just peachy mama

5 weeks

2009-10-28T21:28:00.004-04:00

Mr. Eli is 5 weeks old today. This week he started laughing at us when we tickle him or talk really silly. He is a very serious little fellow but now we get to see his playful side. He is also cooing and is more active with his arms and legs. I couldn't believe that he weighed 10 lbs. 9 oz. on our home scale! When he was born he was 7 lbs. 6 oz. so that is quite a bit for 5 weeks. I am not liking how fast time is moving since he was born. Slow down!

Birthdays

2009-10-27T23:16:00.002-04:00

Howdy Stranger!

2009-10-27T22:37:00.003-04:00

Holy Cow! It's been a long time since I've posted on here! Nearly a year!
Well I guess a lot of things have changed since then :)
On September 23, 2009 we welcomed the newest member of our little family, Eli Bennett. He weight 7 pounds 6 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. He is now 5 weeks old and fitting in just fine with the rest of our crazy crew. Juggling the schedules and routines of 4 kids + 2 adults is a bit challenging but totally worth it.
Eli started smiling and cooing this week and it totally erases memories of sleepless nights & fussy days. He is a very sincere baby, when he is sad, he is very pathetic, and when he is happy, he is very content.
Lucy is going through a "test the boundaries" phase which makes 2 such a wonderful year. Our perfectly cheerful, compliant princess, has gained some attitude and sass. Oh the ways she tests us, God much be giving us the gift of patience. But despite the attitude, she is still our sweet little Lucy who is so funny and silly and such a sweet little girl. I love her to bits and pieces :)
Jacob started PreK this fall and is adjusting well. He gets a little anxious in social situations and is a bit of a picky eater so we were a little nervous about how he would adjust to a 9-3:30 school schedule with no previous schooling. The first couple of weeks were rough, but I was also 9 months pregnant. He was worried about me and I know the household changes were pretty stressful for a 4 year old! He is doing much better now, eating his lunch regularly, and has made lots of new friends. It's hard to get him out of the school building now because all of his class wants to hug him goodbye! He is also pretty sweet on a girl named Arianna. It's pretty cute. I am very happy that he is adjusting well to being in school!
Dylan started 1st grade like an old pro. He has been attending some sort of school since we started him in half day MWF preschool when he was 3. He has always been the type of kid to enjoy schedules and consistently and he thrives on a nicely scheduled school day. He is doing great learning how to read and write. He has been surprising us with his math skills lately. He is a very smart kid and I'm excited to see how he progresses throughout school.
Andy's job at Dell ended at the end of August. The company they had a contract with restructured and "restructured" out his position. He has been job hunting like crazy and we're pretty hopeful something will turn up soon. In the meantime he has been able to take classes and testing working towards earning his Microsoft certification. He has been able to take these crazy expensive classes and tests through grants from the unemployment dept. It is really a blessing to be receiving these grants. The classes are generally around $2,000 each if he were paying out of pocket! He passed his A+ certification test last week and I am so proud of him! A+ is a certification he has been pursuing since we were married and I'm so glad he is finally able to be doing this. This week he is taking classes working towards his NetPlus certification.
That is a pretty basic wrap up of our lives right now and I'll be working on posting more regularly, especially with new pics of the baby + the kids!

Working on Christmas presents

2008-11-13T22:07:00.006-05:00

This year for Christmas I am trying to make as much stuff myself as I can. I had so much fun making these little clothes for the kids Build-A-Bears. The boys are crazy about that store but I seriously don't spend as much money on my own children's clothes than the clothes for those bears cost. We let them get things on special holidays (usually when we get the coupons in the mail!) I decided to make my own clothing patterns for the bears and make each kid a bunch of little outfits. I went through our bag of on-the-way-out-to-Goodwill clothes and recycled a lot of those for the bears. I think my favorite is the little sweater for Lucy. I'm having more trouble getting the pattern right for the pants than the shirts. Their little teddybear butts are pretty round. When I get the pattterns to my liking I will try to post them on here as a PDF file in case anyone else would like to make their own. This is a very satisfying little project for me. I can sew them up very quickly and I know the kids are going to love them. And the best part is it's free!

Go vote!

2008-11-04T12:21:00.004-05:00

Please, go vote!

Thank you :)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T19:04:00.003-04:00

Last night we went to Aunt Jodie's annual Halloween party and went trick or treating in the infamous wagon. It's always decorated cutsie, but no one really ever sits in it! I think it just gives the men something to do. The boys were Transformers and Lucy was a Ladybug. When Dylan was a baby my sister gave him a book called 'Lucy the Ladybug' and we always have loved it!

We pretty much expected for no one to 'get' our costumes. No one did, but it's all good ;)

Happy Halloween everyone!

Now we get to think about Christmas, sweet!

Trapezoid Family Circle

2008-10-28T15:14:00.004-04:00

Look what I got in the mail today! It's new trapezoid Family Circle. I was thinking our magazines felt a little "square." Now if I could only ready the recipe for those yummy cookies....

Gettin' Stitchy

2008-10-23T11:49:00.006-04:00

I've been trying to get more organized with my calendar, bills, etc., so Andy gave me his Palm PDA to use. It's been really handy, but of course it needed a cute little case. Last night I decided to make it something cute to wear. I just found a scrap of pretty quilting cotton I had and some canvas I had leftover from making the diaper bag. I ironed all the edges under and stitched it so you could see the layers of fabric on the side. Does that even make sense? Anyway it's super cute and took my about 10 minutes to make. I'm not really liking the velcro on the front and I will probably change it to another type of closure, just not sure what yet.

After stitching that up and seeing how easy and quick it was, I was up all night thinking of things to make. I'm going to whip up some Christmas presents this weekend and try to refine some of my design ideas. When I get all my patterns worked out I'm going to open my own Etsy shop! I'm hoping to have a lot of cute little pouches for mp3 players, phones, and PDA's, as well as a line of tampon and pad cases. Who doesn't need a cute tampon case right? I'm also going to be making some seasonal things like fabric Christmas ornaments and stockings. I'd like to make fun sock monkeys and animals, but I'm trying to stick with things that don't take a long time. I have a short attention span ya know? :)

October parties

2008-10-20T14:52:00.004-04:00

Jacob, Aviva, Ronnie, Dylan
at Aviva's 3rd Birthday party
(pic courtesy of Amy :)

October has been all kinds of fun. A couple of weekends ago we had Dylan and Jacob's friend Ethan's birthday party. It was at this big indoor maze and putt-putt place called Skukuzoo. It's all decked out in a zoo theme. There are giant tube mazes for the kids to crawl through, lots of (old) video games, a ball pit for the little ones, putt-putt, and pizza. The boys had a good time and almost forgot about the party part. Lucy kept running away from me and tried to climb the most dangerous things in the place and refused to stay in the 3 and under section. We had a good time anyway!

Last weekend was our cousin Aviva's 3rd birthday. Andy's aunt Rennie always has the craziest, people-filled parties at her house. The house was packed with adults and children alike and I must admit I got a little claustrophobic a few times.

Poor little man Jacob got hit in the bottom eyelid with a book corner and developed a nasty infection. He's on some antibiotics for it now and it looks a lot better. If you were wondering about the redness of his eye in the pic, that's it!

Yesterday, Andy's mom took the boys to a fall festival at a friend's church. The boys had so much fun. There was lots of inflatable bounciness, games, prizes, and food. Dylan even won a cake walk! When Andy was little he and his dad won a lot of cake walks, and I remember winning a couple myself. Andy was just telling Dylan about them the other day and that he wanted to pass down the proud Allen tradition of winning cake walks. We had no idea how soon
he'd fulfill his dad's dream. We're proud of you son!

Saturday I went to a baby shower for my other friend Amy. I made her a cute little diaper bag with matching cloth diapers for burp cloths and a changing pad. I always get so nervous giving out handmade things as gifts. There's always a little piece of you in the gift and it's a little nerve wracking watching them open it and hoping they like it as much as you enjoyed making it for them. I think she really enjoyed it which made me feel pretty good.

I am hoping to maybe make some custom stockings or something I can sell for Christmas. I'm never really sure what people would be interested in.

Anyway, we have a couple more baby showers this month and can't forget Halloween and the parties that go along with it. The boys are so excited to be Transformers this year!

Busy, busy, busy!

SNL Hall and Oates

2008-10-11T09:52:00.001-04:00

This video from Thursday nights SNL political show cracks me up. You gotta love Hall and Oates!

2008-10-09T16:28:00.002-04:00

Ack!

Ok, I know it's been awhile since I've posted. Life has been so very hectic lately and I guess blogging hasn't been on the top of my priority list.
We had a wonderful time visiting my family in Ohio and nice visit from my sister and mom down here. The boys got to go fishing and pick pumpkins with grandpa in Ohio. They also got to play with toy guns and run around naked in the hose so it definitely was a memorable trip.
Lucy is getting very in independent lately. She is climbing on everything. She puts her hands on her hips, shakes her head, and says "No, no, no!" Who would have thought my sweet princess would have such an attitude? We are trying to attribute it to her cutting new molars, but I think it might be an early case of the "terrible twos." She is still a sweetheart though, and makes me laugh constantly.

I'm so happy fall is here! I will post some fall-ish pictures soon and do a "vintage fun" post soon!

Wordle

2008-08-29T22:16:00.003-04:00

I found this fun application on Wordle that lets you input text or a webpage address and it takes the words and makes them into this fun word art. This is what it came up with when I put our homeschool blog's address in. I love the style of it and it even lets you print it. I think this would look really cool framed in our school area. Click on the image to see it in better detail. Have fun making your own, it's pretty addicting!

just peachy of course

2008-08-29T15:07:00.003-04:00

Yes I do love me some peaches.

The kids want to make preserves, but I am thinking a peach crisp.

Or maybe we will eat them just the way the are...

Who needs dinner, right?

Recycled Pants

2008-08-21T14:39:00.005-04:00

Today I was feeling crafty so I decided to make some cozy pants for the wee one. We here at the Allen house LOVE cozy pants. These pants literally took 15 minutes to make from beginning to end. I started by tracing a pair of her pants that fit well to make a pattern. I used one of my old t-shirts as the fabric and cut out the pattern. I made the bottom edge of the pant legs line up with the hem of the shirt- no hem pants! I folded the t-shirt in half and lined the inseam up with the fold on the t-shirt. I sewed up the seam of each leg with a knit stitch and then sewed the legs together at the crotch. I rolled the top edge over and made an elastic casing, threaded the elastic through, and sewed the casing shut. Voila! Easy pants! I think our little miss is enjoying them :) This is a great way to repurpose those old clothes you love but don't fit!

Thriftin'

2008-08-13T14:24:00.006-04:00

Today was a very pleasing Goodwill day. We picked up this really cool Fisher Price globe (circa 1988) for 1.99. It lights up and has a little viewer with slides that are supposed to represent the country you are looking at. It doesn't turn very well and the slides get stuck so I thing we might just use it as an interesting lamp. The kids are loving it and I think we might need to pick up a current globe sometime soon (Hello Union of Soviet Socialist Republics!)

We used to have a cute little wagon with high sides that the little kiddos could easily ride in (ages 1 & 3) but the back wheel broke off and can't be repaired. We picked up a replacement but the sides are so short that I'm always afraid the kids will topple out. I've been eying this Radio Flyer Pathfinder Wagon, complete with pop up seats and cup holders, and it retails for about 80 bucks. That's a little steep in my book so we've been dealing with the scary sides wagon. But today, alas, I found this beauty for 9.99. Score! Granted, it is caked in dirt and has pine straw stuck in the bottom, but dude, a hose and a magic eraser will clean that up lickety split! After I found the wagon, I felt like I was doing a victory walk through the Goodwill. Other women pointed and shook their heads at the 9.99 price tag as I walked by, a few offering me more if they could have it. Most of the time I find nothing, but today we have a victory!

PS- I also found a mystery Pyrex dish, but more on that later!

Watch out!

2008-07-20T14:50:00.004-04:00

I'm feeling creative... check back soon ;)

Clean House

2008-07-17T12:01:00.004-04:00

I know this is going to make me sound like a flake but, seriously, how long is it supposed to take to move? I am so frustrated by all the clutter we have collected over the years and it is taking FOREVER to move out of the old house. We literally have been moving for a month. It seems like so many of my friends are super neat and organized and moving for them would be pretty straight forward so I'm not feeling like anyone really gets the magnitude of our move. I am a "daughter of" stuff collector and Andy is a "I might need it later" stuff collector. That paired with three children we sure have a lot of stuff. We decided not to move a LOT of stuff to the new house, sort of a fresh start and a hope for a more organized and less chaotic life. That is fine and dandy but its the physically going through things, sorting them, and getting rid of them that is taking so long. Papers, clothes, electronics, crafts, toys, etc., you got it. Stuff.

I think in a way God is doing the same things in our lives. He is trying to clear out the junk and the stuff so our lives will be more focused on the really important stuff. At some point, all the stuff you hang on to becomes a burden and then OH MAN it's time to clean house. And cleaning house is a painful and slow process. But hopefully we will be saner in the end and we'll be better people for it.

But for now, I am going crazy :)

Girlie Girl

2008-07-16T13:58:00.005-04:00

Lucy is our third child after having two boys and we just sort of thought she would be a little tomboyish. Boy were we wrong! She is so feminine, caring, and sweet! She has a little baby doll that she dresses and pushes around in a little pink baby stroller. She likes to twirl around in skirts and always seems to pick out the lone pink toy in a sea of transformers and ninja turtles. The other day we were at Target looking at shoes and she starts screaming like crazy and trying to jump out of the shopping cart. I pushed the cart over to some little girl shoes and she grabbed these shiny, glittery, pink mary janes. She was panting and yelling about them. It was too funny! Of course she picked up the wrong size so I tried to make a switcheroo and that just made her mad but I finally got the first pair away from her. She then pointed at her feet and screamed, so there I was, in the middle of the store, ripping the tags off so little princess could wear her shoes. As soon as those things were on her feet she calmed down and smiled. We continued shopping and she showed everyone we saw her shoes and tried to say "shoes" and cooed on and on about them. We are now having tantrums at night and naptime trying to get her to take off her shoes. She stands at her crib and screams at the shoes until she falls asleep. Her daddy is scared about what is going to happen when she gets older with such a wild shoe addiction!!!

My Boys

2008-06-05T20:40:00.003-04:00

There are just those weeks that make you question your sanity when you have 3 small children 5 and under. This was one of those weeks. This is when I put them to bed and then look at sweet pictures of them smiling and mood softens a little bit and I remember why I haven't beat them yet. (I kid, I kid!) I've been wanting to take a stab at video editing so I made a really basic slide show of the boys using Windows Movie Maker. Nothing too fancy but it made me have a little tear about my sweet boys and all is well again. Hope you enjoy their little faces too!

Homeschool

2008-06-03T15:23:00.004-04:00

We decided to homeschool Dylan for kindergarten and I was planning to start after we moved. He is one of those kids that really craves structure and has been really testy lately so I decided to start early. I can't believe how much his attitude has changed this week! He loves working with me and we've gone on a couple really fun "field trips." Yesterday we went to Lake Mayer and got to see ducks, geese, turtles, squirrels, cranes, and lots of fun stuff. Today we went to storytime at Oatland Island and got to see tons of cool stuff. We saw lizards, snakes, turtles, a black bear, pigs, bunnies, sheep, cows, goats, a donkey, and lots of other cool stuff. We've been learning about our 5 senses and I keep asking the kids what senses they are using and what they are learning with them. Today Dylan said "Mom, I am using my senses and I smell poop." I think that means he had a great day.

Anchoring ourselves

2008-06-03T14:57:00.002-04:00

Being in the process of buying a new home, I have been really worrying about money. Maybe not the money itself but the lack of control I have over it. I can't name someone that doesn't have something really weighing them down right now, whether it be money, relationships, loss, sickness, or whatever. We have all these plans for our lives and we are continually disappointed and let down, by people, by situations, by life just not turning out the way we had planned. People will fail, buildings will fail, jobs will fail, everything in this world will fail, but our one constant is God. He has really been teaching me lately about focusing on Him and changing my worldview. Trusting in Him isn't going to make my plans better, it's going to make His plans better. When we start to anchor onto things of this world, people, money, jobs, whatever, we will be disappointed because all of that is fallible. When we anchor ourselves in God we know we are safe. And the really cool part of that is that God doesn't change. He was the same God with the same attributes when He delivered the Israelites from Egypt as when He watched His Son put to death on the cross. Trusting and having faith in Him doesn't change the fact that this world will fail us, but it will give us the strength knowing we have our feet firmly planted on the one thing that will never (ever ever ever) change.

'sall I'm sayin....

2008-05-27T15:57:00.002-04:00

Stuff

2008-05-20T14:28:00.004-04:00

We've gotten a closing date for the new house and in turn a moving date. I hate moving. So. Much. Last time we moved I hoped we would not have to move again. But then we had another baby and lo and behold we ran out of room. The new house isn't a ton bigger as far as square footage, but it's divided up differently into 4 bedrooms instead of 3 and 2 baths instead of 1 (hallelujah!). We are still going to have our two boys in the same room and another room for our girl. Our family doesn't seem to understand why we need a whole other room for our "stuff" (as Andy's grammer put it- "Don't you have an office at work?") but Andy is big into computers and electronics and electronic music and all the paraphernalia that goes with it. I am arts and craftsy and have a ton of fabric, scrapbook supplies, and art stuff out the ying-yang. I also have a few guitars, a mandolin and an amp. I think that has been the problem with our other houses is that we haven't had a room for those types of things so they end up spilling out into our living space and it makes for cramped quarters. So we are pleased with the space and feel so blessed to be getting it for such a wonderful price. God has really pulled us out of nothing financially to a place where we feel taken care of. And now we also realize how much He really was taking care of us all along! I don't think it's so much the amount of money too, as much as it is we are starting to really learn what it is we -need- and trying to place our values into people and life and not so much into "stuff." That being said, we are going to have a big ol' party when we move in so I'll definitely keep you posted!

Print Gocco

2008-05-14T21:03:00.003-04:00

It seems like all the crafsters have a print gocco nowadays and I am getting the itch.
I used to do screen printing and block printing in high school and I love the idea of something I can print and actually look great during kids nap times or at night. I have all these ideas floating around for great note cards and stationary and can't wait to sketch some things out. I'm thinking I can score one of these babies on eBay with my stimulus check. Go Go Government Money!

new space

2008-05-14T16:30:00.003-04:00

We are (hopefully) moving soon which of course is a good reason to scour design sites. I want the new house to scream *us*. Of course I have said that about every place so far, but all it screams now is "we have kids and we need a vacation and a housekeeper."

I love this living room. It looks calm and not fussy. Perfect for kids and company.

I can dream can't I?

My future's so bright...

2008-05-13T16:06:00.003-04:00

I have a confession-- I make fun of people with big sunglasses because I am secretly jealous. I have a small nose and strangely shaped face that doesn't allow me to wear a lot of types of sunglasses. They end up hanging from my ears and not touching my nose at all. *Sobs*

Mother's Day...

2008-05-13T15:46:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! (OK so I know it's a few days late) This year I got to go out by myself and had a great time at dinner with a friend. One time I saw a t-shirt that said "How can I miss you if you never go away?!" and I really think that is appropriate.

My four year old Dylan got me the best card. Mind you he can't read yet.
OUTSIDE: Motherhood requires patience, love, and compassion.
INSIDE: (SONG PLAYING: I just want to celebrate...) Just add Tequila and stir. Happy Mother's Day!

We don't drink very often which makes it that much funnier.

april showers...

2008-04-08T11:15:00.002-04:00

Dear Mr. Weather,

It is April here in Savannah and I would just like to know why it is cold. You see many people here enjoy going to the beach before you get all hot and nasty. I just want to know when you plan on reinstating the pleasant springtime weather we have seen previously.

Thanks,
Jen

Dirt and Pee

2008-04-07T14:21:00.003-04:00

We (finally) had a birthday party for Lucy this weekend. We had her party at little park and she kept walking to dirt piles and falling down on them. She had a blast and was so filthy. It just made me stop and think that I have never let her play in the dirt before. I'm not sure what it is about having a girl that makes me want to hold her close and keep her clean and tidy. She never had a problem with that before but since turning one she has a newly developed sense of independence (hand in hand with separation anxiety!). Sometimes I just have to step back, let the kids explore and learn and try not to think about the dirty knees and party dress. It just seemed so much easier with the boys!

Potty training our 2 (almost 3) year old is not going well either. Now there is a mess I hate cleaning! Sometimes I just want to put the pull-up on him so I don't have to clean urine out of the rug (again) but I know he'll not learn that way. It is really testing me with patience and kindness which I know are areas I need improvement on anyway. I cannot wait until everyone is out of diapers!

Summer dreamin'

2008-04-02T17:14:00.004-04:00

I am so looking forward to summer. Ever since Dylan has been in preschool we have been sick with all sorts of nonsense. We are just now getting over some stomach bug (yes the whole family) and it seems like we just had the flu a few weeks ago. We never used to get sick, at least not very often.
We need to make as many beach trips as possible before it gets deathly hot here. I always forget about the extreme heat and don't go in the beginning of the season when I should. I was hoping to go this weekend but I made prior engagements.
Anyway here's my note to self for the day:

It's OK to say no to other people. You can't do everything all of the time and you're just going to make life suck and you will be stressed and you won't be able to keep all of your promises. Say no or just don't commit, spend more time with your family, and life will be better. I promise.
It's OK to say yes to your kids. Don't get caught up in saying no all the time and say yes every once in awhile. Take a day and try to say yes as much as possible and see how the kids attitudes change. Don't do this everyday or your kids will only eat doughnuts and your house will be filled with matchbox cars and superhero action figures.
It's OK to not do all the things on your list. Lists were made to be broken. You are not a bad person if you didn't get your chores done for the day or whatever was on your list. It's OK if you didn't even make the list in the first place. It's not OK to never finish things that need to be done, but it's great to take a break every once in awhile.
It's OK to admit you are wrong to your husband. (I know this only applies like once a year tops, but just don't forget ;)
It's OK to not make everything you want, create everything you want, and be as expressive as you want all the time. Mom isn't going to judge you if your card isn't homemade, the kids will not be in therapy if you didn't homemake their toys and birthday cakes, and your mother-in-law will appreciate a gift card just as much. It is the thought that counts right? (And you have 3 kids so when do you have time to think anyway?)
It's OK. Life. Everything. It's OK.

PS- Check out my hubby's new blog at peculiardisplay.blogspot.com

Funny Kids

2008-03-25T11:34:00.000-04:00

My son Dylan (will be 5 in May) loves making up songs. Today he danced in my bed and sung his new hit "It's too late to be a sick." We should make an album and pair it with his earlier hit single "When I was young I used to go with glasses."

Elephant Joy

2008-03-25T11:31:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I love elephants and I love lolcats so I had to post this :)

Cleaning

2008-03-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

Don’t take on a cleaning project that can’t be finished in a day.If it takes longer than a day, you probably won’t ever finish it and it will be more of a mess than when you started.

Try not to handle things twice. Put things away as soon as you find them. If you put it in a “To sort later” pile, you probably won’t sort it later and it will be a box of stuff somewhere else.
Get rid of stuff! Have a memory about it, enjoy for a minute, and get rid of it if you’re not using it. Keeping stuff around just for memories junks up your future (unless you have unlimited storage space, which you do not!).
If you think you might need to keep something “just in case you need it later”, just consider the last time you needed to use it. If it was more than a year ago, get rid of it and borrow one when you really need it.
Don’t clean and organize to please some fantasy where everything is perfect and orderly and people put things back immediately. Organize around how you really live and try to make things as easy as possible to put away.
If you have more stuff in one area that can’t be put away in 10-15 minutes, you have too much and you need to get rid of it!
Did you do something fun today? Are your kids happy? Is your husband happy? Are YOU happy? If not, just stop cleaning today already, give yourself a break, and pick up where you left off tomorrow. If mom ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy!

Made in China

2008-03-21T10:02:00.001-04:00

Every time I put these jeans on I giggle a little bit. Maybe it's just my inner English nerd, but I love typos and "engrish".

Note to self...

2008-03-20T17:10:00.001-04:00

If you’re having a rough day, don’t assume that you’re having a rough life—step back and try to see the big picture. You probably won’t feel the same way tomorrow. Thank God for what you have today, pray lots, and try not to talk to anyone who’s not positive.
God is so faithful and He always surprises you with small kindnesses when you’re not expecting them. (And usually when you’re being a pain in the butt and don’t deserve it in the least bit)
Defiance is different than a mistake.
The point is not discipline, but to help create a safe, happy, obedient child who loves God. Sometimes love and patience are as effective as punishment.
Just because you are excited to paint, don’t rush the actual painting and invest your time in the prep work. You make it harder on yourself when you rush into it!
Don’t ever forget the love in a three-toothed grin.

Intro

2008-03-20T17:01:00.000-04:00

My name is Jen and this is my blog :) Basically I just wanted a place to dump notes to myself, lest I forget and this seemed like a good format for my ADD mind.

I am blessed to be able to stay at home with my three lovely children. I love sewing, crafts, cooking, photography, art, reading, etc. I try my best to live a life pleasing to God and am all about the walk and relationship with Him above the talk and religiosity.

This is a place where I will post the little bits of wisdom (and nonsense) I get through the day, in hopes that I won't forget.

just peachy top 10

2000-01-01T16:28:00.006-05:00

For the week of August 22-28, 2008

(I am not affiliated with any of these places, it's just swell stuff that I like :)

Shopping

Old Navy has always had tall sizes in jeans, but now they offer tall sizes in their women's clothing as well! I am almost 6 foot tall so this makes me super happy. I have a really hard time finding clothes long enough at the waist and Old Navy is my go to store!

Komodokat's shop at Etsy has the cutest necklaces and accessories featuring friendly food and other cuteness!

Happenings

The US women's Olympic beach volleyball match against China was one of the best sporting events I've seen. Both of these teams was undefeated and the weather was lousy but Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh fought for the gold.

Back to school is one of my favorite times of the year! Walking down the isle of school supplies and taking in the scent of erasers, notebooks, and glue definitely brings you back.

Blogs

It's refreshing to read the simple honesty of Jenny's softletters.blogspot.com. She blogs about her family and her life with such a simple heartfelt honesty that I wish more of us had.

I'm absolutely addicted to the design blog design*sponge. I'm not sure if it's a hope for something more aesthetically appealing than cardboard boxes or just awe of the sheer talent of the designs featured but I find myself clicking here at least once a day if not more.

Coming Up

Indie Craft shows in Savannah! The Junk in Da Trunk and Mutation craft shows are on the top of my list of must-do events this fall. Junk in Da truck in September 12-13 and Mutation is November 16-18. Check out their websites for more info!

September! Ok I know this seems vague but September is always my favorite month. My sister and mom are coming down for a few days to visit in September and the kids and I will be returning to my hometown in Ohio. Mine and my sister's birthdays are one day apart and I will be spending them in Ohio for the first time in 7 years. The previous week is also my 7th wedding anniversary. Time flies when you're having kids, right honey?

Geekery

Webcomic xkcd always makes me smile because it reminds me of my Andy.

Snapfish is a great place to share photos online and order prints and gifts. I find some of the other sites similar to this are more difficult to upload to and I like the variety of things you can order from their shop. Check out the local printing options at checkout and you might save a bundle on shipping (and as my mom found out, sometimes the stores themselves have promotions saving you even more!)