Reed's Quilt: Fabric

Here are the fabric pieces I've received in the last few days for Reed's Quilt- 20 envelopes in the last 3 days!







 







The blue/green larger piece of fabric is for the backing of the quilt, everything else is a quarter yard of colored fabric and a 4"x6" piece of muslin signed with the user IDs of the board members. This is going to be interesting to piece together!

Jean Skirt Reconstruction

I've been hunting for a good pair of jeans to reconstruct into a skirt- I'm apparently the last crafty person on earth to do such a thing. My excuse? I've really been waiting for the perfect pair of jeans, and I've *just* started sewing this summer.

Pics from the recon:

The jeans before cutting- they were actually capris, just below my knees, already frayed around the bottom. I loved the faded pattern and the diagonal seams across the legs. I found these at my local Good Will store for $3.



Pinning . . .



... and sewing ...



And the finished product!

Adjusting

I'm playing with my theme and widgets today, so please accept my apologies for everything moving around all the time! I'll get it all re-done tonight.

Zoo

These pictures are from about 3 weeks ago- Brian and I had the same day off (which rarely happens unless it's Sunday!) But they are so cute I thought I'd share a few.


Ender's Favorite Animals from the trip:

The area in the picture below is two stories tall, and we were standing on the top floor where you can see the birds up close. On the bottom floor were serveral tortoises... tortoise... however you spell the plural of tortoise! Ender stood in fascination for a long time on both floors.

And a few fun pictures of Ender and Ezra:

Reed's Quilt

I wrote last week about the loss of a friends little one. Our board is putting together a quilt in his memory and each member is sending fabric that reminds them of little Reed. I just received the first bit of fabric in the mail yesterday and I will be getting pieces in over the next week from the United States, Canada, the UK-- all to honor a little boy we grew to love and adore even though we never met him face to face.

I will be posting progress here as I receive pieces and as I work on the quilt. My mother is helping with design and piecing and a friend of hers who is a fabulous machine quilter has graciously agreed to make room in her quilting schedule to quilt the project as soon as it is complete so that we can send the quilt out as soon as possible.

This is just a small bit of what we are able to do in rememberance of our board's little lion, Reed.

Simple Woman's Daybook 3

Please remember to stop over at Peggy's for her other links!

For Today... September 16

Outside my Window...it is just getting to be light.

I am thinking...I could use another cup of coffee, and thinking through my day today.

From the learning rooms...we are focusing on art this week and trying a lot of different styles. We are going to paint with tempra paint for the first time today.

I am thankful for...the last few days my husband has been off work and able to get his midterms done!

From the kitchen...lasagna tonight, with garlic bread and green beans. I get to make muffins later this morning. Mmmmm....

I am wearing...blue jeans, thick socks, and a sweatshirt from my alma mater. I'll change my shirt after baking this morning before my first student arrives.

I am reading... Basic Montessori by David Gettman. Wow, what a thick read this has been, but really good stuff!

I am hoping...for a new computer soon. Mine continues to shut down on its own, sometimes several times a day. It is just too old and it's on far more than it is capable of handling.

I am creating...a new cleaning schedule since our old one no longer serves us with my change in teaching schedule.

I am hearing...Nothing. It's nice. :)

Around the house...lots  i'm working on getting the cold weather clothing out. I made it through Little Bit's clothes on Sunday, and I'm working on Big Kid's clothes. I still have my own today. time to put away the short sleeves and summery dresses!

One of my favorite things... when my husband volunteers to take the boys out for an hour or two so I can do "whatever it is you need to do". He did that on Sunday and I got most of my billing done for the semester!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...A trip to the library, bargain shopping at CVS, finishing the clothing project, starting to work on Christmas plans!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... Little Bit, "helping" with the laundry

Building the Habit: Diligence

I get in this mood in September to clean and freshen up the house before we're locked down tight for the winter. I suppose most people have this feeling in the spring if they have it at all (hence "Spring cleaning"!), but for me it's autumn that brings it out in me. Maybe it's because I've been a teacher for most of my working life. September means new school supplies, a fresh start with new students, etc.

The last few months have been difficult for me. Superman is working full time AND attending school full time,  and I am teaching longer hours temporarily to pay for his schooling. I have been really struggling with a few things, specifically learning better to follow my husband's leadership. I have seen that I am not serving my husband well in the home, and it is a big change I've been trying to make.

I've had two words at the top of my "to do" list every day: OBEDIENCE and DILIGENCE. The first word is for my son who is learning to obey right away and without complaining. The second word is for me. It is so easy for me to think through what I have accomplished that day and to allow myself to relax and slack off the rest of the day, which finds me stressed and tense the next day when I am not prepared for the day's tasks. I am learning to follow all the way through a process and to reap the benefits later.

Sounds simple, right? Something a child learns? I didn't. My mother was not a great model either of mothering or housekeeping, so I've been learning this all on my own and stumbling along the way. My husband is gracious enough to realize that this is a totally overwhelming task for me. We've been married 7 1/2 years and it took me the first 3 years just to get the hang of keeping up on laundry! I'm doing much better now, but still I find myself looking around my home and feeling like I've done nothing all day. I feel like there is always so much to be done and there is very little time to enjoy it. I do think, though, that if I would follow all the way through in my prep for the next day I would start to see the free time and the free mental energy. I've caught glimpses of it now and again when I have 3 or 4 good days in a row. I want to build this habit up to 7 days of Diligence.

This means:

1. Rising at 6 a.m. and completing my morning routine before my boys wake up.

2. Packing a lunch for Superman.

3. Keeping on top of laundry each day instead of running several loads all in one day.

4. Doing Dishes as the come at each meal rather than having a big kitchen clean up each night.

5. Keeping at my "to do" list all day long rather than congratulating myself half way through and calling it a job well done.

6. Drinking enough water and eating enough calories each day.

7. Going to bed by 10 with Superman.

7 things for 7 days of Diligence.

Menu Plan Monday

I'm getting back into dinner meal planning. We absolutely must have a plan now that I am working until 6:30 or 7 every night. So dinner means a lot of homemade premade things. So here is our not very exciting made ahead week:

Monday: Lasagna (made on Sunday)

Tuesday: Superman cooks (quite possibly take-out, but I leave his night completely up to him)

Wednesday: Meatballs in the crockpot, make sub sandwiches

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner: Eggs, bacon, french toast, waffles, etc. Whatever we feel like :)

Friday: Baked Chicken, Wild Rice and Green beans

Saturday: Eating out for a child-free date!