Hello There!

I had no idea I would be taking the summer off from here, 

but if you follow my instagram you know we've had a busy summer!

Nik just got his cast off!  He was amazing through the whole thing!

For someone that had three broken bones, he sure was tough.

We were gifted a chance to repaint the interior of the house,

so we jumped on it!

But, if you give a mouse a cookie...

Seriously the painting led to decor changes

on a budget of hardly anything!

 Thrift stores, spray paint, and serious discount hunting have been good to us!

Schemes for painted kitchen cabinets and new back splashes 

are floating around in our heads...

It also led to major purging and organizing!

Which translated into we need to have a yard sale...

that is happening tomorrow!

I have never been so ruthless with clearing out in my life

and it's been awesome!!!

We are in love with all the changes,

but I feel like these changes were getting us ready 

for bigger changes in our lives.

Nothing official yet, 

but hopes and prayers for better opportunities 

could be answered in the near future!

The biggest change is that I am enlisting help to design a new blog 

to combine this space with Amy's Monkeys.

I'm not sure when that will happen,

but I will keep you posted!

If you made it this far you deserve a treat!

Have a great weekend!

Until next time,

Other Plans

When I started spring break I had grand plans and longs lists.

A couple days in I was knocked down by a head cold.

I look at it this way,

that annoying cold was God's way of saying,

"Nope, I don't think so, you need to rest this week."

So that's what I did,

I stopped, I rested, and I became healthy again.

Isn't it funny how our plans

get overruled by the One who has made the grand plan?!?

I know I needed to rest and center myself to finish the school year,

but all those days of not going to school and working

had to be filled by something.

I thought I could get so much done,

but what I did get done was what I really needed.

Do I still want to get things checked off my list?

Of course!

More importantly I want to be healthy to enjoy my family and my home.

Resting felt good and I am trying to not feel guilty about

so much left on the list.

There will be time,

it just wasn't time right now.

Happy Easter!  Blessed be in His name!

Until next time,

{lessons in grace}

When I chose grace as my word this year I wasn't sure what it was going to look like.

Was the grace going to be mostly for me or 

was I going to be giving grace to the people around me too?

I think I am getting my answer this week.

I agreed to let a kiddo that has been a super challenge this year

be transferred into my class.

About five minutes in I was asking myself what did you do?!?

This guy has been out of control for almost the

entire year and I am suppose to try to bring him back into line.

grace.

Grace  for me as I take a deep breath at my desk before I deal with him again.

Grace for him as I watch him adjust and try to find his place in my room.

Grace for my amazing class as they ignore his hollering and keep right on task,

frustrated I am sure, but being the kids I have grown to love this year!

Grace for all of us as we find our new normal.

One trimester left, we can all do this.

My neighbor teacher reassured me that 

he will fall in with the rest of the class in a week.  

I know it too, 

but it is hard to keep going with the challenges so far.

Poor kid doesn't realize his stubbornness

 is no match for my stubbornness.

I am a master!

We will find a balance.

I will give him grace as well as myself.

I am seeing my kids giving him grace already.

 Changes are hard, but he needed what I have built in my classroom.

Deep breaths and mini prayers.

I know it will get better, 

but for a while I am going to lean on grace for strength.

Until next time,

 

Coffee Date {brave}

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you I was brave this week!

I turned in my paper work for a new teaching position for next year.

This is big for me...

I am super comfortable and happy where I am teaching now,

but commuting has gotten to be too much.

A change is needed and I pray I can make the move.

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you kids and teachers at my school 

were dropping like flies.

The flu and this super cold virus has hit us hard.

My poor class has looked out of it all week!

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you I am sewing this weekend!

I have a little project for another teacher

and some things I want to finish.

I have to get back in my groove!

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you I need to seriously sit down and scratch out

a to-do list.

I have a bunch of things I need to work on,

so I better write it down.

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you Lukas is going to science camp soon.

Kenny and I are not thrilled with this idea,

a week without the blue-eyed boy...

not our idea of fun.

He, however, will love it,

so we will suck it up and let him go.

If we were having coffee...

You would get a big hug and 

 I'd say your turn!  

Catch me up on you!

 

Until next time,

 

 Joining up with Alissa

 

 

 Joining up with Casey

 

Coffee Date

If we were having a coffee date...

I'd tell you I had a good week!

If we were having coffee...

 I'd tell you I finished the steroids for the crazy immune system issue

and lived to tell about it.

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you when you start a new medication

you get everyone else's horror stories about said medication.

Not cool.

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you when I am on the computer working

my family thinks that is the perfect time to come have

long conversations...

like moths drawn to flames I tell you.

It makes it so hard to stay focused.

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you I had to give a presentation to the other teachers Wednesday

and sit in a meeting with a whole bunch of educators Thursday.

Being with adults is harder on me than being with kids.

If we were having coffee...

  I'd tell you I didn't get all the sewing done I wanted this week,

but a three day weekend should solve that problem.

If we were having coffee...

I'd tell you I get to meet a bloggy buddy in real life this weekend.

I can't wait to hug her!

If we were having coffee...

You would get a big hug and 

 I'd say your turn!  

Catch me up on you!

Until next time,

 Joining up with Alissa

Joining up with Casey

Coffee Date-Currently

If we were having a coffee date...

 you would surely notice my red puffy eyes...

I would tell you I'm going to see the doctor today, 

this allergic reaction or whatever it is

 is making me crazy...

I cannot figure out what is causing it!

If we were having a coffee date...

I would tell you the first week back to school was not bad...

and I still really dislike teacher inservices...

I'd rather be in the classroom with my kids.

If we were having a coffee date...

I'd show you my new jeans...

$2 at the thrift store and a little alteration...

makes me love them!

If we were having a coffee date...

I'd tell you about the boys having arguments 

about scientific terms in the kitchen...

I love my house of thinkers...

so blessed to have these boys.

If we were having a coffee date...

I'd tell you we've been getting in more veggies

and I've hit the treadmill everyday...

working on my goals has been good!

If we were having a coffee date...

I'd tell you the new shop has had a lot of traffic...

I can't wait to get some sewing time in this weekend!

If we were having a coffee date...

I'd hug you and say,

"Your turn.  Catch me up on you!"

Until next time,

 

 Joining up with Alissa

Joining up with Casey

{naps}

In this busy world of go, go, go

we seem to have all forgotten the refreshing power of a nap.

I see pictures of darling littles all over my instagram feed in peaceful slumber

 or sacked out in crazy positions, 

but as adults we often just keep going until we're past the point of exhaustion.

What good is making efforts to workout more 

and eat better if our poor bodies are exhausted?

So I say if you need a nap...

take it.

My word this year is grace...

and I think it fits right along with giving yourself permission 

to take care of yourself.

Seriously, what a concept right?!?

In this fast paced world we push the limits of what our bodies can handle 

and then wind up crashing in a hard way...flu...injuries...exhaustion.

I think a lot of us need to slow down and remember it is okay to rest.

The dishes in the sink can wait a little while, 

I can fluff the load of clothes in the dryer again, 

returning emails can wait.

I know I need to remember.

I saw a great little print on Pinterest a while back...

it said...

"Stop the glorification of busy"

Amen and Hallelujah

Until next time,

 

{pretties}

Above my sewing table was a lonely blank wall
just waiting for something pretty to freshen it up.

Enter after Christmas sale at the thrift store!

70% off everything Christmas...

I remembered seeing hoops with '80s era decorations in them, the plan began to take shape.

I gracefully gathered hurriedly snatched up all of the hoop creations in their Christmas section.  

On a side note an interesting lady followed my around the thrift store while I had all the hoops in my arms...
I hope she didn't think I was going to put some of them back...
sorry sweet lady, but this gal had a plan.

I totally remember my mom and everyone else making hoops like these when I was a kid!

Once I got home the deconstruction began...

obviously the boys got into the action.

(boys + taking things apart = happy boys)

After we got all of the holiday cheer off the hoops the fun began.

Can I just say I am glad I hang onto my fabric scraps...do I hear an "amen".  

Ya, I thought so!

Choosing fabrics and pins to gussy things up was so much fun!

Finding the right arrangement was pretty easy.

A simple, little, super inexpensive, big impact project has made this girl's heart happy!

 

Now my sewing space has a bit more color and some of my favorite fabrics are out for me to see everyday! 

I also took the time to make one of my hoops an embroidered reminder of my word for the year.  

 I am sure I will need to look up there some days!

Until next time,

{2012}

This year was a time for changes and things finally falling into place for my little family.
 I can safely say 2012 was a good year in my house.

I think I have finally found my voice and my style...

all of a sudden I am not holding back when something is not right. 

It's kind of liberating and terrifying at the same time.  

 Don't get me wrong, I have always spoken my mind (ha),
 but it was much softer
 and usually much more mild than what I was actually thinking! 

My style has become more colorful and full of texture...
in the clothes I am wearing and the little changes that we're making in the house.
I am loving all of it...
thrift stores and Pinterest are so good to me!

This I added another candle to the birthday cake...

rounding up to 40 now {yikes}.

We added a nephew to the ranks...
he is keeping all of us on our toes.

My boys are becoming such amazing men...
when strangers compliment us on our "obvious" parenting and family centered lifestyle...
can you say tears in my eyes and happiness in my heart?!?

Kenny has found his grove with his microcontrollers...
helping to build a brand new company doing something he loves...
it's not just a job for him anymore...
happiness and pride trump a big paycheck any day!!

Amy's Monkeys is becoming more of a business than just a hobby...
getting to make things that other people want to pay for...
really?!?
It's amazing to me that my creations and love can help keep me in fabric and pay a few bills!
This year brought more confidence in what I do...
quality and detail are so important to me and others have complimented both in my products!

Living on what we have and planning for what we need were big milestones for us this year.
Dave Ramsey's common sense approach has finally, really taken hold.
We're not perfect, but we have such a better handle on all things financial.
Having a plan and working the plan has been so empowering!
Hopefully we'll gain some more traction and knock out more debt in 2013.

So 2012 we really liked you!

2013 we're ready and we're expecting another great year!

 Until next time,

 

{grace}

I love the idea of anchoring the new year to a word...

a fresh word that encompasses all your hopes and dreams and goals for the year.

This year I have chosen...

grace

 image source

Grace for myself, grace for my family, grace for my friends, and grace for this crazy world.

I need to remember to extend myself grace in knowing that it is okay that I do not get everything done, 

grace that there will be dust on my furniture on most days,

grace that the floor needs to be swept more often than I get to it,

grace that I don't get to every activity I hope to get done in my classroom,

grace that I can be grumpy with my family,

grace that they can be grumpy with me,

grace for people around me because I do not know their stories,

grace for all of us.

I am hoping this new year continues pushing us forward in the positive direction we have been moving,

but I am giving myself grace in knowing that it may not always be a smooth road.  We've encountered many bumps along the way, but I do feel we have found our groove as a family heading in a better direction.

Extending grace to myself and those around me...

a new challenge for this type-a OCD girl,

 but it is needed and wanted at this time in my life.  

New goals, fresh hopes, and mile high dreams...

Hello 2013, I've been looking forward to you!

Until next time,

Joining Casey

Joining with Layla and Kevin