Tuesday, February 3, 2009

A Lot of This and That

I haven't blogged in a week. With sewing and reading and having people over almost every night and all of our ridiculous TV shows that we are emotionally invested in (Lost (numero uno!), 24, American Idol) blogging has taken a back seat. Even now while I'm actually here to blog, I can't...I'm eating trail mix...it's very delicious and distracting. Okay...I put it away.

There is a list of things I've been wanting to update you on.
1. Potty Training: Going exceptionally well! I was totally bracing myself for the worst, but Braelyn has done great! We have an accident here and there, but mostly we've got dry britches! I even took her to College Station today, where we went to the Children's Museum, Chick-fil-a and Hobby Lobby! No accidents. Lots of potty breaks.

2. Sewing: I've been a busy bee, and I have to admit, a little obsessed. That's all I can think about! Unfortunately, I have to set up my machine and all other supplies in the dining room, so I can't just do a little bit here and a little bit there. I really have to commit a chunk of time. But I'm making due. At the very end of January, I did complete one Christmas gift item! YEA! I'm sticking to my Christmas plan - at least one item a month. It feels good to have a plan and know what I am doing! Anyways, as far as non-Christmas items go...here's what I've been working on:

A couple of draft snakes. Our 70 year old windows aren't as eco-friendly as we would like, but mostly I just like to see that cozy little guy in my window. Also, for Valentine's Day, I wanted to make Braelyn a little stuffed animal. I liked the idea of an owl. (When I asked her if there was animal she liked she mentioned a pig, but I had already been gathering ideas for an owl. Owl it is!) I searched through Etsy to help me figure out how I might do this. I was inspired by these:

And these by Retromama:So anyway...I'll let you know how it goes. I'm excited to try!

What else?.... (Back to trail mix) Hmmm?...

3. The College Bible Study: Oh my goodness this is so exciting! Last semester, the college small group met at our house for dinner and bible study. This semester, the group has just gotten too big, so we moved it to the church. It seems like the students have been looking for something like this for a while and are really excited about what God is doing. They are inviting their friends like crazy and a few have even found us through Facebook! These students have been such an encouragement to us. It's amazing to be a part of!

4. College dance friends: A few weeks ago I met up with some of the girls I danced with in college. It was amazing to see them again. I only spent about 3 years with them, but with all the hours we spent dancing together and all the interesting situations we found ourselves in together (modern dance, you know...anything can happen) they became my dear, dear friends. I was elated to get reconnected with them again.This weekend, I am going with a few of them to see a few of them in a dance concert. It will be the first dance concert I've been to since I quit dancing. I'm nervous that it will be hard for me to watch without feeling sad that I'm not dancing myself, but...I miss these girls and I miss dance in general. I think it will be good for me to go. I'll let you know if I keep it together or not. ;)

5. New Book: The girls I went through Crazy Love with(a college and high school student) and I have started a new book. This one.Has anybody read it? Just curious. I'd love to know what you thought.

6. Final item. Braelyn's Wardrobe Choices: It's happening people!! She's wanting to pick out her own clothes! Part of me is glad about this. I want her to be a creative individual who isn't afraid to express herself. On the other hand, when we are going somewhere...like the Children's Museum...I want her to look cute and properly put together. Places like the grocery store or the park, I don't care...knock yourself out with your tutus and sparkly shoes and tiaras...but should I allow this everywhere we go?! I can't decide exactly where I stand on this. Moms, and future moms...what are your feelings on this subject?

8 comments:

Coffman Family said...

Those owls are very nice. I might try that for Ethan's room. Let me know any tips you figure out.

Erin said...

You probably know this already, but since preschool is T/Th, she winds up getting to pick her own outfit 4 days a week (not bad, right?) Sunday is not a big deal anymore, cuz she loves wearing her "good" dresses, so she has her pick. M,W,F...well, crazy tights, skirts, t-shirts rein. If I'm lucky they're in the same "shade" of pink!

Abba's Girl said...

I think my parents were more appalled by the wig stage I went through at Braelyn's age...one wig was a 1960's blonde, beehive; one was a long, blonde, fall; and the other was a purple pageboy...just guess which one I wore most often to the grocery store, bank, cleaners...

5 Chicks and a Farmer said...

Hey! I love your cute stuff. You inspire me.

About the clothes- I'm with you on that one. There is a time and place that its alright for them to dress themselves, but not for everything!

As they get older, this gets easier to explain to them and they can begin dressing themselves with you. KK picks out her school clothes pretty well now. But, for about a year it was kind of scary!

Also, don't know if you are familiar with this blog, but I think you would love it- Little Birdie Secrets. http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/

mandi said...

first off, let me just say, that i am crazy about owls.

that's that.

now- about clothes. it is really obvious that i let me kids pick out their clothes. my thinking is this- as a girl, dylin has lots of years to care about clothes. caring if everything coordinates, etc. and honestly, i don't want her to be too concerned about that. i mean, i think it's ok to like pretty things, i don't mean that. but i want her to be more eternally minded. so anyway, for the most part, it is a non-issue around here. now for certain days, like yesterday we had a funeral, we talked about what is appropriate and not, then she chose from there.
*sidenote: if it is a special occassion, sometimes i choose 3 'outfits' and let her choose one. i also use this system if i feel like she is getting too big for her britches. it is a way for me to show her that she is not wiser than mom and dad.

mom of 3, hater of cheese and birds said...

on item #2 if the owls go south, use the fabric and make her a snake. They came out with a stuffed snake Webkinz, and the girls on our block are crazy for them!!! just sayin', cuz waking up to a stuffed owl in the middle of the night might be kinda scary.

casey said...

oh i love that owl! i want to make one! But i am with Braelyn... little piggies! :) see you tomorrow!

monique said...

I think by now EVERYONE knows that Annelise has a very unconventional syle. But she takes what she wears very seriously. It can totally break her heart and ruin her day if she if forced to wear an outfit that doesn't "feel" right. I think I understand that feeling. Most of the time I let her dress herself. I've heard that teachers always are waiting to see what Annelise might wear to school each day. You never can predict it. As a mom it can be hard b/c sometimes I would rather her not look rediculous. But then I think that the crazy mixmatch clothes are kindof a fun part of being a child and why should she miss that. It is such a short season. Like anyone would actually think I picked out that insane outfit anyway. So now I enjoy taking my "little clown" in public at times. But I still get to pick the outfit on church days and such. Now I actually love it, and it makes me happy to see other crazy dressed kids out in public with their moms. As cute as Braelyn is - she'll look great no matter what she picks.