Things Heard Around Here

Mommy, can I play Angry Birds?

Translation:
My new phone and Ryan's new kindle keep getting commandeered by our children who now have an addiction to Angry Birds.

Our Money's Worth

We definitely feel we have gotten our money's worth out of our floating shelves.  We thought we did pretty well when we spent $40 on seven shelves, but Ryan kept going.  He had one last piece of door left.  He used it to make a long matching shelf on the other accent wall in our basement.  The shelves we had up there before were left by the previous homeowner and not really our first choice of shelves.

Ryan took those shelves down and installed them in my sweat shop.

They work for what I need them for and I plan on painting them this spring.

The new shelf is cleaner, more streamlined and matches the other shelves we made.  We're quite happy with the results.

The only thing we aren't happy with is the new shelf is making us rethink what we need to make the wall look cohesive.  The picture on that wall just doesn't seem to work anymore.  I guess that's a project for another day.

Rearranging

A couple of weeks ago Ryan came home with a closet shelf.  I'm a closet slob or at least I was, but I'm trying to be better.  Ryan, the good husband that he is, decided he would help me out and provide more organization in my life.  He also provided me with a good reason to sort through the clothes and junk that were in my closet.  I must say, believe it or not, that my closet looks much better than it did before:

After I finished cleaning out and organizing my closet, Ryan decided to rearrange the furniture in our bedroom.  Our bed is huge and because I was getting up multiple times during the night with the kids I repeatedly ran into the foot board.  I had a never-ending bruise on my thigh.  It was I'm-glad-it's-not-short-season bad.

It was quite the endeavour rearranging all of that heavy furniture.  I am glad that we did it, though, because it really opened our room up:

Before:

You can't tell but there is a large dresser just out of the range of this photo on the left side.

After:

We really like the extra room and I like not hitting my leg on the bed anymore.  Of course the kids haven't been sneaking in our room too much since we moved the furniture.

Lest you think we have lint all over our comforter, those are actually feathers.  I learned the hard way that you should carefully read the comforter description when you are trying to buy a down (and feather) free comforter.

Things Heard Around Here

Let's do this.

Really??

Where are you punk?

Translation:
For Christmas Aric was given the Xbox game Cars 2.  He first saw the game at Best Buy this past summer and begged us to allow him to play it whenever we were at the store.  We decided it would make a good Christmas present.  We were right, sort of...

Every day after nap time Aric asks to play his game.  I am usually pretty accommodating because most days I'm trying to finish up some sewing task.  Aric has learned how to turn on the game, log in and pick any race or car to play.  It is a good thing he knows how to do all of that stuff because I am ignorant when it comes to video games. 

It's not a bad thing, until those days when Ryan is home and the two of them play multi-player and race against each other.  That's when the trash talking starts and I wonder, as I sew, which one of them is the child and which one is the adult.

Last night at dinner we were discussing this post and trying to figure out what Aric has said while playing.  This was the conversation:

Ryan: What did you say?

Aric: I said, "Where are you punk?" then I shot you and you fell in the water.

Really???

Not Often

It's not often that Aric and Kellyn play together without arguing.  Most of the time they are either playing near each other, but not with each other.  Usually when they do play together they end up fighting about something.  Last night they played together.  We didn't hear any fighting, instead we heard lots of shrieking, giggling and belly laughing.  It was a wonderful noise and it really warmed my heart.

More Than a Glimpse, Part 2

I honestly didn't think it would take this long for me to write this post.  I thought, when I wrote the first post, that I would write a follow-up post soon after.  I thought about what to write, but I think it is hard to write something when you are living it everyday.  I'm not saying that Part 2 is completely over, but I am beginning to think that maybe I'm at the tail end of it and getting ready to move on to the next chapter.

After I was diagnosed with postpartum depression I read three books on the topic:

Down Came the Rain introduced me to the topic of postpartum depression and made me feel like I wasn't crazy.  It didn't provide me with much help beyond that, but what it did do was spur me on to look for books written by people from a Christian perspective.  The Lifter of My Head was an extreme case with the author spending time on the psych ward.  While I did suffer from suicidal thoughts, it didn't get bad enough for me to need to be committed anywhere.  I sought help and strength and I received those and much more.  If I were to recommend any of these books it would be the last book I read, Living Beyond Postpartum Depression. It is a book that can be read by anyone; the person going through the depression, the spouse, family, friends, etc.  It truly gives an insight on what is being battled, why, and ways in which one can seek help.

My life looks completely different now than it did six months ago, four months ago, or even a month ago.  I was acting better, treating my family better, interacting more and actually living life instead of wanting to disappear from it all.  Part of it was me making changes, but most of it was the medication.  When I forgot to take my medication it was very evident the next day.  I was irritable, impatient, and the horrible thoughts that used to plague me returned.  At some point during the day I would stop to reflect on what was the matter with me and realize that I was off my medication.  Some times it would overwhelm me.  It seemed like I would never be able to get off of my medication.  A few weeks ago I again forgot to take a pill.  It was the first time that I realized I had missed my pill not by my actions and attitudes, but because I saw my pill still sitting in the case.  It gave me hope; hope that I might be able to come off of the medication at some point in the future and be okay on my own.

Six months ago I would not have been able to handle all that is going on in my life.  Starting a business of my own would not even have occurred to me, it didn't.  The stress would have been too great.  Somewhere along the way God has provided healing and renewal.  I feel like a better person and I feel like pieces of me have been returned to me.  I have so many creative ideas floating around in my head it's almost overwhelming.  Overwhelming, yes, but a good kind of overwhelming.  I have interacted more with people, made new, lasting friendships, and reconnected with old friends.  I could barely interact with my kids and husband before.

And now... I'm beginning to see the light in my dark tunnel and I'm ready to feel the sunshine on my face.

Thinking Outside of the Box

This past weekend I came home from running errands to this scene:

Ryan was cleaning out the garage and set up the vehicle ramps for Aric to use with his cars.  I thought it was the best idea, something I would never have thought to do.

I guess that is what makes Ryan a pretty amazing dad.

Slaving Away in the Sweat Shoppe

I have spent the past four days (the last week, actually) slaving away.  I was working on my consignment order, which actually turned into a real order.  Originally, I thought I was making 10 wristlets to ship up to Minnesota, they would be placed in an university bookstore and I would be paid as they were sold.  Last week that all changed when I found out I would be paid up front for 24 wristlets with the possibility of ordering more depending on how they sold.  It was kind of exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. I knew it was important to have them made, shipped and in the store before the semester text book rush begins.  Thankfully, Ryan had a long weekend at just the right time and is very supportive of me.  He entertained the kids, kept up with the house, meals and even took on some extra projects around the house.  He was a trooper and my hero.  Yesterday morning I finished the last of my custom order.  They are boxed up and waiting for a trip to the post office today.

I am so thankful to be done with them and moving onto something else for the time being.  They were a lot of work, but a break is nice.  I'm glad I made a few extras to stock in my Etsy store.

I am now moving on to a bag order.  I'm pretty excited to make more bags.  I enjoy making them, especially since I purchased new fabric to use.  I have material waiting to be made into scarves, pillows and I haven't even started thinking about the wreaths yet.  I have a request to look into laptop case designs, another to make fun pillowcases for a day care and so many more ideas of my own floating around in my head.  It can get overwhelming at times.  Since my big order is done I can step back a bit and get my life balanced again; i.e.- spending more time playing with the kids and only working at nap time or in the evenings.

I truly enjoy having my own area to work in.  It  has already had a bit of revamping done to it:

Still located right next to the exercise equipment.

Ryan moved the shelves from another wall and installed them above my table.

A very important thing since I had no idea what colors I had and kept buying similar colors.

Fabric waiting to be made into something.

A cleaned off table.  It did not look like this last week.

For now I'm going to take the morning off and get back to work this afternoon at nap time.

Things Heard Around Here

Me: Aric, you're pretty cute.

Aric: I know.

Translation:
Apparently we need to teach some lessons in humility around here.

Things Heard Around Here

Mommy, remember when you couldn't reach the Lightning McQueen balloon and you had to jump, but you still couldn't get it?  You should eat your food and then you'll be taller.

Translation:
First of all, I guess Aric remembers things that happened months ago, things that are inconsequential to me.  I only remembered when he reminded me. Secondly, our discussions at dinner time about eating all of your food so you can grow bigger seem to be sticking with him.  Thirdly, we had a chat about how mommies and daddies are as tall as they are ever going to be.

Floating Shelves

Ever since we moved into our home Ryan and I have wanted to flank the tv downstairs with floating shelves.  The space around the tv was a huge void asking to have something fill it. Ryan has a collection of glasses from his travels around the world that needed to be displayed in a better way than lined up along the ledge.

We priced shelves, looked at projects to make our own, but couldn't find anything that we were happy with until last week.  Ryan found a project that involved using a hollow core door and a 2x4.  We bought the door and he made seven shelves of assorted sizes to hang on the wall.  I took a break from sewing to help him stain and varnish the shelves.  I think he did an amazing job.

The entire project only cost about $40 for materials and he still has enough door leftover to make more shelves.  I think that will be our project for this coming weekend.

Hungry, Hungry Hippos

The kids received the game Hungry, Hungry Hippos for Christmas.  They love to play the game probably because it is loud and active. We left it out on the coffee table for awhile, but now it is put away when we are not playing it.  We discovered it is not a game that can be left out without parental supervision for one important reason:

Marble girl can't be trusted!

Things Heard Around Here

Minute, minute, where are you?

Translation:
When you drop a mitten outside they always come when called, especially when you call them "minutes".

Now Open For Business

My shop is not as fully stocked as I would have liked, but I decided it was better to at least get it going then to wait any longer.  I have so much on my plate right now that it will be some time before I can add the variety of merchandise for the store.  More to follow on staining and varnishing floating shelves for Ryan, my consignment order, a secret project I've been working on and the usual assortment of blogs about our life.

In the meantime:

Visit my Etsy site.

Like my Facebook page.

Always

After 15 years of togetherness, 9 years of marriage, 2 kids, and all of the ups and downs life together can bring; this man still makes my heart beat faster:

Happy Anniversary, Ryan.  I love you.  Always.

Independence

As a mother I realize that Aric and Kellyn, because of their ages, are not allowed to make many decisions for themselves.  Ryan and I tell them what to drink, eat, when to go to bed, where they are going, etc.  One way in which I have relinquished control and allowed them to be independent is in deciding what clothes they wear.   After breakfast the kids get dressed for the day.  I usually don't have a problem with what Aric wears.  Sometimes the colors don't match, sometimes he wears a polo shirt with athletic pants, but usually he picks out the same three or four outfits.  Kellyn, well, she's a different story...

Kellyn doesn't like socks and will usually take them off within the first half hour of having them put on.  She prefers to pick out pajamas to wear all day.  Some days I indulge her and allow her to wear pajamas, other days it's more important that she pick out pants and a shirt.  When I get her past the pajama battle she will pick out a pair of pants and a jacket.  This always causes another battle to ensue when I pick out a shirt for her to wear under the jacket.  When I finally get her dressed this usually happens:

Pants and socks are gone.

She had been wearing those shoes, but kicked them off as I grabbed the camera.

The rest of us might be bundled up but Kellyn will run around without any pants on.  It's probably a good thing that she likes to wear jackets, then at least some part of her is warm.

Outfit of choice when we went outside to play yesterday.

One normally dressed kid.

The Sweat Shoppe

When I made Kellyn's tutu I felt hopelessly lost in the craft department.  Everything that I tried to make did not turn out as well as it did in my head.  I was full of vision, but I couldn't translate that vision into reality.  Not long after the tutu mishap (which wasn't so much of a mishap because I remade it using less tulle and a ribbon instead of elastic) I went to a craft fair with some dear friends.  At the craft fair I was inspired, so inspired that on the way home we stopped at a fabric store to pick up supplies to make some things on our own.  The woman cutting my fabric asked what I was making, when I told her about my day and what I planned to make she said, "things never turn out and that's why we should just buy things at the craft shows instead of attempting to make them."  Ignoring the particularly snarky comment from the sales woman who apparently doesn't work on commission, I went home and proceeded to let my creativity flow.

I made two wreaths:

Made with gray fleece.  Bow not included and was removed after this picture was taken.

Made with burlap.

The wreaths were just the inspiration that I needed.  They made some long dormant part of me come back alive.  Those wreaths led to more wreaths, which led to scarves and pillows (yeah, I don't really question the direction my creativity took.)

Made with grey fleece and felt flowers.

Grey fleece pillow.  Crown Royal quilt made by Ryan's Grandmother- no you can't have it.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of the scarves.  They were sewn using the hand-me down Bernina I was given.  It used to belong to Ryan's grandmother.

I have sewn off and on over the years, but have never sewn on a machine that I really liked.  I always had trouble with threading the machine, tension, attention span and whatever else could possibly go wrong while sewing.  Something happened while I sewed those scarves, I began to figure out the machine and get a rhythm going.  Then I realized I didn't mind sewing so much and wanted to sew more things.  While Ryan's parents were visiting over Thanksgiving his mom encouraged my sewing.  I told her that I was thinking about sewing a quilt for Aric.  For Christmas she bought me a table to sew on, since sewing at our dining table was a hassle.

My sewing/craft table

She also bought fabric and supplies for me while we were out shopping on Black Friday.

Fabric for Aric's new quilt.

I worked on Aric's quilt for awhile, but then put it on hold while I worked on making wreaths, scarves and pillows for Christmas presents.  (Sorry due to the camera being gone for repairs no photos were taken.)  I loved every moment of it.  I felt creatively alive again, a feeling I haven't felt in a long time.  It got me thinking... would anyone want to buy anything that I made?  My Christmas gifts were well received, either that or people were just being nice, but it gave me more confidence in myself.

That's when I found the pattern for these bags:

Ryan's mom was given one and asked me how to figure out how they were made.  They have a tape measure closure.  I found the pattern an enjoyed making them.  I began toying with the idea of opening an Etsy shop.  I had originally thought about craft fairs, and while I'm still not opposed to it, it would be difficult with Ryan's schedule and two little kids.  Etsy seemed easier, there is very little overhead and if it didn't work out as I had hoped all I have to do is close the shop.

With this idea in my head I began to work more in what I lovingly referred to as my sweat shop:

Located by my stationary bike and treadmill

Bags ready to be assembled.

Store inventory

A small ID wristlet prototype.

 My Etsy store isn't open for business yet, but I'm getting there.  I want to make a couple of wreaths, pillows and scarves.  I need to finish writing my shop policies, figure out shipping prices and all of the other mundane parts of running a small business.  I'll let you know when it's up and running and ready for business.

Then after that I'll return to Aric's dinosaur quilt.

Things Heard Around Here

When I get bigger my teeth will fall out, but I'm not big yet.

Translation:
I'm not sure where Aric heard this. He is not so much worried about his teeth falling out as he is ready to be big and play with the little Legos.

Awhile back Aric was with me as I was pulling things out of a downstairs closet. Inside that closet he discovered we have a large plastic bin full of little Legos. Most of the Legos are my older brother's Legos that were given to Aric and Kellyn after he died.  He loved playing with Legos.  A few of them are Ryan's Legos from childhood. They are waiting in the closet for the day when the kids will be old enough to enjoy them and create their own memories.

For Christmas Santa gave Ryan the Lego Black Pearl pirate ship and while at Target last week Ryan found the Lego Queen Anne's Revenge on clearance. Ryan let Aric help him assemble the Queen Anne's Revenge, but informed Aric he was not allowed to play with it until he was bigger. Ever since Aric has been obsessed with getting bigger so he can play with the Legos.

I guess the Duplos aren't going to cut it anymore.

Happy New Years

It's hard not to reflect at this time of the year.  It's the start of a new, fresh year and I wonder how it will be.  It'll probably go by rather quickly like last year and I'll be sitting around wondering how that happened.

Christmas this year was wonderful and busy.  My aunt was here this past week for a visit.  We played with the kids, sat around talking and watched silly movies.  I like visits like that; where not much is accomplished but lots of catching up. 

I've been busy with kids, making gifts for people, illness and two year molars, and working in my sweat shop (more on that soon).  Sometimes I feel a bit too busy- like I haven't stopped enough to play, laugh, and just have a good time, like I've become too wrapped up in myself.

Which leads me to my New Years Resolutions that can be summarized in one big resolution to treat myself, my family, friends and others better. 

Happy New Years from our family to yours!