, and it was 4 am on Sunday morning, the day before class was to begin.

We left Tulsa, on Sunday, around 2:00 p.m.

We were packed tight with all of our stuff and the recital flowers; we couldn't leave behind the recital flowers.

He really did do well most of the trip.

We stopped at the Missouri visitor center.

Then, we stopped for dinner in Springfield. I tweeted Rachel for some Springfield restaurant recommendations while we were driving through. She suggested Nonna's, an italian eatery located downtown. The food was delicious, our waiter was so kind and the girls were impressed with their own personal view of the kitchen down below. Jeremy and I were grateful for the instant entertainment that the professional kitchen offered our kids while we waited for our dinner to arrive.

After dinner, we needed coffee so we stopped by by a coffee shop across from Nonna's. During our short time in Springfield we noticed lots of skateboarders and scooters out and about. We were digging the urban feel that city had to offer. Then we wondered if there was an RUF at MSU, then we thought if not, maybe the Lord might call our family, along with Jeremy's orange Stella scooter, to start one. Somehow, while we were doing all of our day dreaming, we failed to notice that three hours had passed and it was 10:00!?!?!

Then, we had a little freak out session. We should have gauged our time better.

We had at least three hours to go and Jeremy had class at 8:30 the next morning.

We finally pulled in to our summer housing at 1 a.m., a mere 7 1/2 hours before Jeremy's class began.

After the kids and I recovered from the drive, and Jeremy recovered from his first class, we celebrated our arrival with confetti poppers in the parking lot of our new place (thanks Donaldson's for the poppers!)

Later in the week we went to a picnic hosted by the seminary on campus and we showed the girls where Lincoln had his first swing.

March 2010

June 2010

We are here. And I think we are getting settled in. And I think I could get used to this place. And I know that I miss our house and our friends and the city we left. And I am looking ahead to when we love this city.