Do I remember how?
Not really.
And where to even begin after nearly 9 months of quiet?
A picture, maybe?
Yes, that would be good.
Our most recent family photo:
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Is This Thing On?
So, blogging.
Do I remember how?
Not really.
And where to even begin after nearly 9 months of quiet?
A picture, maybe?
Yes, that would be good.
Our most recent family photo:
Do I remember how?
Not really.
And where to even begin after nearly 9 months of quiet?
A picture, maybe?
Yes, that would be good.
Our most recent family photo:
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
I'm Back and a Triathlon!
April has had me other places besides here on this blog, but I do hope to be back more.
There is no way to even begin catching up, so I'll just post something recent that I'd like to have saved here on the blog, otherwise known as the only scrapbook my children will ever have unless they create their own!
My girls completed a triathlon!
My 9 year old daughter did it last year and loved the experience and her 6 year old sister was eager to join the fun this year.
It was a 100 yard swim, 3 mile bike ride, and 1/2 mile run.
The event is huge, so the logistics are CRAZY and this year there was tons of mud so that made things more interesting, but no rain during the event so we were happy about that.
The outdoor pool constructed just for this kids triathlon (you can see the crowds of people in the background to get an idea of the size of the event):
Little Girl running into the transition area after her swim (parents are not allowed in transition so the kids must switch between activities all on their own).
During her run:
And after finishing!
Big sister doing the bike portion of her race (love that huge smile on her face):
And again with the smile walking her bike back in to the transition area (all riders have to get off their bikes and walk them at a certain point):
Crossing the finish line (The time on the clock is not her time since there were staggered start times, that is the total time since the first racer began. My girls both took around 33 minutes to complete the triathlon) :
So proud of my strong, brave girls!
P.S. Now that their sisters have done it, my boys thought the triathlon looked like so much fun that they want to do it next year! I think chasing 4 kids around the triathlon course with my camera will definitely constitute an athletic feat for me!
There is no way to even begin catching up, so I'll just post something recent that I'd like to have saved here on the blog, otherwise known as the only scrapbook my children will ever have unless they create their own!
My girls completed a triathlon!
My 9 year old daughter did it last year and loved the experience and her 6 year old sister was eager to join the fun this year.
It was a 100 yard swim, 3 mile bike ride, and 1/2 mile run.
The event is huge, so the logistics are CRAZY and this year there was tons of mud so that made things more interesting, but no rain during the event so we were happy about that.
The outdoor pool constructed just for this kids triathlon (you can see the crowds of people in the background to get an idea of the size of the event):
Little Girl running into the transition area after her swim (parents are not allowed in transition so the kids must switch between activities all on their own).
And after finishing!
Big sister doing the bike portion of her race (love that huge smile on her face):
And again with the smile walking her bike back in to the transition area (all riders have to get off their bikes and walk them at a certain point):
So proud of my strong, brave girls!
P.S. Now that their sisters have done it, my boys thought the triathlon looked like so much fun that they want to do it next year! I think chasing 4 kids around the triathlon course with my camera will definitely constitute an athletic feat for me!
Monday, February 9, 2015
When I'm Not Here
So, I've been a bit MIA from the blog lately. Everything is fine, well, actually it's chaos, but that's normal around here. The reason for the lack of blogging is that my volunteer job as a Child Advocate has been taking up a lot of my time.
On Friday I had to laugh at myself and snap this picture what with two computers set up and my case file spread over the floor (when children are in CPS care for 7 years, the case file tends to get kinda large). I was typing an email on one computer and referencing a 120 page document on the other computer. I was fielding phone calls from the CPS caseworker and leaving messages for the children's attorney. It was a busy, but productive, day!
We go to court again this week and then I'm hoping things slow down a bit. But honestly, the two children I'm fighting for are worth every minute of time, even when it feels like I don't have any more of it to give. Working to get these two kids out of foster care and into a loving home is a great privilege and I'm humbled that God has allowed me a part.
P.S. By the way, that loving home we're so close to for these kids? Is not my home. Just so nobody gets any crazy ideas!
On Friday I had to laugh at myself and snap this picture what with two computers set up and my case file spread over the floor (when children are in CPS care for 7 years, the case file tends to get kinda large). I was typing an email on one computer and referencing a 120 page document on the other computer. I was fielding phone calls from the CPS caseworker and leaving messages for the children's attorney. It was a busy, but productive, day!
We go to court again this week and then I'm hoping things slow down a bit. But honestly, the two children I'm fighting for are worth every minute of time, even when it feels like I don't have any more of it to give. Working to get these two kids out of foster care and into a loving home is a great privilege and I'm humbled that God has allowed me a part.
P.S. By the way, that loving home we're so close to for these kids? Is not my home. Just so nobody gets any crazy ideas!
Monday, July 7, 2014
A Surprising Blog Post That Has Seen A Lot of Traffic
I rarely look at the stats for my blog, because I just don't have the time, but when I do, I'm typically surprised by the posts that have seen the most traffic.
For example, do you know one of my top ten most viewed blog posts is "Trapped in a McDonald's Playland!" from July 27, 2009? According to Blogger, it has been viewed 1,753 and counting!
Maybe there is an unknown epidemic of children getting trapped in McDonald's playlands and parents are often Googling the search term "trapped in mcdonald's playland" because if you do that, my blog is the 4th result that comes up!
It's too bad that I had no idea at the time I wrote that blog post that it would be read so much because really my post offers no real useful advice on getting one's trapped child out of the McDonald's playland, unless you count "send an older sibling up after them" as helpful!
Here's the original post in all it's glory (from July 27, 2009):
We nearly never go to McDonald's, but we traveled to visit family this past weekend, and stopped to eat at what my kids call "Old McDonald's" on the car trip there. I most certainly did NOT laugh so hard at the following incident!
It was NOT my 2 year old who climbed to the top of the playland and began loudly calling, "Mommy, come here! Come here Mommy!"
Did you see his little face and hands in the center of that last picture? Here's the zoomed out pic. so you can see how stuck he is right in the middle of this biggest-McDonald's-playland-I've-ever-seen! Seriously, there was no easy way up there and no easy way out!
Thankfully he has older siblings because I was wearing a dress and I'm a bit claustrophobic. I've done the whole rescuing-a-kid-from-a-playland thing before with my older two and I get a little trapped and panicked feeling up there! My husband played the "I'm 6 feet tall; I can't get in there" card. So we sent our 6 year old up there to rescue his brother. His first attempt was unsuccessful. Next we sent our nearly 4 year old daughter up. Success!! She was able to gently talk him up to the top of a slide and then he rode down on big brother's lap!
Why is it that my kids as 2 year olds seem to have no trouble scurrying to the top of those things, in fact they do it so fast before we can stop them, but then need help getting down?!!
For example, do you know one of my top ten most viewed blog posts is "Trapped in a McDonald's Playland!" from July 27, 2009? According to Blogger, it has been viewed 1,753 and counting!
Maybe there is an unknown epidemic of children getting trapped in McDonald's playlands and parents are often Googling the search term "trapped in mcdonald's playland" because if you do that, my blog is the 4th result that comes up!
It's too bad that I had no idea at the time I wrote that blog post that it would be read so much because really my post offers no real useful advice on getting one's trapped child out of the McDonald's playland, unless you count "send an older sibling up after them" as helpful!
Here's the original post in all it's glory (from July 27, 2009):
We nearly never go to McDonald's, but we traveled to visit family this past weekend, and stopped to eat at what my kids call "Old McDonald's" on the car trip there. I most certainly did NOT laugh so hard at the following incident!
It was NOT my 2 year old who climbed to the top of the playland and began loudly calling, "Mommy, come here! Come here Mommy!"
Did you see his little face and hands in the center of that last picture? Here's the zoomed out pic. so you can see how stuck he is right in the middle of this biggest-McDonald's-playland-I've-ever-seen! Seriously, there was no easy way up there and no easy way out!
Thankfully he has older siblings because I was wearing a dress and I'm a bit claustrophobic. I've done the whole rescuing-a-kid-from-a-playland thing before with my older two and I get a little trapped and panicked feeling up there! My husband played the "I'm 6 feet tall; I can't get in there" card. So we sent our 6 year old up there to rescue his brother. His first attempt was unsuccessful. Next we sent our nearly 4 year old daughter up. Success!! She was able to gently talk him up to the top of a slide and then he rode down on big brother's lap!
Why is it that my kids as 2 year olds seem to have no trouble scurrying to the top of those things, in fact they do it so fast before we can stop them, but then need help getting down?!!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Keeping a Blog Comes In Handy Sometimes
I have seen people who are super organized. I just met a woman this week who kept a paper log of every wet and dirty diaper her infant had for the first two months (AND it was her SECOND child -- NO WAY! P.S.: Don't ask how this fun fact came up in conversation.) Then there are people who keep detailed records of every doctor's appointment they or their children have.
I am not one of those people.
I think I made it about 5 days of recording every wet and dirty diaper for my FIRST baby. Then by my 2nd baby I couldn't even keep track for the 2 days I was in the hospital after she was born, the nurses would come by and ask and my husband and I would make up answers so we didn't seem like bad parents, but honestly we'd forgotten to record a diaper in the middle of the night!
So it should come as no surprise that when I was on the phone today with the travel medicine clinic regarding our upcoming trip to Ethiopia, I didn't have a record of the date we had our last round of Ethiopia travel vaccinations!
But, WAIT! HOLD UP!
Didn't I blog about that?
A quick 5 second search of the good ole blog revealed the EXACT date of our last travel vaccinations AND how many shots we got -- so handy!!
From September 20, 2010:
147 million orphans in the world
our family's mission?
to make it 147 million MINUS ONE!
1 Day off school on Friday
1 Appointment at the Travel Medicine Clinic
15 shots between the 4 of us
the 3 year old will not be going to Ethiopia (so no shots for him)
20 hours on an airplane with him would = nightmare for all involved!
5 shots for my husband + an oral typhoid vaccine taken at home
5 shots for me + an oral typhoid vaccine taken at home
3 shots for my 7 year old
2 shots for my 5 year old
0 days the kids were in pain after the shots
2 days my husband and I needed Tylenol to even remotely be able to lift either arm!
1 little girl in Ethiopia we have never met, but still know she's way more than worth it!!! We don't know when, but we're coming, Baby!
**Updated: That Little Girl in Ethiopia is now home and has been for well over 2 years and she IS way more than worth it!
I am not one of those people.
I think I made it about 5 days of recording every wet and dirty diaper for my FIRST baby. Then by my 2nd baby I couldn't even keep track for the 2 days I was in the hospital after she was born, the nurses would come by and ask and my husband and I would make up answers so we didn't seem like bad parents, but honestly we'd forgotten to record a diaper in the middle of the night!
So it should come as no surprise that when I was on the phone today with the travel medicine clinic regarding our upcoming trip to Ethiopia, I didn't have a record of the date we had our last round of Ethiopia travel vaccinations!
But, WAIT! HOLD UP!
Didn't I blog about that?
A quick 5 second search of the good ole blog revealed the EXACT date of our last travel vaccinations AND how many shots we got -- so handy!!
From September 20, 2010:
147 million orphans in the world
our family's mission?
to make it 147 million MINUS ONE!
1 Day off school on Friday
1 Appointment at the Travel Medicine Clinic
15 shots between the 4 of us
the 3 year old will not be going to Ethiopia (so no shots for him)
20 hours on an airplane with him would = nightmare for all involved!
5 shots for my husband + an oral typhoid vaccine taken at home
5 shots for me + an oral typhoid vaccine taken at home
3 shots for my 7 year old
2 shots for my 5 year old
0 days the kids were in pain after the shots
2 days my husband and I needed Tylenol to even remotely be able to lift either arm!
1 little girl in Ethiopia we have never met, but still know she's way more than worth it!!! We don't know when, but we're coming, Baby!
**Updated: That Little Girl in Ethiopia is now home and has been for well over 2 years and she IS way more than worth it!
Thursday, March 20, 2014
What was life like 3 years ago?
One thing I love about having a blog, is the electronic scrapbookness of it. If I begin to wonder what things were like a few years ago, I can go back and read the archives! Here is a post I did 3 years ago when I participated in a blog party where everyone introduced their blog.
Originally published March 31, 2011:
Feel free to grab some ear plugs at the door; it's always LOUD around here!
And I must warn you against eating any of the cake!
The ice cream, however, gets rave reviews!
To introduce ourselves, we have 3 biological children ages 8, 5, and 3 years old and are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia.
As if having 3 young children and an adoption in progress wasn't enough crazy, we recently added a puppy to the chaos. Madeline is a 16 week old golden doodle puppy who really, really loves taking baths, in fact just this week she's discovered a new tactic that nearly guarantees her a much coveted bath:
Yes, that is mud covering her furry blond feet. Sorry for cutting off her head, as it turns out children may be easier to photograph than puppies! And for the record, the puppy is now getting a bath and blow-dry more times each week than I do!
So what's up with the name? Is it really chaos?
Well, there are occasionally backwards jeans.
Teeth have been known to fall out! And we anticipate losing 60 or more in the next few years! And our tooth fairy is way stingier than the tooth fairy for my kids' friends, so I don't know what's up with that! I tell my kids, "Well, their teeth just must be better than your teeth, maybe they brush more!"
I got a sewing machine for Mother's Day last year, The Internet has taught me to sew, and now I make more than half of my daughter's clothes, like this dress I made with this tutorial this week. I delighted in how sweet and girly my daughter looked in it. Then after school, she came home and made mud pies with her brothers while wearing it! Awesome!
There may or may not have been a moment this week when I called my husband at work and said, "All 3 kids are muddy, the dog is muddy, the 8 year old needs to be at soccer practice in 30 minutes, and I really just wish the mom would show up and deal with all this." Yeah, I know I AM the mom, and I did suck it up and deal with it all, even making it to the practice on time.
But the really crazy thing about the mud that made me wish I could turn-over my mom position just for an hour or so? Is that it hasn't really rained here in I-don't-know-when! My children created the mud by toting water from our outside faucet to the dirt under their swing set with buckets!
Back to the "Is it really chaos?" question.
Random face decorating is common around here.
There's usually a science experiment going on.
And somehow my toilet paper always ends up looking like this:
It used to be a toddler wildly unrolling the t.p. and this frugal momma rolling it back up (I mean it's not really used t.p., just unrolled)! Now, the puppy is the culprit!
My in-box pretty much always looks like this:
And while sometimes being the main manager of all the chaos leaves me feeling like this very tired bear.
I wouldn't have it any other way!
This blog is about sharing the crazy journey God has us on -- the messes, the fun, the joy, the pain, the struggles, the crafts (for the uncrafty, of course), the cooking from scratch, the attempt to live frugally for a greater purpose, the learning, the loving. The chaos! But, as the Sanctus Real song says, "It feels like chaos, but somehow there's peace." The peace comes from the only thing truly good about our home, and that is Jesus. I am so glad that He's "up to something bigger than me"!
Thanks for joining our party! Feel free to come back any time for a front row seat to all the chaos. And the best part? You get to enjoy it without having to clean up from it!!
Originally published March 31, 2011:
Feel free to grab some ear plugs at the door; it's always LOUD around here!
And I must warn you against eating any of the cake!
The ice cream, however, gets rave reviews!
To introduce ourselves, we have 3 biological children ages 8, 5, and 3 years old and are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia.
As if having 3 young children and an adoption in progress wasn't enough crazy, we recently added a puppy to the chaos. Madeline is a 16 week old golden doodle puppy who really, really loves taking baths, in fact just this week she's discovered a new tactic that nearly guarantees her a much coveted bath:
Yes, that is mud covering her furry blond feet. Sorry for cutting off her head, as it turns out children may be easier to photograph than puppies! And for the record, the puppy is now getting a bath and blow-dry more times each week than I do!
So what's up with the name? Is it really chaos?
Well, there are occasionally backwards jeans.
Teeth have been known to fall out! And we anticipate losing 60 or more in the next few years! And our tooth fairy is way stingier than the tooth fairy for my kids' friends, so I don't know what's up with that! I tell my kids, "Well, their teeth just must be better than your teeth, maybe they brush more!"
I got a sewing machine for Mother's Day last year, The Internet has taught me to sew, and now I make more than half of my daughter's clothes, like this dress I made with this tutorial this week. I delighted in how sweet and girly my daughter looked in it. Then after school, she came home and made mud pies with her brothers while wearing it! Awesome!
There may or may not have been a moment this week when I called my husband at work and said, "All 3 kids are muddy, the dog is muddy, the 8 year old needs to be at soccer practice in 30 minutes, and I really just wish the mom would show up and deal with all this." Yeah, I know I AM the mom, and I did suck it up and deal with it all, even making it to the practice on time.
But the really crazy thing about the mud that made me wish I could turn-over my mom position just for an hour or so? Is that it hasn't really rained here in I-don't-know-when! My children created the mud by toting water from our outside faucet to the dirt under their swing set with buckets!
Back to the "Is it really chaos?" question.
Random face decorating is common around here.
There's usually a science experiment going on.
And somehow my toilet paper always ends up looking like this:
It used to be a toddler wildly unrolling the t.p. and this frugal momma rolling it back up (I mean it's not really used t.p., just unrolled)! Now, the puppy is the culprit!
My in-box pretty much always looks like this:
And while sometimes being the main manager of all the chaos leaves me feeling like this very tired bear.
I wouldn't have it any other way!
This blog is about sharing the crazy journey God has us on -- the messes, the fun, the joy, the pain, the struggles, the crafts (for the uncrafty, of course), the cooking from scratch, the attempt to live frugally for a greater purpose, the learning, the loving. The chaos! But, as the Sanctus Real song says, "It feels like chaos, but somehow there's peace." The peace comes from the only thing truly good about our home, and that is Jesus. I am so glad that He's "up to something bigger than me"!
Thanks for joining our party! Feel free to come back any time for a front row seat to all the chaos. And the best part? You get to enjoy it without having to clean up from it!!
Monday, January 6, 2014
What's new?
It's a new year!
I know this because in the last 6 days I've exercised 4 times, done some organizing, am already behind on my read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan, and have had more than one green smoothie! All that can only mean one thing, it's the first week in January!
The new year is so like a set of empty storage bins, the possibilities are endless!
In this new year what's new here on the It Feels Like Chaos blog? (Hint: If you are reading this in a reader, click over to the blog to see.)
I know! It was more than time for an updated blog header! Nothing like being 2 years late to allow my header to reflect our family of 6 rather than 5! And while I do think the change is better, it's not perfect. I am not a blog designer. But, the imperfection? It suits us here at It Feels Like Chaos. Perfect would not feel like home!
We rang in the new year in our traditional style with sparklers and sparkling apple cider (that Little Girl insisted on calling "wine", no matter how many times I corrected her -- if you are her preschool teacher, just know we did not actually give her wine although I'm sure she will tell you we did!).
But, in this new year, what really matters are the new things the Lord has for us. Because He's always up to something new:
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19
So, I'm not only asking questions like what to fill my empty storage bins with, but what does God want me to fill 2014 with?
Happy New Year, Friends! If you are like me and have already broken a resolution, remember that truly every day is a new day. "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23
I know this because in the last 6 days I've exercised 4 times, done some organizing, am already behind on my read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan, and have had more than one green smoothie! All that can only mean one thing, it's the first week in January!
The new year is so like a set of empty storage bins, the possibilities are endless!
In this new year what's new here on the It Feels Like Chaos blog? (Hint: If you are reading this in a reader, click over to the blog to see.)
I know! It was more than time for an updated blog header! Nothing like being 2 years late to allow my header to reflect our family of 6 rather than 5! And while I do think the change is better, it's not perfect. I am not a blog designer. But, the imperfection? It suits us here at It Feels Like Chaos. Perfect would not feel like home!
We rang in the new year in our traditional style with sparklers and sparkling apple cider (that Little Girl insisted on calling "wine", no matter how many times I corrected her -- if you are her preschool teacher, just know we did not actually give her wine although I'm sure she will tell you we did!).
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19
So, I'm not only asking questions like what to fill my empty storage bins with, but what does God want me to fill 2014 with?
Happy New Year, Friends! If you are like me and have already broken a resolution, remember that truly every day is a new day. "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Too Tired To Title (Take Two)
We've had 4 children for over a year now and my blog header still reflects life as a family of 5. In fact, it reflects life as it was the end of 2008 when I began this blog (nobody drinks out of sippy cup or has a suction bowl any more)! On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst), how bad is that?
How old is your blog header (okay really only answer that question if it's older than mine, to make me feel better)?
How old is your blog header (okay really only answer that question if it's older than mine, to make me feel better)?
Can I use the "I have 4 children" excuse?
____________________
I know the football playoffs are going on right now, and there is a team we'll be rooting hard for on Sunday, but I have to say, #1 cutest football player is right here:
My 5 year old, I could just eat him up!
____________________
I took the boys to get haircuts last week and realized it was likely the last haircut for my 9 year old before he turns 10 and the price goes up. Because of that, my crazy, frugal mind decided that this haircut must last as long as possible and I got their hair cut shorter than it's been in a long time. At first I thought it was terrible and they looked like they'd been sheared like sheep, but then I noticed that the shorter styles made them look younger and that's just pure awesome! Enjoying my little boys while I still can and their fuzzy little heads!
____________________
Do you know what else is awesome? Craft time for the 5 and 4 year olds lead by the 7 year old!
There's something about leaf rubbings that's just really cool! Even if you don't have kids, I recommend you go peel the paper off some crayons, pick up some leaves, grab a sheet of white paper, and make a rubbing. Your day will be better for it!
____________________
This video clip of comedian Jim Gaffigan talking about having 4 kids is hilarious! I can relate!
____________________
Happy Friday Friends!
Find more Friday Fragments here.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Life Trumps Blogging
Whew! The last few days have BUSY with all sorts of different things and there has been no time at all to blog.
There's been the good -- A fellow adoptive family over for dinner with their precious 4 month old. Oh how I loved having a little baby in the house again! And then an out of town guest for a few days, who came with last minute notice but we had a great visit with. Great well-child check-ups at the pediatrician for my oldest 2 kids; praise God for their health! Completed our 6 month post-placement adoption caseworker visit and not only did all 4 kids behave beautifully, but this time I don't think there were any obvious dead bugs around! And 10 pages of preschool forms nearly complete and ready to turn in!
The bad -- 3 hours spent in a courtroom downtown to finalize some paperwork for our adoption and we still didn't get what we needed. Really this is minor. Our adoption is still finalized, our youngest daughter is still legally ours and absolutely a U.S. citizen. It's just going to be a little (or maybe a lot) more trouble than we thought to get her a U.S. birth certificate (it's much easier for school registration, etc. to have a U.S. birth certificate rather than just the Ethiopian one we have, also if we lost it, the U.S. version could be replaced, the Ethiopian one not so much!) and get her name changed from her Ethiopian given name (which includes my husband's first name as her middle name per Ethiopian law) to her American version. We are just so, so tired of paperwork and government hassles! But, at least this time we are not fighting our own government just to be able to get her home!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The recovered patio furniture is still going strong!
Could you ever guess what one of the most popular posts is from this blog? Popular based on number of times someone has clicked onto it after doing an internet search. It's the post How an Uncrafty Person Recovers Patio Furniture from May 9, 2010.
I laugh about this because my method of recovering that outdoor furniture is well, comical to say the least! Not exactly a Martha Stewart approved method.
But, y'all it worked! And what I'm here to say today as an update is that it still works!
The furniture still looks great now, over 2 years later! I haven't had to repair or recover any of the cushions! They've stayed on even under heavy kid use! The fabric I bought was the kind they make the reusable grocery bags out of and it has really stayed very nice for being on outdoor furniture (granted our patio is covered by a roof)!
So, uncrafty friends, take heart, if I can do it, you can too!
Original post from May 2010:
** Disclaimer I had no idea what I was doing. I just made up a process as I went along. I am happy with the outcome but have no guarantee it will hold up to the test of time! **
So here you go.
How I, an uncrafty person, recovered my patio furniture cushions:
Before my cushions (2 chair cushions and 1 bench cushion) were terribly stained. Too many times hosting kid birthday parties, too many nights of our neighbor's cats sleeping on them, too many coatings with yellow pollen that blows through the air freely for a couple months every spring all contributed to the ugliness.
I went to the fabric store and because I am cheap I limited my choices to the discount fabric. I found some great fabric for around $2.00 per yard. The material is not technically outdoor fabric, but the furniture is under a roof and the material is rough textured and stiff so it seems like moisture would not absorb too easily and some debris would brush off.
I am uncrafty so I didn't really closely measure and pretty much just guessed and got 5 yards (I ended up with a bunch extra but I'm glad to have spare in case a cushion needs to be recovered in the future.)
I cut the fabric to wrap around each cushion and then pretended like I was wrapping a present.
Only instead of using tape, I hand stitched the fabric to the cushion in a few different spots using heavy-duty thread. The heavy-duty thread I had on hand was a beige type color and it would have been much better to use a color that exactly blended with my fabric, but I was worried that adding another trip to the store for this project just may have been enough to put it over the edge into the land-of-projects-I-plan-but-never-accomplish, so I foraged ahead with the mismatched thread, knowing the goal was not perfection!
Only instead of using tape, I hand stitched the fabric to the cushion in a few different spots using heavy-duty thread. The heavy-duty thread I had on hand was a beige type color and it would have been much better to use a color that exactly blended with my fabric, but I was worried that adding another trip to the store for this project just may have been enough to put it over the edge into the land-of-projects-I-plan-but-never-accomplish, so I foraged ahead with the mismatched thread, knowing the goal was not perfection!
I folded over the edges that would end up showing on the outside before I stitched them to the cushion to get a clean edge without hemming.
And the finished product:
And here's what they look like on the furniture:
I did the bench cushion first. I wanted to tackled the hardest part first because I thought once I got it over with then I'd surely be motivated to finish the other cushions because I'd just have the easy chair ones left. But, in hindsight, I wish I'd done the bench last because I learned so much during the process and got better with each cushion. For the bench I actually used a combination of stapling the fabric and sewing it, but I realized the staples didn't work very well and hated the areas where I could see staples showing. I ended up adding a ribbon trim to 2 ends to cover staples, but that step would have been unnecessary if I'd just stitched it all to begin with!
I really love the way it turned out. I hope it holds up over time. But if not, I'm only out about $10 and a few hours of my time (the bench took me a couple hours and the chairs about 45 min. each) and for now it looks so much better than the stained fabric!!
If I can do it, you can too! From a girl who actually managed to poke herself in the lip with a needle during this process, trust me on that one, and also trust me that you should not attempt to hold the needle with your mouth while you position fabric!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
There is no to-do list.
You'll be happy to know that I finally got around to updating my "About Me" page since two of my children have had birthdays so their ages were wrong, and oh yeah, it still said something about "hoping to be able to bring her home soon" for our 4th child, who has now been home exactly 5 months. I know. I am blowing your mind with how on top of things I am, right?
The sad thing is, it only took about 2 minutes to update, and so could have been tackled long ago. But, really that's a typical theme in my life, letting millions and millions of 2 minute tasks pile up, until it all makes me so crazy that I just stop keeping a to-do list altogether because I don't want to know!
And, yes, speaking of blog maintenance, I am aware that we need another cereal bowl added to the blog header picture. Can I let you in on a little secret? That hasn't been our morning cereal bowl and cup set-up in probably over 3 years! Do you feel misled? It was what our counter looked like in the mornings when I started this blog. And there are times I wish my 5 year old still drank out of that sippy cup and had the suction bowl!
So, the blog header picture update? Is on the to-do list.
Well it would be, if you know, I actually were able to stick to the discipline of writing down or typing a to-do list and updating it regularly. I recently tried anew with an iPhone app to keep track of my to-do list. It lasted a whopping 2 weeks, the habit of checking it daily, doing things on the list, and adding new things! But the whole cycle of crossing off 2 things and adding 7 more each day just made my head want to explode! Am I more productive with a to-do list? Probably, but much happier not knowing all that I have to do! Turns out ignorance is bliss!
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Love this time of year with fresh black-eyed peas from our garden! They cook up so yummy; all the kids ate them and asked for seconds, doesn't hurt that I use bacon in the recipe!
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I also harvested some lettuce from the garden for a salad a few days ago and found a small snail on one of the leaves (good thing for that thorough washing, wouldn't have wanted to bite into that!). But, now we have a new pet. One that is on his (her?) way out. I have to talk the kids into setting it free tomorrow (just far from the garden so he doesn't eat any more of our lettuce); he keeps crawling all the way up to the top of the jar and trying to escape and really I just can't stand it any more, feels too cruel.
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Last Friday was the last day of pre-school, but my elementary kids don't get out until next Thursday, so I've enjoyed hanging out with just my 2 little ones during the day this week! I definitely haven't missed pre-school drop-off and pick-up - two less car trips each day- horray, horray!
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We had not yet tackled the mound of stuff my 5 year old brought home from his last days of preschool and now the 2 oldest kids are bringing home tons of stuff every day -- school workbooks they are done with, rulers, journals, summer reading logs, projects, artwork, other random school supplies! I'm ashamed to say it's all just piled up on the breakfast room table (the one we don't eat meals on since it's not big enough for our whole family). The pile has become like an end-of-the-school-year centerpiece!
Sometimes I really wish I was one of those moms who could just throw it all away without giving it a second thought. I have a friend who does that. As soon as it comes home, into the trash bag it goes. But, no, I have to involve the kids in a whole sorting process - some trash, some keepsake, some kept to work on over the summer for fun or pass on to a younger sibling. The problem is none of us has had any energy for the sorting process, hence the piles of clutter. My friend needs to come over and do an intervention with her trash bags!
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We could tackle the school stuff clutter over the long weekend and probably still have time to update the blog header, but a day trip to the beach is calling!
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Happy weekend, Friends!
Find more Finer Things Friday and Friday Fragments.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Maximizing the Chaos
We've hit the busy season. The time of year that makes Christmastime look rather unbusy and not at all stressful. It used to be just May that killed me, but much like Christmastime now bleeding over into October, the end of the school year crazy schedule now includes the last two weeks in April in addition to the month of May.
Preschool open house where kids showcase what they've done all year, 3rd grade musical, 1st grade musical, science fair, recycled materials project, 1st grade gifted and talented expo, 3rd grade gifted and talented expo, 2 different school field trips, preschool outdoor/water day, elementary school field day, a birthday party to celebrate the 4 year old turning 5, the end of soccer season for my youngest and beginning of swim team season for my oldest ones! Wow, I'm so glad I didn't let my 6 year old do dance so at least there's no dance recital/rehearsal/pictures crazy to go along with the other madness!
I'm soooooo ready for summer! And to all my friends that have asked me if I'm signing my child up for whatever summer class/camp/activity the answer is "NO!" We have a few things planned for the summer and swim team does run through June, but other than that, we are going to enjoy a lot of downtime and a much easier schedule!
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In other news, our 3 year old daughter adopted from Ethiopia just 4 months ago, is still making amazing progress with her English speaking. She's added, "It's not fair!" to her repertoire, which is lovely. Then recently when my 6 year old daughter was doing her homework, Little Girl loudly asked, "Where's my homework?!!" Everyone that meets her is really surprised she's only been in this country a few months!
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This week there's also been this excitement:
Little Girl figured out how to pump herself on the swing.
But do you see what else is going on in that picture?
How 'bout this one, notice it now?
My 4 year old son had not quite mastered pumping although he's been working at it for a while now. So as his little sister pumped higher and higher, hollering, "Mom! Look at me! Look at me!", all he could do was sit on the swing and fuss, "I wish I could pump. I try and it doesn't work. I can't go high."
Of course what was really going on was that he'd pump himself two or three times and then get impatient and discouraged that he was not yet going high, so he'd quit moving his legs and pulling with his arms and then all of his momentum was lost.
I coached him through all kinds of whining and "I can't do it"s and finally I decided he wasn't really trying and gave up. No amount of instruction was getting through.
But, where adult teaching falls short, the prodding power of a sibling doing something you can't (a younger sibling no less) produces amazing results! By late afternoon, my 4 year old son was also pumping his own self on the swing!
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Two different posts from this little blog were featured in the e-book That Works for Me!
The e-book shares in an organized, categorized fashion, 800 practical tips to make your life run smoother. These are tips that have been shared over the years in the Works for Me Wednesday blog carnival, so they are tried and true, the harnessed wisdom of so many bloggers! Oh the excitement! (And late nights spent reading up on how to remove permanent marker, organize your grocery list, make homemade ketchup, get rid of poop smells, maximize your closet space, store wet swimsuits, etc., etc.)
Keep in mind this is an e-book, the little "e" stands for "electronic" so this is not a hard or soft-backed book you will hold in your hands and thumb through the old fashioned way. No, this is a book you download to your computer or kindle or whatever electronic reader you prefer and then you can click and instantly move from page 27 to page 142! Really, I'm not sure how I feel about e-books because I'm old school and like to actually hold a book in my hands, but for this it works being an e-book and judging by my overflowing bookshelves, I could probably use more adventures into the e-book world!
The regular price of the book is $8 but I have a little coupon code I
have permission to share with you guys. For $1 off use code: SAVE1. To purchase the book go to the website: http://thatworksfor.me
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Happy Friday, Friends!
Find more Finer Things Friday and Friday Fragments.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Too Tired To Title
One night this week our 3 year old, only home from Ethiopia a few weeks, was coughing. While she slept I set up the humidifier right near the bed, hoping to ease the cough. Little girl woke up a few minutes later pointing and screaming at the humidifier, deathly afraid!
Epic parenting fail! What was I thinking? She'd never seen a humidifier before, much less one shaped like ours! She woke up to the equivalent of a smoke-breathing penguin standing right next to her bed!
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I have a million blog topics I'd like to write on, but I'm lacking in the time and energy department. I remember a few years back I blogged on wanting a scribe (no time at all to look up where or when that post was to link to it), you know someone to follow me around all day, enduring the loud, messy, and occasionally hazardous conditions of my mothering 4 young children job, and ready to record a blog post whenever inspiration strikes me. All for no pay, of course! Because my homemaker job pays me exactly zero dollars! Now accepting applications!
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For nearly the last 2 months, every day my 4 year old son has told me the same exact piece of information about himself.
He says at some point every day, "Mom, do you know what my 2 worstest holidays are? They are Halloween and Thanksgiving"
"Halloween because there's scarey stuff and Thanksgiving because you have to keep eating the same foods over and over again!"
I promise that I only served Thanksgiving leftovers 3 times after the main meal and some of those were lunches! But, it seems the leftovers scarred my little guy for life!
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I'm currently blogging this while sharing the couch with an unfolded load of laundry. Just thought you'd like to know my priorities are clearly in order!
Find more Finer Things Friday and Friday Fragments.
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