Thursday, March 31, 2011

embracing the camera - march 31

This is actually hard for me.

I nearly forgot.

But fortunately grabbed the camera before I picked up my daughter from kindergarten.

While pushing her younger sister on the swing, I asked my 6 year old to snap a picture of us.

She happily obliged.

And now I have a picture of me doing what I do nearly every day at pick up

but have never taken the time to document.

today was a princess dress day...despite the 100 degree heat


Wednesday, March 30, 2011

{im}perfect treasures

This is going to be slightly more light-hearted than usual.
But they're still imperfections.
Confession 1)  I let her stay in her jammies when we take the big kids to school if she doesn't.
Confession 2) Sometimes we run errands on our way back home.... while she's still in jammies.
Confession 3) She has an obsession... and I mean serious obsession with finding treasures.
Confession 4) I let her crawl around on the very dirty floor finding said treasures which are really what most people would consider trash.
But they're jewels and pretty flowers and just absolutely fabulous to her.
And I tell you this child will spot things from a mile away no matter where we are.  She'll see a shine or a sparkle sticking out and more times than I can count she has found one or five dollar bills.


She sees things no one else does.  We walk right past, over and next to what she deems special. 


She has a keen eye and is always on the hunt.  To me that's something unique about her and I let her pursue her treasures.


But I know I look like a careless mom who doesn't dress her child
and lets her get all dirty crawling around the ground.

Confession 5) I'm saving all these petals, beads and baubles.  I plan to glue them to a frame when we have enough.  It'll be a token of this time and this special treasure hunting spirit in her.


Confession 6) I have an affinity for thrifting, finding deals, and dollar bins.   I was known in high school and college to go to the Salvation Army with my Grandma in order to get her Senior Citizen discount.  I guess I love the hunt too.  Finding a simple little treasure, even better if it's a trash to treasure.  And I love stocking up on things I know will be good gifts for others.  So perhaps the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.  But I do have to be discerning because sometimes those things that will be great gifts for 'one day' pile up in the closet.


Because of the construction at our house turning that closet into a creative space for me I'm taking stock of how much that dollar here, dollar there adds up.  And how many of those things that are good gifts for 'some day' have been tucked away and are completely forgotten.  


In my mission to get myself more organized I'm finding I really need to have these things visible.  I need to see what I have and use what I have before buying another little treasure.  


I'm linking to Capturing Motherhood's picture me {im}perfectly.



Project Life Tuesday (March 21-27)

I love the accountability of this.. it makes me sit down each week and actually label and order my pictures.
It's a fun small scrapbook project that is very manageable for me right now.  I just know at the end of the year I'll be so thankful to see all of these days together in one place.


So here we go.. our family recap of the last week.




Monday the girls begged me to paint their nails.  Ava has this cool book with lots of pictures for ideas.  They like to pick a different design for each nail.  It's a labor of love that makes them happy.  No idea what the faces are about, but they were having so much fun.





Tuesday was the art show.


Wednesday was 'crazy dress day.'  This was about as crazy as my fashionista would get.

And my son, he came up with this idea all on his own.  Here he's trying to run away from me before I actually get a picture.
Thursday, the tooth fairy pillow Aunt Shell Shell made... came in the mail!  So adorable!  (By the way, the tooth fell out this morning.. but the pic will have to be in next week's post.)



So lately Audrey has started 'sauntering'.  I asked her what are you doing?  She replied, "This is my fancy walk."  Well ok then.  Where she learned it, no idea.  But had to document it.
As you can see we were at IKEA.  That place is seriously overwhelming to me. But it was a necessity because I'm on an organizing mission.  

Saturday was a family affair at a friend's skating party.  Our girls had mostly bambi legs.  But they loved it none the less and want to go back.

Even my husband and I got a chance to feel like grown ups skating by ourselves.


Sunday.. I leave you with a sneak peak at the soon to be finished 'mommy nook,' 'woman cave,' 'creative station', I'm not sure yet what to call it.  But it's really happening.  It's a double door closet turned dream land.  I never thought this could be a reality, but it almost is.


Friday, March 25, 2011

Tooth Fairy Pillows


Any day now, the tooth fairy will be visiting for not one, but two of our children.


For our daughter Ava, it'll be her first lost tooth.


My talented sister, the creator of CurlyQDesign, made this adorable pillow for her.


The white part is a little pocket for the child to put the tooth and then hang it by their bedside


or doorknob.


She has been making them since my son started loosing his teeth.


But this little fairy design is new.  I love it and so does Ava.


It also perfectly matches her room.


Thanks Aunt Shell Shell!


If you're interested in having one custom made, visit her etsy shop.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

I'm Attempting...



to embrace the camera.

I ought to more.

My husband is a cameraman after all.

But I don't.

Ironically for some reason when 

you do things like this for a living,

you sometimes are prone to not do it at home.

I'm great at photographing my kids,

but often times just forget to include myself.

So I'm attempting to join in on this challenge.

Thankfully a mom photographer friend at

the older kids school took this pic at the art show.

It's so much fun seeing all of their creations.

There are no limits when you're a child
and everyone, absolutely everyone is an artist.
I love that.



Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Good Enough!



I don't know if I've written about this before.
I probably have to some degree.
But since I can't remember
and since it's one of my {im}perfections
and I was just talking about it with another creative mom friend
it was fresh on my mind.


GOOD ENOUGH!

I've had to teach myself this through the years.


Especially as a mom.  Because time is SO limited!


I literally have had to teach myself to stop.


I think it has something to do with being creative.
I sometimes think creative brains just work differently,
see things differently.


I can work on something and it won't feel right


and I'll have to mess with it till it does.


But honestly no one else would notice.


Sometimes it can be a trap, a stronghold.


I'm so glad to say that the Lord has 
been beyond patient with me in this way.
And He is growing me up.


It's freeing being able to say, "This is Good Enough"
in so many aspects of my life.




Not only creatively, but also in my life as a mom and keeper of my home.


I can spiral into feeling like I'm never doing enough.


Like I can never get caught up... with the messes
and piles and projects waiting to be finished.


Or with my children.


A bad grade, I must not have worked with him enough.


A shy child, I must help her more, help her confidence grow.


Because the world is judging and not understanding.




I say 'can' let this happen, because I'm learning, slowly,
but I'm learning to let them roll off me, to not let
them make me feel like I'm failing.




Do you know those kinds of thoughts?


Really they can torture your mind.


Owning everything.


And honestly NO ONE can do everything right,


be everything for everyone.




But we can do our best with God strengthening us 
through our weakness.




We can do ENOUGH.


And rest in knowing that HE is Lord


and He is abundantly more than ENOUGH for EVERYONE.


We don't have to do it all.



"Be STILL and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10



Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Project Life Tuesday

Rushing to get out the door to pick up my kiddos from school .. so here goes our Project Life rundown for this past week.

Monday:  Miss Ava showing me how she balances.  I thought she looked too cute.. had to take a pic.

Tuesday: Fixing dinner when I hear this little one announce, "I'm pinkalicious".  Her sister covered her in pink lipgloss to make her just like pinkalicious.  Thank God daddy handled the bath that night.

Wednesday: LG is the kindergarten stuffed animal that gets to visit each child at home.  We happened to have LG for the fundraiser night at Ruby's so he shared a Sundae with the kids.

St. Patrick's Day celebration with the kindergarten class.  Games, stories & of course traditional food and mint shakes!

Thursday:  Ballet class... total concentration.

Friday:  I love her free spirit playing on the swings.


Saturday:  Jackson (which by the way you may wonder why he's scarce on this blog.  He wants it that way, so I respect his wishes.  He especially doesn't like it when I post pictures of him in his pajamas.  So here I'm showing how he excitedly helped me assemble his party favor bags.  He kept saying, 'Boy you're so lucky you have me, or else you'd be up till midnight."

Saturday:  A bowling party.  She was afraid at first and said she didn't want to do it.
But after one try she was hooked and didn't want the party to end.


Sunday afternoon:  His big 9th birthday party celebration.  At one of those crazy indoor playgrounds.  Praise God we happened to schedule this year's party indoors.  The rain would have seriously put a damper on the party if it had been at home.  
Everyone had a blast!!!
I couldn't pick just one picture.  I'll probably make a montage for the album.






For someone like me, who actually enjoys preparing and planning parties.  This was a major diversion from the norm.  We couldn't even bring in our own food or cupcakes.  So I was happily surprised that this display was adorable and they got rave reviews as well.