sweltering.

why oh why, is it hotter inside my house than outside my house?

and why oh why is my house the hot spot for tens of thousands of box elder bugs which prohibit us from keeping any windows open?

and why oh why is it this hot, when it is only April?

back and busy

i am back from Fort Bragg.  been back since late sunday night, but have slowly been trying to get back in the routine of things.

so i have a lot i want to blog about... but it seemed necessary to first do a little check in blog.

so this is me checking in! i am back.

and so busy.

between planning a baby shower, trying to plump up my baby, laundry, the heat, a birthday gift half down on my ironing board, another sewing project stuffed away in a drawer, a 3 year old who desperately wants me to resume "school books", a great reading curriculum set my father in law found me that i need to peruse, ahh books for myself i am desperate to read cover to cover, a brother in law i really want to spend more time with-playing settlers, a husband i want to laugh with, a daughter i want to cuddle and kiss, a baby i want to hold all day, 2 books of the Bible to read and catch up on, friends i am desperate to spend time with (Serena that's you!), and did i mention laundry?

back and busy.  that is me.

the ocean breeze.

i am feeling the ocean breeze. well not currently, but up until 5 minutes ago i could see the ocean from my seat. we had absolutely beautiful weather this morning: sunny and clear sky, not to warm, not to terribly breezy. however, the sun has hidden behind the clouds, and now it is gray and overcast- hence, why i cannot see the ocean.

we (sam and i and the kids) and sam's family are visiting fort bragg.

more to blog on this later. when i can post a few fun pictures of what we have been doing.

and show you pictures of the wonderful new journal sam bought me.

i have a horrid obsession with purses and journals. i love love love love journals. and i love having one for every different thing possible. hmmm... i could actually do a post just on journals. perhaps i shall. hee hee.

anyways. everyone enjoy your weekend. i am loving it here.

off to starbucks. and a thrift store.

Pleated Petal Tank ANTHROPOLIFICATION GIVEAWAY!!!!

Pleated Petal Tank ANTHROPOLIFICATION GIVEAWAY!!!!

my Easter projects

i am so happy with how my Easter projects turned out.

Mason in her sweet little Easter dress.  Made from Amy Butler's Little Stitches book.  I have made several projects from this book and am so happy with what is coming from it.

Me and Mason... yup, matching little outfits.  I made my skirt from this wrap skirt tutorial (and a lot of help from my friend Serena)

Campbell in his Easter shorts.  Which weren't made from a short pattern, but from a bloomers pattern lent to me by Serena.  I simply extended the length of the pants and didn't put elastic in the legs.  Presto.  Shorts.

Ok, no projects here- but they were too cute not to share a picture of!

i still haven't taken new pictures of the Easter bags that I made for the kids.  i will.

Easter was a really nice laid back day.

Easter had always been my favorite holiday to celebrate as a child.  not quite sure why, but it was.  

i hope that i can teach my children to love this holiday as well.  not for the eggs or the chocolate or the fun new clothes.  but because this holiday is the absolute celebration of love and hope.  we celebrate our risen Savior.  and what He did for us on the cross.  and after becoming a mother i can slowly begin to grasp the love my Savior has for me.  very slowly.

He is Risen.

money.

today i feel really tired of stuff.  sick and tired of all this clutter in my house.  i asked (made) Sam take the two older kiddos and leave for a bit.  Sam has been great- a huge help, making meals, changing diapers, and letting me get lots of extra sleep.  but still... he isn't me, and he doesn't see the "mess" i see, and he doesn't always put things where they are supposed to go.

so after 3 weeks of keeping things low key, i needed to try and play a bit of catch up.

hard to do when there is so much laundry it makes my head hurt (the enormous amount of laundry is in part due to a family of 5, and not made any lighter by the fact that we have tried to potty train Campbell- lots of accidents means more dirty clothes, and Henry has been projectile spitting up, and has been making a huge mess on lots of things).

anyways.

while racing around as quickly as i could to get some things done, i just couldn't help but notice how much junk... i mean stuff... we have.  it just feels like too much stuff!

and then i had to move some clothes into bins out in the garage, and there we have even more JUNK!

and i feel a little like the walls are just pushing in around us.

3 little kids.  the inability to play outside (weather and box elder bugs make it impossible).  

and money.  i know that eventually we will need to move.  and that just makes me stress about money.  because i don't really earn any income for this little family.

and i spend.

so as i was engulfing in all of this stuff, i think about what i often do.

i'll say this: "i have everything i need, i don't need anything else".... but... and then i list off many different things that "would be nice to have".

well i am tired of doing that.  i am really sick of tired of thinking that i need something new.

i am tired of spending money when we have so much stuff.

so, for the rest of the year, this is the only stuff i want to spend extra money on:

*gifts for others (includes showers and parties)

* notions for sewing.  i do not need any new fabric. i have so much.  and the 2 dollar sale just happened, so i will wait.  but i cannot say no money to spend on sewing- because occasionally i will need more thread, or bias tape or a zipper.

* crayons and stickers at the dollar tree.  little Campbell loves to play with these things, and we do run out of these.

*vacations and camping

*homeschooling supplies (i am going to try and not spend more than $75 dollars in this year)

well i don't know how well i will stick to this.  but i really want to.

i just want to be content.  and i am really content.  i need to get rid of some of this clutter and stop buying the little things we don't need.

sometimes being a grown up just isn't fun.

my empty freezer

well my freezer really isn't empty at all.  it is in fact jammed full of tons of different foods to be consumed.  however, it is missing the one thing i wanted tonight: vanilla ice cream.  we were given a strawberry rhubarb pie two nights ago.... and it really sounds better warmed with vanilla ice cream.  

but, alas.  all we have is rocky road.  and i do not like that.  serves me right for telling sam "just don't get coffee ice cream" for now i will amend that to, "not coffee and not rocky road".

well, i had decided (while on my wii fit balance board) that i wouldn't have pie and ice cream- just ice cream.  hmmm. i really don't want pie.

so perhaps a bowl of cereal?

i've seen those kellogs commericals, and they talk about not undoing your whole day- and having their fancy flakes with chocolate pieces.

that personally sounds disgusting.  because i ONLY like cheerios.  just plain, and with a ton of really cold milk.  the milk has to be cold.

which is why i am not consuming cereal right now- because sam just went out 20 minutes ago and go the milk, and it may not be cold enough.

why such a boring post?  well, i was going to post pictures of finished "Easter" bags that i made for all 3 kiddos.  however, i hate the way the pictures turned out.  and seeing that we have a fancy new lens for our camera, i know i can take better pictures than that.

so i am boring you with stories of ice cream and cereal.

but it really branches at a deeper level in my core.

weight.

the hardest part for me about pregnancy is the weight gain.  and now, here i am with my beautiful new little boy, and i have the wonderful energy (ish) and this exciting new jest for life (seeing that my energy and excitement is no longer growing a child) and i feel rejuvenated and beautiful.

and then i look in the mirror.  or try to put on pants that don't have elastic.

and i feel slightly crushed.

and yes, i know that it has only been 2 weeks... blah blah blah.

i am just saying my mood doesn't match what i see.

i lost a lot of weight after mason.

almost 20 lbs in 10 weeks- for a wedding i was in.

and then a few days after the wedding, found out i was unexpectedly expecting henry.

and was crushed.

but now, things have changed for me.

i'm not as in a hurry to "lose it all" (although i wish i could somehow now lose it all, but be in my old clothes again, it just doesn't work that way)

i don't want to necessarily go back to weight watchers ( it is a fantastic program).  but i have small kids, and a life, and i don't want to be constantly nitpicking every single thing i eat.

after doing the program twice before i do know how to make smart changes.

1) i no longer drink coffee creamer (i was using more than my daily amount of points on coffee creamer alone)

2) and go easy on the cheese (another thing i overly ingested)

well, this really as turned into nothing of real importance at all.

i just really wanted to blog tonight, and my pictures didn't turn out, and henry just finished nursing for a session of almost 3 hours.  off and on....

and i finally had the opportunity to sit and type.

sorry if this was incredibly boring.

but i think i will go and eat my cheerios now.

and remind myself that my body will return.  9 months on 9 months off.

and really, my body isn't what i really want to be known for.

i want to be known for following the first commandment, loving the Lord, and loving people.

hmmmm....