My hubs got this book for me this Christmas. It’s full of projects I’d like to try. I just have to pace myself, as evidenced by the hours I spent on this project a couple of weekends ago. (I wonder if the author, Heather Ross has kids present during her weekend sewing marathons…)

I’m definitely learning to sew in stages. I think one of the reasons I haven’t done as much sewing and reading in the past few years  is because I’m an “all or nothing” kind of person.  Typically, I want to finish the WHOLE project or the ENTIRE book in one sitting, as opposed to stretching it out. This just isn’t practical in my situation, so having kiddos around sort of forces me to sew in stages. Not a bad development, to be sure.

After doing all my cutting one weekday evening, I was able to finish this project in a reasonable amount of time a couple of Saturdays ago. It is called the everything tote–a fitting name, as it is huge and holds a LOT. The fabric is an old tablecloth, lined with a sheet I found at a yardsale.  I’m pretty happy with the results!

I’ve stumbled upon a new homeschooling blog that promises to be well worth reading: Simple Homeschool.  Ah, simplicity and homeschooling combined. Now that’s something I can get excited about.

And just in time for their launch, you can be a part of a great giveaway with lots of goodies to enhance your homeschooling experience.  Go there. Do it.

I haven’t said much about homeschooling these days. It’s probably because we’re just in “git ‘er done” mode. I’m trying so hard to get in a routine and accomplish what we need to accomplish each day. I’m still reading blogs and finding things that work for us, and plan to share when I get some spare time. (ha! spare what?) I had forgotten how many times during the first year a baby’s routine and sleep schedule change, so it’s been a little bit frustrating to feel like we’re figuring out a system that works and then having to change it again based on his little whims. It’s been mostly all about adapting and that’s just fine.

That being said, here are a couple of neat things I’ve come upon recently.

First of all, how much fun would it be to play in one of these?

And secondly, this post from Stefani about nature journals is so great. She really makes it  look “do-able.” And after seeing this and reading tons of books from the library about nature and animals, I’ve got two littles who just can’t wait for spring to get here. Until then, we’ll just keep plugging along, playing around with our schedule and working toward a routine that works for the time being.

…I am not saying that men do not meet any needs of their wives. Of course they do! But when women look to fallen men to give them purpose and meaning in life, they are looking in the wrong place. It is asking of a finite creature what only the Almighty can do. He created us with all these needs, and only He can really satisfy our soul’s desires. A husband is a source of tremendous comfort, strength, protection, love, and companionship. But our souls need supernatural comfort, strength, protection, love, and companionship. A mere man cannot even comprehend the needs of a woman. In fact, I don’t think women even understand their own hearts and needs…

Nancy nails it again Something I’m still learning, after nearly ten years of marriage. It’s always easier to seek comfort from flesh and blood, someone who is right there with you, someone you can see.  But that’s a lot of pressure to put on a husband, don’t you think?

…instead of whining and complaining or getting into one of those husband/wife conversations about who is more tired, I thought I would just make a plan to take care of myself…

…Times of retreat are so necessary and needed. And not once in a great while or when we are completely fried and burned-out, but as a way of life. We cannot effectively take care of those we love if we aren’t consistently being filled up in all areas…

Usually, all it takes for me is a little time to be creative, take a drive, listen to some music, or whatever else I wouldn’t normally get to do on my own without an audience or an interruption. It’s amazing how just a little time to think (or NOT think!) can do wonders for my outlook and refresh my inner being. We can make jokes about “me” time, but seriously…it’s necessary for survival sometimes. Don’t you think? When you have an opportunity to refresh, what’s first on your ‘to do’ list? What’s in your cup of sanity?

Enjoy!

After reading Tonia’s post here about planning ahead, the wheels started turning, and I decided to invest in a dozen wide mouth quart size canning jars. One morning, I just mixed up several batches of all the dry ingredients for blueberry muffins, pizza dough and biscuit mix and put them in these jars. I labeled them with a dry erase marker, stuck them in a basket and put them on a shelf, ready for action. They have proven to be very useful. This”resolution” (if you want to call it that) is going to stick.

Reading Aimee’s post about jars also got me thinking about all the things I could store in them and so I started collecting. (By collecting, I mean saving them once we empty them…a pickle jar here, a jelly jar there. And oh, the salsa that gets consumed in this house. Those jars are the best!) So slowly but surely, things around here are finding glass homes and it feels good. (I even have a jar for stray Legos that get missed when it’s cleanup time and we end up pulling them out of the baby’s mouth.)

Now that things are being organized, I would actually like to make these jars more aesthetically pleasing, like this. Not that there’s anything wrong with having our math manipulatives labeled as ‘mild’….but that’s for another day.

What do you have that needs a home?

Okay folks, that should do it for now. See you next week for something new, fresh and totally unrelated to sewing.

You have my word.